by A C Warneke
She started to huff out a sarcastic laugh but it turned into a moan as he slid his tongue along the seam of her sex. Concentrating on her swollen clitoris, he slid a finger into her heated depths, then added a second finger, stretching her pleasurably.
Her back arched off the bed and she was panting, so responsive to everything he did to her. As he stroked her, finding the extra sensitive bundle of nerves within her sex, she thought she was going to die of pleasure.
The walls of her sex clamped down on his fingers a moment before she began to shudder in orgasm. Sliding his fingers from her body, he placed a small kiss on her inner thigh before sinking his teeth into the femoral artery. Her body bowed and a scream was torn from her throat. Her fingers were in his hair, convulsing erratically as she held him to her; he was the only thing keeping her from coming apart at the seams.
She felt her body open for him and while the orgasm continued to tear through her, he took his fangs from her thigh, slid the rest of the way up her body and entered her in one heavy thrust. “Open your eyes, Malorie.”
Slowly, she blinked, bringing him back into focus. As she watched, he pressed the palm of his hand to his fangs, letting her see the drops of red blood. Holding her gaze, he lowered his hand until the palm pressed against the bite on her thigh, forcing her leg to open. His hand was sandwiched between their bodies, pushing down on her limb even further until she felt as if she were going to break in two.
In unison, they both looked down to see his darker body covering hers, his hand so golden against her paler skin. It was so erotic and she shivered in delight. His muscles flexed as he pulled out and slowly pushed back in; his penis filled her as his blood began to mingle with hers and their eyes met once more, his gaze turbulent.
Her eyes widened as painfully intense emotions washed over her; he wasn’t holding anything back. His lips moved but his voice was from a great distance away, “You have all of me, Malorie; everything. I love you.”
Thousands of years of history, of his history, overwhelmed her senses with visions and scents and smells. Everything that she had taken from him before and trillions of moments more tore through her; it was too much. She couldn’t make sense of everything.
“It’s too much.” She pushed against his shoulders, trying to break the connection, unable to breathe, unable to think, to comprehend all that she was experiencing.
“We’ve just begun,” he growled. Pressing his hand down even more, spreading her wider, he overpowered her resistance and flooded her senses, drowning her in pleasure and memories. "You haven’t seen what you need to see.”
Visions of her swirled together, every moment that he had spent with her; her brain couldn’t process the wealth of information it was receiving and she struggled against him. He didn’t let her go; instead his voice narrated what she was seeing; her at the mall, turning away from him. “I wanted you the moment I saw you.
“You resisted me, even when you wore my mark. And when I removed it, you did not hesitate.” She watched as she jumped up from the bench and blindly ran, feeling the surprise and reluctant admiration he had felt for her in that moment. His arms came around her and they were falling forward and she experienced his body hardening, the lust searing his senses as he looked down at her.
Her eyes stared back and as she watched her pupils dilate she felt her lips quiver beneath his. The simple kiss stole her soul and left him reeling. “I have never had such a reaction to anyone before; and then you struck me and I wanted you even more. It was madness and I would have given into it had I not seen my brother out of the corner of my eye.”
Malorie turned her head and saw Jiro standing there, his expression grim as he met his brother’s eyes. Overwhelming lust flooded her and all she could think about was fucking the girl beneath him…. She tried to break free from the memory, but he wouldn’t let her go. “Observe.”
The scene shifted and they were in the small room, the plant bursting with life as he tried to understand what she had just done. “Look at yourself, Malorie; you are beautiful and fierce and still fighting me. Even then you enthralled me and I was too blind to realize it; I tried to push you away but it only caused suffering.”
The memories swirled to the moment she was standing in front of him, talking about his son. “But this… this is the moment that I first began to love you, the moment I saw you, Malorie, the person you are. Before this moment I lusted after you and justified that by telling myself you were a Breeder, a means to an end.
“You stood there, innocent and generous, telling me how you came to my son’s aide and I saw it in your eyes,” he continued as she saw herself through his memories; the way she softened, became more beautiful. His hand brushed her face and his voice deepened, “In that moment you had loved my son and I loved you for it.
“I love your strength when you feel weak, your bravery when the world is falling apart; I love your compassion to a stranger, your devotion to your son.” She saw herself walking through the gardens, smiling down at Toby, looking around for Feryn. Every moment, she felt his heart swell with greater and greater love and it frightened her. Him. It frightened him. Aradians didn’t love their bed partners, the mothers of their children. It would be better to end it before he sank even deeper.
“I tried to do the right thing, the safe thing, and let you go but then you asked me to make love with you and I couldn’t deny myself; I wanted you more than my next breath.”
The raw honesty of his memories overwhelmed her, consumed her.
He bent his head and captured her lips in a hard, possessive kiss. Her lips parted and she was kissing him back, taking his tongue into her mouth and Feryn into her soul. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him to her and he wanted to shout his triumph. A thousand images of fucking her filled his head, her head. He’d kiss her on the front lawns, feasting on her wet cunt until she screamed; he’d lick her sweet nipples in the middle of the pool, suckling them until she writhed against his wet body. He’d take her in the forest, mounting her from behind like the animals do, thrusting into her until she cried out her release.
