by Riley, Alexa
She’s sandwiched between identical twins, and there’s no telling them apart. Both have a possessive hold on her, and it’s odd because I’m not used to seeing so many couples. For some reason that puts me at even more at ease. The open affection everyone has for one another makes me think that this must be a safe place.
“Wow. I’ve never seen eyes like that before,” another woman says, making me glance to her. A vampire with a scarred face stands beside her. She’s cuddling into him as if he’s a giant teddy bear, but he’s practically blocking her view.
“People always say something about them the first time they see me,” I admit. I’m used to it, but some people think they’re pretty while others think they’re freaky. I forget about them until I meet someone new.
“Sorry, I’m Juliet.” She gives a small wave. “They’re just—”
“Magnificent,” Bishop says, cutting her off. “They’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. They’re the same eyes I’ve been dreaming about,” he says as he leans in. “Now tell me, who hit you.”
“My dad.” I shake my head. “I mean Gordon.”
His jaw clenches and I swear I hear a sound rumble from deep inside of him. I should back away in fear, but I don’t. Instead I lean into him, enjoying the sound of his anger over me being hurt.
“Are you doing something to me? Are you playing with my mind?”
“No,” he answers, offended and disgusted at the idea. “I’d never do that to you.”
“I want to trust you,” I admit. “But I hate you.” As I say the words, they sound wrong. Bishop is the one who flinches this time and guilt slides across me. “I’m sorry,” I mumble, looking down at my hands in my lap. How do I feel lost and found at the same time?
“Maybe we should leave you two alone.” I glance over at Dove. “We’ll be around. I promise there isn’t a safer place in the world for you to be.”
With that they all leave, and I see a mix of concern and happiness on their faces.
“They care about you,” I say when I look back at Bishop. They’re not like Gordon’s men, who fear him, and that’s why they follow his orders. His men have no choice, but there’s none of that here.
“They’re my family.” The corner of his mouth turns up in a smile, and I can tell he’s proud to say that.
“I don’t have a family anymore.” I don’t mean to say it aloud, but it comes out. “He’s not really my dad.”
“Love.” I can hear the hurt in his voice for me as he pulls me into his lap. The simple word hits me hard. It’s the first time I’ve ever given the word much thought because it isn’t a word I’m used to hearing. I’ve never used it myself. “I’m your family, and now they’re your family, too.”
Why would he say that? Gordon said he wanted me, but he never said why.
“You killed my mother?” I say it as a question, and Bishop’s body stills.
He doesn’t answer me and time ticks by. I should shove him away, but I don’t have it in me. What does that say about me? Why did I push with Gordon when I thought something was amiss, but with Bishop I lay my head on his shoulder, not wanting to move?
“She’s dead because of me,” he finally says, and I notice he doesn’t say he killed her but he takes the blame. “Gordon doesn’t much care for me.”
I can’t help the bark of laughter that bubbles up from me at his gross understatement. Even Bishop lets out a small chuckle and it feels good to laugh for a moment.
“He didn’t want me to find my mate. He knew I was obsessed with the idea of my dream girl who came to me at night.”
“Mate?” I ask and wonder if he means a wife.
“Yes, mate. If a vampire is lucky enough to find his mate, then his soul belongs to her. The woman who will save him will be his everything. She will give him a reason to want to live for eternity.”
I sit up and look into his eyes. “I had no idea there was something like that between vampires. It sounds wonderful.” It sounds right and that’s what I want. The tight knot of pain I always have in my stomach loosens and I’m warm all over.
“I think there are many things Gordon kept from you,” he says, and a pained look crosses his face. “If I had known he had you…” Regret flashes in his eyes and he grits his teeth. “He wanted to hurt me, and he knew worse than death for me would be never finding my mate.” He leans in close, his mouth but a breath from mine. “You’re the one.”
All the air leaves my lungs when he gives me what I knew was coming. I could feel it, but hearing him say it confirms what my body and heart have been telling me all along. A weight I didn’t know was there is gone with his easy words.
He lifts me in his arms and I hold him tightly. “Let me show you.”
He carries me through the home and up the stairs. It’s then I realize I have no idea where I am, but I don’t care. It doesn’t take long and he pushes open a door to a bedroom and puts me down onto my feet.
“This is one of my homes,” he tells me. “I dreamt of you for the first time the night I was turned. Over the years more and more of you would come to me. First it was your hair.” He reaches out, wrapping a lock of my red hair around his finger. “Then how soft you were.” His other hand slides up my arm as he touches my skin. “Your eyes took me to my knees. They are a beauty I didn't know existed.” He gazes into them and I swear I can feel him looking deep inside and seeing all of me.
My mouth falls open because no one has ever said such sweet words to me before. His finger releases my hair and he comes closer as his hand slides around my hip.
“Then this.”
He leans in slowly, and I know right away it’s to give me time to tell him to stop. I’m not going to.
He kisses the bare skin on my shoulder over my birthmark. “I led him right to you, love. I never meant to and I’m so sorry.”
There’s that word again, making my heart flutter.
“How did you lead him to me?” I know Gordon was the one who killed my mother now. He killed her and took me.
