His tongue thrust between her folds to sample her. Her sweet flavor fueled his hunger, drove his need higher. His body painfully tight, he forced himself to remain on his knees, determined to bring her to another orgasm before filling her for his own pleasure.
His sinuous mouth worked at her core, lapping her honey. He built more pressure, sent her higher with each talented lick.
His fangs grazed her inner thigh, and a shiver took her body. He slid two fingers into her folds as his teeth latched onto her without warning. He couldn’t help himself. She was his heartmate, he had to taste her in every way.
Julie fell over the precipice once more, this time screaming the climax that rolled through her body. She convulsed around his fingers. She tried to move her legs, but they were pinned, one by Nicholai’s mouth, the other by the hand not inside her. A possessive bestial growl rolled out from his chest, and she gasped loudly. He knew exactly how he wanted his mate and he held her open for his perusal.
He licked the tiny wounds closed and laved his way up her body to find her full lips once again. Nicholai’s mouth scorched against hers with a natural talent that made her senseless. He kissed her aggressively, the flick of his tongue touching her lips, demanding entry.
When she opened her lips, he positioned himself at her lower entrance. With one sure thrust, he slid into the heat inch by decadent inch until she pushed her hips against his urging him in.
They danced the waltz as old as time, varying their speed to match their need. Julie raised her hips and met him thrust for thrust. Nicholai made the dance last, drawing her pleasure from her, making her call his name as she came for him again and again. Each orgasm made her body convulse tightly around his, milking him until his own release became imminent.
Nicholai kissed down to where her neck and shoulder met. He jerked her forward against himself and latched his teeth into her soft flesh. Juliette gasped when his teeth pierced her skin. Nicholai ensured Julie did not register the bite as anything more than a hickey. His hand wrapped around her neck and held her still while he drew her crimson life-force into his mouth.
He lost himself to the sensation of her velvet heat. His own climax built. He fell over the edge with the flavor of her coating the back of his throat. Julie crossed her ankles behind his back, locking him to her. The pleasure of the sensations he created sent her into a rolling climax that milked his seed from him. As she flowed onto him, he flowed into her, pumping his hips until they both lay spent.
He licked the tiny puncture wounds closed as the last of their climax gripped their bodies, then lifted his head to gaze at her. He shifted, taking the brunt of his weight on his forearms.
Juliette gave a satisfied grin and ran her fingers lightly over his back. “Merry Christmas to me.”
“Consider me the gift that keeps on giving,” Nicholai said, a smug grin of male satisfaction on his face.
“You can say that again.” Julie’s legs fell limply to the bed. “You can give me that gift any time you want.”
A deep chuckle rolled from Nicholai’s chest as he gingerly separated from her body then stood at the side of the bed. “Speaking of gifts…”
He reached under the bed and withdrew a decorative bag. Julie pushed up and leaned her back against the headboard.
“What’s this?”
Nicholai handed his mate the bag. “Open it.”
Julie withdrew the green tissue paper from the bag and reached inside. When she pulled out a set of wooden stacking dolls, amazement widened her eyes. “How did you know I wanted these?”
“A little butterfly told me,” he quipped.
“You mean a little bird told you?” she corrected, opening the dolls one by one to reveal the next in the stack.
“Is that how the saying goes? A bird?” Nicholai paused until Julie nodded in agreement. “Huh, bird it is then.”
Julie held the smallest doll in the palm of her hand.
“That’s unusual.” She examined the doll. “Typically the last doll is solid. This one seems to be cut around the middle.”
“Perhaps there is something within. Why don’t you open it and see?”
Julie opened the tiny doll and peered inside the body. Seeing something shiny, she turned the doll upside down. A platinum chain fell onto the bed.
Nicholai reached for the necklace and held it before Julie’s eyes. A heart-shaped diamond pendant spun from the length of chain, sending a rainbow prism arching along Juliette’s creamy skin.
“I thought you celebrated Christmas on January seventh.” Julie turned her back on Nicholai and pulled her hair up into a loose pony tail.
He circled her neck with the chain, adeptly fastening the clasp. The backs of his fingers brushed her neck while he worked. “I do, but your Christmas has already passed, and I wanted to get you a little something. Do you like it?”
His love turned and faced him, fingering the heart pendant. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”
Nicholai’s stomach knotted at her choice of words. How he longed to hear her say she loved him. He deliberately used the most personal form of communication they had when next he spoke.
I am glad. I wanted to give you something that would symbolize my love.
Julie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this way of talking with you.
It is most natural between heartmates. You will adjust in time. Nicholai brushed the back of his hand down her cheek, then laid his palm on the pendant which rested over her heart.
I have given my heart to you, lastochka. Please do not break it.
****
“We are still no closer to capturing another vampire,” Lane pointed out to Jara and jammed his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.
“You don’t need to tell me.” Jara fisted her hands on her hips in pique.
“How can I save our race without a test subject?” Anger lit Lane’s eyes. “You must do something.”
How dare he show anger toward her! She was royalty. Just when she decided he needed a lesson in manners, Jara’s phone rang. She pulled it from the pocket of her white pantsuit and noted the number displayed.
