Tessa wasn’t sure if anyone related to this was decent. “How many gen-vamps does he own?”
“Six. It’s a small number, considering that there are thousands of us out there.”
“If Darrin is so wonderful, why doesn’t he just release you?”
“He can’t. Jewelry owners don’t have that kind of power.”
“Why are the wishes you grant so short?”
“Hybrids aren’t strong enough to fulfill lifelong wishes. Being a mixed-breed lessens the magic.”
She glanced at his untouched cocktail. She’d been right about it being a prop. He apparently didn’t drink anything but blood.
“May I go to your room with you?” he asked, prodding her for permission.
She winced. Earlier she’d been fantasizing about sleeping with him, not becoming his meal. It wasn’t fair that she’d been thrown a curveball.
He persisted. “Tessa, my darling, it’s time to pay the piper or give up the wish.”
“Stop rushing me. And I’m not your darling.”
He smiled. “You have a cute temper.”
She frowned and swigged her Garbo. She wasn’t feeling the slightest bit cute. But she wasn’t ready to return to her ugly self, either.
Another patron walked by, and Anthony quickly switched his eyes back to brown, looking mortal again. Tessa drained the rest of her drink.
“I can’t kill you or turn you into what I am,” he said. “I could have when I was a regular vampire, but I’m not capable of those things anymore.”
She stalled for time. “How long were you a regular vampire?”
“Only a few months. I barely got my fangs wet.”
Did that mean that he’d never turned or killed anyone? “Can you drink too much and make me weak?”
“Yes, but I won’t.”
“Will being bit by you hurt?”
“A little. But I’ve been told that it can be pleasurable, too.”
Her skin went warm. “You mean sexually?”
He lifted his brows. “Do you want it to be sexual?”
She shifted in her seat. “No.”
“That’s good. Because it isn’t.”
A wave of disappointment came over her, but she willed it away. She wasn’t going to start fantasizing about him again. It was bad enough that she found him so damned attractive.
“What kind of pleasure is it?” she asked.
“It creates a euphoric sensation, like being happily drunk or drugged.”
“How many times will you have to feed?”
“Once a night.”
“And how long will the feedings themselves last?”
“Just a few minutes.”
She continued to question him. “Are you going to go back into the pendant in-between feedings?”
“Actually, I’m free to roam while your wish is in progress. I plan on renting a bungalow.”
Surprised, she glanced at the garden view. “You have money for that? The bungalows are terribly expensive.”
“I can conjure necessities for myself. Besides, I have a fondness for this hotel. I remember it in its heyday.”
“That must have been thrilling.”
“It was.” But clearly he wasn’t in the mood to keep talking about it. “Come now, Tessa. No more dragging your feet. Let me drink from you. Let me taste your human warmth.”
God help her.
Unable to give up her wish, she invited him to her room, praying for the strength to endure his bloodsucking bite.
Chapter Three
Anthony couldn’t wait to drink from her, to sink his fangs deep into her vein. He was hungry, ravenous, in fact. It had been a while since he’d fed. But he did his damnedest to behave in a civilized manner. She was already frightened. He could feel her fear.
They entered her room, and she closed the door. But that wasn’t good enough for him. He locked it, turning the deadbolt and flipping the security latches.
Her breath went shaky. “Should I sit or stand or what?”
He glanced around. “Why don’t we do it in front of the mirror so you can witness what’s happening.”
“The mirror?” Her voice squeaked.
“Is that a problem for you?”
“I...”
“You what?”
“Nothing.”
Her tone of voice didn’t sound like nothing. “Tell me. What’s going on with the mirror?”
“I did something in front of it.”
“Something?” He gave her a confused look. She wasn’t making sense.
“You know.” She made a sexual motion with her hand.
Scoundrel that he was, he smiled. “You pleasured yourself?”
Her cheeks colored. “Yes.”
“How delightfully bad of you.” He escorted her to the mirror. He was determined to follow through, now more than ever. He stood behind her, and she gazed uncomfortably at their reflections.
“In the old Dracula-type movies, vampires couldn’t be seen in mirrors,” she said.
“That wasn’t accurate.”
Her gaze drifted to the pendant. “What about crosses?”
“What about them?”
“Do they weaken vampires?”
“That part of our legend is true. That’s why gen-vamps are placed inside of jewelry with crosses. Being connected to crosses is what keeps us from killing the people we feed on. Or from turning them into what we are.”
“Is your touch going to be cold?”
“Yes, but not as chilly as a regular vampire.”
“Do you have a pulse?”
“I can’t say that I do. But I have a heartbeat.”
“That’s strange.”
“Genies have rapid heartbeats. Becoming part genie made mine start beating again. It happens to all gen-vamps.” He moved her hair away from her neck. “Are you ready?”
She twitched. “No, but go ahead.”
Eager, he lowered his head, inhaling the fragrance of her flesh. Below the surface of her skin, he could smell the heady bouquet of blood.
