Adrian felt Briar catch her with his magic, but intentionally release it when she was about three feet above the ground. She landed on her ass with a dull thud.
Briar was the first one to reach her, which necessitated the need to plant memories in the humans that he had been in the arena all along.
As he jerked her to her feet, she hummed, “What a rush…” Hands wrapped around her biceps, he gave her a little shake. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he growled, releasing her quickly. “Stay off the bulls.”
She grinned, wrinkling her nose as she cocked her head. “Broncos?”
“No broncos,” he snapped, tugging his hat further down in front of his face.
“Briar…” The little vixen’s voice was low and seductive. “Then what do you want me to ride?”
“Fuck,” he swore, before pivoting and stomping off.
“Anytime,” she tittered softly.
“Okay. Anyone else find that a little strange?” Adrian asked, turning back around to face Cougar.
Briar was heading their way and he didn’t look happy, not if the dirt he was stirring up with each heavy footfall was an indication. The dusty scent filled the air.
“It seems quite a few of our menfolk are having women problems these days.” Cougar winked. “You were mentioning a certain problem in particular, before Lita yanked Briar’s chain.”
“She didn’t yank my chain. And what does this have to do with me? I was just following the boss’s order. No one gets hurt. Besides we were talking about a problem. Yeah. What the hell is your problem, boss?” Briar’s rapid and steady outburst had both Adrian and Cougar speechless.
Was there something in the water? The air? Or blood?
If Adrian didn’t know better he would have thought it was vampire mating season, if there were such a thing. Because something was definitely wrong. Tucker was in a snit. Briar was acting strangely, and the damn love-bug had bitten Adrian, too.
Bottom line he was crazy about Fallon. But he wasn’t crazy about her problem.
“Pedro Chavez,” he said with distaste.
“I know that name.” Briar pondered for a moment and then his face hardened. “Oh, yeah. I know the bastard.”
“Who is he?” Cougar asked.
“Bad news.” Adrian removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Like Fallon said, ‘You think last night was bad?’ Let me put it this way. What Maggie went through was a piece of cake to what I suspect Fallon has experienced.” Adrian ground his teeth together to keep his fury at bay.
Cougar’s face paled. “Jesus, Adrian.” Cougar had seen the condition Maggie came to them in. It was something a man never forgot. The brutality had been appalling. Her stories of rape and torture were beyond imaginable.
“I haven’t got all the details, but Fallon’s frightened. She’s ready to run.” Adrian had been able to smell the bitter scent of fear on her since Maggie’s attack. He could feel the war that raged in Fallon’s mind, thinking she was in this alone.
“You gonna let her go?” Briar shot him a look that said, “Remember, women mess with a man’s head.”
His friend’s words and his hopeful expression didn’t set well with Adrian. He narrowed his eyes on Briar. “Never.”
“Well, then I guess we best be getting ready for Armageddon, because I can guarantee that this will be a battle between good and evil before Judgment Day—if we make it that far.” Briar removed his hat and struck it against his leg a couple times.
“That bad?” Cougar asked.
“That bad,” Adrian confirmed. “I need someone to locate Chavez. I want to know where he is at all times.”
“Just follow the blood trail,” Briar added dryly.
“Then we need to prepare. I don’t want Chavez getting past my guard like Dominic did.” Adrian had been too wrapped up in Fallon, not paying attention, or he would have felt something when Dominic touched ground. That wasn’t going to happen again.
This was Adrian’s land. He cared for it—in return it spoke to him.
“What the hell?” Fallon fought the gust of air that tickled her ass, raising her skirt, again. The wind hadn’t been blowing when she left the house and oddly enough seemed to come and go sporadically. She’d change into a pair of jeans or put panties on, but the soreness from Adrian’s punishment had yet to disappear.
