Reyna's Vampyr

by Zena Wynn

  Tariq needed to have another, more in depth talk with Alvaro. He’d said the Felini couldn’t teleport. He’d also stated the Felini were a lot like earth’s big cats. To his knowledge, those felines might like their meat bloody but they didn’t have fangs capable of draining blood. His Heart’s Blood was a walking mystery. One it was up to him to decipher.

  His cock was still rock hard, courtesy of the venom. He shifted them both onto their sides, careful to keep their bodies connected. Tariq groaned when the silken glove of her sheath tightened around him. Then smiled when he heard her purr. Oh yeah, the Ancient One knew exactly what he was doing. Tariq planned to coax a lifetime of purrs out of his reluctant blood mate.

  He rolled his hips, gliding smoothly in and out of her vagina. Tariq kept the pace slow, in no rush to reach completion. Reyna sighed and ground her ass against his stomach. The purring got louder.

  Tariq lifted Reyna’s leg, holding her open for deeper penetration. With his free hand he strummed her clit. He buried his face in her neck and inhaled her scent, imprinting it on his senses. Even blindfolded he’d be able to distinguish her from any other.

  Murmuring to her in the ancient language of his homeland Vampalien, Tariq told her how much he loved her, wanted her, and needed her. How his life had been void and empty until she’d come and filled him. Now that she was a part of him he would never be able to let her go. And when she left this world for the one beyond, he’d follow behind so they would always be together.

  Reyna reached an arm back and curled it around his head. The claws of her hand dug into his scalp as she pulled him closer to her. She moaned, low and deep in her throat. When he licked her neck and sank his fangs into the tendon, Reyna cried out and came around his cock in a gush of liquid heat.

  He licked the trickle of blood away. Her orgasm felt so good, he wanted more. “Do it again,” he commanded as he shifted closer, plunged deeper, and lost himself in the pleasure. He was in her and around her, filling her heart, mind, body and soul. The link between them cemented into an unbreakable bond. There was no Tariq without Reyna and no Reyna without him.

  Time lost all meaning. He drowned his senses in the essence that was his Heart’s Blood. Indulged his need for the gratification only she could supply. When his body reached its crisis point, Tariq made sure Reyna was with him again as he hurtled over the edge.

  Temporarily sated but by no means satisfied, he fell into a light doze, allowing his and Reyna’s bodies to rest before the next round began.

  

  The dark veil of sleep gradually lifted from Reyna’s slumbering consciousness. The first thing she noticed was a dull throb between her thighs. It was echoed by the pain in her neck. Her head felt fuzzy. Not quite aching but disjointed as though it wasn’t directly attached to her shoulders. The heaviness in her chest caused her breath to come out in raspy pants.

  It took long precious moments to realize the weight wasn’t inside her chest, but on her back. No, her entire body. Had there been an earthquake while she slept? Was she even now buried beneath a pile of rubble? Afraid of being entombed alive, she gathered her waning strength and pushed up. The weight rumbled its displeasure and settled more securely against her. She became aware of the thickly muscled masculine arm wrapped securely around her waist and the long, hairy legs bracketing hers.

  Recollection returned in bits and pieces. The Vampalien. She’d come to try and reason with him and had instead ended up in bed with him—again. Of course, Reyna placed the blame for her current predicament on her cat. Disregarding her wishes, it had arched and preened and prowled inside her skin, making her crazy with the need to be fucked.

  The growing heat in her nerve endings caused another memory to slide loose: the mating venom. The male—I can’t believe I still don’t know his name!—had stated the toxin acted like an aphrodisiac, which was the last thing she needed. Her cat didn’t need yet another excuse to get laid. Also that it prepared her womb for his seed.

  Despite her mental reservations Reyna found herself moving, stretching, and arching into him. His hardening male organ was lodged inside of her liquefying sex as though it belonged. Involuntarily, she tightened around him. Her mind might not believe they belonged together, but her body wanted him.

  The Vampalien side of her nature reminded her, We are his, as he is ours.

  At the sound of that voice, the remainder of the evening came rushing back in a flood, with all its associated emotions and sensations. She and this vampyr—I have to find out his name!—had connected on a soul deep level. He was in her, melded to her. They could never be disconnected.

  The hurt child in her immediately protested. No! Remember all you’ve suffered because of his kind. This one is no better than your father. Your father took your mother, just as this one claimed you, without asking your permission or opinion on the matter. As though it were his right.

  Jorlan’s words came back to haunt her. “You can’t continue to blame a whole race for one man’s actions.”

  Mentally, Reyna stood at a crossroads. She could go back to her old life, such as it was, and possibly convince Jorlan to breed her. Perhaps becoming a Queen in truth would gain her the acceptance and love she craved. If not, surely her cubs would love her.

  “Yes,” her inner child quickly agreed. “Jorlan loves you. He stayed with you when everyone else turned their backs on you, casting you out as so much rubbish. It’s his duty to breed you. Then you’ll have the family you’ve always wanted.

  Or she could let go of past resentments and embrace the Vampalien side of her nature and all that came with it, this vampyr in particular. She could share his life. A change might be just what she needed.

