by Bonnie Vanak
Jones screamed and dropped the knife. He stood, staggering backwards, holding his head as if it would split open. “Make it stop,” he moaned. “Make it stop! I can’t stand it, it’s horrible!”
Dematerializing to Petra’s side, Lucien lifted her into his arms. Petra clasped his neck, burying her face into his shoulder with terrified sobs. She shifted back into a gremlin, her pointed ears sagging.
“I was so scared! The fire, and then when you went inside after Mara, and she ran after you to save you…”
Lucien glanced at his lover. “You tried to save me?”
“You were so strong, running into the fire when you knew fire could kill you. I had to do something, and your courage gave me the strength to do it,” Mara told him.
Something eased in his chest. “Thank you.” He set Petra down as she shifted into a teenager again. “Honey, I want you to go into the house, take a bath and calm down. The police will be here soon and you’re green again. I don’t want them freaking out. Will you be okay?”
Sniffling, she nodded. Then she ran over and hugged a startled Mara, who hugged her back.
“You saved Lucien and I’ll never forget that. Thank you, Mara. Anything I have is yours.” She hesitated. “Well, except maybe the red Jimmy Choos.”
“Petra, they’re cinders now,” Lucien reminded her.
At her crestfallen expression he added, “But I’ll rebuild and then we’ll go shopping and buy you enough shoes to fill a closet. Deal?”
“Deal.” Petra beamed.
As the gremlin raced toward the house, Mara gestured to Jones, who had dropped to the ground, writhing in apparent agony. “What happened?”
Lucien’s expression tightened. “I touched his mind and mirrored his own thoughts. He could no longer hide from himself. I did not destroy Jones. He’s self-destructing and will never hurt anyone again.”
Fishing a cell phone from his pocket, he dialed 9-1-1 and reported that an unbalanced man had set fire to his garage. “The fire is extinguished, but he’s quite insane and babbling about vampires, demons and space aliens. Please hurry.”
As he thumbed off the phone, Mara raised her eyebrows. “Space aliens?”
“Thought I’d toss that in for good measure.”
He cupped her blackened face, his gaze tender. His kiss was a brush against her mouth, and then he deepened it, wrapping his arms around her as if fearing to let go.
She wished he never would.
Strapped to a gurney and sedated, Jones was hauled away by ambulance. They were taking him to the psychiatric wing of a nearby hospital. When forced to confront the true evil, the man’s mind had turned on him.
As Lucien predicted, the psychic would never hurt anyone again.
They’d showered and quickly dressed. Now Mara paced the study while Lucien put the director of the Society on speaker phone. Sitting at the carved mahogany desk, he explained what had happened to Jones. His sculpted features tightened as he glanced at her.
“I met the terms of the assignment and have demands of my own, Stamos. I will no longer work for the Society unless you grant Petra and Mara an order of permanent protection against any future or past actions.”
“Can’t do that,” the voice droned over the speaker.
“Cannot or will not?”
“Petra and Mara are already under the order. It was issued the moment I left your house after you agreed to mate with Mara.”
Shocked, she whirled and stared at the phone. “But what about the bounty hunters?”
“They were to intimidate you into joining with Lucien. Nothing more. They’ve been recalled.”
“You bastard, you lied to me,” Lucien breathed.
“It’s in the job description,” the director admitted. “What else do you expect? You’re free from future assignments, Lucien. Now go celebrate your new lives. But Mara, ah, if I were you, I’d skip the wine.”
A bolt of white energy slammed into the phone as Lucien flicked a hand. It exploded in a shower of plastic, smoke rising from the ruined instrument. He gave it a rueful look.
“I always did prefer my BlackBerry.”
Chapter 13
After checking on Petra sleeping in a guest bedroom, Lucien headed back downstairs. In the doorway of the living room, he paused to study Mara dozing on the sofa.
Mara was everything he coveted. Strong inside, daring and willing to seize life with both hands. Her heart was not shuttered and icy, but beat with resounding purpose. She saw Jones as a threat and sought to eliminate him. Her single-minded determination was strong as the constant motion of waves upon the sand.
