“That was some meeting,” she mumbled.
He hoped it hadn’t been his imagination that caused him to detect jealousy in her voice.
“Yes. Well…” He coughed uncomfortably, unsure of what to make of her discomfort. “Madelia and I used to be…friends.”
Victoria arched her eyebrows. “Friends with benefits, you mean.”
He shrugged, but didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes.”
“I see.”
Tristan was no longer so sure of himself when Victoria refused to comment further and quite frankly, he became worried. Would that admission somehow taint whatever image she had of him? Or would it make it worse somehow?
“She wanted to talk to me about the rise in werewolf numbers in the area,” he added in a hurry so that the direction of the conversation would shift from him to the other important matter to discuss. “And I think I know why that is.”
“The mating was supposed to join two very powerful packs. The increase in numbers was due to some of the other pack’s members arrival in preparation for the mating ceremony.”
“Wouldn’t your father let the other pack know you weren’t there to consent to the mating?” he asked.
Victoria shrugged. “I really don’t know. He would have said something or he would have kept it to himself. Eventually though, he would have figured something out.” She shook her head in frustration. “He was very determined to see the mating go through and I’m sure he’s out of his mind with anger.”
As she finished the last sentence, he took a moment to recollect his thoughts, recalling the mass of black fur that had exploded out of the woods.
“Who was he?” he pried.
“Who?” Victoria’s face scrunched as she tried to make sense of who he referred to.
“The werewolf? The one that had every intention of eating me whole?”
Victoria smiled. “Oh, him. He’s Danero, my best friend.”
Tristan had to admit he felt a strong sense of relief when he heard her refer to him as her best friend. His whole body had tensed as they spoke to each other, and now that he knew there were no romantic links that tied them together he was very much relieved.
“What did he tell you?”
“That my father was desperate, and with Armando’s arrival, things were bound to worsen. He warned me to leave as soon as possible.”
“Your father is pretty serious about this mating, isn’t he?”
She shrugged. “The mating is part of a prevention program the pack elders devised in order to preserve our species. Mating with another alpha was the only option I was given.”
“But you took an alternative route.”
“You can say that.”
“But you were thinking about going back.” It wasn’t a question and she knew it.
“I thought about it, but now—”
He reached out for her, drawing her to him, and she allowed it.
“I’m not so sure anymore,” she admitted.
“Why did it cross your mind to return?” he questioned, wanting to know why someone so sweet would want to return to such a demeaning household.
Victoria buried her face in his chest, refusing to meet his eyes. “It almost felt like I was acting childish by leaving. You know, as if by running I would ruin our chances of survival because I refused to do the right thing,” she said. “I thought I owed it to my kind to contribute to their survival, but what will my life be like when I’m forced to comply with a dominant male who’ll force me to bow down to him just because he’s the leader?”
Tristan used his index finger to nudge her head up so that their eyes met.
Looking up at him, she added, “I don’t want to bow down to anyone. I want to be an equal to my mate, at least as equal as we can be, and this male my father wants me to mate with is just as pretentious as my alpha father is.”
As he listened, Tristan planted soft kisses down her neck and then moved to her naked shoulder. “Victoria, a lifelong commitment is a serious matter. One that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You thought it over, realized that you did not want to be attached to the male of your father’s choosing and made a decision that would assure the mating wouldn’t take place. If you ask me, your choice to run wasn’t childish. It was a smart move, one I admire you for,” he murmured against her skin. “Or would his decision change if you would have chosen to talk to him about how you felt?”
Victoria shook her head. “I tried talking to him. I went as far as telling him I wasn’t ready, but he wouldn’t listen,” she said. “Immortality is already overbearing enough and to have to spend it with a mate not of my choosing will ruin me. Other girls would easily accept what their alpha fathers decide, but I’m not like that.” She shook her head. “I won’t bow down to him anymore than I do my own father.”
“You don’t think you would have grown to love him?”
“No.” Her response was self-assured and certain. “I’m old enough to know I would have been permanently attached to a mate, living the illusion of a happy relationship created only by the bonding process.”
Tristan cocked an eyebrow. “The bonding process?”
“When two werewolves mate, they become bonded for life, even if prior to the mating there were no heartfelt sentiments between them. If I mated with Armando, I would feel as if there was love between us but that illusion would only be supported by the bonding.”
For Tristan, it was somewhat shocking to hear how different werewolves and vampires were. It was obvious to begin with, but realizing that such a thing as eternal bonding existed among them surprised him.
“If you fall in love, the bonding still works?”
She nodded. “If the pair is in love,the bonding only makes their sentiments grow stronger. However, I don’t want to lie with a man in order to know love. I want to lie with him because I love him.”
Pulling aside the collar of his shirt, her lips sought the bare flesh of his chest. Once his neckline was exposed, she planted kisses on his lower neck and upper chest. Within seconds she began her exploration by unbuttoning his shirt halfway down, and he didn’t move a finger to stop her. It felt too good to even think about stopping. Soon, she had his white shirt completely unbuttoned and her hands freely roaming the hard contours of his chest. Tristan had to stifle a moan and concentrate on her words rather than on what she was doing to him.
