He pulled her to him, encircling her waist with his arms, and buried his head in her hair. Rather than pushing away from him as he had expected, she leaned into him.
“Canon, I was wrong.”
“No, you were hurting. Let me help you get rid of the pain.”
“Do it fast. The sun sets soon.”
“No. I want to take my time. I want to touch you, to feel you. I want to feel what it’s like to be inside you. This other can wait. I have needed you for so long, and I won’t let you go now.”
She sucked her breath in and waited, knowing that any second now, his lips would close over hers and all her good intentions would go flying out the window. Where had she gone wrong? Just last night, she had known what she was doing. Taking away Canon’s powers wouldn’t change her ability to have children, but it would make her feel better. So she’d thought.
But that was before she realized just how much of Chloe lived inside her. The past life regression had been sparked by dreams, vivid, vivid dreams of a past with a man whose long, dark hair swept across his brow and tickled her lips when he leaned forward. Then had come the nightmares of a vivid death and his inability to stop it. But now, as he stood before her, his eyes glazing over with the passion she had seen so many times in her dreams, nothing made sense.
“I won’t move until you want me to.”
Of course, he’d be sensitive. Great. Why couldn’t he have been the brute from her imaginings? Why couldn’t he be evil? Instead, he was kind, and if his eyes were any indication, he had a generous soul. When his hand reached out for her, his fingertips shook, as if the motion took all his confidence. Could he really think she would turn down an opportunity to relive the happiness she knew existed in her past?
“The sun…”
“The sun can wait. Please. I can’t. I want to feel you in my arms. You, Sybil, and the part of you that I once loved. I can see her in your eyes. I know you feel her pain, her love. You haven’t lived since her, and neither have I. I have been waiting for you.”
He was right. There had been no other lives since she had been Chloe, and no other loves since him. There was no need to fight what she felt so deep in her soul. She wanted Canon, and if he turned back into a vampire after today, then at least she would have this moment.
“I want to touch you, to taste you, to do all the things I’ve been unable to do for so long. I can’t feel as a vampire. I want to feel with you.”
He lifted her and carried her to the old iron bed she kept in the attic. It was covered with plastic, which he quickly tossed aside, revealing the soft down comforter. His lips turned up in a slight smile, lighting a fire deep inside her just before they came down on hers, brushing lightly against them, promising things she didn’t want to think about.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured against her neck as he leaned forward to unbutton her blouse. “So incredible.” He nuzzled her ear and then moved down lower to place his head against her heart. His teeth grazed the edge of her pink lace bra, causing her nipples to perk in anticipation.
She could feel her wetness through her jeans. It had been so long since she had been touched by a man -- too long. And it had been even longer since she had felt truly adored.
As his hair fell across her bra, she arched her back, hoping he would take the motion as permission to free her breasts from their restraint. She could feel her heartbeat all the way to her labia. Blood rushed to her pussy, which was readying for him, begging to be released from the restraints of her jeans. Still, he moved slowly, just barely touching her breasts before moving his hands up to her neck.
The gentle pressure on the back of her neck reminded her of his former powers, of his ability to take life. For a second, she froze, thinking about what he would become once the sun went down. There was no time to second-guess herself. She wanted this moment. And she swore she wouldn’t regret it once it was done.
“Canon.” She moved as she spoke the word, again hoping to encourage him to take her. Need filled her in a way she couldn’t explain. Her body cried out to be joined with his, to be filled to capacity, to sing with the universe as he drove himself into her.
Her nails raked against his back as she bundled his shirt between her fingertips.
“Anxious, love?” he whispered against her ear, nibbling a bit before running his tongue down to her neck to rest against her artery. A gentle bite there sent ten thousand sensations through her body, each one of them ending at her swollen clit, forcing it to puff in reaction, causing her cunt to spill her juices onto her lacy underwear.
He released her, pushing her gently to the bed while he rose above her and removed his shirt. Ripped muscles twisted as he turned to toss his shirt to the floor. She remembered running her hands along his body, feeling the taut skin as he moved above her and filled her with his heat.
“Do you want to touch me?”
“Yes. I remember you.”
“I know, love. I remember you, too. You’re like a dream to me. Like a dream I’ve been waiting for.”
Tears stung the backs of her eyes with his confession. A dream. Yes, this was a dream, and she would wake up from it. Everything from this moment on would change. Everything.
Rising above her again, he slowly removed his trousers, revealing first his thick, rock hard thighs, then his calves. His erection was more than noticeable beneath his white cotton underwear, which, against his dark skin, seemed to glow, beckoning to her, calling out to her.
She sat up, taking control of the situation for once. “I want to touch you.”
“You will, love.”
Licking her lips, she tried not to think about tomorrow. Right now is all that matters. Slowly, she slid her fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear and then pulled them down, watching his cock pulse in anticipation. It was exactly as she remembered it, exactly as it had been so many times in her dreams. Only Canon wasn’t a dream. He was a man, and he was here with her.
