Alexa O'Brien 02 - The Wicked Kiss

by Trina M. Lee

  Arys took a step back, waiting for me to come to my senses. I gasped and blinked at him, uncertain if I was really awake or still dreaming. When I focused in on the rest of Raoul’s living room surrounding me, I knew I was awake.

  “Arys?”

  He scowled in response to the inflection in my voice. “What happened to not leaving the door unlocked? We’ve been over this. Do you have a death wish, Alexa?”

  “How did you know I was here? What time is it?” I shook my head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from my brain. I felt disoriented and confused.

  It was still dark beyond the windows, but there was a shimmer to the air, invisible to human eyes, which indicated dawn’s approach.

  Arys watched me closely, and I felt scrutinized under his heavy gaze. Lifting an eyebrow in question, I shot him an irritated glare. He crossed his arms and cocked his hip in a way that was both sexy and told me that I was being analyzed.

  “I’m surprised that you have to ask.” He glanced around before answering me. I had the strangest feeling that he was nervous. “I could feel you. Your pain … it drew me. I had to get to you. I don’t think I could have denied that need if I tried.”

  Staring into his eyes, I saw the truth there and with it, love? No. I had to be imagining the emotion swimming in the abyss of his gaze. I was reminded then of two things: One, Harley stating that Arys must truly love me, and the other, another time in this house when Arys had tuned into my pain. Raoul and I had an emotional confrontation, and I had cried. Arys knew it without laying eyes on me. What was this all about?

  “What?” My throat was dry, and I coughed. My dream came rushing back to me, and I was suddenly much more alert. “Arys, I dreamt about Harley. He was trying to blood bond me, and I was fighting him. So hard.” My eyes closed as I saw the image again, Harley’s fangs flashing in the light as he used his weight and power to hold me.

  Arys’ expression grew dark, and his energy was alive with rage. “He wouldn’t dare.”

  His fingers clenched into fists, and I grew warm from the heat of his anger. There was something in his anxious manner that betrayed his words.

  “You know he would.” I reached out to him, needing to feel his cool skin, his power mingling with mine. “He’s not going to let me have you.”

  Arys grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. His arms went around my waist, pressing me against him. I looked up at him, and he bent his head to capture my lips with his in a breath-stealing kiss. I was sucked into the magnetic draw, falling into him with no resistance. The power we shared sought to control us, and I wanted to allow it. After the torrent of emotions I’d already dealt with tonight, I wasn’t afraid to let the power lead us.

  I wanted to feel the freedom and release that only came with surrender.

  He paused, despite my insistence. Looking down into my eyes, he placed a hand beneath my chin and forced me to look deeper into him. My heart skipped a beat when he whispered, “You already have me.”

  Unmistakable human emotion filled his eyes. Try as I might to deny it, something was there, something more than I had ever expected from my vampire lover. It frightened me; it truly did, even as it excited me. I already held Shaz’ heart in my hands, precariously at that. Could I honestly say that I didn’t love Arys, in some way?

  I don’t give myself to any man without reason. Perhaps the power had joined us, but it wasn’t what kept me coming back. Not entirely. Was it possible to be in love with two men, albeit very different ones? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was what I felt when I was with each of them.

  It wasn’t the same. What Arys brought out of me was unlike anything I had felt with Shaz and vice versa. They each held a part of me that was all their own.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I admitted, my lips brushing his as I spoke. I paused to nibble the silver ring in his pouty lower lip. He made a sound that was a combination of a sigh and groan. “I don’t know how to love you.”

  Arys ran a strong hand through my hair, balling a handful in his fist. The extremely possessive gesture spoke through dominance to the wolf in me. “You don’t know how to admit it.” The room felt alive with energy as our power danced around us. My skin almost burned with the need for release as the pressure built.

  He was right. I hated when he was right. His firm hold kept me still as he dipped his tongue into my mouth, tasting of me fully. When his fangs drew blood from my lower lip, it was no accident. Sucking on the tiny wound, he pressed harder against me so there was no mistaking that his need was as great as my own.

