NYC VAMPS (The Italians): Vampire Romance (Book Book 2)

by Sky Winters

  It seemed he didn't draw any attention to what had happened the night before. There was no way I could explain or justify it, so I just let it be and tried to enjoy the moment at hand.

  “That smells mighty good," I said, mimicking his accent.

  He laughed heartily. “My dialect suits you."

  Blake brought me a plate of food and he sat down across from me with his own. We ate at a comfortable silence, I was still tired and he seemed to be able to sense this. It felt good knowing that he didn't expect anything from me, and I just did my best to try not to think about the night before. Although it was hard, it was necessary if I was going to keep any of my sanity for the rest of the day. When we were finished with our breakfast, Blake turned to me, his blue eyes sparkling.

  “Do you think you're ready to ride today?" He asked.

  It had been many months since I first started getting to know the horses, and I finally did feel confident saddling up and going for a ride. I flashed him a big grin, and he laughed as if he already knew my answer. He cleared the table and took my hand, leading me out to the stables by the arm. I loved being so near to him, and it reminded me of the sinfully comfortable position I was in in the crook of his arms the night before.

  When we reached the stables, he showed me how to saddle up the horse, and he gave me a lift up into the saddle. He lifted me with such ease that brought butterflies to my stomach. He readied his own stallion and sat up straight and tall in the saddle, gently giving me directions on how to start moving and to move myself in order to ride the most comfortably. He led by example, saying his commands loudly and clearly and emphasizing his movements so that I could copy him.

  We rode together through the countryside, up a mountain trail that left me breathless for all of its natural beauty. We took a break near a peak, and he tied the horses to a tree and led me by the waist to a lookout point. We sat on a fallen tree together in the silence, overlooking the landscape in front of us. I had never seen anything like it before, and was dazzled by the scenery.

  “I have never seen anything more beautiful than this," I said, my voice hushed with respect and admiration.

  “Somehow I doubt that," Blake said, his handsome face breaking into a smile.

  “Boston looks nothing like this," I said, shaking my head.

  “But you've seen a mirror, haven't you?” He asked with a teasing wink.

  I slapped his shoulder and we both chuckled, looking back out over the world below. It struck me then how much I wished that maybe my marriage to Blake wasn't just going to be a sham. If I was going to choose a husband, I don't think I could've chosen a better man myself. But that wasn't what he wanted, I had to try to keep that in mind. We had an agreement, and that was to keep each other company and leave each other alone.

  This abrupt reminder sobered me, and I stood up with a sigh.

  “Maybe we should head back now," I said. "It's nearly lunch time.”

  He looked a little bit confused and hurt, but he nodded and didn't acknowledge it. He untied the horses and we rode together back to his homestead, where I helped him put the horses away before shutting myself into my bedroom. I had to try and keep it together, and not get too attached. I was worried he would think that I didn't want to spend time with him, but the problem was really much different. I wanted to spend time with him too much, probably more than anything in the world. But that's not what we had agreed to.

  Chapter 7

  That night, I knew that Blake was going to leave again. The moon was still full, and I heard the creaking sound that indicated him leaving. This time, I didn't bother to close the front door, or latch it. I didn't want any kind of reminder of the fact that Blake was gone or what had happened last night. I was feeling very reclusive because of how emotional I was feeling toward Blake. The feelings were complicated and I just wanted to be left alone and maybe not leave my bed for a few days. I fell asleep briefly, before I was woken up by something strange.

  The horses outside were making a ruckus, so I stood up and pulled my nightshirt close, making my way toward the front door so that I could take a look and see what was happening. If there was a wolf, I thought that maybe I could take one of Blake's shotguns and protect the horses myself. Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to grab the gun before three men shoved their way inside the homestead. One of them grabbed me by the shoulders and cupped his hand over my mouth as I tried to cry out in fear.

  “You shut your mouth missy, or this will be bad for the all of us,” he hissed.

