by Sarra Cannon
My spirit soared to be in his arms again. I dropped the pictures and ran my fingers through his silken hair to pull him closer. All my reservations about him shattered. Who was I trying to fool? I loved him.
He pressed his tongue into my mouth to taste me in lazy sweeps. A deep moan vibrated in his chest.
“I guess you two don’t need a counselor.”
Rurik jerked away from our kiss. His moan turned into a growl as he twisted to set me down behind him, barring me from Red. With preternatural speed he snagged Red off the floor by his shirtfront. “Was this the slayer who stole you from me?” Red hung a foot from the floor and dangled from Rurik’s grip as if he weighed like a child. He’d paled so his freckles stood out.
“Put me down.” The order snapped with the expert confidence being a drill Sergeant gave you. “I didn’t come here to fight.”
“No, you came to stake me.”
“A few hours ago I would have gladly done it but Connie’s changed my mind.”
Rurik twisted to glare at me. “How can you bring this here?” He shook Red with his last question. “You said you believed me.”
“I do and I can prove but not if you hurt Red. Put him down.”
His body tensed as he fought with indecision. I asked him to trust me after all I did so far betrayed him. Our decision to come here was a mistake. Red should have listened to me.
“Show him the pictures already, Connie, before this gets messy.” Red grasped at the arm that held him for balance.
I touched my tormented lover’s shoulder. “He’s a friend and wants to help. Please.”
He stared at me. Questions formed in his eyes and for the first time I saw doubt. It made me want to cry but he released Red. After all my secrets and a possible murder attempt he still wanted to believe in me. I hoped to earn it one day.
I retrieved one of the fallen pictures scattered around us and showed him. “The photos in my suitcase are altered. These are the originals.”
He didn’t even look at it. “I know the pictures were fake. I wish you didn’t need proof.”
His comment hurt me even more by stabbing me in the heart. Things between us were not forgiven after all. A relationship built on lies never had a chance.
I pointed at Red as I rounded on Rurik. “How do you expect me to convince them to stop hunting you? I’ve had faith in you since the bathhouse.”
His expression softened. “You’re trying to protect me?”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. Why did I bother? He had a pretty face and a sexy body? Or was it for his tenacity to cling to an old rusted car because he loved it. That he built a happy clan that didn’t prey on human kind but embraced it. Maybe the way he teased me and made me laugh.
“Ah hell. Stop bein ‘ an idiot. Connie’s been breakin ‘ all the rules tryin ‘ to help you. She cares about you and you care about her. We’ve got proof you’re innocent and are willing to make a truce. A fresh start for everyone.” Red’s cell phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket. “What?” He walked away to concentrate on whoever spoke.
I examined my worn running shoes. “I’m sorry.” Nothing I said would express how much. I met his stare. “I really am.”
The safety of his arms as he wrapped me in a hug felt divine after the turmoil of the last twenty-four hours. I closed my eyes and melted to his hard body.
He sighed. “A new start.”
“We all made up now?” Red stood with his feet apart, cell phone crushed in one fist. “Great. Can you help us out? Looks like we’ve got ourselves caught up in a Nosferatu power struggle. I don’t think any of us will survive this unless we make an alliance. Dragos is trying to kill you and it won’t be long before he comes after us.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I just said that. They were a myth until two days ago.”
Rurik eyed Red, his arms slipped from my shoulders. “They need to remain myth. Do you understand? For your own safety.”
Red nodded. “Don’t spill the beans.”
“They would discredit you then destroy you. Not just Dragos, but any of his kind. They guard their secrets well and have millennia of experience doing it.”
I could see Red swallow.
“You wanted to offer me an alliance?” Rurik crossed his arms over his chest and faced Red. “What could I gain from this?”
“Any intel we obtain and extra hands to fight. We’ll also do our best to keep you in power.”
“I want the original and forged pictures.”
Red bent down and gathered some of the photos then stuffed them in Rurik’s hand. “Done, what else?”
