Counselor of the Damned

by Angela Daniels

  His confession did wicked things to her insides. A surge of possession washed through her, and she wanted to be the one—the only one—to end his dry spell. She loved his courteous ways, but it was time to take him in hand. Her laugh was husky as she reached down between their bodies. She only cupped him lightly from underneath to start, her hand supporting his cock and balls.

  He exhaled, closing his eyes. “Amor—”

  “I don’t care if you come. I want to give you pleasure.” She paused, waiting for his response.

  He relented with a moan. She gave him a lingering kiss, then guided him backward to lie on the bed. Kneeling between his legs, she ran her hands over his chest, pausing to play with his nipples. He watched her through half-closed lids, his breathing a little rapid. Anticipation sparked in his eyes, and Tegonni smirked. She stroked light fingers down his fluttering stomach and into the dark hair beneath. She placed a kiss on the tip of his erection. It jerked along with his whole body. The salty cum tasted delicious.

  “Amor.” This time the word was a plea rather than a warning.

  Gauging the time for patience was past, Tegonni sucked his thick cock deep. Swallowing his wide girth was a feat, but she succeeded in taking his length almost to the base. Fernando groaned and shivered under her hands, which she slid along his thighs to caress his firm ass. She kneaded the muscled curves as her lips massaged his shaft in leisurely strokes. His musky scent tickled her nose, and his smooth head felt like satin on her tongue.

  “Oh, Deus.” Fernando’s voice was a husky whisper. His eyes closed, and the expression of blissful wonder on his face made Tegonni’s insides quiver. She loved this particular activity, but with the noble vampire currently moaning under her ministrations, it was more than a blowjob. He was truly honored to receive, and she was grateful to give. It was a sacred, loving exchange.

  She hummed her contentment as she continued to suckle. She judged it safe to add a hand to the neglected base of his erection without him coming from the extra sensation. His fingers gripped her shoulders. She began long, twisting strokes that followed her mouth up and down his length. He grunted and arched into her touch. She laughed around him. His reaction alone could keep her doing this all night.

  She sucked him hard, her cheeks hollowing, and pulled slowly toward his glans. With a sharp intake of breath, Fernando contracted and held still as she made her way up his shaft. She made sure to drag it out as long as possible, pausing to breathe through her nose and tighten her suction. He was shaking by the time she reached his tip. When she slid her lips over the underside of the head, he jerked.

  With a loud, satisfying pop, she pulled off him. She stroked him with her hand as she watched his face to admire the effects of her handiwork. The heated passion that burned his amber eyes to gold sent a shiver of anticipation through her, but love made her breath catch.

  He gently lifted her hand away. “Please, enough, Tegonni. I want to come inside you, while I drink your essence.”

  Her delicious contractions danced deep and low inside her. He was going to bite her. An enticing mix of desire and nerves made her shiver. “Yes.” She wanted this. Had for a long time, she realized. His bite. The most intimate of actions for a vampire.

  He claimed her mouth, the kiss soft but possessive as his tongue teased. Arms twined around her waist, Fernando picked her up and laid her across the large bed, so none of the pillows would hamper their movements. He unbuttoned her skirt, then tugged it down then off her legs. As he slid off her panties, Tegonni licked her lip.

  Everything changes after this.

  She was hyperaware of the moment. The sensual melody playing in the background lulled her as the soft lighting warmed the darkness. The silky cotton beneath her naked skin caressed and soothed. They were in a world by themselves, the judgments of the outside far away. Here she knew she wanted to be in this man’s arms for as long as he would have her there.

  He settled on top of her, chest pressing into her nipples, pelvis snuggling against hers. “Meu amor,” he murmured as he parted her vaginal lips with his cock and pushed inside her.

  Embracing his hips with her bent legs, Tegonni cried out with need and love. Exquisite pressure built deep in her pussy with each thrust. She ran her hands along his back as he gazed at her, full of passion and devotion. She reached his nape and twined her fingers in his hair, tugging his head down for a kiss.

