by K. L. Kreig
Dev slowly turned his head toward Ren, with barely contained menace simmering underneath his skin.
“No one else will go near her. Do you understand?”
The thought of someone else, anybody else, watching her voluptuous body move, doing even the most mundane of tasks, nearly turned him feral. He’d better figure out a way to get her with him quickly or he could be a serious menace to all those around him.
A knowing, shocked look crossed Ren’s face. Dev could almost hear the gears click. “Holy shitballs. She’s your Moira. That’s the only reason you would be acting like some deranged lunatic, who isn’t taking his safety into consideration at all.”
Dev stared at Ren for several moments, tightly nodded once, daring his friend to say anything else.
Ren held his gaze. A genuine, full smile spread across his face as he slapped him on the back. “Well, I’ll be damned. Congratulations Dev.”
Finding a vampire’s Moira could take centuries. Some never found theirs and his hope at finding his one perfect match had been waning of late. Vampires were not made, contrary to popular belief. They could not be bitten and turned. That was simply preposterous. A fallacy. Vampires were born of a union between vampire and their bonded human female. And a vampire couldn’t bond with anybody except their Moira.
“Don’t congratulate me yet. I think the fair Ms. Martin is going to be a hard one to reel in.”
“You didn’t try to compel her, did you? You know you can’t compel your Moira.”
While vampires could compel humans, they couldn’t compel their Moira’s or other vampires. When he first laid eyes on Kate, he knew without a shadow of a doubt, she was his. Yes, he’d tried to compel her at the precinct, but only because he’d actually forgotten that one couldn’t compel his Moira. He could hardly contain his sheer joy at finally finding her.
“No, I could not compel her. I tried when she refused to go into protective custody.” He laughed. “I think she knew I was up to something because she gave me a funny look when I tried.” Yes, she was going to be a challenge. One he was very much looking forward to.
“Don’t worry, man. You can charm the panties off of any female, compulsion or not. I have no doubt you’ll have her with you within a matter of hours.”
Dev knew it would take more than that. The need to be inside her was visceral. He simply had to explore her body, feel her, taste her. He knew had to rein in this overwhelming need or he would send her running for the hills. Not that he wouldn’t follow, drag her back and lock her in his house. He would never let his Moira go. Strangely enough, though, he didn’t want to imprison her. He wanted her to want to be with him, to need him, to love him.
Ren glanced at his watch. “Her class should be just about over.”
“Thank Christ.” Hopefully she’d just go straight home. He had Thane posted at her house right now to ensure nothing was disturbed while she’d been gone. As soon as she was settled for the evening, however, he intended to pay his Moira a little visit.
And begin his covetous and relentless pursuit to win her.
Chapter 10
Xavier
“You’d better have some good news for me, Marcus,” Xavier growled. He was tired of living like this. Tired of hiding. Goddamn Regent Lords. He couldn’t wait to slaughter each and every one of them. Personally. His hatred for them was so intense; he felt it burning through his gut every second of every single day. He was so close to his goal, he could taste it. Feel it in every cell of his body. Finally, after hundreds of years of experiments and preparation, he was on the brink of world domination.
“I do, my lord.” Marcus kept his eyes averted toward the floor. Marcus was a good slave. He was exceptionally brilliant and had been able to make the most progress in the drug that increased successful conception and live births of their vampire babies. His growing army.
“Get on with it, Marcus.”
“We took the most recently acquired female into the insemination room this morning, as blood tests showed she was ovulating.”
“I don’t need these mundane updates. Anything else of actual importance?”
“Ah, we lost another baby and female this morning. Another female likely won’t make it until tomorrow.
“Well, we can always get more. Anything else?”
“Nothing else my lord.”
Marcus looked deathly pale and he was breathing fast. The human was scared. He was always a sweaty mess when in his presence.
An evil grin ate up Xavier’s entire hideously fire-scarred face. Another memento, courtesy of those self-righteous lords. Another wrong to right. While vampires healed from most other grievous of wounds, they could not heal from fire. He would be forever disfigured. He wouldn’t allow mirrors anywhere in the compound, as he didn’t want a constant reminder that his looks were taken from him, in addition to his freedom. Where his looks once drew females like flies, now it repulsed them.
“That will be all.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Oh, and, Marcus…I’m quite hungry. Bring me a female.”
“Of course, my lord.” Marcus quickly fled the room.
Chapter 11
Kate
Kate walked through the front door and straight to the kitchen. It wasn’t even five o’clock yet, but she desperately needed a drink. Pouring a glass of Zinfandel from a half-empty bottle, she thought that simply might not cut it tonight. Within fifteen minutes, she was emptying the rest into her stemless glass. Sitting at the kitchen table in silence, she watched the bitter winter wind violently whip fluffy light snow around the yard. It looked like someone had shaken up a snow globe and she was reminded of the Beauty and the Beast one she had as a child. Goddamn Disney and the dream of happily ever after they push on young, impressionable girls.
