But it was too early! It was far too soon in the moon’s phasing for the final change into his wolf.
For him, losing control was an unforgivable sin. He’d come so close to…his thoughts faltered at that. What had he come close to doing? Eating her? No, he immediately turned away from that repugnant thought. Ravaging her? No, never that. But when he’d been on his knees before her, scenting the sultry sweet feminine softness that was weeping for him between her legs, he’d almost bitten her! His jaws had ached with the need to sink his sharpening teeth into her soft, downy flesh. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her…never that. But the urge to bite was a dangerous one, one that had struck fear in his heart for her continued safety with him. He’d doubted his own will, his own self-control.
How could she ever forgive him? How could he ever forgive himself?
But when he’d apologized—explained that he wasn’t feeling well—Julia had immediately let go of her anger with him. She’d cared for his welfare, even after his unforgivable treatment of her but moments before. His mate was far more softhearted and understanding than he would have been under the same circumstances. He knew that he’d hurt her tender feelings. Knew that she’d wanted him as desperately as he’d wanted her, but she had still agreed to meet him the very next night. Surely he was the luckiest being on Earth tonight.
Julia. His mate. What a lovely thought that was. How sweet the words sounded when he whispered them into the night wind. He’d waited so long, been alone and solitary for so many years. Now, to find his one—his only—amongst humans, in a city halfway across the globe, it was a shock and a surprise. But at least he now knew why his visions and dreams had driven him to come to this cold, forbidding city. His instincts had been alerted to her existence, even at such a grand distance, and led him here to find her.
His cousin, Ivan, was the first and only of their kind to ever mate with a human female. And his mate, Brianna, had come to him, not the other way around. Ivan had not sensed his mate until she’d stepped foot on their native soil. But Nikolai was an alpha male, the pack’s Bodark, their leader by right of strength and cunning. His powers were far more potent and so he had sensed Julia’s existence, even across a vast ocean that separated them. He cringed when he remembered how long he’d been ignoring his visions. How many years had gone by since the first dream had begun urging him to leave his homeland? Three? Four? And perhaps the most important question of all, the one that might shed a bit of light on the issue…just how long had Julia lived in New York?
Nikolai’s skin rippled and he gasped, gritting his teeth. One of his fangs cut into his lower lip, drawing blood. It was too soon! True, the moon was waxing, calling forth his more animalistic instincts. He already noticed that his body was gaining in musculature and strength. He was growing surlier in demeanor when around the humans of the city. He was hungry for the juiciest, bloodiest cuts of meat. His hair and nails were growing ever faster. His movements were gaining in speed and grace, as they always did during this time of the month, but it was far too soon for his bones to crack and reshape, for his muscles to shudder and ripple, and for his full fangs to show. And his eyes, always brighter than those of humans, were glowing bright enough to illuminate objects but a few feet away, much like a flashlight or torch, something that only happened in the last days before the full moon.
If only he could hold off the change for a little longer. Long enough to woo his mate into coming with him when he returned to his native land. And he would have to return, very soon. Nikolai had no idea what he would do if he were forced to become a wolf within the city limits. Someone might get hurt. He might get hurt. He might go insane, being so confined in a concrete prison such as this New York was turning out to be. He’d never heard of others like him meeting the full moon outside of their borders, or within a city even half so big as this. Perhaps it wasn’t possible. Or perhaps this was the very reason why he was so out of sorts with himself now. Perhaps the city forced the change on his kind if they stayed too long.
He needed to leave and leave soon. But the thought of leaving Julia was abhorrent to him. She had to come with him. She was his mate and she belonged by his side. Surely she would see that and agree to come home with him. True, she was a human and unknowing of the tie that bound them together, but her heart could not long deny his no matter how stubborn she was. Julia would have to come with him. It was the only way.
And heaven help her if she chose to deny them…because he could not.
Chapter Six
“You are mine, Julia. You know that, don’t you?” His voice sent shivers of raw need racing through her. “You’ve always been mine.”