His eyes flashed red. At the bar, he’d changed them as a parlor trick. But this was a reflex, the color that naturally occurred during a feeding.
He exposed his fangs, and she flinched. She was watching his transformation in the mirror.
“Relax,” he whispered.
“I can’t.” She stepped out of her shoes. “I’m already swaying on my feet. If I pass out, will you catch me?”
“Yes, but no one has ever passed out from my bite before.”
“I might.”
Still standing behind her, he licked her neck, preparing her for what he was about to do. “You’re an angel, Tessa.”
She shivered. “If you knew what I looked like for real you’d think I was a monster. You wouldn’t even want to be doing this.”
“Yes, I would.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“Hush now.” He quieted her, not wanting to hear her speak poorly of herself, especially since he was well aware of her genuine appearance. He’d lied to her earlier about that. Normally he wasn’t prone to lies, but in this case, he felt it was necessary.
With silence between them, he pierced her skin. She gasped, and he sucked, taking nourishment. He loved the taste of blood, and hers was remarkably good, fresh and invigorating.
He sucked deeper.
She moaned. “You said this wasn’t going to be sexual.”
He stopped drinking. “It isn’t supposed to be.”
“Then why do I feel as if I could come?”
“Maybe it’s the mirror.”
“Because of what I did? When I saw you in the bar, I imagined you finding out, and now you know.”
Her admission caused his teeth to tingle. He ran his tongue over them. “Tell me more about it.”
“I did it right before I went to dinner. I’m not wearing panties, so I hiked up my dress and rubbed my clit. I tasted my fingers afterward, too.”
Cripes. What an image. He
shifted his stance, his zipper going unbearably tight. “You’re making my cock hard. That never happens to me when I’m feeding.”
She wiggled her butt against his distended fly. “Take some more.”
“Gladly.” He drank and drank, pulling on her with his mouth, licking the extra drops, absorbing the plasma proteins that gave him strength.
He bordered on orgasm, too.
But he stopped before either of them came, and she sagged like a rag doll in his arms. Feeling strangely protective, he kissed the spot he’d bitten.
She continued to sway. “That was amazing.”
He held her until she regained her posture. Then he backed away, leaving her standing in front of the mirror alone.
So soft. So vulnerable.
While he retracted his fangs, she turned around and met his gaze.
She asked, “Was that true, what you said?”
“About never getting aroused during a feeding? Yes, it was true.” He was still reeling from the unexpected eroticism.
Apparently so was she. “Should we do something about it?”
“What are you saying, Tessa? That you want to fuck?”
“I promised myself that I was going to find a man at this hotel.” She looked as if she might start swaying again. “And have an illicit affair.”
“It doesn’t get much more illicit than this.”
“Yes, but you should be aware that I’ve never been with anyone.”
“You’re a virgin?”
She nodded.
He should have known, given her background, given her wish. But he hadn’t thought about it before now. “I’ve never slept with any of the women I’ve granted wishes to.” He’d never been with a virgin, either, but he decided not to mention that part. He was already on lust overload. “When I crave sex, Darrin allows me to see Simone.”
“Who’s Simone?”
“My maker.”
Tessa frowned. “The vampire who made you is female?”
“She’s the one inside the ring. My brother, Nicholas, has sex with her, too. But not at the same time as I do. We don’t engage in ménage a trios.”
“I don’t engage in anything.”
“Not even with sex toys? Vibrators or dildos?”
“I only touch myself with my fingers.”
He took a step toward her. “Like strumming your clit in front of the mirror?”
Her breath rushed out. “I can’t believe that I’m going to have sex with you. That I’m actually going to give myself to someone who just drank my blood.”
He couldn’t believe it, either. He inched closer.
She moved closer, too. And together they reached for each other. A human and a hybrid.
Preparing to mate.
Tessa’s wish had taken on a life of its own. Not only was she about to lose her virginity, it was going to happen in a highly dangerous way. Talk about a cherry-popping experience. Her emotions went haywire.
He kissed her, long and slow, running his hands up and down her spine. She couldn’t taste her blood on his lips but she knew it was there, and the thought gave her a nervously sensual chill.
“Let’s go back to the mirror,” he said.
“Can’t we do it in bed?” The sheets looked warm and inviting, and she needed a sense of romance, even in the midst of Anthony’s wildness.
“Not yet. I want to feast on you first.”
“You already did.”
“I was referring to eating you, Tessa. Down there.”
He wanted her to watch while he gave her oral sex? Her knees nearly buckled.
He removed his jacket and loosened his tie. “I haven’t been intimate with a human since I was human.”
Suddenly he seemed even more dangerous, like an animal on the prowl. She backpedaled. “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
She studied him. His eyes were no longer red. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“I’m trying to.”
“If I didn’t hurt you while I was feeding, why would I hurt you during foreplay?”
“I guess you wouldn’t.” But there was no way to know for certain what he would do. “Why haven’t you been with a human since you were human?”
“Because during the months that I was a vampire, Simone was my only lover. Then after we became hybrids, she was still my only lover.”
