by Aubrey Ross
Max grasped her wrist and started for the door. She dug in her heels with a soft cry. He leaned down, preparing to lift her into his arms.
“Kiss her and she’ll calm down.” Teladorian turned around and sat down at the piano.
Colette trembled, barely able to stand. Max drew her against him and pressed his mouth over hers. She parted her lips and wrapped her arms around his back. The kiss was slow and tender, calming her, relaxing her.
Gradually the urgency eased and her head cleared. She eased away from Max, using his body like a shield. If she couldn’t see Teladorian, his influence over her wasn’t quite so staggering. Desire still pulsed between her thighs, but the craving was bearable.
“Let’s go.” Max brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her brow. “We’ll find another way in.”
“I’m the only way in, Commander Brigham. Whether you like it or not.”
“How long before your thrall is permanent?” Max challenged. “I won’t subject her to this.”
“Don’t confuse me with a vampire.” Resentment made his tone sharp. “I don’t enslave the minds of others. My need simply stimulates an equal hunger in females and it’s been a long time since I fed.”
“Yeah, that’s nothing like a vampire,” Max scoffed. “Excuse my confusion.”
“Do men ever feel this…attraction?” If she kept her gaze on Max, she could almost think clearly.
“No.”
“Then you could have a normal relationship with a man,” she suggested.
“I’m not attracted to men sexually, and what man would befriend someone who can’t be trusted with his sister or his daughter, much less his wife? Men resent me, and women are powerless to resist the call of the incubus.”
“Then it’s true?” She wanted to look at him, touch him, and feel his hands sliding all over her body. “Your father was an incubus?”
“According to my mother.”
“This is all fascinating,” Max grumbled, “but we didn’t come here to unravel your past.”
“No, you came to exploit my weakness, to discover my price.”
“Taerok is dead.” Max tossed the comment over his shoulder and pulled Colette more snugly against his chest. “Why do you care what I do with his lair?”
“I don’t. I had intended to refuse you outright, but now I’m intrigued. Colette’s nature is so rich and convoluted. I’m fascinated.” He shifted his weight and the piano bench creaked. “I know she’s not a vampire, but what is she?”
“None of your damned business.” Max turned her around and nudged her toward the entryway.
“Wait.” Teladorian took a deep breath. “Tell me what you need from Taerok’s lair.”
Desire bubbled up within Colette again. Her blood sizzled and her nerve endings hummed, anxious, ready to detonate with the slightest stimulation. Teladorian needed her. She could sense his hunger with every fiber of her being. It seemed impossible that Max couldn’t feel the power radiating off Teladorian.
“My half-brother hurt a lot of people in his quest to tame his solar trance. I believe the remnants of his research are hidden in his lair. I need to make certain no one else is harmed by his obsession.”
“I will take you to Taerok’s lair, but you must allow Colette to feed me. Half now and half once I’ve gotten you safely inside.”
Yes. Please God, yes! Let Max be reasonable for once in his life.
“I know how an incubus feeds. I will not allow you to touch her!”
“If you do exactly what I tell you—while I still have some modicum of control—I will not need to touch her.”
Max’s conflict was nearly as disturbing as the hunger Teladorian was creating. Colette touched his face and captured his gaze. “He’s starving, Max. I can sense it. That’s why his sway is so powerful. Let me do this. I want to help him.”
“He’s making you want him. We know nothing about this man,” Max objected, his gaze tormented. “He could—”
“Lay her on the piano,” Teladorian urged. “No harm will come to her. You have my word.”
Unable to contain his frustration, Max growled. “The word of a demon spawn? I’m supposed to trust you with…” My love, my life, my world? He refused to utter the words out loud. Knowledge was power and Teladorian was already too powerful.
“Then go.” Teladorian slammed one hand down on the keyboard, creating a dissonant, ringing thud. “I’ve told you my price. Take it or leave it.”
