Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Tyler ran his fingertips over her cheek, stroking the sensitive point on her neck that always made her purr. “The thought of anything happening to an inch of that perfect body is unacceptable. I’ll take care of you, I promise.” They stood, and he shook his head, looking down at her. “You still look like fucking jailbait though.”

  “Want to card me?” she asked with a laugh and naturally wound her fingers around his as they held hands and walked through the club, neither of them wanting to stop touching.

  “There are so many things I want to do with you, but tonight is lady’s choice. I’m yours, darlin’.”

  “What?” He tugged at her hand to keep her walking to the exit.

  “Tonight is about you. I want to make you happy, give you everything you ever wanted in one night.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “So you’d see me again.”

  “But…I’d have to glamour you again.”

  “That’s fine.”

  She followed him out to where his limo waited for them, her frown disappearing at the sight of their transportation. “A limo? Ooh la la. Doing well for yourself, Tyler?”

  “Not to brag, but yes.” He cocked his head as they both took a seat inside his limo. “Do you recognize me?”

  “Ummmm, no, sorry. Haven’t been keeping up on humans lately.”

  He laughed softly, and she loved how damn sexy that sound was. “I love how honest you are. Haven’t been with a woman like you in far too long.”

  Not liking the idea of any other woman being around him, she gave Tyler an arch look even as she battled with her own unnaturally possessive feelings. If she was anyone but herself, she’d be worried that she was bonding with this human, but that was impossible. It took either prolonged contact with a human or regular small amounts of blood drinking that would bind them together on a chemical level. One of the results on the vampire’s side was the need to be around that human. Right now she felt like she would tear apart anyone or anything that got between her and the big man who was watching her with a look she couldn’t understand. It was…frustrated yet tender, angry yet adoring. Like he was waiting for her to do or say something and so far she’d disappointed him.

  In a way Tyler’s expressions reminded her of how Sargon looked at her, and she shivered at the thought of the two men meeting. If she wasn’t feeling so greedy for Tyler, she’d be tempted to take him to Sargon’s compound and spend the night fucking Tyler’s brains out. Unfortunately she’d never see him again after that, and she knew Sargon would want a second taste. Hell, she already mourned the thought of taking Tyler’s memories from him, and that was a bad sign. Feeling the situation rapidly slipping out of control, she plowed ahead with little thought to anything but soothing the ache inside her body and soul with this man.

  Struggling to regain the upper hand, she failed miserably when she blurted out, “I will warn you that I am very jealous. Do not mention other women around me. I can get very…territorial of you. And dominant. As Alpha male as you are I’m not sure if you can submit to me and find pleasure in it.”

  “Sweetheart, I’ll take you any way I can get you. If you need to be in control, then I want to give you what you need.”

  His words stroked her soul like a soft kiss, and she drew in a deep lungful of his scent and lost herself in the siren’s call of his pheromones. He smelled delicious; he smelled like hers. “What are you doing to me?”

  He bit his lower lip, and she had to grit her teeth in an effort to keep from lunging on him. “Baby, I’m going to love you so much I’ll be the last man you ever want to be with. I’m gonna melt that thick ice around your heart, one layer at a time. Before you protest you need to know that I know what I want, and I always get what I want. Always. May take me awhile, but at the end of all this bullshit, I will own a piece of your heart.”

  She wanted to laugh him off, to draw the mantle of her authority around herself, but he seemed to know exactly what to say to her to rip apart her shields like they were paper. The car sped through the night, and she sat on the plush black leather seat, staring at the man who made her soul bleed. No, she couldn’t feel this way. Never again. Falling in love was a myth, a fairytale that was exploited to get women to give up their bodies and souls. Men wanted her for only one thing—sex—and that was okay because that’s all she ever allowed. The only man she allowed to even sleep in her bed was Sargon. Her heart was barren, yet with Tyler, she felt disturbing things inside of her, warmth where there had been only emptiness, a sense of no longer being alone that was so exquisite it scared her.