She moved and slowly shed her jeans, leaving the pink panties and bra in place. She had never felt so sexy as she did now with her hair sweeping forward across his chest. Crawling up the bed toward him, she stopped when her pussy made contact with his leg. Good lord. Just the feel of his leg against her was enough to make her shiver in anticipation.
She tried to move forward, to complete the motion she had started, but her legs refused to move. She remained where she was, her pussy pressed firmly against his leg, and leaned forward to take his cock into her mouth. He moaned loudly and clutched the headboard while she worked his cock in and out of her lips. Running her tongue along the tip in a quick back and forth motion, she tasted his pre-come.
One hand strayed to caress his scrotum as she continued to pulse around him, licking, sucking, lapping at his cock until she couldn’t take anymore. All the while, her pussy ground into his leg, the lace from her panties cutting into her flesh causing wicked sensations to slip through her body. The elastic from her underwear caught on her clit, sending a shiver of delight through her, causing her to hasten her movements on his cock.
Release was not far away for her. Already, she could feel her come spilling out of her body, running along his leg, wetting her panties, readying her cunt for him. Sweet heaven, this was better than she’d imagined it would be! Grasping his cock with her right hand, she began stroking him while the pressure built deep within her body. Her orgasm ripped through her, and she screamed out in sweet release.
Her entire body shook from the sensation of freedom sweeping through her body. Every nerve ending was alive and humming, anticipating having him deep inside her.
“Canon, I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I.”
Somehow, he managed to change places with her. His teeth gripped her panties, clutching the crotch, grazing against her labia before he pulled the lace from her body. There was nothing between them now, nothing in the way of loving him.
As he slid his cock into her body, a tear slid down her cheek. This was home. H
e was home. God, this was all she’d ever wanted.
Filling her to the hilt, he leaned over her, his lips teasing against her ear. “I need you to feel me.”
“I do feel you.”
“No. Feel me.”
She had no idea what he meant until he pulled her into him and raised her legs, holding her ankles near his shoulders. He sat up, his cock pressing straight into her, resting against her cervix.
“Do you feel me?”
“Yes.” All the way to her throat.
“I don’t want you to ever forget me.”
“Never.”
Holding her open, he pressed into her until his scrotum rested flush against her bottom. Her pussy clenched around him, encouraging him, wanting him to do more, to move faster, to find that place deep inside her that needed him so much.
When he finally started moving, he was like a man possessed. His hands clutched her ankles as he spread her pussy open and moved with long, deep strokes at first and then with short, quick movements. Her breasts moved against her chest, the intensity of his movements jarring them.
“I’m going to make you mine,” he said between clenched teeth, her orgasm building.
Do whatever you want to me. I’m yours.
She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out when he drove himself into her, filling her with his every motion. There was nothing she could do to control the motions as he held her open, his body taking control of hers, showing her exactly what it meant to be his.
Her fingers strayed to her clit, and she began to rub with gentle pressure. Then there was nothing gentle in her movement, which met his intensity. She raised herself to meet his every thrust, her fingers moving furiously against her swollen bud. Anything to feel him come inside her… anything. Yes, it was here! Right here! Oh, God.
“Don’t move,” she managed, her hands reaching up to dig into his chest. Blood surfaced beneath her scratch marks, and she threw her head back to scream out her release. He followed her over the edge, driving into her one last time before finally spilling his seed into her.
There were no words to explain what had just happened. And there was no way to go back to the way things were before.
He collapsed next to her and took her into his arms. With them wrapped around her, this was the safest place in the world. She and Chloe became one beneath his touch. And anything seemed possible.
As the sun slowly sank down, orange and yellow light flooded the attic. And the only thing she could hear was his steady heartbeat against her face, reminding her that he was a man.
Chapter Five
Canon clutched the vial Sybil had given to him. It had been in his pocket for the past hour, since he had left her sleeping on the old iron bed. Somewhere during the day, he had come to love her, even though it made no sense to him at all. She was Chloe, but she was also someone else, someone who deserved a life without his kind of complications.
The devil had made him a vampire and had given him the power to kill his father, but the power had consumed him and there had been no returning from that dark place. He had become one of the undead, soulless and empty. But today, he had felt so much with her. For that reason, he would leave New Orleans as soon as his brother was under control. If he had to become a vampire again, he would do it without harming her.
The sweet revenge that she had wanted so badly had become his blessing and curse. At least now he remembered what it was to feel something, what it was to love, to be with someone and to love someone as a human.
As soon as he drank the elixir, it would end. He stared at the cherry colored liquid before taking the lid from the vial and touching it to his nose. Bloody awful smell, this stuff!
He’d left Sybil only an hour ago, but he’d been unable to drink the liquid. After their time together, he knew the one thing he wanted more than anything else was just to be a man. Once he drank the potion, he would return to his vampiric state, and Sybil would be lost to him forever.
He rounded the corner near St. Ann and watched as Sid came running down the sidewalk, his hair wild, his shirt torn. Blood was starting to clot on his forehead.
“He’s got her, man.”
“Got who?” Panic seized him even though he already knew the answer to his own question.
