by Meg Ripley
"I will answer your questions in time," he spoke above the roar of the engine. "It's not safe yet to speak of such things." He revved the engine in response and picked up speed as they zipped down the road.
Miriam wasn't sure she could handle the bike going any faster; they already were flying by at a pace that made the trees on either side look like shadowed blurs. She couldn't talk and concentrate on holding on, so she chose to just hold on for dear life.
9
Only when Dominic had felt like he had put enough space between them and his family did he bring the bike down to a more reasonable speed. He was taking her to his safe house—safe as in the one place his family did not know he owned. He knew that they wouldn't come looking for him, or Miriam, for that matter. They had meant to demonstrate their collective strength over Dominic and punish him for thinking he could make it in the world on his own. Dominic had received that message loud and clear.
After another half-hour, Dominic pulled the bike into the side driveway of his lake house, which he used when he felt the need to get away from the world. It was quiet, unassuming and, most importantly, secluded.
He brought the bike right up to the front porch and then turned the engine off.
"Miriam, are you alright?" Her fingers were digging into his leather jacket; perhaps he had driven a bit too fast?
"I'm okay," she croaked. She slowly let go of her strong grip and attempted to slide off the bike. She wobbled as she stood and Dominic caught her before she collapsed.
"Here." He dipped and lifted her from behind the knees, holding her body tightly against his firm chest.
"I’m perfectly fine to walk—" Miriam started, but then gave up the fight as he carried her inside. It was obvious she was exhausted; barely escaping a den of vampires can do that to a human.
He brought her to the main room where he laid her out on a sumptuous duvet. He could see her struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Where am I?" she questioned as her lids grew heavy.
"You are at my lake house. You’ll be safe here, I promise." He turned to leave, "We can talk in the morning."
"Oh, okay," she acquiesced sleepily. Dominic shut the door behind him as he left.
He finally breathed his sigh of relief.
He felt guilty that she had been dragged into his family drama. The Kane clan was a complicated one and it was a bit much for one human to try and wrap her head around in a single evening—especially when the threat of death had been hung over her head.
He moved towards the living room and began to build a fire in the large fireplace. It was the main source of heat for the small house and, although he didn't require it, he knew that Miriam would need it once the shock wore off.
As the fire crackled in front of him, he tried to figure out his next move. He knew that it was his family that had stolen his Anima as a way of teaching him a lesson. He figured that they must have instructed his driver to leave it in some strange place in town, as a way of forcing him to use his dark magic to find it and thus speeding his dark transformation. They were hoping he would come crawling back to them, begging for their help before he devolved into a merciless creature of the night.
They had thought wrong. But despite their plan not going as they had expected, it didn't mean that they hadn't won.
It hadn't taken him long to realize that his driver had been bought off and that Miriam was not on her way home, but to somewhere sinister.
He rested his head in his hands; what was he going to do about Miriam? He felt it the moment they had touched; the connection between them that went beyond the bond created when someone with the sight holds the Anima of a vampire. This attraction was much more primitive.
He longed to smooth her hair back, to touch her lips with his, and to kiss away any fears. He longed to bring their bodies together, to explore her curves, and to taste her essence at the precise moment that she came.
He groaned in frustration and unquenched lust.
10
Miriam woke up disoriented. She had drifted off, despite her best efforts not to. The strange events of the past day had played out in her dreams and had jolted her awake. She realized that she was suddenly alone.
She swung her feet over the bed and noticed a bit of dull light emitting from under the door. Miriam made her way out to the hall, feeling her feet pulling her forward, as if something within her was being called.
She stopped once she noticed Dominic sitting before the fire. His eyes glazed over as he stared into the wavering flames with a dark intensity.
When she moved forward, he looked up to meet her gaze.
"You should be resting," he noted quietly.
"I can't sleep." She had too many questions, too many thoughts racing through her mind to be able to quiet them long enough to find rest.
He motioned towards the plush chair next to him. "Then I could use the company."
Miriam moved to join him. They sat like that, side by side, in silence for a long time before Miriam found her voice to start delving into the topic ahead of them.
"It was you," she started, "in my dreams, that is."
He nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so."
When he didn't elaborate, Miriam pushed further. "So, you and your family are..."
"Yes, Miriam, we are vampires, although not the kind that you’re thinking of. Our humanity is locked away in an object that we must never lose."
"Oh," Miriam added with surprise. "So, the medallion held your humanity, then?"
"Yes, we call them Animas," he added.
"So," Miriam began in an attempt to make sense of the events surrounding the strange day. "So, when I touched your, um, Anima, I was able to read your soul?"
"In a way," he flashed her a wry smile. "Only a few humans possess your ability to read objects; even fewer ever have the opportunity to read a vampire's soul. Once you do, you become bound together." He leaned in closer, closing the distance between their bodies.
"Oh," Miriam gasped. "So is that why I, um, we—"
Dominic laughed softly, "No, Miriam. That is a whole other beast."
