Micah's Calling

by Donya Lynne

  Since those first couple days, the sex had tapered. This was the sixth time today they'd made love, and his body was beginning to allow him to luxuriate more. If things went well tonight, they would get in one more healthy dose of one another before nodding off again, and he wanted to savor her then if his body let him.

  Her small, pale-tipped breasts bobbed forward and back, forward and back as he thrust again and again, feeling the quick build of release at the base of his spine. His hands dug into her hips as he increased his tempo, and Sam reached down and latched on to his wrists. Her gaze met his and she cried out as she came.

  God love her, but she was the most responsive female he'd ever met. Sure, her body reacted to his mating heat, making it easier for her to find her own pleasure each time they joined, but he could tell that even without the hormonal trigger she would still be an orgasmic tidal wave. It would just take her longer to reach her climax without his heat to spur her on, but her body matched his perfectly.

  "Fuck!" Micah slammed into her once more and let loose a torrent of fertility. His entire body warmed, and his nerve endings danced and exalted with yet another successful release of his highly potent offering. The extra special glow and rapturous tingle that cascaded in a chain reaction to every muscle in his body was the calling's gift to him for sowing his seeds through coitus. The afterglow of orgasm would never feel quite as pleasurable as it did during a calling.

  "Mmm." Sam released his wrists and sat up. She was all fluid motion and feline finesse as her arms encircled him and her mouth found his chest.

  His cock was still pumping inside her, filling her with his potency as her lips and tongue took turns gliding over his skin, flicking one nipple then the other. Needing her closer, he pulled her in, tucking her against his body as the last of his ejaculation ebbed.

  Micah didn't want to move. He didn't want to pull out of her. After each session with Sam, it was the same thing. He simply wanted to stay wrapped inside her warm, moist sheath. His cock felt perfect there. At home. Where it belonged. He had never experienced this feeling with his first two mates.

  "I love you." He burrowed his nose into her short, silky-soft, blond hair. Mmm, lilacs. She always smelled of lilacs.

  "I love you, too."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sam didn't fully understand this thing Micah called the calling, but she liked it. And she liked her new body, too, because it bounced back and healed itself quickly, making her ready for the next time he needed to take her.

  She had been a bit scared at how often he wanted to have sex with her those first couple of days. Then he explained that it was normal for a newly-mated male. And then earlier today he had attempted to explain the calling to her. Unfortunately, his explanation had been cut short by his body's need to have her yet again. And miraculously enough, she seemed to peak with arousal every time he did. Was that part of this calling thing, too? It seemed too coincidental not to be. She still had so much to learn about Micah's world. It was hard to believe she had only known him a few weeks.

  She kissed a trail up his chest then his neck and over his jaw until he turned his head to meet her mouth with his. He was still breathless, caught up in whatever aftermath this ethereal force he referred to as the calling left him in each time they had sex. She couldn't explain it, but he seemed to be filled with some inner glow that made his chest swell with pride, as if coming inside her made him more of a man — male, whatever. She needed to get used to the idea that Micah was not a man. He was a male. Big difference. A man was human. A male was…well, Micah. Vampire and distinctly not human.

  She gazed up at his beautiful face. His eyes were closed, and his shapely lips were slightly parted, the corners barely turned up in a reverent smile that softened his features. When his eyes opened lazily, and he found her gazing up at him, his smile widened to show off perfectly straight teeth, as well as the tips of his fangs.

  "You look drunk," she said, unable to hold back her own awe-struck gaze. She hoped she never got used to how unbelievably gorgeous he was.

  "I am drunk." He nuzzled her neck. "Drunk on you."

  "I think that's the calling talking." She giggled as he nibbled below her ear.

  "And the calling is only responding to what you've done to me. So see, it's all your fault."

  Sam laughed and gave him a playful shove. "Cuff me, officer. I'm guilty as charged."

  Micah purred hard and deep at her words, his whole body tensing sensuously.

