by Tina Folsom
“You are going to do nothing,” Haven said pointedly from the driver’s seat, briefly looking over his shoulder. “You’ve done quite enough for one night.”
Judging by the way he said it, he didn’t mean it to be a compliment.
“But—”
Haven growled. “Blake is on it. Thomas has already gotten a picture of our suspect and is distributing it to everybody. They’ll be analyzing the letters to see if there are any clues in them as to where he’ll be. And they’re checking into all connections this Cliff Forrester has in California. If he’s got another hiding place, a garage, a car, or a storage unit, we’ll find it. He won’t get far.”
“But there must be something else I can do,” Katie insisted. “Why don’t we set a trap for him? I can be the bait.”
Next to her she felt Luther tense. “Hell, no!” he growled.
“Hate to agree with him,” Haven ground out, “but that’s just not gonna happen. You’ll be staying at your house, under constant guard. I’ve already alerted HQ and they’re sending someone over. Until then, I’ll be watching you.”
Katie opened her mouth to protest, but Luther was faster.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll be watching Katie. There’s no need to send over a man from Scanguards.”
Haven scoffed, glaring over his shoulder. “No fucking way. You’re not staying with Katie.” He motioned to Wesley and himself. “One of us is gonna keep an eye on you at all times.”
Wes nodded in agreement and turned halfway to look at Luther. “Did you really think that after what happened to Katie while she was with you, we’d let you stay with her?”
Luther snarled, but Katie took his hand and stopped him from responding.
Instead, she glared at her brother. “What are you pissed off about? The fact that I got stabbed in prison or that I slept with Luther?”
Haven slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a full stop on the side of the street. Katie was jerked forward. Had she not been wearing a seatbelt, she would have hit the back of the driver’s seat.
“What?” Haven yelled and spun around. His eyes glared red and his fangs descended. “You slept with this scumbag?”
Katie’s gaze shifted to Wes, stunned. “You didn’t tell him?” She’d been sure that Wesley had filled Haven in before they’d left Forrester’s house. Why else would Haven be so adamant about keeping her away from Luther?
Wes lifted his hands and made a grimace. “I can keep a secret, you know.” He jerked his thumb toward Haven. “I knew how he’d react.”
Haven glared at his brother. “And rightly so! Do you really want your sister to be influenced by somebody like him?” He pointed at Luther. “He’s a convict. A murderer.”
Katie glanced at Luther, but he took the accusation in stoic silence, his jaw set in a grim line, his eyes watching Haven. She felt the need to defend Luther.
“He isn’t the only killer in this car,” she said and locked eyes with Haven. “So don’t be all righteous now. You were a vampire hunter for over a decade and killed your fair share.”
“I killed for you, Katie!” he hissed. “To find you and get you back! And now you throw that in my face?” He jerked the car door open and jumped out.
“Ah, shit!” Katie cursed and undid her seatbelt.
Luther put his hand on hers, but she shook her head and opened the passenger door. She jumped out and ran after Haven, who was marching along the deserted sidewalk.
“Haven!”
He looked over his shoulder, a wounded look on his face, but he stopped. When she reached him, she took a deep breath.
“You did so much for me,” she started. “More than any brother should ever have to do for his sister. You sacrificed for me and for Wes. And I know you think I’m ungrateful. I’m not.” Tears stung her eyes, but she pushed on. “When we found each other twenty years ago, you gave me the family I always wanted. And what did I give you? Only trouble.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured, shaking his head. “The trouble is all worth it as long as I know you’re happy.”
A tear ran down her cheek. “But I’m not happy, Haven. I’ve never been able to forgive her for what she did to us. For what she did to you.”
Haven reached his hand out and wiped away her tear with his thumb. “You have to move on. Our mother was consumed with the need for power. She paid for it.”
“Have you forgiven her?”
“In my own way.”
Katie hadn’t. “Then you’re a better person than I. How can a mother do that to her children? How could she do that to us? To rob us of our powers and claim them for herself, knowing it would endanger us all? I can’t forgive her.”
As a result of her mother’s actions, they had all suffered. Her father had disappeared one night never to return, and a vampire had killed her mother and abducted Katie when she was just a year old. At age twenty-three she’d been reunited with her two brothers.
“I still blame her for taking my powers away. Because if I’d had powers, I would have been able to prevent him from—”
Haven put a finger over her lips. “Don’t, Katie. Five years have passed. What happened to you was terrible. But you have to let it go. He’s dead. He’ll never hurt you again.”
“But the fear is still with me.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
She slowly shook her head. “When I’m with Luther, that fear… it disappears. When he’s near me, I’m not afraid anymore. I can breathe again, live again.” And forget the nightmare that had rocked her world five years earlier and made her turn her back on Hollywood and her former life.
“Oh Katie.” Haven sighed. “Why him?”
“I don’t know. But with him I feel safe. Please don’t take that away from me.” Tears now streamed down her face, blurring her vision. “I need him.”
Haven’s arms came around her, pulling her to his chest. A sob tore from her throat, while Haven caressed her back, comforting her.
