by Grosso, Kym
“No…yes. I don’t know.”
Without warning Léopold thrust a thick finger into her, making her groan in pleasure. He could feel her contracting around him, certain she enjoyed it.
“Oh God, yes.”
“So willing and submissive when given the freedom to be so.” He yearned to break her, to make her want only him.
“Léopold, please. No more games,” she cried as he added another finger. Her satiny flesh tightened around him, anticipating every stroke he gave.
“I don’t play games.”
“Now it’s you who lies,” she moaned as he continued to draw out the tension, edging her closer toward climax.
“No games. No lies. Do you, little nymph, wish to submit to me? A fantasy, perhaps?” Léopold speculated that she’d spent so many years hiding not only her identity but her wish to explore her own sexuality. Her ragged breaths grew more frequent as he moved deep within her. Pressing his chest against her belly, he brushed his lips against hers.
“Yes. Oh God, yes!” she screamed as she began to convulse at his hand. Laryssa hated that he knew her dark secret, loved that he wasn’t afraid to push her boundaries. Rocked by uncontrollable pleasure, a tear of bliss ran down her cheek.
Léopold slipped his fingers away, driving the hard length of his cock inside her in one swift motion. Without haste, he tenderly made love to her. Releasing her wrists, he braced himself with one hand, so as not to crush her, and with his other, cupped her cheek so that he could gaze into her eyes. The moisture brimming from her lids provided evidence of the implications of what they’d done by having sex. Emotions he hadn’t felt in centuries welled up inside his chest. Laryssa was so much more than he’d ever expected. There’d be no meaningless fuck with her. No, if given the opportunity, he’d realize his true desire, which was to know everything about her, to make her his. The sweet pain of his epiphany tore at him, knowing that he couldn’t keep her.
“You fascinate me, Laryssa. So very, very beautiful,” he confided breathlessly, crushing his lips to hers.
Pouring all of the feelings he’d never confess to her, he kissed her passionately as if he’d never see her again. All of Laryssa’s thoughts vanished, replaced with nothing but the vampire who held her in his arms. As he swept his tongue against hers, claiming her mouth, she welcomed the intimacy of his onslaught. Kissing, sucking, tasting of each other, their bodies became one.
As their kiss deepened, they moved simultaneously, slowly increasing the tempo of their rhythm. Léopold’s hands glided down her sides, finally reaching her hips. Deliberately, he began to circle his pelvis against hers, stimulating her most sensitive flesh.
“You feel so fucking good,” he grunted. .
“So close. Don’t stop,” she begged, tearing her lips away, gasping for air. Laryssa arched her back, rubbing herself against him.
Léopold rocked faster and faster, brushing back and forth against her clitoris. The spasms of her hot core pulsed around his cock, causing him to suck in a quick breath. She shivered beneath him and he could no longer stop the inevitable. With slamming thrusts, he pounded into her as she cried his name again and again.
Seized in ecstasy, Laryssa surged her hips up to meet his. As her release slammed into her, she stiffened against him, milking every spasm. Her head thrashed side to side, her nails digging into his buttocks. As pleasure claimed her, Léopold gave a loud grunt, erupting deep inside her. Together, they lay motionless as the last quivering pulses rolled through them.
Laryssa curled her body against Léopold as he slowly removed his spent shaft from inside her and brought her up onto his chest. Terrified to look into his eyes, she silently wiped at the tears that continued to fall. How stupid am I to think that I could make love with someone like Léopold and walk away with my heart intact?
Powerful and charismatic, Léopold had cut through her defenses as easily as a hot knife sliced through butter. If she stayed with him a minute longer, he’d push her to new heights. Not only would she submit to him sexually, she’d give him her heart. And he’d crush it. With a firm resolve, she vowed to herself that this would be the last time she made love to him. Gorgeous and dominant, he was everything she’d ever want in a lover. But he’d been clear about his intentions from the beginning. They had no future.
Léopold felt her trembling in his arms. No words were needed to tell him what they both knew to be true. Making love had been a spectacular, earth-shattering experience, cloaked in satisfaction but also a sense of loss. It couldn’t happen again. Staring at the ceiling, Léopold stroked her hair, hoping it would offer her the comfort she needed to let go. But as he did so, he wondered where he’d get the strength to do the same.
