by Zena Wynn
As if by magic, the crowd parted before him, creating an open path to the dance floor. Reyna sighed. One dance wouldn’t kill her. Then she was out of here, no matter what.
He pulled her close as they danced. “Tell me your name.”
Reyna ignored the command, looking everywhere but at him. A not so subtle glance at her watch indicated she could leave in another two minutes. She counted down the time in her head.
“Look at me.”
She snorted. Like that was going to happen.
Finally, it was time. She abruptly pulled away. “Thanks for the dance,” she tossed over her shoulder as she turned to walk away. She’d taken two steps when the club went totally dark and the music ceased. Reyna was forced to stop. Even she couldn’t see in this pitch black. An expectant hush fell over the crowd.
A single drumbeat broke the silence.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Another drum joined in counterpoint.
Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump.
The beat started low, then slowly swelled. It was hypnotic and pulsing. Reminiscent of the jungle beats of the deepest, darkest parts of Africa. It dug under her skin and into her bones.
Blue lights lit the floors, casting everyone in white in glowing blue. The rest were dark shadows. Her dance partner stepped close behind her, wrapped an arm around her waist and swayed her to the driving rhythm.
Reyna’s instincts screamed at her to get away, but thinking was suddenly hard. Her mind grew sluggish. All she could do was feel. Feel the beat. Feel the hard aroused body plastered to her back. The muscular band he called an arm bound her to him, enveloping her center.
Her vagina grew moist as visions of naked, sweaty bodies engaged in orgasmic activity streamed through her head. Chill bumps spread up and down her arm and the hairs stood up in response. What’s happening to me?
The male wrapped both arms around her. One slid low to chain her belly, close to her mound. The other rose to rest below her breasts. Then he began to chant in rhythm with the beat. The foreign sounding words did something to her and for a moment, fear caused her to surface from the enchantment holding her enthralled.
Run, Reyna. Fight.
As though someone flipped a switch, her brief struggle ended before it could begin as sensible, careful Reyna faded and the part of herself she’d fought against and tried to deny all of her life rose to the surface and took her place.
“You and I are one. Blood of my blood. Flesh of my flesh. You are the very heart that beats in my breast. From this time forth, no more twain but one. My body I give to thee. Your body I receive from thee to treasure, to pleasure, to hold secure. My life for yours, for all eternity.”
Tariq chanted the ritual words, binding this woman to him. He didn’t know her name. Didn’t know how she felt about Vampyrs or being united with one. None of it mattered. By law she was now his. His to keep. His to protect. Most of all, his to bond with and he kept what belonged to him.
He felt his fangs lengthen and the glands behind his ears began to harden and swell as the venom made its presence known. Once injected, it would mark her as his and prepare her ovum to accept his seed. It would also act as a locator. With it in her system, he could find her anywhere on earth.
Most importantly, it was a powerful aphrodisiac. When it hit her bloodstream, she would be helpless against the lust that consumed her, consumed both of them. While the venom didn’t discriminate, the pheromones he released would ensure her desire was only for him. A potent double-whammy for the toxin affected him as well.
He tightened his arm until it resembled a steel band. With his left hand he gathered her hair and twisted it like a rope, using it like a handle to pull her head to the side, exposing her neck. Slowly he licked her pulse point, wanting to savor the moment. It wasn’t every day a male found his Heart’s Blood.
She moaned and the sound went straight to his groin. He hovered over her, inhaling the sweet scent of her life’s essence. The bitter tasting fluid dripping into his mouth pushed him closer and closer to the edge. He forgot the club and its inhabitants. His mind, his very life force was focused on this long awaited claiming. Unable to wait any longer, he struck like a snake.
Her body jerked and she screamed. Tariq knew the venom entered like ice and then burnt like fire, for he too was feeling its effects as it coursed through his system. It seemed to streak like lightning straight to his groin and radiate outward. He only had seconds until it hit his brain and he lost all cognitive abilities.
