by Lori King
He licked his lips, then sucked in air as she stood on her toes and initiated a kiss. For all of a second he allowed her to lead, then he palmed the back of her head and took control. His tongue traced the top of her mouth, then tangled with hers. Minutes, or hours could have passed, then he let her move back.
“Holy fuck,” Creed whispered.
“No humping in the hall. It’s a rule.”
Dazed blue eyes rimmed with red blinked at him. “You are totally lethal.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he assured her.
4
Raina wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but kissing Creed was even better than she’d imagined. In all her dreams of the future, she’d pictured her mate, but never had he been the actual son of the Devil. Sure, she’d imagined a bad boy, but Creed was the ultimate one.
The room they entered was purple and gold with splashes of red in accents. Raina smiled at the whimsical room. A huge bed dominated the space with a dresser and full-length mirror on one wall, while a small sitting area sat off to the side. If she had to describe what the inside of a genie’s lantern would look like, the space she stood in would be exactly what she’d expect.
“I’m glad you approve. There is a full ensuite through that door.” Jenna pointed toward an arched doorway. “If you need anything just pick up the phone next to the bed; it’ll ring Kandi or Dane.”
Creed turned and murmured something she didn’t catch, then shut the door.
“This is amazing. I mean seriously. It’s like a fairytale.” Raina spun in a circle, her arms spread wide.
He crossed the space separating them after closing the door, power flowing around her letting her know he’d ensured their safety. In two long strides, he was next to her, crowding her. “You want to shower, or would you like me to take care of your needs?”
His hands cupped her face as his words registered. “I can take care of myself.”
“Yes, I am aware,” he said, then those full, sensual lips of his moved down, and Raina forgot what he’d asked.
She wanted to sink into him and not think about anything or anyone but the two of them. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t the pampered princess, youngest child of the Vampire King. She was a woman who was wanted by a man for herself. Giving herself over, she allowed the feel of having his lips on hers be the only thing to register.
The kiss turned into more the minute his tongue traced her lips. His warm body and strong arms controlled every nuance. Now as his tongue licked along hers, a thrill went through her, unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The masterful way he controlled her with one hand on the nape of her neck sent an added layer of need through her.
“Oh, Goddess. What are you doing to me?” Her entire body lit up like she had electricity going through her from a conduit.
His hands on her hips roamed up and down, holding her tightly to him. “Needing you. Letting you feel what you do to me.”
She pressed against him, and longed to have more intimacy, but wanted to know more about him. “Can you hold me? Talk to me?”
When his mouth came down on hers, she was prepared for more of his heated kisses. However, the sweet ones were just as devastating. “Don’t ever doubt I can’t give you what you need, Mon Eros. You ask, and I will move mountains for you.”
There was no doubt in her mind that he meant every word he said. “I’d do the same for you.”
His hunger was evident in the hard erection pressing against her stomach, and the fast beat of his heart. Although he stroked his huge hands over her from hips, to breasts, to ass, and made sure she felt him rubbing against her front, he didn’t seem to mind her calling a halt.
“Thank you for saving me, Creed.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He kissed her jaw, then licked her lobe. “If you were reading my mind, you’d see exactly the things I’m imagining doing to you.”
Standing on her tiptoes, she nipped his chin. “Open your mind and let me see. I bet you’d be shocked if you read mine as well, dirty boy.” A shiver worked through her as she realized she’d never been so outrageous in her entire life, let alone with a virtual stranger.
“I’m not a stranger,” he whispered.
His low growl made her start as she realized he’d read her mind. “You can hear me?”
“Yes, and you can hear me, too. You can also see inside me.” The sexy tone in her head sounded the same as when he talked outside.
She worried her lower lip, then he spun her to face the bed. “Climb into bed.”
Her clothes disappeared, leaving her in a comfortable sleepshirt that looked more like a man’s button-down. “Thank you.”
His warm breath feathered over her neck. “I’ll look forward to having you naked. Until then, I enjoy having something of mine on your body, that way when I strip you, and kiss every delectable inch of you from your lips to your toes and back, you’ll remember me.”
“I’ll always remember every moment with you.” A yawn caught her by surprise.
“Let’s sleep, and then we will get to know one another better tomorrow.” He lifted her onto the bed. “Make no mistake, though, we will be bonded for life.”
With him leaning over her, she should feel small, yet she didn’t. “I want that, too. In all my life I’ve planned what I’d do when I found my Heart’s Love. Trust me when I say you are exactly as I imagined him to be.”
The bed dipped from his weight climbing over her. “When I have you stripped bare for me, I’ll touch every bit of your soft flesh with my fingers, then I’ll trace the same path with my lips. I’m going to play with your body until you are begging me to take you, then I’ll join our bodies. My heart is already reaching for yours.”
The low words made her brain fog with lust. She could smell her own arousal and wondered if he could as well.
He slipped off her. “Fuck, you smell delicious.” A masculine groan filled the air.
