His Dark Embrace

by Verika Sloane

  The power inside Shain didn’t have a name or category he could fit it into. Vampiric power didn’t feel like this. It wasn’t more, or less, just different, and fucking amazing.

  Kimber rushed into his arms, raked her hands in his wet hair as they kissed with wild tongues and unleashed fervor, taking nips, licks, devouring one another.

  She tore his shirt open and scraped her nails down his naked torso. Shain hissed and quietly...roared? A roar very unnatural to a vampire.

  But he wasn’t a vampire in that moment, was he? No. And she wasn’t a shifter.

  God, he wanted to fuck his woman so much it hurt.

  “Yes,” she begged.

  He turned her around, desperate to feel her cheeks on his cock, pulled her shirt up, and ran a hand down her soft stomach, inside the waistband of her black skirt. The second he found that slick, hot place lightly covered in curls, he gnashed his teeth with the roar exploding inside him.

  Kimber groaned and writhed.

  He played hard circles around her clit, increasing the pressure with her increasing cries. His hips went in rhythm with his ministrations on her pussy, guiding her, strumming harder until she clutched his forearms and screamed his name.

  She bent over the trunk and hiked her skirt slowly.

  Shain was undone.

  Her blouse clung to her back, rivulets of rain coursed over her exposed butt and down her gloriously thick thighs.

  His snarl of possessiveness came from nowhere, as did the nails from his fingertips. He unzipped his pants and released his aching cock. Because he enjoyed the sounds she made when he teased her, he rubbed his blunt head along her crack, and she mewled, spreading her legs more for him.

  All for him.

  He stared at his hand, the beast-like claws jutting from his fingertips, before setting his hands on her cheeks, lightly scratching her fine ass with them.

  Kimber moaned more. Begged louder.

  Shain’s jaw clenched as he used his thumb to move her thong aside before plunging inside her.

  Kimber’s head went back the same time his did, her pussy clutching on his cock so tight, so right, it was all Shain could do not to come. He gritted his teeth, gripped her hips, and started thrusting.

  Something basic, deep, and primal took over him. Claim. Claim…

  Kimber leaned her palms on the car trunk, going up on her tiptoes, pushing back while he pumped into her. Every smooth stroke in her tight sheath felt like he was closer to euphoria, her cheeks slapping off his hips, the rain coming down earnestly now.

  Beautiful beyond words. His woman. Made for him.

  She pushed up, and he adjusted, bending his knees a little, then reached around and pushed her bra up, gently squeezing her breast.

  Her little mewl of approval bucked his hips faster. He leaned over with her, seeking her slick folds once more, stroking her clit while she shook and quivered.

  Shain hissed with a curse. Her pussy milked him so right. Pretty soon his cock would need its own hard release.

  Oh, but her clit was swollen, begging for a tender pinch of his fingers, a rub from his fingertip. Kimber panted, struggled, unable to support herself, collapsing on the car as he plunged harder.

  “God. I’m going to come again,” she said.

  Yes, yes, you will. He drove into her with measured strokes, continuing to play with her clit, feeling how much his cock stretched her over and over. He squeezed his eyes shut. So close.

  Kimber’s cry started low, like she struggled, then broke out in a stunned cry of ecstasy. Ecstasy he brought her to.

  Because only he had. By the fucking gods, only he could.

  Drops of rain fell from the tips of his hair getting in his eyes, the power in him uncontrollable, the beast within roaring for completion. While Kimber cried out, Shain slapped her ass, bucked his hips, his balls tightening.

  One hard thrust. Then another. He seized her hips, digging his nails into her sweet curves, and dropped his head back. Her sex spasmed over his cock until he could bear it no more.

  Head bowed, the hands of ecstasy stroking at his member from hilt to head, blood rushing, hardening him to the maximum. Kimber’s echoing moan filled his brain like a song. All he wanted, at that moment, was to rake his nails down her back, claim her with his seed, and run with her.