  “Give me your cock.”

  To her surprise he laughed. “Always gotta use sex like a weapon. Thankfully this isn’t my first time at the rodeo. Let’s just cut through the bullshit right now, shall we? You will allow me to court you tonight, my lady, and you will give me the privilege of doing it right. You picked me, Lisabetta.”

  The amber lights from passing streetlamps threw shadows over his face that entranced her. He was right again, damn him. It was like he could read her mind, but that wasn’t possible. No one could break through her mental shields if she didn’t let them. No, the way Tyler read her was different. He paid attention to every nuance of her expression, like he knew her.

  How incredibly odd, yet arousing. She was old enough to admit her vanity, and she loved it when a man obviously enjoyed her beauty. Stretching out, she pressed her large breasts against the top of her dress, loving the way he swallowed at the sight. Yep, he was a tit man. Thankfully she was rather blessed in that area, and she wanted to play with him, to make him bend to her will. If she had to use her body to do it, so be it.

  His gaze went from hot to cold, and he looked up at her face. When their eyes met, she flinched away at the anger there, the disappointment. “While your wrapping is very pretty, and you know how much I completely worship you, I want the total package. I’m not touching you. If you want me, you gotta take me and take responsibility for the fact that you want me. No lies between us, Lisabetta.”

  Chapter Two

  Confused, Lisabetta blinked a couple times before turning to face him more fully and leaning closer. His heat washed over her, and her teeth ached for him. The need for his touch was so great that she closed the distance between them, unable to lie in the face of such a delicious bounty. In a heartbeat Tyler had her cradled against his body, touching her in a way that sent sparks of pleasure sizzling over her skin like an electrical storm. She purred, a sound she’d never made before, and that noise startled her enough that she tried to push away from him.

  Instead of allowing that, he merely scooted down the wide leather seat and pulled her on top of him. With his sizeable erection pressing into her belly, she weakened further and pressed her hips against him, shifting so his cock rubbed against her sex. A hard shudder went through her, and her pussy hurt, ached to have him inside of her. His body would melt the ice in her soul, and his life would renew hers. The urge to bite him tore at her, but she didn’t want to share that kind of intimacy here.

  The decision was taken from her when Tyler pulled her skirt up then trailed his fingers over her ass. His pleased smile when he discovered she wasn’t wearing undergarments had her squirming while his fingers traced down the curve of her bottom. Just a few more inches and he’d discover how wet she was for him, how utterly willing she was to do anything and everything he wanted. She tensed at the thought of how out of character she was behaving, but before any real fear could take root, Tyler, with uncanny accuracy and skill, took his thumb and rubbed it in a swift circle right on her clit with the perfect speed and pressure.

  Blinding pleasure surged through her, and her body heated to his touch. Shit, she was going to burn through blood at an alarming rate like this, but the sangue fever was on her, pumping her body full of lust. She was helpless to stop the instincts of a vampire that were overpowering her human mind and morals. This almost animalistic state had her reaching for his shirt, intent on tearing off his cl
othes. Instead of allowing her to, he gripped her wrists, and she was surprised at how damn strong he was. The pale blue of his eyes flashed as he held her gaze and slowly shook his head.

  “No, Lisabetta. If we make love here, you will freak out and leave me.”

  She managed to whimper through the need slowly turning to pain as her body craved sexual release. “Please, it hurts.”

  His gaze softened. “My, you got worked up pretty quick tonight.”

  “What?”

  Shaking his head, he moved them around so she was cradled in his arms, looking up at him and feeling oddly safe.

  “You smell so good,” he murmured against the top of her head. “Like the earth after it rains.”

  Turning her head, she took a deep inhalation of his scent, and a moan of longing came out of her. Oh, this was bad because to her he smelled like sex and life. A mature man, ripe for the taking. Her nipples hardened painfully, and she clutched at him, willing herself to relax.