  Jorlan. Choose Jorlan, her inner child chanted.

  Forward or backwards, Reyna, which will it be?

  Amazingly, she felt both her Felini and Vampalien selves silently wait to discover which course she’d chose. There was no pressure to select one path over the other. It was totally up to her. Both sides of her nature were new and both had made their appearance because of the vampyr male lying so still beside her.

  And that, she realized, was her answer.

  “You can’t keep denying what you are,” Jorlan had said. He was right.

  Reyna couldn’t return home and pick up her life where it had left off because she’d changed on a fundamental level. She’d discovered and tapped into her inner feline. The one her Felini heritage graced her with that Reyna had hoped she possessed but after being unsuccessful for so long, hadn’t been sure.

  While she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Jorlan had and always would love her, his love for her was that of a protective older brother, or perhaps of a human father towards its offspring. It wasn’t the kind of love the humans spoke of in their books and movies and of which she, in her secret heart of hearts, had dreamed.

  The powers she’d inherited from her vampyr father, the ones her mother had always insisted she suppress and hide, had developed and grown. Reyna could no longer go back to stifling that part of her nature. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do so, were it even possible.

  So she was going to fully explore the new her. Learn what it meant to be Felini and Vampalien. To do that, she needed this male vampyr who sought to claim her for his very own. The question was did she want him? Was he a necessary part of the package? Surely any vampyr would do for her purpose.

  We are his, and he is ours.

  She’d never had anyone who belonged just to her, although Jorlan came pretty close. More memories cascaded through her mind. Not hers but the male’s. Tariq was his name. A strong name for a powerful male. She’d known he desired her. Reyna hadn’t realized he needed her to assuage the loneliness in his soul. He was nothing like she’d assumed. Maybe she could give a relationship with him a chance. If it didn’t work, Jorlan wouldn’t allow her to be held prisoner.

  “Thank you,” his deep voice murmured in her ear. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Reyna gaspe
d and struggled until he loosened his grip and allowed her to twist to face him, ignoring the distracting feel of his erection sliding free of her body. Then she got her first real look at him.

  Mind blanked with shock, she could do nothing but stare. He was gorgeous by any species standards—human, Felini, or Vampalien. His thick, short hair was so black it contained blue highlights. Even it its current state of disarray she could tell the luxurious mane had hint of curl. Wide, sculpted eyebrows rested over blazing eyes an indeterminate shade of blue with a hint of gun metal gray. The five o’clock shadow outlining his strong square jaw should have made him look disreputable. Instead it only magnified his bad boy sexiness. In short, the vampyr was magnificent.

  He smiled lazily, his expression one of pure masculine pride. “Thank you. I’m glad you approve.”

  Reyna scowled. “Are you reading my mind?”

  He stared into her eyes. “You are my heart, my soul. You live inside of me as I hope I live inside of you. We are connected, up here,” he pointed to his temple, “and here,” he said, pointing to his heart. “There can be no secrets between us.”

  Then he grinned mischievously, charming her with a glimpse at his playful side. “That and…well,” he shrugged, “you were broadcasting.”

  She mused on that for a moment. While the Felini could speak mind-to-mind while in shifted form, they couldn’t read each other’s thoughts. “I don’t think I like the idea of you being in my head.” Sometimes even she didn’t want to be inside her mind, so it was a bet she didn’t want anyone else in there. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. “Can all you—” she bit back the word people, changing it quickly to, “all of your species read my thoughts?”

  Tariq gave her a knowing look.

  I’m probably still broadcasting, she realized.

  “Our species,” he corrected gently. “You’re half Vampalien. Telepathy is reserved for mates, family, and those with whom we share blood. I’ll teach you how to shield.”

  Reyna frowned, hating the thought of her thoughts being an open book. “Will it take a long time to learn?”

  “It shouldn’t. The process is basically instinctive. You just need rudimentary training on it,” he assured her.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Will I be able to block you?”

  “Considering your unique heritage, the answer to your question is something I’m interested in learning as well,” he acknowledged, admitting he didn’t have all the answers.

  He planted two large hands on the mattress, pushed up and shifted until he sat leaning against the headboard. His movement dislodged several scraps of material which lay around them like so much shredded confetti. Tariq smiled when he noticed the direction of her gaze. “We were in a bit of a rush earlier. Didn’t fully undress.”

  Casually he reached down and tugged off the remnants of his pants legs.

  Gaze avidly roaming over all that masculine, highly toned flesh, Reyna purred, and then flushed to the roots of her hairline when she realized what she’d done.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. Your pleasure in my body pleases me.”

  She was no stranger to good-looking men. Felini males were built on the lean, muscular side naturally, but none of them ever moved her sexually the way this one did.

  Tariq arched an inquisitive brow, his expression conveying disbelief. “What about the male in the cave? I felt your lust.”

  “Stop reading my mind,” she protested automatically.

  When he merely continued to stare, awaiting an answer, she felt the heat of a blush fill her face again and fidgeted, toying with the hem of her halter top, amazed it had survived relatively unscathed. “That was…he…” Reyna groaned. “Jorlan is not my lover. He’s my protector and has been with me since I was a child.”

