by L. T. Kelly
“Come on, you can do this,” I muttered to myself before depressing the buzzer for a second in length. Footsteps responded quickly to the chime. I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut. With the click of the latch, they flew open.
The sheen of his soft skin stretched out over hard muscles made my mouth water instantly, one hand was keeping a towel around his waist.
“Teagan.” He breathed my name as if he couldn't believe it was me. He craned his neck to get a closer look, as though he were making sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. He tucked the edge of the towel in so it would stay put as he seemed to process the image of me.
Obviously, he was satisfied that it was me and not some figment of his fevered imagination. He threw himself at me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace as he lifted me up. He pushed me against the doorjamb after kicking the door closed with his bare foot.
“I thought—” He stumbled on his words, his breath tickling my nose as his eyes melted into mine, glowing brighter with each passing moment.
“I was told you were dead,” he whispered. He reached out a huge hand and smoothed it down the side of my face. I nuzzled my nose to his palm, taking an immense, delicious breath of his scent.
“You’re real aren’t you?”
I nodded in reply. I couldn’t yet speak because my throat seemed as though it was contracting, strangling me from the inside. His hand dropped away from my face to my hand, and he led me into his bedroom. The covers had been thrown back and lay crumpled on the bed.
Every question I’d had prepared dropped to the back of my mind as he slumped down on the bed pulling me beside him, the towel falling away as he sat.
He ran a hand through his thick dark hair, slow blinking at me as if I might disappear with each flutter of his eyelids.
“Do you remember what you said to me?” I croaked, my throat suddenly dry. I licked my lips and swallowed hard.
“Yes—”His chest rose and fell erratically as he searched my face. “I do love you,” he said softly as his gaze dropped to our entwined hands.
My skin tingled and ached for more of his touch. For his mouth to be on mine. I needed to feel whole again. I’d only ever been whole when I was with him.
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
I tilted my face up, cautiously leaning towards him, stretching up and tracing my freshly wet tongue along his clenched jaw. He gasped as I kissed my way down the outer line of his throat, the throbbing arteries in his neck forcing my fangs to elongate.
I shifted my position so I was opposite him, kneeling down and never taking my mouth away from his biscuit coloured skin. I placed my hands on his thick thighs and tasted the goose bumps covering his body. I kissed, nipped and caressed every inch of his broad chest, lingering over his nipples, erect and round beneath the assault by my mouth.
The memory of drinking his blood surged through me, enticing a gush of wetness in my panties. The desire to crush my naked body against his overwhelmed me.
I removed a palm from his thigh and popped open the button of my jeans, while running my hot tongue between the ridges of his stomach muscles.
His excitement was evident as I lapped up the salty residue from the head of his shaft.
I dipped my fingers into my panties and shimmied my legs further apart allowing better access to the sweet spot. Meanwhile, I shifted my other hand from his leg to his throbbing shaft, holding the base to allow me better control.
When I took him into my mouth fully, a long low growl escaped his throat. I sped my fingers up, rubbing my nub harder and faster. Knowing how much I affected him caused a throbbing in my core, a throb that begged to be released. He was the only person that had ever made me ache with such longing.
I sped up, taking him deep into my mouth, stopping to swirl my tongue around his tip before sheathing him with my mouth over and over in a delirious rhythm.
The excitement and intensity had built so furiously, the air around us seemed to crackle with raw electricity making my fangs run out, I was so lost in him, I didn’t realise. My sharp incisors dragged over his manhood making him hiss with pain, pulling me out of my trance.
I leapt back taking my hands and mouth away from him. “Fuck, Marc. I’m so sorry.”
Sorrow washed over me for a moment. I couldn’t do anything right. I was sick of hurting him.
“Don’t fucking stop,” he growled. “What you are doing is wonderful. Don’t. Stop. Please.” His words were strangled with need, drenched with desire.
