Captured by Desire

by Donna Grant

  “Yes,” she whispered, the sound almost a purr in his ear.

  Her long, slim legs wrapped around him, urging him even deeper. As much as he wanted to hold back until Jules peaked, he couldn’t stop his body’s reaction to her.

  He pulled out until only the head of his cock remained, before thrusting into her tight channel. She gave a soft cry of pleasure, the sound music to his ears.

  Again and again Cristian plunged inside of her, filling her, stretching her. She was tight, hot and deliciously wet. He set up a punishing rhythm, driving hard, fast, and deep into her.

  Jules met him thrust for thrust. She held nothing back, and as much as he feared letting loose his control, he was powerless to hold back.

  She demanded all of him.

  And he eagerly gave it to her.

  Cristian pumped his hips as she tightened her legs around him. Her breathing was as ragged as his, and a light sheen of sweat covered their bodies.

  When he was near to giving in to his climax, Cristian rolled to his back, taking Jules with him. She grinned down at him as she sat up and began to move her hips in circles. Cristian groaned at the erotic sight and feel of her.

  He cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples, stroking them and teasing them to heighten her pleasure. Her lips parted as her head dropped back.

  A ray of sunlight broke through the branches and lit upon her. For an instant Cristian couldn’t move, the sight of her was so breathtaking.

  Her hips began to move quicker, letting him know she was near to peaking. Cristian moved a hand to her sex and ran a finger through her curls until he found her clitoris.

  A scream fell from her lips as she stiffened over him. Her sex began to clenching around his cock. That was all it took to send him over the edge.

  Cristian grabbed her hips as his orgasm took him. It was long and intense, taking him higher and higher each time her sheath clamped down on him.

  They rode the waves of pleasure together, the tide of bliss sweeping through them, in them…around them.

  When he finally came to, Jules was laid across his chest, her breathing harsh and ragged.

  “It’s almost like a small death,” she murmured.

  He couldn’t agree more. And he wanted to experience it again. He smiled as he ran his fingers through her thick, chestnut locks.

  It would be so easy to see her in his life, so easy to see a future with her. And that stopped him cold in his tracks.

  Chapter Six

  Jules felt her eyelids getting heavy, but she was too comfortable atop Cristian to move.

  His hands were leisurely running through her hair. Jules closed her eyes and let herself imagine what it would be like to have someone like Cristian in her life. He was annoying with his dominating ways, but now she knew why and understood it. His seductive green eyes conveyed deep emotions that she couldn’t get enough of.

  And he protected her like no one but her father had before.

  All in all, he was a good man. But a good man deserved someone who was respectable, someone who wouldn’t embarrass him. She decided right then, that though she enjoyed their lovemaking, if they made it off the mountain, she would leave Cristian and Romania behind without a backward glance.

  As much as it pained her, the simple truth was that she wasn’t the woman for him. The knowledge made her eyes burn with unshed tears and her throat close with emotion.

  “Tell me what you know of the Wendigo,” Cristian suddenly said, breaking the silence.

  Jules swallowed past the lump in her throat, but didn’t move. “I know only what my father wrote in his letters. It was after I realized what he was after that I leafed through his books. There isn’t much said about the Wendigo, though what I did find gave a detailed description.”

  “What did it say?”

  “The Wendigo is really a man who has lost his sanity from a combination of magic and cannibalism. They say it’s a fearsome monster, taller, swifter, and deadlier than any man. He’s skeletally thin with skin that’s nearly white and completely hairless. The most bizarre part is they say the Wendigo has inhumanly long teeth, claws instead of fingernails, and glowing eyes.”

  “Then your father was most certainly looking for the Wendigo,” Cristian said after a moment. “What did his letters say?”

  Jules lifted her head to look into his eyes. “At first they were full of excitement as he jotted down some of the stories he’d heard on his way to Romania. Once here, he wrote almost daily, each letter filled with details on the Wendigo and how many people had gone missing since it began hunting.”

  Cristian nodded. “The Wendigo will hunt and feed for several months before it’ll hibernate in its lair for a time.”

  “We have to find it then.”

  He softly ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “You should’ve stayed in Brasov. I can hunt better alone.”

  “You know as well as I that our best chance is to hunt it now. Leave me in the circle if you have to.”

  “Nay.” His voice was hard and cold. “He stayed near the circle all night, waiting for you to make a mistake and step out of it. I can’t chance that again.”

  She shrugged, though his words disturbed her. “Make the circle bigger.”

  “You’re fearless,” he said, amazement in his gaze.

  Jules rose and turned her back to him while she pulled on her shirt. “I’m far from fearless. I stayed in my father’s house for three years. A fearless woman would’ve faced the women of society that had made her run and hide. I didn’t do that. I hid.”

  “You came out here looking for your father, knowing you might have to do it alone. That’s more fearless than facing society.”

  She chuckled and looked over her shoulder at him. “The truth was, I was ashamed of myself. I thought the best thing would be for me to keep to myself.”