  Whoa! She hadn't expected that reaction from him so soon after what they'd just done.

  "What the hell was that?" She shot him a wide-eyed look as he pulled back and looked down at her with hooded eyes.

  "What you said. I liked it."

  "Which part?"

  He drew in a long breath, practically smoldering. "About cuffing you."

  It was her turn to arch an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

  He nodded, purring again. "Oh, yeah." He licked his lips and burned holes through her with his sexy stare.

  This was new. When had Micah become so into bondage? Was there something he wasn't telling her? Before she could ask, he was moving inside her again.

  Being that he had never withdrawn, it wasn't such a shock, but the fact that he was ready again so soon was. Even with the calling thingamajig, Micah had never come at her again before he had even pulled out.

  "Really?" She arched an eyebrow at him, feeling her insides warm in response to him.

  He growled, hastening. "You have no idea."

  Oh my! His deep voice stirred something in the depths of her belly.

  He lifted her from the counter, and she locked her ankles around the backs of his knees as he fucked her hard and fast standing up. Sam had to hang on for dear life, strapping her arms around his shoulders and grabbing hold of his long hair.

  He shuddered and stumbled before spinning her around and slamming her back against the pantry door. And he was coming again. Just that fast.

  Yeah, she needed to get to the bottom of why the idea of putting her in handcuffs had just prompted the almost immediate eruption of his personal Mount St. Helens. Why putting her into bondage was such a turn-on could prove to be a useful bit of information if she ever needed to bribe him.

  The idea alone made her grin.

  "Oh, no you don't." Micah spoke against her shoulder, breathing heavily, his voice ragged. "I will not have you using bribery on me, woman."

  She smacked him. "Get out of my head."

  He chuffed and gasped for air as he pulled back. "Damn, you're sexy."

  "Don't change the subject."

  He grinned his sexy smile at her. "I'm not." He feigned innocence, but Sam knew better.

  Still, she was getting to the point where she didn't think he would ever be able to stay out of her mind. Small price to pay to be with the one she loved, but it still caught her off guard.

  "Grab me a towel?" She knew as soon as he pulled out of her it could get messy. He had come twice in one shot, if she wanted to think about it that way.

  He reached and tore off a paper towel and handed it to her before slowly sliding free of her.

  She took the towel and shook her head at him. "You are really beginning to make a mess of me. You know that, don't you?"

  With a flourish of his hand across her forehead and through her hair, he swept in, locked lips with her with enough fire to light up Chicago, then pulled away.

  "Let's eat. You need your nourishment." He gestured to the cutting board full of sliced cheese and veggies. His half-hard cock bobbed distractingly in front of him, but at this point, with so many days of constant nudity between them, all semblance of prudish restraint had been kicked out the window.

  "I have somewhere I want to take you," he said.

  "Oh?" She disposed of the towel after tidying herself up then washed her hands before joining him in front of his quaint counter picnic.

  He held out a piece of cheese for her and she took it between her teeth.

  "My ho
me," he said.

  "Yeah. Your home." She looked at him and waited for the punch line.

  He ate a cherry tomato then held one out for her, frowning at her quizzical glance. "What?"

  "I'm waiting."

  "For what?"

  She gaped at him and laughed. "What about your home?" She looked around his apartment and shrugged.

  Micah stammered and shook his head. "No. My home. This isn't my home." He gestured to the rest of the apartment.

  Huh? Was Sam missing something?

  "This is just where I stay," he said. "I don't consider this my home."

  "Ooohhhh." She was finally getting it. "So, do you have a house or something?"

  He nodded, crunching into a carrot stick. "Yes, in the burbs. I want to take you there tonight."

  Well, well. Micah had a house. His secrets just unfolded more and more. As she grabbed another bite of cheese, she wondered what kind of house it was. Was it small? Large? Definitely large. Micah didn't seem the type to have a small home. So, how large? Mansion large or just adequately big? Did he have a pool?

