one of his flat brown nipples before sucking it into her mouth and nibbling on it. His arms
tightened and one of his hands cradled her head closer to him.
Pleased with her efforts, she could feel his erection pushing against her leg, so she
wrapped her hand around him and began to pump. His hips jerked forward in a reflex
action as her other hand reached beneath him to caress his testicles, which were drawn
tight to his body.
"Are you sure?" His question amazed her. Even at this stage, he was still concerned only
about her.
"Yes, I'm sure." She punctuated her statement by peppering kisses across the broad
expanse of his chest. Leaning back, she met his hungry gaze. "I love you."
"It is time then." Cris sat up in bed, forcing her to release her grip on him. Kneeling up
on the bed, he pulled her to him. "Mount me."
Johanna licked her lips in anticipation at the sight of his hard, thick cock and gingerly
threw one leg over his knees and began to lower herself. Inch by inch, she took him into
her. Her inner muscles squeezed him, and she could feel the fire growing deep within her
again. Gripping his shoulders for support, she seated herself to the hilt, squirming around
for a minute to get comfortable.
"Enough, woman." He grabbed her hips and held them tight as he gave her a ferocious
glare. She responded by reaching behind her and squeezing his balls.
Cris moaned and lowered his mouth to her breasts, feasting on them. His tongue was hot
against her skin and she could feel his teeth scraping across the skin. She felt the
scorching caress between her legs as she got wetter and the need to move grew too great
to ignore.
Rotating her hips, she pleasured them both. Her nipples were hard and aching and her
breasts felt heavy and needy as he continued to play with them. "Now," she pleaded.
As if he had only been waiting for her signal, Cris licked a hot trail from her breasts to
her neck before allowing his teeth to sink into her. As he fed from her, she could feel
each sucking motion between her legs. All his emotions, as well as her own, pummeled
her, and the overwhelming desire engulfed her as she came long and hard. Her body
gripped his cock tight as she came, but he was still rigid inside her when she finally
collapsed against him. She lolled against him, feeling sated, yet still pleasantly aroused.
He continued to drink from her until her vision blurred and all consciousness began to
fade. She knew she should be afraid, but instead she was filled with a feeling of rightness
and completion. If he needed all her blood to survive, she would gladly surrender every
drop to him. That was her last thought as darkness greeted her.
Chapter Eight
Cris felt her heart beat grow slower and slower. It pulsed one final time and then
stopped. Forcing himself away from her neck, he used his tongue to close the small
wound. His fingernails tore at the skin of his chest, slicing the flesh and opening up a
large gash. As the blood flowed, he pushed her mouth towards the life-giving liquid.
Reaching deep into her mind, he willed her to drink from him. If she did not, if some
natural instinct kicked in and prevented her from doing so, then they were both dead.
"Drink my love," he urged her, with words as well as with mental commands. Rubbing
her lips back and forth against his bloody chest, he felt his hope slowly dying as she just
lay limply against him. Fighting for both their lives, he bent all his concentration and
skills towards getting her to drink from him. Long minutes passed as his blood trickled
slowly but steadily down his chest, and still she did not move.
Swallowing hard, he forced himself to face the inevitable--he had pushed her too hard.
She was still so young, and he had wanted her too much. Her death was on his hands. "So
be it." His acceptance echoed throughout the room. She would not face it alone. His life
was linked to hers now and he would join her in death rather than live without her.
At the very moment of his thought, he felt a tentative movement against his chest. Hope
renewed, he begged, pleaded and commanded her to drink. It was slow at first, but within
a moment, she was sucking slowly, but steadily. He raised his eyes to the heavens in
thanks even as he felt a lone tear streak down his face.
She drank steadily until he sensed she'd had enough. Gently, he eased her away from
him. As she stared at him with her lips coated in his blood, he could feel his desire rising
to a feverish pitch within him.
"Close the wound with your tongue," he instructed her. His voice was harsh and barely
recognizable to himself, but his emotions were running high and his need for her was
riding him hard. Both the beast and the man were ready to claim their mate. She was his
now. Forever.
As soon as the wound was closed, he kissed her, licking all traces of his blood from her
lips. Eagerly, her tongue dueled with his and for a moment the sheer joy of her eager
acceptance filled him.
His need for her consumed him. The need to claim her in the way of his people, and
thereby tie her to him forever, was all that mattered now. Lifting her off his throbbing
cock, he laid her facedown on the bed. Raising her slightly so she was on her hands and
knees, he mounted her from behind and pushed himself all the way inside her.
