Up in a Blaze (Texas Vampire Rangers Book 3)

by Alice Brown

  Cassie popped her eyes open to see both Donte and Samuel watching her intently. “Did it really work?”

  “I am ninety percent sure that it did, but on the off chance it didn’t, since he didn’t leave the house with anything of yours, he shouldn’t have any power over you whatsoever. That spell required that he have something of yours, something you would have worn, or even more powerful, your hair.” Samuel stopped there for a moment before continuing, “The only way we will know for sure if the spell is truly broken is for you to go to sleep. If all went well, you’ll go to sleep and not be bothered by him anymore.”

  Samuel stood and nodded over to Donte. “Thanks for your assistance. I’ll leave the two of you alone now.”

  It was then that she realized she was curled up in Donte’s lap, his arms wrapped securely around her. Suddenly too tired to care, she lay her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth of his kiss on her forehead.

  “Are you tired, love?” he asked in a husky voice.

  She reopened her eyes to look at him. “Yes, I am, but there’s still a big part of me that’s scared to go to sleep, you know?”

  He nodded in understanding, then glanced down at his watch. “How about we get out of here and I take you home. That way you can stretch out and get comfortable, but I’ll stay with you the whole time so if you do end up with a visit from Gregory, I’ll be there to help. Does that sound okay with you?” His voice ran over her like pure, smooth honey, going a long way in settling her nerves.

  She gave him a smile. “I think I’d like that.”

  *****

  Gregory looked down at the locket hanging off a chain on his chest where he had Cassandra’s hair. The strands of hair had just disappeared before his very eyes, as if it had never been there to begin with. Damn, he should have known better than to trust a damn prison inmate. The guy obviously had showed him some faulty magic. Then another thought hit him.

  He still couldn’t figure out the new guy who seemed to be showing up in Cassandra’s dreams. He’d been transported back to the day he had paid her a visit, only somehow that bastard had shown up and altered what happened. Could it be that this guy knew more powerful magic than the inmate? That seemed to be the only logical answer. Hmm, must have been some sort of magic trick he did to have his face contort the way it did and suddenly grow fangs. Yeah, had to be magic. Gregory shook his head. He still wasn’t sure how the guy had managed to break his arm in real life through a dream though. He would have never thought that was possible, but the throbbing in his arm assured him it was very real. And for that the bastard would pay, Gregory would make certain of it.

  He thought back to what the stranger had said to him this last time. “Betty’s brother-in-law said you would need to go through the Texas Rangers…” Now he remembered! If he wasn’t mistaken, that bitch’s brother-in-law ran the entire Texas Rangers. A quick check on google told him where the headquarters was located. Gregory chuckled to himself. Oh, I’ll go up against the Rangers. Those bunch of no-good lawmen won’t know what hit them when he got finished.

  Gregory chuckled as he started up the truck he was driving. He counted himself lucky the old thing was still running, then shrugged his shoulders as he took it out of park. “Must be a sign I’m meant to go to Texas,” he muttered.

  *****

  Donte kept Cassie in his arms as he rose off the couch and exited the room. He ran into Walter on the way out the backdoor. “I’m taking Cassie home. Call me if you need anything,” he told his boss from over his shoulder.

  “Hey, did it work?” Walter inquired. Donte knew he was talking about the breaking of the spell.

  “We think it did, but won’t know for certain until after she sleeps.”

  “Okay, hey, Donte, if you get a chance tonight, can you sketch us up a profile picture of Gregory?” Walter hollered as Donte continued to the door.

  “Sure, boss. I’ll have it done by morning.”

  Donte carefully placed her in his truck and buckled her in before shutting the door and walking over to his side.

  The ride home was made in silence. Cassie seemed buried in her own thoughts, and Donte didn’t want to interrupt. When they arrived home, he parked the truck in the garage and jumped out, hurrying over to her side to help her down.

  Once inside the house, Cassie sank down on the couch, her eyes holding a million different questions.

