I rolled my eyes as I finished braiding my hair and we fell into silence.
Chickoa entered the room, moving straight towards the refrigerator as her eyes trailed over Fabian irritably.
“Sorry for all the mess we’re making,” I said, wondering if she’d discovered the pool table yet.
“It’s alright,” she replied dismissively. “My guests can afford to pay for the damages. And in all honesty it’s nice to have guests again. I’ve been pretty lonely since someone rounded up the last of my human friends and locked them away.” She lifted a bottle of blood to her lips and Fabian inhaled sharply beside me.
I glanced at him and found him eyeing my neck hungrily before he quickly turned away again.
“The alcohol lowers our inhibitions,” he muttered apologetically. “But I won’t bite you again... unless you offer.”
“Which I won’t,” I replied firmly.
Chickoa tossed him a bottle of blood and he fumbled as he caught it, nearly dropping it to the floor. I bit my lip against the laugh which tried to find its way out of my throat; seeing the vampires stripped of their grace was ridiculously amusing.
“Best you sate your thirst now,” Chickoa growled. “Before you decide to ignore her wishes and bite her anyway.”
Fabian stayed silent as she swept from the room and I pursed my lips awkwardly.
“Have you tried talking to her about what happened?” I asked as I could how miserable her continued hatred was making him.
“I’m not convinced there’s anything I can say. She’s held this grudge for a thousand years. There was a time I hoped that eventually she would see what I’d given her as the gift I’d intended it to be but a hundred years passed, two hundred... she never forgave me. And I don’t see how she ever will.”
“And yet you were still thinking about doing the same thing to me,” I said flatly.
Fabian eyed me carefully. “Well I’m a selfish creature,” he said eventually. “And after I felt the love Idun gave me for you, I thought perhaps eternity didn’t seem like such a long time if I just had someone to share it with.”
“Don’t you think that choice would have to be made by the person you were asking to share it with you?” I arched an eyebrow at him, unable to believe that what had happened to Chickoa hadn’t made him see things differently.
“I intended to convince you,” he assured me. “I wasn’t really planning to turn you against your will. At least not after Idun got her claws into me.”
“Well I guess fake love is good for one thing then. But I think you owe Chickoa an apology. Even if she still hates you after it. It’s the least you can offer her.”
Fabian’s lips parted but he didn’t seem entirely sure of what to say in response to that. I downed the last of my water and dropped off of the counter, leaving him in the kitchen to think about it.
I almost walked right into Magnar as I made it back to the hallway and he smiled predatorily as he spotted me.
“I was looking for you,” he said, the tone of his voice making my heart skitter.
“And what are you going to do with me now you’ve found me?” I asked, backing up a step.
“You’re about to find out,” he growled, hounding after me.
I backed away again with a teasing smile as I made it to the stairs. “You’ll have to catch me first,” I breathed.
Desire flared in his eyes and I turned and fled.
His footsteps pounded up the stairs behind me and my heart thundered in my chest as I raced to get away.
I made it onto the wide landing and sprinted away down the corridor, my hair falling out of the braid as I went.
I grabbed the door at the end of the hallway which led into the room we’d claimed last night and I dragged it open. I slammed the door behind me again and raced across the room, throwing the window wide before ducking behind the heavy wardrobe out of sight of the door.
Magnar threw the door open and he laughed as he found the room empty.
I bit down on my lip so hard that it almost hurt.
“The longer you keep me in suspense, the longer I’ll do the same to you,” he promised and I clenched my thighs together as his rumbling tone sent an ache of yearning right down to my toes. Magnar closed the door behind him with a sharp snap, the noise sending a wave of desire through me. We were finally alone and I intended to spend the whole night caught in his arms.
Magnar moved to look through the open window and I shifted out of hiding behind him. The bed sat waiting for us, full of promises and I headed towards it with a feral grin, moving to perch on the edge of it.
“I hope you mean that,” I breathed and he turned towards me swiftly.
“You want me to make you beg for me?” he asked seductively as he took a step closer, shrugging out of the red flannel shirt and letting it fall to the floor.
“Yes,” I agreed, practically begging already as I eyed his broad chest.
“You may regret that request.” He grinned as he dropped to his knees before me, his hands catching my ankles as I looked down at him.
I eyed the strong lines of his features, reaching out to brush my fingers along his jaw tenderly and drawing his golden eyes up to meet mine.
“I love you, Magnar,” I breathed.
The desire in his gaze deepened as I coaxed a smile from his lips and I brushed my thumb across them gently.
He caught my thumb in his mouth, biting down just hard enough to send a shiver racing through me. I could tell he had no intention of being gentle with me and an ache began to build between my thighs as he slowly drew his hands up from my ankles until he reached my knees.
He held my eye for a moment then pushed my legs apart so swiftly that my breath caught in my throat.
He dropped his mouth to my inner thigh, kissing me slowly, his stubble grazing against my sensitive skin as he carved a line higher.
I released a moan of longing, fisting my hands in his hair as he closed in on exactly where I wanted him to be.