“Are you rough with Simone?”
“She likes it that way. But those are her instincts. Her vampire roots run strong. She despises being a genie. She grants wishes, but deep down, she begrudges them.”
“I’m glad I didn’t pick the ring.”
“So am I.” He took her hand and led her to the mirror. “I’m glad you chose me.” He removed her dress, sliding it down her body. Since she wasn’t wearing undergarments, she was naked instantly.
“Losing your virginity might be painful,” he said.
“It can’t be nearly as painful as being ugly and alone.”
“You’re not ugly.”
She gazed at her reflection. “Not now. But I will be again.”
He stood beside her. “Beauty is only skin deep.”
“People say that, but that they don’t mean it.”
“I mean it.”
She didn’t believe him. He was classically handsome and would be that way forever. “You don’t know what it’s like to be maimed by fire, to have half of your face melted off. I wanted to be dead when it first happened. Sometimes I still have those feelings.”
“Life is a gift, Tessa.” He put his arms around her. “You’re a gift.”
Her fear of him lessened. Not only had he made her scars temporarily disappear, but he was being kind and tender, just what she needed in a first-time lover. “You’re making all of my wishes come true.”
“I like exchanging blood for wishes. I like being a hybrid.”
Curious, she asked, “What kind of work did you do when you were mortal?”
“You want to talk about this now?”
“I just want to know who you were.”
“We can discuss it later.” He got on his knees and looked up at her. “Okay?”
She met his gaze. No one had ever done this to her before. “I’m a virgin in this way, too.”
“Lovely Tessa.” He opened her with his fingers, spreading her pearly pink folds. “I drank your blood, and now I’m going to taste your come.”
Her heart struck her chest. She’d wanted to come for him from the moment she’d first seen him, and now she wanted to taste his come, too. God forbid, but she imagined being in a sixty-nine position, only while she was sucking his cock, he was sucking on a vein in her thigh.
Was that possible? Could he feed from her while she was pleasuring him? Or would the combined activity cause him to lose control and drink too much?
Tessa couldn’t believe she was even thinking along those lines. One minute she craved tenderness and the next she was envisioning risky things.
He put his tongue against her clit, and she moaned. Desperate to touch him, she played with his hair. She liked the way he styled it, the sleek retro look that enhanced his Old Hollywood charm.
Aroused by their reflections, she watched. They were a sight to behold: she, who’d been changed by the wish, and him, a man of magic and mystery.
He circled her clit. So skilled. So sexy.
He licked and licked, creating sparks of heat and swirls of wetness. She rocked her hips, moving back and forth. Planting his hands firmly on her ass, he magnified the motion.
By now, Tessa was pulling his hair, tugging with each draw of his lips, with every lustful stroke of his tongue. Her juices flowed warm and sticky. He made a hungry sound and rubbed his face in it.
Steeped in his power, she closed her eyes. His ravenous sounds intensified. She didn’t want to think about his erotic relationship with Simone, bu
t it crossed her mind anyway.
“Open your eyes,” he said.
She obeyed his order and looked down at him.
“Watch in the mirror. Watch while I make you come, the way you watched when you made yourself come.”
Once again, she obeyed him. She kept her gaze plastered to the glass, and he made her pussy creamier.
“We’re perfect together,” he said.
Better than him and Simone? Yes, she thought. Because Simone slept with his brother, too, and Tessa belonged only to Anthony.
With that thought spinning around in her head, she came like a geyser, all over her lover’s hot and greedy mouth.
Chapter Four
Anthony wiped his mouth, stood up, and led Tessa to bed.
“Aren’t you going to get undressed?” she asked.
“Not yet.” He didn’t think she was ready for him yet. He thought she needed to rest, to recover from her orgasm before he deflowered her for real. He ditched his shoes and got under the covers with her.
“This feels like a fairy tale,” she said. “I could almost peg you for a magic prince.”
“Almost?”
“You know what I mean.”
“The genie who saved Simone, Nicholas, and me from being killed is the ruler of a magical kingdom. He lives in a castle in another realm.”
“Wow. Who knew such things existed?”
“I didn’t. Not until I became a vampire.”
“What’s the genie’s name?”
“Mathieu.”
“Have you ever been to his castle?”
“Yes, but only in the room where he keeps the jewelry he uses to contain new hybrids. After he saved us, he brought us there with the wave of his hand, taught us about being gen-vamps and told us what was expected of us. Then he placed us inside of our respective jewelry pieces and arranged for us to be auctioned to our first owner. We were offered as a set and have remained that way ever since.”
“Why did Mathieu save you to begin with?”
“Because there are two types of genie rulers: the type who gains power from killing vampires and the type who gains power from saving them and turning them into hybrids. Mathieu is the second type.”
She snuggled up to him. “I’m glad he saved you.”
He smoothed a strand of hair away from her face. “So am I.”
She put her hand against his cheek. “I still want to know what you did when you were mortal.”
The Vampire Pendant Page 2