From where she stood she had a great view of the chutes. She watched one cowboy after another tossed on their ass. This cowboy world was a strange one indeed. How much fun could there be in climbing up on a big, hairy, smelly beast only to be tossed right back on your butt? Not to mention the danger. A swift kick against one’s head by a thousand pounds of pure fury would certainly make sure that person never rode or even stood again.
Warm palms settled on her bare shoulders, startling her. She glanced back to find Adrian behind her. His thumb moved seductively over the bare skin of her shoulders where her peasant sleeves hung. With a step forward he spooned her back. His firm body against every inch of her form. One particular part appeared to be harder than the rest, bringing a grin to her face.
He pressed his right hand to her thigh and inched it upward.
“We have an audience,” she reminded him, inhaling a woodsy aftershave. Damn. He smelled good enough to eat.
The crowd in the bleachers roared as Cougar completed his eight second ride on a horse the announcer called Hellfire. The rodeo was two days away and Fallon could tell that everyone was ready for it to get underway. Men and women alike were lining up to ride.
“Would you like me to fuck you here? In front of an audience?” His wicked question tightened her nipples with sharp tingles. The hand on her thigh moved higher beneath her skirt. She couldn’t control the shiver that assaulted her. The hairs on her neck sprang to life as if they were electrically charged.
“Stop it now or I’ll take you up on it.” She giggled. It felt good to laugh, even knowing that she had not yet spoken to Adrian about Chavez. Reliving each morning what had happened to Christy was agonizing, but to share it with Adrian somehow felt insurmountable. She hadn’t told a single soul about her daughter.
From where they stood no one could actually see Adrian’s hand. From the back he sheltered her, from the front her skirt was full enough no one would notice. The only way anyone would see what he was doing was if the person actually stood to the right of them.
With a single finger he traced the seam where her thigh and hip met, moving slowly toward the nest of hair hidden beneath.
“Adrian,” she warned, but scooted her booted feet further apart.
“Hey, you two.” Crystal sauntered up to them, thankfully on the opposite side of Fallon’s raised skirt. “Maggie, doing okay?”
“Hu-huh—” Oh God. This couldn’t be happening.
“She’ll be fine in time,” Adrian assured. The devil threaded his fingers through her pubes. His finger was dangerously close to her swollen clit.
“Adrian?” She tensed beneath his touch.
“Darlin’, relax. Enjoy.” He gave a gentle yank on her short-hairs.
Relax? Enjoy? He wouldn’t!
He did.
With a slip of his finger he buried it deep inside her. A rush of moisture greeted him. This was beyond embarrassing.
“Relax.” There was laughter in his voice. “I’ve shut down all our links, but the one between us.”
“Stop it, Adrian.” There was desperation in hers.
“Relax, or Crystal will know exactly what I’m doing and what I’m gonna do to you.”
“Nice ride, Crystal.” He gazed at the brunette dressed in red, while he slowly moved his finger in and out of Fallon’s wet pussy. “It looks like Jewel is working out for you.”
Crystal flashed Adrian a bright smile. Her eyes sparkled. “She’s a nice horse. Thank you.”
Another finger joined the first giving Fallon an even fuller feeling between her thighs.
“For what?” Adrian asked. “Can you sme
ll your arousal?”
Fallon’s belly tightened. Yes, she could smell her own heat, but could Crystal?
“I want to taste you.” His admission almost made Fallon groan aloud. It was hard enough to keep her hips from riding his hand.
“Thank you for Jewel. She’s a remarkable animal.” Crystal’s smile was radiant. “Are you enjoying your stay here, Fallon?”
“Yes,” she hissed, before adding, “very much.”
When Adrian’s finger found her clit, Fallon gripped the bar in front of her. Automatically, she slightly bent her knees, sinking down into the pressure moving circle after circle around her swollen nub. Fallon rode the edge of her climax, praying that when she came she didn’t scream.
“That’s it, darlin’.” His mental voice was so damn sexy it set off a tremor through her.
Crystal’s brows tugged together as she glanced askance at Fallon.
“Are you riding again tonight?” Adrian said quickly, drawing her attention.
