Locking her against him with a quick tightening of his arms, Cole kissed the corner of her lips and slid on up to nibble at the lobe of her ear, “Because I want to see how well you handle being a starving man…without a fork.” Laughter rumbled in his chest. He nipped pleasurably at her throat and pulled himself free of her hold, stepping back a pace.
Her expression was incredulous and she pinned him with narrowing eyes, “You are not leaving?” Ella was closing the distance between them and reaching forward even as she asked. Cole nodded in an exaggerated manner in time with each step she took forward. He continued to retreat, he had to. Ella was a hot beauty, stalking him in barely-there silk that put far too much on display and those heels. At this precise moment, he hated those shoes.
Cole actually felt bad but his little witch needed the opportunity to miss him. It was critical that she realize she would prefer to be with him than apart. This time when he held her at arm’s length, he had no intention of letting her get any nearer, otherwise she would have him crazed with lust and derail his intentions.
The look he gave her was tender and filled with regret when he finally answered, “Text me your schedule Ella so I will know when I can see you next. I have matters to attend to tonight in the Realm.” Guilt ripped through him over the lie, there were no pending matters in the Realm or otherwise, but that was nothing compared to the feeling that the answering sadness in her eyes roused in him.
Ella was dumbfounded. She was not ready for him to end their night because she was not ready to be away from him. That was a shocking bit of truth, along with the realization that her reluctance to see Cole go had very little to do with her current level of arousal. It brought her up short, her eyes widening as they swept over his face. She was going to miss him.
Noting the change in her demeanor, Cole could not resist. He stepped forward and pulled her into a light embrace, murmuring before he dusted his lips across hers, “I do not like leaving you Ella.” Ella swore she saw a glimmer of something in his eyes too that had nothing to do with the fiery passion that was between them. Cole released her and shadowed away without another word, leaving her to ponder over it the remainder of the night.
CHAPTER 10
Cole’s absence was making her anxious. It certainly had gone on longer than she had anticipated. Perhaps he had gotten his arrogant head lopped off during his Realm business. Instead of being pleased with the imagined downfall of a Dark, Ella was hoping desperately that was not the cause for his failure to darken her doorstep.
Their trip to Napa had been on Monday evening and out of bad temper over his quick departure that night, she had waited until noon the next day to provide him with her schedule. Ella had expected him to return on Tuesday since she did not have to work that evening and had been displeased and restless all evening when he had not.
Luckily for her, work had kept her occupied until late on Wednesday night. She had still held hope that she might look up from one of her tables and find a pair of fangs grinning wickedly at her. She was disgusted with herself at her raging disappointment over his failure to show. At one point Ella had been certain Cole was about to make an appearance, she had experienced a tingle of her magic mid-way through the night. Cole never appeared though and she had been mightily irked at her magic for raising her hopes.
The only reason that the night was not a total loss was the unexpected and overly large tip a group of college kids had left her shortly thereafter. Based on their appearances and frat-boy antics, she had expected only a few dollars and a couple of phone numbers jotted on bottle labels. Ella had been shocked to find an amount left for her that ensured she would not need to pick up the extra shift Friday as consequence to calling off on Monday.
It was now Thursday and at present, Ella was hot, sweaty and decidedly irritated. The sun had set over two hours prior. An hour into dusk when there had been no noise at her door, she grew so mad at Cole for not visiting and at herself for being such a desperate tart, she threw on some clothes and went for a mind-numbing run. She had paused once, forty-five minutes out, to use her cell to make a delivery order for pizza. Returning now, she should have a few minutes to chug some water before it arrived.
The run had calmed her and she had determined that she would spend the evening with a movie marathon and finishing the bottle of wine that had been left after dinner with the vamp a few nights ago. Ella took a deep breath as she slid her key into the lock, mentally confirming the resolution she had made on the way back…she would not think of Cole once more tonight.