Rurik turned his head toward me.
“She’s not for sale.”
“Red!”
“I’m not makin ‘ you stay if you don’t wanna.”
“I didn’t imply for you to give her to me, only not to stop her if she chooses to stay.”
Tired of fooling myself, I reached up on tiptoe and planted a soft kiss on his cheek as my answer.
Rurik scowled at Red, daring him to object but Red nodded to us.
“One more thing, I don’t want any hunting of my clan. If you gain proof of their misdeeds, give it to me. I keep my own house.”
“I can’t speak for Colby but I’ll do my best to convince him.” He stuffed his cell phone in his pocket. “I’ll gather the troops and bring them here. We’ve misplaced our boss. He was following a Nosferatu lead. Can you help us locate him?”
“I will make some inquires. We can defend ourselves better together but I will fight only against Dragos and his men. No others.”
Chapter 21
Marie escorted Red out of the house. Before the front door closed Rurik snatched me off my feet and embraced me. His kiss made all my aches and pains disappear.
Dizzy and short of breath, I held his shoulders when he set me down on my feet. The man could make a statue’s knees wobble if he tried.
“You smell like smoke.” He leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “Rabbit.” The way he said my name, like he cherished it, melted any of my reservations that remained of his affection. “I’d never ... I would have...” He sighed. “I should never have chased you out.”
I touched his pain-filled face. “You had good reason to be angry. I kept a lot of secrets.” This admission felt good. It helped me heal, allowed my wounds to scar over. Our relationship might have a chance at becoming something real. I’d been hollow and alone for so long and had nothing to lose until now. Maybe this would help me find what I wanted, a place to belong.
Yet, I still had secrets.
Tane still wanted the drug. It warred with my desire to be honest with Rurik, all for a stupid vial of mouthwash looking liquid. Maybe I could use it to get him to help us defend against Dragos.
He opened his eyes to gaze with worry into mine. “What happened to you? Who was brave enough to take you from my doorstep? This won’t go unpunished, I promise.”
I stepped out of the circle of his arms. Afraid once he heard of what I’d done to Lizzy he’d crush me. “Lizzy implemented it.”
His eyes flared. “The audacity, she’s overstepped her rights. She’s a guest in my city.” He paced as his voice rose. “Why do I tolerate that woman? She’s always meddling-”
I stepped in front of him.
“Rabbit?”
“I smell like smoke because I set her on fire.” I cringed expecting an explosion.
His feet stayed planted to the floor, his eyes stunned. “You did what?”
I explained her plans for murder and extortion. It poured from me like a river. “The original pictures came from her as well. She helped Dragos kill these people and frame you.” I kicked at one of the pictures on the floor. “So I threw an oil lamp at her when she attacked me and she went up like a Roman candle. Furthermore,” I poked him in the chest, “Tane’s an ass, he’s not your friend, and I’m sure he’s trying to kill you too.” I had to catch my breath.
As I ranted a huge grin developed o
n his face. “None of that surprises me, except you managed to escape unscathed.”
“Why would that surprise you?” I stepped closer and stuck my face in his. “You expect Lizzy to be a murderous traitor and Tane to betray you but you’re shocked that I can defend myself?” I poked his chest again. “I may be a girl but I can fight when cornered.”
“It has to do with you being human.” He ran his hands up and down my arms. “I appreciate you being a woman.” He leered at me. “You’re so hot, especially now.” By the intensity of his stare, I didn’t think he meant my body temperature. He leaned in until his lips found mine and assailed me with a wild hunger. It blew his last kiss out of the water, but no amount of sexy male flesh would cool my temper.
The frustration of being ordered and pushed around by egotistical, crazed vampires the past few days culminated. I struggled in Rurik’s grasp but he wouldn’t let me loose.
His hands held me to him in an iron grip.
So I bit him.