With his hands wrapped tight around her waist, he widened his stance until her legs were
spread wide. He reveled in his dominance of her, needing her to surrender to both him
and her passion. Her hot sheath pulsed around his stiff cock and he ground his hips
against her ass, pleasuring them both.
He sensed her surprise, then her acceptance, and finally her rising passion. More than
anything, he wanted to reassure and comfort her, but instincts older than time were
controlling him now. She was his and he had to claim her. "My woman." His guttural
words rang through the room as he pulled almost all the way out before surging deep
inside her once again.
Her wet heat welcomed him and he felt her move her bottom to meet him as his cock
continued to plunge deep within her. Johanna's acquiescence fueled his passion and he
lost himself in her, thrusting in and out of her welcoming body. Leaning over her, he sank
his teeth in the back of her neck and tasted her blood. Her pussy clamped down hard on
his dick, driving him to the very edge.
He wanted to prolong the sensations, but he could feel himself coming. When it hit, his
orgasm was so overwhelming that it seemed as if he was emptying his very soul into her.
As he poured his seed deep inside her, he felt her muscles clamp tight around him as
another orgasm enveloped her.
Aftershocks of pleasure surged through his body as he extracted his fangs, and closed the
small wound on the back of her neck before collapsing on top of her. He covered her
entire body with his, sheltering her with his bulk. He nibbled at the nape of her neck as he
always did in her dreams. She laughed softly, but didn't move.
They lay there in a tangle of limbs and spent energy for a long time before he found the
strength to withdraw from her. She moaned in protest, but he ignored it and rolled her
into his arms, cuddling her tight. Hence forth, she was his for all eternity.<
br />
"What comes next?" The sound of her sleepy voice surprised him.
"What do you mean?" He pushed a stray lock of hair off her face so he could see her
better, hearing the slight tremor in her voice.
"Am I like you now? A vampire?" She paused for a moment before continuing, more
thoughtful now. "I don't feel any different. Am I changed?"
"No, it's not finished yet." Smoothing her hair back, he kissed her lips lightly. "We will
sleep at dawn and when you awake tomorrow evening it will be done. There will be some
discomfort as your body adjusts itself, but I will be with you."
"What do you mean, discomfort?" She tugged on his chest hair. "And why didn't you
mention that little detail before?"
He laughed at her spirit. "It is little when you weigh it against eternity."
Her gaze softened and she smiled at him. "I'm woman enough to handle a little pain if it
means we can be together. What we share is worth any price."
Cris smiled as he cupped her precious face. "We will be together and I have much to
teach you."
He laughed suddenly. "You have two brothers now, you know. They are good men, but
are very overbearing and will drive you absolutely crazy trying to keep you safe and
protected at all times."
"Really!" she laughed. "I can't wait to meet them." He could hear the excitement in her
voice and it was contagious. "How soon do you think I'll get the chance?"
"You already did." He gave a soft laugh at her look of surprise. "I'm not the only
member of my family who can shapeshift. Those two wolves were not happy you were
leaving me."
Johanna reared back in surprise. "Those wolves were your brothers? But they attacked
me."
"No, my love. They merely wanted to keep you from leaving me. Never would they have
harmed you." Her scowl of displeasure made the corners of his mouth tilt up as he
anticipated the tongue-lashing she would give his brothers. "I'm sure they will give us a
few days before they come to visit, but I would not count on more than two or three at
most. I'm sure they are most eager to meet you."
Absently, he tugged her back into his arms. "First thing tomorrow evening, you must call
your company and quit your job."
"I hadn't quite thought that far ahead yet." Her voice was quiet as she drew circles on his
chest with her index finger. "There'll be a lot of changes in the days ahead."
"Do not worry," he reassured her. "You have the entire Dalakis fortune at your disposal,
and your talent for business will not go unused."
"You'd trust me to handle your fortune?" Johanna sounded totally bewildered as she
raised her head to look at him.
The surprise in her voice amazed him. "Of course. You are the Dalakis bride. I am the
oldest brother and you are now the matriarch of the family, such as it is."
"What a challenge..." Johanna trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. Cris could
almost see the wheels turning in that nimble brain of hers. "We'll have to travel back to
Chicago so I can close up my apartment and arrange for my things to be shipped."
"That is no problem. I have a private plane that will take us whenever you are ready."
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" she laughed.