Almost forgetting her plan to wait, she rolled to the side propping herself on her hand. “You’re too gorgeous for words, Creed. Tomorrow is another day.” Her hand traced his ripped abs.
“Don’t be shocked if you wake to me humping the air,” he joked.
Laughing she fell forward, resting her head on his chest. “I am pretty sure you will not need to resort to such measures. I should warn you about something,” she paused unsure how he’d react to what she said next. “I sometimes dream walk. It’s not intentional, and only when I’m extremely tired.”
A stiffness invaded his limbs. He gripped her by the back of the hair, forcing her head up to meet his eyes. “Have you ever done so with someone you didn’t know? Ever dreamed that you saw something you shouldn’t?”
Raina thought about his questions before answering. “Not to my knowledge, no.”
He relaxed, then petted her head while his breathing evened out. “My father may have sensed you that way, though. Dream walkers are coveted in Hell, because if they can be twisted, they can do a lot of damage to a person’s psyche if they are properly trained, and believe me, Satan trains his pets well.”
His body was warm beneath hers, which was an unusual thing for her, since she’d never slept with another man before in all her years. The even strum of his heart and blood flowing through his veins lulled her into a light doze. She didn’t know what to think of the past twenty-four hours, and if what Creed said was true, then she had a lot to think and worry about. His father was Satan, for Goddess’ sake. A huge part of her worried how they’d get past that obstacle; the other part, the most feminine part, wanted to claim him in the way of her kind. He called her his Chosen, but what did that mean to him? For her people, they bonded for life. No divorce, no other. Ever.
Taking a few measured breaths, she let sleep come to her. Even when she slept, she was able to control where she went. In the dream world, nothing was foreign to her.
Only the world she found herself in was far different than any she’d seen before. She turned in a
slow circle, taking in the strange place. The sky above looked like nothing she’d ever seen before. The fact there was no sun or moon worried her. Even the Fey world had a gorgeous sky. Here the view above was an eerie red and black with varying shades of orange.
She wrapped her arms around her middle as a warm heat whipped around her, her mind spinning. Off in the distance, a huge structure that looked straight out of Grimm’s Fairy Tales stood with flying creatures circling the towers. Acting on instinct, she took a step back, stopping when her foot sunk into something soft. “Holy shit,” she swore as she stared at what looked like a lake of lava spread out as far as the eye could see behind her. Mountains of black hills were beyond that. Pushing the fear back, Raina reached for the control she’d always had in the dream world. The man’s shirt was replaced with black leather leggings and a black leather top that fit her like a glove, covering her completely from neck to ankles. She hummed, her body moving forward on autopilot. A look down at her hands showed they were trembling slightly, and her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest. For the first time, she was truly scared. Which pissed her off more than she liked to admit.
Her mind reached for Creed. He had to be near. This world must be where he was from. Images of their flight from the chamber he’d rushed them from looked nothing like this, but the farther she walked, the more she understood this was his home.
“What are we doing here?”
The deep growl had her spinning. “I followed you.” She answered. Wariness filled his gaze, slowly being replaced with something undefinable.
He came closer. “This is my father’s, or should I say Satan’s, home. He will know we are here.”
She opened her mouth to disagree, the very fact she could control dreams usually meant nobody else could interrupt them. “Why would he need a dream walker?”
“You can enter others’ dreams, right?” At her nod, he continued. “He must want you for something specific. Or he wants to see if he can breed a dream walker with you. If he can get a child mixed with his blood and a dream walker, the combination could be…deadly.”
“I’d never do anything for him willingly.” She ran her hands up his hard pecs, feeling them flex under her palms.
He deliberately let his gaze drop to her mouth. “Ah, sweet Raina. My father is far from the cajoling type. He would use anyone or anything to make you do what he wanted. Imagine him having control of someone you love above all others. If he was to threaten their very existence, would you do anything to protect them? Even go into someone’s dream and manipulate it?”
She opened her mouth to deny his words, then snapped it shut as he put his hand up.
“I know you, Raina. And sadly, my father knows you, too. He makes it his business to find out these things.” He looked off toward the towering structure in the distance.
Her mind opened to his completely. In the waking world, she’d feared allowing him complete access to her being, yet now, with his soul laid bare, she wanted to give him the same. Years of torment at his father’s hands assaulted her. She wanted to cry at the image of the little boy he’d been, wanting to be loved by the one man who should have loved him unconditionally, only to be kicked away like a dog. The years flashed by, and she could see how he’d become a fighter for those who were wrongfully accused on Earth. Her heart swelled with love for Creed. Her wolf snarled at the many women who came and went in his life. It hadn’t occurred to her he’d have so many, although she should have realized since he was thousands of years old. Her wolf growled while the vampire half of her had her fangs dropping.
The red and black world disappeared, replaced by the purple room they’d been given. She blinked down at Creed. His eyes opened, love shining up at her.
“Can I just say that all those women were just practice for when I met you?” His words came out gruffly.
Little bit by little bit, the anger faded. The past was in the past. The future was yet to be decided. The present was a gift she was definitely going to open with both hands.