"Oh," Miriam's breath hitched in her throat and her stomach did a tumble. She could feel her heart race with anticipation, while her center began to throb with desire.
"And?" Dominic threw the question out there; it hung in the air between them, thick with potential and heated promise.
Miriam knew that if she chose to go down this road, that there would be no turning back. Their relationship was a complicated one, to say the least. Dominic was anything but the safe choice, although she was long past making safe choices. She didn't know why or how they had found each other, but she was past looking for logic in this situation. She herself was a walking contradiction with her strange ability to find the past in inanimate objects. Dominic himself shouldn't exist, but yet here he was before her. She had a choice.
"Well, who am I to deny the beast?" she teased.
In the next instant, his mouth was upon her. She groaned as their bodies came together in a fervent, wild passion. She felt like her body was on fire with the rapid sensations that coursed through her.
She could sense his desire, feel his thoughts as they were focused on her, and taste the danger on his tongue. It all excited her.
He lifted her body from the chair and brought her to rest on the soft carpet. The fire roared next to them as it casted a warm glow across their bodies and illuminated the dark room.
She enjoyed the pressure of his body stretched over hers and felt his hard desire press up against her thigh. She brought her legs up to wrap around his waist and pull herself closer to his body.
When Dominic reached up under her shirt to squeeze her breasts, she shivered with pleasure. He roughly brushed his palms against her nipples; Miriam gasped as her body began to hum with erotic anticipation.
She moaned when Dominic nipped at her bottom lip. He raised his head up from where he had been lavishing her mouth with his and locked her eyes in an intense
gaze.
Miriam sighed as he brought his other hand around to grasp the edge of her T-shirt to slide it up and over her head. He tossed it to the side and quickly unclasped her bra, soon replacing his mouth where his hands had been, lavishing erotic caresses across her breasts.
He brought his lips down to take one of the pert buds into his waiting mouth; Miriam groaned in response. She could feel his sharp fangs graze her full breasts, which only excited her more.
Her desire for him was almost unbearable. She needed him inside of her—now.
"I need you inside of me, Dominic—"
His lips curled around his fangs, his gaze heated, and his voice came out deep and raw. "Say nothing more."
In an instant, Miriam felt him tear away her clothes before he flipped her around so that she could straddle him.
She was fully exposed to his gaze, but it only excited her more. His throbbing, hard member was pressed against her. She moved to reach down and guide him towards her entrance, pushing him inside of her waiting body and began to rhythmically rock her hips against him.
His gaze grew hooded as the carnal pleasure began to take over both of their senses. He brought his hands to rest on her hips, aiding her in the sensual movements.
She began to increase her pace as the urgency of the moment took over. They became consumed by the pleasure and the connection created by their bodies.
Miriam spread her hands out on Dominic's chest; her eyes closed as she became focused on the heat of their bodies, the way his thick manhood felt inside of her, and the carnal movements as she rode him to the end of both of their pleasures.
They came at the same time, their cries the result of intense euphoria.
Miriam collapsed on top of Dominic's broad, strong chest. She felt his arms come around her, holding her tightly as she gasped from the exertion of their lovemaking.
Neither one made a move to stir, instead they enjoyed the way they remained connected.
Dominic was the first to break the silence. "Do you have to work tomorrow?" he teased lightly.
Miriam gasped as it dawned on her how late it actually was. "Oh shit," she exclaimed as she attempted to get up. "I need to get home."
Dominic rolled her under him and trapped her hands above her head. "Not yet," he spoke as he brought his mouth to meet hers.
Miriam became lost in his steamy kiss. "I guess," she breathed against him.
Dominic lifted his head from where he was lavishing kisses upon her full mouth. "I was asking because I have a business proposal for you."
Miriam looked at him quizzically. "How so?"
"Well, I was thinking, with your ability to assess antiques and my ability to breed success in all my ventures," he winked at her, "I thought we could upgrade the shop and maybe start dealing with higher end antiques."
Miriam paused for a moment. "But what about your family?" she asked.
"Miriam," Dominic took her face into his hands. "You don't need to worry about them, they will not touch you again. I guarantee it."
Miriam trusted Dominic despite everything—his mysterious past, unpredictable family, and the dangerous nature that made him a little otherworldly. Theirs wasn't exactly the start of a normal relationship.
But then again, she wasn't exactly normal, either.
She paused for a moment. "I'll agree on one condition."
Dominic stilled as he waited for her terms.
"You kiss me," she shot him a teasing wink.
"That, I can do."
And as they came together again, they both reveled in the knowledge that there would be many more moments like these to come. After all, there was no fun in business if they couldn't mix in a bit of pleasure here and there.
THE END
Part VII
Lion’s Love And Honor
The Pride Of Sierra Leandra
Lion’s Love And Honor
When Charlie Flax gets wind of a burst of troubling criminal activity interrupting his family’s planned move, his pregnant wife Natalie urges him not to worry; after all, things like this tend to happen in their little Southern California town during the summer, but it always dies down by fall.