Chapter Eight
“Bonjour, mon ami,” Léopold commented as he strode into the great room, giving a wave to Dimitri. “See you got my text. Arnaud saw to your arrival?”
“Yeah, got it last night at around four in the morning. You vamps really don’t sleep, do you?” Dimitri asked, taking a long draw of his coffee.
“I rest when I need it. Besides, as you know, I prefer the night. Why today’s supernaturals wish to walk in the daylight is beyond comprehension. The night is the mother of our strength. Why subject yourself to being the likeness of a human in the sun when you can be a mighty lion by the moon?”
“Well, I’m with you there. I do love a good moon.” Dimitri gave a guttural howl and laughed. Some days he couldn’t get enough of teasing the vampire. Most days, actually. “Hey, you remember meeting Jake, right?”
“Oui.” Léopold rolled his eyes in response to the wolf’s incessant howling. He nodded and passed by them into the kitchen.
“Gotcha a café au lait. It’s on the counter.”
“Merci.” Léopold opened the lid of the paper cup and sniffed. “Nectar of the Gods.”
“See, he still acts normal every now and then,” Dimitri joked to Jake.
“Doesn’t seem right, is all.”
“I need blood to survive. Coffee, on the other hand, just tastes good. It’s not as if I can’t appreciate the finer epicurean delights that life has to offer.” Léopold circled the table and sat down.
“I’ve seen some of your so-called epicurean delights and they all look female,” Dimitri noted.
“Pleasure comes in all forms,” he smiled.
Dimitri eyed Léopold as it occurred to him that his typically well-dressed friend was wearing nothing more than black pajama bottoms. His disheveled state piqued his curiosity.
“Hey Leo, what’s with the shirtless look today?” Dimitri glanced at Jake and smiled. “Or is it that maybe Mr. GQ is finally loosening up?”
“He definitely works out a lot. Makes me want to get to the gym,” Jake added, giving Dimitri a grin.
“Must be that all-protein diet regimen.”
“Fuck you,” Léopold laughed. “You do realize that when we’re turned as adults, we stay in that form. But yeah, smartass, I work out.”
“How’d you get so ripped? What’d you do in a previous life? Let me guess…a body builder? No wait. A lifeguard?” Jake suggested.
“Come on. Just look at him.” Dimitri glanced to Léopold. “Too pale.”
“A gym trainer?” Jake teased.
“No way. He’s an old man. As in really old. Maybe a farmer…workin’ the vineyards of France. Or, uh, soldier. Yeah, that’s more like Leo. Some medieval black ops badass,” Dimitri guessed.
Léopold smiled broadly and shook his head.
“That’s it.” Dimitri pointed at him. “I’m close, aren’t I?”
Léopold sighed, debating whether or not to disclose his former profession. He didn’t make a habit of discussing his life as a human. Too many bad memories. Yet, there was a camaraderie that he missed that existed when he’d served in the king’s service, one that was similar to what wolves shared. He knew, though they baited him, they sought to create a connection. Dimitri already had his trust, his friendship.
“Oui. A knight
. I served under King Hugh Capet. I was a warrior in his service in exchange for a fief, of course.”
“Damn, bro, you’ve been holdin’ out on me. I bet you have some great stories.” Dimitri smacked his palm on the table in jest.
“Life was hard, very hard. France was merely coming together on its own when I was born. My stories will wait for another day, though. We should discuss today’s agenda.”
“You see how he does that?” Dimitri asked.
“Does what?” Jake looked to him and then Léopold, who was smiling.
“Avoids the topic. The man is smooth. Still haven’t answered my original question, Sir Leo the vamp.”
“What was the question?”
“Why aren’t you dressed? I wasn’t born yesterday. I know you, Leo. You’re the most impeccable metrosexual guy I know. And here you are this morning, hair flying all over and half dressed. For the rest of us, totally normal. For you? Not so much. What gives?”
“Nothing at all. I heard you all jabbering about in my house and came to see what the fuss was about.” He smiled coyly and raised his eyebrows.