“No. Not tonight.”
“Hey, Crystal,” some cowboy called to her. He raised his hand in the air and motioned her over to where a group of people stood.
She waved at the guy. “I better go.” She smiled sweetly up at Adrian. “He’s dinner.”
The moment Crystal was out of earshot, Adrian ground his hips against Fallon’s ass and whispered, “Come for me.”
Fallon jerked once and shattered into a mass of sensations. All the while Adrian continued his assault, wringing out every response he could. Colors exploded behind her eyelids. The tension tight inside her released, soaring from her as if he freed it with his touch. She gasped as the incredible feeling took hold of her. The sense of rising was abruptly splintered with another unexpected orgasm that gave her the feeling of falling.
“Adrian. Hold me,” she cried out, unsure whether she could continue to stand as one after another aftershocks rippled, relentlessly clenching and releasing every muscle in her body.
Within seconds, she found herself spun around and in his embrace. She flung her arms around his neck, knowing that her skirt barely covered her ass, but she didn’t care.
“I need to fuck you.” She heard the hunger in his voice shadowed by regret. “But I need to feed first. If I come to you in this condition I wouldn’t do either of us any favor.”
Before she slipped her arms from around his neck, she tried her legs, shuffled her feet. She was good to go. “Lead the way.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” She caught the edge of disquiet in his voice.
“Why?”
“Go to the house—my bedroom. I’ll meet you there as quickly as I can.”
She had to admit that his caution was a little scary. “Adrian, I refuse to hide—”
He cupped her face silencing her with a kiss. When he released her she said, “You can’t use a kiss to shut me up every time.”
She loved the way he smiled. It brightened his entire face and made his eyes shine.
“Try me.” He popped her on the ass.
She squealed jumping away from him. “Ouch. Why’d you do that?”
“Just a reminder to obey me.” All playfulness disappeared. His voice developed a firmness she knew not to test. “Now wait for me in our room.”
Ours? Did he say our room?
Chapter Twelve
Adrian walked the grounds around the house. After watching to make sure Fallon made it to the house, he had gone into town and found substance from two strangers. Before he left he had to make sure the safeguards he and his people had established were in place. Now he was checking them once more as he walked the perimeter.
His magic was strong. The problem was that he didn’t know how strong Chavez’s magic was. Only meeting the man once—once being enough—Adrian had quickly wanted to be out of the man’s presence.
Chavez was a sick son of a bitch.
Anger rose quickly and without warning. What had Chavez done to Fallon? In reality, Adrian really didn’t want to know. Already he could feel the hatred for the vampire grow, a slow burning flame that needed one good dose of fuel to erupt into a full blown forest fire.
Rage didn’t travel well into battle. He had seen that fact with Tucker. His friend would have surely died if he, Cougar and Briar had not stopped him from lunging headfirst into war with Dominic.
Gravel crunched beneath Adrian’s feet as he walked on the driveway where a black truck was parked just outside the house. He leaned against it, looking into the cloud-shrouded sky.
He didn’t care for the way the land trembled. He listened to the serenade of crickets, the trickle of a small stream that ran in the back of the house, and the roar of a black bear in the distance. It wasn’t clear to him if his sense of unease came from the storm brewing or maybe the earth itself knew they were in a race against time to vanquish another evil from this world.
With a deep breath he inhaled the smell of oncoming rain and pine. The scent of chewing tobacco rose. Gary was near and so was the stroke of midnight. Fallon would be waiting for him.
Adrian had faced plenty of trials throughout the years, but tonight he felt burdened by his responsibilities. What if he couldn’t stop Chavez from getting his hands on Fallon? What about his people? The innocent humans who weren’t even aware of the evil that walked among them? He couldn’t imagine the damage that the battle would wreak upon this beautiful country.
There was so much at stake.
“It don’t do you any good to worry.” Gary spat on the ground, as he moved from behind a pine tree. He walked slightly hunched over as if his back were hurting him tonight. “Son, you do the best you can. You always have since I’ve known you. No one expects more than that.”