He steps aside and his big frame moves away from me. I stand there in shock as my eyes scan the walls. There are paintings of me everywhere and it’s breathtaking.
“You painted these?” My hand comes to my mouth. “There are so many.”
“This is how I know I’m responsible for the death of your mother. Gordon used some of the paintings I did in the past to find you. He used them to hunt you down and take you from your mother. If I hadn’t painted you or kept them secret, then he wouldn’t have killed her.”
“That’s not your fault,” I say defending him. I know in my heart that he’s telling me the truth.
Gordon fed me lies, but deep down I knew that he was evil. I can see straight to Bishop’s soul and it’s pure and good.
“I’m so sorry that I didn’t find you sooner.” He grazes his knuckles along my jaw and my body is alight with heat. “But I’m here now, and I’ll do anything to keep you safe. You’re mine, Loren.”
Chapter 8
Bishop
“I can’t stay away from you anymore,” I say as I cup her face and she tilts her cheek into my palm. “I’ve waited two hundred years almost to the day to find you, and just when I lost hope, there you were.”
“What’s happening?” she says as I lean close and hold my lips a breath away from hers.
“I’m going to kiss you, then I’m going to taste you,” I say as I slide one arm around her back and press my lips to her.
There is a small trace of blood on her lip from where it was split before, and when it hits my tongue I feel it all the way down to my toes. The flavor of sweet sugary cinnamon fills my mouth and I deepen the kiss.
Her hands slide up my chest and I feel her grip the jacket of my suit. I pull at the material, wanting it away from my body and wanting her skin against mine. I’m suddenly frantic with the need to have her and to love every inch of her body. She reaches for the buttons of my shirt and I can sense her urgency as well.
�
�I need you,” I say as I kiss down her neck and graze my teeth along her delicate flesh. I grind my hard cock against her and she gasps, spreading her legs. The warm cradle of her thighs welcomes me and I grind against her. “We drink from each other, that’s how you stay mine forever.”
She moans as I press her against the wall and pull my shirt off. She scores her nails down my bare chest and I want to howl with excitement. My hands go to her dress and I bunch the fabric around her waist so that I can feel her heat against me. I trace my fingers along the edge of her panties, kissing my way down her collar bone.
“Will you bite me?” she asks, and I lean back a little to see the need in her eyes.
“Whenever you ask me to,” I say and kneel down in front of her. “Hold this up for me.”
She grabs the edge of her dress and lifts it so I can see her white panties exposed. The sight of her before me and the scent of her desire have my head dizzy with lust. How can she be so pure and sweet and want a man like me? I might not be the man she deserves, but I’ll be better for her. I’ll be the best that I can be and give her all that she desires.
I gently peel her panties down, exposing her bare pussy and pink lips. They’re fresh with dew and I feel my teeth ache to taste her and to bite.
“You’re untouched, aren’t you, love?” I ask as I rub my thumb between her lips. I look up and lock eyes with her. She nods and bites her bottom lip. “You won’t be any longer.”
She steps out of her panties as I lean forward and run my tongue along the seam of her pussy. Her body tenses but then immediately relaxes when she lets me taste her. The warm sweet cinnamon is strongest here, and I moan at the flavor. How can she taste so heavenly? Do all mates feel the same way?
I pick up one leg and put it on my shoulder as my hands go to her ass. I grip her hard and open my mouth over her pussy, sucking on her clit. She calls my name and her hands go to my shoulders as she rolls her hips against my face. It’s dirty and sexy, watching her working her body to get off.
She rides my face and her body trembles, and I know her orgasm is fast approaching. She might be a virgin, but she’s hungry to become a woman, and I’m going to make her that soon enough.
The need to have her is overwhelming and I can’t control my urges much longer. As her body coils tight, I slide two fingers inside of her and feel her virginity break. She cries out as she peaks and her orgasm hits her hard. I suck on her clit while she rides the wave of pleasure and calls out my name.
I can taste her virgin blood on my tongue, and I lick her clean and kiss the inside of her thigh. Before I can tell her what I’m going to do, I sink my teeth into the soft flesh and break the skin. She cries as another orgasm rolls over her and I smile, tasting her blood.
I close my eyes and moan as I drink from her and feel the bond warm my body. I’m hard as a rock and it’s getting worse since my body has been waiting for this moment for two hundred years. I can’t wait much longer, but I don’t know how long I’ll last.
When I’ve tasted enough of her for now, I lick the wound closed and then stand up. Her hands still hold tight to the dress, so I pry the material free and then take it off her body. She’s completely bare before me and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.
Her legs are shaky, and I hold her close as I walk over to the small couch in the corner of the room. I sit down and help her straddle me, leaning back a little. Her hands go to the waist of my slacks and I help her undo them and take my cock out. It’s so thick I’m not sure it will fit inside her, but I don’t feel her fear. Instead I sense excitement and something else so much deeper.
After tasting her blood I’m connected to her in ways I never thought possible. This is what all the books I’ve studied for so long talk about, but I never knew it could be this way. Her thoughts are my own and I wonder what it will be like when she tastes mine.