  “Okay shoot,” he stated as he sat down next to her.

  “What?” she inquired as she faced him, thinking she had missed a piece of the conversation.

  “I said, shoot, meaning go ahead and start throwing your questions. You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

  “How long have you been…well, you know…”

  “A vampire? I’m a vampire, love, plain and simple. No I am not offended to be called one. It is who I am. In answer to your question, I’ve been a vampire for over two hundred and twenty years now.”

  “Wow, you’re old!” The words came out before she could stop them, and she quickly slammed her hand across her mouth as soon as the words were out.

  Donte sat back and laughed. “Yeah, I am. Actually, prior to today, no one at the office knew exactly how old I was. I believe I may be one of the oldest living vampires in the Texas area.”

  That move seemed to be the icebreaker, and for the next hour and half they sat on the couch, Donte patiently answering all of her questions about being a vampire.

  “Do l scare you, cariño?” he asked as she started winding down after what felt like a hundred and one different questions.

  She was quick to shake her head. “Scare me, no. I find myself intrigued, but you don’t scare me. I feel like you’ve had ample enough opportunity to hurt me in the last couple of days, but you have been more of a gentleman than I have ever experienced.”

  He slowly reached over and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips. He kissed the backside of it, then brought it to his cheek to rub against. “Tell me, cariño, do I have any chance of winning your heart? You already have mine, cariño. It jumped out of my chest and into your hands the moment I stepped through that hospital door. Tell me I have a chance of winning yours also, cariño.” He brought her hand back up to his lips, and lightly trailed the tip of his tongue along her pulse point.

  Cassie’s breath caught in her throat as she watched him zero in on her pulse. She wasn’t exactly afraid of him biting her. He had explained that they really couldn’t do that to humans unless it was their mate and consensual or in an extreme emergency. No, she wasn’t worried about him biting her in the least. But the feelings he was stirring up she had buried deep inside her a long time ago. She swore she could feel his tongue curling around each of her breasts every time he brought it out to lick along her pulse point. Her panties were getting wet, and she was betting he could already smell her arousal. Damn but had he broken her wall of defense down fast!

  She thought back to all the little things he had done for her over the past couple of days. Never in her life would she imagine ever running into someone with such manners. That, combined with his rock hard body and great looks, he could have any woman he wanted. But he wanted her.

  She lifted her free hand to the side of his face. “I still don’t know why you would choose me when you can have any woman you want, but I am afraid you’ve already snagged my heart. Just please don’t break it, Donte. I don’t think I’d survive.”

  He angled himself so she was leaning heavily on him. “Cariño, you have nothing to fear. Vampires search their entire life for their one true mate, the one that makes life worth living. Many, many of our kind never find their mate. I am one of the lucky ones. Now that I found her, I am damn sure not going to let go of her.”

  He leaned down until he was directly in front of her. One hand came up to the back of her neck to angle her where he wanted her. “So beautiful, cariño,” he whispered right before he fit his lips to hers.

  He sipped her bottom lip for a moment, gradual
ly becoming bolder in his kiss until he was consuming her mouth. When he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, she opened willingly. He plunged his tongue in to explore her every crevice. His kiss felt like a branding.

  Only when he knew she needed air did he break off the kiss. “Maldita sea!” he cursed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I am supposed to allow you to stretch out and rest, not maul you to death.”

  Cassie giggled as she watched him getting upset at himself. He was just too cute sometimes. “But I liked when you were mauling me.”

  He swiftly scooped her up into his arms and stood within a blink of an eye, all the while grinning down at her. “Well be that as it may, you still need to rest.”

  She frowned, not wanting their fun to end. Oh, she loved the fact he was concerned for her health, something no other man had ever shown her before, but still, she wasn’t ready for the fun to end quite yet.

  When he gently lay her down on his bed, she kept her fingers interlocked at the back of his neck. She pulled down until he was close enough to kiss those luscious lips of his.