  Fernando’s strokes were slow and long. He pulled his cock almost all the way out before plunging into her again. The teasing was torture. She pressed her feet into his ass, trying to rush his hips. He broke the kiss and chuckled. He had no problem resisting her slight physical force.

  Scowling playfully, she used the leverage to pull her hips up to his. “Enough teasing. Shall I take what I want, senhor?” She did a decent imitation of his melodious, sultry accent.

  He weighed her hips down with his, pinning her to the bed. “If you can.”

  She squirmed under him, putting on a pout. Fernando’s deep, rich laugh poured over her, and then he stilled her squirming with a series of short thrusts. They were leisurely, but deep. Tegonni sucked in a breath and gripped his hips, encouraging his movements.

  “Please, Fernando, more.” Ever the gentleman, he complied at once. To her great relief. The deep strokes increased in speed, building tempo, quaking her body. His cockhead massaged a particularly responsive spot deep inside. Waves of pleasure tightened her inner muscles around his cock. The music was accompanied by the percussive slap of his thighs on her buttocks, his carefree groans of pleasure, and her soft grunts as she climbed toward ecstasy.

  His hips stopped as he pulsed inside her, buried hilt-deep. Her inner muscles clamped around him, causing them both to moan. In a ragged voice, he said, “Mercy. I must pace myself or I will release before you. You feel too good.”

  Breathless, she did not respond, but she didn’t think her climax would be an issue. With all the exploring and teasing and…that look in his eyes. She was damn close. And he hadn’t even bitten her yet. She quivered.

  As if reading her mind, he lowered his head and trailed baby kisses down her neck from her ear to the hollow at her throat. Tegonni closed her eyes and savored the soft touch. His kisses turned to gentle sucking, making her skin tingle. “Yes.” She was certain the moment was drawing near.

  He chuckled and lifted his head. “You’re ready for my bite, then?”

  She looked at him. “I was ready when I walked in your front door.” She let a seductive huskiness and impatience color her tone.

  With a grin, he gave a polite bow of his head, a gesture which, from him, didn’t look out of place in bed. His hips moved again, the rhythm a strange pattern of shallow thrust, shallow thrust, then deep. It was different but effective. Her pussy spasmed in continuous pulses as if he’d been making love to her for hours. She groaned as she contracted around his hard shaft, and his expression turned blissed-out, dreamy.

  “Now,” he said. He clamped his soft lips hard around the tender flesh of her neck like the “hurt so good” pressure of a deep-tissue massage. He replaced his lips with his fangs, at first gently nipping her. To tease or to warn; maybe both. Her breath caught with each little poke, and when the real bite came, it hit her unexpectedly. Burning prickles flashed through her, but quickly ended. A pleasant, warm tingling moved out in waves from the point of penetration and quickly spread to cover her whole body. The discomfort was only half remembered as the tingling grew into mind-numbing bliss. And in the midst of the delight, warmth like a calm summer breeze blew through her. Fernando’s power—his essence—filling her.

  He claimed her body in every way a vampire could, and it was that thought that pushed her over the edge. Her orgasm erupted through her on the background sensation of his euphoria-inducing bite. She thrashed beneath him as he drank her in and gave her a proficient, relentless pummeling.

  Tegonni screamed as orgasmic waves continued to hit. She started to come down, but the sensual pull at her neck sent h
er back over. She was hoarse and short of breath from her passionate cries.

  He stopped drinking and looked down at her with eyes luminescent with power. The effects of his bite faded slowly, but Fernando kept pounding. With all his attention refocused on his technique, her pussy throbbed, climbing toward another explosive release.

  Wicked grin on his face, he twisted his hips, rubbing against every sensitive spot inside her he may have missed before. She bucked, meeting him thrust for thrust, wanting all he had to give. He sent her into a third, endless quaking orgasm. Her poor vocal cords gave out, and she was forced to make do with panting. His rhythm faltered, his grunting became more desperate, then his shaft pulsed, hot and deep. She dug her fingernails into his hips as she came.