  He stroked her hair back from her face and said in a low voice filled with an emotion she dared not believe in, “Lisabetta, so beautiful.”

  She hadn’t felt truly adored in six hundred years and didn’t know how to process the sensation. Even in her very well guarded palatial estate on the Texas Gulf Coast, she didn’t feel this relaxation on a soul-deep level. The need to connect with Tyler grew, but her arousal was a real burn now. She’d hold back the blood lust as long as she could, but it was going to be painful.

  Tyler smiled down at her and began to caress her thigh, his touch perfect against her needy skin. “Let me take care of you. Sei il il pi bellissimo ragazza nel mondial.”

  She stared up at him, her hormone-addled mind trying to understand why he’d just called her the most beautiful girl in the world in passable Italian. “Parli Italiano?”

  “No, I don’t speak Italian. Well, I kind of do. Been studying it for five weeks now.”

  “Why? Are you going to visit Italy?”

  Something dark, angry flashed through his gaze. “No.”

  When he didn’t elaborate she opened her mouth to question him then let it fall back with a sigh as his long, rough fingers began to rub her pussy. The tenuous control she’d had on the sangue fever disintegrated beneath his knowing strokes. He let out a soft hiss as his finger delved between her labia and teased her entrance.

  “You’re so warm.”

  “I burn for you,” she whispered. “Please, make me come.”

  “My pleasure, bella donna.”

  Pleasure raced through her as he thrust two fingers into her pussy, just how she liked it. He turned his hand so his thumb pressed against her clit and began to massage her internally while he slowly dragged his fingers in and out of her needy sex. Good God, it was like this man had some kind of psychic connection with her pussy, touching her just how she needed it. She abandoned herself to him, throwing her head back and crying out, not caring if the limo driver or the whole world noticed her taking her pleasure. There was only the moment, only existing in the now, and she loved it, loved not having to think about spending eternity alone for one brief moment as her bliss overwhelmed her ever-busy mind.

  Tyler rubbed his thumb back and forth on her clit, drawing soft cries from her that he seemed to enjoy. Every time she vocalized her pleasure he would make this soft growling noise that spread through her blood like a drug. Looking up at him, watching the way he stared at her pussy as his lovely fingers caressed her, she let out a soft shudder of need. The thick shocks of silver at his temples gave him a distinguished air that she loved, and as she stared at him, she had an odd flash of seeing his face in hundreds of different ways with a thousand different expressions. Startled by that thought, she clenched up, but he chose that moment to pinch her nipple, hard enough to hurt. The pain took her by surprise, and she bared her fangs at Tyler, turning positively feral with lust. He was tempting the demon that slept in her heart, the one that urged her to bite him to soothe the fire.

  When she began to rock her hips against his fingers, he seemed to take the hint and added a third finger, stretching her deliciously. The muscles in her lower belly fluttered, and she forced her gaze open, wanting to watch him while she came. Everything inside of her tightened, and her whole body throbbed as the burning blood rushed through her veins, filling her with a glorious energy that would make her skin glow as if lit from within by the sun. Unable to resist the need to connect with the man who gave her this pleasure, she opened her eyes and sighed in delight.

  She found him already watching her, and with a knowing smile, he curved his fingers inside of her and pressed while gripping her hair in his fist. That mixture of pleasure and pain set off her orgasm like he’d pressed a button. He didn’t remove his fingers but gentled his touch on her over-sensitized clit, slowly finger fucking her through her orgasm. Each wave of delicious sensation helped to bank the fire in her blood, but now the blood lust was gaining strength. It took a great deal of energy for her to orgasm because her body burned fuel quicker when she was aroused, but the need to feed wasn’t a compulsion yet, just a yearning to sink her teeth into the pulse in Tyler’s thigh while she jerked him off.

  A vivid mental image of doing just that assailed her, so strong it was almost like a memory. Her body responded as her hips jerked and she squeezed Tyler’s fingers still inside of her. The low, dirty moan that spilled out of her was almost embarrassing, and his chuckle didn’t help.