Gathering her close, he teleported them to his quarters.
The minute he released her, she turned on him like a tigress, her clawlike nails extended. She tore at his clothing, all the while making these mewling sounds that drove him past the dark side of crazy. He froze for a nano-second as his brain seized, then every rational cell in his head shut down and the beast within him burst free.
Two slashes and her dress was in tatters. His cock burst free as she ripped loose the opening of his jeans and tried to climb his body. Tariq roared in approval as he slammed her back against the wall. He had to be in her now.
After that, things were a blur. He remembered rutting like a wild animal, biting, clawing—not all of it him—and blood before passing out.
Chapter Two
Reyna woke to the sensation that something was very wrong. The surface she was on didn’t feel like her bed and she was lying at the wrong angle. There was a heavy weight across her legs and chest, pinning her to what she belated realized was a carpeted floor.
The smell of blood was overpowering, and her body ached like she’d been in a fight. The area between her legs was tender and sore, and she had a headache that must have come straight from the gates of hell. Where was she and what the hell happened to her last night?
She searched her memory. Images began to flash through her mind like a movie on fast forward. With each scene a feeling off dread grew in the pit of her stomach until Reyna thought it would consume her.
Dear God, what have I done? I have to get out of here.
She cautiously opened her eyes, hoping the vampyr holding her so possessively—she had no doubt it was the same behemoth from last night—was as sound asleep as his heavy breathing indicated. When nothing happened, she eased out of his grasp. She was almost free when he mumbled something, tightened his hold, and shifted closer.
Once more pressed against his rock hard chest, she cursed silently to herself. Like an animal in a trap, she suddenly understood the need to gnaw off a body part just to get loose. Forcing herself to calm down and concentrate, she waited until he settled and his breathing was once more measured and easy before giving it another try.
Not once did she look at her captor. She didn’t know his name, nor would she be able to point him out of a police lineup. Hadn’t, in fact, seen his face at all. Reyna had known all she needed to when she discovered he was a stinking vamp.
The tips of his fingers slid down her back as she slipped away. Rolling to her knees, she took a deep breath to center herself. She had to get this right the first time. What she was about to do was forbidden but desperate times called for desperate measures. It didn’t help that at any moment she expected the vamp to wake and lunge for her.
No, couldn’t think of that now. She had to focus.
Concentrating intently, she built the image of her bathroom in her mind. Time seemed to dwindle to nanoseconds but still she persevered. When the bathroom was so real to her she could almost smell its floral scent, she gathered her energy and dematerialized.
As soon as the world stopped spinning, Reyna opened her eyes. She was home. It was the longest distance she’d ever jumped. Now that she was safe, the first order of business was to get clean. She had to wash the stench of vampyr off her skin, and maybe in the process, out of her mind.
She took a deep shuddery breath and crawled into the shower, too tired to stand. Blanking her mind to the ramifications of the previous night’s actions, sh
e grimly focused on the steps needed to take a shower.
Turn on the spray. Make it as hot as she could handle, then make it hotter. Douse hair with shampoo. Lather. Rinse. Lather again. Scrub body till raw.
All that and she could still smell him on her. Feel his touch. She crumpled into a ball of misery and cried while the rapidly cooling water beat down upon her. After long minutes, she managed to pull herself together. She couldn’t change the past. Now her priority was damage control.
A chill rocked her and she reached up and turned off the shower. Wearily rising to her feet, she wrung out her long hair. She wrapped a towel around her head and another around her body and went to stand before the mirror.
Her café latté complexion was even lighter than normal with an underlying pallor. She leaned her head to the side and studied her neck. The black and blue marks surrounding the multiple teeth pricks were fading to a purplish red. Before the day was over, it would be totally healed. The sooner the better. In the meantime, she would wear something to cover it.
Eyes burning, she leaned over the sink and removed the specially made contacts she wore at all times, even while sleeping. Right now she couldn’t deal with the pain in her eyes on top of everything else. Besides, it’s not like she needed them to see.