“If you hurt her, you die!” He swept Colette into his arms and stomped to the opposite end of the piano. He sat her on the edge and helped her recline across the smooth black surface.
“Colette,” Teladorian’s voice caressed her name, making Max want to pummel his too perfect face, “spread out your arms and flatten your palms against the wood.”
She instantly obeyed, her eyes tightly closed, lips parted. Her lithe body spread between them, while possessive lust made Max shake.
“Touch her, taste her, make her wild.”
Intoxicated by the sexually charged atmosphere, Max ran both hands from her leather-encased knees to her bare thighs. She wiggled and arched, thrusting her breasts toward him. Her dress slid up on her thighs, barely covering her nudity. Max ignored the bunched material and explored her torso, cupping both breasts.
“Are her nipples hard?”
He stroked one puckered tip with his thumb and smirked. “Very.”
Teladorian gazed at the gentle mounds as his fingers settled over the keyboard. The first chord startled Colette, but the song floated on the air, hauntingly beautiful—like the musician. Max absorbed the tune, feeling the ache, the longing.
His hands moved over Colette, running from shoulder to knees over and over, while she undulated beneath his wandering palms. He lifted one of her legs and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. Teladorian’s playing faltered then resumed.
“Lick her pussy,” Teladorian urged. “Feast on her cream.”
Max didn’t need the encouragement; he was headed there anyway. His brain resented the intrusion, yet his arousal responded to the desperation in Teladorian’s tone. Max pushed her dress higher, allowing Teladorian a glimpse of her pale blonde curls.
Staring deeply into Teladorian’s eyes, Max pushed two fingers into Colette’s slick core.
“Show me,” Teladorian whispered. “I’ll stay out of her mind if you share this with me.”
Knowing it was foolish to surrender any more to this creature, Max formed a detailed impression of his feelings and sensations and passed them to the other man. Teladorian groaned, his song louder and more intense.
Max slid his fingers in and out, watching as well as feeling her snug passage encase his fingers. Carefully keeping Teladorian at a distance, Max transmitted everything while guarding his mind and Colette’s from the very real threat.
One song flowed into another, or were they movements within a symphony? Max didn’t care. Colette was soft and wet, waiting for his kiss. He lowered his head between her thighs and moved his hands to her bare bottom. Lifting her sex to his mouth, he made it easier for Teladorian to see exactly what he was doing.
She came with the first brush of his tongue, but Max was far from satisfied. He licked and sucked and thrust into her core. Her scent surrounded him, her taste intoxicating and addictive. He wanted more, wanted Teladorian to see how completely she surrendered, how fully she belonged to him.
Quickly shifting her leg to his shoulder, he freed one of his hands. His fingers pushed back into her channel while his mouth focused on her clit. She gasped and shuddered, lost in the building storm.
Teladorian remained in the distance, but his hunger made him vulnerable. Max scanned him, meticulously searching for malevolent intentions or violent tendencies. All he found was loneliness, an overwhelming sense of isolation.
Max couldn’t dwell on the discovery. There was too much at stake. He moved his fingers faster, licking her folds and circling her clit. She rocked against his hand, brazen in
her quest for completion.
Her second orgasm was slower, the spasms rippling on and on. Max lapped up her cream and went right on arousing her. She panted and moaned, her hands sliding over the piano top. Teladorian looked dazed, his eyes softly glowing.
Max worked his damp fingers back to her anus and teased the sensitive opening. She was likely still tender from before, but he couldn’t make himself stop. He wet his fingers in her pussy then returned them to her anus.
“Who is touching you?” he demanded.
“You, Max, only you.”
“How may I touch you?”
“However you please, sir. I am yours.”
Teladorian groaned as Max drove his fingers into Colette’s ass. The link was unconscious now, sensations flowing freely. Max reveled in her surrender, loving the heat and the firm grip of her sphincter against his fingers. He flicked his tongue over her clit and thrust in her ass, ruthlessly driving her toward another climax.
She cried out again and again, her body arched and trembling.