Not true. Adrian expected more.
For maybe the first time in his immortal life he was looking forward to the next hundred years with Fallon by his side.
“Gary, you ever want someone so badly you could taste it?” Adrian asked.
“Yep. My Sally.” He spat again on the ground. “Funny thing about love. A man like you can control the wind and the lightning from the sky, but you can’t control who you fall in love with.”
Love?
There was a long silence. Gravel popped as Gary shuffled his feet. “Best be getting inside before it starts to rain.” Then he paused. “Son, if she’s the one don’t be letting her go.” With a quiet grunt he straightened his crooked form and headed for the house.
Adrian would give anything if it were that easy. By rights Fallon belonged to another. To have her, he would have to kill Pedro Chavez.
* * *
When Adrian entered the bedroom Fallon was standing by the window, her hand gripping the curtain as she turned to face him. Wariness rimmed her eyes. Had she watched him as he surveyed the perimeters of the property? Did she doubt his ability to protect her?
Music played softly in the background. The whine of a steel guitar and the beat of a drum joined with the haunting sounds of a bass guitar as Josh Turner started to sing. It seemed appropriate that his song entitled “Your Man” was the choice. When the artist sang “turn the lights down low,” Adrian dimmed the lights, allowing the blaze from the fireplace to illuminate the room in soft shadows. Then he crooked his index finger, calling Fallon to his side.
As she approached him, her hips swayed seductively. Her dark hair hung loosely, flowing by her sides. She still wore the short emerald-green skirt, the white peasant blouse that bared her shoulders. The white cowboy boots made her legs look long and luscious.
“Adrian?”
He placed his finger against her full lips. Then he took her into his arms and together they moved across the floor. Her body melted into his as their feet shuffled to the beat of the song. He held her close, aware of how her breathing hitched when he pressed his hips to hers. His cock was hard and getting firmer each time she rubbed against him.
Earlier he had fed, but having her near, touching her, and smelling her womanly scent drove him crazy. He needed to tas
te her sweet blood as he brought her to climax over and over again.
With slow, steady steps she swayed to the beat like she was making love to the music. He swung her gently around and then back into his arms, each time drawing her hard against him, so she knew just how much she turned him on—how much he desired her.
As their hips and feet shifted from place to place, he guided her arms above her head. “Keep them up,” he said, before he shoved his hands beneath the bottom of her peasant blouse. Her skin was warm to the touch as he placed his palms at her waist. It made him fucking hot to feel her hips undulate beneath his hands, knowing that he would soon be inside her, feeling the rhythm and rock of her hips against him. Pulse speeding, he smoothed his hands over her belly, the ridges of her ribs, to finally cup her breasts.
She whimpered lightly, urging him to roll the peaks between his fingers. Her eyes were half-shuttered, her body still moving with his to the music. With a quick yank he slipped her blouse over her head and tossed it aside. When he drew her near this time he wrapped his arms around her body, his palms caressing her naked back.
“My turn,” she whispered, bringing her arms down to tug at his shirt to dislodge it from his jeans. Hip to hip, she leaned back to give herself enough room to undo each button.
The touch of her hands against his abdomen almost threw him into meltdown. God, he wanted to strip her naked, lay her down and lose himself inside her. The glide of his shirt off his shoulders brought him that much closer.
When they came together again it was as it should be—flesh to flesh.
As the song ended and another one began, he murmured, “Are you wet for me, darlin’?” His palms slipped down her back, flipped up her skirt and grasped her ass.
“Yes,” she cried out.
“Do you want me?” he asked with a slow southern draw.
Fallon was more than wet and ready. She was drenched with desire. Breasts heavy, her nipples throbbed to feel his warm, moist mouth on them, licking and sucking. As he spun her around she dipped low, so that when he pulled her back into his embrace she sensually drew her chest up his firm body.
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