Lavos

by Laurann Dohner

  He rubbed her back. “My brave Jadee. It sounds as if you got lucky and hit his neck just right. They have stronger bones than humans but they weaken if he hasn’t fed for a while.”

  “Then his nest came after me. They must have seen what happened and somehow followed me home. A bunch of them surrounded my place. They couldn’t get in since I had started living in the RV, but at dawn I got the hell out of there. I didn’t know if more of them would come after me. They knew my name. I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

  He picked her up. She tensed in his arms but didn’t struggle. He carried her to the bed and eased her back onto her feet. “Sit.” He let her go. It was difficult. He liked holding her.

  She sat on the edge of his bed and he crouched in front of her, bracing her knees between his spread ones. It put them at face level. “It depends. Were they rogues?”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Did the one you kill smell bad, as if he hadn’t bathed in a while?”

  She shook her head. “He was a well-dressed perv.”

  “Rogues tend to be a little nuts and they don’t live the way humans do. The organized Vamps pretend they’re human. They keep homes and take care of their appearances to avoid drawing attention.”

  “These Vampires seemed organized. The two women and five guys were dressed almost in uniform, in all-black clothes.”

  He sighed. “It means they’re members of a nest, and probably associated with the Vampire Council if they weren’t rogues.”

  “They have a council?”

  “Yes.”

  “That means they can tell other nests about me, right? What about your Werewolf packs? Will they be sending out alerts about me to them too? Can you check to see if you’ve gotten one yet?”

  He hated to see the fear in her eyes. The Vampire Council would spread the word to other nests if one of them reported Jadee. “Do they know you’re immune to their eyes?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t blow the perv, and another one demanded I unlock my car door to let him in at a red light after I left work. I took off like a bat out of hell and left rubber on the streets in my wake. Then those other ones showed up at my place. Did I mention they know my name?”

  He let that sink in. It was bad. Vampire nests would be looking for her. She’d killed one of them. That was enough to stir their wrath. A human killing a Vampire tended to be a crime they wanted punished. The fact that she was immune to them controlling her mind and erasing her memories would make them fear her.

  “You probably think I should have just given the pervert a blow job, right?”

  “No.” The desire to rip apart the Vamp who had come after Jadee surged but he was already dead. “You had every right to defend yourself. I’m just glad you were able to. You’re lucky to be alive.”

  “I won’t be for long if more Vampires find me. Is anywhere safe for me to go? I was thinking about avoiding big cities but then I realized they could send your kind after me too. Is that how it works? I needed to know so I came to you for answers. Will I be safe if I just lock down at night and only go out during the day?”

  “I need to tell you something, Jadee.”

  “It’s bad, isn’t it? I’m toast, aren’t I? Spit it out. Can you put in a good word for me with these packs so they don’t come after me? Tell them I’m dog friendly or something?”

  “I’m not a Werewolf.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re not a Vamp. We were just outside. The sun burns them.”

  “I’m something else.”

  “But I saw you. You were a big…dog.”

  “I’m both.”

  She frowned.

  “I’m a VampLycan. Long story short, Vampires and Lycans once held alliances but it turned out bad. The male Vampires figured out they could get the female Lycans pregnant. They attacked the women, willing or not. I’m a result of both races.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip.

  “I can’t tell packs to leave you alone. We’re not in control of them, and we don’t have sway with the Vampire Council. They hate and fear us. We avoid them too so they don’t think we’re trying to start another war. Vampires can be paranoid about that shit.”

  Jadee leaned back a few inches, staring at his mouth with a little trepidation. “You drink blood? I hope you’re not hungry.”

  She wasn’t screaming or trying to get away. Her mild reaction amused him. “Your neck is safe.” He glanced down at the towel. Her body was another matter. He swallowed, attempting to ignore how easy it would be to strip her. “We get the ability to control minds from Vampires. We shift forms thanks to our Lycan blood. It pretty much means we got the better qualities of the two, and far fewer weaknesses.”

  “Do you have a council?”

  “No. We have four clans, with a leader for each one.”

  “Will they get notified about me and start trying to take me out?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “I’m starting to feel like a unicorn.”

  He laughed, her response totally unanticipated. “Why is that?”

  “It seems it’s pretty rare to be immune to your eyes. I must be unique if this many people want to kill me.”

  “The Vampires will fear that you’ll start hunting and taking out their nests. There are other humans like you who are immune, and in the past they became Vampire hunters. The council used to actively track and take them out in the old days. It’s probably why there aren’t as many of your kind as there used to be. They’d slaughter entire families so their children couldn’t continue the tradition of becoming hunters. They believed it could be a hereditary trait.”

  “I just want to live and let live. I have no intention of becoming a Vampire slayer. I wouldn’t have used an axe on that jerk except he came after me. I was just taking out the trash at work, not asking for him to flash me his goods and order me to blow him.”

  “I understand, but you have to remember that a lot of these masters are hundreds of years old, if not thousands. They run the council, and therefore, they rarely change the way they think.”

  “Thousands?”