Dimitri eyed Jake and then glanced to Léopold who silently sipped his coffee. He may not have known the vampire very long, but he knew his habits. Something was off. And then it occurred to him that he hadn’t seen Laryssa. There was no way in hell that Léopold would be so casual with a woman in the house unless…
“How’s Laryssa?” Dimitri asked pointedly. His eyes darted to Jake.
“She’s fine,” Léopold lied. He expected that Laryssa was as far from fine as she could get. At some point during the evening, she’d broken free of his embrace. She’d curled onto her side, facing away from him. Despite her ability to do so, she hadn’t hidden her racing heartbeat. He’d known she was awake yet said nothing. After an hour, she threw back the covers and left the room, without looking back at him. No words. No kiss goodbye. Cold sheets were left in her wake. He should be happy, he knew. It was what he wanted, yet the loss of her bothered him far more than it should.
“You mentioned a demon. Where’d it show itself?” Dimitri asked.
“Down at the lake.” Léopold nodded toward the windows.
“It came to you directly?”
“No, to Laryssa. I tried to get there in time, but she’d fallen into the lake.”
“What? Somehow it took Laryssa from your house down to the lake?”
“No. She went down to the lake and it appeared to her there,” Léopold told him without fully explaining.
“Am I missing something? I thought you said you were going to be with her,” Jake interjected.
“I was with her, but then dinner arrived and well, you know…things became awkward. She was supposed to be going for a swim in the pool, not the damn lake.”
“Wait a second. Let me get this straight. You bring a hot woman to your house. Then at some point you invite a donor over…aka hot chick number two. So Laryssa takes off out of disgust for your eating habits. Some people aren’t a fan of blood,” Dimitri conjectured. “Or she takes off because she’s not into threesomes. Maybe jealous? Maybe she wanted one of those sex bites, herself?”
“Enough already,” Léopold demanded. “I needed to feed. I will not deny who I am just because I foolishly decided to protect some woman. And just because Laryssa is ‘hot’ as you’ve put it, that doesn’t mean I’m going to become attached to her.”
“So you’re telling me that when she left this house, she was a-okay with your, uh, naked takeout girl?”
Léopold sighed and stood up from the table. Glancing out onto the lake, he recalled the previous evening, how angry she’d been.
“No, she wasn’t. She wasn’t at all happy. But that is neither here nor there. What’s done is done. She went to the lake and the demon appeared. It’s given her one week to find the Tecpatl. The Tlalco Tecpatl to be exact.”
“What the hell is a Tecpatl?” Dimitri got up from the table and placed his empty cup in the trash.
“An ancient sacrificial knife used by the Aztecs,” Jake answered.
“How the hell did you know that?” Dimitri stared over to Jake in disbelief.
“I’m a fan of Mesoamerican history,” he quipped.
“He’s correct,” Léopold affirmed.
“Human sacrifice. Gory shit,” Jake added.
“You wolves do have a way with words,” Léopold mused.
“So, how about Laryssa? Is she okay?” Dimitri inquired, still suspicious of the vampire’s unkempt appearance.
“It clawed at her, but she fought it off and then it was gone.”
“Did you just say it clawed at her? Is she hurt?” Dimitri approached Léopold so that they stood shoulder to shoulder, taking in the landscape. It was the first time he’d been to Léopold’s lake house.
“No, she’s fine, but…” Léopold didn’t finish his sentence.
“But what? Exactly how does someone get swiped by a demon and be fine?”
“She’s healed.” While she was sleeping, he’d inspected the wound and not a trace of a scar was evident.
“I take it this has something to do with what she does?”
“Indeed, mon ami. But I promised her that I wouldn’t tell anyone what she is, so don’t bother asking. It’s her story to tell. You can ask her when she comes out. My guess is that after that demon showed up, she’ll tell you. But I cannot break my oath to her. I’ve already done enough to hurt her on my own without digging the hole any deeper,” Léopold confessed. Turning to Dimitri, he raked his hand through his tousled hair.
Dimitri leaned toward his friend and sniffed. He shook his head, knowing the answer to the next question he was about to ask Léopold. “You fucked her didn’t you? I can smell it.”
