“I might as well tell you, Raven warded your place as well.”
“I thought I told you not to do that.”
“I didn’t do it; Raven did.”
She gave him a withering look.
“I’m sorry to go against your wishes, but I couldn’t leave you unprotected.” He shook his head. “It was enough of a burden to leave you alone. It would have broken my heart if something happened to you.”
“You’re forgiven.” She meant it. In truth, she was relieved to hear he’d done it. With the Realtor showing her apartment to strangers throughout the day, she’d been worried Tristan or someone else would leave her a booby trap.
“Are you still drained?” he asked. “You can feed on me.”
“No. I’m fine.” His blond hair was mussed and her fingers itched to right its silky strands. She wanted to curl against his side, caress the hard muscles of his chest and stomach. She wanted him. The hyperfocused attention of his sapphire-blue eyes, the feel of his body, his energy, over her. Over her, yes that’s how she wanted him. She didn’t want to think, just feel. She wanted him in control.
It was a revelation to feel this way. Her entire life, her father had trained her to be a predator, a killer, a ruthless leader, but as she looked at Tobias, all she wanted to be was his. Even if it was for one night. She wanted to hand everything over to him and let go.
“Sabrina, please don’t cry. What is it? What do you want?”
She wiped under her eyes. “I want you,” she said. “So bad it hurts.”
His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “Then be mine.”
“Yours? What does that even mean?”
“It means, whatever else you are—a nurse, a master, a human, a vampire—that you’re mine too. Give yourself to me.”
She shook her head and backed away a step. “How am I supposed to do that? Think about what you are asking. In a matter of days, I will be master. The coven will own me until I can get a support system in place that I can trust. I am not my own. How can I give you something that isn’t mine to give?”
His gaze transfixed her, his eyes fathomless pits of sapphire that drew her in. “Whatever you give me, Sabrina, it will be enough. You are enough for me.”
“The only thing I can give you is tonight. I can’t promise you more.” Her voice was shaking.
“There’s a saying where I come from: dragons do not mate lightly. I can give you tonight and I can set you free tomorrow, but you should know I will never be free of you. I can’t go halfway into this.”
“You’re not bound to me.” She said it because she feared it. The vampire bond rose within her and she pushed it down deeper. She could do this, couldn’t she? Just have sex. Nothing more.
“I will be. You must know I’ve fallen in love with you.” The words hit her like bullets, straight to the heart.
He was so close now she could feel his warmth. “I love you too.” She was breathless, spinning, weightless, falling.
Sabrina knew she couldn’t give him what he was asking for, not really. Whatever happened between them now, it would be a onetime thing. She’d have to devote herself to the coven. Still, everything in her wanted him. His energy had fed her, but the gnawing inside her now was a different type of hunger, one that she couldn’t deny.
Rushing into his arms, she dug her fingers into his shirt and tore, sending buttons flying. She crashed into him with every bit of passion she’d kept restrained these past weeks. To be a vampire was to notice everything. Her mouth warred with his, a clash of velvet tongues and hard, demanding lips. Eyes closed, she reveled in his intoxicating scent, the bouquet of his blood pulsing beneath his skin. The beat of his heart quickened in her ears. Her fingers traveled over the peaks and valleys of his chest and stomach.
Damn, he was a piece of art, all corded muscle and long, lean limbs. Her hands found his belt and then his fly. And when she lowered his briefs, the magnificent length between his legs made her hiss. It jutted toward her, long and proud, making her instantly wet between her legs. When his touch skimmed the waistband of her pants, she thought the brush of his fingers against her belly might make her combust.
“Be mine, Sabrina,” he said again. The low purr had started in his chest again, a pleasant buzz that did wild things to her insides. She inhaled deeply, the scent of his arousal mingling with hers in the air.
“I want you in me.” She pressed herself fully against him. His skin was hot now, like he’d stood too close to an open flame. She panted with need.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and backed her against his dresser. “Say you are mine. I need to hear it.”
She was. She knew she was. Her vampire side was pounding on her inner doors, begging for her to let go, to drown in this love he was pouring over her. It broke her heart to see him tremble. Could she throw out the lasso of her bond and tie him to her forever?
