Raven's Blood

by Cassandra Lawson

Chapter Twenty-Two

  “I am sick and tired of his brooding,” Raven complained to Muriel as she paced the living room. At first, she’d refused to talk. Now that she’d started talking, her anger was quickly escalating. “I certainly didn’t ask to be kept prisoner by a stupid vampire.” She gave Jack an apologetic look. “No offense meant to you, Jack. I didn’t mean vampires are stupid, just that Connor is stupid, and he’s also vampire.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jack responded with his usual cocky grin and then went back to the book he was reading. Much to Raven’s surprise, Jack had a huge collection of old books. She hadn’t seen a book in paper in over fifty years.

  “He’s been even moodier since I saved his life in the woods. I’ll bet he’s intimidated by powerful women,” she grumbled.

  Jack snorted, and Muriel smacked him on the back of the head.

  “I’ll bet he’s the annoyingly dominant type with women. Probably tosses them over his shoulder and takes them off to have his way with them.” Why that thought was arousing her, she had no clue.

  “I always got the impression you liked that type of guy in bed. You told me you like it a little on the rough side with an alpha male,” Muriel remarked.

  Jack put down the book and leaned forward. “I can read later.”

  They ignored him.

  “Do you know what he threatened to do on the way over here?” she asked. “Oh, I know it was just to scare me and put me in my place, but I still can’t believe he said it.”

  “What did he threaten to do?” Muriel asked.

  “He said vampires like the chase, and if I ran he would chase me down and,” she gestured wildly.

  “I get the picture,” Muriel said with a giggle.

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Raven added.

  “Oh, he meant it,” Jack assured her. “If you don’t want it to end with you flat on your back, I would not push him. Con is seriously about to lose control with you.”

  “Jack!” Muriel screeched. “You’ll scare her. You know as well as I do Connor would never force himself on her.”

  Jack snorted. “I know as well as you do he wouldn’t have to. We’re all placing bets on when it’s going to happen.” He looked at Raven and smiled. “Try to hold out for eight more days so I can win.”

  Raven just stood there with her mouth hanging open, wondering if everyone knew she was attracted to Connor. Luckily, a knock at the door saved her from further discussion.

  Jack got up and let Connor in.

  “Thanks for watching her,” Connor said, obviously just as tense as he’d been when he’d dropped her off earlier.

  “I can tell by your mood, you didn’t take care of business,” Jack accused. “Maybe Raven should stay here longer. We can bring her home in the morning. Or in eight days,” he added under his breath which earned him another smack from Muriel.

  “No,” Connor snapped. “We’re going home, now.”

  “Thank you for having me over,” Raven said politely to Jack and Muriel before pushing her way past Connor and climbing into the jeep.

  Connor was quiet and scowling the entire drive home. Raven wished he would just leave her with Jack and Muriel, but she understood why he didn’t. Her captivity made him look like the big strong leader. Sometimes, it was hard to remember vampires weren’t the same as the humans they resembled. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered his threat from earlier that day.

  “I take it your business didn’t go well?” she asked.

  He let out a bark of laughter and then returned to scowling.

  As he pulled into the driveway, Raven felt her temper snap. “You know what? You’re an ass! I’ve been trying really hard to be nice to you today. All you ever do is glare at me. What exactly do I have to do to get you to stop being angry with me all the time? I know you aren’t happy about being stuck with me, but I didn’t exactly ask to be here. If we’re stuck with each other, it would be nice if things weren’t so strained all the time. Seriously, what will it take to make you smile sometimes?”

  “You wanna know what you can do to make me smile?” he asked softly. “Go upstairs, take off your clothes, and let me fuck you until you scream.”

  Raven swallowed hard. “You’re just trying to scare me. We both know you don’t want me.”

  “If you don’t want me in you, then I suggest you drop your challenging gaze, very slowly climb out of the jeep, and walk up to your room,” he practically growled at her.

  Her gaze locked with his. “What if I do want you in me?”

  He leaned closer. “Then run.”

  Raven stared at him for a long moment, trying to get her mind to work as she slowly undid her seatbelt. Her hand grasped the door handle as she grabbed the key to the front door from the center console. She bolted for the front door and barely managed to get the key in the lock before Connor planted a hand on each side of her head.

  “I’m disappointed, little nymph,” he breathed against the side of her neck. “I expected more of a challenge.”

  As soon as the key turned in the lock, Raven slammed her body back against Connor’s. He probably outweighed her by a hundred pounds, but he was caught off guard by her maneuver, and it sent him stumbling back. She used that time to hurry through the front door, slam it shut, and lock it. She knew it wouldn’t stop him, only slow him down, and she wasn’t pretending she didn’t want him to catch her. It was far too late to deny what she wanted. He’d given her an out, and she hadn’t taken it. Muriel was right; she liked alpha males. She was a strong female, and something primitive in her wanted Connor to prove he was man enough for her.

  She raced up the stairs to the sound of him slamming his body against the front door. As she reached the top step, the door splintered. She turned to see him standing in the doorway. His breathing was labored, and his lips were parted slightly to reveal his fangs. When his eyes met hers, she turned and fled toward her bedroom.

  She didn’t get the door shut before he slammed into the room and stalked toward her. Raven moved back until the back of her legs hit the mattress.

  “Nowhere else to run,” he practically growled, “and much too late to change your mind.”

  Connor leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was tentative at first, as though asking if she really was okay with what was about to happen. She wasn’t interested in his gentle wooing. She tugged at his hair to get his mouth closer to hers. His fangs cut into her lip, and he groaned then pulled back.