  The men began to fumble around in the home, throwing items in bags and joking with each other. I was terrified, and the man holding me kept saying gross things into my ear, and pushing his body to close to me. I squirmed and tried to get away, but he was too strong. My elbow wouldn't reaches John like I wished it would, and instead he seemed to enjoy the struggle, and pulled out a knife and held it to my throat, so I stopped. I wish that Blake didn't disappear and leave me vulnerable to these terrible bandits.

  As soon as Blake entered my mind, I heard a growl come from outside of the front doorway. Before I could see what was happening, a massive black wolf leapt inside, burying its teeth in the man who was holding me. The man was furious and slashed at the wolf, slicing it in both its cheek and its shoulder. The wolf cried out in pain, sending a shiver through my body, and lunged at the man's throat, dragging him outside and tearing him apart. He did the same to the other men before they had the chance to shut the door on the wolf, and I heard their screams of pain and terror as the wolf protected me from them. I was frozen in place and expected to be the last to go. I thought the wolf would surely come and take me next, but instead, it entered and looked around the room, as if for another bandit. When the wolf didn't see anybody else, it turned its ice blue eyes on me and blinked slowly before turning away and running off into the forest.

  **

  I was too terrified to sleep that night, so I set up at the kitchen table and waited for him to return. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and I cried as I remembered the sounds of the men being disemboweled by the wolf. I felt very grateful to be left alive, but all I wanted was some human company to soothe my nerves. Blake seemed to be very good at making me feel better, so I held my arms around my body until I heard a noise at the door.

  My heart leapt into my throat, and I was about to reach for the shotgun that I put on the table when Blake entered. He was as naked as the day he was born, and just as beautiful. When he turned to look at me, I gasped. Beside his blue eyes was a long cut, the same size as the wound that had been left on the wolf. Impossible thoughts began to flood my mind, and I shook my head at them, unable to believe what I was seeing. It must have just been a coincidence, I tried to convince myself, but then I saw the same cut on his shoulder as well and everything began to fall into place in my mind.

  “You're hurt," I said to him, approaching him cautiously. I opened and closed my mouth, and somehow he seems to know exactly what I was thinking.

  “You're not crazy, but I had hoped that you would not find out like this."

  “How did this happen? I don't understand. I thought this is just a myth."

  “Well it's not," he said, as I led him toward the washbasin. I took a cloth out and poured some water on it to clean his wounds. I dabbed them gently and he didn't even flinch. “I didn't want to tell you, most people are just scared and they don't understand. I wish I could have been honest from the beginning. I needed a way because the townsfolk have been suspicious of me for a long time. And I didn't want to take a wife, not someone who I would make wolf pups with. She wouldn't know what to think when they started changing. Sometimes they even do it right in the womb and it feels like murder. No regular women would be able to handle that. I just wanted a simple life.”

  He said the last part so mournfully that I brought him into my arms. He let me hold him closely, surprised by the fact that I wasn't more afraid of him. I felt him go from very tense to very relaxed and he sighed very deeply.


  “It's been so lonesome, I couldn't be honest with anybody my whole life. And if anybody knew the truth they would burn me at the stake. Please don't tell anybody. I'll give you whatever you want. I'll pay you. Just please don't go, please keep being my wife.”

  I pulled away from him and looked him deeply into the eyes.

  “I have no intention of doing anything else," I said to him. “You may be the most bullheaded man I've ever met, but you're also the best man I've ever met, and the best man I could ever find myself being with. I've never known such a gentleman, even if you are part wild animal. What excuse did the other men have?”

  We laughed together at this, and I sat the cloth back into the washbasin. Suddenly, his strong hands were around my waist, lifting me up to his mouth. He kissed me sweetly, and carried me into his bedroom. I felt the fire from the night before return, and he laid me on the bed and undressed me with skilled fingers. I felt a blush creep across my cheek as his tan mouth kissed my pale skin. I've never been quite so exposed to a man before, but I quickly forgot my modesty when his tongue found me deep inside and I buckled against him and cried out in pleasure.