I licked my lips as I knelt and moved back to him. A sheen of sweat coated his quaking body. He was hot, so damn hot. All his muscles had tensed, his eyes were closed and his head lolled back. He was ready for the finish line, and I was the only woman that could get him there.
I took control of his thick rigid pole again, relishing how undone he’d become by my touch.
I pulled my jeans and panties down my legs until they rested at my knees. I plunged my fingers into my opening and back to the nub of flesh, teasing the raw nerve ending as I tantalized him with my mouth, experiencing the eruption building, and beginning to pinpoint my orgasm.
I sped up working on his length, running my clutched fingers up and down in unison with my mouth until I couldn't hold back any longer. I let go shuddering with pleasure, the moans from my mouth vibrating through his shaft. He whined loudly as I moved my mouth away, hot creamy liquid cascading from the head as I drove my incisors into his inner thigh, still milking him as I did.
My fingers continued working on my clit, the orgasm still ripped through me as his blood poured into my mouth.
Then the vision came. I floated on a fluffy cloud, cool and damp on my skin. The sun blinded me, so I placed my hands over my eyes, the twinkle of the sun shining through them.
The tug on my hair dragged me from my fantasy all too soon. I whipped my fingers out of my panties.
“Sorry,” I whispered, a little disorientated, slumped on the floor, my shoulder against the bed.
“I thought you were going to bring the house down you were moaning so loud,” Marc said breathlessly.
He lay back on the bed, and I moved to join him after kicking off my jeans.
“It’s not the bite that bothers me so much. In fact, it turns me on. It’s the way you are when you’re feeding, as though you’re unstoppable,” he said softly, as though he needed to say something without hurting my feelings.
“It turns you on?” I asked, laying my head on his chest.
“Well, yes. I don’t know why, but it does. But, it’s like you’re ravenous, like you can’t stop. Does that happen every time you feed?”
He’d pressed his point, and I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I changed the subject.
“What’s the situation between you and Gabriella?” I asked pointedly while throwing a possessive arm over his chiselled stomach muscles.
He let out a long sigh making me flinch. “So, there is something.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Well, I have time. Try me,” I said, leaving out the fact time was something I didn’t have. If I were to meet my final death, I wanted to greet Hell knowing the reason why I was there had been worth it.
I loved this man to the very depths of my soul, a soul I didn’t even know I had. He’d found it and set it free, and if I must die because of having met him, because of loving him, then so be it. To know he felt the same about me would make my death seem somehow more worthwhile.
He sat up lifting me with him. “Come on, let’s get a drink.” His words were low and direct. We cleaned up quickly and got dressed before climbing the stairs to the moonlit living room-cum-kitchen. He flicked the spotlights on as we reached the top, casting the room in a romantic glow.
“Red?” He gestured to the kitchen spanning the length of one wall.
I nodded and gave him a polite smile.
“Make yourself at home.” He waved a hand towards the sofa.
I took a seat, noticing his slow movements
and slumped posture. He was taking his time with whatever he had to tell me.
I glanced around the room, smiling at the huge painting dominating the room with rich and vivid colours. The meaning was clear to me then, where it hadn’t been the first time I’d appreciated the beauty on the canvas. The room’s décor seemed to be based on the work of art. The black object in the centre of the painting shaped like a wolf stood bold and brave.
His feet dragged across the wooden floor and he thrust a glass of red wine in front of me before stretching out on the sofa next to me, cradling his own glass of burgundy liquid.
Marc kept his eyes forward as if he were watching something on the black screen of the wall-mounted television.
“So, you were going to tell me about Gabriella?”
“Yes.” He sucked in a breath and blew it back out slowly. “We are promised to each other.”
“What do you mean?” I squeezed my eyebrows together and sat up a little straighter.
“That is what wolf packs do. They promise the eldest son and the eldest daughter to each other before their children are even born. From different families of course.”
“Fuck. Why though?” I asked, the creases of my frown becoming deeper. I took a gulp of wine.