She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "As the head of this family, the first
thing we need to do is try and find brides for your brothers. If this family is to grow and
prosper, we need children." Her eyes widened suddenly. "How come I never got
pregnant? We've been having unprotected sex for twelve years! Do we even have
children in the conventional way?"
Cris shook as laughter welled up inside him. Unable to contain it, he laughed until tears
came to his eyes. "They will love you and be terrified of you all at once."
"Yes, well..." she trailed off looking slightly disgruntled at his laugher and embarrassed
by her own exuberance.
"You are amazing." Unable to resist her delicious flavor, he nipped at her neck for a
taste. "Do not worry. Everything will come in time." As the first drop of blood hit his
tongue, he was instantly aroused again.
Johanna twined her arms around his neck and arched her hips towards him. Cris healed
the small puncture mark with his tongue before kissing a path up to her mouth. "There
are many hours yet until we must seek our rest at dawn," he murmured against her lips.
"And I bet you know just how to spend them." Her hand glided down his chest until it
captured his growing cock.
Loving the feel of her around him, he thrust his hips closer. "I can see we will agree on
all things."
She laughed. "Definitely not on all things. But certainly on the things that really matter."
All need for talk was forgotten as they came together once again to celebrate the start of
their new life together.
Chapter Nine
Two nights later, Johanna strolled into the formal dining room. It was a monstrous room,
with a large stone fireplace that currently housed a roaring blaze. A twenty-foot trestle
table made of oak sat in the center of the room and was surrounded by heavily carved
chairs. Cris was seated in the most ornate of the chairs at the head of the table.
Johanna was finally feeling like herself again. Well, an improved version of herself. It
amazed her how much keener all her senses were now. At first, it had been totally
disorienting to try and sort through all the noise, but Cris had taught her how to control
her superior hearing. Everything was heightened, including touch. Sex was incredible
since the change. Not that she'd gotten much yesterday.
She shuddered when she remembered last night. Her entire body had been burning when
she'd awoken at dusk. Rolling to her side, she'd curled herself in a ball, grasping her
stomach tight. It felt as if someone had set her entire body on fire. Every organ and
muscle was rocked with spasms of pain. Talking had been beyond her and it had taken
every ounce of her strength just to breathe.
Cris awoke immediately and wrapped his arms around her. The pressure had been too
much for her poor stomach. "Sick." She forced the word from between her lips, but Cris
was already in motion.
Plucking her off the bed, he hurried into the small bathroom with her and knelt in front
of the toilet. "Your body needs to purge itself of human waste." Holding her gently, he
positioned her head over the porcelain bowl.
Johanna was appalled at the thought of heaving up her stomach in front of him, but in the
end her stomach had its way. Unable to stop herself, Johanna was violently sick for three
hours straight. Every time she threw up, Cris swore. It was so ridiculous that she would
have laughed if she'd had the strength.
When it was finally finished, her hair was plastered to her head with sweat and her entire
body felt sticky and dirty. At her insistence, Cris had filled the hipbath with hot water and
helped her into it. She'd found it unbearably sweet, the way he'd sat next to the tub
holding her hand, while she'd allowed the hot water to clean the sickness from her body.
She felt incredibly shaky and tearful when he'd lifted her from the bath and dried her
with a thick, heated towel. He'd even held her in his arms while she rinsed her mouth and
cleaned her teeth. After that
, he'd carried her back to bed and tucked her under the
covers.
The poor man looked worse than she did and fell into bed beside her. Pulling her into his
arms, he curled his body around hers and explained many of the changes in her body to
her. He anticipated many of her questions, answering them before she could ask them.
Eventually, she'd been unable to stay awake any longer, and they'd both slept. It was just
before dawn that they`d awakened long enough to make love before falling asleep for the
day.
When she'd awakened tonight, she'd been alone in the massive bed, but she hadn't been
worried. By opening her mind and scanning the castle, she knew that Cris was in the
dining room sitting at the table, waiting for her.
Rising from the bed, she stretched, feeling better than she had in her entire life. Draped
over the end of the bed was a beautiful long dress made of plush green velvet. She looked
around, but there was no sign of her underwear and all her other clothing had been ruined
and discarded. Unable to resist the luxurious dress, she'd stepped into the dress, pulling it
over her hips. The sleeves were long and the bodice laced up in the front. It fit her
perfectly.
Totally naked under her dress, she somehow felt more exposed than if she was truly
naked. The fabric swished against her legs and the tight bodice rubbed against her
breasts, causing her nipples to pucker into hungry buds. Johanna licked her lips in
Dalakis Passion 1 Harker's Journey Page 7