  “You created your own prison.”

  “I did,” she admitted and looked away.

  “Tell me,” he urged so softly that she had to close her eyes against the tears that gathered.

  She would rather he not know, but Cristian wasn’t a normal man who might ask once. He would continue until she told him. It was better to tell him now. “I had an affair, but not just any affair. I found out too late my lover was already married. My father was shamed and ridiculed for what I’d done.”

  Suddenly, warm, strong hands gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “You did what hundreds of others have done since the beginning of time. Don’t punish yourself for giving into your body’s desires. As for the man, he’s the one to blame, not you. He knew what he was doing.”

  She glanced down as a smile pulled at her lips. “My father said the same thing.”

  “He sounds like a very smart man.”

  “He is.”

  Cristian rose and held out his hand for her. “Then let’s find him and my parents and end this.”

  * * * *

  Cristian hadn’t wanted to depart the safety of the circle, but he couldn’t leave Jules behind either, not when he didn’t know how long it would take him to track and kill the Wendigo.

  “Stay close,” he cautioned as they moved up the mountain.

  The air began to cool as they climbed higher. As fast as the Wendigo moved, it could be anywhere. The Carpathians were a long range of mountains that stretched through the center of Romania.

  Cristian knew the creature was close. The Wendigo wanted them, so it would hunt them until it caught them.

  “Are you sure it’s out there?” Jules asked as her gaze darted around.

  “Most certainly. You remember the symbols?” He had shown her how to write the four symbols if the Wendigo should appear, or if something happened to him.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “If something should happen....”

  “Don’t.” She stopped him from saying more. “Nothing will happen to you.”

  Cristian halted and faced her. “You need to be prepared in case something
does. Your gun won’t do much.”

  “It will. The bullets are made of silver. My father says silver will kill almost anything supernatural.”

  His brows rose at her words. “Your father was right, but there is only one thing that can kill the Wendigo, and your bullets, silver or not, will only anger it.”

  Her teeth worried her lower lip. Dread and resignation filled her sherry eyes. He took her shoulders in his hands and made her look at him.

  “We’ll get off the mountain.”

  She forced a smile. “Of course we will. I’ve no doubts at all.”

  Cristian let her lie. They had been walking only a few hours, but he wasn’t moving them as quickly as the day before. He was keeping a lookout for the Wendigo, because when he caught the first glimpse of it, he would go after it.

  “Why could I hardly wake you this morning?” Jules asked.

  He shrugged and shifted his bag on his shoulder. “When I turn for an entire night, it drains me. Sleep helps my body to restore.”

  “Are you immortal?”

  “I don’t really know. My parents aren’t, so I doubt I am.”

  She regarded him with solemn eyes. “You’re very unique. There can be no telling to your powers.”

  “I suppose.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Why do you act as though you don’t care? Your gifts are amazing.”

  “You had your cage, Jules. I have mine. People don’t exactly embrace me when they learn what I am. I’ve learned to keep that part of me hidden.”

  She snorted. “You grew up in Brasov, yes?”

  “I did.”

  “Then surely they had to know something, and they seem to like you.”

  “They know I’m not quite human, but they don’t know what I am. If they found out I had even a drop of vampire in me, they’d cut off my head. I’d rather they didn’t learn.”

  “Fair enough.” She turned her head and gasped.

  Immediately, Cristian looked to where her gaze had fallen. “What is it?”

  “I saw something,” she whispered.

  He glanced at their path and knew with the rocks and narrow passages, it would be the perfect time for the Wendigo to attack. “Write the symbols,” he urged her.

  While Jules hastily drew the symbols on the ground, Cristian moved around her, daring the Wendigo to attack. When she was done, she jumped to her feet and dusted off her hands. Cristian moved into the circle with her and sighed.

  He could be chasing after it if only Jules wasn’t there to worry about, but had he not let her come with him, she’d have gone by herself with her hired men. They would have left her alone, and the Wendigo would’ve already caught her.

  “What now?”

  Cristian blew out a breath and clenched his fists. “The trail I’m following is one my parents always took. It leads up toward the top of the mountain where the passages are very narrow.”

  “I see.” She moved to stand beside him. “How long will we wait before we start walking again?”

  He glanced at her and watched as she untied her braid and loosened her hair. He loved her hair, the silky feel of the strands as they passed through his fingers.

  Cristian cleared his throat. “I don’t know. The Wendigo won’t wait long. He needs to feed, but he wants to see if we’ll make a mistake.”

  “Hmmm,” she said and looked up at him with eyes filled with desire.

  Instantly, his cock swelled. What was it about Jules that made his body react so quickly to her, even in the midst of such danger? There wasn’t an answer, and he really didn’t want one.

  He pulled her against his chest and captured her mouth. Her lips were full and soft, tempting him as only she could.

  Her arms came around him as her nails teased his neck and scalp. Cristian’s need for her consumed him. He desperately wanted to be deep within her, to feel her heat wrapped around him again. Only there did he find peace he hadn’t known he needed.