“And what if he doesn’t want you?”
“I don’t know, Hav.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “He can stay with you. When he leaves, I’ll be there to catch you.”
“Like you always are,” she murmured, but hoped that this time she wouldn’t have to rely on her brother’s help. “I love you, Haven.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
32
Luther followed Haven to the door that led down to the garage in Katie’s Victorian mansion. Katie was already walking upstairs to the second floor.
“I’m taking a shower,” she announced and disappeared.
The moment she was out of earshot, Haven cleared his throat. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”
“I’d do the same if I were in your shoes,” Luther admitted.
“Good. Then we understand each other.” Haven reached for the doorknob.
“One other thing.”
Katie’s brother looked over his shoulder.
“I haven’t fed. Any chance you could send over some packaged blood, given that I can’t leave Katie alone?”
Haven motioned to the end of the corridor. “Katie keeps blood in a fridge in the pantry. You know, for visitors like me and my mate. Help yourself.”
“Appreciate it.”
With a grunt, Haven disappeared. Moments later, Luther heard the garage door being operated and a car drive out. When the garage closed again and everything went quiet, Luther relaxed. From above he heard the sound of a shower running.
Instinctively he felt the need to run up there, but he pulled himself back. He was here to protect Katie, not devour her like a hungry beast. And he was hungry, starving in fact. Drawing on every last ounce of willpower, he marched toward the kitchen and entered it. In the pantry he found a small refrigerator. Its only ingredients were bottles of blood, neatly stacked in rows, sorted by blood type.
He reached for one, not caring what type it was and popped the twist top open. He gulped the liquid down greedily
until the bottle was empty. But he wasn’t satisfied yet. He tossed the empty bottle into the recycle bin next to the door and pulled a second bottle out. Only when he’d emptied that bottle too, did he feel somewhat better. In prison, he would have had to survive on this amount of blood for several days, which had taught him to control his hunger. That’s why he was so surprised at the amount he needed now to satisfy his hunger.
However, deep down he wasn’t sated. He knew why. Because the reason why stood underneath the shower on the second floor. His feet carried him up the creaking wooden staircase. On the landing, he inhaled and caught her scent. The door to the room at the end of the long corridor was ajar. The sound of the shower was coming from there. Katie’s master suite.
He hesitated. It was best to show restraint. Katie had been through enough during the preceding night. She needed to rest. And he needed to cool down. Maybe a cold shower would help bring his priorities back into focus.
Luther walked along the corridor, the rug underneath his feet swallowing his footsteps. He opened several doors, until he found a bathroom. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him. It wasn’t long before he’d shed his clothes and was standing underneath the spray of the shower, willing it to wash away the need that was twisting his body into knots.
What had he gotten himself into? He’d taken on the responsibility of protecting Katie from a crazy vampire. And if he failed, not only would he forfeit his own life, worse, he would never be able to forgive himself.
He tilted his face to the ceiling, letting the water rain down on him. “Why?” Why was fate so cruel as to put this woman in his path? Katie, who made his heart beat with excitement, who was offering him a second chance, a chance he didn’t deserve. And because he didn’t deserve this, he knew how it would end: fate would take it all away again.
He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall. With a towel he found in the linen closet, he dried himself off, then wrapped it around his lower half and turned to where he’d set down his clothes.
He froze in mid-turn.
Katie stood in the open door, wearing only a thin red robe, her hair towel-dry.
“I was looking for you,” she murmured. Her eyes trailed down his body.
He couldn’t help but notice how her lips parted and how she pulled in a breath of air. Her chest lifted, drawing his gaze to her breasts. Hard nipples pressed through the thin fabric.
Involuntarily, Luther groaned.
When her hands went to the belt of her robe to loosen it, he took a step toward her and grabbed her hands, stopping her.
“Don’t.”
She lifted her lids and locked eyes with him. “Luther, please, I need you.”
He shook his head. “I have nothing to give you. I can’t promise you anything, Katie.”
“Then don’t make any promises. I’m not asking for anything. All I want is today. It doesn’t have to mean anything beyond the here and now.”
He sighed, knowing he’d already lost that argument. “Oh, Katie.” He released her hands. “And tomorrow? What’s gonna happen then? You know I can’t stay.” He made an all encompassing gesture. “This is not my life. It won’t do either of us any good to pretend we can change that.”
“What are you afraid of, Luther?”
She raised her hand and reached for his face. He let it happen, allowed her to trace the contour of his lips.
“Aren’t you tired of running?” she asked softly.
“I’m not running.”
Katie smiled as if she knew better. “It takes one to know one, Luther. We’re both running, and we both need a break. Just for a few moments. Just to catch our breath.”
“Damn it, you’re making this really hard,” he cursed and ran a hand through his wet hair. “I took some blood from your pantry, but I’m still hungry.” When he gazed into her green orbs, he knew he didn’t have to explain what he meant by that. “We’re alone. This time, we won’t be interrupted. Nobody is going to stop me once I start. Nobody is going to rescue you from me.”