He cried out and shoved me away. A spot of blood formed on his lip before he wiped it. When he saw it on the back of his hand, his eyes ignited with passion. He stepped forward and caught me in his arm then threw me over his shoulder with one hand.
I kicked out and pounded on his back. This caveman attitude turned me on, damn it. A thin line existed between passion and fury and mine just got real blurry. It’s not what I wanted.
When we reached his room he dropped me on the bed.
I used the momentum of the bounce to roll and climb to my knees. Rurik stood by the edge of the bed, hair messed, cold blue eyes inflamed, and his bottom lip starting to swell. He’d never looked more delicious. I slid my fingers in his waistband and unbuttoned his jeans.
“What are you doing?” His voice held a hint of teasing as he stared at my hands in playful bewilderment.
“Shut up and get undressed.” I lifted his shirt over his head and didn’t need to order him twice. With centuries of practice Rurik stripped in seconds. His body was ready for me.
He bent forward to claim me but I leaned away. “Did I tell you to do that?”
The wicked grin he gave me made his lip bleed again. “No, Ma’am.” But he crawled onto the bed anyway. “You’re overdressed, Rabbit.” He grabbed my ankle in an attempt to tug my jeans off.
The rough handling pissed me off. I’d remove my clothes when I was good and ready. In a twisted way, his attitude made me wet yet furious at myself for responding to it. I kicked at his hand but missed.
This only made him smile wider. The button on my pants snapped with a flick of his fingers then slipped off as if made of silk when he yanked. He gathered the edges of my panties in his large hands and slipped them from my hips.
“I chased you from this room because I feared I’d hurt you. It’s been a long time since I lost control of myself.” His fingers traced the collar of my t-shirt. “No more secrets from you, no more lies.” With a single motion he tore it to the hem exposing my bra.
I struggled to crawl away. Not from fear, I wanted more control of the situation and didn’t trust myself to not succumb to him, but he held me in place at the hips.
He leaned down to give me a more intimate kiss between my legs. The silken touch of his tongue made me writhe in his clutches as he licked me slow, as if savoring me like an ice cream cone. My anger should have faded but it didn’t. I wanted to be free and I wanted control. He took those away from me, everyone had.
“Let me go.”
His inflamed, dark stare caught my breath. “No,” Rurik stated in a voice that held a tone I’d never heard him use. A thin line of a growl trickled from his throat as he bent to suckle.
The lightning shock of pleasure shot straight to my brain and overloaded my intelligence. Only a wanton beast remained pinned to the bed, a slave to his ministrations. I let him have my body.
He pressed his mouth deeper in me and drew harder until my cries stopped. I lay panting as he knelt next to me and reached for my bra. His cock pressed against his abdomen, hard and thick, ready with need.
I’d had enough of being prey. He wasn’t the only one who knew his way around a bed. Power came with sex and I could wield it. Before things went any further I rolled over and licked his hard shaft from base to tip.
The sound of a sharp intake of breath told me of his surprise and pleasure.
No more taking orders from Colby, no more scolding from Red, and definitely no more pushing around by vampires. Rurik might be angry with me, but I was furious at the world. In a matter of days, my life had been turned inside out, my soul scrubbed raw, and my body battered.
I swallowed his cock whole and showed him no mercy. He was mine and I claimed him. My nails dug into the tender flesh of his ass and he cried out. From pain or ecstasy, I didn’t care. I paced a hard, fast rhythm and didn’t allow him a moment’s reprieve. When I could taste his climax approaching I pulled away.
“Rabbit.” The groan of my pet name was filled with yearning.
I kneeled to face him.
The chilling hunger in his stare fired my own lust. His skin felt smooth and firm under my hands as I touched his neck, his shoulders, then his chest.
He pulled me close.
“No.” I whispered my command. “Lay on your back.”
The expression on his face, as if contemplating his options, made me remember who and what I tried to boss. He gave me a small smirk and stretched across the bed with his arms behind his head. Despite his experience in politics, the Overlord tried in vain to intimidate me with that little smirk. All six feet of sexy, male flesh waited for my pleasure.
