“Sleep,” he replied with a dark smile, “is not the only thing I can forego without dying.”
For more Bites by Nadine Mutas, visit her at https://bookandmainbites.com/nadinemutas
If you loved this Bite, read To Enthrall the Demon Lord on Amazon or iBooks
About Nadine Mutas
Nadine Mutas is the award-winning author of paranormal romances featuring demons and witches and lots of forbidden love. Her debut novel, To Seduce a Witch’s Heart, won the Golden Quill 2016 for Best Paranormal Romance as well as the Published Maggie Award 2016 for Paranormal/Fantasy, and the latest installment in her Love and Magic series, To Enthrall the Demon Lord, is a finalist in the prestigious RWA® RITA® Award 2018 for Paranormal Romance. After obtaining a university degree in the subjects job counselors like to warn you about (“There’s no money in humanities!”), Nadine is now writing full-time and introvertedly thriving from her home office. You can usually lure her out of her socially awkward shell by striking up a conversation about languages (keywords: Indo-European family; relation of Sanskrit to Ancient Greek) and watch her geek out for the next hour. She currently lives in California with her college sweetheart, beloved little demon spawn, and two black cats hellbent on cuddling her to death (Clarification: Both her husband and kid prefer her alive. The cats, she’s not so sure about.)
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Kissing Her Was a Really Bad Idea
Patricia A. Rasey
Forget the day she laid eyes on me?
If it were only so fucking easy. He should’ve walked away, should have crawled onto the back of his bike and hightailed it out of there. Christ, at the least, he should’ve called Grigore and let him know Raúl was somewhere in the fortress.
Technically, his job was done. Locate Raúl and get out. Instead, he opened the doors she had used to shut him out and entered her space … uninvited. Ryder didn’t make a habit of going where he wasn’t wanted. And surely not when it came to women. He didn’t need to, not when there were enough willing to share his bed or let him sink his fangs into a carotid.
I need my fucking head examined.
This woman infuriated him, and at the same time, consumed his every thought. He wanted her beneath him to the point of madness, the erection in his pants evidence of that desire. His vampire DNA slowly simmered like electricity sizzling through his veins.
Ryder had fed a couple of nights prior, but it might’ve helped his cause had he fed before making the trek out here. Not only was his dick demanding appeasement, the scent of her blood called to his very nature.
Yep, I’m fucked.
His eyes heated, knowing full well they were about to become black, fathomless pools. Hypnosis was his only option. There was no stopping the emerging vampire. The sharp points of his fangs scraped the inside of his lips as they filled his mouth. When the twins informed him he was not just a vampire, but a primordial one, they forgot to mention he felt things all the more acutely as such … which included his sexual cravings. This shit needed a fucking manual like Vampires for Dummies.
Ryder’s nostrils flared, scenting Gabriela’s mutual desire. She could spout a hundred different reasons for hating him, but he affected her in a more primal way. If he gathered the skirt she wore and slipped his fingers beneath her panties he’d bet she was already wet.
Her stern lips drooped, her mouth now gaping. No way to hide the fucking changes to his face. Gabby’s eye rounded and she gasped. Quickly grabbing her by the biceps, he backed her against the wall before she had time to scream and covered her mouth with his free hand. Her eyes filled with fear as they held his. He’d need to hypnotize her fast, before she alerted the entire staff, not to mention Raúl.
Ryder had been damn lucky upon arrival. Whatever they’d used to build the house, he couldn’t detect the scent of Raúl on the grounds, which meant the man couldn’t discern him either.
“Hear me now.” He framed her face between his palms, giving her little choice but to hold his marble-like gaze. “You will not remember everything you see. You’ll feel me, know me, but my face will remain a mystery. You won’t comprehend the changes you see in me. Nod if you understand what I’m saying.”
Gabby slowly nodded, her pink tongue wetting her plush lower lip. His gaze held fixed on hers. As much as he wanted to, kissing her was a really bad idea, considering her current state of fury.
Her anger returned in full force once her confusion diminished and the hypnosis took root. She shoved at his chest. Had Ryder not allowed it, she wouldn’t have been able to budge him. He stepped back. She continued to strike him with her hands. Gabby had a lot of anger and passion needing to be burned. He had been the one to invade her space, so he supposed he deserved her animosity.
“Get out of my room … and get the hell out of my life. You aren’t wanted.”
“Are you sure about that?” Ryder grinned. His nostrils flared again. “I have a feeling if I reach beneath your skirt, I’ll find you wet and a liar.”
Gabby slapped him hard across the cheek. Ryder didn’t so much as flinch. The vampire in him wanted to toss her on the bed and prove to her the truth in his statement. The man in him knew he deserved her fury. He had been out of line.
“You don’t get to talk to me that way.”
Ryder took two steps in her direction. She took one back. “And you don’t get to be a tease.”
Her perfectly plucked brows drew inward. “What? When did I ever tease you? I’ve only been upfront with you since we met.”
