by Tamsin Baker
***
Luc
Aleah finishes pulling on a fresh pair of socks and shoes. Something has shifted in her these past few minutes. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but she has a gleam in her eyes that wasn’t there earlier, and a determined set to her shoulders that concerns me.
“Don’t do anything stupid, little banshee.”
“I don’t know what you mean. Of course, I won’t.” She stands and meets my gaze with a clear expression and a faint smile that I don’t trust one little bit.
“I mean it, Aleah. The rogue, or potentially rogues, are not operating under any set of rules I’ve ever observed. I can’t protect you if you go off half-cocked.”
Soft laughter fills the room and my heart squeezes painfully at the sound. I may not have a heartbeat, but my body knows the sound of perfection when it arrives. She should laugh all the time.
“First off, I have no cock. Being half-cocked would be your area of expertise, I believe, and I’m very sorry for you if that is the case.”
I open my mouth and snap it shut again as she continues.
“Second, you arrived in my world exactly two nights ago. I’ve been managing perfectly fine on my own for many years now, and I don’t need you to start ‘protecting’ me. In fact, I seem to recall that if it wasn’t for my intervention, you’d be a little pile of dust and ashes right about now.”
What can I say? She’s correct, except for one thing. “I’m never half-cocked.”
Her glance down at my groin is brief but it’s enough. My organ wants to reach permanently skyward whenever I’m anywhere near this woman, and one look from her sends the damn thing soaring once again. The flesh strains against my zippered jeans and for once I welcome the rush of desire, encouraging my cock to full expansion rather than trying to tamp it down. My fangs follow suit and I grin, ensuring the now-unsheathed incisors are clearly visible.
Her breath catches and pink immediately stains her cheeks. I step forward and put one finger firmly under her chin until she has no choice but to tilt her face up to meet mine. “Half-cocked is not in my vocabulary.”
I lean in, intending to take her mouth in a punishing kiss, but change tack at the last moment and nip lightly at her full bottom lip with my teeth. One of my fangs accidentally nicks her plump flesh. Need flashes through me at the taste and a huge shudder wracks my body. Jesus, fuck, but she tastes like fucking heaven.
I lick at a tiny droplet of blood that hovers on her lip, unable to resist its call. The accompanying wave of desire is so intense a groan ratchets up out of my throat. “Grrr…aghhh, sorry.” I start to twist away but slender hands grip the side of my head and hold me in place.
Her gaze is no longer clear and innocent. Instead, I read lust and confusion in equal parts. She craves me, and yet she doesn’t understand why. “I want you to kiss me,” she admits. “And yet…” She frowns briefly.
“It goes against everything you thought you wanted?”
“Yes.”
“Your blood is like a drug to me, Aleah. Even the one droplet I coaxed from your lips a moment ago is enough. It sings to my blood, and when that happens, it will be the same in reverse for you.”
Her eyelids half close and her mouth parts slightly. “It is the same. That’s exactly how it feels. As if your body is singing to mine…calling me…seducing me…I didn’t think I wanted it. And yet, somehow, I can’t stay away.”
My groan is louder this time. “Why do you think I keep coming back? It is the same for me. I need to taste you, Aleah.”
“Okay.” One word uttered in that soft breathy voice. One word only, and yet so powerful. Fuck.
“As long as you stop if I say so.”
Oh, Jesus. “I don’t know if—”
I don’t manage to finish the sentence. This time her lips take mine, and instantly I’m lost in a haze of delight as our mouths and tongues dance in rhythm. My fangs pierce her flesh once more, this time with permission. The zing of her hybrid blood infuses my veins with life, calling to the vampire deep within. The taste is everything I dreamed it might be, and a thousand times better.
My growl turns to a purr and the ache in my groin is both agony and ecstasy.
Her answering moan directly into my mouth is more a vibration than a sound. Desire hits new heights—heights I never imagined I would discover, even in a supposedly close-to-immortal lifetime.
Ripples of sensation traverse my skin, from my scalp right down to my toes.