“Oh God, I hope not.” She opened her robe and let it slide over her shoulders. It fell to the floor with a soft whoosh.
Luther sucked in a breath, knowing there was no way back now. He pulled on the towel around his waist and let it fall. His cock had already pumped full with blood and rose instantly.
“The first time will be quick and hard,” he warned her and pressed her against the wall next to the door. “But one thing I can promise you: you’ll come with me.”
He already reached for her thighs, spreading them as he lifted her legs off the floor. Holding her suspended against the wall, he moved into her center and brought his cock to her sex.
“Yes.” She moaned her agreement.
On his next intake of breath, he sliced into her, seating himself in her wet channel. “Yes!!” he cried out, closing his eyes for a brief second.
Fuck, it felt good. His chest heaved, pumping more air into his lungs, while farther below his hips started to move of their own volition.
He looked at her half-closed eyes. “Yeah, you just stay like that and take my cock deep inside you. You like that, yeah?”
“Yeah, oh yeah.” Her words were breathless.
Her hands gripped his shoulders now, her fingernails digging into his skin.
“Yeah, you just hold on tight, baby, ‘cause I’m gonna ride you hard.”
He thrust into her to the hilt, before pulling almost entirely out again, while his heart was beating at triple its normal rate. He moved his head to hers, opening his mouth wide to show her his fangs. They were fully extended and ready for a bite.
She removed one hand from his shoulder and brought it to his face. With her index finger, she rubbed over one fang. A bolt of adrenaline charged through him, sending a lightning strike into his balls.
“Fuck!”
Nobody had touched his fangs—a vampire’s most erogenous zone—in decades.
“Do it,” he heard her murmur.
Luther lowered his head to one breast and captured the hard nipple in his mouth. He sucked on it, licked his tongue over the delicious bud. Then he set his fangs to either side of it. The contact of fang on skin nearly robbed him of all his senses. He opened his mouth wider, then slowly, he closed it and drove his fangs deep into Katie’s warm and soft flesh.
Hot blood rushed into his mouth and covered his tongue. His taste buds ignited, the flavor exploding in his mouth as the liquid ran down his throat and coated it.
“More!”
It was Katie’s demand, though it mirrored his own desire. His own need.
He sucked harder, pulling more blood into his mouth. God, she tasted good. He’d almost forgotten what it felt like to feed from a woman while making love to her. It was out of this world amazing. Indescribably erotic. Breathtakingly consuming.
“Yes, yes!” Katie’s encouraging cries drove him over the edge.
He slammed his cock into her with more speed and force than he’d ever fucked a woman. He was out of control now, unable to stop or slow down.
He ripped his fangs from her and licked over the incisions. Fangs still dripping with blood, he captured Katie’s lips and devoured her mouth with the same passion he’d fed from her, when finally, thank God, he felt her spasm around his cock.
Relieved, he let go of the last thread of his control and pumped his seed into her, filling her tight channel with everything he had. Waves of pleasure rocked his body and extended his orgasm beyond what he’d thought was possible. Again and again, a wave of pleasure washed over him as he continued to thrust into her, while she moaned in obvious ecstasy.
“Yeah, baby, that’s it,” he encouraged her and teased another few seconds of pleasure from both their bodies.
33
Katie felt weightless when Luther carried her to the bed and laid her onto it as gently as if she were a precious doll. He pulled the duvet back, and she slid underneath it. Luther joined her, pulling her into his embrace.
> Katie let out a contented sigh. Her heart was still racing, and perspiration covered her body. But never in her life had she felt better.
Luther brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “Thank you.” He touched his lips to hers, giving her a kiss so tender she could barely believe that this was the same man who’d taken her with such ferocity only moments earlier.
She slid her hand to his nape and pulled him back down to her. “Thank you.”
He chuckled, and the sound reverberated in her heart and made hope spread inside it.
“I wasn’t exactly expecting a thank you after the way I took you.” He held her to his naked body, one hand sliding down to her backside, one thigh wedged between her legs. “I’m assuming that means you didn’t mind me being rough.”
She gazed into his eyes. His irises were still shimmering golden, a sign that the vampire in him was waiting in the wings, ready for more. She combed her hand through his damp hair. “As long as you take me, I don’t care how.”
He groaned. “Katie…” He stroked his hand over her torso, caressing her. “Next time I’ll be gentler.” He dropped his gaze to the spot where he’d bitten her. His lips parted and he looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated.
“I loved feeling your fangs in my breast,” she encouraged him.
“Your blood is sweet.” He touched her breast, playing with her nipple and turning it hard again.
She moaned and arched her back, eager for more. Luther had awakened something in her. A hunger she’d never experienced before.
“Give me a few minutes,” he murmured, “and I’ll give you anything you want.”
“I’d like that.”
Luther smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “You’re an insatiable woman.”
“Do you mind?”
“I’d hate it if it were different.” He rolled onto his side and pulled her into the curve of his body, so her back pressed against his chest and her behind slid against his groin.
“Hmm.”
He pressed a kiss to her neck. “How did you convince your brother to let me protect you, when he clearly didn’t want me around you?”