“Sweetheart, I can scent your desire and it has me hard enough to drive through these concrete walls.”
Ryder almost laughed as she turned up her nose, trying to detect what the hell he was talking about. He took another step forward, backing her against the wall again. He gripped her hand and placed it over the erection straining the front of his jeans.
“You can’t play with fire if you don’t want to get fucking burnt, Gabriela.”
“I never … that is, I … oh, hell,” she whispered, slowly withdrawing her hand and holding it to her chest as if it had been singed.
Some of the anger left her eyes. Her breathing became shallow. Her pulse hammered at the base of her throat, drawing his gaze and calling to his fangs. It would be so easy to dip his head and take his fill. He nearly salivated at the idea of tasting her on his tongue.
“You do want me, Gabby.” It wasn’t a question. He already knew the answer.
She shook her head. “No.”
Ryder smiled. Sinister, but a smile nonetheless. “Yes.”
She placed her hands on his chest, searing his flesh as if she touched his skin rather than the shirt he wore. She drew her lower lip between her teeth and shook her head with a little less force.
Ryder leaned in, his nose nearly touching hers. “Yes,” he whispered.
He should walk away before it was too fucking late. He was losing control. What started out as a way to prove a point was turning the tides against him. He wanted to pull up her skirt, rip off her panties, and bury himself to the hilt. She wouldn’t fight him, of that he was sure. Ryder needed to be the one to walk away, to put distance between them before she hated him forever. For once she discovered he had used her to find Raúl, she’d never forgive him and he wouldn’t blame her.
When he meant to step back and increase the distance between them, Gabby stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, stopping him in his tracks and numbing his thoughts. Good Lord! All admirable intentions flew right out those double doors he had left open for his speedy retreat. The warm breeze caressed his back, not doing a damn thing to cool his ardor. Even a primordial vampire had only so much constraint. He needed to get the hell out of there before things spiraled out of control.
Sure, they were grown-ass a
dults and could do as they pleased, including respecting each other in the aftermath. Something told him, though, Gabby would quickly regret her brass actions. He had to be the bigger person. Rather than deepen the kiss, he released her, wiping a hand across his lips. Shit, she tasted like a slice of Heaven.
“Gabby, I—”
“Look, I don’t know what just came over me. I’m sorry…” She placed her hands on her hips and glanced at the floor. She took a deep breath, then looked back up. “You know what? I’m not sorry I kissed you. What I am sorry about is you joining up with my uncle’s men and being a disappointment to me.”
He could still detect her desire, and as long as he continued to note it, the vampire in him would war within. He wanted to do the right thing, walk away and call Grigore. Not take advantage of the situation. That guy was quickly losing out because his befuddled brain could think only about the hard-on straining the front of his jeans and wanting to take her against the fucking wall.
“I’m sorry I’m a disappointment to you.” And he was. In the end, he’d be an even bigger disappointment to himself. “Maybe, I should go. You’ll never understand—”
“I’m angry with you. Hell, I’m pissed at myself for still wanting you. But understand?” She advanced a few steps, closing the gap between them. “More than you know. I live this life every damn day. I can’t walk away, even if I want to. I guess I had hoped … needed you to be different.”
Ryder couldn’t help it. The dirty part of his mind had focused on one thing. “You want me?”
Gabby nodded, her tongue wetting her lips.
Ryder snaked his hands around her back lightning quick, holding her flush, and crushed his mouth to hers.
For more Bites by Patricia A. Rasey, visit her at https://bookandmainbites.com/patriciarasey
If you loved this Bite, read Ryder on Amazon or iBooks
About Patricia A. Rasey
USA Today bestselling author Patricia A. Rasey resides in her native town in Northwest Ohio with her husband, Mark, and her lovable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Todd and Buckeye. When not behind her computer, you can find Patricia working, reading, watching movies or MMA. She also enjoys spending her free time at the river camping and boating with her husband and her family. Ms. Rasey is a retired third degree Black Belt in American Freestyle Karate.
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You Were Cautioned. Don’t Forget That.
Rosanna Leo
“So, selkie man, tell me what you know.”
He sat up, ran his hands along his thighs, and thought for a moment. “There have been cases of sirens attacking humans in Orkney, although the last incidents were a few years ago.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was there. I struck a bargain with them, one that was supposed to keep them away from here.”
“Sounds like a sort of exile.”
“If you like. There was no choice. The killing had become rampant, obvious. The human population was growing concerned. Even the sirens understood it was time to move on. Like many supernatural creatures, they can’t afford to remain in one place for long.”
“And yet you’ve been here for centuries. How is it selkies can stay under the radar?”
“We’re careful and we don’t kill. The humans who have become aware of selkies understand the need for keeping mum about our existence. Let’s just say we have a mutual respect.”
“You mean the desperate women who snag your pelts would rather not share you?”
