by Casey Lane
It also explained why she wouldn’t shift when he ordered her to. Her wolf wouldn’t – or couldn’t – recognize his authority.
That red mouth. Blood, he was so close to her now, he could almost taste her lips. Her lack of scent was driving his wolf nuts in a way that just excited him more, because he couldn’t tell if she was aroused, enraged or just bored by him. He was also hard as a rock. Thank goodness for his foresight in bringing clothes, because his arousal would be hard to miss, otherwise.
“I’m not telling you.”
He leaned down. Her breath smelled of mint. “Yes, you are.”
“No.”
“I need to know.”
“Trust me, you don’t.”
“Look, I can’t help you if I don’t know—”
A low growl rose from Aria, and then her lips were on his. They were cool, but plump and silky. He stood there, immobile, stunned. She nibbled gently on his lower lip, and then sucked it into her mouth. Her hand moved up to her face and flicked the eyepatch away. Both eyes opened then, her mismatched stare going straight through him.
His voice hoarse, he asked, “What are you—?”
Then she kissed him again. Harder this time, more demanding. Her tongue thrust into his mouth, and his control shattered, like he’d wanted her forever, no matter that it had only been a week. And now she was kissing him. His arms wrapped around her, and he hauled her close, every inch of him plastered against her. It wasn’t enough.
Her hands were everywhere, stroking over his shoulders and back, and then she hopped up, her legs wrapping around his waist, pressing her sex right against his erection. He pulled away from the kiss with a moan, and then his mouth was moving over her jaw and neck, leaving a trail of desperate kisses. He didn’t know who started it, but she was riding him, grinding against him, her hips matching his thrusts. He thought he’d explode, and he wasn’t even inside her yet. Their clothes were a barrier he hated, but some small, sane part of his mind said he needed to keep his pants on.
Raising his head, he looked at her: head thrown back, neck exposed, panting, her mouth open to reveal her fangs. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
He couldn’t stop the words from coming. “Bite me.”
Her eyes flew open.
“Bite. Me.”
A little breathy moan and then she struck; so fast he couldn’t see it. Her fangs pierced his neck, the pain sharp, intense, and then fading as his body healed the damage. She bit him again, sucking against the wound, and it burned, ramping up the pleasure as her hips ground against his cock.
She moaned and turned wild while her mouth latched onto his neck, her body writhing against his. Her claws dug into his back, cutting his skin. She’d lost control, and it just made it better. Sebastian cupped a hand behind her head, pushing her against his neck. She could drink every last drop of his blood, he didn’t care, just as long as she kept moving against him, kept her fangs in him.
Seconds later, she pulled away, her lips red and glistening, and her whole body tensed. She pressed against him, gasping, whispering his name as she shuddered and came.
Pleasure spiked out of control, his balls going tight, tingles shooting down from his spine, lights exploding behind his eyes. He pumped against her, spilling into his pants like a teenager with his first lover.
It had been the best orgasm of his life.
He held on tight, her body limp and sated in his arms, her defenses down. Right now, he could ask her about her wolf, and she’d probably answer, but he didn’t want to ruin what they’d just shared. For this brief moment in time, they had an accord, their bodies in perfect sync. They could deal with all the drama later.
Chapter Seventeen
What just happened?
Ari’s brain wouldn’t get back on track; her nerve endings were fried, the pleasure she’d just experienced overriding everything. She could still taste Sebastian’s blood on her tongue, and she shivered with remembered ecstasy. His arms were around her, and he was slowly sinking to his knees, gently lowering her with him. Cradling her, like she was a treasure.
One minute she’d been kissing him to shut him up, and the next, she’d been riding him, out of control, her body desperate for release, his blood in her mouth. They technically hadn’t even had intercourse, but it was the best sex of her life.
She couldn’t imagine how good it would feel to have him inside her.
No. Don’t go there.
Those mental warnings were wearing thin: chemistry like they had was rare, even she knew that. But physical lust shouldn’t be enough to make her forgive him for her past. For Mama and Nick.
“Aria, I—”
She thrust herself away from him, landing hard on her butt on the stone floor. If Sebastian apologized, she’d splinter. After everything that they’d said and done, this had certainly been bad idea but she couldn’t regret it. Not right now, not when aftershocks were still making her body sing.
“If you say you’re sorry, I will rip your throat out.”
He laughed, a low chuckle that had her insides warming in a completely different way. You’re in trouble.
No shit.
He met her gaze, his expression serious. “Fuck no, I am not sorry that just happened.”
Relief poured through her, and the intensity of the emotion shocked her. She sat there on the floor in front of her former alpha, raw and exposed. It didn’t matter she was still fully clothed, she’d never felt so naked before. Like he could see her, all the flaws and secrets and shadows she’d kept caged alongside her wolf for years.
“Then what were you about to say?”
He moved closer to her, and ran a thumb over her lip. “That I should get going soon.”
“So you’re a bang ’em and leave ’em kinda guy?” Oh no, she didn’t just say that. When it came to Sebastian, her mouth had a mind all of its own.
He pulled his hand away. “Sometimes. I just didn’t think you’d want me to stay.”
“Right.”