  He nodded. “Some are. My Vampire ancestor was over two thousand years old. I never met him but I heard the stories. He was one of the few ancients who came to America once it was discovered. Most stayed in Europe, since travel was highly dangerous for day sleepers. They’d starve or be discovered by humans during the long journeys by ship if they fed from passengers.”

  “They didn’t have redeye flights.”

  He chuckled. “No, they didn’t.”

  “Where is this antique Vampire ancestor of yours?”

  “It’s uncertain. He may have been killed during the war.”

  “The civil war?”

  “The war between Vampires and Lycans.”

  “I missed reading about that one in my history books.”

  Jadee amused him; he enjoyed her sense of humor. “Humans who did know wished they hadn’t. Most didn’t survive. They were food for Vampires.”

  “Who won?”

  “We did, obviously, considering we’re not under the control of Vampires. They wanted to use Lycan women as breeders to create an army of children like what I am. They believed they could control them the way they do their nests.”

  “How is that?”

  “A master rules everyone in his nest to an almost slave-like degree. They planned to use the children to protect them during the day, and Vampires can also survive off Lycan blood.”

  “Dual purpose. It sounds great for the Vampires but not so much for the kids. Slave labor and blood donors.”

  “Exactly. The Lycan women weren’t too thrilled either. Vampires didn’t care if they were willing to become breeders or even if they were already mated. They just attacked them once they realized they could get them pregnant under certain conditions. The Lycan men defended their women. That started the war. The Lycans fought while the women of breeding age ran away. Then the children were born…and the
Vampires had something to fear as we matured.”

  “You are a badass.”

  He grinned. “We have their strengths but not their weaknesses. Let’s just say the war was over once we grew up. It’s against the law for a Vampire to force a Lycan to breed anymore. If they tried, we can hunt them down during their day sleep and take them out. We have claws to rip their heads off. They just have fangs and sharp fingernails, if they let them grow out. They tend to avoid us to stay alive. The Lycans avoid us because we upset their pack structures.”

  “English?”

  “Almost every VampLycan is considered an alpha because of our strengths and abilities. A Lycan pack exists because a single alpha holds them together. They survive by living in small groups to help keep them stronger as a unit. We show up and it makes them nervous.”

  “They’re afraid you’ll take over their packs?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do your clans work?”

  He sighed. “It’s complicated. It not only takes strength to lead a clan but respect.” He paused, instantly thinking of Decker. “Or fear.”

  “It sounds complicated.” She broke eye contact with him and glanced at his arms. “So who was that woman?”

  “The one at the lodge? No one.”

  She locked gazes with him. “She looked like someone.”

  Lavos knew she wasn’t the type to just drop something. It was one of the things he liked about Jadee. “She’s visiting from another clan.”

  “Have you ever slept with her?”

  “No.”

  “Ever wanted to?”

  She was bold. He liked it. “No.”

  “Ah. Okay. Does she want to sleep with you?”

  “Yes.”

  Her mouth compressed into a tight line. “I knew it. She seems really interested.”

  “It isn’t going to happen. I’m not interested in her.”

  “Do you already have a girlfriend?” She glanced around. “I haven’t seen anything to indicate you’re dating someone. There’s no women’s stuff in your bathroom.”

  She’d looked. He was flattered. “I met someone recently that I’m attracted to. I can’t get her out of my thoughts. I don’t want to settle for someone else when I only seem to want one woman.”

  She stared into his eyes. “Does she have a name?”

  He almost laughed. “Yes. Everyone does.”

  “Want to tell me what it is?”

  “Do you want to keep playing this game?” He leaned in closer, inhaling through his nose. He wanted her badly.

  “I’m not playing. I’m just curious.”

  A soft growl rumbled from him. “Are you going to deny the attraction between us?”

  “No. I just wasn’t sure if it was mutual.”

  “Do you think I would have brought you into my home and protected you from my clan when you trespassed if I didn’t want you right where you are?”

  She glanced down at his bed, then looked at him. “Nice.”

  “I’m not sure how to take that response.” He wanted to kiss her. “You don’t look afraid.”

  “Should I be?”

  “Possibly. You know what I am and that I want you.”

  “I’m not feeling any fear.”

  He inched closer, until their breaths mingled. “Are you on anything?”

  “I don’t do drugs.”

  He tilted his head, wondering if she was joking or being serious. “Birth control.”

  “No. Is that an issue?”

  “It might be if I take that towel off you and do what I’ve wanted to since we met.”

  Her tongue darted out and she licked her lips. “I thought your kind couldn’t get my kind pregnant unless we were the same species.”

  “Wrong.” He glanced down. “You’d have to be ovulating though.”

  “I can’t tell.”

  “I can. Get rid of the towel.”

  “How would you know?”

  “I’d taste it.”

  Her eyes widened just slightly, then heat crept up into her cheeks. He thought the fact that she blushed was telling. His Jadee was less sophisticated than she pretended to be if oral sex caused that reaction from her.

  “Toss the towel and lie back, Jadee.”

  He held his breath, waiting to see how she’d respond. He was keeping his lust in check to prevent his eyes from glowing and proving how much he wanted her. He thought about warning her but then figured it was best not to remind her of how different they truly were.

