Blood Legacy: Adult Urban Fantasy (The V V Inn Book 5)

by C. J. Ellisson

  I reach for her soft flesh, cupping the globes in my hands, unable to offer more insights on hunting a rogue. I rub the pads of my thumbs over her hardening nipples, aching to take the pretty, dark pink tips into my mouth.

  “Oh, yes—that feels good.” She takes a firm hold on my length and aims it toward her opening, slowly lowering herself on top of me. “And if he wasn’t in a seethe, I’d check property records to see if he owned a residence suitable for secure daytime sleeping.”

  Dria leans closer as she slides down, engulfing my quivering flesh in her welcoming heat. Holy hell, that feels incredible. The new position brings her nipples closer too, and I sit up to take the succulent offering of her breasts into my mouth.

  Her breath hisses out in a rush as she runs her fingers through my hair, pulling me tight to her generous bosom. My hands slide down to her hips, unable to wait any longer. I grip her firmly and thrust upward, seating myself inside her fully.

  She grinds down on my pubic bone, twisting her hips in a circle to get the pressure on her clit she craves. “Maybe the best bet would be to offer bait he found irresistible. That would draw him out of hiding.”

  A trickle of dismay zips through me at her suggestion, but my mind can’t hold onto the unease and it’s quickly squashed by my need to make love to my wife.

  I pull away from her breast, run my hands up to grip her hair, and draw her head toward mine. “No more talking.”

  Our mouths lock in an explosive kiss. Hot, wet passion engulfs me as her tongue madly explores my mouth, teeth nipping my lips every few seconds. I spread my knees on the couch, feet planted firmly on the floor so I can thrust up with my hips a few inches and give as good as I’m getting.

  Dria’s pelvis keep circling and grinding, her speed becoming erratic as she nears her release. Her mouth leaves mine to travel across my cheek and to my ear, then lowering to deliver lingering kisses to my throat.

  Without conscious thought, I tilt my head to the side, silently offering my neck to her. My vampire lover needs no further encouragement. Her sharp fangs pierce the taut skin, sending waves of cascading pleasure through my entire body.

  “Oh, God,” I choke out, feeling her draw the first pull of blood from my throat. Tingles race down my spine, tightening my balls to my body, indicating I’m close to finishing.

  She draws again, deeper this time, sucking from the small wounds. I grab her hips again, increasing the pressure of her circular grind, desperate to bring her over when I reach my release.

  A full yell rips from my throat, the waiting sensations refusing to be denied any longer. As my crest begins, her inner walls clamp around me, indicating she’s reaching her peak, too. Jets of pleasure shoot from my body, coating her deep with my orgasm. She breaks from my neck, licking the small wounds with her pointy tongue, while her own climax continues to shudder through her. I buck my hips one last time, not very high, to wring out every last ounce of enjoyment I can for her.

  God she feels good. My wife collapses on top of me, soft and pliant for the first time since we last made love.

  “You are all I need,” she whispers. “You are all I will ever need.”

  I swallow, my throat parched from the loud yell. “Ditto.”

  She chuckles and snuggles closer. “You’re so good with words.”

  “Yeah. I know.” I sigh and wrap my arms around her slender back, hugging her to me. I may not be good with words, I send to her through our telepathic link, but I love you with every ounce of life inside me, and will do anything to keep you safe. Anything.

  She smiles against my chest and nips me lightly. For someone claiming to not be very good with words, you did all right.

  I squeeze her tighter for an instant. We’ll get through this. I have no doubts.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Jon

  “Well, at least the subway doesn’t stink of human waste,” Magdelena says. “Could always be worse.”

  I don’t respond, but nudge my furry shoulder against her thigh, hoping she gets the hint and keeps quiet. This would be a good time to have Vivian’s telepathic ability.

  We edge forward, continuing down the quiet train platform. The place looks in good repair, with little to no graffiti or trash. Not what I expect from the four-hundred year old city. The founding fathers of Buenos Aires may state that’s how old the city is, but people of all persuasions lived here much, much earlier.