She wasn’t sure she believed that excuse, but maybe him going would be a good thing. It would help get her equilibrium back.
“I can stay if you want?”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. You should go. I have things to do.” And she did have things to do. She was sure of it. Things that did not involve mooning over the were in front of her. Or worse, actually having sex with the guy. There’d be no going back from that.
He didn’t look convinced, but turned toward the bathroom anyway. The back of his shirt was shredded and covered in blood. She’d done that.
“I’m so sorry.”
He spun back, mouth compressed into a thin line. “Now who’s the one apologizing?”
She pointed. “Your shirt, I shredded it. It’s covered in blood. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
He strode to her and presented his back, tugging away bits of the shirt. “They’ve already healed.”
And they had. She pressed a trembling finger to a faint pink line that would no doubt vanish within the hour. He was a fast healer. Not as quick as her, but then, no one was.
“But didn’t it hurt?”
Just because vampires and weres could heal fast, it didn’t mean they were pain-free. They suffered just as much as a human, from what she understood. The injuries just faded faster.
He gently cupped her cheeks and pressed his mouth against hers, soft, fleeting, tender. “It felt fucking amazing.”
Ari’s cheeks burned.
He disappeared into the bathroom, no doubt to clean up, and emerged soon after, his feet bare, his shirt gone. He gave a shrug when she raised her eyebrows.
“It was past salvaging.”
Then he swooped down, pressed another firm kiss to her mouth, and was heading out the door of her chamber. He shot a heavy-lidded glance back at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Then he was gone. She stared at the closed door.
You can’t just sit here all night.
No,
she had her errands to run. The world tilted a little as she stood up, and it took a second to get her bearings. She righted her clothing and then headed to the far corner of her room. Pressing a stone that looked like all the surrounding others, she waited as the secret panel slid open. Then she retrieved the small leather-bound book that she had stashed there.
Her little black book of names.
Flipping it open to the third-last entry, she nodded to herself. Each name in this book was an influential person in the city of Skarva, and she had dirt on every one of them. She’d started spying long before Xave had hung himself. It had been her attempt at protecting the family, ensuring that anyone who came after her and her brother would regret it. She had enough material to blackmail most people in the city into the next century.
It was amazing how aristos and cits backed down when their livelihood or reputations were on the line. Some had even managed to forget they’d ever seen an albino child near the Duke of Ashes’ estate. They’d certainly never come after Xave as a result. Or her. After Xave had gone, she’d kept the habit up, because her life was never going to be safe, and while she hated her father for what he’d done with Xave, he was the only relative she had left.
No one touched what was hers.
Yet somehow, during the last hour, things had changed. Shifted. Now she didn’t have just one person to protect, she had two. Sebastian had managed to wrangle his way into her life, and she wasn’t sure she could deal with it when he left. And he would leave. But for now, while he was in Skarva, and dealing with her, he was under her protection.
No one would get to kill her former alpha except her.
It was time to go hunting.
Chapter Eighteen
Naomi was perched on the high stone wall that ran around the Duke of Ashes’ town estate. She wouldn’t have dared get this close to her quarry normally, but tonight was an exception.
Monique was here.
The Green and another Hunter were also crouched atop the perimeter wall of the estate, hidden within the shadows. Naomi was invisible to them, thanks to her ability – she had developed a sight-shield as a child, while hiding from two very powerful sisters and one annoying brother – but they were clear as day to her. That meant a vampire would be able to spot them, too.
What were they doing?
Minutes later, Subject 2013 emerged from the inner courtyard, striding into the large expanse of the outer yard. Her footsteps, cat-like and graceful, were silent in the night, and a large blue cloak billowed around her. The same garment she wore for concealment gave her away – she wore it everywhere, day and night.
A vampire-were hybrid. Naomi shook her head. She’d known something wasn’t right with the woman, but she hadn’t considered that possibility. Why would she? There had never been such a thing on record before, and there had no doubt been vampire and were matings previously. The two species hadn’t always hated each other.
So Naomi’s suspicions had been wrong: Aria Ash’s strangeness had had nothing to do with being Graced. The revelation did raise a number of concerns, though. If there was one half-breed, could there be more? And what could they do? Were they as powerful as a normal vampire or were, or more so? Could they shift? Could they breed with a Graced?
The last issue was Naomi’s greatest concern. There were rumors – old, old rumors – that vampires and weres had once been able to have children with her species, and that’s why the Graced had wiped everyone’s memories of their existence. They’d been sick of being stolen, raped and tortured, used to swell the vampire and were ranks while decimating their own.
There were so many questions, and as a Gray rather than a Green, Naomi had no real way to get answers. It wasn’t like she could simply introduce herself to the girl and have a little chat.
Well, she could, but she didn’t see that working out too well.
Movement caught her attention, and Naomi saw Monique being counter-balanced by her companion while lowering a bow.
Lowering a bow? Naomi whipped her head back to Subject 2013.
Aria Ash staggered, an arrow in the center of her chest.
No.
Naomi threw her hand out, but it was too late. The girl was as good as dead. A wooden arrow to the heart? She was part vampire, after all.