“Maybe they spoke…truth.” He bit down on his lower lip to keep from crying out when she raised herself just enough so that she could nip at his lower neck. “You will never know if you don’t…” The second her arms snaked around his waist and she bit down on his flesh, just above his right nipple, he forgot what he was going to say as all coherent thought fled his mind. Blood gushed out of him and into her mouth in rapid spurts, and some hidden part of him reveled in the fact that she lapped at it as if it were water and she was a thirst-crazed pup. In his years of being a vampire, he had never allowed any other being such liberties with him. He had never willingly bled for anyone. The action was much too intimate, but the moment Victoria crossed that line, he had no will to stop her. Somehow, it was perfect with her and he not only allowed it, but enjoyed the feel of it.
“I want to try…” Her tongue darted out to lap the last drop of blood left on the surface of his skin before his wound closed back up. “But not with him.”
He moaned softly, arousal nearly causing his knees to buckle. “Who do you want?” he managed to croak out, although how he managed was a mystery to him. He could barely even think and talking seemed to require an extreme amount of effort.
“I want you,” she confessed.
“Victoria…” He took a hold of her forearms and pushed her far enough back so that he could stare into her eyes. “Are you sure about this?” He wanted her, there was no doubt about it, but he wasn’t so sure that she really wanted him. Yes, there was an obvious chemistry between them and sparks flew when they came in physical contact with each other, but what if he didn’t turn out to be everyt
hing she wanted?
“Yes, I’m sure.”
The words hadn’t quite left her mouth when he faded them both into his bedroom. The second her naked back touched the bed, his lips descended on hers as they set out to devour her mouth as his hands fondled her until she was writhing and moaning in passion beneath him.
After about a minute however, she drew back, gazing up at him as she said, “Before we start, there’s something you should know.”
He paused to look at her, panting heavily as his body struggled against the power of intense arousal.
“I…” She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. “I’ve never done this before,” she blurted.
Stunned, he could only lay there, half on top of her, and stare. “What does that mean?”
“I want you, very much. But before you have me, you have a right to know what this will mean for me.”
Tristan nodded absently, staring as his brain tried to figure out where she was leading him. “Okay.”
“If we…have sex…since I’m a virgin…you will be considered my mate.” She sighed. “I’ve drank your blood and you’ve drank mine and even though I wasn’t thinking about it when I bit you, I realize now that all we have to do to make it official is join our bodies since our blood is already mixed.”
Though the bonding process was something new to him, Tristan had heard about the werewolves’ strange mating rituals before. How they had to drink each other’s blood and then consummate their relationship in order to be considered mated for eternity or until one or both died. But would it work with Victoria and him? He wasn’t a werewolf, and although he already felt a strong attraction to her, that didn’t mean joining his body to hers would necessarily bond them in the same way werewolves were after mating.
When Victoria first told him that she was to be mated, he never even thought that she could be untouched. Not even when she confessed to being the daughter of an alpha did it occur to him that she hadn’t had any sexual experiences yet. Heck, she could have been a widow for all he knew. But that obviously wasn’t the case at all.
“I’m sorry…” she said, obviously embarrassed. “I should have told you.” Victoria made to scramble off the bed but he held a firm grip on her waist, preventing her intended escape.
“Don’t leave just yet,” he muttered. “So, you’re a virgin?”
“Tristan…” she started. “Yes, I am.”
“I would be your first then?” he asked.
“And my only,” she added.
In a span of a few seconds, he thought about the possibilities. For them to be a couple was a crazy thought, he knew that. He also knew once the news of their relationship got out, there would be dire consequences to pay. No one would accept it, no matter how much they tried for others to view things their way. It was forbidden, and although he’d never cared much for rules or regulations anyway, even he couldn’t ignore the problems taking a werewolf for a mate would bring.
His dead heart however, argued that she was everything he’d ever wanted, in the flesh. She had brought him out of his shell so to speak, forcing him to talk about painful subjects he never thought to share with anyone, and out into the world again with a renewed sense of life, which had been absent for the past eighty years. He’d seen much during his long journeys across the worlds, but whenever he thought of how much fun it would be to see her reaction as they sailed the seven seas, exploring faraway lands, his sense of adventure renewed. Traveling far and wide would be worth it if she was by his side. He wouldn’t be alone. He wouldn’t be lonely.
“Are you aware of all you would be giving up?” he said. “Nothing would be what you probably expect.”
Keeping her gaze locked on his, she asked, “What do you mean?”
“I’m a vampire, Victoria. I can’t give you children. I don’t eat or sleep. I require a healthy dose of blood to sustain my immortal body and none of that will ever change.” He recognized the second comprehension dawned on her.