  The place isn’t called the Seat of Darkness for no reason. It’s been credited with where the undead originally organized, more years back than anyone is telling, where they became a unified body with governing elders ruling acceptable behavior and practices among humans.

  I focus on the silence around me, unwilling to let my mind wander in a direction that won’t help us catch the gato. I hear a steady in-and-out breathing from Magdelena, the repetitive drip of water from somewhere in the distance, and the occasional scurrying of a newspaper caught in the drafts from the tunnels.

  My nose is overwhelmed by the scent of trains and the passing of thousands of humans, making it near impossible to pick out anything else. A trickle of unease flows over me, with the feeling this venture may not have been the smartest move. Together we creep across the empty subway platform, not surprised to find the place deserted when it’s close to dawn on a Thursday. Magda’s hand releases the scuff at my neck, before she says, “It looks clear. You want to go ahead?”

  I trot forward, nose held close to the floor for traces of the cat scent. After a few minutes of searching, I pick it up and follow it to the far end of the station to the edge of the platform. It’s so close to the mouth of the tunnel, that I highly doubt the creature entered a train, but probably jumped down to the tracks.

  I glance over my shoulder at Magdelena, and then back toward the waiting blackness beyond the ledge. Sure she can grasp my intent, I leap to the tracks below. In a moment, I hear the scuff of her shoes and the loud thud of her landing as she follows me.

  Sound inside the tunnels is distorted and magnified, making the fur on my neck stand with awareness. We’ll see and hear the trains before they reach us, but the far off noises could distract us from determining what is happening closer.

  Head down, I quickly pick up Cat Dude’s trail, following it deeper into the two-lane tunnel.

  The alpha’s soft voice reaches my ears. “Do you think he’s hiding down here, or has been sent this way to find his next target?” My ears flick back to indicate I’ve heard her, but obviously I can’t respond verbally. After a moment she snorts at her own absentmindedness. “Not like you can answer me right now or anything. Ignore that last question.”

  She continues to speak aloud, presumably because she thinks our prey is nowhere close. “I’m still of the mindset that someone has purposely unleashed these creatures on the city. Not that it’s an accident or something, like a thinning of the magical barrier you mentioned. I wouldn’t put it past my own pack to have dreamed this shit up just to get rid of me.” The sadness such a statement brings laces her voice with despair. “Why do I even bother? They don’t want me as their leader. Maybe I should consider moving and starting my own pack in another city.”

  Panic grips my heart for a moment in fear she may ask to join me in Alaska. That sure as hell wouldn’t work. I feel sorry for her, and I can’t deny I’m attracted to her, but I sure as hell don’t want her to move to Alaska.

  “What do you think of Brazil? Not far from here and I have cousins in Sao Paulo. It’s worth a shot.”

  Tension drains out of me as I grunt my approval and continue forward in the dark. Thank God she has another viable option. Between Vivian and Candy, I really don’t need another woman on my hands.

  A rumble starts in my feet, indicating a train is heading toward us. No lights yet to show us which track it might be on. Perhaps there’s a bend in the tunnel up ahead blocking the view.

  I pause, waiting for a sign to determine which track is safe. Magdelena joins me, both of us still, staring in op
posite directions, just in case.

  “What would happen if two trains were coming at once—in different directions?”

  A whine escapes my throat. Two trains would not be good.

  Headlights appear ahead and slightly to the left. I confirm nothing is approaching from the opposite direction and move to the tracks on the right. Magda leans into my leg as we wait for the oncoming train to pass. The lights rush toward us, seemingly like they are on a direct path, and it takes all my will power to stand still and wait.

  The train doesn’t slow as it approaches the platform behind us—it must not be scheduled to stop this pass. Dozens of tons of steel carries a strong wind in the confined space, pushing us back slightly as it speeds closer.

  Magda curses and falls, the shape of something large riding her to the tracks in front of the oncoming train, a familiar scent thick on the air. I leap, diving toward the stench of the unwashed Cat Dude as it pushes her down. A growl rips from my throat as my strong jaws clamp down on the filthy fabric covering its back. Before the train crushes her, Magda rolls toward the far wall of the tunnel, opposite from where I am.