“Come, my love. Come for me now. Let us both feast on your pleasure.”
He thrust his fingers in and sucked on her clit and she came in long, violent spasms. Max licked her pussy, sucking every drop of her essence from her flushed pink folds. Her back gradually relaxed and he followed her down, dragging every last shiver from her body before he finally raised his head.
Teladorian slumped over the keyboard, softly panting. Max wasn’t sure when he’d stopped playing, but their collective breathing was the only sound. He gathered Colette into his arms and stepped away from the piano.
“Take us to Taerok’s lair. Now.”
Chapter Seven
Darius wandered around Taerok’s lair, searching for anything of value. What was Max really after? It was obvious Raze wasn’t here, hadn’t been here in many days. The upper level was a burned-out ruin, the secluded location likely the reason the property had never been restored. Beneath the ground, Taerok had torn down walls and created a wide open area that almost made one forget there was no natural light.
The incantation had allowed Darius to pass right through the shields. A quick search revealed he was alone, and now he was more curious than anything else. Why was Max so determined to make it inside the lair? And where the fuck was Raze? The rest of the ancients might have forsaken the traditions, but Darius refused to rest until he knew exactly what had happened to Ella.
Only two rooms remained separated from the main area. The larger of the two spaces was Taerok’s bedroom. The smaller space looked to be part laboratory and part bondage playroom. Interesting combination. He immediately recognized the smell of blood and focused on a set of whips hilt down in a tall, thin bucket. Someone liked pain or liked inflicting it. He had no way to know which way the scenes unfolded, only that the whips were no mere toys. They were used with enough force to lay open flesh and saturate fibers with precious blood.
Against one wall was a wide worktable cluttered with scientific equipment. He’d heard rumors about Taerok’s obsession. Why would a vampire want to venture out into the light? It made no sense to Darius. Vampires had always been at one with the night. That would never change.
He found a wooden case filled with glass slides and sealed test tubes suspended in a plastic rack. How odd.
He pulled open one of the drawers affixed to the underside of the table. Inside was a large leather case and what looked like a journal. He flipped through the pages of the journal then opened the leather case. Pages and pages of messy notes had been shoved inside. Was this the treasure Max sought, the reason he’d risked an encounter with Teladorian?
A floorboard creaked above his head and he heard the rumble of muffled voices. He quickly shoved everything he’d found inside the leather case and pressed it firmly against his chest. The case disappeared with him as he dispersed his corporeal form.
* * *
“I agreed to get you inside.” Teladorian looked at Colette, longing clear in his bright green eyes. “You were unexpectedly generous before, so I won’t hold you to the other half of our agreement.” He inclined his head with a wistful smile. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
He’s still really weak, isn’t he?
Colette was surprised by the compassion surging into her mind along with Max’s thought. This isn’t a game, Max. I could sense him clearly during the energy transfer. He was extremely depleted.
And now?
You’re right. He’s still very weak.
Then we should feed him. He’s not evil. I could sense him too.
A temporary third? God, how the thought excited her. And she knew it wasn’t Teladorian’s dark sway. She’d been turned on by the thought long before she met their mysterious companion.
If you’re sure this is what you want.
She sensed no resentment in Max, so she admitted, I’m sure.
Just remember, you can’t keep him. He’s a temporary third.
“A deal is a deal.” Max’s deep voice seemed loud in the shadowy ruin. Teladorian stopped walking and turned around. “Unless you don’t want the other half of your payment.”
For the first time since they’d met, Teladorian hesitated. “I didn’t realize how deeply you were bonded. I don’t want to interfere with that sort of connection.”
“You won’t.” Max managed to smile. “This is a one-time offer and it’s about to expire.”
“I gladly accept anything you’re willing to share, but I only want what is freely offered.”
Max chuckled. “Willingness is a little hard to determine when you’re a walking aphrodisiac.”
Oscillating waves of hot and cold buffeted Colette’s composure. “Are we safe here? Should we wait until—”
“I’d rather pay the piper and send him on his way,” Max insisted.