She registered steps on the stairs to her left at the same time a grating sing-song voice chanted out, “Delivery.” Before she could glance up or respond, a pizza box had been set next to her feet and a warm press of solid muscle behind her had her locked against the front door. The voice had turned from sing-song to husky and hot at her ear, “If you got extra garlic Princess, you really should know that does not ward off my kind.”
As quickly as she had been pressed against the door, she was spun and her back now had that spot…damn vamps and their preternatural speed. The eyes she found on hers were blackened and he was giving her no more room. His body was tight against hers when his face dropped closer. He had shocked her and her breathing had ratcheted up a notch, but it was nothing compared to the pace her heart set with recognition of her assailant. Mindful of her reactive joy to seeing him, it made her respond with an even more irritable tone when she demanded, “Where have you been?”
The tip of his tongue took a swipe at the bow of her upper lip. Cole appreciated that it took only that little touch to turn her gaze from decidedly grumpy to hazed with lust. His voice was deceptively soft when he answered her question with one of his own, “What the hell are you doing running in this neighborhood at all, let alone in the dark, Ella?”
She wasn’t ready to let go of her irritation over his absence and she certainly was not going to start answering to him for her behavior, “I am a Fire Witch and not defenseless. I can take care of myself.”
Cole responded with a menacing growl and hissed in her ear, “There are no Healers here, Witch. A well-aimed bullet can fell you as easily as an enemy in the Realm putting a sword through your throat. You have vulnerabilities and you need to be mindful of it.”
When Ella only stared at him in defiance, he warned, “If you do it again Ella, I will lock you in one of my dungeons and forget where I have placed the key for a few decades. Do you understand?”
Her vamp had dungeons. That was an interesting and previously undisclosed bit of information and she could not help but wonder if he was serious. She most certainly didn’t want to find out the answer by getting tossed into some dank hole. Ella remained silent.
He thought she looked like a sulky two-year old. Cole let out a sigh that turned into a muffled curse and his voice had the same gritty edge but for an entirely different reason, “I have missed you beyond all reason Ella.” She did not have a chance to answer that, because his mouth claimed hers in a tender but urgent kiss, demanding that she show him that she had felt the same. That was not a problem; her heart had done a happy dance over his claim. Her mouth opened for him at the first brush of his tongue to her lips.
Ella had no idea how long he had kept her mindlessly occupied when he finally lifted his head, but she was clinging to him. She was thankful then that no neighbors had trekked through, or perhaps they had and she had been that lost in him. Her body was heated and her irritation was dispelled, at least until she glanced down and saw his very expensive shoe settled right on top of her pizza box.
His gaze followed hers and Cole looked unapologetic when he shrugged over her ruined dinner, “We’ll get more.”
Shoving him back, she eyed the crushed box for a moment before screwing up her face at him, “How did you get my pizza?”
The unapologetic face remained when he answered matter-of-factly, “I ate the delivery boy.”
She gasped, her eyes widening as she searched his face for any sign of remorse and found
none, “Please say you did not do that.”
Laughing, he snagged the keys from her hand and scooped up the box before opening the door and motioning her ahead of him, “That human bringing your pizza lacked the brains to belt his pants to keep them from drooping to his knees. A mortal without the sense to dress himself could have nothing but vile swill floating in his veins. Give me some credit Ella, you know I prefer gourmet fare.” With that Cole eyed her neck meaningfully and waggled his brows at her.
She had not hesitated when giving him access to her space and he went on past her into the kitchen to toss the box on the counter before returning to her in the middle of her sitting area. Her arms were crossed over her chest while she looked him over. Ella was anything but sexy in her ragged shorts and overly large shirt boasting some ludicrous cartoon creature on the front, but he still wanted her desperately.
This was the second time Cole had happened upon her in a state of total dishevelment. Ella did not appreciate it. He looked deceptively casual in nicely fitted jeans and a sweater that she was certain was much more expensive that its faded-black appearance suggested. The man never looked unkempt. Just to be perverse she closed the two steps between them and reached up to rumple his perfect hair.