She meant everything to him. Thinking of how he’d almost lost her chilled his blood. He could not risk that again. Binding herself fully to him in a blood mating would give her strength and allow her to defeat anyone.
It was the fullest expression of commitment for a vampire. Lucien’s chest constricted. It meant giving over his complete self, his heart and soul.
Mara would have as much power over him as he would over her.
Well, not as much power as he had, he thought, grinning. He was an Ancient, after all.
Sitting next to her, he watched her sleep. So lovely, with her fine, clear complexion, her full mouth now parted softly, long pale lashes framing her wide blue eyes. Her body was tall and strong, and when she smiled, it ignited a fire inside him.
His heart beat fully with life. For years, he’d lived as a ghost, as insubstantial as mist layering the nearby hills. It was time to stop grieving and start living.
He took her hand, reassured by the steady pulse in her thin wrist. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled shyly.
“Mara, I must ask you something important.”
A shadow chased into her blue eyes. Never had he opened himself fully to another. He was a powerful Ancient who feared nothing. Except losing this woman. Lucien felt perched on a tall cliff, sharp rocks waiting below as he readied himself to jump off.
“Will you join with me in a blood mating? I want to commit myself to you, flesh, blood and spirit.”
His heart pounded hard as her sleepy smile faded.
“What is it?”
“It’s the fullest commitment for my kind. We exchange blood, and share each other’s memories and powers.”
“Will I turn into a vampire?” She frowned a little. “Hate garlic?”
“No, but you may develop a severe rash when you walk in the day without sunscreen. As for the garlic…” He shrugged. “I doubt it. I am, after all, Italian.”
Her full mouth parted as she laughed, the sound enchanting him. “I’ll keep that in mind. But why now Lucien?”
“I love you, Mara. I want us to be together, forever. Here,” he gestured to the room, “or back in Florida. I want you go return to school and fulfill your dreams.”
“And what of your dreams, Lucien?”
It troubled him to admit the bleak truth. “I had none, but for watching Petra grow up safe. Until you came along.”
Mara studied their linked hands. “It must have destroyed you to kill Cornelia.”
Hell. He took a deep breath. “The darkness had already consumed her, which is why it was easy for Jones to trick me into thinking she had killed. Cornelia was an exciting lover, but empty inside, and she made me feel empty as well.”
“And me? How do I make you feel?”
Lucien lifted her slender palm to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Loved.”
Please, he thought. Please do not turn away.
When she looked up, her face was radiant. She kissed him, her soft mouth filled with promise and trust. Lucien marveled at Mara’s sweetness as she moved against him. Joy shattered the ice encasing his heart.
“Yes,” she breathed against his lips. “If it means we’ll spend a lifetime together, then yes.”
He didn’t need a soft bed, candlelight or romance, but Mara deserved those things. When he finally took her by the hand into his bedroom, she gave a little gasp of pleasure.
>
“It’s just like the vision we shared,” she told him.
Red satin sheets gleamed upon his bed. Dozens of white candles glowed, making the shadows dance on the walls. Two crystal flutes stood on a small table. Bubbles floated lazily to the top of the sparkling liquid. Lucien pressed a kiss deep into her palm.
“I created it for us. For you. Because…” He struggled for the right words. Then he said in a husky whisper, “Because I hoped you would come into my life. And it would be exactly as I dreamed.”
She cupped his cheek, her touch soft as warm velvet. “I am here, and this is no dream.” Then suspicion entered her gaze. “Lucien, did you plant that vision in my head?”
Flashing his fangs, he gave her a wicked grin. “Perhaps. Or not. The future is always shifting, and one never knows where it will lead.”
Mara seemed to consider. “Okay. But maybe you should leave out the candles. We’ve had enough fire for tonight.”
He clapped his hands and the candles winked out. Mara tilted her head. “You’ll have to show me how you do that.”
“As you wish.”