  The coppery taste of my blood in his mouth was delightful as it stirred the desire building within me. When his fangs grazed my throat, I gasped, and the adrenaline blasted through me.

  “My beautiful wolf … you don’t even know what it is you mean to me.” Arys maintained his gentle but firm hold on my long blonde locks as his other hand slipped beneath my top. His cool touch was soothing. I clung to him, desperate to get my hands on any part of him that I could.

  The sharp points of his fangs came to rest lightly over my jugular vein, and I could feel the sudden urge to kill rise up in him. He would never do it though. I trusted him completely, only realizing now how deep that trust went. Every time we were in a moment like this, I allowed him the choice to take my life. Dear God, I did love him.

  How else could I willingly do something so bold and possibly so stupid?

  “Then tell me,” I replied, needing to hear now more than ever what I meant to him.

  “Tell me what I mean to you, Arys. I need to hear you say it.”

  I didn’t miss his hesitation. Lifting his head to look at me, I was shocked to see that his eyes had gone all wolf, the whites’ now solid blue. Some things about our bond, I would never get used to. The hand that held my hair loosened but didn’t let go. We faced one another with an open, raw emotion that made me feel uncomfortable and exposed.

  Arys gently touched the side of my face, stroking it with an affection that stole my breath. His eyes went to my bloodied lip, and he ran his tongue sensually over his fangs.

  My own curiosity was piqued. What would Arys taste like? His blood had to be overwhelming, like way too much of a good thing. How bad did I want to find out?

  “Alexa, I have never been more alive in the past few centuries than I am right now, with you.” He paused, second-guessing himself, and I turned to plant an encouraging kiss in the palm of his hand where it continued to stroke my cheek. “You are the only light in my dark world. All I see … is you.”

  I closed my eyes, the emotion overcoming me in its immensity. His next words came low, barely a whisper. Yet, I heard them as clearly as if they’d been shouted at me.

  “I love you. I know it’s wrong, but I do. You have given back to me everything I thought I’d lost forever.” His voice carried the sound of defeat. I opened my eyes to find him staring at the floor, shame evident in his expression.

  “How you feel, Arys, it’s not wrong.” I placed my hand over his, drawing it to my chest where my heart beat steadily. “And, it isn’t one sided. Arys, I-,”

  “Don’t say it!” He looked up suddenly, his eyes filled with hope and fear. “Don’t say it,” he repeated, placing a finger over my lips. “You love the white wolf.”

  Knocking his finger away, I rose up on tiptoes to look him directly in the eyes. “I do.

  And, he has his own place within me that can never be touched by another. As do you.”

  He wanted to believe me, but Arys didn’t know how to be loved any better than I had just a few months ago. I understood how hard it was to trust fully. I’d been there.

  “I’ll never let Harley get his hands on you. I will kill him before he can do anything to separate us.” Arys kissed me then, a hard bruising kiss that spoke of his need for solace. His desperation was evident by the pained energy that rolled off him.

  “He wants to bond me, Arys,” I managed to get out between fevered kisses. “I would rather be dead than be bound to him.
”

  Arys began to slide my clothing off, a simple task since I’d been lightly dressed for shape shifting. His hands caressed my stomach, sliding up to cup my breasts firmly.

  “Nobody is going to harm you, my wolf. I swear it.”

  Lowering his head to my breasts, he ran his tongue lightly over one nipple and then the next. A soft moan escaped me, and my knees went weak. His arm went around my waist, holding me up as he sucked and nibbled at my breasts. I threaded my fingers into his soft, perfectly messy hair. He still held a tangled handful of my own long locks.

  Arys’ touch held a tenderness that he’d never shown me before. It caused a tightening low in my body and a quickening of my heart. Nobody had to tell me this time would be like no other before it.