And he could no longer hold back, thrusting into her over and over, loving the mind-exploding ecstasy of her sweet body. He felt her flesh tightening around his cock, squeezing and caressing. And then he felt the rush of fluid as her body arched off the bed and she came, dragging him over the edge with her.
Malorie screamed as her orgasm erupted throughout her body. When she finally returned to her body, she was no longer in Feryn’s head, but her thoughts were still spinning wildly out of control. He was staring down at her and she wondered how she could have ever imagined his gaze being inscrutable and distant.
Swallowing the emotions that were boiling up within her, she could only manage, “Wow.”
His lips curved upwards in a slow, sensuous smile as he brushed the hair from her face. “I love you.”
Chapter 15
Malorie wrapped the robe around herself, not able to look at Feryn in all of his naked glory as he lounged on the bed, his arrogant smile making her lose her train of thought. If she looked at him, her resolve would weaken and she wouldn’t think, just give in to physical desire. But they had spent hours making love, avoiding everything that needed to be discussed. When he had crashed, she longed to give into sleep as well. Unfortunately, without Feryn to distract her, her brain went into overdrive, and she wasn’t able to sleep at all.
She had lain awake, staring at the ceiling, as random memories started pinging her consciousness, compelling her to follow the trail back to the source. And what she discovered had rattled the foundation on which she stood. Feryn had kept so much from her, about his plans, about her father; but then he had shared his memories and she was of two minds, warring within herself.
“Come back to bed.” His voice caressed her from across the room and she wanted to return to bed, return to his arms, to not think at all. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw his hard body relaxing on the bed; his biceps bulged prov
ocatively as he crossed his arms behind his head and watched her with those glorious green eyes. His long legs were spread apart, drawing her attention to the thick penis that rested against his muscled thigh. As she watched, it began to harden and she blushed, quickly averting her eyes. His low chuckle curled around her, drawing her in, making her want to forget.
Tightening the belt, as if it would shield her from Feryn’s magnetisms, she sat down in the big chair by the bed. Watching her hands as the twisted the ends of the tie in her lap. She murmured, “We need to talk.”
“Haven’t we said all that needs to be said?” she could hear the smile in his voice.
“Why did you share your memories with me?” Her voice was soft as she swallowed the sorrow. “Did you think my brain was too small to deal with everything all at once? Did you think I wouldn’t learn what you did, what you plan to do?”
He was silent for a long time and when he spoke his voice was rough with feeling, “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you and it was only a possibility.”
Confusion wrinkled her forehead and she looked at him, “What are you talking about?”
Color burnished his cheekbones as he held her gaze, “Converting you.”
“What?” she was out of the chair and pacing the floor, trying to understand the words he was saying; the man she loved was going to turn her? How… horrifying!
“It would mean going against everything I believe in, Malorie,” he explained, the pain in his voice making her pause and listen to what he was saying. “If you agree, I will be giving up so much of what I worked for but it would be worth it to have you.”
“And would you bring me humans to feed from?” she sneered.
“I couldn’t do that to you,” he whispered. “You would feed off me and only me.”
“And when were you planning on turning me?” she asked, her voice taut and low.
“In a few years, maybe?” he took a deep breath. “I would rather have you as a vampire than not have you at all.”
That was incredibly romantic in a fucked up sort of way. “And if I refused, which you would have to expect of me, what then?”
“I would have begrudgingly let you go.” His voice was laced with even more anguish. “And after our child was old enough, I would follow you.”
She inhaled sharply at those words, tears filling her eyes at the thought of Feryn no longer being a part of the world, even if she were not here to witness it. Squeezing her eyes shut, feeling the tears race down her cheeks, “Don’t say that.”
He was behind her then, his arms wrapped around her body, surrounding her with his warmth, his essence. His breath flowed across the skin of her ear, her temple, as he rasped, “I have found that Aradians don’t love in half measures, Malorie; it is all or, well, all. If I lose you, I will be lost as well.”
He was pulling her robe up, exposing her legs to the cooler air, his hotter thighs and even hotter penis. Her body was hot and slick, ready for him and she wanted this. Arching her back, she felt him nudge the entrance of her sex and nearly exploding when he entered her in a single hard thrust.
“I love you, Malorie.”
Untying her robe, he slid his hands inside, cupping her breasts, thrumming her nipples, and driving her mad with pleasure. Her skin was on fire and she was burning up from the inside out as he moved in her. He kissed beneath her jaw, over her throat, sending tingles all along her neck and down her back. With a growl, he sank his teeth into her neck, devouring her will and her mind.
Her back arched and she screamed at the same time that his body erupted, filling her completely. He carefully pulled his fangs from her neck, licking the wound and resting his cheek against her head, stroking her arms as she continued to shake. “Malorie.”