  Kimber curved her back, her cheeks clenching together, sending him through the abyss. Nothing existed except them, the rain, and the night.

  Shain closed his eyes and let go. “Mine,” he whispered raggedly as he gave little soft pumps in the aftermath, spilling into her. “Mine…”

  In slow degrees, Shain came down from his high, muscles cooling, relaxing, the carnal fire in his blood settling down, replaced with a stunning, humbling euphoria.

  It wasn’t the first time he’d felt it; it was every time with Kimber.

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss on her back, pulling her skirt down, unsure what to say as he zipped his pants. Did anything need to be said after an experience like that? Stepping back, he ran his fingers through his wet hair.

  Kimber straightened and righted her clothes, glancing at him over her shoulder.

  Lightning flashed and thunder tumbled, one after another, in the sky.

  She faced him. Her eyes back to their captivating blue, her teeth no longer pointed. The effects of the demon cocktails had subsided for them both, but he had a feeling the aftereffects would never leave.

  He’d gotten a glimpse of what it felt like to be a shifter. Just a glimpse. The emotion. The rawness. The animalistic impulses and needs.

  To think there was a time he’d ignorantly thought he’d done and seen everything life had to offer. In his world, perhaps. Not in another’s.

  And Kimber? She now knew what it was like to crave like a vampire. Want like a vampire.

  Two different but powerful beings. Both sides killing each other in the name of their differences, each terrified of the other’s power.

  Oh, gods.

  Shain hauled her in his arms, and she hugged him tight. They held one another as if they might be torn apart any second by an omnipotent force that could no longer abide this union.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Gods, he used to loathe summer.

  The heat. The crowds. The sunshine burning in the sky for too long before it blessedly set. The excess of humans out and about, more than any other season, zealous for their parks, pools, and BBQs. So much daylight and activity. That was why Shain was usually away from Atlanta at this time of year.

  But it was raining more that early September than it had in previous years, and for that, he thanked the gods daily. Hurricane season always brought more thunderstorms than other months, but even the weatherman said the number was unusually high.

  Because of them, Shain could meet Kimber more often than just at nighttime. She’d finally given him the townhouse address, so he could watch her sneak back inside the house, from a safe distance across the street.

  He took her out on his boat one afternoon when it was especially overcast, pulling over to a spot on the lake with extra shade and total privacy. In advance, he’d tied a rope swing to a tree to surprise her. When she saw it, she knew exactly what he had in mind.

  They paid tribute to the night they met, but that time, he was a part of it. All he wanted to do were wicked things in the water, but she wouldn’t allow it until he played. So when she jumped off the boat, so did he, and when she dove off the swing, so did he, and when she laid naked on grass, well, he had no choice but to do the same.

  Then they made love until it was time to go.

  To think there was a time when rolling around in the grass and swimming in a lake would’ve revolted him. She was prying a new appreciation for nature from him. Though, he couldn’t imagine he’d continue to appreciate it without her. In reality, trying to do any of these things without Kimber would only depress him.

  On another cloudy day, she convinced him—somehow—to take her to a Renaissance Festival. Humans
actually dressed up as pirates, blacksmiths, wenches, royalty, and everything else related to the era. He even spotted a fairy or two in one of the vendor huts. Real fairies, he’d noted. Seemed they were also huge fans of the event. Kimber tried to convince him to dress up for that as well, but a vampire had his limits. They ate turkey legs with no cutlery, watched a comical sword fight, and threw axes at a target.

  Until the clouds parted for the sun and they had to dash for shelter.

  After that, he’d slept almost ten straight hours. Being outside that long had drained him hard.

  Another afternoon, they went wine tasting at a historic venue in the hills. Much more up his alley. The owners denied them entry, claiming a reservation was required, but all it took was a little of his magickal persuasion and suddenly the place was all theirs to enjoy. The owners were snobs, but also humans, and those were his favorite kind to lure to his bidding.