The hybrid let out a startled shout and dropped to her knees on the gravel-covered ground. Other cries then sounded, and footsteps pounded toward the courtyard. A man appeared, his speed of movement something to wonder at.
It was the were from the forest. He was shirtless, and his hair was tied back in a ponytail, but he moved like the predator he was.
“ARIA!”
Vampire guards were arriving now, too, swords out and at the ready. Crouching next to the girl, the were cradled her in his arms, but she struggled against the hold. Pushing herself to her feet, Subject 2013 wobbled a little and then straightened. She was alive.
How could she be?
The hybrid snapped the arrow in half, pulling the point from her back, then turned to the wall.
“Run!” Monique’s yell shattered the air.
She and her companion turned to leap off the wall, but the hybrid was already running, her arm snapping out with incredible speed and throwing the broken arrow like a spear. A soft thud, and Naomi watched in horror as Monique’s companion dropped from the ledge, impaled. The hybrid kept running though, straight for the wall, the werewolf close at her heels.
The Hunter was dead before he hit the ground.
Monique had launched herself off the wall the moment Subject 2013 had broken the arrow. She landed with a thud on the cobbles outside the estate, and took off at a sprint down the darkened street, toward the busiest part of town. No doubt she hoped to mask her scent in the crowds.
Subject 2013 paused at the top of the wall, looking toward where Monique had been. Her eyes then travelled over Naomi’s hiding place, but she gave her head a shake, and then jumped from the wall to land at the dead man’s feet.
The hybrid’s voice travelled up to Naomi. “He wasn’t alone.”
“It smells like someone is still here, but I can’t see any one.”
Naomi blanched. She thought her shield also muddied her scent, but obviously it needed a bit more tweaking when it came to fooling were senses. They were stronger than she’d assumed.
The were placed a careful hand on Subject 2013’s shoulder. “Can you track them?”
The hybrid was rubbing her chest. “Probably, but I am not really up to running around town. That bloody arrow pierced my heart.”
“What?”
“Aria!” The Duke of Ashes himself had arrived.
Naomi shrank back against the stone of the wall. She’d seen the vampire before during her surveillance of his daughter, but never this close. He was intimidating, to say the least. Her pulse raced in trepidation just from looking at him. Tall and muscular, with ash-blond hair, he was enough to make most women throw caution to the wind and climb into bed with him. Or just take him where he stood.
Naomi.
Funny how her conscience suddenly sounded like her sister, Marcia. Her elder sibling would have been traumatized by that thought.
But her thoughts didn’t matter, because Parker Ash’s eyes were a deep purple, which meant he was a vampire through and through, and he was confident in his power and position in society. And he was just as ruthless.
He reached a hand out, as if to touch his daughter, then pulled it back. “There’s blood on you, what happened?”
“Someone shot her in the heart with a bloody arrow.”
The full-blooded vampire looked up, eyes tracing over the stone wall, lingering on Naomi’s location. He wouldn’t be able to see her, she knew that, but she couldn’t stop the involuntary swallow when his gaze locked on her, then darted away.
The duke turned his attention back to his daughter. “Why did he attack you?”
“It’s not like I had time to stop and take tea with him, Father. He’s dead.”
<
br /> Interestingly, Subject 2013 was beginning to look a little queasy, as if the body at her feet bothered her.
“There was a second person, but they got away,” the were said, nodding in the direction of the city. “I will go after them, I think I have a scent.”
“Do it.”
The were gave Subject 2013 a long look, and then sprinted off into the streets, following Monique. Naomi wondered if he’d be able to catch the Green-eyed woman.
Then the duke was shepherding his daughter into the estate. “Come back inside, let’s get the wound checked out.”
“It’s already healing,” she said, but she went with the vampire anyway.
As they passed under the arch in the wall near Naomi, she heard the duke ask, “What was it made from?”
“Wood.”
So, a wooden implement to the heart wasn’t enough to kill the hybrid?
Fascinating.
Chapter Nineteen
The other attacker had vanished. Once they’d reached the busy streets, there were so many scents all tangled together that Sebastian couldn’t pick out the archer’s. What did strike him as strange were the glazed expressions some of the people wore as they stood about in the street, like all the nearby humans had been summoned out to mingle with each other, just to confuse the trail.
Growling low in frustration, he headed back to the Grumpy Bear. It was early morning, and the vampires were still out and about on their social whirl. Not wanting to bump into any of them – or even just get close enough to be asked why he smelled of blood – he headed down the back streets. They were narrow and stank of urine, but at least that was better than having to deal with aristos.
He fucking had to find the person who’d hurt Aria, but there was no point in pursuing anything further tonight. The assailant was long gone. Someone had been following her, though, and he’d bet his eyeteeth the attacker would try again. They’d be back to finish the job.
Over my dead body.
It might come to that, he realized.
Aria had been shot in the chest by a wooden arrow and survived. Somehow, her weird bloodline had saved her. Yet when he’d heard her cry out, the adrenalin... He’d been just outside the estate, lingering nearby like a lovesick fool, rather than returning to the inn. At the sound of her pain, he’d bolted to her as fast as he could, in time to see her drop to her knees.