  I tugged at his t-shirt until he quickly discarded it. I was already making short work of his jeans when he brushed my hair from my face and kissed me again. He pulled me down to the soft carpet, allowing me to get comfortable before slipping between my thighs. I instantly grew moist when his erection pressed against my soft folds, instinct drawing our bodies together. Yet, there was something else drawing our souls together, and seeing that love in his eyes as he leaned to run his tongue along my collarbone completely boggled my mind.

  My arms went around him, and I hugged him close. I wanted to feel him on every inch of me. Arys rose up over me so that we had to stare into one another. It demanded more boldness than even I possessed. The intimate nature of it had me shaking in anticipation.

  Arys grinned knowingly, and I flushed from head to toe. The embarrassment was washed away when he pressed closer, guiding his hard shaft to my entrance. I expected him to thrust into me immediately, so when he ever so slowly slid inside while pressing his lips to mine, the rush and tingle that filled me was overwhelming.

  Emotion fed the power humming and growing all around us. Arys buried himself as deep within me as he could possibly get while I fought the urge to cry from the metaphysical effects of the emotion in the power between us. It was so strong, more than I could take. When he pulled out and thrust into me again, I moaned and wrapped my legs around his waist.

  Not once did he take his eyes from my face. He watched me as he forced the soft cries from me with each stroke of his body locked deep inside mine. His eyes held a sense of wonder and intrigue as we rode the waves of energy fueled by love and desire, rather than just desire alone. It was stronger, this power, and I felt it penetrate every part of me.

  If I thought I was afraid, then Arys had to be downright terrified. He was clearly as swept up in the sensations as I was. I felt the shudder that rippled through him as he also struggled with the onslaught of power that seemed to beat at us with newfound strength.

  I ran my hands down his body to his lower back, losing myself in the feeling of him moving in and out of me. He went achingly slow, tenderness in every stroke. It was a pleasure unlike any other I’d known during our usual frenzied, sexual encounters. This was not about the desperation for release. It was about coming to terms with a deeper need and affection for one another. One that I couldn’t deny as Arys loved me with such careful and perfect precision.

  The building waves were strong, and I knew they were going to crash over me hard.

  I gasped for breath and growled when his pace quickened. My body clenched around him, holding him tightly, wrenching a strangled groan from Arys. The sound heightened my senses, and I moved in time with him, my fangs tingling at the gum.

  Again, the thought crossed my mind, what would Arys taste like? As the orgasm approached, I threw all inhibitions to the wind, careless and wild. The wolf was strong in me but so was Arys’ own undead power. My fangs were ready, and I didn’t think, I just acted.

  I went for the spot between his shoulder and his neck, careful not to sink my fangs too deep. Mine were much longer than Arys’ were. He made a sound that was both surprised and pained as I broke through the surface of his smooth, porcelain skin. His blood hit my tongue, hot and tangy, and the most powerful orgasm rocked me to the core.

  I cried out; the sound was muffled against his cool flesh as I tasted the bright red vampire blood. It hit my system like a narcotic, and I instantly had tunnel vision. The waves of undying pleasure continued, building towards a second climax. I felt like I was falling, plummeting head first toward the earth at an alarming rate. Arys’ blood was almost sweet on the back of my tongue. I wanted more, and I sucked harder at the wound.

  Arys moaned and thrust into me hard as he climaxed. My body welcomed it, gripping his shaft as it twitched and jerked inside me. His release flooded me with heat and a fire that consumed. I drew back from the bloody punctures and met his eyes. I will never forget the exposed emotion I saw there. It was so vulnerable compared to the guarded expression he usually wore. I studied it, wanting to remember it always.

  He raised an eyebrow, a sexy grin spreading across his face. “Why are you staring at me, beautiful lady?” His tongue darted out to capture a drop of blood at the corner of my mouth.

  My lips quirked in a half smile. “No reason. Just enjoying the view.” I reached to run a hand through his hair, reveling in every part of touching him.

  Arys rolled off me and curved his body alongside mine. It was somewhat strange to be lying naked on Raoul’s living room floor. It also felt incredibly free and liberating.

  And anyway, this was my house now, and I needed to start treating it as such.