I break away from her mouth, breathing hard even though I don’t have to, but it feels like the only way to let out some of the emotion squeezing at my chest. “What are you doing to me, little witch?”
Her fingers trace a line down my throat and pause at the top button of my shirt. “Call me fae, if you wish. Or call me human. That’s who I am. I’m not a witch.”
“Oh, I know that, little banshee-human hybrid. If you were, I’d not be trembling so hard with the effort of holding back my need. Witches don’t carry the same allure for a vamp.”
Her smile is slow and seductive, and my whole body responds to its attraction. “Wow, you really are trembling, Luc. Is my blood really that potent, or do you just enjoy the thrill of the chase? What will happen if I give in and let you fuck me?”
The words are a douse of cold water on my ardor, and yet there’s a look in her eye that still hints at the promise of something more. She’s giving out mixed messages but… That look. It heats my cock as effectively as a courtesan’s practiced hand.
She continues to work at the buttons of my shirt, popping open the first one and continuing lower, one after the next, tracing patterns on my exposed skin as she descends. If I were human, I’d have lost my load already. The wench is clearly experienced at this, despite her previous supposed air of innocence.
This time, my growl is lower, erupting from the depths of my belly. “Human. Fae. Whatever you are, if you don’t stop right now,” I grab her hand, clasping her wandering fingers tightly within my grip to hold her in place, “there’s no guarantee what might—”
“Words, vampire.” Her eyes are half slits now, the irises almost an iridescent green behind the shield of her lowered lashes. “Are you going to back them up with action?”
Challenge. Accepted.
I move so fast she has no time to change her mind. Her delicious body mashes against mine with a perfection that seems as if we’re physically made for one another.
She has already made quick work of my shirt, so I shuck it off the rest of the way and let it fall to the ground. The shapeless top and sweatpants I grabbed from her drawer are anything but sexy. Nothing alluring that I can unbutton in a slow and sensual return dance. All good. Fast suits my current mood just fine.
I rip the top up over her head and toss it to one side. Those lush breasts present themselves once again to my view, the rose-colored nipples instantly peaking. This time, I’m not letting her go until I taste my fill.
I cradle one of the creamy globes in my palm and lift it slightly, then bend my head to suckle at the enticing tip. Her gasp is soft but the moan that follows is not. “Luc, I don’t think this is…oh, fuck!”
The curse is released when I bite down, hard. Her blood spills into my mouth. Metallic. Honey-scented. Divine. The delicious aphrodisiac fills my being until I can’t see, hear, or feel anything but the delightful liquor flowing into me from her.
Lifeblood. Life force. Everything I want. Everything I need. Everything I can never be again.
I suck, and lick, and tug as I feed, as much like a babe at its mother’s breast as any helpless newborn. Aleah’s blood is my sustenance. Heaven. There is nothing left in my mind or my body but the succulent taste of her. The scent of her blood, so freely offered, has me completely undone.
After what seems like aeons, I become aware of two things. Her hand on my cock, kneading and exploring, and her gentle sobbing, as if her heart is about to break in half.
It takes massive effort, but I wrench my head up f
rom her delectable breast, and lick the bite wound to promote fast healing.
“I made you cry.” On some level I know that is significant, but I’m still so lost in the haze of desire that I don’t really care at this moment about anything other than taking ownership of this beautiful creature’s body.
I kiss her briefly, the taste of her lips once again filling my senses with light and hope and joy. What she gives out is in complete contrast to the tears still falling from her iridescent eyes.
“Why, Allie? Why are you crying? It’s not supposed to hurt. Do you not enjoy the sensation of my feeding?”
Her breathing labors, as if she’s run many miles without pause, and I reach up to swipe at one of the tears with my thumb. She jerks away from my touch and, against every instinct, I let her go. She steps back out of my embrace and reaches for her top, holding it in front of her bare breasts like protection. My manhood throbs, needing her to stay close.
“It didn’t hurt. At least, not after the first bite that felt like the lightest pinprick. I enjoyed it. A lot. But I don’t want to.” Her voice is hoarse and she swallows as if it’s difficult to get out the words.
