by C. J. Pinard
He’d pulled my bra off with my shirt, and when he saw my raw, bare pale flesh, he sucked in a breath and then pierced me with a lustful look. “Bloody fucking hell… I’m so hard.”
I grinned a little at his profanity, and licked his lips, and then the tip of his nose, before kicking off my boots and then wiggling out of my pants. Thanks to my little lake bath, I was happy to see I was pretty clean all over. I dropped my knees to the side and arched my back, beckoning him to lie on top of me.
As I had been disrobing, he had too, as now he was completely naked and lying on top of me. The sight of his chiseled abs and taut, tight chest caused a fire to ignite deep within my core. His gaze roamed my body, and slowly, he ran both hands up my sides, across my breasts, and then up the insides of arms. Once he reached my wrists, he slammed both to the pillow above my head, never breaking eye contact.
“You ready for my new purpose?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Oh, yes, I am,” I breathed, ready and willing to let him do anything and everything to me.
As I was wondering if he was going to ask me anything more, I felt him slide into me. I gasped out loud and then groaned in pleasure.
“Fuck… so tight,” he murmured.
Damn, it had been too long… way too long.
I raised my hips to meet his as he pulled out and then slammed back into me again.
He let go of my hands, so with my right one, I slid it up his backside, over his hard shoulders, up his neck, and then threaded my fingers into his hair. My long fingernails scraped his scalp as he continued to make love to me. He let out a moan under my touch, and it caused more heat to rise inside of me.
Kellan rose up on both palms, and, while stroking in and out of me slowly, he leaned down and captured one nipple into his mouth. I arched off the bed at the sensation. With his huge size sliding over my heightened nerve endings, and then into me, combined and what he was doing to my breasts, I was close to falling over the edge into the abyss.
He stopped moving and I opened my eyes to see him lift his face from my breast. Smiling, he pulled all the way out, slid a hand under my ass, and then flipped me over. He then grabbed both my legs and pushed me so I was kneeling. Without another word, he gripped both hips, then pushed inside me again, as he reached around to play with me while his cock filled me up.
This caused an entire new array of sensations to overtake me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever came in this position, but I knew I was about to. His fingers felt like bolts of pleasurable lightning each time he stroked me, and the position of his hard length inside me was too much. I then felt a stinging slap to my ass cheek, and I shrieked.
“That’s only the beginning of your punishment,” he rasped out.
“If that’s punishment, let me break the rules some more,” I breathed.
He grunted, and then continued to pound into me, his breaths coming out in short bursts. Then he leaned down and bit into my shoulder, my body shuddering in pleasure as soon as his mouth began sucking and licking. In between every movement, he moaned and swore.
I exploded with a scream and at the same time, he stopped moving, a rush of warmth filling me up.
“Oh, my God,” I groaned as I fell onto my stomach. “That was amazing.”
He collapsed on top of me. “Oh, yes it was, baby. Yes it was.”
After sleeping the day away, we showered together, and then getting dressed back into the clothes we had been wearing, but I was dying to find something else to wear. These were covered in blood, sweat, and ash, and I had half a mind to just leave in my bra and underwear, but Kellan wasn’t having it. I tried to reason that we could probably find me some clothes in the main house, but he had just laughed and said, “We will, but you’re not going in there half naked.”
I glanced out the window after securing my wet hair back into a braid, and could see that it was nightfall. So instead of using the tunnel, we went out through the front door and walked across the lawn toward the main house. I was nervous and on edge after everything I’d gone through in this place over the past forty-eight hours.
The house was small in the distance, and it made sense as to why Kellan didn’t know exactly where he had been. The voices he’d heard while we’d been communicating through our bond had probably been coming from or through the tunnel.
We walked hand-in-hand under the almost full moon. “You need to relax,” he said, squeezing my hand. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I said, glancing down at my trusty dagger, then back to into Kellan’s beautifully perfect face.