  An explosion of sensation spread from her sex in tingling waves. She trembled as deep tremors coursed through her. Fernando held still inside her, increasing pressure to the very spot that was on fire. She cried out as her muscles quivered around his shaft. By the time her orgasm subsided, she was pleasantly limp.

  Tegonni snuggled into his arms as the waves crested and ebbed, gradually decreasing to a level that allowed thought. Fernando pressed lazy kisses to her lips as she shook with little quakes. Replete, she basked in the lingering trace of his power, too relaxed and happy to untangle herself. He settled beside her and pulled her marvelously sated, though exhausted, body into his arms. They lay quiet for a long time.

  “Amor, I have never experienced such a beautiful union. Thank you.”

  She murmured happily, speech still beyond her capabilities.

  He rubbed his cheek over her hair. With a palm under her chin, he turned her face up to his. “That was beyond perfection. Making love with you was…well, sacred. Like a blessed joining between husband and wife.”

  Her breath caught. What a comparison. Fernando was using the word sacred in relation to an experience that included blood drinking?

  “For the first time in all my years, so was drinking blood. As you spoke of with your father’s African priest.” He brushed his thumb over the small puncture wounds he’d made. “I can see how lust can be tempered with love, and love can make the act of taking your blood a sacred gift. Thank you, meu amor.” He gave her a sweet brush of his lips.

  She could hardly speak for a moment. She’d feared he’d dismissed her analogy between the Santerian practice and his need to feed. What his sense of reason had rejected, their mutual experience had just confirmed. For Fernando to accept himself was tremendous. But this, not only to make peace, but embrace something that had been a source of guilt for his long life, was joyous. The goal she’d been hoping he’d attain. Smiling so big her facial muscles stretched, Tegonni wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged with all her might. “Amazing, Fernando. I’m so thrilled.”

  Laughing, he rolled to his back and pulled her on top of him. “I can tell.”

  She laughed too, smirked down at him. “I have to admit, though I no longer believed it evil, I did kind of think feeding you would be a guilty pleasure. But it was so loving. As intimate as the physical sex. Both together were heavenly. I’m so happy to have helped introduce you to sacred feeding.” She liked the sound of that.

  He lifted an eyebrow as he returned her grin. “Sacred feeding? A much-improved notion than the prison rations. You will continue to provide me with these sacred meals?”

  “I suppose I’ll have to. You can’t get them anywhere else.”

  They both sobered as the statement hung between them. They’d admitted their feelings, made the most intimate love of both their lives, and she knew she wanted to be with him, but still, her brain urged that she put on the brakes. A relationship between a vampire and Lightworker was unheard of.

  Fernando had no such qualms. With a smile playing on his lips, he said, “I suppose the two of us stepping out as a couple will cause quite the stir among your people and mine.”

  Her heart warmed. Couple. She liked the sound of that. Then she remembered they were not in their own little world. Others would have plenty to say about such a thing. The thought of Jaime’s reaction made her mentally cringe.

  She looked down, trying not to feel like a coward. Finally, she forced out, “I want to be a couple. But can we keep this between us for now?”

  He went rigid in her arms.

  “My life is on the line.”

  “Not if you leave the Lightworkers. I can protect you.”

  Her eyes flashed to his face. “Leave? I help a lot of people, Fernando. I can’t—” She bit her lip. I can’t leave? Why not? Lightworkers weren’t the only people doing good in the world, but this was a huge decision. She couldn’t jump into anything. “I need time to figure out how to fit us into my life. I’m sorry. I do love you.” Her heartbeat sped as she awaited his response. God, let me please not have ruined the breakthroughs he’s made. Especially with finding sacredness in the beautiful feeding.

  After a moment, his body relaxed and he placed a kiss on her temple. “Of course I understand. You have risked so much for me already. I would not have you sacrifice a livelihood which means so much to you and others.”

  Relieved, she released a long exhale. But even with his accepting words, she felt as though she’d failed him, and herself. “I suppose Antigone would have taken the chance,” she murmured as she hid her face in his chest.

  He laughed. “Yes, and died for it. I am grateful we are not living in a Greek tragedy.” He stroked her back and then lifted her head. “Do not regret your decision. I am happy to have whatever time with you that you are willing to give.”

