Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers

by N. J. Walters

"It's all we can have together."

  She tried to push out of his arms, but he tightened his grip. Giving up, she laid her

  head against his shoulder. "You know that's not true. The Dalakis brothers have more

  with their wives."

  "You know I will not risk you and you know why." After what she knew about his

  past, how could she ask that of him?

  "I know that I'm willing to risk it." This time when she pushed out of his arms, he

  let her go. She staggered to her feet, wrapping the throw around her shoulders. "All or

  nothing. Don't bother giving me any more of your blood unless you really mean it." She

  padded toward the hallway. "And don't bother coming back for any more quick fucks.

  That was the last one. I want a real relationship. If you can't give me that, then it's time

  for you to go for good."

  Zane knelt on the floor, not knowing what to say or do. He wanted what she was

  offering. God only knew how much. But could he selfishly risk her life and sanity to

  take what he wanted?

  "I'll be in the bedroom." With that, she turned and left him there, and although he

  willed her to do so, she never looked back.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sophia staggered down the hallway with tears in her eyes. Her body was still

  humming with pleasure from the incredible orgasms she'd just had, but her heart was

  slowly breaking with each step she took away from Zane. She knew what she was

  asking of him, but she'd had to do it. For her, there was no other choice. After what

  she'd gone through at the hands of a deranged killer and the subsequent aftermath,

  she'd come to the conclusion that she wanted a life with Zane.

  She loved him. It was as simple and as complicated as that.

  Entering her bedroom, she climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes, drifting in a

  sensual haze. She felt weak but didn't really care. The time seemed to tick by one slow

  second at a time, mocking her. A tear slid from beneath her eyelid and slipped down

  her cheek. She ignored it. It was just too much trouble to wipe it away.

  She'd gambled and obviously lost. She hadn't heard Zane leave, but then again, she

  wouldn't. Not if he didn't want her to. It was harder this time than when they'd parted

  before. Back then, she could still dream, still imagine that they had a chance at a life

  together. But now she had no such illusions.

  The sheets felt cold and she shivered, remembering she was naked except for the

  throw still wrapped around her. She knew she should move, and she would, just as

  soon as she gathered enough strength.

  A rustling sound near the end of the bed made her pry one of her eyelids open.

  Zane was standing there, magnificently naked, watching her. She blinked and opened

  both her eyes to make certain she wasn't hallucinating.

  "Be sure, Sophia. There is no going back once this is begun." He seemed grim,

  almost angry. Certainly not happy about what was about to happen.

  "Are you sure?" The last thing she wanted was to be in a relationship with a

  reluctant man. It was bad enough with a regular guy, but an immortal vampire? They'd

  have a long time to learn to resent one another if this wasn't what he wanted.

  "How can you even ask me that?"

  She shrugged and then sighed, knowing that he needed to know something of her

  past. It was only fair, considering how much she knew about him. She patted the

  mattress next to her. He eyed her so warily, she almost laughed as he gingerly lowered

  himself to sit beside her.

  "I didn't have a great childhood." Now that was an understatement.

  The change of subject didn't faze him at all. "I know." Those two words made her

  frown.

  "Just how much do you know?"

  Zane shrugged. "I did some basic research before I first approached you."

  Of course he had. How could she have missed that? The man was a cop, for crying

  out loud. He would never have knocked on her door until he knew everything there

  was to know about her.

  She licked her dry lips, but plowed forward. "Then you know that my mother was

  a prostitute and I have no idea who my father is."

  He nodded, his eyes almost sad. "I saw a copy of your birth certificate."

  Sophia swallowed hard, hating the feeling of vulnerability that slipped over her.

  The taunts from her childhood rose up, threatening to choke her. She cleared her throat

  and forged onward. "It wasn't so bad. My mom, well, she was never good at managing

  money or taking care of details like groceries and bills. That was my job once I got old

  enough."

  Zane reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. "You don't have to

  tell me any more. I can feel your pain."

  "No. You need to hear it and I need to say it." She absently leaned her head into his

  caress as he continued to stroke her hair. "I ran away when I was fifteen, almost sixteen.

  One of my mother's boyfriends tried to rape me." Her fingers clutched at the blanket.

  "I've never told that to another living soul."

  Zane's hand froze in mid-stroke. "What happened?" Sophia could feel his growing

  rage shimmering just below the surface.

  "I told my mother. She told me that it was time for me to grow up and earn my

  keep. I packed my stuff and left on the next bus out of town."

  "How did you survive?" Zane's hands were clenched into fists in his lap and his

  green eyes were dark with pain.

  "Food banks, shelters, stuff like that." It had been the most horrible and frightening

  time of her life, and one she didn't want to dwell on. "The point is that I survived and

  grew stronger. I'm okay with being alone. I've been on my own my entire life." Lifting

  her hand, she cupped his face and smiled. "But I don't want to be alone any longer. It's

  not that I can't live without you. I can. It's that I want to be with you."