He chuckled. “Why are you worried about me?”
I chewed the side of my lip, then looked back to him. “Didn’t that asshole have a houseful of minions? Like, aren’t they going to be pissed we killed him?”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. I don’t know how many were under any sort of spells, but he did not treat the staff well.”
Another thought hit me. “So, won’t they be worried they’ll be out of a job?”
“No, they’ll remain employed. Whoever takes over the house will keep the staff.”
I looked off into the distance as the gigantic two-story mansion came closer into view. It reminded me of some kind of palace you’d see in England, which, of course, wasn’t surprising. The only thing that definitely wasn’t something you’d see in England were the fourteen-thousand foot high mountains that loomed against the dark, star-shot sky to the right of us. I always thought that their blackened silhouettes looked like a painting, as some were sharp, black peaks, while others looked like shadows next to them.
“It never gets old, does it?” Kellan commented, following my gaze.
I shook my head slightly. “No, it doesn’t. And I’ve lived here all my life.”
“Do you ever desire to leave? To go live somewhere else to see what it’s like?”
We continued to walk, but his question gave me pause. I never wanted to leave Colorado, but Evan’s words from a few months ago had never left my mind:
But… Ayla, you can’t stay in Colorado forever. I hope you know that. In about ten years, people are going to start to ask questions as to why you still look twenty-four, and you’ll have to leave.”
I worried my lip. “I really don’t ever want to leave Colorado, but I also understand that if I don’t age, I’ll need to move on. That being said, I’ve only lived in the Denver area. There’s nothing that says I can’t go live all the way up in Aspen, or in Colorado Springs, or even way out west in Grand Junction. Although… I don’t think I would like it there. The mountains would be on the wrong side from what I’m used to.” I laughed to myself.
“You’re so damn adorable, you know that?” Kellan said, swinging our linked hands between us as we walked, as if we were teenagers.
I grinned and then looked at the ground. “I have a question.”
“I’m shocked,” he replied in a mocking tone.
“Oh, you made a funny. This is my amused face.” I pointed to my face while wearing a seriously stoic expression.
Kellan chuckled. “Ask your question.”
“Who did Linden leave in charge should he ever die? Did he have some kind of will or trust? Is that something he had ever discussed with you?”
He nodded. “Yes, he did.”
“Okaaayyy,” I replied, waiting for an answer. “So, who’s in charge now?”
We’d reached the backyard, the swimming pool now feet away as we skirted around it. Once we reached the back door to the mansion, we stopped and he let go of my hand. As he brushed a stray blonde hair from my face, he said, “Me.”
Chapter 18
The back door was unlocked, and we walked into a large living room-type setup. Couches, the biggest flat-screen TV I’d ever seen, and tall, twenty-foot ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows on the wall where the large French doors were that we’d just come through. It sort of reminded me of Karina’s house… the one she shared with her fam
ily. I hadn’t looked at this room too closely when I’d snuck through the door earlier with Sanja and Evan.
Kellan led me through a hallway and then down more stairs to another level. It was there I saw the large throne room where Linden normally resided. It was similar to the one upstairs, but grander. I wasn’t sure I was exactly surprised to see Phil sitting in the large gold and red chair where I assumed Linden normally sat.
I reined in the fear and stress I had at being in this room after all I’d been through. Kellan was by my side, and he would help me; he would protect me. Right? Flashbacks of what I’d seen in my mind of Kellan losing his head rushed through my brain and mocked me. I must have whimpered at the memory, because Kellan was suddenly at my side, his arm around my shoulders, his body pressed flush against mine.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling embarrassed and almost crazy for having that reaction.
Phil jumped down from the ornate throne and rushed over to me. With my eyes downcast, and trying to maintain control, I heard his deep, booming voice. “Are you all right, Miss Ayla?”