So desperate for the mind numbing effects of the alcohol, she hadn’t even bothered to take off her boots and now there was a puddle of melted snow spreading out beneath her on the cold tile floor. But it didn’t matter, because she seemed to have a singular focus.
Try as she might, she simply could not stop thinking of Dev. Of his eyes or his smell or his touch. She was obsessing like a fifteen year old with her first real crush and it was just plain pissing her off. The only thing Kate was obsessed about was research.
Until now.
Until him.
Now she could think of nothing else. Maybe it had just been too long since she’d had sex and now her lady bits were begging to be used. And used hard. Maybe Erin was right and one amazing sweaty session of the wild thing was what she needed to get refocused. And maybe she was so full of shit that the whites of her eyes were turning brown.
Sighing heavily, she unceremoniously finished her second glass of wine and opened another bottle. She had a paper to write, she had homework to grade, she had a grant to think about. But all she wanted to do instead was sit and daydream, like a lovesick puppy about a man she could never have.
Jesus, Kate. Get a goddamned grip.
Pouring her third and what should be her final glass, but probably wouldn’t be, she headed into the bathroom and filled the Jacuzzi tub with steaming water and lavender vanilla aromatherapy bubble bath. Lighting some candles and turning on Michael Bublé—don’t judge—she quickly disrobed and eased slowly into the scalding water, groaning with relief. Bubble bath, wine and a sultry crooner…what more could a girl want?
Why…one very tall, very erotic, very virile man with onyx eyes peering up at her from between her thighs of course.
Kate spent the next thirty minutes sipping wine and reliving her carnal dreams with this incredible man—like she hadn’t done that hundreds of times over the last four months. She ran her hands over her nakedness, wishing they were his. Unable to stop, one slipped below the water and stroked her slick center. She remembered Erin telling her how quickly she’d gotten off from the jets of her tub and at the time that had sounded ridiculous. But now, badly needing to take the edge off, Kate stretched her legs, position
ing her sex perfectly between the maximum speed stream of water and Oh. My. God. Within thirty seconds, an incredibly hard orgasm tore through her, sending warmth spiraling throughout her body. Head falling back, she reached for the controls and turned off the pulsating water, recovering slowly from the quick rush.
Damn. Erin was definitely onto something.
Glass long empty, water cooled, and feeling a bit less tense, Kate decided it was time to leave her wallowing and soak up the alcohol she’d consumed with some food. Except she didn’t have much in the house, so she’d either have to do take out or run to the store. And since she’d consumed three very substantial glasses of wine in the last hour, take out it was.
Forty-five minutes later, long hair pulled into a messy bun and dressed in black yoga pants and a ratty yellow Golden Eagles sweatshirt that had seen better days, the doorbell rang. Expecting to see a delivery boy from the Jade Garden, her favorite Chinese restaurant with the best cashew chicken and egg drop soup to ever to pass her lips, she quickly opened the door without checking the peephole.
And immediately regretted it. Oh God. Breathe Kate. In, out…in, out.
Instead of the deliveryman, standing on her front porch was the man of her dreams. Literally and figuratively. And in one hand dangled her food.
“Hello Kate,” he drawled, full lips turned up on one corner.
He stood there in the same breathtaking suit she’d seen him in earlier, but with a heavy, long black overcoat shielding him against the elements.
“Hi.” Her voice was breathy. Lord, he was just sinfully good-looking.
“I think I have something you want.”
There was no truer statement ever made than that one. She wanted, all right. Oh, how she wanted. He laughed as she stood quietly gaping at his sheer perfection.
“I was talking about the food, but by the way you’re devouring me with your hungry eyes, I can see maybe food’s not all that’s on your mind.”
He strode confidently through the door, but not before leaning down and running his nose seductively along the unencumbered expanse of her neck, inhaling deeply. A sexy, low rumble sounded in the back of his throat.
“Mmmm, you smell good, Kate.”
Good god. Cue the fan.
He stood back, his burning eyes roaming over every inch of her body. Her hideously clothed body. Go her.
Finding her voice, she finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind for the last sixty seconds.
“How did you know where I live?”
He smiled mischievously and sauntered quietly through the living room into the kitchen. He was as comfortable as if he’d been there a dozen times before. Having no choice, she followed him but stopped in the doorway and watched as he efficiently found a plate and silverware and set them on the table before dishing up her food.
“What are you doing?”
He looked up from his task, confusion clouding his face. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m feeding you.”
She couldn’t help the small smile that passed her lips. She should be irritated and in truth she was, but irrational delight overrode any other emotion she felt. But that didn’t mean she was letting him off the hook. He seemed very good—too good—at dodging her simple questions.
He gestured for her to sit, but she wasn’t about to fall in line that easily. “You haven’t answered my questions.”
He walked toward her, but gliding would have been a more accurate description. He moved with such stealth and grace, it was almost unnatural. Stopping only inches from her, his piercing gaze pinned her so firmly in place so she couldn’t move even if she’d wanted to.
“Really? Because I was certain that I had,” he said in a low, deep voice that went straight to her loins.
Unable to speak, she could only shake her head in disagreement.