  An ear splitting yowl issues from the man-cat as it arches its back and twists to swipe one long-clawed hand at my side. Pain lances through my left flank, sharp and brief. I release my hold and leap away, eager to face the creature head on rather than in a tangled heap.

  The agile cat creature lands lightly on its feet, two huge, furry hands with razor-tipped claws aimed my way. Flickering light from the passing train illuminates its cat head—large eyes, broad nose, whiskers, golden fur, and a gaping maw issuing a hiss of anger—revealing no sign of human intelligence in its gaze.

  Whatever this thing is, it’s more animal than anything else. It lunges toward me, swiping at my vulnerable eyes and nose, reminding me all too clearly why dogs don’t mess with cats. Especially cats bigger than them. I duck to avoid the blow, countering with a bite to its left thigh.

  I resist my instinct to clamp down, knowing a blow with those wicked claws is coming my way. I let go as the last train car passes, another whoosh of air buffeting us, and the cat-man’s strike slides through my fur, inflicting no damage. With a strangled scream, Magdelena returns to the fight, leaping over the tracks to reveal her magnificent half-turned form. She’s a tall mass of fur and muscle, her clothes in tatters, what remains hangs tight to the rigid planes of her wolfman physique.

  She towers above Cat Dude, having gained at least eighteen inches in height when she transformed. Her face appears more wolf than human, but there’s no mistaking the gleam of the woman I know in the golden-green eyes.

  Her reappearance startles me for an instant, which the gato takes full advantage of, landing a flesh-gouging tear along my right side, slicing deep enough for the claws to snag on my ribs. I howl in pain and anger, twisting away to let Magda have a clear path to the creature.

  “This way, you furry bastard!” she yells, her voice low and guttural, distracting his attention from me as I slink to the wall, sheltering my wounded side.

  Cat Dude roars a challenge, leaping toward her through the air, one arm forward, one back, preparing to land a crushing blow. Magda’s longer reach, thanks to her increased size, enables her to go low and launch upward, underneath his guard. She sinks her clawed hands into its stomach and chest, then drops down backward, throwing the creature over her to land in a heap.

  Her attention darts to me for an instant. “It’s coming,” she says in a rough whisper. “Can you hear it?”

  Unsure what she’s talking about, I stare back at the cat-man, watching it rise from the tracks, unfazed by its wounds—wounds that aren’t dripping any blood I can smell.

  A horn blasts in the distance, signaling another train is headed our way, this time from the opposite direction. That must be what the pretty alpha meant.

  She dances around her opponent, drawing its attention to her, turning the beast so its back is to the distant train. Is this thing the same as the invunche? Can it be killed if it doesn’t bleed?

  Magdelena backs up, letting the gato think it has the advantage, while she’s clearly leading it where she wants.

  “Jon!” Her deep, gravelly voice sends a tingle over me. “Lie down between the two tracks.”

  Not sure what she intends, I listen, creeping carefully behind the beast to not draw its attention.

  She holds her own, delivering blow after blow to the angry, cornered cat. But the cat-man goes round for round with her, long slices on her furry torso sending the pungent scent of werewolf blood into the air.

  Magda drives the beast toward my location, and understanding fills me. I brace for the upcoming weight, listening closely for the approaching train. Again and again, the creature slashes at her. Swipes and punches are exchanged with fluid grace, her moves and counter moves seeming to blur in the stale air of the subway tunnel.

  Lights from the oncoming train illuminate the pair in stark relief. The transformed alpha doesn’t look tired, but her blows have slowed a little as she concentrates on positioning him where she wants him.

  “Now!” she screams, while jumping up, landing two feet solidly in the cat-man’s chest. I rise, bracing my legs in anticipation of the extra weight, but still crouching, ready for my one and only chance. The creature stumbles toward me, the back of its legs connecting with my side. It loses its balance to fall backward as I press upward, launching the creature over me and into the path of the approaching train.