“Yes, yours. Always yours.” She moaned.
Julia opened her eyes to see Nikolai’s icy blue orbs shining down at her from the dark shadows of her room. His form was stretched out, lying full upon her beneath the coverlet on her bed and the heavy evidence of his arousal was nestled between her already quivering thighs. Julia couldn’t help but move beneath him, undulating in such a way that she cuddled the fierce, hard column of strength that prodded at her most secret place.
Julia moaned then as he lowered his lips and found her nipple. His mouth was hot as flame on her sensitive flesh and she felt the textured scrape of his tongue as he licked over her puckered areole. Her breath came in short, desperate pants as his teeth and tongue worked on her and that, coupled with the exquisite sensation of his free hand kneading the fullness of her other breast was almost enough to make her come undone completely. He sucked harder on her, as if sensing her desperate need, and she moaned again, raggedly.
Endless, colored lights danced about in her mind, like a splintered rainbow behind her eyes. Delicious, liquid pleasure raced through her from head to toe and she bucked under his weight in response. She felt the heat of his desire roll off of him in waves and heard him murmur deeply in response to her impassioned movements. Fire pooled low in her belly and caused a flood of moisture to rush between her legs. Her thighs opened with a will of their own and Nikolai immediately settled between them. The velvet steel of his phallus rubbed deliciously against her weeping slit and he growled low in his throat, vibrating the nipple in his mouth until the pleasure of it became a torture that was almost more than she could bear.
There came a desperate cry and, too late, Julia realized it was she who made the sound. She quaked and moaned beneath his weight, feeling both cherished and dominated as his mouth and hands stroked over her body. She strained upwards against him, firmly locking her legs around his waist, and felt his cock slide fully against the wet valley between her legs. She felt the tip of him just enter her and braced herself for his next move, but he immediately stilled the smooth glide of his flesh into hers. His hands petted over her, soothing her fevered skin, but his mouth moved to her other nipple to lick and suckle her, driving her up to wild heights once again.
He murmured in that deliciously wicked and sensual voice of his, something in Russian that made her moan, even though she couldn’t understand it. His hands moved around her body to squeeze and separate her buttocks and his erection rubbed back and forth against her wet, swollen flesh. He pulled her tight against him and they both groaned. With her legs spread wide around his middle, Nikolai easily moved in a slip slide dance against her center. She could feel the gentle scrape of his pubic hair against her, rocking over her clit until it was engorged and screaming for more of the sweet torment. Without entering her, he thrust and withdrew against her in such a way that her entire labia was stoked to weeping life. The wet welcome of her body aided in his movements against her but even as she teetered on the brink of orgasm she knew it wasn’t enough.
She wanted him to fill her, to take her. Only then would she be truly sated.
In a burst of frustrated energy she rolled them over so that she held the dominant position in the bed. With a satisfied sigh she began to sink down over his thick cock, her channel flooded anew with a rush of silken wetness to better ease his way. The great plumed he
ad of his penis slipped into her, stretching her so fully that she gasped and dug her nails into the firm muscles of his chest. She felt the blood pulse through his shaft like a tiny fist and then her vagina clenched with her first, blessed tremors of release.
“Yes! Yes, oooooo,” she cried out helplessly.
Just as she felt his cock slide deeper into her, Nikolai reversed their positions again, pinned her hands to the bed and rose over her. His wintry eyes bore down into hers and suddenly he seemed a terrifying vision of more than just a mere man. Something dangerous swam in his eyes, something dark and mysterious, in a look that she couldn’t possibly hope to understand. Julia tried to look away but before she could Nikolai lowered his forehead to hers and kept her gaze locked to his with only the force of his will. In that moment he was pure dominating male and it pushed her over that razor’s edge of pleasure into a world of exquisite ecstasy the likes of which she’d never even dreamed.