I took a few deep breaths to try to maintain my composure, and looked up at Phil, who now stood right in front of me. “Spike, I have a lot of things to say to you, but as of right now, I only want to say this.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Don’t you ever manhandle me like that again. You understand? I have half a mind to kick your ass right now.”
Where his eyes had been concerned, his gaze now turned to surprise. “You have to know, Ayla, that I’d had no choice. I didn’t want to do anything he’d asked of me, but once he’d brought me in here”—he gestured around the room—“it was done. I had no free will. I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself… but I couldn’t. Like, I physically couldn’t say the words. I was scared and angry.”
I stared at him for a few long seconds. “I was joking, you big goof.” I punched him lightly in the stomach.
“Try living like that for the past one hundred and eighty-three years,” Kellan said beside me.
Phil nodded, acceptance and sympathy dancing in his eyes as he glanced at Kellan, then to me. He slid a large, meaty hand over his shiny head and smiled down at me. “We all made it out alive, though, didn’t we?
“Barely… but we did,” I replied.
Phil wrapped me in a hug and I pressed the side of my face against his very hard chest. He held on to me a bit longer than a normal hug, but that was okay. I think the emotions in the room were high, and that was totally understandable.
I caught a tear leaking out of my eye and I quickly swiped it away. I glanced around the room, then asked, “Where’s Maury?”
Phil opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a deep, booming voice. “How many times I gotta tell you? It’s Maurice.”
I glanced around until I saw Maury coming out of the back room that led to the tunnels below ground. He wore a black turtleneck and tan dress slacks. His head reflected the overhead lights and he wore a big, pearly-white smile on his face.
I ran over and hugged him, too. I was obviously feeling especially emotional. I barely knew these guys, but for some reason I felt like we had bonded.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I pulled back and looked into his face.
He nodded. “I’m so glad that pasty white motherfucker is dead. Creepy as fuck, and he put that damn spell on me. I tried so many times to kill him, and just couldn’t.”
“Well, he’s gone now,” I said, smiling up at the hulking man. He had grown a goatee and reminded me of the actor Terry Crews. Except considerably more scary.
I raised my eyebrows and nodded in agreement. “Yes, he is. I’m just worried about where y’all go from here.”
Kellan put his arm around my shoulders. “We rest until the next adventure comes.”
Phil laughed. “With her, it’ll be much more sooner than later. This little lady is trouble.”
I punched him in his arm, his shoulders like cantaloupes. “Ouch.” I rubbed my hand. “I was gonna say… I’m not trouble, everyone else is. Trouble just seems to follow me.”
Kellan chuckled. “Let’s get you some clothes.”
We turned to walk out of the throne room, and Phil called out, “What do you want us to do for now, boss? You do realize you’re running the Vlasé now for this area, don’t you?”
Obviously he wasn’t talking to me, but I stopped when Kellan did. He turned and looked at Phil, Maurice, and a few other vampires who were standing around looking kind of expectant and lost. After staring at them all carefully, Kellan finally responded, “What I want you to do is take some time off. Go on holiday. Go get drunk. Get high. Go read a book. Go catch up on a decade worth of movies. Go find a woman, or a man, and have a night of pleasure. Go find a church and confess your sins. Go live your lives. What I don’t want you doing is hanging around this bloody place.” He gestured around. “Now that Captain No-Fun is dead, it’s about time you had a life. If I find you here in the morning, there will be consequences.” He pointed at each and every vampire in the room.
Phil, Maurice, and the other vampires looked stressed and nodded before blitzing off.
“Captain No-Fun?” I asked, amused.
His eyes twinkled. “Someone once called me that, but I thought it was much better suited for Linden.”
As Kellan and I continued to walk, I looked up at him and said, “I kinda like your domineering, alpha, boss-man side.” Then I waggled my eyebrows suggestively at him.
At first, he smiled, but then his expression went serious. “And I like your naughty, playful-slash-angry kitten side. Like a bad girl who needs more spankings. And I plan to show you just how bad you really are.”
