When Darkness Falls

by Amanda Perry

  Before I answer him, he reaches behind him and picks the bag of blood up off the night table. He holds it out to me and I shake my head, pushing it away. My eyes flick down to his neck and if I had the ability, I would blush at the overwhelming urge to bite him.

  Levi smiles gently down at me. “You want to bite me, love?” he murmurs in my ear, making me shiver in delight at the sensations he is causing in me with just his words.

  Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I shut my eyes to avoid eye contact with Levi and nod my head. I want to bite him. I don’t understand the need, but I know it’s there. It’s such a strong feeling deep inside me and I can’t seem to fight it.

  “Okay, hold your breath for me, love,” Levi instructs scooting away from me on the bed.

  My eyes pop open at the odd request and I watch him scoot farther away from me. My brow draws together in confusion and he pauses his movements when he sees my expression.

  “I need to drink this if I’m going to have enough blood in my system to give you,” he explains, choosing his words carefully. “I don’t want the smell to overwhelm you. You are still new, and this is not going to be easy for you, love. I just want to make it less painful if I can.”

  I nod my understanding and quickly look away and take a big breath of air, holding it my lungs. I know from previous conversations about the conversion that I don’t need to breathe as much as when I was human, but the instinct is still there and after less than a minute my body releases the breath and inhales without my permission.

  The scent of the blood that Leviathan is nearly finished with hits my senses and my entire system reacts. I feel my teeth grow to sharp points, cutting into my gums as my jaw clenches tightly. My hands ball into fists and my eyes shut tight. I force myself to freeze, refusing to move even a fraction of an inch. I know if I do I won’t be able to control myself anymore.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Julianne,” Levi breathes out, shifting toward me again. “Come take what you need, love.”

  I give myself ten more seconds to try and calm down. It doesn’t work well, because when I open my eyes and see Leviathan in front of me, his eyes wide with worry and his body tense with anticipation, I pounce on him.

  He seems to be expecting my sudden attack because he easily catches me and guides my head to his neck, whispering to me to take what I so desperately need from him. I don’t hesitate to bite down as my lips touch his skin and I take a few long drinks from him. I thought the taste would disgust me, but I have never had anything so amazing in my life.

  I feel my body coming alive as I take my fill from Levi. When he lets out a loud groan, I pull away quickly, thinking I have hurt him. I look at him with wide eyes and try to assess the damage I must be causing. I don’t expect to see that his eyes have turned nearly black and his breathing has picked up speed. He pulls me onto his lap so that I’m straddling him and pushes his hips up into me. The evidence of how much he is enjoying this is now pressing into me in a delicious way and out of instinct born of desire, I push myself down onto him, pressing our bodies closer together. Levi growls as he pulls me to him, kissing me deeply and with more passion than he ever has. I can taste blood on his tongue and I know he can taste his on mine. We could continue to kiss like this forever if we wanted to, never needing to come up for air.

  The thought urges me on and I push my hands inside his shirt, tugging at it to get it over his head. He helps me by pulling away and grabbing the shirt. He pulls it off and throws it on the floor, tugging me back to him and attacking my mouth once more.

  Leviathan slows the kiss and pulls back after a few minutes, and I whimper at the loss of his lips on mine. His eyes scan over my face a few times and I do the same to him, taking in every detail of his perfect features. I can see things now that I never noticed before. Every dimple and freckle on his skin; every line and every hair is shown in perfect detail. It’s amazing and I’m in awe of how perfect Levi is even with my new ability to inspect him so closely.

  “I love you, Julianne,” he whispers, hauling me back to him and kissing me softly.

  I smile softly down at him and kiss him quickly. “I love you, Levi.”

  Hearing my voice brings a large smile to his face that I can’t help but return. I lean forward and kiss him quickly three times before pushing myself closer to him and deepening the kiss once more.

  Levi breaks free from my lips and continues trailing open-mouthed kisses down my jaw, following the line of my neck. Once he reaches the base of my neck, he sucks lightly at the skin there. The sensation has me arching into him and my movement seems to spur him on.