  He turned and pushed her back against a tree as he rubbed his cock against her. She moaned into his mouth. In a frenzy of arms and hands, he loosened his pants until his aching cock sprang free, and she managed to get one leg out of her trousers. Instantly, they were back in each other’s arms.

  “What is it about you?” he asked. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

  She grinned and kissed his neck. “I feel the same way. I don’t understand, and right now, I don’t care. I need you, Cristian.”

  Her words sent him reeling. He lifted her until her legs wrapped around his waist. Her eyes were bright with excitement as he raised her until the tip of his cock moved against her sex.

  Jules gasped at the wonderful sensation. “Oh, my.”

  She had wanted to explore his beautiful body, to run her hands over his tight muscles and hard body, but it would have to wait until next time.

  It had been her intent to try and seduce him, but she hadn’t expected to see or feel the desire that slammed against her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her hands off Cristian.

  There was something about him that had bewitched her. Even knowing the Wendigo was waiting for them couldn’t stop the lust that urged her forward.

  That lust was spiraling out of control now as he slowly filled her, only to pull out. Again and again he teased her, making her moan with need and squirm against him as her desire mounted.

  But no matter how hard she tried to move her hips, he held her in his strong grip. He hadn’t caressed or kissed any other part of her, but already she could feel her orgasm building. He knew where to touch her, and how to touch her, to give her the most pleasure.

  Just as she thought she couldn’t take it any more, he began to thrust faster, harder. Deeper. He filled her completely. Jules moaned at the wonderful new sensations flooding her.

  Her first lover had never made her feel this amazing, beautiful…wanted. Only Cristian could. Jules let the world fall away while pleasure coalesced into a tight knot low in her belly.

  She squeezed her legs around Cristian and heard his answering moan. Each of his thrusts sent her higher, building her toward unimaginable pleasure.

  And then she exploded with a fierce climax and spiraled into an abyss of pleasure. With her body still pulsing, she locked gazes with Cristian, and he pumped in and out of her before he throwing back his head and shouting as his orgasm claimed him.

  Chapter Seven

  Jules unlocked her ankles, and Cristian pulled out of her before they collapsed onto the ground. She blinked up at the clear blue sky above her.

  “Other than the fact we have very little food, I wouldn’t mind never leaving this place.”

  Cristian rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m not...human?”

  “I can’t keep my hands off you,” she said with a grin. “Isn’t that answer enough?”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “It could be.”

  It was then she realized he was curious about her reaction to him. She turned onto her side to face him. “No, Cristian, it doesn’t bother me that you aren’t fully human. I’m intrigued by what you are, and my body certainly knows what it wants.”

  “And you? What do you want? You should be married by now.”

  “At one time I wanted that dream. It faded, though.”

  He twirled a leaf between his fingers. “And when your father dies? What will you do then?”

  “I wish I couldn’t say I haven’t thought about it, but I have. I’ve no desire to go out into society again, and one doesn’t find a husband without being seen. I think I’ll go work for one of his colleagues, recording their findings and keeping their house, much like I do my father’s.”

  “That’s a nice plan.” He tossed aside the leaf and moved his hand to her. His finger skimmed over a patch of bared skin at her waist where her shirt had rucked up. “I think you’re meant for so much more. A body such as yours, a passion such as yours, shouldn’t be shut away.”

  Jules had a h
ard time focusing as he pushed up her shirt with his hand, his finger inching closer and closer to her breasts. She wanted him to touch her, to tease her.

  “Did you hear me?” he whispered in her ear.

  She nodded, unable to speak.

  “Just think what it could be like making love every day, in every room, and in every position you could think of. No more hiding your sexuality, no more denying the needs of your body.”

  Jules arched her back, silently begging him to touch her breasts. His words hit too close to the dreams she once had, dreams she had buried away, never to be thought of again. And yet, here he was, dragging them to the surface and making her think that it could be possible once more.

  She gripped his head and tilted his face as she leaned up to kiss him. He had fired her blood with a mere touch, urging her desire with just a look from his green eyes.

  It was too much for her to resist, especially when she had already tasted the pleasure he could give. A saint wouldn’t be able to deny him, and Jules was far from a saint.

  She kissed him as she’d never kissed before. She filled it with all the longing and passion and desire she’d stored up during the past few years. He answered with a kiss that made her soul cry. His lips were hungry and demanding as he took control of the kiss.

  Jules was powerless over her body when Cristian was near. And he knew it. She could only sigh with pleasure while his hands moved to her sex and parted her curls to fondle her sensitive flesh. He pushed a finger inside of her, making her moan.

  Inch by agonizing inch, he kissed down her neck, parting her shirt as he did. He found her breasts, teasing each nipple with his hot tongue until she writhed on the ground. Then, his mouth once more began the journey down her stomach to her hips. His warm breath fanned her sex, and Jules bit her lip in anticipation. He moved lower tugging down her trousers further before nipping the inside of her thighs with his teeth before softly flicking his tongue over her clit.