“Now it’s your turn, love,” I say as I bring my wrist to my mouth and pierce my skin with my teeth.
Her eyes grow wide with surprise, but again there’s no fear. She’s curious and hungry. When I hold it out for her, she leans down and places her lips on me without hesitation, and that’s when I grab my cock and hold it steady while she raises her hips and lowers onto it.
Her violet eyes lock with mine. I feel her taste me at the same time my cock slides slowly into her pussy. She’s sucking me as my cock sinks deeper and I can’t look away. It’s the single greatest moment of my life and instantly I feel our connection wrap around us like a solid wall protecting us from the outside world. The only thing that matters right now is the two of us in this room and nothing can take that away.
“Fuck,” I say through clenched teeth as she seats herself on my cock and holds me deep inside of her. I don’t know how her body was able to take every inch, but the magic that binds us together must be what makes it possible.
She’s so much smaller than I am, but somehow, we are one.
I touch her cheek as I pull my wrist away and then bring it to my mouth to seal the cut. There’s a small trace of blood on her bottom lip and I lean forward, taking her face with both hands and kissing her deeply. Her bare breasts press against my chest and her hard peaks tease me. The kiss is overwhelming as I taste myself on her tongue and feel our connection open completely for the first time. I can hear her thoughts and feel what she does and I can hear her desires. I break the kiss and move my mouth to her nipples, because she wonders what it would be like to have them in my mouth.
Her hips rock as I think about how good it would feel to have her move on me, and together we give each other what we want.
“Bishop,” she whispers, and I lean back to look at her. Her violet eyes are dark now and I can sense how good my cock feels inside her. “Is it always like this?” she asks as she rocks her hips back and forth.
“I don’t know. I only know what it’s like making love with you.” I rub my hands down her back and then grab her ass. “But I imagine this connection right now only happens with true mates. With people who love each other.”
Her hips falter and I grab her around the waist and stand up before I lay her back down on the small couch. Her ass is at the edge and I’m hovering over her as I fuck her harder and deeper.
“We have all the time in the world to define what it is you feel right now, but for me, this is undeniable love. Love that I’ve searched for since the day I was made. Even before you were born I was searching for you. This is real and true, Loren, and I’m going to protect it with my life.”
She reaches out and grabs my chest as she moans and clenches around me. Her breathing is heavy and her body is soft while she lies back and lets me have her. I place my hand on her belly and look into her eyes.
“I’m going to make you a mother,” I say, letting my cock slide deeper inside her. “You’ve been alone for far too long. It’s time you were bred and given what your heart desires.” I lean down to suck on her nipple and she cries out. “I can read all your thoughts at once and you can read mine, too. I know that deep down you’re hoping to get pregnant so that you can have a little baby.”
“Oh god, Bishop,” she breathes while her pussy squeezes me. My dirty words are only the truth and I’m making a promise I intend to keep.
“If a baby is what you want, then that’s what you’ll get,” I say, rubbing her clit with my thumb and feeling her body tighten. “All I want is to love you until the end of eternity.”
She cries out as her climax hits, and I can no longer hold back. I sink deep into her one last time and feel my cock erupt inside of her. Waves of pleasure wash over me, and it’s twice as many because I feel hers, too. The connection allows the both of us to share in the release and I hold her close as it runs over us.
We’re both gasping for air as the mingled cream from the two of us slips out of her pussy and around where we’re joined. I’m not ready to leave her body, so I don’t pull out as I stand up with her and carry her into the bathroom.
“Where are you taking me?�
�� she asks sleepily, cuddling against me.
“I thought you’d like to have a nice hot soak with me,” I say as I go in the bathroom and turn on the hot water in the tub.
I set her on the edge of the sink, but still I won’t leave her warm embrace. I’m still hard like a diamond, but I imagine it’s going to stay that way for quite some time.
While I wait for the bath to fill up, I hold her face and stare into her eyes. I tuck her hair behind her ears, and I touch her lips, but I can’t stop looking at her. Our minds are as connected as our souls, and we’re sharing all of our memories. Some of hers are so sad and lonely, but there are a few nice ones from when she was younger and got to go outside and play. She sees mine and how lonely I was until I began to have a family of my own, but there was always a missing piece. Now that I’ve found her, my heart is full and she sees that, too. There are no words to exchange and nothing is left unsaid. This is the best part about becoming mated—my truth is there for her to see.
I carry her over to the tub and step in before I sink down slowly. She’s still straddling me as she places her head on my chest and the warm water surrounds us.
“Tomorrow,” I say when I feel her questions bubbling up. “Right now, just let me take care of you, Loren. Let me show you love.”
I feel her body mold to mine as she truly knows what it feels like to belong somewhere.
Chapter 9
Loren
“What have I done?” I whisper as I stare at Bishop lying in bed next to me.
For the first time since I can remember, my head is clear and there are no more fuzzy spots. There were so many things Gordon hid from me in my own mind. I’d been living with that monster my whole life and didn’t know it.
Bishop’s eyes open and he rolls us over so he’s on top of me. He pins me beneath him and there’s a look of concern on his face.