Stepping back as though she hadn’t done anything so ridiculous, and ignoring his questioning gaze, she nodded with pleasure over his now mussed look. Smiling brightly, she continued with the line of her earlier thoughts, trying to seem more casual than she felt, “Where have you been? I was beginning to believe you had crossed the wrong Fire Witch and she had made toast of you.” That statement brought another thought to her mind that she had not yet considered. Maybe Cole had a preference for witches and maybe he had a bevy of them at his beckoning call.
His mind was rapid-fire with possible responses…Watching you…Protecting you…Trying to decide what the hell to do with you. It had taken every bit of his resolve the night before when he left that wad of bills on her table at work to shadow away without stopping to kiss her. Luckily his mouth had a filter. Cole shook himself and gave her an answer she could handle, “Ella, I have responsibilities in the Realm.” Cole could see the trouble in her gaze and it bothered him. Stepping in to her, he cupped her chin and brushed his lips against hers, “Princess, that is the Realm. Do you really want to know what I do there?” Cole could not believe he had willingly tossed in the last bit. His prolonged time away from the witch had made him crazed and obviously his judgment was compromised because of it. There was a part of him that wanted to disclose all the details so that he could make claim to her with no reservations, but the side of him that hated everything the Light stood for was not that foolish.
Ella sighed and then she surrendered to the reality of what she had been pointedly ignoring during the past three days. She really wanted more of this…of him. She was honest with herself, just like she was with everyone else, and now she would be with him. Ella let him in on her insecurities, “Do you like charming witches Cole? Is it a game for you? The Light ones, the Dark ones…is there something in your nature that makes my kind especially appealing?”
Cole smirked, “Ella, there is little about the Witch breed that could make most of them appealing to any sane man.” When she did not respond to his teasing, he slipped an arm around her hips and pulled her closer. The sincerity behind his words was obvious in his tender smile, “Ella, I think one pain-in-the-ass Fire Witch is enough for me.” Before she could answer, he added, to make certain there was no more room for doubt in that analytical brain of hers, “There are no females, mortal or immortal, waiting for me in the Realm or otherwise.” He gave her another kiss and murmured with his brow resting against hers, eyes closed, “Well, one…but she has never really admitted that she was waiting for me.”
Ella’s eyes fluttered open and she was swimming in the warm depth of his topaz gaze. She didn’t break the stare when she gave her answer, “I missed you Cole…I like knowing you’ll be here and I do not like waiting.”
Cole winked at her and stepped back, “Good.” He pulled a handful of cash out of his pocket and pressed it into her palm, “Order more pizza and shower, in that order please, Ella.” Laughing, he side-stepped the swing of her fist to yank on her ponytail, “I will get more wine.”
After he shadowed out of her apartment, Ella hurried to do just that. She managed to dress and dry her hair before he returned. His thoughts must have been similar to hers because he returned with wine and a pile of DVDs. Ella accepted his wine offering with enthusiasm and had a little less for his choice in movies. She cleared away their dishes after they had finished their food and their long debate over his poor taste in entertainment while Cole topped off their glasses.
Finishing, she pointedly bypassed the stacked assortment of movies and her goblet, interlacing her fingers with his and tugging him in the direction opposite her loveseat.
Cole’s eyes flickered dark at the realization of her intent just seconds before she whispered, “I want you to kiss me, Cole…for hours. Did I mention that I missed you?” She had stopped at the doorway to her room to press herself up against him.
Inhaling her scent, he nuzzled his face into that glorious mass of red. His hands followed and he grabbed the silky curls in his fists, gritting out, “You should not toy with a Vampire, Princess. It’s dangerous.” Cole was only half-joking. The level of possessive instinct she raised in him would probably terrify her if she became aware of the things he wanted to do to her. The kiss he gave her then was hard and hot, full of that possession while he guided her backwards through the doorway.
Breaking away, he stepped back and freed a hand from the strands of her hair to grip the hem of her t-shirt. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were molten black, “Lift your arms Ella.” There was no chance she wasn’t going to obey, and the shirt was gone the next second. He groaned and it was with trembling hands that he found the top of her yoga pants. He could not tear his eyes from the transparent material of sky blue that was holding the fullness of her breasts in irresistible presentation. His hands were not gentle when they slid under the material of her pants and pushed them down until she was shaking her feet free. Cole stepped back only long enough to take a quick mental snapshot of the vision she was in those gossamer-thin undergarments. Every part of him was aching to take the hot witch.