When she straightened, Reyna glanced in the mirror. Her true self stared back at her. She paused, once again mesmerized by her silver-eyed gaze. Not gray, not blue, but silver that glowed and sparkled. Everything else she could hide, but these eyes? They proclaimed she was different, an anomaly, a freak.
Once again she felt her tear ducts sting, signaling the imminent arrival of tears. Blinking them back, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Really she was too old for these emotional displays. Get a grip already.
The next item on her agenda was something to eat. She let the towel on her head drop to the floor and finger-combined her dark locks. After quickly brushing her teeth to remove the bad taste of old blood from her mouth, she exited the bath and immediately came to a halt.
“What are you doing here?”
“My Queen.” Jorlan lay sprawled on his side, his bare body on display. Under her watchful gaze, he languidly rolled to his back and stretched before rising to his feet. She couldn’t help but notice the roped muscles that gathered and released as he prowled toward her. She’d never seen Jorlan as a sexual being but suddenly she couldn’t pull her eyes away from him.
“I’m not a queen,” she reminded him for the umpteenth time. Queens were Felini females who’d been through their first estrous and had produced a litter. She’d done neither. Just one of the many ways she’d failed her Pride.
“You’ve been naughty, my queen. You’re not wearing your contacts. I’ve been waiting for hours and never saw you enter. Did you go poof? Bad girl.” He stalked around her in ever tightening circles. “In spite of your dreadfully long shower, you reek of vamp. Crossed over to the dark side, hmm? How wonderfully delightful.”
Not up for his antics, she sighed. “What do you want, Jorlan?”
Coming to a halt behind her, he leaned in close and ran his nose down the side of her neck. “I was concerned when you didn’t return.” It was unlike her to be gone all night and they both knew it. “I was sent to make sure you were okay.”
Reyna knew the truth. Jorlan was both her watcher and her protector. He’d made the suggestion and the others had agreed. “As you can see, I’m fine. You can tell the others, as if they’d care.” She made to walk off.
“Not so quick, my pretty kitty.” He gripped the back of her towel.
The material pulled, gaping dangerously in the front to expose a large amount of skin. Another step and it would unravel in his hand. Reyna halted, holding the front to keep it from sliding off, and fighting off the shiver his touch caused. What was wrong with her?
“What?” She almost snarled it.
In a more serious tone he asked, “Where were you last night?”
“The Gladiator.” If she didn’t tell him what he wanted to know, Jorlan would badger her until he pried it out of her. Reyna simply wasn’t in the mood to go round and round with him, knowing she’d eventually lose. Even at her best, she couldn’t win with Jorlan and she was nowhere near top fighting form.
“Vamp territory.” He leaned in closer and sniffed the other side of her neck. Then lifting a finger, he touched the bruise. “You’ve been marked. Who claimed you?”
“No one.” Her hands rose self-consciously to cover the bite marks as she took a step forward. His heated breath on the sensitive skin caused her nipples to pucker. Deeply disturbed, she had difficulty keeping track of the conversation. All she wanted to do was get away.
Jorlan’s grip tightened and he tugged her back. The message was clear. Stand still or lose the towel. “You’ve been bagged and tagged, sweetie. Denial will get you nothing. Who was it?”
“I don’t know. Some guy I was dancing with.” Like a broken bottle, the tale of last night’s adventures all poured out. “There was this music with a driving, pounding, get under your skin beat. Then he started chanting. I didn’t understand the words, but something happened to me. Then he bit me and…and…the rest is hazy, a big blur.”
Jorlan muttered something she didn’t catch. “I smell blood. Let me see.” He pushed her over to the bed. “Lie down.”
Reyna surrendered to the inevitable and did as he commanded, loosening the towel and allowing him to pull it free as she lay down on her stomach. The first swipe of his tongue caused her to jump.