She bucked wildly against him, her climax splintering like shards of glass through her system, pain and pleasure combined as one. Nikolai reared back, opened his mouth around massive, gleaming fangs, and struck. His teeth sank deep into her breast, drawing blood. But he didn’t hurt or maul her and she felt no fear. Only wondrous delight. She screamed, a desperate sound, long and loud and wild, a sound that vaguely reminded Julia of her shrieking morning alarm clock.
Alarm clock…Julia bucked beneath Nikolai’s weight, savoring that last deep thrust…that last deep bite…
And woke up, moaning and thrashing, alone in her empty bed.
“Damn it! I didn’t even finish all the way,” Julia griped. She rolled over and hit the off button on her alarm clock then sighed and flopped bonelessly once again onto her back. Her body felt swollen and frustrated, still affected by the deliciously sexy events in her dream. She sat up, ran a hand through her tangled hair, and felt a smooth rush of moisture flood out from between her legs, soaking her underwear. She swore again and rose.
“I needed a shower anyway,” she muttered.
Not surprisingly, when she turned on the faucet in her shower stall, there was no hot water left for her to bathe in. There rarely was if she didn’t rise before six a.m. The tenants of the old apartment building shared one hot water tank which was reportedly just as old as the building itself. So Julia gritted her teeth and stepped beneath the icy spray, shampooing her hair and shaving her legs in record time. When she stepped out of the tiny stall her teeth were chattering and her body was sore from the cold.
“If I were rich I’d take two hour baths in steaming hot water every day,” she said, repeating the same mantra she’d been using ever since her first day in the dingy, efficiency apartment. As she dried herself she tried to imagine how warm she would be after such a bath, how rosy and flushed her skin would look, instead of pale and blue and goose pimpled. And instead of the worn scratch of the old towel scraping over her skin now, she imagined the feel of a plush, cushy terry cloth bath towel wrapping her in cozy comfort. She sighed and smiled, imagining how nice it would be to afford new towels willy-nilly whenever the mood struck her. Oh, how decadent was the thought!
Reality intruded, as it was often wont to do and Julia groaned. Today was Saturday, a day often reserved for eating ice cream, watching cartoons, and catching up on schoolwork. But instead of her normal Saturday routine, she would have to rummage through her closet for a decent dress because tonight she was scheduled to hostess The Living Forest soiree. Julia kept reminding herself how much money she was apt to make and thankfully that eased her sour mood a bit. She threw on her favorite worn pair of sweats and went hunting for some decent party clothes.
What a way to start the day, she thought with a grimace.
* * * * *
Julia’s face felt like it would freeze in the polite smile she’d been wearing for the past hour. She handed two flutes of champagne to a gentleman in a black tuxedo and turned to pour some punch for an elderly lady who was dressed to the nines in a pink silk ball gown. Julia felt horribly underdressed in her own simple sheath dress, but at least she knew she stood out as part of the ”help” in case anyone should need anything. The guests at the party seemed to be a nice bunch of people, for which she was grateful. She’d barely left her post behind the bar all night—The Living Forest personnel really enjoyed having their drinks refilled again and again.
For what seemed the hundredth time that night she had the discomfiting sense of being watched and whipped her head around to see who might be staring at her. As far as she could tell there was no one looking at her, but she could have sworn that someone was watching her again. She was starting to feel positively paranoid. Perhaps she was just over tired. Admittedly her night had been a long one and then she’d awakened at her usual morning hour to prepare for the day. She hadn’t slept but a few short hours.
“You look a little lost.”
Julia started at the deep voice that broke over her musings and turned to look at the speaker. Her polite smile faltered from her lips when she locked eyes with the darkest chocolate orbs she’d ever seen. The man before her was shockingly handsome and quite obviously, exotically, of Native American decent. He had high cheekbones, a hawkish nose over sensually sculpted lips, and long ebony hair that shone like glass down his back. Even in his stylish evening attire he had about him a mysterious aura that pulled at her in the strangest of ways.