  The timing is perfect. Cat Dude sails overhead, landing on the tracks to be dragged under the speeding train. A poof of dust billows up as the steel dragon roars past, pushing me farther from the rails with its gust of angry air.

  Neither of us makes a move as the train barrels by, both waiting to see if the creature is truly gone.

  “What happened?” Magda says, peering through the dust and debris kicked up by the train. “Did he get away?”

  I change back into a man, to not only heal my wounds but to answer her. “No. Did you see the cloud of dust?” My voice sounds raspy, even to my own ears. “I saw this before with the invunche. When it died, it turned to dust.”

  “Wait a minute—the thing didn’t bleed and yet I’m supposed to believe it can die and turn to dust. Just like that?”

  I twist, examining my skin, checking for damage to my hip and ribs. No trace of the stinging injuries remain. “I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but there it is.” I glance back and forth in the darkened tunnel. “He’s gone and that’s all that matters.”

  I walk toward the platform where we entered the tunnel, the cooler temps causing me to shiver, gooseflesh rising over my body.

  Magda looks me over, head to toe, taking her sweet time checking me out. “How about I call someone from my pack to pick us up? You aren’t exactly able to walk home like that.” She glances down at her own tattered clothes. “And neither can I.” A smile splits her face. “Oh, and I have no money, so a cab is out, too.”

  “Who do you trust?” Before the distant light from the subway platform can land on me, I change to a wolf, the transformation more of a shift in thought for me than anything else. It took a while to master the skill and to force myself to alter faster, but it was worth it.

  “Jesus! I still can’t get over how fast you change. It’s incredible. Okay, back to your question—that’s the problem. I’m not sure who to trust.”

  We jump up to the landing and make our way across the empty platform, grateful no one is here waiting for a train. What a sight we’d make. A large wolf—or what many would see instead, a huge dog—and a woman who looks like she’s lived underground for a week.

  I huddle close to her side as we travel up the stairs to street level, the light of dawn seeping between and over the buildings from the east to light our way.

  “It’s not far,” she says. “We could’ve taken a train, but the next stop is almost the same distance past the bar as if we’d walked from here.” Her fingers hold onto the scruff at my nec
k. “Might as well keep on like we are. There doesn’t appear to be anyone around to wonder at our appearance.”

  The silence and freshness of the coming day hangs in the air, making our recent ordeal in the tunnel seem unreal. If I hadn’t been a part of it, I might doubt the whole incident happened. Perhaps it’s the letdown after the adrenaline rush. Maybe it’s remnants of shock. No need to pick it apart and analyze it to death, suffice it to say, it feels weird.

  “You know what? I forgot the bar is closed at this hour. How about we go directly to my place? I live in an area where a lot of the pack resides.” Her voice drops to a deeper, sensual tone. “Now that the gato is gone, you and I have unfinished personal business to attend.”

  I wait for the anxiety to hit me. The sense of betrayal for what I’m planning to do to my new relationship with Candy. Nothing. I feel normal. As normal as can be expected after a quick battle to the death with an opponent who might have killed me had I faced it on my own.

  “I live two blocks farther than the bar,” she says. “Not far. That’s why I practically live at the Lupine Luna. I own the business but not the building. One day I’ll buy it. Until then, I keep my own place.”

  I can tell she’s nervous, babbling about small details to fill the silence.

  “Have you ever thought of your future, Jon? And I’m not asking because I’m hinting to have you move here, I know your allegiance lies with your vampire.” She sighs, the cool morning air making her breath fog before us. “Your arrival—how I initially felt toward you—made me think of all I’m missing. All I’ve endured since taking over the pack. They hate me. Pure and simple.

  “Each of them may have had their own issues with Hector, but they knew him and put up with his dominance because they had to. The known evil and all that. He forced the women to sleep with him when their husbands were away and couldn’t protect them, and the husbands were afraid to retaliate when they returned, knowing they couldn’t challenge him one-on-one and win.”