“You can’t keep distracting me,” she sighed, resting her cheek against the cool wall, aftershocks of pleasure bouncing around her body. Her brain was having a little difficulty catching up. If she ever wanted to think again, she was going to have to spend some time on her own; Feryn was as dangerous as any mind-altering drug. If she wasn’t careful, she would throw all of her cares and worries and concerns away and only exist for Feryn.
And that would be beyond stupid. If she gave up her identity, everything that made her Malorie, there would be nothing left of her to love; by neither Feryn nor herself. Maybe it would be different in a hundred years when the sex wasn’t so new and powerful. If she lived that long.
“You can’t talk about leaving me; I cannot bear it.” He placed a tender kiss at the spot he had bitten. His big body shuddered around her and she could feel his despair when he thought about losing her. It was scary and thrilling to love and be loved by him. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he whispered, “Wear my mark?”
She smiled slightly at that; at least he was asking her this time. She remembered the mark that he had put on her throat and while it was beautiful, it was so prominent. If she found her father… no, when she found him, she didn’t think he would appreciate seeing the Aradian brand on her skin. Maybe once everything was sorted out it wouldn’t be so bad belonging to someone, to have someone belong to her. Still flourishing in the after effects of her orgasm, she murmured, “Just not on my neck.”
He gave her no time to think, to reconsider. With a possessive growl, his hand went to her thigh and she felt the sizzling heat of him marking her. It was so… primal and erotic. Her eyes slid closed as the fire licked over her skin, once again consuming her thoughts, her civilized veneer, as he claimed her completely.
Heat flowed over her skin, around her leg, upwards onto her belly, over her lower back; inside her flesh; he was claiming all of her. The flames licked over her breasts, her nipples, along her throat; between her thighs, into her womb to the child that grew there. Squeezing her eyes shut, she feared getting lost in him; losing herself just when she was finally found. “Stop.”
“You’re mine, Malorie.” He was wrapped around her, his chest heaving with harsh breaths. Heat burned through all of her doubts, her fears, and for one perfect moment, she had clarity of vision; she was where she was meant to be. “You’re mine and I am yours.
“Everything that I have is yours.” His words curled around her soul, binding her to him. “I will give you the world.”
“I never wanted the world.” Closing her eyes against the encroaching doubts, the tears that threatened to fall, she whispered, “I only ever wanted you.”
“Malorie.” Her name was a benediction and she was about to shatter.
“When were you going to tell me my father escaped?” she asked softly, no longer able to ignore the memories clamoring in her head. He stepped away from her, taking his heat with him, and she turned to face him, retying the robe that had been opened. Taking a breath, she tilted her chin up and faced him, seeing his bewildered expression. “Well?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, reaching behind him and grabbing a blanket from the bed to wrap around his waist. His ignorance snapped something within her and tears pooled in her eyes. He stepped forward, concern in his eyes, but she froze him with a glare. “Malorie?”
“My father,” she cried, her voice becoming shrill and she was helpless to stop it. “My father! The man who was with me and Toby.”
His eyes widened and focused sharply on her, every muscle tense. “That’s impossible; he’s not old enough.”
She smiled without humor, “He’s older than he looks.”
He watched her, his gaze moving over her face and he must have seen something because he stilled, “How old is he, Malorie?”
Pressing her lips together, she desperately tried to remain quiet but the words stumbled out, “He was born just before Varick.”
His mouth fell open. She had surprised him and she knew he was very rarely surprised. She stepped around him and walked over to the window; it was another beautiful day in paradise; didn’t the people who live here ever want it to rage and storm? To tear their perfect worlds apart? With a self-mocking laugh, she murmu
red, “Perhaps all of your angst about creating a vampire was in vain.”
“How old are you?” His voice was distant, cold. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that he still stood facing the wall, his hands clenched at his sides. It should have made her feel better, to have her secrets, but it didn’t; she hurt right alongside him. If he had kept his sensuality at bay, had she been able to resist him, they would have been able to discuss this like two rational humans.
But he wasn’t human.
And neither was she. Not really. Humans didn’t live for hundreds of years; they didn’t repel vampires and they couldn’t replenish blood fast enough to cancel an emergency transfusion. They couldn’t take all of their confusions and turmoil and make plants grow by thrusting their hands into the earth. Oh, God.
Gus had known; he had kept her away from doctors and hospitals all of her life. He had kept her off the grid, to protect her but also to protect himself. Hell, he had even kept his age a secret from her; once again she wondered if he ever would have told her had she not gotten bit. There was so much he had kept hidden from her, so much more that he hadn’t known, and now he was gone and she didn’t know if she would ever see him again. He would be found only when he wanted to be found….
“Malorie,” his voice was sterner, harder. He had turned around, she could tell by the sound of his voice. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.” Her voice was wooden because her thoughts were rampaging and breaking everything within her apart. How could she even have the ability to speak when everything inside of her was being destroyed?
Knowing that he was considering the possibilities this information brought, she huffed a lone, frustrated sound, “And no, I do not know if I share my father’s long life. I don’t know how he and my grandfather have lived for so long; hell, I don’t even know if my grandfather is still alive. He abandoned my father long before I was born.”