Aside from Nikolai, he was probably the most attractive man she’d ever had the pleasure of gawking at.
But that pleasant feeling of spastic butterflies flapping in her stomach never happened, thankfully, and she was able to address him without stuttering. “No, not lost. Just a little tired.” She regained her polite smile.
“Well anyone would be tired after having to cater to this bunch. We’re known for our long parties. I’m Adrian Darkwood, by the way.” He offered his hand to her across the bar.
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Darkwood. I’m Julia Thurman.” She took his hand and was surprised when he didn’t shake it. He kissed it gallantly instead.
“Please, call me Adrian. So, I see you’ve attracted the attention of our guest of honor this evening.”
Julia frowned. His words were spoken innocently enough but she sensed a deeper current running beneath them. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she said, unable to think of a better response.
“Nikolai Tamits. He’s been staring at you all evening.” The man chuckled.
“Nikolai? Where? I didn’t know he was with your group.”
“So you’ve met him?”
Julia faltered for a moment. Why was this man so interested? She replied with caution, not knowing why she felt a sudden hint of danger flare deep within her. “Well…I work here in the hotel. I’ve met him, yes, briefly. He seems like a nice gentleman.”
“Oh he is, let me assure you. And I’m sorry if I’m alarming you.” He gave a short, light laugh. “I have to admit I’m a bit of a matchmaker and I can see that there’s something flaring between the two of you. I came over with the intent to introduce the two of you, but I can see that I don’t need to bother.”
“Where is he? I haven’t seen him tonight.”
“Just there, by the lobby doors. He keeps moving so you don’t see him when you happen to look up.” Adrian gave a jaunty wave and Julia followed it with her eyes.
A shiver of sensual awareness raced down her spine when her eyes stumbled into the intense icy-blue fire of Nikolai’s gaze. Nikolai looked dangerous and sexy in his tailored tux and the look on his face sent her skin to tingling. He looked as though he wanted to eat her up. Julia smiled at him weakly but he didn’t return her shy greeting. Instead his burning eyes strayed from her to the man before her and the look on his face darkened considerably. For some reason Julia couldn’t explain she felt guilty that she was talking to Adrian, as if by doing so she was being disloyal to Nikolai, though that didn’t make much sense to her befuddled mind.
Adrian drew her attention once more, no small feat wh
en Nikolai was still but a room’s distance away.
When he spoke his voice seemed to reverberate in her mind and a compulsion to remember everything he said for future reference overcame a sudden, inexplicable fear of him. “Listen to me now, Julia, and listen well. There will come a time when you’ll need answers to questions that are only just now forming in your mind. When that time comes you will seek me out and I will give you those answers. I’ll be at The Living Forest personnel offices and I will be expecting you.” His voice changed back to its normal timbre. “Now, may I have some champagne Ms. Thurman?”
Julia felt as though she were coming out of a deep fog. What the hell had he meant by that cryptic warning? Oh well, he was probably having fun at her expense, playing out a joke she didn’t understand. She handed him the flute of champagne, hoping he would leave her alone afterward.
“If you’ll excuse us Darkwood. Julia and I need to speak privately.” Nikolai’s voice broke over her nervous thoughts like a calming breeze.
“Of course Mr. Tamits.” Adrian turned towards her once again, his eyes boring into hers. “Remember what I said, Ms. Thurman.”
Julia nodded politely and gave a sigh of relief when he turned and left.
“What did he say to you?” Nikolai demanded of her, though he still watched the other man’s retreating back as he was swallowed into the crowd.
Julia was taken aback by the harsh tone of his words. “I…I don’t remember,” she lied. She didn’t want to repeat Adrian Darkwood’s strange warning just now. Nikolai looked to be in too volatile of a temper to hear it anyway. “It wasn’t important. Just idle chitchat.” She paused, then took the plunge, asking airily, as if it didn’t matter, “Why so interested?”
Bitten: Moon Lust 2 Page 6