  Shain would never forget watching Kimber stomp grapes, holding up her maxi dress hem, locks of hair dropping in her eyes as she laughed.

  But all the extremely bold daytime activity was catching up with him. He sacrificed rest to do them, and it took more blood to make up for the loss in strength.

  Sasha remained on her regular schedule—and never broached the subject of the night he almost drank too much—and he saw James in between.

  Even with twice the feedings, his bloodlust remained only partially pleased. He didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with him, but like many others with health concerns, pushed them aside in the interest of not having to deal.

  All he knew was that, in less than three weeks, Kimber was leaving, and every drop of blood, every minutiae of energy, was worth more time with her.

  He’d address it later.

  Which, at present, was exactly what he was telling his ally over the phone in his covenant office.

  “Later, Omar.”

  “You don’t want to sit on this, Trevyn. We need you in on it.”

  Shain recoiled from being pressured into anything on a scale so large he had to be zippered in with others to make it happen. “You won’t even disclose which foreign government is going to devalue their currency, just that the central bank governor said so. If I don’t know which country, or who the hell that is, then why would I feel the squeeze on this?”

  Shain could hear echoed announcements of train arrivals, and pictured his ally getting his fine shoes shined in the subway, a habit Omar was wont to do when he made calls outside of his Chicago office.

  The pürblood sighed. “I know you’re hesitating because you’d be one of five players in the game, but it’d have to be that way. Unless you have access to three billion now that you’re with Tanaka…”

  Shain’s chuckle was deep. “Moving on.”

  “Right. The ‘when’ is the big question. They could wait sixty days, a month, or they could devalue tomorrow with a precise amount of applied pressure, if someone accepts a substantial short position against it.”

  “For three billion?”

  “I told you it’d be big game.”

  “That’s beyond my risk parameters. Well beyond. I appreciate you thinking of me, but I’m going to beg off this one.”

  “Are you sure? The score will be huge.”

  As if he didn’t know that already. “No one in our position should even consider, let alone be seen, taking down a government. The score notwithstanding, that’s not something I’m interested in.”

  “If it’s weak enough to fold, then it’ll be no one’s fault, Trevyn.”

  “All the same to you, I’ll pass.” The bell near his door made a ting, announcing someone at the front office was there to see him, waiting in the lounge. Perfect excuse to end the call. “I have to go.” To soothe Omar’s ire, he’d give him some advice. “Look, what about levering up?”

  “I’ll fracture my position at the banks if word spreads.”

  “Well then, you need to get down on one knee to others who are in the same position as you are, who can operate within the margins.” He stood up and buttoned his suit jacket.

  “Like who?”

  “The cash heavyweights. Fleming, Barnes, Cuevas, even McIverness. He had a nice year. Actually, the more I think about it, the more this could really work for him.”

  “I’m not like you, Trevyn. I doubt any of them would come and deal on my behalf. For you? No question they would. Usually you’d hunger for something like this. What gives?”

  Shain shook his head with a smile, finger hovering above the button to end the call. “My appetites have changed. Goodbye, old friend.”

  He exited his office and strode to the lounge to meet his visitor. It had to be someone on his auto-approve list and therefore didn’t need an announcement from security. Since he wasn’t going to see Kimber tonight—her sisters planned a spaghetti dinner with prospective shiyas—he planned to fill his hours top to bottom so the longing wouldn’t feel so sharp. The night after next, he was flying them to Charlotte to see a show.

  Private balcony. Champagne. A meet-and-greet with the actors. She was going to love it.

  Envisioning the awe on her face filled him with light.

  As soon as he waltzed in the lounge, however, the darkness washed it out.

  Amara sat on one of the chairs, long legs crossed, fingers strumming on the arm, wearing a black wrap dress and red high heels.

  It’d been days since their text exchange about her return. She hadn’t called him back. Of course she hadn’t.