He made it to the apex of my thighs and pressed his mouth down on precisely the right place through the barrier of my panties. I groaned hungrily but he left me wanting as he shifted back again and started his ascent along my right leg instead.
“Magnar,” I breathed, as he moved closer to that spot again, urging him not to leave me hanging in suspense a second time.
As his mouth pressed down on top of my underwear again, I bucked my hips beneath him, demanding he stay there this time. He laughed in response, the rumbling tone of his voice sending a vibration right through that magical spot and eliciting another moan from me.
He shifted higher, and I groaned desperately as his fingers caught the hem of my torn dress. He tugged at the material, causing it to tear straight up the middle and freeing my breasts as he pushed the tattered remains of it off of me.
He growled appreciatively as he surveyed my naked flesh, shifting up onto his knees as his mouth claimed my nipple instead. His hand grabbed my other breast, the roughness of his flesh sweeping across mine sending butterflies dancing in my stomach.
His teeth grazed my nipple as he tugged on it just enough to send a spark of heat racing straight to that spot where I wanted his mouth.
I reached for him, pushing my palm beneath his waistband for a moment and feeling the considerable length of him waiting for me, hard as stone.
Magnar sucked in a breath as my fingers swept around him then pulled back, removing my hold before I could do anything more.
His fingers bit into my hips as he held me still and his mouth shifted lower, abandoning my breast and leaving it aching for more of him. But I knew where he was going and I wasn’t about to call him back again.
He made it to the line of my underwear at last and his fingers shifted from my thighs as he caught the edges of it and tugged it down. I lifted my ass so that he could remove the final layer of my clothes as he leaned back for a moment, eyeing every inch of my naked flesh with unconcealed lust.
“Don’t sto
p,” I moaned as he held me in suspense once again.
He moved his hands to pin my hips down again as I sat before him, legs wide as he moved closer once more. His breath skimmed over my flesh as he dipped his head between my thighs and I moaned, twisting my fingers into his hair desperately.
The first stroke of his tongue against me almost had me undone.
I tried to lay back on the bed but his hands held me upright, keeping me in place as his mouth moved against me again.
I moaned so loudly that I was sure everyone in the house would have heard me but I couldn’t help it. He pushed his tongue down harder, his stubble grazing the inside of my thighs as he feasted on me, drawing me closer and closer to the edge.
I groaned, my muscles tightening as he pressed down and I was about to free fall off of the cliff but his tongue didn’t come for me again. I arched my back in desperation as he shifted back to look up at me.
“Don’t stop,” I begged as he left me there, teetering on the edge.
“Say please,” he teased and my skin flared as he offered me that one chance at release.
“Please,” I moaned and he dipped his head low, his tongue pressing against that spot as he drove two fingers inside me at the same moment and my climax tore through my body like wildfire.
I cried out, calling his name as I came apart around him and he kept moving as I fell back onto the bed, his tongue licking me as his fingers filled me. He didn’t release me and I writhed beneath him as I felt my body tightening again.
His tongue circled me, driving down again as he groaned his own arousal at the taste of me.
I couldn’t take any more of it. I was an empty vessel, shuddering in the throes of his control as he forced me into yet another climax.
My body shook as a tide of pleasure passed through me and he growled my name, his voice heady with desire for me.
He finally released me, withdrawing his fingers with a deep laugh as he unbuckled his belt.
The sound of his pants hitting the floor filled the dark space within my mind as I lay lost in the aftermath of what he’d done to me with my eyes firmly shut.
My whole body was alight with it. Every inch of my skin so sensitive that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to move again.
He climbed on top of me, shifting between my legs as I felt him pressing against me, demanding more of my body.
I gave way to him, wanting to feel the full length of him inside me as my heart pounded.
“Look at me,” he breathed and I opened my eyes at his command, gazing up at this man I loved so dearly.
He held my eye, his hand moving to my chin, grasping me possessively as he held me still.
My breathing grew more ragged as I raised my hands to trail my fingers over the broad sweep of his shoulders. He was everything to me. All I ever could have dreamed of and more. And he was mine.
Magnar’s mouth lifted in a teasing smile and I pushed my hips up off of the bed, urging him to take me as he watched me writhe in desperation.
More. I need more of him, right now.
He drove himself into me and I gasped as he filled every inch of me, my legs curling around his broad back as he pulled out a little then slammed into me again. He groaned in deep satisfaction as he claimed me for his own, our souls merging alongside our bodies.
I cried out with each thrust, unable to quiet myself as a different kind of pleasure built in me.
He pushed himself all the way inside me.
Again.
And again.
He didn’t stop and I never wanted him to. His mouth seized mine and I was lost to him as he drove me on and on, my selfish body aching for more as he built me up all over again.
His hands were in my hair, on my breasts, my thighs, everywhere at once, setting my skin on fire as he wrung every inch of pleasure from my flesh.
I didn’t want it to ever stop but I could feel that pit of ecstasy waiting to swallow me whole again and his breaths came faster as he moved towards his own ending too.
I knew that no other feeling in the world could compare to this. His flesh on my flesh. His breath mixing with mine. Our hearts beating in their own flawless harmony. And our souls combined as one perfect being for those few immeasurable seconds before we came crashing to an end.