“Must you be so uncouth?” Léopold replied, blowing out a breath.
“You did,” Dimitri exclaimed. “Jesus Christ, Leo. Seriously, man. You can have any woman you want. Why her? You ever hear that expression, ‘don’t dip your pen in the company ink’?”
“Yes, I’ve fucking heard it, asshole. But she’s just so…I don’t know, she’s just special. Goddammit, I know, okay? I know I fucked up.”
“I don’t see what the issue is here. I mean have you two idiots ever heard the term ‘consenting adults’. What’s the big deal?” Jake asked.
“The big deal is that he just fucking met her. And we need her to help us to keep Ava safe. If she’s in danger, so is our Alpha. Laryssa was just starting to trust us, trust him, and lover boy here just can’t keep it in his pants,” Dimitri huffed, taking a seat at the table.
“He’s right. There’s no excuse,” Léopold agreed. “It’s not sleeping with a woman that’s a problem, it’s the fact that I can’t…I won’t have a relationship. It’s not happening. And now that we’ve made love, well, it adds complications to our situation. Ones we didn’t need.”
“It would be one thing if you actually cared about anything besides yourself, Devereoux. But you don’t. That’s the thing. If you fucking hurt her…” Dimitri began.
“Why do you care about her anyway, wolf?” Léopold’s eyes narrowed on Dimitri.
“Because, Leo,” Dimitri stared at his friend. “She seemed kind of nice. And she stood up to that asshole, Luca. And for some reason, unbeknownst to me, she seems like she might actually care about you. Why is beyond me. And she cares about Ava too, and she has no reason to. We are the ones who sought her out. Now, not only have we upturned her life, we’ve brought a demon to her…right here to your goddamn house.”
“I think we’ve established that I fucked up. I just said so. Can we just move on?”
“She’s okay with one night? Because I know that you never have women sleepover. You’ve told me as much.”
“I told her that I don’t do relationships. I can’t become involved with her. But you’re correct in that we do need her. We need to find that knife.”
“This isn’t going to go well, you know that, right? I mean, I don’t know Laryssa, but I sa
w the way she looked at you yesterday, and I have a hard time believing she’s a one night stand kinda girl. Could be wrong? But damn, it was as if she had ‘innocence’ stamped on her forehead,” Dimitri said.
“Please stop already. Okay?” Léopold tilted his head backwards, closed his eyes and wiped them with both of his hands out of frustration. “I get it. I’m a dick. I shouldn’t have slept with her but I did. I can’t take it back. I promise you that I’ll do my best to repair this…’relationship’ I’ve irresponsibly put at risk.”
He choked on the word. Relationship. No, no, no. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he was developing feelings for Laryssa, now Dimitri had him filled with guilt for what he’d done. Damn wolves. Damn humans. For a moment, he wished he could go back to not caring about his new friend. But no matter how he tried, what was done was done. Merde. I’m truly fucked.
Laryssa heard shouting coming from the great room and thought to give them fair warning she was approaching. Dimitri had mentioned her name, and she suspected that whatever they were arguing about, it had to do with her. As curious as she was, she was still reeling from her night with Léopold.
Earlier, she’d gone to take a shower to wash away the memories of her night with him, hoping it’d make her forget the way he’d stirred passion within her. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t felt his heat mere inches away from her body as they lay in bed. She’d known that even the slightest brush of her skin against his would have broken her resolve to leave. She’d been awake for hours, sensing that he was watching her. But not a word was spoken, nor a caress exchanged. The heavy tension had strangled her, causing her to flee.
The hot spray of the shower had matched the tears that fell down her face. As a vampire, she’d known that he’d hear her. So with every heaving breath, she stifled the sound. Thirty minutes later, she’d convinced herself that her good old-fashioned cry was due to the stress of keeping her secret for so long. Her intense reaction to making love was simply lust, nothing more. She told herself that she needed to think with her head, not what her heart told her it wanted. He’d been up front about his intentions, unbending in his ways. She supposed she’d just have to accept it. She wasn’t foolish enough to try to change a man. It’d never work, she knew.