  He allowed her to control their kiss as his hands slid up the inside of her shirt. His fingertips skated along the smooth skin until he came to the underside of her breast. He skated the fingertips of one hand along the side of her breast, and then all along the breast itself, without touching her nipple. He loved that she wore no bra, even though he knew the only reason she didn’t was because of her injuries. Still, to run his hand up her shirt and meet nothing but bare skin and hard nipples made him hard as a rock. He wanted to feast on her little pebbles, as well as see her beauty. He had no doubt she was still bruised on her ribs, and as such, no matter how much he wanted to sink into her heat, he couldn’t.

  No, to do so would cause her pain, and that was something he couldn’t live with. But he could have fun exploring, and give her a bit of pleasure along the way. Now that was something he was all for. He skated the other hand up the other side of her shirt, dragging it up with the back of his hand.

  He broke off the kiss and glanced down at the bounty before him. While she caught her breath, he enjoyed just staring at her beautiful globes. They looked like two mounds of creamy flesh, topped with the prettiest cherry red nipples he had ever seen. They were an easy handful apiece, just the right size for him. He lightly ran his index finger around the areola, watching it wrinkle and her nipples become harder right before his eyes.

  “You are beautiful,” he whispered as he leaned down to give one nipple a quick lick.

  She leaned her upper half up enough to toss the shirt off, groaning as she came back down from the exertion she had placed on her ribs.

  He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “No more moving.” He reached down and tweaked a nipple before continuing, “I want to learn your body, one inch at a time. But we are going to do things my way, where you don’t end up hurting yourself, okay?”

  She nodded as the back of her head hit the pillows and she released her breath. “Okay,” she agreed.

  “Good girl,” he murmured as he leaned down and nibbled and kissed the underside of her jaw. “Such a beautiful angel.”

  He continued skating his fingertips across her breast until she was squirming underneath him. All the while he rained kisses along her jaw line, down her neck, and across her shoulders.

  He slowly made his way to her breasts, exploring one at a time with his tongue, until she was writhing beneath him. “Shhh, pretty baby. Did you think I wasn’t serious when I stated I wanted to explore every inch of you?” he whispered, his eyes shining with adoration.

  “You’re going to kill me,” she groaned as she watched his mouth start to work its way downward. Oh, but what a way to go!

  He forced her to lie still as he removed her pants, slowly working them down her legs, one inch at a time as he rained kisses on each new section of skin he exposed. When he finally got them down around her ankles, he quickly whipped them off and threw them across the room. Picking up her left foot, he kissed the instep before nibbling lightly on her toes. He worked his way up her left leg, loving the way she jerked and moaned when he ran his tongue along the back of her knee. When he reached her upper thigh, he lowered the left foot and picked up the right leg to do the same thing.

  “Okay, now you’re just torturing me,” she exclaimed breathlessly. His eyes shone in merriment.

  “Well, maybe a little.” He lowered her right foot but kept her legs apart, bringing his knees on the inside of her thighs to ensure she kept them apart. He could smell her arousal, it called to him like the sweetest song. Her womanly scent was stronger than any blood he had ever had, and he knew once he started lapping up her essence, he would be drunk on it in no time.

  He crawled back up her body to kiss her. She opened for him immediately, wanting everything he had to offer. He nibbled on her lower lip, before dueling tongues for a few minutes. He showed her with his mouth just how wonderful they would be together. How much he desired her. He loved her.

  He broke off the kiss, allowing her to suck in much needed oxygen. He quickly headed straight down to her womanly scent. He couldn’t hold off another minute, he had to have her, had to taste her. He lowered himself to his belly, and swore he was looking at heaven.

  Her mound was covered with a closely cropped covering of dark hair that he ran his fingers over lightly. Using his thumbs, he peeled back the outer lips of her pussy already slick with her juices. He swiped his tongue through her essence, savoring her flavor with a groan. He looked up her body to see her eyes closed, a look of bliss on her face. “Lord have mercy, baby, you are delicious.”