“We’re perfectly safe,” Teladorian told her. “The shields are still intact. I only deactivated them long enough to let us pass.”
“This place still reeks of vampire,” Max said. “If I hadn’t seen Taerok’s body with my own eyes, I’d be less inclined to believe you.”
Beyond the charred wood and stone rubble was a dense forest and starlit sky. She supposed the setting could be worse. A cool breeze tugged at her hair and teased her nipples. The floor was littered with debris and they had no blankets. Where would they…
Max turned her to face him and stroked the side of her face. “This is up to you, doll. How far are you willing to take it?”
“If we’re going to indulge my wicked imagination, I want it all.”
Without shifting his gaze from her face, he asked Teladorian, “Can you conjure some sort of lubricant? My mate is in the mood to be very naughty.”
My mate? She liked the sound of that so well, she didn’t notice Teladorian moving. He pressed in close behind her, his tantalizing scent making her head spin. “I won’t hurt you, Colette. I can make sure you feel only pleasure.”
Max claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss and the night exploded with sensation. Heat surrounded her, making her feel secure and safe. Max’s big body pressed against her front and Teladorian’s lean chest supported her back. Teladorian caressed her arms and her shoulders, allowing her time to grow accustomed to his touch.
Drawing her leg up against his hip, Max stroked her thigh and squeezed her bottom. She moved against him restlessly, anxious and hungry, overcome by a sudden surge of primal need.
Max tore his mouth away from hers and pulled her dress off over her head. She shivered in the cool night breeze, naked except for her thigh-high boots. Spreading her arms to the side, she lifted her face to the moonlight and reveled in the freedom of her sexuality.
The men watched her, their hunger fueling her boldness. She turned and pressed her back against Max, offering her front to Teladorian. He looked at Max, understanding the dynamics of the situation far better than she realized.
“Go on,” Max said. “You’re hers to do with as she pleases.”
Te
ladorian gently cupped her breast, his gaze gleaming through the night. “So delicate. So beautiful.” His thumb stroked over her nipple and his other hand touched her face.
Max pulled her head back until it rested against his shoulder. “Kiss her. I want to watch your mouth move over hers. Don’t keep her waiting.” Ever the Dom. Colette reached back and squeezed his hip.
Teladorian’s face lowered slowly, despite Max’s urging. His lips pressed over hers then brushed across them. She felt his tongue tip trace her lower lip, a bare hint of a caress. She parted for him, inviting him inside. His fingers pushed into her hair and he deepened the kiss, finally slipping his tongue between her lips.
Warm and possessive, Max’s hands wandered over her body. He squeezed her breast and blazed a trail across her quivering abdomen. Teladorian touched one breast and Max fondled the other. The difference in their approach was glaring. Max firmly rolled her nipple, pulling outward before he released. Teladorian’s fingers plucked as if she were a precious instrument. The combination was playing havoc with her senses.
Max pushed Teladorian lower and rotated her to the side, so he could reclaim her mouth. She looped her arm around Max’s neck and abandoned herself to his kisses while Teladorian sucked her breasts.
“Do you want his mouth or my cock?” Max’s lips moved against hers as he asked.
“I want one and then the other, silly man.”
He chuckled. “Greedy wench.” With a playful pinch to her bottom, he bent her knee, opening her wide as Teladorian knelt in front of her.
She sensed Teladorian’s desperate hunger in dizzying spikes. He controlled it as often as he could, but the urgency got away from him from time to time. Taking her leg from Max, he positioned it against his shoulder and looked up at her.
Moonlight silvered his features, making him seem surreal. “Don’t hold back,” he pleaded. “The more often you come, the more completely you will fill me.”
His lips pressed against her slit and she sighed. The tip of his tongue delved between her folds and she buried her hands in his long, black hair. Loose and flowing, the soft strands caressed her fingers while his tongue explored her sex.