“Be still! Your back is shredded. He must have raked you with his claws. ”
Jorlan settled against her, his muscular thighs caging her body. She knew the enzymes in his saliva would speed the healing process. As he moved down her body, she felt the weight of his balls and flaccid penis dragging against the tender skin of her inner thigh, and something in her stirred in response.
“What did he look like?” Jorlan was all business now.
“I don’t know.”
A pause. Then a dubious, “How can you not know?”
Reyna tried to explain. “I was trying to leave. You know how I feel about vampyrs. I only gave in because he insisted, and I’d promised the girls I’d stay an hour. It wasn’t quite time for me to escape so I danced with him but refused to look at him.”
“Or get his name,” he stated wryly.
“You didn’t think I’d actually speak to him, did you?” He knew how she felt about the vampyr.
Jorlan sighed but let the topic drop. Continuing with his healing mission, his tongue reached her buttocks. Reyna bit back a moan but couldn’t stop herself from arching into the moist caress. Jorlan hesitated and her heart beat heavily. Please, please, don’t let him say anything, she thought. Finally, he moved on to the other side.
He nudged Reyna until she rolled over onto her back, kneed her legs apart, and settled between her spread thighs. He put his nose right against her sex and sniffed, then rose on his forearms to look at her. “You’re aroused.”
“No, I can’t be.” Everyone knew she hadn’t felt real arousal since her failed Firestorm. It was a constant source of shame.
Jorlan nodded toward her sex. “This says you are.” He shot out his tongue and licked her from anus to clit.
“Jorlan!” Her back arched and she cried out at the surprising maneuver.
He raised slitted eyes to meet her wide, shocked ones. “I taste your cream. Have you shifted?”
“You know I can’t.” The first shift is what brought on a female Felini’s first estrous—her breeding cycle. At the age of almost thirty, she should have at the very least been on her third one by now and she’d never had the first.
“This says you can.” He licked her again, giving her clit an extra swirl.
Her back bowed up off the bed again as fire streaked up her spine. “Jorlan, stop!”
She tried to clamp her legs together and push his head away. Using his greater strength, Jorlan pressed her thighs down to the
mattress. He braced his forearms on them to hold her open and used his hands to pin her wrists to the bed. The expression on his face was calculating. “I don’t think so, my queen. Besides, your sex looks raw and painful. It’s my duty as your self-appointed keeper to heal it.”
He lowered his head and she tensed. At the first touch of his tongue she tried to buck him off. He was too strong. The slightly rough texture of his tongue stung as he licked her like a cat cleaning its fur. It felt good, too good.
Reyna heard herself begging and pleading with him to stop, and threatening to castrate him if he did. Claws shot from her fingertips and she felt like lava raced through her veins, heating her from head-to-toe. Her muscles seized and tightened one by one as something moved beneath the surface of her skin. Even her joints ached.
“Jorlan!” she cried out, panicked.
“Let it out,” he commanded. He lapped harder, concentrating on her clit. Her body undulated beneath him without her conscious control. She screamed and it didn’t sound human.
There was a ripping sound and foam and fibers floated in the air beside them as she shredded the mattress and sheets with her claws. Her skin rippled and her stomach knotted as her body jackknifed. Her vision darkened as the thing in her burst free.
Her spine twisted and she kicked out with her feet, landing on all fours. Reyna snarled her fury as her tail whipped around her body. She crouched, preparing to launch herself at him, and Jorlan shifted quickly and landed on the floor beside her before she could attack him.
I burn, she complained.
Your estrous is beginning.
He bumped his head against her flank, and she twirled around and slapped him with her paw. He coughed at her in warning. She snarled and pounced, and they went down in a tangle of fur and paws, not stopping until he pinned her, his teeth locked in the back of her neck, endangering her spine.
Reyna relaxed beneath him and purred her pleasure. Jorlan released her and slowly backed away. He’d dominated her and proved himself worthy. This was a male who’d give her healthy, strong cubs. She crouched, rear high in the air, presenting herself for mounting, tail twitching and body quivering with need.