Moonlight shone through the tall windows, pooling on the Oriental carpet. Crystal clinked as they toasted and drank the champagne. Then he slowly undressed her, worshipping her pale, luminous body with his gaze.
If he lived seven thousand more years, he could never get enough of this incredible woman. He’d always want her in his life, his bed, his heart.
Lucien placed his palms on the curve of her shoulders, enjoying the feel of her warm skin. He stroked upward, savoring her softness, the breathy sigh she gave, the delicate bones beneath supple flesh. The appearance of frailty was deceptive, for Mara had a strong spirit and a fierce determination to match his.
Taking his time, he explored her with his hands as she sighed into his touch. He cupped her breasts, hefting them with his palms. Lucien tugged the nipples, enjoying her little moans of pleasure as he watched them turn to hard little peaks.
The musky scent of her arousal tightened his balls to the point of pain. Her skin was soft and feminine beneath his calloused fingertips. His cock ached at the thought of the wet silk hugging him as he took her.
Not yet.
Ash blonde hair flung over one shoulder, Mara quivered beneath his touch. She tilted her head back, mouth parted on a sigh as he caressed her body, skimming over her flat belly, down to the springy curls at her groin. He cupped her sex, teasing a little as he played with her clit and slid a finger between her damp cleft. Wet, but not enough.
He wanted her much wetter.
Then he cupped her ass and squeezed lightly. Lucien bent her over at the waist, forcing her downward so her palms splayed on the mattress. Her exposed flesh beckoned to him, pink and moist. “Steady,” he soothed.
Bending at the knees, he took his shaft in hand. With one palm cupping her hip, he guided the head of his penis to her soft opening. Pushing very slightly, he watched the head sink into her wet vagina. The erotic sight of their joining tested all his control. He wanted to thrust hard, fuck her into blissful oblivion.
Taking a deep breath, he inched himself into her tight channel. Mara fisted the sheets, whimpering in apparent frustration.
“Lucien, please, do it!”
“Patience, sweet,” he murmured. “Did I not teach you anything about restraint?”
Lucien sank further inside her. His palm slid over the smoothness of her back, then down again over her heart-shaped ass. He gave it a light smack and she squealed.
Then he thrust hard, pushing past her resisting flesh until they were sealed together at the hip. Mara clenched down, the tight, wet feel of her surrounding him, caressing him. A groan tore from his mouth. Sliding in and out, he teased and stroked, building up the tension inside her until he could feel her trembling beneath his hands. And then with his powers, he sank into her thoughts and began his seduction.
All over.
Dozens of invisible hands whispering over her skin. Fingers pulling her nipples, tweaking them into taut crests. A mouth sealed over her clit, a tongue rasping faster and faster. Perspiration beaded her skin, the shiny wetness glistening on her skin like tiny diamonds winking in the moonlight.
Lucien closed his eyes, continuing to slide in and out of Mara in light, teasing strokes. Deep, and slow. Cherishing the feel of her, enjoying her little excited cries of pleasure.
He wanted to make it good for her. Make it last.
Mara shrieked and clenched his shaft like a tight glove as she climaxed. And then she climaxed again, her body shaking, lungs gasping for air.
Lucien pulled out. He was still hard, his cock shiny with her moisture. He turned Mara around, and the backs of her knees connected with the mattress. She fell back with an “umph” of surprise, still trembling with aftershocks. Her eyes widened.
“Lucien, you didn’t…”
“I’m not done,” he murmured, his fangs descending as he anticipated taking her blood. “Not yet.”
He wanted to lie her down, taste her glistening skin and lick her from head to toe. Take her again and see the joy dancing in her blue eyes, watch her face tighten, her mouth part as she climaxed in his arms. Knowing only he could deliver such incredible pleasure.
Knowing she was his.
Eyes dark as midnight, Lucien watched her with unwavering intensity.
Bracing his arms on either side of her, he held her thighs in his palms. Then he lifted one leg, his tongue dragging over the inside of her calf.
Spending her life with this man, this vampire, promised relentless joy and untold pleasures. Mara trembled as she thought of their future.