He sipped his, swallowing slowly. “Because only the eldest son and the eldest daughter of each wolf family are the ones that can breed. Gabriella is the eldest daughter, but not the eldest child, so she can’t turn without a full moon, but she can produce Were children if she mates with me.”
“Wow. Well that sounds complicated.” Neither one of us could make eye contact. I was finding the news hard to take in.
“So do you have to mate in wolf form?”
He took another large mouthful of wine before answering, “No. Either form will do.”
“So, have you—”
“No,” he snapped.
“Ok, ok.” I held my free palm up. “I was only asking. But, why are you delaying the inevitable? If your relationship with her is so inevitable?” My voice trailed off tinged with sadness that he hadn’t entrusted me with this information before now. Before things had gone too far.
“Look, Teagan. Gabby is like a sister to me. We grew up together. I want you to know, I do love her, but I love her like a sister.”
“I hate to break this to you Marc, but she looks and acts as though she can’t wait for the mating to begin.” I stared at him, cocking my head to one side as he placed his elbows on his knees, holding the stem of the glass in two hands, his head hung over it.
“I know,” he finally muttered.
I shimmied over to him and ran a soothing hand over his shoulder blades. “I can’t imagine how hard to must be for you. I know you love your family, and you don’t want to let them down.”
“No, I don’t.”
My mind raced. I bit my lip for a moment, thinking out my options carefully.
“Let's go away for a few days,” I said, picturing Thomas and Alex standing in front of The Assembly awaiting sentencing for letting me go. They could look after themselves. “Maybe to the woods, or wherever you want to go. Get away and think about what you want to do.”
“I don’t have much choice in the matter. But, it would be nice to go away with you.” He raised his head and smiled. The same toothy grin that I loved, the seriousness wiped off his face.
“Lets go now,” I said, reaching for his hand, hoping he’d agree. Otherwise we wouldn’t be going anywhere. It wouldn’t be long before someone caught up with me, Thomas and Alex or worst case scenario, The Assembly.
“Yeah, come on, lets go,” he said as he leaned over, resting a hand over the back of my head and planting a kiss on my forehead.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
We climbed into the glossy black BMW—a nice car but not the Harley I loved. I’d never owned a car at all. I’d never needed one.
“I forgot to ask what happened to the Harley?”
“My family recovered the bike. It’s in the shop. I’m seeing if it can be repaired. If not, the insurance will replace it.” He shot me a reassuring smile.
I dropped my head. “Good,” I muttered. I still couldn’t stop thinking everything was my fault. I stayed silent mulling things over in my head. I’d stayed with Marc, putting my friend’s and my father’s life in danger. I’d almost caused Marc’s death already. What if The Assembly had been more aggressive and wiped out Marc’s family as well? In fact, what I’d seen proved vampires were faster and stronger which made me wonder why they hadn’t wiped them all out when they’d had the chance.
We’d just left the city when Marc moved his hand off the shifter and rubbed my thigh.
“Are you ok? You’re being overly quiet.” His sculpted lips were pursed in concentration, his eyes levelled on the blacktop.
I wanted to ask him to turn back. Tell him I shouldn’t be with him. I shouldn’t cause any more problems. Explain how selfish I was being. But, the words failed to leave my mouth. I failed to get them out. The intense desire to be with Marc at any cost was too strong. I couldn’t fight any longer.
“I’m just thinking,” I said, when another thought sprang into my head and abruptly out of my mouth. “If your parents hate vampires so much, why did they team up with Thomas and Alex?”
“Thomas apparently called Alex while you were being held at your house by what’s her face. What’s her name again?”
I couldn’t help the smile that stretched over my lips. “Victoria.”
“Oh yes, that’s right. He knew you were spending time with a werewolf. I think he panicked and informed The Assembly without realising how far they’d take things. So, Alex came over to help him locate me.”
