Kai held her hand all the way down Bald Mountain Road and into town. He was careful about his route and constantly checking the rearview mirror.
“Do you miss blood?”
Ember blurted the question out before she had a chance to stop it. Where the hell had that come from? Maybe part of her still hadn’t reconciled that Kai (and Ember herself) were descendants from a race of predators.
“No,” he said simply. “Before modern science, the thirst was unbearable and drove many good men to do unthinkable acts. I’m guilty of a few myself. The medicine we have now, it makes me feel almost human—if memory serves me correct, anyway. It’s been a long time since I was a human.”
“Do you miss sunlight?”
“Sunlight doesn’t burn our skin like the movies would have you believe,” he said. “But our eyes are very sensitive to it, so even with our advances, we still tend to prefer the night. Maybe one day our pills can cure that, too. But not yet.”
“So no coffins?”
She got another sexy rumbling laugh out him.
“No, sweet Ember,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a chaste, warm kiss to them. “I promise you that I’ve never slept in a coffin. I’m also not afraid of garlic.”
“So much to learn,” Ember sighed into the darkness beside her. Sure, it might be a lot to take in, but as they drove toward the small village center of Devil’s Folly, Ember was actually a little grateful for the adventure, and the serious attraction, that Kai had brought into her life. Before him, she’d almost been resigned to a life of keeping Melody as sober as she could manage to get her through college, staying one step ahead of the Erebus mortgage that never seemed to shrink, and flipping off Lane and his new girlfriends every time he brought one around.
Near downtown, Kai pulled into a small convenience store parking lot. Seconds later, another vehicle parked beside them and rolled down the window. They began speaking a language she couldn’t follow. It wasn’t Greek. It sounded more Eastern. Russian, maybe? Slavic? Just how many languages did this man know?
Seemingly satisfied, Kai fired off a few more instructions, nodded and rolled the window back up. The lines on his face were taut. The atmosphere in the Land Rover had shifted. Something was wrong.
"What?" She asked. By the way, he didn't immediately respond, it had to be bad news. "Just give me the straight shot, Kai."
At the sound of his name, he looked over at Ember and grasped her hand again.
“It’s the tavern,” the way he said the word tavern in his Greek accent, it took her a second to realize he was talking about her father’s bar, Erebus.
“What is it? Did someone rob it again?”
Kai threw the vehicle into reverse and sped out of the parking lot toward the bar. Within minutes they were there, but Ember had seen the smoke from a few blocks away and the wave of nausea hit her hard. She struggled to keep herself under control and had to force herself to breathe as she stared at the crimson and orange flames that licked the building’s exterior from the inside—all the windows had been blown out.
Kai parked a few lots away at a liquor store and put the Land Rover in park. Ember never took her eyes off the flames that were consuming every dream her father had in America.
She took a shuddering breath as the first few tears spilled out.
“Was anybody inside?” Her voice squeaked the words but she tried to remain focused. Buildings could be rebuilt. The regulars that had been friends of Phaedro Terzi couldn’t be replaced.
“No,” Kai said, snaking an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her gently. “I’m sorry, Ember.”
She fought the tears as hard as she could. She couldn't help but feel like part of her father's memories were trailing to sky along with the smoke.
“Buildings can be rebuilt,” Kai said, breaking into her thoughts. “We’re still ahead in the game, anasa mou.”
My breath. Maybe he didn’t realize she spoke Greek thanks to a traditional mother and father who wanted to keep their heritage alive, even on the other side of the globe. Or maybe he did know that she could understand. Her head was swimming. She was confused.
“Can we go home?” She finally asked, tearing her eyes away. “It’s probably not safe here and there’s nothing I can do.”
Wordlessly, Kai drove them back to Ember’s cabin. Aksel was watching soccer and Melody was painting her nails at the kitchen table. Looking at her younger sister so carefree in her thoughts, Ember couldn’t bear to tell her about the bar yet. Hell, she was sure her friends would text her the message as soon as they heard. Ember would give her little sister a few hours more of peace.
She needed sleep. She needed other things, too, as messed up as her head felt right now—but mostly sleep. Glancing down, Ember realized she hadn’t let go of Kai’s hand. Chewing her lip, she nervously shot a glance up at him.
“Would you sleep next to me tonight?” She whispered, careful not to let Melody hear. Not that she wouldn’t put two and two together when Ember and Kai went to the only bedroom upstairs together. “I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.”
He didn’t react. He only gave a curt nod to Aksel and allowed Ember to lead him away. Her cheeks burned as she felt two pairs of eyes on their backs, but suddenly she didn’t care. It was sleep, not sex. He was better than a melanin tablet.
Using her bathroom, she brushed her teeth and changed into more suitable sleeping attire—soccer shorts and tank top.
Ember turned the lights off and crawled underneath her covers. She held her breath as she felt the mattress dip with Kai’s weight as he laid down.
Did vampires even sleep? Was he just going through the motions to comfort her?