“I think we should leave all that locked into a box at the back of both our minds.” She knew her cheeks were probably a deep shade of pink, and was glad for the fact they were in the dark.
He pushed up and rolled them over. “I would do anything to erase all the others from my mind, and my history. Anything to never see you hurt, Mon Eros.” She opened her mouth, but he placed his finger over it. “I’m not done yet. You don’t understand the loneliness I have felt for thousands of years. When I felt a tug on my heart, it was as if my soul was being pulled out of my body. I had to go to that chamber. Seeing you there, I would have gladly killed any being who hurt you. So, yes, I have done things in my past I’m not proud of, but if you give me half a chance, I swear to be the best man you could ever want. Hell, I’ll even be nice to your father and brothers.”
She stared at him for a moment, then leaned up and kissed him, hard, then deliberately pulled back. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Make love to me, Creed.”
* * *
Creed couldn’t believe his ears. He’d never been at a loss for words, yet hearing her ask him to love her, to make love to her, he found he was beyond stunned. All he thought about for years was to one day find the one woman who would love him unconditionally. Never did he actually think she’d exist, especially one as gorgeous and good as Raina. Her soul called to him, like they’d been connected long before she’d been created. The Fates had a profound way of making things work, and in this one, he owed them. His entire life up till this moment had been nothing.
He realized he was nervous as he stared at her. Her arousal called to him the longer he lay looking down at her. “I love you, Raina.”
“And I you, Creed. I’m not an experienced woman like you’re used to.” He silenced her with a scorching kiss, one he felt all the way to his marrow.
She moaned, licking at his tongue. He tilted his head, his own mouth and tongue wanting to dominate even though he knew her wolf wanted control, when he nicked his tongue on something sharp. The metallic scent of his blood made him hiss. He looked down to see her blue eyes turn red. The vampire half of her sucked on his injury, seeming to enjoy his taste.
He pulled back, not giving her too much of his essence out of worry for what his lifesblood would do to her. “Easy, Eros. We don’t know what my blood will do to you.”
She pouted up at him. “Both my sides want to bond with you. In order to do that, I’ll need to bite you.”
He knelt above her, his body rock hard at wanting just that. To feel her fangs sinking deep within him. He knew his own eyes had probably turned red. A glance at his forearms resting next to her head, he could see they were red as well. Yeah, he waited to see how she’d react to the demon half of him.
“How big do you get in your other form?” She ran her hand up his bicep.
A shiver wracked him at the lack of disgust in her voice. “Depends if I’m in a battle, or just angry. Most times, if I just shift, I am about seven and a half. However, I think closer to eight if in battle. Of course, I haven’t actually measured.”
She licked her bottom lip. “Are we done talking now?”
“You still want to be with me?” he asked gruffly.
“More than anything. I’ll try to keep my fangs to myself,” she said with an impish grin.
He laughed. “One day you can sink them into me, anywhere, anytime.”
Her deep inhale made her breasts brush against his chest.
Time for talking was past.
“You smell so good, Creed. Even when I first saw you, I wanted to lick you.” Raina’s arms came up and pulled his head down. She nuzzled his neck, growling as she did, making his spine tingle.
“Fuck, that is sexy as hell. I scented you as well. I would have ripped the arms off of anyone who dared touch you. Now, how about this shirt disappearing?” He sat back on his heels, thinking of using his powers, then discarding the notion. One by one, he popped the buttons open.
Her creamy flesh appeared even smoother next to his, making him aware of their differences. With effort, he pushed his demon side back. The need to be careful so as not to hurt her beat at him.
“You can’t hurt me.” She echoed his thoughts.
“Are you reading me?” He asked, opening the last button on the shirt.
There was a moment of hesitation before she answered. “I think we are still connected. Can’t you see what I think and feel?”
He stopped and looked inside her mind. Wonder filled him as he realized she’d been open all this time, while he’d been more concerned with what she’d think of his long life and past. His brief pause clearly caused her to worry what he read in her memories, and he rushed to reassure. “Mon Eros, I want you now like none other. I don’t know if I’m worthy. No, scratch that. I know I’m not, but I’m not noble enough to let you go. If you want out, say so now, and you’ll have a fighting chance to be free.” He released the ends of his shirt, holding his hands out to the side. “Make the decision quickly, though, because once I make love to you, I will never let you go. Bond or not. You are mine. Do you understand?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Creed, do you understand that there is only one Heart’s Love for my people?”
He raised his brows and waited.
“What that means is, you are it for me, silly man.” She pressed her tiny hand over his heart, making it skip a beat, then speed up. “There is no turning back, unless you don’t want me. In here, what do you feel? Do you not feel the same? Don’t ask me to go, please.” Tears shimmered in her eyes.
It was his turn to growl. “Never. I’m never letting you go. I clearly didn’t do a good job of letting you know how much you mean to me with words. How about I show you instead?”
“Normally, I’d say words are better, but by all means.” She nodded.
With a chuckle, he laced their fingers together and moved back over her body. “You are too precious for words.”