“This might just be the answer to our prayers. Excuse me,” she said and seized on the excuse to quickly exit the lab before her temper got the better of her.
Her heart beat faster. Interest straightened Jara’s spine. “Is your vampire a male or female, Lovazia?”
“Well, hello to you too, sister dear.”
Jara ambled down the hall. “Yes, yes, hello. Now answer the question, is the vampire you bumped into male or female?”
“I told you before, female.”
Jara’s hope crashed to the floor. “We need a vampire, Lovazia. A male.”
“Sorry, can’t help you. The bloodsucker I’ve been hunting has a companion…” Jara’s hope rose. “…but she is female too.”
Annnnnnnnd just like that her optimism was once again dashed.
“Besides, I have plans for the bitch.” Wickedness permeated Lovazia’s voice.
“What do you plan on doing?”
Jara reached her room and went inside.
“Killing her, of course.”
“Yes, but we need a vampire, and since we are having trouble finding a male, perhaps your female one might do. Capture it or wait until we can get there, and we’ll help you capture it.”
“Capture it? I want to kill it! They are all blood-thirsty monsters who deserve to die for what they did to Alcid.”
Jara laid on the bed. She understood her sister’s need for revenge. “If you help us capture it, there will be lots of pain and torture for it, then death. Wouldn’t that be a better punishment?”
“Hmmmm.” Lovazia seemed interested.
“We need a vampire, Lovazia. Varrick hopes to be able to find a cure for our susceptibility to human ailments. Do you understand what that would mean? We could mingle with humans. Live outside of the cave. We could have a real life, not spend it skulking about, hiding
our existence.”
“Some of us already do that, Jara. Just because you and Varrick choose to live life sequestered, doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”
“Aren’t you scared of dying?”
“At some point, we all die. I’d rather go out fighting personally, like trying to kill a vampire.”
Perhaps another tactic might help her sister see reason.
“Vampires are difficult to kill, little sister. They can take a lot of physical abuse. How do you plan on getting rid of the beast?”
“You needn’t tell me. I’ve already tried and failed a couple of times.”
Thank goodness. There might be a chance. An idea occurred to Jara.
“Well then, why not wait until we can get there? We can help you kill it,” Jara lied.
“Not necessary. I’ve decided to do it the old-fashioned way. With my bare hands, or paws, as it were.” Lovazia laughed before continuing, her voice low with deadly intent. “I’m going to find it and let my wolf rip its heart from its chest.”
Jara knew her sister well. Almost nothing could change her mind once she’d made it up. She decided to play along with killing the beast for a minute, hoping to steer the conversation back to capturing it instead.
“You are a strong fighter, especially in wolf form. But don’t waste time playing with your kill. Get in low and fast. Take the heart without allowing time for the thing to fight back. It will come after you with all it’s got.”
“I know how to fight, Jara. Father made sure all of us were trained properly.”
The older demon’s mind slid back to the time of their youth when she had been forced to stand by and watch as her sister was routinely beaten in the training ring by much larger and stronger opponents. Their father had said it was the only way to develop their skills, but Jara and her siblings always believed their father had a sadistic streak and liked to see his children beaten down.
“I remember exactly how you were trained. Still, be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I wish you’d reconsider taking on the beast, Lovazia. We could have someone there in a day or two to help you.”
That person would be there to capture the bloodsucker, not kill it, but Lovazia didn’t need to know that.
“I’ll consider it,” Lovazia promised. “I need to go, Jara. Bye.”
“Lovazia, wait.”
The phone went dead.
Jara chucked the thing across the room. Her anger grew until her hair stood away from the scalp with her energy.
Knowing Lovazia, she’d probably hunt the vampire tonight. Of course, there was also the smallest chance Lovazia might see reason and choose to capture the bloodsucker instead.
“Yeah, right.” Jara rolled her eyes.
Chapter 38
Julie awoke and discovered the tiny hairs on Nicholai’s chest pillowed her cheek, her body still replete. She thought back over their night together.
They’d spent long hours making glorious love. He had driven her to dizzying heights, wound her body tighter until it ached with a need so great only he could satisfy it.
I love you, lastochka. Her mind replayed words he’d said to her as her dreams tried to claim her the previous evening.
She believed him, convinced by the way he’d looked at her, the way he held her with his quiet strength. He truly loved her. He loved her with his body and soul many ways each day, always seeing to her needs before his own.
She had to admit, Nicholai was everything and more she could want. Her heart raced every time he neared. When they were apart, she longed to see him, felt desperate to touch him. She heard him in her mind, sensed him near when she could not see him in the flesh. Julie still wasn’t exactly sure how he did that, but it made her feel safe, loved, and she was content not to examine it too closely. Feeling closer to him than she ever had to another person, she did not want anything to ruin this special relationship.
Somehow, he had become a part of her, and lying in his bed, she realized her heart had known him from the first moment they met. One look in his amber eyes and she’d fallen deeply in love, though she would never have admitted it. She had been too scared.
Well, she wasn’t scared any more. She loved him, and it was damn time she summoned the courage to tell him so.