  His tongue took another swipe up her center, catching her juices as he went, as she wiggled her hips and groaned. He grinned. He fucking loved today’s women that actively participated and enjoyed sex. He was old enough to remember when such a thing was practically unheard of, the way of thinking was that a man used his woman’s body to slack his own lusts. If the woman did enjoy it, she was considered of questionable character. Thank the heavens things had changed. Yes, he had seen a lot come and go, and a lot of changes along the way, but he loved how open women of today’s time were. He placed his tongue on her little hot button and wiggled it for a moment, causing her hips to grind further on his face. He fucking loved this woman!

  He continued to tease her with his tongue, lapping up her juices, then coaxing more to release. Her hips continued rocking, and he knew she was getting close. Finally, he inserted a long finger in her while sucking on her little button, and watched her come undone.

  “Oh…oh, Donte, yes!” she moaned as she continued to grind her hips downward.

  He broke off just long enough to issue his command. “Come for me, cariño. Give me all of your crema.”

  “Oh yes, oh, Donte, I’m…” she sucked in a lung full of air, and screamed out his name as her release hit with the force of a tsunami. She had been riding the edge for too long, holding off her orgasm, not wanting the fun to stop. It had been too long since she’d had a man. Even then, she had never had one that was only concerned about her pleasure. She’d never had anyone lick her pussy like a starving man not able to get enough.

  Donte marveled at how tight her pussy muscles were holding onto his finger. Heaven help him, he would die a happy man if he could just replace his finger with his throbbing dick. Yes, a happy, happy man.

  He gentled his ministrations, just giving light licks and kisses to her sensitive pussy. He loved the way her internal muscles fluttered as mini orgasms raced through her. Damn, she was tight!

  He slowly withdrew his finger and with one final kiss, carefully closed her legs as he moved out from between them. He crawled up alongside her, claiming her lips in a searing kiss. His dick felt as if it could pound nails into a two by four, and explode all at the same time. But he would live. A cold shower would definitely be on his agenda, just as soon as he got her to sleep. She needed her rest, and he was sure now that he’d given her pleasure, she’d be out within
minutes.

  He released her lips and brought the sheet and light comforter up over them. She made a contented sound in her throat that sounded suspiciously like the purr of a cat. He positioned his body right along her side, skin touching skin, grinning as he watched her wrap her body around his.

  “Oh, Donte, thank you. I’ve never had someone to do that, and actually take their time to do it well. That was fantastic, but what about you?” She looked up at him with glazed over eyes.

  “Tonight was about you. Besides, I got enjoyment watching you come undone.”

  “Oh but, Donte,” she seemed to press herself even tighter against his body. “You’ve got to be uncomfortable. I feel bad, you’ve given me such great pleasure.” Her words were coming out sounding as if she were drunk, and Donte knew she would be asleep within minutes.

  “It’s okay, cariño.” She laid her head on his chest, he reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, before gently rubbing her back. “Just rest for a few minutes, then we’ll talk about it.” He knew once she closed her eyes, that would be it, she’d be asleep immediately.

  Two minutes. That’s how long it took once her eyes shut for her breathing to even out and for him to know she was asleep. He glanced down at the sleeping beauty in his arms, then down to his still fully erect cock. “Soon buddy, soon. I won’t take her while she is still recuperating from cracked ribs and hurting.”

  *****

  Two weeks later…

  “So, are you yahoos up for the job, or do I have to go do it myself?” Gregory looked around and sighed. Good help was so hard to find these days. Especially when you had to pick from the underbelly of society to begin with. But he was determined the bitch wasn’t going to get one over on him. No way, no how.

  “Sure, boss, no problem.” Bruce, a tall, skinny, lanky fellow stepped up. “Easy,” he stated as he shrugged his shoulders. “Find a hideout from one of the buildings across the street, wait until we have a clean shot of her, and bam! All done. No problem, bossman.”