  She gave him a weak smile. Any further conversation was forestalled when Fernando whipped his head toward the open door. She hunkered down into his arms in a useless attempt to shield her naked body, but no one came charging into the room.

  He listened for a moment, his frown growing deeper. “Stay here.”

  “What is it?”

  She was talking to air. Fernando had blurred with superhuman speed as he moved out of the bedroom. A small wind from his departure tickled her cheek as under her, the bed finished shifting, now bereft of his weight.

  Chapter Twelve

  She leaped off the bed and scrambled for her clothes. They were together, if in a heap on the carpet at the foot of the bed. Dressed, she padded to the doorway, listening. Unease crawled over her skin as all she heard was silence. Damn vampire senses. What did he hear?

  She did consider following Fernando’s direction. Surely he and his guards could handle any threat. However, being clueless about what was going on did bad things to her nerves. Images of assassins from rival Clans intruded into her mind. She walked out into the wide hallway and passed three other doors before pausing at the top of the spiral staircase. She still heard nothing.

  Her pulse raced, the only sound in her ears for several moments. She tried to calm herself with the logical thought that assassins, human or vampire, would never get this far into the high-security building. They’d have to use magic to portal in, and Phil said they had wards preventing that. Only Lephiri in physical form could break—

  She gasped, horrified. Lephiri. She’d prayed. Prayed that putting brakes on their relationship hadn’t ruined his breakthrough in feeding from her. Matanji had gotten that prayer and kicked into action. Just like she said she would.

  The certainty of it shot adrenaline through her veins. Combined with her recent blood donation to Fernando, her panic made her sway dangerously as she stumbled down the stairs. Pausing at the bottom, she gripped the banister for support and took deep breaths as she listened for sounds in the penthouse. Nothing.

  She hurried down the long hall toward the entryway. As she neared, a muted rhythmic clanking reached her ears. The entryway’s tall window showed the reflection of the door around the U in the hall. The door was open. Mirrored light from the outside hall blocked out the view of the lit city below. A shape lay still in the doorway.

  “No.” Tegonni ran the rest of the way and swung around the wall.
A husky man sprawled, eyes closed, a gaping bloody wound across his chest. Switching into crisis mode, calmness covered her as she knelt to assess his state. At first, she thought there was no pulse, but then one beat touched her finger. The next was too far apart for him to be human. Not knowing what to do for a vampire, she started to remove his jacket and use it to stem the flow of blood.

  “I’ll recover.”

  She jumped at the calm sound of his voice.

  He stared at her, eyes focused and determined. “Please stop this before they kill him.”

  She rushed out the door and gasped.

  Even though they’d probably come to kill the man she loved, the Lephiri battling Phil and Fernando were mind-bendingly beautiful. They were in angel form, with their gleaming gold battle armor and snow-white wings spread five feet to either side. One had straight deep brown hair, probably to her waist, but currently flying around like a dancer’s cape as she executed graceful attacks. She kept Phil, and his sword, from going to his master’s aide. Her fellow was a darker bronze than the vampire he attacked with single-minded determination. A thick rich-honey braid trailed behind him as his sword swung at Fernando’s neck.

  “No!” she shouted, but her raspy cry was lost in the cacophony of metal hitting metal. Nausea roiling in her stomach, she moved out the door and down the hall toward them as Fernando blocked the angel’s strikes. He did not counterattack. He wouldn’t last long with that strategy. The Powers were merciless once given orders. They wouldn’t stop to question why a vampire didn’t fight back. The Lephiri feinted a slash down at Fernando’s head, then spun when the vampire raised his guard, and stabbed at his chest.

  Tegonni screamed, sure the blow had landed. They moved so fast, it took her several moments to realize Fernando had blocked the move, upsetting his opponent’s balance, and rolled away. The angel used his massive wings to counterbalance and knock Fernando into the wall. The splitting crack of wood and mortar made her cringe. She ignored the Power as his soft, loving essence touched her and placed herself in front of Fernando; his human shield.