  Zane scooped her into his arms, hugging her so tight that she could barely breathe.

  There was a desperation to his embrace that she didn't quite understand. "I wish I

  could change your childhood."

  "I don't." She snuggled closer to him, resting her ear over his heart. "The events of

  my life brought me to this exact moment and I wouldn't change anything if it meant

  that I might not meet you."

  He leaned her back against his arm and she shivered, missing his body heat. He

  tucked the blanket tighter around her. "You humble me."

  She wanted to wipe the worry from his brow, but yawned instead. "I'm sorry."

  His smile was filled with tenderness. "Don't be sorry. You're so much stronger than

  even you know. You might be able to live without me, but I cannot live without you. I

  have learned much of my family history this past month and I know with a certainty

  that you are the only woman I will ever love."

  Sophia struggled to sit up. "Truly?"

  He nodded. "That's why I am afraid of converting you. At least if you remain

  human I can watch out for you and love you for as long as you live. When you die, I

  would seek death as well."

  "No," she cried, her hands clutching at his shoulders. She couldn't bear to think

  about his death.

  "Yes." His lips thinned and she could see the muscles working along his jaw as he

  clenched it. She sensed that his will was implacable, at least when it came to this. "My

  other choic
e is to leave you, watching you from afar and keeping you from harm."

  "I don't like that choice any better," she grumbled.

  "No, I didn't think you would." She could hear the underlying humor in his voice

  and it irritated her.

  "There is another choice."

  "There is." He hesitated. "You are willing to risk everything to be with me for

  eternity. How can I do any less for you?"

  Happiness began to fill her. She could see it in his eyes. He was really going to

  attempt it. Now that the moment was at hand, her stomach began to flutter and she

  began to sweat, but she was determined on her course of action. "Do it."

  "Are you aware of what happens?"

  Sophia shrugged. "I might have asked Delight and Laurel Rose about their

  experience." She glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction. She didn't want to say

  anything to dissuade him at this point, now that she was so close to getting what she

  wanted. "I'll admit that I'm not looking forward to heaving up my guts and writhing

  around in pain, but I'll get over it."

  His hands framed her face as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You are

  truly a gift and I promise that I will always do my best to make you happy."

  "I'll remind you of that when you're pissed off at me about something." He

  chuckled, as she'd hoped he would, breaking some of the tension. "Okay, how do we

  do this?"

  He lifted her away from him and knelt up on the bed. "This is your choice, so you

  must come to me." She reached out and caressed the side of his face and his neck,

  wanting--no, needing--to touch him. His shaft was hard and ready for her. How she'd

  missed that, she didn't know, but there was certainly no mistaking his arousal.

  Tossing aside the blanket, she came up onto her knees and crawled toward him. He

  was so big and strong, but he looked so alone sitting there. They belonged together and

  she had to believe that everything would work out all right. Still, she hesitated. "If

  something happens and this doesn't go exactly as planned, promise me that you'll kill

  me immediately. That is, if I'm not already dead. I don't want to live if I turn into a

  crazed killer."

  Zane's face contorted in pain and she knew that he was thinking of his parents and

  the years that they'd both lived in torment. "I promise."

  Rubbing her damp palms over her thighs, she shifted closer to him, lifting her leg to

  straddle his lap. His arms came around her immediately, his hands sliding under her

  bottom to support her. Leaning forward, she nuzzled the hair on his chest before

  finding his flat nipple and flicking it with her tongue. He groaned, his fingers digging

  into her butt as he lifted her higher.

  The bulbous head of his cock nudged against her moist slit. She squirmed to try to

  take him deeper, but he held her easily, not allowing himself to sink farther. Sophia

  raised her head and stared at him.

  "You are my heart and my soul. I will protect you with my entire being for as long

  as you shall live and beyond. I will love you forever, Sophia." There was a ritualistic

  quality to his words. They were a vow to her and one that she knew he would keep.

  Sophia had never trusted anyone in her life. In her experience, people let you down

  when you needed them. But not Zane. She knew he'd die before he'd break his word to

  her. He would always be there for her. "I love you, Zane. You are my heart and my

  soul," she repeated the vow he'd made to her. "I will protect you for as long as you live

  and beyond. Now, take me. Make me yours so we can be together forever."

  With a cry, he pulled her down, impaling her with his cock. She arched back as he

  filled her almost to the point of pain. He seemed even larger than before. As if sensing

  her discomfort, he started to pull back. Sophia forestalled him by wrapping her legs

  around him.

  "Sophia." Her name was a plea, a promise, a prayer that he continued to chant as he

  cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. His lips were gentle as they brushed hers.

  He always tasted so good, like a fine brandy. When she parted her lips his tongue

  surged inward, staking claim to her mouth.