I sucked in a breath and looked up at him wide-eyed. “Oh, my God…”
“You’ll be screaming God’s name here very shortly, love.”
I hadn’t paid attention to where we’d been going, but when we stopped, I looked around, finding myself in a large bathroom. Well, perhaps it was more like a fancy women’s locker room. It reminded me of the type of place that had mirrors and lockers and counters before you got into the actual bathroom area.
“You should be able to find some clothing in here,” Kellan said, eyeing me from head to toe, throwing me a sexy smirk, and then leaving, closing the door behind me.
I quickly stripped out of the filthy, smelly clothes I wore, leaving them in a pile on the floor. In only my black lace bra and matching panties, I padded over the indoor/outdoor carpeting to a set of lockers bolted to the wall. None of them were secured, and I opened up the first and saw only one item inside: A sheer, hot-pink teddy with the center of each breast cut out to expose the nipples. I shoved the garment back into the locker and went to the next one.
Um, no.
Crotch-less red leather panties, a red leather bra, and, uh… I held the thing over my head. “Is this a dog collar?” I said to no one in particular, fingering the spikes along its edges. Shaking my head, I threw it back in and closed the locker door.
The next locker proved to be just as disturbing with the same types of items. I liked to think of myself as a modern, progressive woman, but I definitely had my boundaries… and S&M play with a dog was where I drew the line. Who the hell does these disgusting things, then films it and sends it to people? Obviously, this person—this vampire, Linden. Who was no more.
Wait—was that a dog collar or a wolf collar? Oh, my God… this guy. I shuddered.
As I was beginning to think that finding a washer and dryer and walking around naked would be easier, I located a pair of jeans I prayed would fit me, and a Colorado Avalanche hoodie. They smelled okay, so I put them on and breathed a sigh of relief that they fit. I tried to put out of my mind whose clothes they used to be because they were well worn, and I didn’t see any women around who could fit in them. I certainly knew that freak with the shaved head and stilettos wouldn’t ever be caught dead in this getup. I went to use the bathroom and while washing my hands, I looked into the mirror and almost screamed. I had healin
g bruises and cuts on my face and neck, and my hair was a mess. I took out the braid and opted for a messy bun instead.
I wasn’t sure what to do with my clothes so I balled them up and carried them out of the restroom after securing my dagger to my thigh.
Kellan met me outside, and I could see Jeffrey standing next to him.
“Oh, hey, Jeff,” I said, offering him a little wave.
“Miss Ayla, glad to see you’re okay,” he replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his freaky lavender-colored eyes.
“Thanks.” I looked at Kellan. “We going somewhere?”
“No, you are. Jeffrey is going to take you home to get some proper rest, and I will be delivering on those promises I made to you earlier at a later time.”
“Why are you talking about sex like it’s a board meeting?”
He smiled slightly. “Okay then. I will call you later for lots of sex.”
“That’s all you’re gonna call me for?” I faked a pout. “Do you even have my number?” I asked, eyebrow raised.
He chuckled. “Give it to me, I’ll put it in my phone whenever I locate it. I have a good memory.” He tapped his temple and smiled.
Jeffery produced a cell phone from his jacket pocket and handed it to Kellan. “I took the liberty, sir.”
“Nice. I need to get me a Jeffery,” I said, snatching the phone before Kellan could grab it. I located the contacts and put in my number. Then I saved it as “Little Wolf” and handed it back to him with a grin. He looked at the screen and smiled before pocketing it.
“I normally would argue with leaving, but I’m wiped out, and need some real food and to get in touch with my brother, and I can’t do shit without my phone. I have no idea where it is. He let you keep yours?”
“No,” Jeffrey said. “I got him a new one. Linden was paying for his phone, and since he’s obviously deceased, I knew he’d need a new one anyway.”
“Nice,” I said, grinning at him.
“Well, miss, are you ready?” Jeffrey asked.
I nodded.