The other members of his pride hear the same from their mates, but something about their letters and calls doesn’t sit right with the Marine. After seven long months, he’s eager to return home and see what’s really happening for himself.
The truth is worse than he could imagine; a group of rogue lions has moved into their territory and are trying to wrest power from their matriarchal clan. Natalie and their unborn cub have been threatened and targeted so many times that she no longer leaves the house unless she’s surrounded by people capable of astounding violence.
Charlie is furious, but before he can form a plan, he’s face to face with a lion shapeshifter from the gang—and he has some dangerous decisions to make. What do these lion shifters really want—and how far are they willing to go to get it?
Part I
Saved By The Alpha Lion
1
“Flight One eighteen now boarding first class passengers at gate three B; would first class passengers on flight One eighteen to Puerto Vallarta please begin boarding at gate three B now?”
Charlie was standing next to the terminal’s enormous conveyor belt, staring blankly at one spot and waiting for his vermillion duffle bag to float before his unfocused eyes. He was distantly aware that he hadn’t moved in a full minute—maybe more—but he was too absorbed in the task of trying to monitor every change in his environment to care about how strange he looked. Evan wasn’t around yet to remind him to be “normal,” so he was happy to keep twitching his ears toward the sound of rapidly moving feet even though the tiny human bones in his ear canal weren’t nearly as sensitive as the ones in beast form. He wanted to be alert, but his eyes were fatigued from the flight, and it was starting to make him jumpy.
Captain Roberts, please call gate seven; your co-pilot is holding. Captain Roberts, please head to the nearest courtesy phone to speak with your co-pilot who is holding at gate seven.
The announcements were clashing with his train of thought more solidly than usual, and he knew why; automatically, his right hand moved to the pocket of his jeans, where Natalie’s letter was folded into a compact rectangle already worn from being handled so much. He’d memorized its contents, but he kept pressing it to the tip of his nose to try to drag a few more particles of her scent into his lungs. Even months into her pregnancy, she still retained the same base scent: warm honey and sharp, sweet smoke, a heady aroma that warned of an intensity he knew could be fatal. She was the strongest person he knew, and the brightest; she often taught him something in her missives or phone calls without even meaning to, and never backed down when she knew she was right.
I got into a fight with Ariel while she was helping me pack up the basement because she wouldn’t believe that bears don’t really hibernate. My mother called and complimented me on my all-fruit dressing; she usually hates avocados, I was so surprised. Did you see that news story about all those diners that got sick—can you believe that waiter thought salt in coffee was a harmless prank? Grade school mistake.
This time, however, her letters had been cheery but sparse; they lacked the bubbly detail that usually padded out the thick envelopes she sent weekly, and sometimes even twice a week. Natalie no longer spoke of her chance meetings with old high school friends, or whose wife was having a hard time dealing with loneliness; now it was just pregnancy symptoms and a series of oddly detached retellings of incidents around their neighborhood. Their last phone call—right before the plane took off—had been the worst.
“Nat, I know something isn’t right.” His hand was sweaty so the slim black cell phone kept threatening to squirt from his grip. Evan was buckling into the seat next to him and fixating on the threads at the hem of his shirt, but Charlie knew he could hear every word. “I can hear it in your voice. I see it in your letters. Evan says Ariel isn’t acting right, either.”<
br />
“Charlie, everything is fine,” Natalie said soothingly for the fifth time in as many minutes. “A few busted windows, some kids jumping other kids…you know it happens.” The gentle rasp of her voice was carefully avoiding taking on heavy undertones, but Charlie could almost see her anxiously winding her dark brown hair around one finger as she paced around the living room. “We’ll start the move again when you get here. It’ll be fine.”
“Why did you have to stop the move in the first place?” Charlie asked. “I don’t understand that. The boxes were all finished five months ago. You said someone damaged the truck?” He remembered when he was younger having his property stolen or smashed when people found out he was a shifter. It was illegal, but it never stopped them, and the cops were often in on the games, since the shifter population intersected with the inner cities so often.
“The axle is bent,” Natalie answered, interrupting his reverie. “I want you to take a look at it before I get it messed with first. You know I’m useless with that sort of thing.”
Charlie closed his eyes, trying to keep the panic from spilling into his voice. His broad chest was tight with anxiety. “No, I don’t know that, Nat. Are you kidding me? I was with you when you made our old mechanic cry.”
“And I never got to know the new one!” Natalie retorted, her voice shrill. “I’m afraid of pissing this one off, too. Charlie, I don’t get what the big deal is. You’ll be home soon, and you’ll have all your answers then.” Her forced nonchalance snapped something inside him, and suddenly he was shouting.
“The big deal is that something crazy is happening and my wife is acting like it isn’t!”
A red-faced man twisted around in his seat to look at Charlie after he finished, and Evan laid a hand on his broad shoulder. The marine swallowed his anger with extreme difficulty and lowered his voice.