  Without warning, I feel a sharp pinch in my neck that causes me to suck in a quick breath. The small hurt is quickly overwhelmed by pleasure that consumes my whole body. I begin to rock my body into Levi and moan out at the amazing friction. Levi lets up on my neck and I feel his tongue swipe across the bite mark. I’m curious what that gesture did so I decide to test it out.

  I don’t give him warning before I bite down in the same spot on his neck that I had before. His body bows off the bed and he groans loudly, the sound echoing in the quiet room. He continues to rock his hips into mine and I feel my body building up for something amazing.

  I’m on the edge of a cliff, but I can’t seem to fall over the edge. I let go of Levi’s neck and lick the bite mark. I watch in fascination as the small mark disappears as if it was never there.

  I smirk down at Levi and he returns my gaze with a heated one of his own. My smirk falls when he grabs my hips and flips me so that I’m lying under him. He kisses me hard while trailing his hand down my body, pushing my shirt up and pulling my pants down low on my hips.

  He only breaks the kiss to silently ask for my permission to do whatever he has planned. I couldn’t deny him anything right now. I need him to help me relieve this pressure.

  “Please,” I whimper, thrusting my hips into his. It briefly registers in my mind that my leg no longer has the cast and the pain from the break has vanished.

  My pleas are all the assurance he needs as his mouth finds mine again. His fingers dip into my pants and push my panties out of the way. He swirls two fingers over my sensitive nub and I scream out in pleasure.

  “Oh, please!” I beg, having no idea what I’m asking for, but knowing that whatever it is, only Leviathan can give it to me.

  “You are so responsive,” Levi growls in my ear, before kissing my neck. “I can’t seem to get enough of you, love.”

  “Levi, please!” I beg once more, moving my hips to try and chase the relief I need.

  “Anything for you, love,” Levi whispers. “Anything.”

  He adds a bit more pressure with his two fingers and I fall over the edge. My body arches completely off the bed and I bite down hard on Levi’s shoulder to keep from screaming again.

  “Oh shit, Julianne,” Levi grounds out, pushing himself closer.

  He’s clearly uncomfortable and I know I need to help him get the same relief he just gave me. I lift my mouth from his shoulder as I undo his pants and slide my hand inside. He shifts us so I have better access and places his hand on mine, guiding me, showing me what he likes.

  I follow his lead and eventually both of his hands fly up to grip the headboard. I wonder idly if he is going to break it with his tight grip, but I get distracted admiring his body. His abs flex as he squirms in pleasure. Suddenly, I get a wicked idea and I can’t stop myself from biting into Levi’s shoulder. He growls loudly and finds his release in my hand as I continue to bite down on him.

  We’re both breathing hard and I swipe my tongue over his shoulder quickly before collapsing onto his chest. My eyes close on their own and I’m only slightly aware of Levi getting up and walking out of the room. I try to open my eyes to see what he is doing, but he is back before I get the strength to do so.

  He silently cleans me up and I feel myself smiling at the tender care he is using. I want to open my eyes and thank him or help him, but my body just won’t listen to
me.

  A few moments later I feel my pants being pulled completely off and my panties straightened. The bed dips and Levi pulls me back onto his chest.

  “Sleep well, my love,” he whispers, kissing my head and falling silent and allowing me to drift off to sleep.

  30

  The next time I wake, it’s light outside and I’m feeling much better. My body isn’t nearly as sore, but my senses are on overdrive. I hear Remus talking to Nikki in the kitchen and I can smell the pancakes with blueberries that they are making. Abe and Mary are chatting about what country they want to take their next vacation in. I can tell they are sitting in the living room. Joseph and Vivian are watching a movie together, one I have never seen. I can even hear Brecken and Izzy arguing playfully in their room. When they start getting a bit too personal with their playing, I try to tune them out but it sounds like they are shouting in my ears.