What has her so conflicted? “Surely you’ve been with men before? Desire is as natural as breathing, to a human. More so, for a fae, in my experience. What is your problem? Is it the blood?”
“It’s not the blood.” Her face turns stony. “It’s your kind. What you do. Or at least, what you’ve all done in the past.”
My kind. “Police?”
“Don’t be obtuse.”
I grin, deliberately displaying my unsheathed fangs. “No matter what kind I am…” I fling the word back at her, allowing my hurt to show. “I am working now to find and stop a killer, before more innocent people die. I’m sorry you have a problem with that, Aleah. I’m sorry you have a problem with me. And I damn sure regret that we can’t enjoy each other’s bodies fully before I leave. It would have been…spectacular for you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Arrogant fuck.” Out of nowhere, she drops the top, stepping forward to clasp my upper arms. What is she doing? The tips of her breasts almost, but not quite, touch my chest. I take a deep breath in, forcing my lungs to capacity, and am rewarded when the expansion allows her nipples to graze my skin. The touch ignites heat where skin touches skin. Thank all that’s holy that I haven’t yet put back on my shirt and stormed out of here in a huff.
Beyond that one long breath I freeze, not quite sure which way her mood will swing, and not wanting to jinx anything. She taps a thumb against my bicep, as if considering her next move. “I’m beginning to see that maybe my aunt was wrong in what she taught me.”
Her hands move up over my shoulders to my pecs. “Hell, maybe I was wrong. Just because bad stuff happened a long time ago in my life, doesn’t mean all vampires are evil.”
If I had a beating heart, it would be working frantically right now. My loins have definitely received an up-and-down workout since meeting Aleah. “No species is all good or all evil, Allie. Not human, not fae, and certainly not vampire. Does this mean—”
She wriggles her pelvis, teasing my flesh back to full erection and making me forget my train of thought. “Shut up and kiss me again, Luc. Only this time, don’t stop until we reach the spectacular.”
Chapter Five
Aleah
The instant flare of almost-emerald in his normally blue eyes says everything about want and need. With a low, animal-like growl that ratchets up my own desire ten-fold, his mouth devours mine, and this time, I let him fully in. Not sure why. I’ll have to dissect that later. But for now, I allow myself to surrender to the need that has been vibrating within me ever since Luc first landed on my doorstep.
His kisses are like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Despite his earlier assertion that I must have been with others, I’m not at all experienced. I’ve kissed a few men, but he will be my first lover, if I have the courage to let it go that far. He takes my mouth in a way that both demands and gives, in equal measure. Like he is claiming ownership. And the feeling of being owned, being someone’s possession, is something I never thought to enjoy.
I want him to take me, hard and fast. I need him to make me forget everything that’s happened in the past few days. Everything, except this delicious ache that continues to grow and center in the plump bud between my legs.
He tastes clean and slightly minty. Did he use my toothpaste while I slept? The tip of his tongue flicks in and out, dancing with mine, the connection sending an army of shivers to traverse my body. I can’t help the moan that escapes, but he captures that quickly and moans in return, our shared desire spiraling upward. Still the kiss goes on.
Urgent fingers and hands trace patterns on my back. I arch into the caresses, my hips rocking back and forth of their own accord, using the hardness and heat of his erection to increase my own ardor. Wet slickness coats my seam and I break away from his kiss, panting heavily and trying to understand exactly what is happening to my body.
I want him. So much. I want him inside me. Now.
When his mouth drops to my neck, nuzzling along the path of my carotid artery, I manage to say in a voice made breathless with anticipation, “Take me, Luc. Please.”
He chuckles against my neck, the sensation sending tremors of heat in all directions. “Did you say, taste?”
“Take!” I can hardly catch my breath at all. My whole body is on fire. “Or taste. Do either. Do both. I don’t care. Just do—ow! Oh!”