  This encouraged him to work more slowly, until he climbed up over me, showering my whole body with kisses as he reached my face and our middles were touching. I felt his long member growing stiff against me, swelling even bigger than I remembered it. I moaned loudly as he began to push himself inside, the both of us gasping and kissing each other passionately as he mounted me and took my virginity with one hard thrust. The combination of pleasure and pain brought my fingernails dragging down his back, and his handsome face broke out into a grin, sending another thrill through me as he unleashed his true animal nature on me.

  His hands became tangled in my long hair as he showed me what a man was really capable of, and his perfect body shone in the golden sunrise peeking in at us through the windows. I closed my eyes and felt the fullness of my desire merging with his, and cried out in ecstasy as I became elevated into my climax. I squeezed my eyes closed tightly and bit my bottom lip as my body clenched tightly around him. He unleashed a deep growl of pleasure as the hot flood of his own lust burst deeply into me, letting me and elevating my climax to a whole new level.

  He stayed inside me, lingering for a moment before he pulled himself out and flopped onto the bed, his face completely exhausted. I knew just how he had felt, considering I had been up most of the night. He pulled me close to him, wrapping his strong arms around my small body and nuzzling my ear and neck with his chin, which was beginning to feel a little bit stubbly. For some reason I found the scratching feeling of his face comforting and we fell asleep together, the most comfortable feeling I had ever had in my entire life.

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later, we were wed in one of the most beautiful and elaborate ceremonies I had ever witnessed. I had gone to many weddings before in my time, but nothing quick compared to what Blake had in mind. Surprisingly, most of the townsfolk attended the ceremony, even though it was held at the high peak in the mountain range where we had sat on the tree together after my first horseback ride.

  The townsfolk were kind and supportive, and very curious and nosy. I could tell they had their suspicions about my new husband, and they wanted to know everything that I knew. They did their best to stay in my good side, hoping that if anything ever became revealed to me, I would feel confident in confiding in them. However, their fears did seem to be subsiding, and they didn't think that anybody could be part evil if he could land such a beautiful bride.

  Although it bruised the egos of many women in the town, women who would never in 1 million years have been able to access Blake's unique identity, they were all very happy that he had found someone to settle down with. As far as Blake and I were concerned, as long as they didn't continue prying into our lives, everything would be all right. We could have a normal life.

  After the ceremony, somebody hosted a large meal for us all, and we ate together and celebrated the love that Blake and I had recently developed toward each other. I felt like the luckiest woman alive to be with such a strong and able-bodied man who had a heart of gold. Even if he was picky and stubborn, he was still mine and I was the same way. The two of us had really met our match with each other, and I couldn't be any happier if I tried.

  The night of our honeymoon rolled around and I lay in my new husband's arms after many hours of lovemaking. He seems to be tired, but I wasn't quite ready to be finished. I grinned mischievously and climbed on top of him. His tired eyes creaked open and I kissed him on the cheek.

  “I don't think we're done yet," I whispered in his ear as I nibbled and licked him.

  “We're not?" He asked, his voice sleepy.

  “I can't rightfully stop until we've got a litter on the way. I know you want a regular family, and I want that for both of us to. It's up to you whether or not you want that, but if you do want pups, I don't mind being their Mama any more than I mind being your wife. I would love to be both.”

  His eyes widened in surprise, and he flashed me the smile that I come to love so dearly. He wrapped his arms around me and I could feel his excitement against my thighs.

  “Are you sure that's what you want?" He asked me, kissing me all over my face.

  “That's what I want. I love you," I said, my thighs hot against his.

  “I love you too,” he said, his blue eyes deep and sincere. “Well alright, little darlin'. Looks like we got our work cut out for us.”