Once the mating was over with, and she belonged to him in every sense of the word, there would be no turning back. At some point in his long existence he had been a living, breathing human man who had the misfortune to experience an agonizing death, which forced him to become an immortal blood drinker, and all this meant his dead sperm could not produce any offspring, and being that she was young and fertile, she might want to reconsider. What if she decided one day that she wanted children? He couldn’t impregnate her and she wouldn’t be able to break away from their bond unless one of them died, and being that he was already dead, she would pretty much be stuck with him.
He cared for her, much more than he would have ever dared to admit to anyone. And if he took her as mate, and she decided one day that she wasn’t happy because they couldn’t have children, that would slowly eat at him until he had nothing left to give. He wanted her to be not only content with him, but exuberant, thriving in their immortal relationship. But she had to understand what she would give up if she chose him above the other possibilities she could have.
“Nothing about my existence will ever change. I will never age, be able to have children, or even stop drinking blood.”
“Do you want me?”
Her question caught him completely off guard. He was expecting her to say something but not that. “What?”
“Do you want to be mated to me?”
He arched both eyebrows as he stared down at her. What was she getting at?
“Because once we have sex, we will be bonded for eternity and nothing will change that fact. There will be no other vampire women for you and no men for me at all. In order for us to be happy, you would have to want me as much as I want you, because if you don’t, it won’t work and we will both be miserable,” she stated, much to his surprise.
He expected her to think over what he’d just said to her, but instead, she was more worried over what he wanted. She had turned things around on him and he couldn’t help but ask himself what he desired. Did he want that kind of commitment? Did he want to share the rest of his immortality with her?
He shrugged and thought, why not? It couldn’t be a complete mystery to her how much he physically wanted her, especially with his manhood straining against his pants. But he knew that that wasn’t what she meant. She wanted to know if he cared enough for her to actually want to be mated to her forever.
Tristan tensed slightly as he observed her beautiful green eyes widen as she waited for him to either accept her as eternal mate or reject her. In her eyes he saw the love she felt for him written all over them and he realized then that no one else would make him a better mate than her. She wasn’t expecting him to change. She only wanted him to love her, to make her happy, to be as one with her. It wasn’t too much for her to ask and it certainly wasn’t too much for him to give. He had lived alone long enough. A thousand years was more than just long actually, and what did he have to show for all the years he’d spent traveling the world? Nothing. He had fortune, a wealth he’d accumulated during his hundreds of years of existence, but nothing else of great significance.
With Victoria however, he could have it all, happiness, a companion, a lover, but most of all, someone who actually loved him. The realization of what had just crossed through his train of thought hit him like a punch to the gut: he would have someone who loved him more than anything else. She would be his and he would be hers.
To be perfectly honest, he couldn’t picture a life without her anymore. Ever since that fateful day when he first laid eyes on her out in the woods, he started to feel more alive, and that would vanish the moment she accepted someone else as her mate. Could he really live with the fact that she shared her life and body with another male? The answer to that question came as a rush of words. No, he couldn’t. And he knew that because the moment she mentioned she was to be mated to someone else he tasted such a potent degree of anger and jealousy on his tongue that it had all but consumed him. He knew it now, or rather recognized the strong sentiment. He had been jealous
. Even though he didn’t have a right to feel that way, the thought of Victoria belonging to someone else was abhorrent to him. And the moment she revealed her secret, he had thought about taking her as far away as his vampiric powers would allow. He never had any plans to take her back home, not until she agreed to be his, at least. If he had to keep her prisoner in Paris until she fell in love with him, then he was prepared to do so.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to. He could read her emotions, because as good as she was at guarding all thoughts from his prying mind, she couldn’t hide what he could see in her eyes.
“I want you, Victoria,” he replied at last. “I want you to be mine and only mine. But you know this will be hard for us. It won’t be easy once others find out. We might pay for it in the end.”
She raised her chin defiantly. “I don’t care. If you’re not afraid to face the world, then I won’t be either.”
He rewarded her with a heartfelt smile. “The only thing I’m afraid of right now is you changing your mind about us.”
Smiling, she shook her head. “Never. I know what I want, and I want you.”
Without another word, he came up over her, bearing his weight on both elbows as he pinned her body to the soft bed, and kissed her. The fiery kiss, so full of passion it nearly consumed them both, was meant to reassure his beloved how much he wanted her. And by the way she clung to his neck and returned the gesture, he knew he had succeeded.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Victoria moaned as his hand traveled up her silken thigh, driving her mad with lust when his fingers toyed with the elastic of her black lace panties. She wanted them off and his hands on that part of her female anatomy that had never been touched. Had it not been for Tristan’s lips leaving her mouth and marking a path down her neck, she would have protested when his hand stop tugging at her panties and instead, reached up slowly to grasp the top of her dress. With a movement that seemed painfully slow to her, he pulled it down until both her breasts sprang free from the material. With skills that only a great lover could possess, he dropped quick kisses on her breasts, making sure to avoid the hardened pebble in the middle and Victoria nearly cried out in frustration when his tongue darted out and barely licked her right nub.
Fierce Awakenings Page 17