  “I wonder what that thought was,” he said in a low, husky voice. “Unfortunately it will have to wait.”

  She managed to focus on him. “Why?”

  “’Cause we’re home.”

  Before she could question him, Tyler was slipping her off his lap and smoothing down her dress just before the door to the limo opened. If she’d been human, she would have blushed at the thought that the limo driver could smell her arousal, but blushing was something she just didn’t do anymore if she could help it. Bringing a flush to her cheeks used too much blood. She’d tamped down on her emotions to the point where she didn’t really feel much of anything that she didn’t want to anymore. Or at least she usually did. When Tyler gave her a knowing smirk, a definite heat entered her cheeks, a long forgotten sensation that she tried her best to ignore, but was helpless again.

  Tyler got out first then carefully helped her from the vehicle. His tight jeans outlined his body, and she tried to keep from staring at his groin as she could clearly see the bulge of his erection pressing against the material. He was a very big man, all over, and she wanted him.

  “Keep looking at me like that and I’ll fuck you in front of my neighbors. If that’s what you want I’ll give it to you, but I’d prefer to have you all to myself.”

  Giving him a small smile, she glanced over at the rather good-looking limo driver trying to remain professional, but his wide eyes gave him away. She loved to tease men—it was one of her favorite hobbies—and the limo driver was so young. Mid-twenties at the most but still an innocent.

  With a swing in her hips, she walked up to Tyler and laced her arms around her neck. “I think I’d rather enjoy having people watch you fuck me.”

  The limo driver sucked in a harsh breath, but Tyler merely shook his head and smiled. “I know you would. But not tonight. Come on, I have something to show you.”

  She arched a brow when he gave her bottom a good pinch, but turned her attention to his home, eager to see if this place was a reflection of the man she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off of. Already the sangue fire was beginning to build, and it took a great deal of effort to tamp it down. Her fangs hurt with need, and she licked her lips as Tyler led her into his three-story, massive adobe-style home. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she had the oddest sense of déjà vu.

  The circular space had a double wrought iron staircase leading to the second level and at the top of the stairs, illuminated by tasteful lighting, was a lovely painting from one of the artists she’d known in her youth. As the daughter of a successful mer
chant in Venice, she’d grown up surrounded by beautiful things and had enjoyed taking the part of patron to many artists. Not only was it considered the trendy thing to do among the upper class back then, it was something she had a passion for. That same passion had led to her mortal death, but she didn’t want to linger on those dark thoughts right now. Not when she’d been transported back in time to a beautiful place where she’d spent many long afternoons debating with her father if the use of color or the structure of the painting was the most important sign of true talent.

  Her heart beat faster as she examined the portrait of a beautiful young girl dressed in a black velvet gown embroidered with red silk. The girl’s hair was a lovely fiery red color that seemed to burn against the varied darkness of the gown. Once again the artist Titian’s brilliance with color came out in the oil painted image and she fought to keep her mind on the here and now as memories of a time when artists had to create their own paint by hand assailed her. Living in the present became easier to do when Tyler stepped up behind her.

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s magnificent.” She leaned back into his arms and gestured to the rose the girl was holding as her accent unconsciously thickened when she said, “There are some slight imperfections in his composition, but his phenomenal use of light makes those imperfections something that seems organic to the picture. It is a joy to look at and sings to my soul.”

  “I’m glad it makes you happy.” He bent his head to run his lips over her neck. “But that’s not what I want to show you. Come on.”

  He tugged at her hand, leading her through the hushed hallway of the second floor, taking her past a series of rooms until he finally came to the last door on the left. After opening it, Tyler escorted her into what had to be his bedroom judging by his scent saturating the air. The masculine space was dominated by a huge dark wood sleigh bed against the far wall, done in shades of cream and gold. A surprisingly airy space for a man, but she absolutely loved it. The room was decorated as if someone had slipped into her thoughts and asked her to select things she would enjoy.