  She lost track of time as he kissed her. His cock throbbed within her and her inner

  muscles responded until they were pulsing in rhythm together. Her nipples ached, so

  she rubbed them over the hard planes of his chest. Her nails dug into his shoulders as

  she clung to him, half afraid that he'd change his mind and leave her.

  He dragged his lips from hers and trailed a line of kisses along her cheek and down

  her jaw. She tilted her head to one side, offering her neck to him. The tension between

  them was palpable--a combination of lust, love and fear that was almost

  overwhelming.

  "Do it." Gripping his hair, she tugged his mouth toward her neck. She could feel his

  hesitation and pulled harder. "If you love me, do it."

  A low growl came from deep in his chest as his teeth sank into her flesh. Lightning

  flashed through her body, flowing from her neck down to her breasts and settling low

  in her pussy. Need flowed, demanding to be satisfied. Lust poured through her veins,

  desperate to be sated.

  She began to move, unable to stop herself, lifting her hips and lowering them again.

  Zane gripped her ass once again and took over, guiding her up and down his shaft,

  driving himself impossibly deep with each thrust. He continued to suck at her neck,

  drinking in her blood.

  He made a sound of frustration and shifted, lifting her and bending forward until

  she was flat on her back with him looming over her. His hips began to hammer at her,

  harder and harder. She arched as close as she could, taking each thrust. Her body was

  on fire, her feminine muscles quivering. She opened her mouth to call out his name, but

  nothing came out. She came on a soundless cry that was torn from her very soul.

  Her body convulsed as pleasure unlike anything she'd ever experienced rocketed

  through her. But she was getting weaker by the second. Her legs and arms fell to the

  mattress. She opened her eyes, desperate for one final glimpse of Zane, but all she could

  see was his bare shoulder as he continued to drink from her. His hips continued to

  pump and then his body tensed. She could feel him pumping his seed, hot and deep

  within her, flooding her with his essence. He shuddered but didn't stop feeding.

  Reaching her hand up, she tried to touch him. She barely managed to stroke his

  soft, dark hair before her hand flopped back to the bed. Darkness pulled at her and she

  knew that this was the moment of truth. Closing her eyes, she embraced her death,

  knowing it was the only way to be reborn into Zane's world.

  Zane shuddered as he felt the last breath of life leave Sophia. His body was alive,

  flooded with the aftermath of their explosive orgasms and with the overload of Sophia's

  rich blood. He pulled out of her and hauled her into his arms. Sophia had become his

  heart and soul. She would drink from him. He would allow no other outcome. One of his

  fingernails elongated as he sat cross-legged on the bed, cradling her limp form against

  him.

  Dragging his sharp nail over his flesh just above his heart, he made a deep cut.

  Blood immediately gushed forward. He tugged her close, placing her lips o
ver the cut

  and angling his body so that his blood pooled in her mouth.

  It overflowed, seeping out of the corners of her mouth and ran down her cheeks

  like a torrent of red tears. "Drink, Sophia," he demanded. "Drink." He rubbed his

  fingers over her throat, desperately trying to get her to swallow. "No." In a panic now,

  he shook her, dislodging her mouth from him. Blood flowed unchecked over his chest,

  but he was blind to everything but the limp woman in his arms.

  Gripping her closer, he prayed as he hadn't done in years. He pleaded and begged

  with Sophia as he positioned her mouth against his chest once again. "You have to

  drink, my love. You have to live for both of us."

  When that didn't work, he changed tactics, yelling at her. "This is your fault. You

  wanted this. You can't die." He searched desperately for any movement, a twitch of her

  eyes, a jerk of her fingers.

  Nothing.

  Fear unlike anything he'd ever known filled him. Tears fell unheeded from his eyes

  as he began to plead with her again. They dripped from his face and fell onto Sophia's

  cheeks, mixing with the blood that stained her beautiful face.

  Finally, he gave up.

  "So be it." Leaning down, he brushed his lips against her pale, cool ones, wanting to

  taste them one more time. He'd hold her in his arms until the sun rose and then he

  would join her in death, allowing the deadly rays to destroy him.

  "I love you, Sophia Daring York." He added his name to hers because, in his mind,

  they were married, more than married. They were mates for life and beyond, and even

  death would not change that.

  As the last word left his lips, she gasped and began to choke. "Sophia!" he yelled as

  he sat her up and rubbed her throat, her arms, her back. "Drink," he commanded,

  infusing every ounce of power into his voice.

  Her mouth latched onto his chest and she began to suck. This time his tears were

  ones of joy as he cradled her close. Tilting back his head, he tried to stem their flow.

  When he felt she'd had enough, he gently eased her away. "Enough." She whimpered,

  but didn't protest as he commanded her to drag her tongue over the wound on his

  chest, closing it.

  Sophia's eyes fluttered open and she smiled weakly at him. Then her eyelids

  drooped once again and she drifted off to sleep. Zane sat there beside her for more than