  She glanced into the living room of his apartment, noting the exquisite furniture, the antique sword mounted on the wall, the classic novels that looked like originals on his bookcase, his alphabetized CDs. The Monet for God's sake. Did he have more of the same in his other home? She got the feeling this was but a small collection of riches compared to what Micah would have in his home. Just how much money did Micah have?

  Her gaze flicked curiously toward him as she wondered what else he had to share with her. He was grinning as he chewed, his gaze averted from hers as he picked through the cheese on the cutting board. Obviously, he was inside her head again, humored by her rambling thoughts.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. You fuck like a stallion.

  One eyebrow shot up and his grin quirked.

  "I thought so," she said, looking back down and picking up a piece of celery.

  He laughed. Dark, rich, and lovely. She loved his laugh. From what he had told her, he hadn't laughed in a long time. Centuries, really. However, in the short time she had known him, he seemed to be laughing more and more.

  They finished what he had prepared for them then he swatted her playfully on the ass.

  "Come on. Let's get going. I want to hurry and get you back here so I can fuck you again."

  "Micah!" She smacked his chest.

  "Hey, it's your fault, remember. All your fault." His navy blue eyes glinted with amusement as he goosed her toward the hall.

  She jumped and slapped his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Uh-huh."

  Ten minutes later, she was in the passenger seat of his black Audi A8 as they pulled out of the Sentinel's parking garage. Nice car. Finally, she knew what he drove. It sure beat her late 80s Toyota Corolla.

  "I'm going to buy you a new car," he said.

  Sam rolled her eyes at him. He was inside her head again, as always.

  "You don't have to do that, Micah."

  He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. As he kissed it, his manicured, black facial stubble tickled her skin.

  "I want to."

  He released her hand and she slipped it into his hair, combing her fingers through all that long, black silk.

  They rode in silence for a couple of minutes, and she thought more about what was happening between them.

  "Okay, so this…calling. It affects you when you take a mate, right?" She really wanted to understand this.

  "Yes."

  "And, when you're in this calling phase, you are at your most fertile. Is that right?"

  "Yes."

  "So, should I be using protection?" Bad time to think about that, but it really hadn't come up until just now. They'd been too busy getting busy to stop and think about the trivial stuff, such as preventing an unplanned pregnancy. You know, nothing big.

  Micah cleared his throat and glanced at her. "I don't think so."

  "Why? If you're at your most fertile, and we're having all kinds of unprotected sex, won't I get pregnant?" The idea of having his baby was appealing, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

  Micah shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "After what's happened to you, I don't think you can get pregnant. At least, not right now. If anything, you would have been pregnant before Apostle bit you, because I was already entering my calling phase with you before then. That first night with you. I felt it then." He paused. "And if you were pregnant, his venom would have pretty much…." Micah didn't finish the sentence, but Sam didn't need him to for her to understand what he was saying.

  She put her hand over her belly introspectively, wondering if she had been pregnant and lost the baby after Apostle's attack. "Oh."

  "And then I added my venom into the equation to save you, and now…your body is so new that I don't think it's capable of taking a fertilized egg. Yet."

  Sam's mind jumped back to that night. Had it really only been a week since Apostle had tried to kill her? But Micah had saved her. He had broken all kinds of vampire laws to transform her into an immortal, but at least he had saved her life, binding her to him forever in the process of combining his venom with her blood.

  "Do you think I'll ever…?"

  Micah took her hand and hushed her, obviously knowing what she was thinking. "It's only temporary, Sam. Once your body adjusts, you'll be able to bear children."

  The two sat silently for a minute, and Sam wondered what Micah was thinking. He could see inside her thoughts, but she couldn't see inside his.

  "Do you want to have children with me?" His voice was soft, almost hopeful.

  "Yes," she said without hesitation.

  Micah pulled over and put the car in park. He unfastened his seatbelt and in an instant had her in his arms, swooping her up and kissing her hard.