His fingers found the hem of her shirt and hoisted it over her head. For a second she was embarrassed to remember that the bra she was wearing was nothing special, old and white. He didn’t notice. It was off her in the next breath. His hand cupped her breast, bolstering it as he bent to take her nipple into his mouth. The hot feel of his tongue on her flesh made her toss her head back and moan.
“You’re mine.” Possessive was the only word for the look he gave her, his hooded eyes slowly scanning every inch of her exposed skin.
She could fight it no longer. “Yes,” she gasped. “I’m yours.”
Chapter Eighteen
Tobias understood that when Sabrina said yes, she meant yes for tonight. She’d told him as much. Her first priority was her coven. He wanted more than tonight. He wanted forever, and forever between two immortals was a very long time.
“I’m yours.”
Her words echoed in his head. On some level, it would be wise to stop, to push her away. But he couldn’t bring himself to follow his own sage advice no matter the consequences.
Once he took her to bed, there would be no escaping a strong and permanent bond to her, and if she did not share that bond, it could drive him insane. It had happened to his brother. He’d mated with their guide, the healer Maiara, before a rival tribe had murdered her in 1700. He’d gone insane after she died. To this day, Tobias had no idea what had become of him, although he’d heard rumors that he lived like an animal in the caves of Sedona.
Would that happen to him? If Sabrina left him, would he recede from the world and become something that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for human? He feared losing his mind, but as he looked at Sabrina, he was helpless to deny himself.
He drew back and stared at her in all her naked glory. No makeup, yet her prominent cheekbones carried a well-fed blush and the bright green of her eyes needed no embellishment. Her silky hair fell in soft red waves around her shoulders. Her torso was long and lean with graceful limbs and creamy skin that reminded him of milky glass. Her wounds had completely healed, and her sex… He swallowed. By the Mountain, her sex was smooth, hairless.
“It’s a vampire thing,” she said. “Something about our biology.”
“You’re beautiful. Every part of you.”
Her gaze raked over his body. “What about you? How are dragons… different?”
“Well, I don’t have the fangs of a vampire.”
She laughed, her cheeks darkening with her subtle blush. “You know what I mean.”
Anxiety twanged behind his breastbone, and he swallowed hard against it. He was a dragon and a male. He’d lost his virginity centuries ago while he was still in Paragon. He’d had other women since then, human women, only all those times he’d kept his true nature hidden. He didn’t have to do that with her.
“There is one thing.”
Without a word, she lowered her chin, her eyes twinkling in silent encouragement.
He tightened the extra muscles in his abs, surprised they still worked after centuries of disuse. Long-dormant muscles between hip and deltoid stretched to life. It felt good, as did the un
raveling of his wings from his back. He extended them above his shoulders, scraping the ceiling before folding them again behind him.
Sabrina’s green eyes turned wide and wet, her mouth gaping. Did she find him grotesque? Would she run from the room? Had he frightened her?
“I can put them back. Just give me a minute. It’s been a long ti—”
“Don’t you dare.” She moved closer.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her breasts deliciously into his chest. Her skin was cooler than his own, and the doctor in him wondered if her core temperature was always on the cool side. Then her lips met his and he stopped thinking altogether. Her mouth was a wonderland and he explored every corner, staking his claim as his fingers traced delicious patterns over the soft skin of her back. Muscle shifted beneath his touch. She straddled his leg and reached for his right wing. Her nails tickled delightfully along the underside and the feeling flooded his body with heat and made his cock twitch. He looked at her through his lashes and stretched the wing to give her better access. She stroked him again.
“When you shifted in the museum, I couldn’t see you very well. I was lying at an angle and in excruciating pain. But I remember this color. Your scales are like moonlight on freshly fallen snow. There’s a blue tint. Like your ring.”
“I’ve rarely studied my full reflection as a dragon, of course—when I shift, my dragon self has other priorities—but in my home in Paragon, the floors of the palace where I used to play were made of polished obsidian, and I remember…” He looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
She’d backed away and crossed her arms over her chest. “You played in a palace as a child?”
“Yes…”
“I have so many questions.” Her fingers stroked along the edge of his wing, and he closed his eyes. “What is that sound?” she asked. “It’s heavenly. Almost like a purr.”
“Mating trill. It’s a dragon thing. It’s supposed to draw you to me. Is it working?”