  I sit up quickly and cover my ears with my hands, trying to block out all the noise. I know I can’t get a headache now, but if I could, the excessive noise in the house would cause it.

  “Julianne, what’s wrong?” Levi whispers, sitting up next to me and placing a hand on my back. “What happened?”

  “It’s too loud!” I shout over the noise of everyone talking at once.

  Everyone in the house goes silent at the same time and I realize that while I can hear them, they can also hear me, especially if I shout. I sigh in relief when the silence continues and I finally remove my hands from my ears.

  “I’m sorry, love,” Levi says quietly as he rubs my back soothingly. “It will take some work to get your senses under control. You need to focus on one sound or smell at a time to keep it from overwhelming you. It will come naturally soon.”

  I simply nod and allow his quiet voice to soothe me. “I will work on it,” I murmur, looking back at Levi and giving him a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry I shouted.”

  Levi huff out a quiet laugh and shakes his head. “You are doing amazingly well for being so new, so don’t apologize for anything, Julianne. Are you hungry?”

  My body ignites at his words and my eyes flick from his neck to his eyes and back again. The craving isn’t overwhelming right now, but rather the feeling I get from being with Levi. A devilish grin crosses his face as he watches my reaction. He knows exactly where my thoughts went.

  “Not that kind of hungry, love,” he smirks, kissing me quickly before getting to his feet. “Breakfast is being made and I’m sure the family wants to see you. Let’s get dressed and head down.”

  “Can I shower first?” I ask, unable to look at Levi. I’m sure he knows why I want to shower and I’m embarrassed about that.

  “Hey,” Levi murmurs, walking over to me and putting a finger under my chin, lifting my eyes to meet his. “Never be embarrassed with me, Julianne. You have no reason to be, especially not about that. Go shower, I will grab you some clean clothes. Meet me downstairs?”

  I smile and nod gratefully at him, pushing myself up to reach his lips and give him a quick kiss before skipping to the shower. It takes me a second to realize I got to the bathroom much faster than a human would. I’m going to have to keep a handle on that, especially in public.

  Stripping my clothes off, I reach in and turn the shower on. After adjusting the temperature, I pull a towel and washcloth from the cabinet and place the towel on the hook. Turning to put the washcloth in the shower, I squeak in surprise when the door opens and Levi is standing there with wide eyes.

  “Uhhhh,” he stutters, his eyes roaming over my body from head to toe.

  I shift from foot to foot but make no move to cover my body. He has seen every part of me, so why bother. My shuffling seems to bring him out of his daze. He coughs and shakes his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.

  “Sorry, I just have your clothes. I thought you would be in the shower by now,” he rambles, setting the clothes down on the counter and taking a step back. His eyes never leave me though.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, watching his every move.

  He doesn’t respond with words. Instead, he simply nods at me and allows his gaze to roam over my body once more. I force myself to hold still and let him look. I start to get a bit self-conscious when Levi doesn’t say anything. Does he not like what he is seeing? Am I not as good looking as he had hoped?

  With my brows drawn together, I reach for my towel to cover myself. Levi is in front of me quickly and I know human eyes would not have the ability to see him move. I do though and it still causes me to gasp in surprise.

  “You are perfect,” Levi growls, taking the towel from me and tossing it onto the bathroom counter. “Will you let me shower with you?”

  My eyes widen slightly at his bold question, but I find myself nodding before I have a chance to truly think about a response. The smile I get in return has my legs shaking and heat pooling in my lower belly.

  My breathing starts to come quicker as I watch Levi slowly strip his clothes off. His perfect body is slowly exposed to me and I drink in the sight greedily. The evidence of just how much he likes what he sees when he looks at me is much more obvious when he drops his pants to the ground. My eyes grow round as I stare at him.

  Without a word, Levi takes my hand and guides me into the shower, stepping in after me. I let him take charge as I have no idea what he has in mind when he says he wants to “shower together.” He starts by washing my hair and massaging my scalp. It feels amazing and I let out a groan of pleasure.