  THE END

  WEREWOLF RIDER

  There was no moon tonight, nor were any stars visible. Clouds obscured the night sky, plunging the city into darkness. Pale streetlights illuminated the sidewalks, but they did not provide enough light to make Stella feel safe. The city had gone dark minutes after she'd left Missy's apartment, and it felt like more than just a coincidence. For a moment she considered turning back, but Missy had put up with her for the last week, and Stella knew she'd overstayed her visit. When she'd asked if she could camp out at Missy's place because she didn't feel safe alone, Missy hadn't been expecting her to stay for so long. If she turned back now, their already strained friendship might snap under the pressure. Missy had her own life to lead, and Stella had to accept that — no matter how scared she felt. It wasn't as if whoever was after her had caused a city wide blackout, after all. It was time she grew a backbone.

  It had been two weeks since the paranoia had set in, but Stella had no idea how long the strange goings on had been happening before she first noticed them. The first time she'd noticed something had been amiss, she'd been heading through the downtown core at twilight. The sun stretched her shadow out across the sidewalk in front of her as she headed for the subway, and she'd had earphones tucked in to avoid unnecessary conversation with panhandlers. When the shadow had appeared in her field of vision, gaining on her from behind, she thought it was just a pedestrian in a hurry to get by her. Respectfully, Stella hugged the wall to allow him passage, but although the shadow grew to its full potential, its caster kept behind her. As the seconds passed and it became obvious the man was trailing her, Stella had hugged her purse to her side and turned her head.

  There was no one behind her, and when she turned to look ahead of her once more, the shadow was gone.

  Pinpricks of fear had shot down her spine, and the rest of the way home she'd thought about the strange shadow. Had it been a figment of her imagination, or a trick of the light? Stella wasn't sure. But by the next day the oddity had faded from her mind, and she'd continued on as she always had.

  Only the shadow hadn't been ready to move on just yet.

  The next time Stella saw it, she'd been gazing through a storefront window at an electronics display. Unemployed as she was, looking was all she could afford to do. When the shadow had darkened the glare on all of the screens, Stella had turned her head and was half way through an apology before she realized that not only did no one stand behind her, but that there was no one in eye sight on the street.

&nbs
p; When the shadow had returned not six hours after she'd seen it at the storefront, Stella knew that something wasn't right. The next day, when she woke up to find three of them stretched across her floor in the light cast by her bedroom window, she had left her ground floor apartment and never looked back.

  But Missy had been skeptical about these mysterious shadows, and Stella hadn't seen any more since she'd gone to stay with her old friend.

  "Maybe," Missy had said in her infinite, catty wisdom, "you're seeing shadows because you are lonely. How long have you been unemployed now, Stella? I know that losing Will was tough, but eventually you're going to use your savings up and then where will you be? It's time you got a job and got back to work, time that you started meeting some people and having fun again. I think embracing life is going to fix these 'shadows' more than staying with me ever would."

  At least when it was this dark outside, there weren't any shadows to be seen. With no light coming from any buildings to brighten the light, it was almost too dark to see her hand in front of her face. The advanced hour meant that there were few motorists, and Stella hadn't seen a car for a good ten minutes. With the subway down for the night, she was left to walk the distance between her place and Missy's.

  "What are you doing out alone at night?" The voice spoke so close to her ear that Stella was sure the man was leaning over her shoulder as she walked. There had been no footsteps to forewarn her of his presence until he was already far too close for comfort. She'd shrieked, but the sound died quickly on her lips; the man clamped a broad hand over her lips and pulled her close.

  "Do you want to die?" he asked. "If I wanted to, I already could have done plenty to make your life hell. Don't you think that if I was going to hurt you by now, I'd already have done it already?"

  Caught in the darkness, all Stella had to go off of was the hand clamped against her mouth, the feel of his body against her back, and the sound of his voice. His chest was flat, hidden behind a thick layer of leather. The hand was gloved, but his fingers were bare. And he was tall. As Stella let her head fall back against him, she only hit his shoulder. She'd been right to be paranoid — someone had been stalking her, and he'd finally made himself known.