“Says a woman who’s snagged my pelt.” He grinned. “Call it what you want. Selkies have no interest in hurting humans.”
Her hand flew across her page as she tried to get all this information documented. “This is fascinating. And you convinced the sirens to leave?”
“In a manner of speaking. As I said, they’d begun to draw too much attention to themselves anyway. When any supernatural being refuses to adhere to the laws of discretion, it’s a threat to the rest of us. We survive because of this code. Sirens do too. If humans caught wind of any of our activities, we could all become extinct. It’s that simple.”
“Resulting in a world without magic.”
“A sad place indeed, don’t you think?”
Amy stopped jotting down notes and considered the prospect. She suspected people like her parents would be quite comfortable in a world without magic but Edan was right. She could only imagine what the rest of the world would look like if the legends disappeared. Humans would hunt and destroy any creature that appeared unusual.
Much as she hunted beasts for the sake of entertainment.
For the first time, her career choice bothered her.
“Are you all right, Amy?”
She sat up straight. “Yes. What was your part in all this?”
The selkie turned his head toward the window, leaving part of his face in shadow. “I had personal reasons for wanting the sirens to leave. One of them killed the woman I loved.”
An itchy knot formed in Amy’s throat. She hadn’t really thought someone like Edan capable of love. After all, the myths emphasized the cold hearts of selkie men. These were beings who used women for pleasure and then deserted them for the waves. She’d assumed selkies could only love themselves. “I’m sorry to hear it. What was her name?”
“Ellen.” Edan’s eyes crinkled as he looked out the window, as if seeing the ghost of his long-dead lover. He didn’t elaborate on what happened to Ellen, but Amy could only imagine.
“Would you like to talk about her?”
“No.”
“It might help if...”
“I said no, Amy. All you need to know is Breena and her sisters killed her.”
“Breena and her sisters?”
“Yes. They may be monsters but they do have names and they possess many human characteristics. The trio of sirens who came to Orkney are called Breena, Mercia, and Dulcine. They are ancient and destructive, and no human can resist them.”
“What about non-humans?”
“Ah, well, that’s a different story. Sirens are built to hunt people like you. They have no interest in eating other supernatural creatures. It is the taste of human flesh that drives them.”
“So someone like you might be able to kill a siren.”
“It’s not that simple. Sirens can’t be killed by normal means. That is why I had to find another way to get rid of them. I have many gifts, lass. I can change shapes. I can communicate in unusual ways. I can influence the weather with a mere thought. But even I, with my array of abilities, can’t destroy a siren.”
“They’re indestructible?”
Edan leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “There’s only one way to kill a siren. Mortal resistance. It causes them to commit suicide. Remember Odysseus?”
“Yes. When he stopped up the ears of his crew with beeswax, they were able to resist the call of the sirens and could steer their boat away from their island. Legend says when the bird women were ignored, they threw themselves into the sea and were destroyed.”
“You know your Homer.”
“Surely Breena and her sisters aren’t the same sirens, then.”
“No. There are several sirens named in the old myths but they weren’t the only ones. As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, there are other truths behind the folklore.”
Which meant she might not even have all the information she needed to fight these monsters. She needed Edan on her side more than ever.
“I hope you’re starting to realize you’re waging a useless war. Amy, you can’t kill these creatures.”
“With all due respect, it sounds as if I have a better chance than you do. You said so yourself. Even if you banded together with a group of paranormal vigilantes, the most you could d
o is convince them to leave. You already tried that and clearly they have bad listening skills. They need to be destroyed, once and for all.”
“I agree. The time for exile is long past.”
“Okay, but what I don’t understand is why they’d return to Orkney at all. Why not go somewhere else where they could plunder a larger human population and keep their identities secret?”
“It’s my fault. It’s because of me they’ve returned and I need to be the one to stop them.” As he stood, the shadows darkened his face, making him appear older. “I’ve told you everything you need to know. Go home, Amy. Let me take care of them.” He headed for the door.
She jumped up from her chair, almost knocking it over in her haste. “Edan, wait. Don’t go.”
His hand was already on the doorknob but he stood still, his back to her. In that pained posture, he looked more statue than man. With his face twisted and his muscles taut, he might have been sculpted by Bernini. A look of pain, captured forever.
What was she supposed to say? She didn’t understand why the siren sisters were so keen on coming back to Orkney. Even in summer, the place was cold. The winds played havoc with her skin. Her hair frizzed in the ever-present mist. She couldn’t imagine a bunch of sun-worshipping bird maidens would enjoy hanging out on the chilly Orcadian beaches.
More to the point, why did Edan think it was his fault?
He turned the doorknob.
Instinct drove her as she reached for his arm. She didn’t think, didn’t remember how to think. She just wanted to wipe the sad look off his face.
The sculpture came to life and he turned. His gaze slowly met hers.
First Kisses: a Book+Main Bites anthology Page 8