The emotional wave of anger drove me. He may be the Seducer of Budapest but I planned to break him of that role. I told the truth when I said I didn’t share well with others. Rurik was mine now.
The remains of my t-shirt fell from my shoulders. Smudges of soot from the fire spotted my hands and now even I could smell the smoke trapped in my curls.
I held his gaze as I crawled on the bed up his legs and paused at his inner thighs to nibble at his tender tasty bits. Once again he tried to reach for me but I stopped my explorations until his hand returned behind his head accompanied by a frustrated growl. I smiled.
He allowed this charade of dominance. I wasn’t a fool. It must be tiresome to have to lead all the time.
I slipped him inside after mounting his hips and rocked with a slow deliberate pace. His encouraging sweet moans fed my desire. I unclasped my bra, the last piece of cloth between us and let it fall from my shoulders. His eyes followed my hands as I caressed my body. It ignited not only him but me as well. He matched my rhythm even though I could tell he wanted more.
As I licked around his nipple the little nub hardened. It elicited more encouraging noises from him.
“Bite.” The word almost got lost in the midst of his other sounds. It only made sense that a vampire would like biting.
So I bit down, hard.
His back arched as his hands clenched the pillow.
I clung to him as his hips rose from the bed to beat in time with my growing needs. The pressure of an orgasm built but I could see in his face he still wanted more. I stretched out along his body and offered him what he wanted.
My neck.
A cry, seeming more creature than man, escaped him as he rolled us, pulled my head back and sank his fangs into me. No mind fog to distract me this time, so the sharp pain mingled with the climax. His cool lips pressed against my flesh as some of my warmth spilled into him. He continued to thrust as he fed until he brought both of us to completion.
Strong and all encompassing, Rurik’s arms were the perfect resting place. I could have stayed there forever. He traced the bite mark I’d left around his aureole and chuckled.
“Nice.”
“You’re welcome.”
He kissed the top of my head. “It’s very promising. We’ve much to explore.”
A loud crash from the downstairs interrupted my response. It sounded like the front
door being battered down. I tumbled from his arms as Rurik opened the bedroom door before I even knew he’d moved.
I followed at my slower mortal speed.
He turned to me. “I love you.” His lips pressed to mine in a quick impassioned kiss. “Forgive me.”
“What—” A sharp pain across my jaw caught me by surprise then everything went black.
Chapter 22
A coffin held me captive, bent in a fetal position and shoved inside its confines. The muscle in my back knotted strong enough to wake me up. Darkness blinded and confused me. My head bumped against the lid as I flashed back to waking at Lizzy’s place. I could almost hear her shuffle her tarot cards.
My heart raced and my head felt split in two. Short of breath and a little shaky I pushed the top open and crawled out. I sat on the floor in Rurik’s bedroom beside his now partially empty trunk, not a freaking coffin. His stuff lay scattered in the middle of the room, as if thrown there, but blended in well with all the other junk he left lying around.
Worse than anything else, my jaw ached. He must have cold cocked me and stuffed me in the trunk. Why? I hoped this wasn’t a kinky game. His excuse had better be good because I might change my mind and stake him myself.
The bedroom door hung at an angle as if kicked in. Maybe this wasn’t a game after all. What happened while I lay unconscious? The room didn’t have a window so I couldn’t tell the time of day.
I scrambled into my pants and shirt that lay abandoned on the floor then peeked around the door. The house sat in silence and early afternoon sunlight streamed through a hallway window. I needed to control the urge to call out for Rurik. Nothing would have made me happier than for someone to stroll up the hall or the sound of Marie clanking pans in the kitchen.
I tiptoed down the curved staircase, my heart in my throat, and saw the front door stood open with the frame splintered. Dust filled the air with a musty smell. Stillness made it eerie. I waited for something to jump out and scare the crap out of me.