  Wow, she needed to remember: handcuffs and children. Those were his hot buttons.

  He pulled back and chuckled self-consciously. "I'm sorry," he said. "The calling makes us males a bit emotional."

  "I can see that." Sam palmed his cheek as they stared into each other's eyes. "I like it."

  "I'm not so sure I do, but I'll live." He grinned.

  "Tell me more about this calling." She felt like they had only scratched the surface.

  "Well, for one thing, it makes us really want to have children." Micah made a face and nodded before pointing to himself as if he were Exhibit A. "As in, it's all we can think about besides sex, which is why hearing you say you want to bear my children pleases me so much." He caressed her face with the backs of his fingers. "My goal while I'm in my calling phase is to get you pregnant. It's why I physically can't not have sex with you. And it's why the phase lasts for so long. Because by lasting two weeks or more, the calling ensures I will hit the chosen female while she ovulates."

  "So female vampires? They have monthly periods, too?"

  Micah nodded. "More or less."

  "And does this mean that when you aren't in a calling, you can't get me pregnant?"

  "Well, yes and no." He shrugged. "It's a lot harder to get you pregnant when I'm not in my calling, but it can happen." He grinned. "Think of it this way: Outside my calling, my sperm count is meager, to say the least. In my calling, I become Super Sperm Man." He absently made a little squiggly gesture over his chest as if he was drawing a sperm on himself.

  Sam laughed at the visual. "Do I need to make you a little red and blue leotard suit, Mr. Super Sperm Man?"

  Micah flushed with embarrassment. "That would be a no."

  She pressed her finger against the center of his chest and drew a slow squiggle. "Awe, I think it would look cute."

  With a dramatic sigh, he leaned back in his seat and buckled up. "Do. Not. Even. Think about it."

  She broke out in laughter again. Micah was so adorable when he was miffed.

  "Well, if I do think about it, I'm sure you'll be the first to know." She was in the midst of a fit of giggles now, unable to hold back as he scowled playfully at her.

&nbs
p; "Funny, Miss Garrett."

  She held up her hands, still giggling. "Whoa! Wait a minute. I thought I was Mrs. Black."

  "As you so eloquently pointed out, Miss Garrett…" He pointed to her left ring finger. "I don't see a ring on that finger."

  She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, you can fix that, you know."

  "Maybe." He coyly fixed his gaze on the road.

  A moment later, after she had finally gotten her giggling under control again, she asked, "So, how often do you have these calling phases? I assume it happens more than once if it's the main form of propagating the vampire race."

  "Mated males experience a calling once every five to ten years."

  "What happens if his mate isn't around to accommodate him?"

  He gave her a look as if to suggest she better not be getting any ideas to run off and play hide-and-seek. "It's agony. Pure agony. The only thing more dangerous than a mutant is a mated male in his calling without his mate. The mood swings are violent, the agony unbearable. He will do whatever he has to do to get to his mate when he is in the calling." He paused. "You would be wise to take my word on this and not test me on the matter."

  Duly noted. But what was that other thing he mentioned? Mutants. Hadn't he mentioned them once before?

  "Remind me. Mutants are…?"

  Micah grinned patiently. "Some vampires are what we called mixed-bloods. They are not full-blooded vampires. More and more often, vampires are mating with humans, so we get these cross-breeds, like Trace. He's a mixed-blood." Micah kept one hand on the wheel as he briefly gestured with the other, palm up, as if he was holding a hologram of Trace in his palm. "Anyway, when a human and a vampire mate, their children are born with unique powers. It's like a genetic mutation takes place and heightens their abilities in a certain area. Take Trace, for example." Micah quickly glanced at her as he slowed down to take a turn. "Trace has this unbelievable power to mass compel. I've never seen anything like it. He can bring an entire room of people to a standstill and pick through the minds of multiple people at one. I don't even think I know the extent of his power, either, which I think he got from his mother, but I'm not sure."