  A woman’s instincts were unrivaled. They knew when a relationship changed course, when a man pulled away as much as an inch. Thing was, they weren’t in a relationship, had never been, and so he had nothing to feel guilty about. In fact, he preferred they were face to face; there’d be no misunderstanding this way.

  The lounge was empty, so there was no need to have a discussion in his office.

  With a smirk, Shain turned and locked the door, setting the lock to “Do Not Disturb” to let anyone know the lounge had been taken.

  She might’ve assumed her surprise arrival would throw him off his ground, but it didn’t, and he saw by the look on her face that the power struggle had transferred back to him.

  “Welcome back,” he said, choosing not to sit.

  A sharply sculpted eyebrow lifted. “This is your idea of a welcome?”

  “You didn’t provide me the date you were arriving.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “You deliberately didn’t tell.”

  Amara looked up at him, the irritation in her green eyes flaring, though her lips were drawn in a tight smile. She unwound her legs slowly, then stood up. “Well, you’re forgiven.”

  He cocked his head. At what point had he asked for it? “Once again, you had unspoken expectations I didn’t meet, so your forgiveness isn’t required.”

  “I just thought that, at your significantly elevated status, you’d include those closest to you.”

  “No, you assumed. By the way, I haven’t excluded anyone from anything. The alliance is a newborn, Amara. Let’s allow it to at least grow teeth before I use it to everyone else’s benefit.”

  He gave her a knowing glance before strolling to the buffet for a small plate of fruit and cheese. He’d started snacking more to keep the other appetites from dominating. Also, because Kimber loved to snack, and he had gotten used to little bites throughout the day. “Want something?”

  She gaped at him. “You haven’t even kissed me hello.”

  Shain briefly closed his eyes. He was too detached, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to touch her, let alone kiss her. To deflect that statement, he said, “What am I missing? Since when are you so needy all of a sudden?”

  Telling Amara she showed any neediness would distract her.

  And it did.

  She inhaled, as if seeing the error of her behavior. “Am I? It’s been a long journey. All I could think about was seeing you, really celebrating your success together. I barely saw you when you wer
e in Canada.”

  He turned around, a plate of crackers and cheese in one hand. That he felt guilty about. “I’m sorry. My attention was pulled in many directions that week. I’m afraid I wasn’t very adept at handling it.” Not to mention, I was out of my mind about another woman.

  Amara shrugged, somewhat appeased by his apology, looking off. “It was what I expected. Or didn’t expect. I’ve never known anyone to get an elite’s alliance before.”

  “You and me both.”

  She met his eyes, hers smiling, as if that shared sentiment had bonded them again. “I’m all yours now. I’ve cleared my calendar through the year. I went a little overboard shopping in Paris for every possible occasion.” Her fingers grazed the velvet fabric of a chair while she came toward him, unzipping her dress.

  Shain mentally stiffened. She wanted to screw?

  They’d barely talked for five minutes and already she’d had enough of it. Then again, talk wasn’t a big part of how they communicated. Perhaps because, other than surface underworld mechanics, there wasn’t much else to discuss. Whenever he tried, she got bored.

  With Kimber, it was so different. They talked. They asked each other questions. They challenged each other’s opinions. If he really wanted to evaluate it, it’d be easy to say he knew Kimber more than he knew Amara, who’d been in his life for a decade.

  He put down his plate and met her in the middle of the room, stopped her hands from unzipping her dress, held them, and kissed her cheek.

  Amara’s moan sounded feigned as he moved his lips close to her ear. She didn’t really want him; she just didn’t know what else to do but have sex to revive their nonexistent relationship. His hands on her zipper, he guided it up instead of down.

  “Should we go to your office instead?” she asked.

  He stepped back. “It’s over, Amara.”

  “No,” she said weakly. “No. Don’t, Trevyn. You don’t mean that.”

  As gently as he could manage, he said, “I do. We can’t be lovers again.”

  “Why not? Because of your new status?”