  Head tilted to the side and brows drawn together in puzzlement, Tariq frowned. “I don’t understand. Why would you need a protector?”

  Uncomfortable with the subject and suddenly aware of her partial nudity, Reyna pulled the sheet over her lower body and sat up, tailor style, in the bed. “Before last night I was a Quork—”

  “A what?”

  “Quork. It’s a Felini female who can’t shift into her animal form. The change usually comes on during puberty when the female goes through her first estrous. If estrous doesn’t occur naturally, a firestorm can kick start it. Only, mine didn’t. Kick start, that is,” she added when he still look confused. “That stuff you injected me with—”

  “The mating venom.” he helpfully supplied.

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that. It did what the firestorm didn’t and threw my cat into heat. Jorlan realized what was happening before I did and…” Reyna searched for an easy way to explain without going into a lot of detail. “…and helped me through my first shift.”

  Eyes narrowed in suspicion, he watched her face intently. “I think there’s more to this story than what you’re saying.”

  Reyna kept her expression bland and her mind, hopefully, blank. “The cat still wants to breed and since Jorlan is the strongest male in our little pride, it set its sights on him.”

  He scowled. “So you’re saying what happened in that cave was my fault?”

  It was most definitely his fault. “In a way, yes.”

  “And the other?”

  Her face wrinkled in bewilderment. “What other?”

  “Yesterday—or was it today?—I felt you. You were frustrated, angry, and painfully aroused. When I described what I was sensing to a close friend, he said it sounded like a firestorm.”

  “How…?” Her mouth fell open and she slapped a hand over it, shaking her head. “How would a vampyr know about a Felini firestorm? We don’t share our customs with outsiders.”

  “That’s his story to tell.” Tariq placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed. “Come closer.”

  “Why?” It came out sounding suspicious instead of curious.

  “You’re too far away.”

  Reyna reminded herself she’d promise to give a relationship with him a try. His request was simple enough. So holding the sheet to her waist, she scooted forward until her knee bumped his leg.

  “Now tell me about this firestorm.”

  Reyna shivered and curled into a posture she knew screamed self-protective.

  Tariq cursed and tugged her into his arms, holding her close. “I can feel how much you don’t want to talk about this, but I think I need to know.”

  The words were slow in coming. “The firestorm isn’t sex. The males’ duty is to arouse the female but they aren’t allowed to copulate, nor do they allow the female to orgasm. Or at least, I wasn’t allowed,” she finished flatly.

  His grip tightened. Reyna didn’t think he’d done it deliberately. “How long does a firestorm last?”

  “As long as it needs to get the desired results,” she said.

  In a carefully controlled voice he asked, “And if it doesn’t work?”

  “Once the female recovers, she can request another one. I didn’t.” She had a flash of sensory memory and shuddered convulsively. In her mind she saw a picture of herself as she must have appeared, lying pathetically on the bed in the fetal position, unable to stand anything touching her.

  Tariq’s snarl sounded like an enraged animal. He cupped her chin, lifting her face up to meet his. “That’s sexual torture.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re reading my mind again.”

  “If you didn’t request another firestorm, why were you put through it again? Was it punishment for being with me?” His concerned, angry gaze roamed over her face.

  This time she frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know. All Jorlan would say is that it was necessary. I argued and fought against it, seeing as how I’d already successfully made the change but there’s no altering his course once he makes up his mind.”

  His eyes flashed red and the hand holding her jaw tightened. Reyna felt a hint of talon. “No one hurts you again.”

  

  Star
ing into his Heart’s Blood sorrow-filled brown eyes, Tariq felt a protective fury rise up inside. Reyna hid it well but her emotional turmoil hit him square in the heart. This pain tasted old and settled, as if it had been there so long it had seeped right into the essence of who she was at the core. It angered him she’d been so mistreated by the ones who should have loved and protected her the most.

  “I’d like to meet this Jorlan, face-to-face,” he muttered in a viscous undertone.

  Reyna stiffened, pulled away, and turned to confront him. “No, you won’t harm him.” She’d picked up on his violent intentions.

  “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t,” he demanded, irritated she continued to defend this male she claimed wasn’t her lover.

  “I’m here because of Jorlan,” she stated flatly.

  Disbelief held him immobile for a suspended few seconds. Leaning forward aggressively, he demanded, “Explain!”

  Reyna arched one elegant eyebrow. “Excuse you?”

  Abruptly reminded his Heart’s Blood wasn’t one of his subordinates, Tariq adjusted his attitude and tone accordingly. “Please explain what you meant by that statement.”

  She nodded her approval. “Because of my…family history, I wanted nothing to do with your kind. Especially the males.”

  The way she said ‘your kind’ grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Something to be dealt with later. Right now Tariq sensed he was close to understanding the source of Reyna’s pain. Since to his knowledge there weren’t any unmated Vampalien females on earth, and remembering the story Alvaro told him, Tariq connecting the dots and came to the logical conclusion. “It’s your father who is Vampalien.”