She pushed off his chest and contemplated his sleeping form. The features of his face were at ease. He looked like a child, innocent in sleep, with his dark hair falling back away from the handsome lines of his face. She stroked a finger lightly down his straight nose. It glided over his full sensual lips. His lower lip tugged slightly under her digit.
In fascination, she watched the lip bounce back into place, perfecting the picture of his regal face. Now that she really studied him, he bore a striking resemblance to the portrait that hung in the Peterhof Castle. Seeing him so relaxed, so unburdened. He appeared young, carefree, like the young man in the portrait.
Nicholai’s lids flew open. His loving gaze captured her, and she fell into his amber eyes.
“Like what you see?” His deep voice reverberated in his chest under her fingers.
A wicked grin spread across her face. “I do. Very much!”
Nicholai wrapped a muscular arm around her middle and pulled her cheek to his chest. “Glad to hear that, my dear.” Gentle amusement sounded in his satiny voice. His soft laughter stroked over her like velvet heat.
Julie trailed her fingers through the fine hairs on his chest. They were soft under the pads of her fingers. She listened to him breathe, her head rising with each gentle inhale. His heart sounded strong behind his ribs. The rhythm beat steady, slow. Her own heart skipped a beat when he tenderly rubbed her back with one warm hand. Up and down, it massaged her sore muscles from neck to buttocks.
He spent extra time on her neck, working the muscles and sinew until she went boneless. His talented fingers took the slight ache that always accompanied their lovemaking. His hickeys seemed to have a bit of a sting, even though he never left a mark.
“Is there anything you would like to do tonight?” Nicholai asked.
Julie snuggled closer against his warmth and pulled the blanket under her chin. “No. Why? Was there something you wanted to do?”
“I thought we might take Kedar out for a moonlight ride through the woods.”
“That sounds lovely,” Julie said, the wistfulness lowering her voice.
“Good. After we eat, we can go for a ride.”
Her lover reluctantly pulled himself from the bed and stood before her in his full glory, blissfully unencumbered by his nudity. The muscles played under his smooth skin as he crossed the room to the bath. Her body responded to each ripple, every flex. When he closed the bathroom door behind him, a small sigh, as much from sated contentment as disappointment from the gorgeous view leaving her sight, escaped.
The shower turned on. She stretched, lifting her arms above her head before wiggling off the enormous bed. In stark contrast to the warmth of being in bed with Nicholai, a blast of chilled air hit her skin. Her muscles tensed as her arms circled her middle. Julie considered joining him in the shower but decided her body needed a little recovery time before they made love again. For while Nicholai never hurt her, her muscles were always a little sore from working hard to keep up with his boundless appetite for sex.
She unwrapped her arms around her waist and quickly retrieved some clothes from the top drawer in the dresser. Julie donned her jeans and sweater as fast as she could and strolled upstairs to the kitchen. If Nicholai was taking her riding, the least she could do was make them a meal before they went.
****
Lovazia stalked through the woods. The half-moon cast gray and black shadows over the new fallen snow. She turned her angular face toward the moon. No doubt its silvery reflection glowed in her red eyes. Her skeletal frame, so light her feet barely made impressions in the snow, plunged through the trees recklessly. Loose stones rolled under her feet as she clambered through the barren forest.
The demon breathe
d in the crisp winter air. It burned her nose, made her eyes tear. She hated the cold, and if that damned vampire bitch would just die, she could go home right now to her warm bed. Instead, she traipsed through a forest, heading toward a fight to avenge her dead husband.
It mattered not that it might not be the one that killed Alcid or that her brother wanted it captured. All that mattered was that honor dictated she kill it.
Stupid bloodsucker! It had to be my luck to run into her. I don’t know how she’d been able to be out during the day, but there is no doubt what she is.
The stench of vampire on her had been too strong, and Lovazia would never forget that scent.
Tonight she would kill it. No more accidents that failed. No more missed opportunities. Tonight, she would kill the blood-hungry beast with her bare hands, or paws, as it were. One of them would not live to see the dawn, she vowed, sure she knew who that would be.
An evil grin spread across the demon’s drawn face as she stalked along on silent feet. She had done research, tracked the vampire to its lair. The thing stayed in a large home, an isolated home that served Lovazia’s purposes well. They could fight to the death, and no one would notice. She could leave the body to rot without its being discovered. She would be able to shift at will, and no one would see. Yes, this home seemed like the perfect place to carry out her plans.
Alcid, she sent the message up to her deceased husband. Tonight I will avenge you, my love. I will continue to murder every vampire I encounter until I am sure I have killed the one that murdered you. And once my revenge is complete, I will join you in the afterlife. Wait for me just a little while longer, my love, for one day we will be together again.
****
Nicholai shortened his gait so Juliette’s petite strides kept pace. The bitter cold kissed her cheeks, leaving its ruby marks. She put a hand on her faux fur pillbox hat and pushed it down over the tops of her ears. Julie pulled her matching coat tightly around her body and held the collar closed with one gloved hand. Nicholai gathered a bridle from a hook in the tack room.
Alpha Lover Page 25