Leaning down so close his breath feathered her lips, he reached up and drew the back of his fingers lightly down her cheek.
“Where you live is public information, Ms. Martin and as for what I’m doing here? I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“Oh,” she whispered, her mouth suddenly dry as the Sahara. She felt dizzy and didn’t know if it was the wine or his scent affecting her. Probably both. His evident desire for her was heady and she found herself making excuses on why it might not be so bad after all to sleep with this man.
Just when she thought he’d lean down to kiss her, he took a step back taking his body heat and unique scent away with him. Disappointment stabbed deep. She wanted his mouth on hers more than she’d ever wanted anything else. Even more than she’d wanted that little electronic Barbie car as a child, the one you could sit in and drive around your neighborhood. And she’d wanted that a hell of a lot.
“Now, why don’t you take a seat and eat before your food gets cold,” he motioned as he pulled out the chair like a gentleman.
Not knowing what to make of this bizarre encounter, she walked to the small round table and took a seat. He sat just to her right and all of a sudden she wished she hadn’t drank so much wine. While the haziness clouding her brain was absolutely in part due to him, it was also undeniably the alcohol. A woman didn’t face a man like Dev without a very clear head unless she wanted to end up underneath him in short order. And while she so did, she worried with her inhibitions lowered she’d make a mistake of epic proportions and end up hating herself in the morning.
Because nothing had changed between this morning and now, saying no was exactly what she needed to do, but she was wound so damn tight that she wasn’t at all sure she’d be able to.
Chapter 12
Dev
She was as affected by him as he was she. He could smell her arousal the second she opened the door. It was intoxicating. Unfortunately, he could also see her internal tug of war. She wanted him but she didn’t want to want him and that was messing with her head. He needed to put her at ease, while letting her know he intended to pursue her…hard. Dev had a lot of work ahead of him in a short amount of time. He loved a challenge and he won every single one of them. And he fully intended to win this one.
So let the games begin.
They sat in silence while she picked at her food. Unlike the myths, vampires didn’t live on blood alone. It was their main sustenance, yes, but they also enjoyed food just as humans did. Dev’s tastes ran a little higher-end than MSG filled Chinese food, however, and the smell of the sickly sweet chicken concoction Kate pushed around on her plate unpleasantly assailed his nose.
“Am I in danger?” she asked tentatively as she placed her fork down and looked in his eyes for the first time in several minutes.
“Yes,” he said plainly. She was in danger and he would not lie to her about that.
She looked slightly taken aback, as if it wasn’t the answer she’d expected.
“Has there been a threat or something? Did you see someone outside my house?”
“No. There has been no direct or indirect threat, but it’s only a matter of time. You’re a threat to him. Once this monster finds out about your special skills, Kate, he will come for you.”
She looked truly frightened for the first time and while he felt bad about that, he didn’t feel bad enough to back down.
“So…are you patrolling outside my house then?”
He regarded her silently for several moments. His stubborn Moira was not going to be easily convinced to come with him. He answered her as honestly as he could without revealing too much too soon.
“I won’t let a moment pass that you’re not protected, Kate.” He’d follow her all over the goddamned city for days if he had to.
At his response, her shoulders relaxed slightly.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
She picked up her plate, having hardly eaten a thing, walked to the garbage and deposited the bulk of it in the oblong, plastic lined container. He couldn’t stand being more than a few feet away from her
and didn’t want to be ushered out the door yet, so he poured a glass of red wine from the open bottle on the counter, took her hand and drew her back into the living room. He could smell the fruity potion on her breath when he walked in and knew she’d already imbibed in a few glasses.
“Sit,” he waived her toward the couch and handed her the cup when she surprisingly complied without a flippant comment. He took his rightful place right next to her.
Glancing shyly between her glass and his face, he was surprised at the tender feelings that rose up out of nowhere. Dev was not tender anything. He was hard, demanding and passionate about many things. No one would—or could—ever accuse him of being tender. Now, however, as he observed his future mate that’s the exact sentiment he felt.
“Do you want to talk about your dreams?” He asked quietly. He wanted to know everything about her. Her hopes and dreams and deepest desires.
She smiled sardonically. “Not particularly, no.”
“Okay. Then tell me about your teaching.”
Quite frankly, he didn’t care what the fuck they talked about. He just wanted to spend time with her. And since he wasn’t about to take advantage of a woman who’d clearly had a little too much to drink this evening, spending it talking to her was the best he was going to get.
At that question, her eyes lit up and she spent the next hour telling him about her current PhD studies and her love for teaching and research. He hung on every word she said, drawing it in and tucking it away for future reference. She was passionate, like him. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that passion would extend to the four walls of the bedroom. Just thinking about it made his stiff erection throb with anger at being kept from his Moira. He’d kept his hands in his lap for most of their conversation because he couldn’t control his bodily reaction to her.
Guilt ate at him for how much her life would change after they bonded. Because she would be the mate of a powerful Vampire Lord, she could not be allowed to continue teaching at the University and that gutted him. She would be crushed, so together they would have to find something else that could replace that passion, but where she’d also be safe from harm.