“Sybil. Your girl. Somehow, he knew about her. Somehow. And I couldn’t stop him. I was there waiting for him to wake up, but he’d already risen. He’s got the power to walk in the daylight, too. He had already killed Paula, his girlfriend. I followed him to Sybil’s place. I tried to stop him, but he’s wicked powerful now. You’ve got to get to her.”
“Where’s he taking her?”
“St. Paul. Go find her. Take this with you. I lifted it earlier.”
He tossed the church relic to Canon, who should have known Pete would go back to the old church. What was left of it, anyway. Very few people knew about St. Paul, as it was hidden on the edge of town. Only the very oldest maps showed its location. Pete had been an altar boy there and would have become a priest had Canon not changed him into a vampire.
“You got a ride?”
“Take my bike. It’s behind the shop.” Sid tossed his keys to Canon. “I’ll be fine,” he said again.
“You have your wife look at that head.”
“I will.”
It was only a block from here to Sid’s shop, the place where the vampire tours of New Orleans began, and it took Canon less than a minute to get there. Cranking up the old Harley, he sped out into the night. Pete must have reopened the psychic connection to Canon and figured out who Sybil was and what she meant to him. This also meant that Pete knew he was coming. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.
The old church had been a warehouse for years, but now it was just another condemned building. He knew Pete, and he knew he wouldn’t kill Sybil without an audience. This was a show meant for him, meant as revenge for what he had done to his brother.
Slowly, Canon raised Sybil’s potion to his lips. There was no way out now. He had no choice but to turn back into the creature he despised. The liquid slid down his throat, announcing its presence in his body as his hand grew cold. “It’s done,” he whispered to the night.
The door creaked as Canon pushed it open, moving slowly in the darkness. The potion worked its way into his body, changing him once more into the fiend he had become. Given a choice, he would have stayed with Sybil, lived out his life as a man and forgotten the past.
He knew he had no choice.
“Glad you could make it, brother.” The voice echoed in the old building, and Canon’s eyes adjusted to the darkness at last.
The altar was just ahead. Pete had surrounded it with candlelight, and the girl tied to it was already motionless. Please let her be okay.
“She’s still alive, but barely. She needs the blood to survive. I’ve decided to take her for my own, you know, give her the gift of everlasting life.” He spread out his arms in a mock-Christ pose before smiling at Canon, his fangs shining in the light. His face was smeared with her blood.
Canon moved carefully through the aisle, trying to shut off his mind. If Pete read into his fear, it would only make this worse for everyone. “Take her, then.” Reverse psychology. It had worked before.
“Not until you get closer. Not until you can see, can feel her pain.”
“I’m here now.” He took the final steps toward Pete, careful to keep his eyes from straying to Sybil’s face. If he were to look into her eyes, his ruse would be up.
“Glad you are. Let’s get it on, then.”
Pete jumped forward, his inhuman strength causing him to look as if he were flying. Knocking Canon to the ground, Pete filled the air with demonic laughter that reverberated in the old building. Canon knew he would only have one chance at this. As Pete’s fangs came closer to his body, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the sacred instrument Sid had stolen earlier. There were only a handful of ways to kill a vampire, and using church relics as weapons was one of them.
&n
bsp; Feeling super human once more, he plunged the crucifix into his brother’s chest and rolled, knocking Pete off balance, sending him crashing to the floor. “You think you can kill me?” Pete’s voice was strained.
“I already have.”
“No. You have unleashed an evil you can’t control. Go ahead, give her your balm. I know your inner secrets. I can see inside your soul. You want to save her. If you do, you will create more evil than you can imagine.”
Canon ripped the cross free from Pete’s chest. “I am sending you to hell,” he declared, raising the cross again, forcing it back into Pete’s body, cringing at the sound of the cross brushing against bone. There was no turning back now.
“You think you’ve won.” Pete grinned up at him, his face contorting in a grimace.
“I won’t let you kill any more innocents.”
“There are no innocents in New Orleans. Everyone deserves death.”
“No. I will stop it from happening.”
“You don’t even know what you are. You think a woman, a curse, can heal you? You think you can be anything other than what you are?” Blood gushed from the holes in Pete’s chest, yet he continued to stare up at Canon with dark black eyes, his soul lost.
“I am not a killer.”
“Yet you drive a stake through my heart. May your gods protect you.”
Pete’s eyes fluttered closed and his breathing stilled. Canon released the breath he had been holding and looked down at his brother. He had killed his own flesh and blood, a man he had been sworn to protect, a vampire he had created.
“Canon.” Sybil’s weak cry stirred his heart, forcing him to look away from his brother. Already, her face was colored the ashen shade of death. There was no time to save her.
His legs threatened to collapse beneath him as he made his way to Sybil’s side. Her lips were purple and her skin was so cold. Moving his fingers to her neck, he felt a slight pulse, nothing like the heated throbbing he had felt just hours earlier. Her restraints released easily and he pulled her into his arms. Collapsing against the floor, her body in his arms, he remembered the last time he had failed her.
Gold Dust Woman Page 4