“What for?”
“Apparently, just to warn me off, to tell me to stay away from you. I think his intentions were more sinister, but, hey, we’ll never know.”
“Would you have stayed away?” I held my breath as I waited for the answer.
“I don’t honestly know.” He flinched as he spoke, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily. At least he’d answered truthfully, though it was painful to hear when I’d risked everything to be with him for another day or so. They were bound to track us down eventually. Perhaps it was my turn for some honesty?
I let out a sigh. “I’m scared, Marc. This is something I’ve never experienced before. It’s so intense. I’m terrified about what I’d do for us to be together.”
He smoothed his hand over my thigh, grasping my hand in his. “Teagan, I have lived my life knowing Gabriella and I would ultimately be forced together. I have fucked so many beautiful women, used them to get my kicks. I thought when the time came for me to be with and stay with Gabriella that all the sex with other women would make me think I’d lived. You—” he took a deep breath, “were meant to be one of those women, but something happened. Something magical. I fell in love with you. It was instantaneous. Even saying those words, explaining how what you mean to me makes me realise that I wouldn’t have listened. I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from you.”
I gasped. “So I was meant to be a one night stand?” Then I laughed, unable to stop, my stomach muscles clenched with hysterics.
“What?” he asked, smiling at my laughter, keeping his twinkling eyes on the dark lanes ahead of us.
“It’s just—” I tried to control my breathing so that I could speak. “Well, I’ve never loved anyone before you.” My laughter stopped as I realised the weight of how we felt about each other. We had been less than honest with each other. Maybe it was time for the both of us to start.
“Oh,” he said. Squeezing my thigh. “At least you weren’t laughing at me.”
“No, of course not.”
“If you love me, then where have you been the last couple of weeks?”
“Oh, yes. I was stupid,” I said, grimacing and hanging my head again.
Marc rubbed the palm of his hand up and down my leg. “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, Teagan. You can tell me.” His voice quie
t and soft.
“I tried to kill myself,” I mumbled.
He sucked in a breath. I glanced up and saw his knuckles whitened by his fingers holding on to the steering wheel with a death grip.
“How the fuck can vampires kill themselves?” His voice raised a notch.
“Absinthe,” I said cautiously, wondering if it was wise to pass on that information but continuing anyway. “Other than the sun it’s the only thing that can kill a vampire.”
“Not a stake through the heart, then.” His lips curled slightly at the edges.
“Myth,” I stated coolly.
“Ok, why did you want to do that then?”
“You need to keep the absinthe thing a secret. I don’t think it would be wise to have a pack of werewolves that hate me knowing how to kill me.”
“They’d be able to kill you if they wanted to anyway.” His words tumbled out in a rush.
I frowned and gazed up at him waiting for him to elaborate on what he’d said. The car lurched forward as he accelerated.
“My father told me after they rescued me.” He removed the hand from my leg and rubbed it over his face, before resting it on the shifter. “When I’m in wolf form, I could kill you with a single bite,”
“Shit…well, be sure not to do that.” I laughed. I knew something seemed strange about The Assembly’s reaction to Marc’s father. There had to be something dangerous about a werewolf other than being able to tear you limb from limb.
“You’re not upset or surprised?” He eased off the accelerator slightly to take a corner, planting his foot back down as we passed through the deep bend.
“No, there had to be something. I got that from their reactions when your father shifted.”
Marc nodded as we sat in silence. I knew we must’ve been getting closer as the roads had gotten narrower and windier.
We pulled in to the circular gravel drive five minutes later. Marc let us into the house. I looked around in awe. The place had been bare the last time I’d been here.
Thick drapes in white with a black velour pattern hung at the floor length windows. Beautiful pencil drawings in thick black wooden frames decorated the freshly painted white walls. I walked from the living from to the dining room and saw the same effort had been made all throughout the downstairs. Everything was black and white, tastefully selected and displayed.