He pushed her back onto the bed, not bothering to be easy, and immediately covered her length with his own. Ella gasped at the intimate contact. Cole wedged his hips and legs between hers and she could feel the heat of his hard body pressing against her. She responded by moving up against him, in a slow, sensual glide, a purposeful move to drive him mad.
It prompted the return of his hot kissing. He captured her wrists in his hand and pulled them high over her head. Easing off her slightly, Cole dragged his fingertips over her in lazy exploration. He lingered over the taut pebbles beneath that transparent material over her breasts until she was breathless and writhing. Ella stilled when his hand roamed down to pluck at the tiny strings of blue that fit over each hipbone.
Toying with her then, he slid his fingertip over the area just above her core. Cole watched the disappointment spread across her face when he pulled his hand away. He waited patiently for her to look to him before he hushed, “I want all of you Ella. In my world, do you know what that means?”
She was barely able to whisper the ‘no’ in response. Ella’s mind was wrapped up in the need that was consuming her rather than his words. She could not help but moan her delight when he eased back over her, situating his hips firmly against her heat.
Ella resumed pressing up against him and he dropped his lips to her neck, “It means that I want you to be mine Ella. Only. Mine.” He did not give her any warning, but drove his fangs deep and hard, rousing a surprised cry edged in pain. Cole knew it was far removed from the pleasure-inducing bites he had delivered in the past because of the force he had used. His little Ella had quickly recovered from it though, if her arms wrapping tightly around hi
s torso was any indication. He drank only a few long pulls before withdrawing.
Ella could not stop her groan of disappointment, echoing low and soft, when the heat of his mouth pulled free. The entire sensation of him breaking her skin and then the heated caress of his mouth as he took her blood was almost enough by itself to push her to a hard climax. It was worse when he withdrew before she managed to get there. She doubted that the intent had been to bring pain when he had bit her this time, but rather his inability to control his need any longer. He had explained to her that night in Napa more about the Vampire breed and their instincts, the need to claim, to dominate, to mate.
He cupped her chin in his hand and leaned in close. Cole could tell by the sensual writhing beneath him that she was desperate for more. His voice was harsh with his own passion when his eyes locked with hers, “It means, Ella, that one day I am going to bite you just like that and leave my mark on you permanently.” Releasing his hold on her wrists, he could not deny the urge to run his fingertips over the proof of his bite on her throat. A contentedness settled into him and his plan gained clarity in that moment.
She would not be able to resist her need to be with him and his instinctive drive would be satisfied by marking her. When that happened, there would never be any possibility that Ella could be used for the Light because she would belong to him. His mouth found hers; his pleasure with this newly determined outcome was palpable in the kiss. She met the level of his passion quickly and Nicholas resumed the slow rhythm of his hips against her heat. Eventually he let her take over the pace, her hips driving hard to him, her breath coming in short gasps. He thought she was nearing her climax, but he licked at the edge of her ear while he questioned, “I want to feel you coming apart in my arms. Can you do that for me, Ella?” He guessed that the increased pace of her hips to his and her breathy whine was his answer.
Cole kept his lips at her ear while he murmured encouragingly hot praises to her. He gave her the added pressure of his hips rolling down into hers each time she would press up and just when she had buried her face into the curve of his neck with a gasp, he bit lightly at her earlobe and slide a hand down to pinch the taut pink bud of her breast. It was just enough. The rush of her breathy cry washed over his skin and her entire body stretched taut beneath him. He kissed her brow and her cheeks, tenderly loving on her while waiting for her to return from her bliss. When her breathing was nearly normal and her trembling had subsided, she gave him sweet kisses at the hollow of his throat and then up along his jawline.
Forsaken (Ancients of Light #1) Page 9