  “Did I hurt you,” he asked. There was a strange mix of concern and raw desire in his voice.

  “A little,” she panted out.

  “Did you mind?” he asked as his fangs grazed her neck.

  “No,” she gasped, “I didn’t mind at all. Bite me now!”

  “Not until my cock is buried deep inside of you,” he said against her throat. “Or are you telling me you need me to bite you again to get you aroused?”

  “If I get any more aroused, I might climax without being touched.”

  He chuckled. “I wouldn’t want that to happen.” He shoved her onto the bed and then stood back. “Undress for me,” he ordered.

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “I caught you, you belong to me,” he reminded her with a playful grin. “Do it now.”

  Raven slowly stripped her shirt over her head and then she undid her jeans and slid them off.

  “Take the rest off,” he ordered.

  She did as he said, and when she was completely naked, she knelt on the bed before him. He climbed up onto the bed and guided her onto her back. Then he took her legs and put them over his shoulders as he settled between them.

  “I’ve been dying to do this again,” he murmured, allowing his fangs to graze her thigh. He inhaled deeply. “Your scent is like a drug.”

  Raven felt his hot breath against her clit and then his tongue was on her. He was moving too slowly, and her patience was wearing thin. She tugged at his hair and squirmed against his mouth.

  “Don’t move,�
� he commanded.

  “Please,” she whimpered.

  “Oh, I like the sound of that,” he said with a grin. “I’ve got a better idea.” He rolled onto his back and encouraged her to straddle his face. Raven moaned when his tongue started to move against her again. When she started to rock her hips, he slapped her ass.

  “Didn’t I just tell you not to move?” he asked, slowing his pace again.

  “Please, Connor,” she begged. “I need you to move faster.”

  “Good girl,” he praised against her sensitive flesh. “I like it when you beg me.” He sucked her clit into his mouth hard. Raven climaxed in a violent storm that left her screaming. Connor flipped her onto her stomach, slipped a pillow under her hips, and plunged into her with one violent thrust that rocked the bed. Raven screamed out again as he filled her completely. It had been so long, and he was so big, she felt stretched to the limit.

  Connor leaned forward and sank his fangs into her neck. Just like the day of the blood bond, she felt her arousal escalate. Even though she’d just climaxed, she felt insane with need, and she wiggled against him. When Connor was done feeding from her blood, he started to move against her again. He thrust hard and fast until she was ready to climax and then he slowed down his pace. It was the sweetest torture she’d ever experienced. She heard the needy mewling sounds and distantly realized they were coming from her throat.

  After what felt like hours, he finally thrust into her so hard her orgasm vibrated through her entire body. “Ah, fuck, Raven,” he groaned, his cock twitching with his release.

  Connor removed the pillow and then lay down. He pulled her close and nuzzled her hair. “That was even better than I imagined it would be. I’m sorry for being an ass earlier. I promise I’ll try to do better.”

  “Thank you,” she uttered softly.

  She knew she could never return to her old life. She’d given herself to a vampire, and she had no doubt she would again. Her heart was torn. In truth, it had been for some time now. She’d wanted to find excuses to hate Connor, but he hadn’t given her any. As a wood nymph, she’d known from the beginning her body recognized him as a potential mate. Since the day he’d saved Fang, that feeling had only grown stronger. She wasn’t putting a bunch of romantic notions on it, but she’d been trained to recognize the draw of a male who would make a good mate.

  Raven frowned, feeling frightened and confused. Connor might feel the attraction, too, but as near as she could tell, vampires were a lot like humans in their courtship rituals. He hadn’t been acting like humans did when they wanted to have an emotional tie with someone. If they weren’t already in her bed, she might try to slip away to hide.

  “I wish I could stay here all day,” Connor mumbled sleepily against the back of her neck.

  Raven felt the urge to comfort him. “You’re exhausted. Would it really hurt for you to take a little nap?”

  He smiled with his eyes still closed. “It’s your fault I’m exhausted. You wore me out, little nymph.”

  “It’s more than that,” she argued. “You’ve been under too much pressure.”

  “There’s a lot going on,” he stated, and his eyes barely opened as he regarded her through his lashes. “What the hell am I going to do with you, Raven?”

  “I’ve got a few suggestions.” She gave him a playful smile, trying to lighten the mood.

  He chuckled softly. “You know, I didn’t even consider the possibility of getting you pregnant. I feel like a douche bag for that.”

  Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What’s a douche bag?” she asked.

  “Very funny,” he said. “While nymphs might not have them, humans do.”

  “I don’t think so,” she assured him after some thought. “There are a lot of things they had before but don’t have now.”

  He laughed again. “That explains why Muriel was so confused with the term at first. She was shy around me, so she never said she didn’t understand. She just looked a little lost.”

  “So, what is it?” Raven asked again.

  “Ask Shelby to explain.” he told her. “I should have considered the possibility of getting you pregnant. I’m sorry.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “You don’t need to worry about that. I know when I’m fertile. All my people do. I would have warned you if there was a chance I could have conceived. I’m actually only fertile twice a year.”

  “Really?” he asked. “I mean, I was kind of wondering why you hadn’t asked me for women’s stuff.” His cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn’t resist the urge to tease him.

  “What kind of women’s stuff?” she asked.

  “You know,” he prompted and waited for her to say she understood. “The stuff you need for your woman time.”

  Then she laughed at him.

  He rolled on top of her and pinned her to the bed. “Hasn’t anyone ever warned you about the dangers of teasing a vampire?”

  “Seems to be working out pretty well for me so far,” she remarked and pulled his head down until his lips met hers.