Without overthinking her life, she closed her eyes and rolled toward Kai, draping an arm across his rock-hard chest. She felt his breathing hitch as her arm met bare skin. He’d taken his shirt off. The warm sensation in her core heated quickly and spread all through her body. Emboldened by the fact that he’d removed at least some of his clothing, she drew her leg up along his and in the darkness, her eyes widened when she felt bare skin there, too.
“Are you…are you naked?” She whispered, half shocked, half amused.
His sexy voice gave a short laugh.
“Check and see,” he said.
Oh hell, Ember thought to herself. So much for a good night’s sleep.
Chapter Eight
Every space of skin that touched Kai was on fire and the more Ember refused to pull away, the stronger the heat the spread her grew. She drew in a ragged breath and bit her lip in the darkness, daring to feather her fingertips across his stomach, feeling the smooth, rippled skin.
His muscles tensed and she hoped with everything she had that he was just as affected as she was—this pull, this bond was maddening.
“Careful,” he growled, an arm snaking around her neck as his strong hands gripped the base of her skull and his fingers threaded in her hair. Ember closed her eyes against the sensation of it. “I am a man known for his control, but this—this is getting dangerous, anasa mou.”
Those affectionate words were her undoing. She knew with every fiber of her being that they were meant for her—for only her. Just like this magnificent creature underneath her. By some twist of fate, Malakai Arkos was meant just for her.
She was molten to the core at the thought of it.
Of its own accord, her back arched, pushing her stomach and chest against his and she slowly pulled herself along his body toward his face. She went in search of his lips but trailed soft, delicate kisses along the way. Stopping just above his belly button, then near the top of his rib cage, and one for each glorious pectoral muscle. His free hand was splayed across her lower back while his fingers kneaded the very edges of her backside. The other hand urged her head closer toward his, but not before she ducked below his ear and tasted him there, too, with a kiss and a gentle nip of her teeth.
“You’re going to be the death of me, woman,” he hissed.
>
“And you’re going to bring me to life, Malakai Arkos.”
That got another strong reaction out of him. Both hands instantly cupped her face and he moved her to within just inches of her own.
“What are you saying, Ember?”
She heard his rapid intake of breath and felt the tension in his hands as they wrapped around her face and neck. Her words must have him on the brink of ecstasy—or the edge of torture.
What did her words mean? Was she crazy even considering opening the bond between them, this man she hardly knew?
Yes. She was certifiable and she couldn’t wait another second to be really and truly his.
“What I’m saying is,” she breathed, pressing her hips against the swell in his boxers. Oh, but the man was huge, she thought with a shudder. “Make this thing between us real. Kiss me. Bite me. Fuck me, Malakai. Just do something before my head explodes from all this pressure and need. I’m going insane and I need you. All of you. Beside me. Inside me.”
In an instant, Kai’s strong body had her flipped onto her back against the mattress, his weight and his heat pressing into every inch of her skin.
“Such a filthy mouth, my angel,” he said, his lips dancing against hers between the words. “I cannot wait to put such a beautiful thing to better use.”
Kai’s tongue broke through her lips and searched her mouth like a savage, wakening her own primal response to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gripped the back of his head by his hair.
Damn, but the man could kiss.
He broke contact after a few minutes of mind-busting kissing and trailed his lips, and the tip of his fangs, against the sensitive skin of her neck. Her back arched instantly at the amazing sensation.
“Not yet, angel,” he whispered against the vein that pulsed. “I have work to do.”
She quivered beneath Kai. Would he get to work already? At this rate, she was going to spontaneously combust from all the ache.
“Do you like this shirt?”
What kind of question was that?
“Not particularly. Why would —“
She didn’t get to finish. Before she could ask, Kai had ripped the tank top down the middle, exposing her from the waist up. She was grateful she’d skipped the bra and panties after her shower.
Her tiny shorts were next, and with amazing speed and dexterity, he had them bunched around her ankles before he tossed them off the side of the bed. Kai leaned up on his elbow for a half second and Ember prayed with every fiber of her being that he was getting rid of those boxers that remained between them.
Kai’s heat and weight returned, flush against her body and this time she felt the fire of his arousal against her core and along her belly. He was huge. Ember moaned despite herself. How was she going to survive a night with this man, let alone an eternity?
Their lips sparred once more, this time the stakes were even higher and the assault on her senses was more brutal. She smelled Kai. She felt Kai. She tasted Kai. And he was intoxicating.
Kai abandoned their kiss to move lower, stopping right at Ember’s full breasts, which he had been kneading mercilessly with his hand. His lips and teeth assaulted one rosy peak and then the other, pushing Ember even closer to the edge. The more he teased her, the more she was powerless to do anything but writhe her hips against his erection and dig her nails into his back.
“My angel,” he rasped. “This will be over before it begins if you aren’t careful.”
Ember couldn’t help but laugh—loving the idea that she was affecting him half as much as he had her addled and wanton.
“Then get on with it, vampire,” she demanded. “Because I’m about to come apart at the seams.”
Kai chuckled, his mouth still teasing a nipple.
“You’ve got the coming part right, woman,” he growled. “You’ll be sore and hoarse by the time I’m done with you.”
Before she could respond, Kai trailed kisses south, down her sternum, across her belly and hips, and stopped right at her core.