  “Speaking of the view,” Arys pointed lazily toward the window where the darkness was thinning fast now. “I’m not going to make it home. That means you have to stay here with me all day.”

  That sounded like a great way to spend the day to me. I wasn’t ready to leave him yet. “Ok, we can take some blankets downstairs to the basement. It’s furnished.” A thought struck me, and I added, “I have to give Shaz a call though. He’s going to be looking for me.”

  I expected a grimace or dirty look of some kind from Arys then, but his expression remained neutral. That raised my suspicions, and I was suddenly dying to ask him about his little hunting excursion with Shaz.

  “Alright, you go call him. I’ll get us set up downstairs.” He trailed a hand over my back and down my behind as I got up, sending a shiver through me. I was glad to see that I had escaped without a rug burn.

  As Arys rummaged in a hall closet for blankets and pillows, I went to my purse for my cell phone. It wasn’t quite dawn yet, and I got Shaz’ voicemail, as I’d expected. I left a quick message telling him where I was and not to worry about me. I was almost relieved that I could prolong having to face Kylarai in the light of day. I dreaded that conversation.

  Against my better judgment, I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was pretty bare. I had little selection so I chose a can of Pepsi and headed back down the stairs. Arys had already vacated to the lowest level of the house as the sun beams started to creep in.

  I gathered myself, prepared to take on Arys and, hopefully, get more out of him than I had from Shaz. Was my curiosity unnatural? Maybe, but it was driving me nuts to know they had shared an intimate moment, hunted and killed together, and I didn’t know any of the details. Arys was more likely to share things that Shaz would gloss over. And, I had all day to get it out of him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I stared uncertainly at my reflection in the full-length mirror on my closet door. The Little Red Riding Hood costume did wonders for my physique. Unfortunately, it also nagged at my insecurities. I didn’t mind showing a little skin, but I usually had a higher clothing-to-skin ratio than this.

  My cleavage was more than impressive in the black, strapless corset dress. The red lace trim grazed the top of my thigh high fishnet stockings in a barely there way. I decided to pair the costume up with leather knee-high boots that had killer five-inch heels, sharp enough to take out an eye.

  My few accessories included silver bracelets that jingled when I moved and a black ribbon tied like a choker around my neck. The little red hooded cape was
my final accessory. Kylarai assured me that it wasn’t too short from where she sat on my bed, watching me do my makeup. I’d gone a little heavier than usual on the dark eyeliner and, after hesitating, had even added the red lipstick Jez had insisted on when I bought the outfit.

  Things hadn’t been as awkward with Kylarai as I’d expected. I had said a prayer of thanks when I arrived home to find that she was there alone. We hadn’t said much about the fight between Julian and Shaz. Shaz was Alpha, and there wasn’t much more to be said about that.

  I was dying to see him. After getting virtually nothing out of Arys, I was frustrated and ready for an evening out. All Arys had been willing to share was that he and Shaz had formed an unspoken understanding and that I would be wise to stop picking at it.

  Well … fine then.

  I so rarely got the chance to enjoy some cheap entertainment. I had also come home with a ton of ideas and plans for redecorating Raoul’s house. It was still hard to think of it as mine. That would come with time.

  I’d enjoyed being there, more than I’d thought I would. I had expected to feel out of place in the house filled with both good and bad memories. Instead I had felt calm and at peace. Strange but true.

  I turned to face Kylarai, loving my height in the high-heeled boots. She was dressed as the green fairy, better known to some as the absinthe fairy. Clad in a long, forest green cocktail dress with a slit from floor to hip and the cutest sparkly green wings, she looked like she’d just stepped out of a fantasy novel. Green eyeliner would never have looked so perfect on me. Her grey eyes were dazzling.

  “Should I leave my hair down or put it up?” I asked, ignoring the part of me that felt guilty as soon as I met her eyes. Some combination of Julian’s loss and the kiss I’d shared with Kale nagged at me.

  “Leave it down but use some mousse and blow dry it upside down to give it that wild look with lots of volume,” she said. “That would look sexy.”