Lucien stopped, his expression tender. “What’s wrong, sweet?”
“I was just thinking, I don’t care if I never walk in the sun again. ‘Cause as long as I have you, there’ll always be light in my life.” Mara bit her lips to stop their tremulous wobbling. Joy flared on his face. He leaned over, pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “You are my sunshine.”
Closing his eyes, he pressed his shaft to her softness. Lucien thrust inside her, his expression exquisite pleasure as if he savored every single sensation. His chest rasped over her ultra sensitive nipples as he rocked back and forth. Mara wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his neck as his thrusts intensified. He groaned, pushing harder and faster as she rose up to meet him. The headboard slammed against the wall, the sound echoing to their mingled moans. Climax shimmered just out of reach. She dug her heels into the mattress, arching up, sobbing as the pleasure took her higher and higher.
“Yes, sweet, come for me,” he demanded.
The sweet spasms burst within her as he stiffened and shouted, his big body shuddering with pleasure. Her heart still pounding hard, she saw Lucien looking down at her, fierce, eyes narrowed and intent.
“Now,” he said thickly.
His mouth nuzzled her throat, his warm breath feathering over her. A slow swipe of his tongue as if preparing her. Then, with a savage growl, he flashed his fangs. There was a sharp pinch of pain, and then erotic sensations spilling through her. Mara cried out, clutching him to her. Each pull of his mouth was a lick between her legs, building higher and higher until she climaxed again.
He stopped drinking, gave the puncture wounds a long, tender drag of his tongue. Lucien lifted his head, his eyes glittering. She could hear her heart pounding hard, or was that his?
With a glistening fang, he tore open his wrist, holding it to her mouth. The taste of him was spicy nectar, hot and addictive, sliding down her throat. Mara moaned as his power filled her, his memories and essence. Then he pulled away, sealing the laceration with a quick swipe.
A bond forged, a connection intensified between them.
Passion flared on his face, transformed his angular features. They had both changed. No longer the same. They were bonded now, body and soul.
Mara reached up, touched his face with wondering awe. She felt his blood rush through her veins, pump into her heart.
He moved inside her again. Shocked, she realized he was hard again. Lucien gave an impish grin.
“One benefit of being an Ancient. I have a lot of stamina. I promise you a very long, very pleasurable night.”
They were joined at the hip, so close Mara couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
Lucien moved inside her again, slow, and then faster, with long and deep thrusts that made her clutch him and cry out. It was raw and wild, a storm she could hardly bear. Lucien held her close, capturing her in his strong arms, making her endure the erotic pleasure. He whispered words of passion, seduced her with feeling. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she clung to him, wrapped her legs around his pumping hips to draw him closer. Their thoughts tangled together in each other’s minds like interwoven threads.
When you’re inside me like this, I feel like I’m dancing on air.
Open your eyes, Mara.
She did. Mara gasped and dug her nails into his muscled shoulders. The bed was far below them. They were floating in midair.
“Lucien, put us down!”
He gave a delighted chuckle. “It’s not my doing, sweet. It’s all you.”
“Oh!”
They began falling fast and suddenly slowed, as Lucien seized control and gently placed them on the mattress once more. He gave her a tender smile, smoothing back her dampened hair.
“I see I’ll have to teach you more lessons, this time in controlling your new powers.”
“Maybe it wasn’t your vamp powers. Maybe it was my angel wings.”
“Or your other side. You bring out the devil in me,” he teased.
Mara smiled, touching his face. “It’s funny. All I wanted for so long was to be ordinary. And now I’m anything but.”
Lucien pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You were never ordinary to me.”
Mara touched him, enjoying the feel of his damp, smooth skin, the powerful muscles working. Marveling everything about him, but most of all, how he made her feel so valued, so cherished, so….
Special.
They made love long into the night, touching and tasting each other until, limp and spent, they fell back onto the mattress. Snuggled in his arms, her leg entangled with Lucien’s, Mara gazed at the waning moonlight.