  “That feels good?” Levi asks, a smile in his voice as he starts rinsing out my hair.

  I can’t find the words to answer him so I simply groan again. I hear him chuckle as he pulls his hands away. I whimper at the loss of him, but it soon turns to another moan as his fingers come back with some of my soap and he starts to massage it into my shoulders. He works his way down my arms, then my back. He rubs my sides, then wraps his arms around me and massages my belly and breasts.

  I feel him pressed against my backside and I can’t help myself. I push my body into his and grin triumphantly when he growls low in my ear. He isn’t the only one who can be a tease. I wiggle my hips a little and hear him grunt. His hands grip my hips and he tries to stop my movements. I giggle with satisfaction that I’m able to get to him like this.

  He spins me around and his lips cover mine, cutting off any laughter. I melt into him and his kiss. My hands roam over his back and shoulders as I try to clutch him tighter to my body. I don’t know why I can’t seem to get enough of Leviathan, but I’m not going to complain about his eagerness to be so close to me.

  The kiss soon turns heated and I feel my back being pressed against the shower wall. I wrap my arms around Levi’s neck and pull myself up so I can wrap my legs around his hips. His length presses against my center in just the right spot and I throw my head back, biting my lip to keep from screaming out.

  Levi rocks his hips into mine, pressing himself into just the right spot with each slow and delicious thrust. The sensations in my body continue to build and I dig my nails into Levi’s shoulders to try and keep myself grounded. I need him closer.

  “Levi, please!” I groan, pushing myself harder into him. “I need you, please.”

  Levi slows his hips and leans forward, resting his forehead on mine. He looks me in the eyes and takes a second to catch his breath. “Not here, love. Our first time is not going to be in the shower for a quickie. It’s going to be in our bed where I can stay buried inside of you all night.”

  I whimper as his words hit me right at my core. He kisses me deeply then, thrusting his hips into me quicker than before. I scream into the kiss as he builds me right back up. I break the kiss and let instinct take over, biting down on his shoulder. It’s more of an attempt to keep myself from getting too loud, but the pleasure of biting him and the taste that washes over my tongue sends me over the edge.

  My release sends Levi over with me. He growls out his release, gripping my hips almost painfully. I let go of his shoulder, licking t
he puncture marks and smiling when they disappear. Levi rests his head against my chest, trying to catch his breath. I bury my nose in his hair and sigh happily.

  “I love you,” I whisper, kissing his head.

  Levi lifts his head and grins at me as he places me down on shaky legs. “I love you, Julianne. I will love you forever.”

  I hug him tightly and he wraps his arms around me. We stay like that for a while, but when the water starts to cool down, we quickly wash up and get out. Levi helps me dry off before taking the towel for himself. He wraps it around his hips and kisses me soundly. He tells me to meet him downstairs after I’m dressed and he leaves to get some clothes.

  I know I have a big and goofy grin on my face as I watch him saunter out of the bathroom, but I don’t care. I finish getting dressed. Then brush my tangled, wet hair and brush my teeth. I pick up my dirty clothes along with Levi’s and dump them in the hamper of his room on my way down the hall. The smell pancakes and eggs hits me and it makes me realize I’m very hungry. I think I have Levi to blame for that.

  I stop in my tracks at the base of the stairs when a thought dawns on me. If I can hear the family from upstairs, does that mean they heard us in the shower?

  31

  I make my way slowly into the kitchen and the room goes silent. At first, I think it’s because of what Leviathan and I just did in the shower. I duck my head and feel my cheeks heat. I briefly realize that now that I have had something to drink, I’m able to blush. Neat trick.

  “Welcome to the cool kids club, Little Gem!” Brecken shouts, patting me on the back.

  His sudden movement startles me and I react without thinking. I grab his arm and twist, flipping him. He lands with a thud on his back and I stare in horror as he coughs a few times, trying to get his wits back.

  “Holy shit,” Brecken grunts, rolling onto his side and pushing himself back up.