For all the heavy breathing that had been going on, Ember found she couldn’t fill her lungs while the heat of his breath lingered just at her very center.
And then, he consumed her, body and soul.
His tongue danced along her very core and she sucked in a breath while her back instinctively arched her hips up toward his mouth.
“You are sweeter than I ever imagined, angel,” Kai whispered between intimate kisses. Just when she’d found her bearings, he hooked both of her knees up and over his shoulders, spreading herself to him and giving him full access to her very center.
One hand gripped the sheet beside her and the other found a handful of hair at the back of his head, urging him on.
Ember had to bite her lip to keep from moaning and crying out so loud that she would wake the entire mountain.
Kai was ruthless with his tongue, plunging in and out of her while his lips worked her clit into oblivion. Gently, he pressed two fingers inside of her and worked her from the top and the inside, manic and tender at the same time.
Her orgasm was on her in an instant and she put her own hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out loud. Her legs shuddered across Kai’s shoulders and she collapsed back into the mattress. Tenderly, Kai released Ember’s legs and slowly marched up her body.
“I think what you just did to me is illegal in a few states,” she half laughed.
Kai didn’t say anything as he brought his mouth to hers. The taste of her on his lips was intoxicating and in seconds, her body was demanding more from him. It wasn’t done with Kai and neither was she.
“Please,” Ember whispered into Kai’s mouth. He stilled at her words, like caged beast about to be freed. “I need you inside me, Kai.”
His tongue plunged back into her mouth while he readjusted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist.
“I’m going to fuck you hard, Ember,” his scratchy voice sent shivers down her body. “Then when my cock is deep inside you, I’m going to bite you. And then you’ll be mine forever.”
Shit. He’d just undone her and they hadn’t even really gotten started yet.
“Words, words, words,” she teased, biting his lower lip between her teeth. “You’re all talk and no action, Kai.”
Her teasing words spurred him into swift action. One second he was whispering beautiful, dirty things in her ear and the next the engorged tip of his erection was pressing into her opening. This was happening, Ember’s mind raced. Really, really happening.
“Mine,” he growled next to her ear and in the next moment, he pushed hard into her, and she was his.
Ember hissed in appreciation at the sensation of being filled to the brim with Kai, all the way to the very center of her. Her body ached as she adjusted to his thickness and length and she clenched around him, willing him to give her a moment.
He obliged.
And when her hips started their grinding and pushing once more, Kai slowly started the dance. He was slow and methodical, pulling nearly all the way out of her before filling her again. In and out. Slow and torturous, but just the rhythm Ember needed to build a momentum of passion and ecstasy.
It didn’t take Ember long. The wave built and soon she was rabid once more, clinging to Kai, digging her nails into his shoulders, arching her back against him, and pulling him as deep into her as she could.
“Oh god,” she moaned as the pressure inside her built.
“No, love, Kai,” he whispered, the smile in his voice. “Are you ready, angel? Are you ready for it all?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” Ember was mindless with need. She needed Kai to take her over the edge. “Please, Kai. Please.”
Kai’s rhythm slowed inside her and she held her breath, momentarily nervous about what was to follow. Would it hurt? Would she cry?
His lips dragged across her jawline to the tender spot on her neck where the artery pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat.
The stroke
s of his body inside her own intensified and he leaned the pressure against her in just the right way that she was right on the edge within moments. It was coming and she writhed beneath him, begging his body for her own release.
“You are mine, Ember,” he spoke the sweet words against her neck. “Body and soul you are mine for the rest of our immortal lives. I love you, anasa mou.”
He plunged into her, as deep as he could go and half a breath later, Ember felt the twinge of his fangs piercing the skin of her neck.
And then—Ember felt everything at once. Her body exploded from the inside out and the orgasm wracked through every cell in her body. She clenched against Kai, crying out his name as his fangs and his body claimed her.
Ember shattered, over and over and Kai found his own release moments later.
He tensed and barked her name as he spilled his seed into her, his body wracked with the same spasms that had overtaken her.
It was glorious. It was breathtaking.
Ember saw stars swimming in front of her eyes, and then she saw nothing as darkness overtook her and she tumbled into unconsciousness.
Chapter Nine
He took to his role as nursemaid surprisingly well, despite the jabs from Aksel, who had attempted to explain to Melody what happened.
“You bit her?” Ember’s little sister sat at the kitchen table two nights later, incredulous that Ember had actually invited the bite.
“Multiple times, actually,” he said, just to get a rise out of her. Aksel snorted beside him.
“When will she be…you know…okay?”
When Melody fretted and chewed her lower lip in worry, Kai could see the Terzi family resemblance between the sisters. She looked just like Ember.
The process of awakening the ancient soul that had spent so many years dormant wasn’t exactly an easy one. Her body had broken and reformed itself piece by piece over the past two days and she had been asleep for most of it—waking up only to drink what she’d dubbed “vampire juice boxes.”
Bonded to the Alpha Wolf: Paranormal Bad Boy Werewolf Interracial BBW BWWM Witch Romance Page 15