  She reached up and tugged the towel free where she’d tucked it over her breasts to keep the seams together. He tried not to stare as she parted it, revealing her creamy skin and lush breasts. Their size wasn’t too large, nor too small. They were perfect. She tugged the towel open more to show off her belly, then finally her lap and the top of her thighs. It took restraint for him to hold still while she lifted up and leaned back, tugging the damp material out from under her. She just blindly threw it in the direction of the bathroom.

  She shaved almost all of her hair off her mound, just a small, closely cut strip to accent her pussy. Jadee lay flat on his bed, and then surprised him when she spread her thighs, bracing one of her feet against his chest near his shoulder, while placing her other heel firmly on the edge of the bed.

  Lavos looked at the foot she’d rested on him, amused with the red toenail polish he hadn’t noticed before. His attention traveled over her calf, to her bent knee, down her thigh, right back to her pussy.

  “I have one rule.”

  He lifted his head, staring at her. She intrigued him and he became very interested in learning what it would be. He could guess her greatest worry. “I’ll be gentle.”

  “That’s not it. You already warned me that you bite. Could you avoid fang damage down there? I’m not a fan of clit piercings or pain.”

  He admired her courage for taking him on. “That’s not where I’d bite you if I sink my teeth in.”

  He tried to lean forward but she pushed against his chest with her foot, so he held her gaze. She opened her mouth but he spoke first. “What?”

  “Where would you bite?”

  “I’d roll you over, fuck you from behind until you screamed my name, and then go for your shoulder.”

  “No neck? You said you were part Vampire.”

  “I don’t crave blood and I’d never bite into a main artery. The fleshy part of your shoulder wouldn’t bleed much, and it’s a convenient place to go for in that position.”

  “Why bite at all if you don’t crave blood?”

  “That’s a discussion for another time. I won’t bite you, Jadee.”

  She eased her foot off him and lowered it, her heel resting on the bed. She spread her legs more, an invitation he wasn’t about to resist. He did surprise her when he slid his arms under her thighs and cupped her ass with both hands, lifting her lower half a few inches off the bed. She gasped but he wanted to taste her too much to waste another second.

  The scent of her was making his dick hurt. He stopped holding back the lust, letting it flow. He opened his mouth and ran his tongue along her clit in one slow, long lick. She wasn’t prepared for him to fuck her yet but she would be. Her moan was music to his ears.

  He growled deeply, hoping it wouldn’t scare her. She didn’t seem the type to easily frighten. She’d proven that to him a few times already.

  She tensed…but then she understood why he did it. She moaned.

  “You vibrate when you do that! Do it again.”

  He almost laughed. His Jadee was brave and adventurous. He growled louder, sliding his tongue against the bundle of nerves. She tried to wiggle in his hold, spreading her thighs more. Her breathing increased, and so did the sounds of her pleasure. The scent of her desire rose as she started to get wet. All amusement died inside him.

  He snarled, wanting to fuck her so bad it caused him real pain. He became merciless with his mouth, intent on making her come hard and fast. She arched and cried out his name. Her hips bucke
d in his hold and he tore his mouth away, staring down at her sex.

  Her pussy appeared small and fragile, but so wet. He lowered her ass to the bed and didn’t bother with his shirt. He tore at the front of his pants instead, freeing his straining cock. He looked at the size of it, and then again at the small slit of her pussy. Frustration rose with a fury.

  Who the hell has she been fucking?

  He leaned forward, rubbing the head of his dick against her slit until he was right where he wanted to be. He gently pushed. Her slick flesh parted for him but it was a tight fit. Her pussy squeezed the head of his dick. He let go of his shaft and gripped her calf, lifting her leg to spread her open more. One glance at her face told him she was still recovering from her climax. Her eyes were closed and her mouth parted as she tried to catch her breath.

  He leaned over her, letting gravity help him enter her body. He clenched his teeth, caught between heaven and hell. She felt amazing but he didn’t want to risk hurting either of them by making her take his wide girth too fast. She moaned and he looked at her face. Her eyes opened, gaze locking with his.

  “Relax.”

  She nodded and reached out to him. Her fingers curled around his arm, braced on the bed next to her waist. He pushed in more when her muscles relaxed just a tiny bit, the firm grip her pussy had on him easing. She was hot, wet, and tight. Perfect.

  He withdrew a little, then pushed in again. She took more of him. He worked back and forth in a torturously slow rhythm that seemed to affect them both as she dug her nails into his skin and moaned his name.

  He was going to come before he ever got fully seated inside her. He’d wanted her too much and for too long. His balls drew up tight and he felt the muscles in his lower stomach tensing. Jadee arched her hips when he moved forward and he was all inside her on that last thrust. He had to close his eyes to break their connection. His fangs shot out and he opened his mouth to prevent them from piercing his lower lip. He held still, fighting for control.

  Jadee bucked her hips, moving him. That slight friction was too much and he snarled, knowing he was lost.

  He came down over her, pinning her to the bed. He wanted to bite her shoulder but twisted his head, keeping his fangs away. He couldn’t hold back, fucking her without restraint as ecstasy ripped through him. He came deep inside her, not caring if she was ovulating or not, though he hadn’t tasted it on her.