This time when his fangs pierce my skin there’s no pain whatsoever, not even the faint sense of a pinprick that I felt earlier when he bit down on my nipple. I don’t quite know what he’s doing, or how, but the rush of warmth in my neck spreads instantly throughout my whole body, right out to my fingertips and toes, until it circles back again and centers right where it has the most impact. It’s as if he’s introduced a sex-seeking drug to my blood and my body cooperates by carrying it super-fast along every vein. The heat reaches into every nook and cranny of my body. Every inch of my being. Coalescing at my core.
“Oh, my God!” This level of sensation is insane. I can’t believe I’m doing this, of all things. With Luc.
I can’t hold on. He continues to suckle and whatever he’s doing pushes me beyond any place of sensuality I’ve experienced in the past. The crescendo builds until it bursts through me, unable to be contained a moment longer, and I tip over the edge into a crazy, bucking climax.
My legs collapse beneath me and I let out a muffled shriek as my whole body begins to rock with the force of the orgasm. Strong arms catch me as I buckle. He lifts me with obvious ease, and I wrap my legs around his waist, working more by instinct than anything else, and tilting my pelvis to prolong the exquisite pressure against my pulsing clit. His hands spread-eagle my butt cheeks, fingers reaching in to explore my slit through the thin fabric of my sweats, stilling when he reaches my still-spasming channel entrance.
“Your sweatpants are in the way.”
“Rip them off.” What the actual fuck has come over me? These sweats are my favorite comfy old— “Oh, my.”
He rips them apart, right down the center seam. Well, I can’t blame him. He did exactly as I asked. As the two halves of my favorite sweatpants and the underlying pink underwear sag away to the sides, he dips into my slit with a forefinger. One swipe and I’m primed and ready yet again. How is that even possible?
“You’re wet. So wet.” His voice is thick and I raise my eyes to his. They’re ablaze now, like bright emeralds. No blue left at all. I feel as if I could lose myself in their brilliant depths. I force my gaze back down, to his lips, and realize his mouth is coated in blood. My blood. A droplet descends from the corner of his lips downward.
I don’t think, just react, leaning in to lick the droplet from his chin. His shocked gasp is reward enough. The taste is metallic and kind of gross. “Ew.” My nose wrinkles and he laughs at my distaste. I realize it’s the first time I’ve heard a genuine laugh from hi
m since we met, and the sound makes me long for more. “That is seriously not nice.”
His grin widens, the fangs showcased in full force. “Oh, I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one, Aleah.”
In this moment, at least on the surface, he looks exactly like what he is—a predator triumphantly holding aloft his prey. And yet, underlying the predator, I read a faint hesitancy in his manner. He’s not one hundred percent sure how I’m going to react. In his uncertainty, I see the man as well as the vampire, and that fact in itself is an aphrodisiac.
“I want you, Aleah. Will you let me take you?”
My heart pounds and dizziness fills my head. A tiny part of my brain wonders if it’s because he took too much blood. Is my heart trying to compensate by speeding up until it almost jumps out of my chest?
Somehow, though, the other part of me knows, without really understanding how, that he wouldn’t allow that to happen. He may feed, or taste, or make it part of the mating ritual, but Luc won’t drain me dry, nor let harm come to me in this situation. I don’t know how I know that for sure, but I do.
“Yes. I want that. But I want it fast.”
“I can accommodate that request.”
In one swift movement he swivels and throws me backward onto the mattress. His movements are such a blur that even my half-fae eyes can’t keep up. He undresses and only a nano-second later is lying atop me on the bed. “As a vamp I have no illness to pass on, nor active seed with which to make a child. You will not need protection, little banshee.”
My heart lurches again. I hadn’t even thought of that. Many years ago, when I was still living with my aunt in the city, the other girls at school all got their periods and I did not. “You’re a half-breed,” my aunt explained. “Half-breeds are neither one thing, nor another. You won’t ever get your period like the human girls, but you’ll also never be able to bear a child of your own, like a full fae.”
I’d completely forgotten that conversation until this moment. With Luc poised above me ready to enter, the memory returns, as does the faint sense of sadness at never being able to reproduce. There’s something else I should have told him before this moment. “I—”