He pulled out of me almost entirely before driving down again one final time and groaning my name as we found our release together.
I cried out, my limbs trembling as I clung to him, my whole body going tight then limp and burning, burning, burning up until I wasn’t sure there was anything left aside from the frantic pounding of my heart and his.
I tried to pull the scattered pieces of my body back together as we rode out the final throes of it and he gripped me tightly in his strong arms.
Magnar finally withdrew, rolling down to lay beside me as we caught our breath.
He twisted his fingers between mine, lifting my hand so that he could place a kiss on the back of it.
“I’ve never known anything like you, Callie,” he sighed, a deep satisfaction lacing his tone. “And I know I’ll never want anyone else ever again.”
“This is it,” I agreed, my heart lifting at the truth of the words. “You and me.”
“Forever,” he murmured, pulling me beneath his arm.
I laid my head on his chest, listening to the deep thudding of his heart as my eyes fell closed and sleep called to me. A smile held my lips captive as I drifted into sleep, knowing I wouldn’t be wandering off into any dreams tonight. I was exactly where I wanted to be and I was going to stay here for as long as I could.
Voices carried to me on the breeze, waking me. I sat upright, my body already recovered from our night of drinking thanks to my vampire abilities. I grabbed my dress, tugging it on before a gruff voice reached me again. A shudder of fear fled through me. That wasn't any voice I recognised...
I nudged Erik and he blinked awake, sitting up beside me. I pressed a finger to my lips, pointing back toward the house and his brow furrowed heavily.
I knelt up to look across the sweeping meadow, gesturing for Erik to do the same.
He remained quiet, sensing my concern. My heart cleaved apart as I spotted shadows moving closer to the house. They crept around each corner, checking the windows for a way in.
Biters.
I looked to Erik, swallowing the sharp lump in my throat.
He pointed to where the tractor lay at the base of the meadow and moved forward through the grass on his hands and knees. I followed, fear winding its way through my body as I hurried after him.
I increased my pace, moving after Erik as we met the edge of the grass. He darted across the path and crouched behind the tractor, holding his hand up to stop me from following. I took in a slow breath, ducking lower as a male's legs came into view. He was a step away from spotting Erik. I curled my hands into fists, wishing I hadn't left Nightmare in the house.
“Andrew, we’re gonna check around the side, you coming?” someone whispered and the male turned back, heading away again.
Erik gestured for me to move and I laid my life in his hands as I rushed across the path and ducked down beside him. He rose to his feet, his back bent as he gazed over the hood of the tractor toward the house.
I peered around the large wheel in front of me, spotting the Biters heading into the shadows on the other side of the building. A large male with a huge scar across his nose had stayed behind, inspecting the windows as he moved. His finger hooked into the kitchen window and he started grinning as it opened.
Anxiety clawed at my heart as I watched, half tempted to shout out to alert our friends as he crawled inside. As he disappeared into the kitchen, Erik caught my arm and tugged me into a run toward the back wall of the house.
Faint footfalls sounded further around the building and I feared how many of them were lurking on the farm.
I gazed up at the window on the second floor, unsure which of our friends were sleeping in there but needing to alert them. Erik lunged
upwards, catching hold of the window ledge and tapping gently on the glass as he swung his legs up to perch on the sill.
The window opened and Clarice gazed down at him, her golden hair falling around her. “What the hell? Did you get locked out?” she asked.
Erik pressed a finger to his lips, waving an arm to quiet her.
“Biters,” I hissed, pointing at the window the male had gotten in through. “One of them is inside.”
Clarice's mouth parted and horror slid into her eyes. “I'll wake everyone else.”
“We'll check the front,” Erik said before dropping to the ground beside me.
Clarice disappeared and Erik squeezed my hand, catching me in his gaze.
“Let's see how many we can take out before they realise we’re onto them.”
“But the others,” I pressed.
“They can handle themselves,” Erik insisted and I nodded, sure he was right.
He led the way to the corner of the house, leaning around it then mouthing, “One here.”
I nodded, my mouth desperately dry as he inched forward on silent feet. I followed, spying the Biter on the path up ahead, a knife in his grip.
Erik crept toward him and I curled my hands into fists, ready to step in the second he needed me. Erik lunged forward, slamming his hand down on the male's mouth and wrenching his head backwards. The Biter slashed his blade down Erik's arm and I shot forward to help, grabbing the knife and prising it from his grip. Erik wrenched the male's head back, his screams muffled as my husband twisted his head sideways.
A sharp crack sounded and the Biter fell to the ground between us. I dropped down on shaking legs, finishing him with his own blade and his body turned to dust.
Erik grabbed the handful of clothes left behind, tossing them into the bushes lining the path. He gave me a nod then padded further down the track, keeping in the shadow of the wall.
Erik rubbed the wound on his arm as it slowly healed.
In a flash of movement, he pulled me down, dragging me behind a lawnmower as five Biters darted along the path toward the back of the house.
“Andrew texted to say he got in a window back here,” a female whispered as they darted past us.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 159