“Oh yes.” Her lips were on his again, and all that was left happening in his brain was a carnal need to be inside her. Lucky him, she must have felt the same way considering how her mouth and vampire strength were pulling him against her. And then her hand worked between them and palmed his length.
He hissed. “By the Mountain, Sabrina, I won’t last long if you keep that up.”
When she pulled back to look at him, her fangs had dropped. “Good. I think we’ve waited long enough.”
One beat of his wings and her back was against the wall. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs lifting to hook over his hips in one fluid movement. It was as if she could read his mind.
“I can feel your emotions,” she said into his mouth. He gave her room to speak. “My human side, the side that feeds on energy, can also read it like the written page. Your desire for me is… oh God….”
“I need you, Sabrina. Like a bird needs the sky.” His voice cracked.
“Then take me.”
He repositioned himself and entered her slowly, her tight flesh gripping his own. He had to measure his breaths to keep from finishing before they started. Supporting her weight, he pulled out partway and slammed into her again, pleasure riding him like an animal.
“Oh,” she growled out, in a gritty, sultry voice that made his blood sing. Her head tipped back. “I see now how dragons are different.” And then her hips were moving, fast. By the Mountain, he’d never had sex like this. A human couldn’t move like this. He felt himself nearing the brink and tried to slow down, to make it last longer.
She dug her nails into his scalp. “Now. Don’t stop. Don’t you stop.”
He thrust into her, her back slamming hard into the wall as the force of her release collided with his. Lightning-hot intensity coursed through him again and again until all he saw was light and all he felt was the grip of her soft, cool flesh asking him for more.
And so he gave her everything.
She would never forget the wings. No matter what happened tomorrow, Sabrina would dream about those breathtaking silver wings working over her until the day she died. She had plenty of material for her dream world. They’d made love at least four times last night. She lay next to him now, face-to-face, his fingers stroking back and forth over the curve of her spine even though his eyes were closed and his breath was even.
The feeling was mutual. She’d drifted in and out of sleep, waking only to burrow closer to him. Thankfully, it was Saturday morning. Watery light sifted through the window. The sun was rising. The coven would be underground by now and she hadn’t closed on her apartment, so they wouldn’t be expecting her. Not yet anyway. Plus she’d quit her job, so she didn’t have to work. She had a few hours before she had to go.
“Tobias?”
“Hmm.”
“I don’t mean to wake you, but it’s almost six. Do you have to work today?”
“No. Took off.” One sapphire-blue eye blinked open.
“You did?” She smiled wide enough to show her back teeth.
“Don’t get too excited. I promised to give my brother and Raven the full Chicago Saint Patrick’s Day experience. We’re going to view the green river, watch the parade, and have corned beef and cabbage at the Curragh.”
She sighed and lifted onto her elbows. “I’m overseeing the process. It’s witchcraft, you know. Vampires have a hand in all the unions. We provide the materials to make this happen. I’m not sure what’s in the bulk of it, but it’s magic that turns the orange powder to fluorescent green. We have a witch from Edgewater on our payroll who does it every year.”
“Madam Chloe?” Tobias asked.
“Yes. The one and only.” Sabrina stopped short. Tobias was grinning up at her like he’d just found the toy at the bottom of the cereal box. “What’s that look for?”
“Your cheeks are pink.”
Tobias was responsible for her flush. She’d fed on his energy all night long. “I guess being with you literally warms my heart.”
His strong, sinewy arm scooped her against his chest. “When will I see you again?”
Her smile faded. “I don’t know. We need to be careful. My coronation is a week from today. Tristan will be doing everything in his power to undermine me. We need to stay apart until then. Don’t call attention to yourself. If he doesn’t know about you, he can’t use you to get to me.”
He rolled her onto her back and settled between her knees, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling deeply. Her pulse began to race again.
“A week, huh? I waited a lifetime for you. I suppose I can wait a little longer.”
She pressed her lips against his. “Once I’m master, I’ll figure out a way for us to see each other. My father has dozens of secret rooms and passageways throughout this city. We’ll find a way to be together. All you have to do is keep these”—she stroked his wings—“tucked away for my pleasure. As far as my coven is concerned, you’ll be one of my human staff. They’ll never suspect a thing.”
He bit her bottom lip gently. “Are you saying you’ll sell me as your walking blood bag?”
Her expression turned serious. “I think it’s the only way.”
There was a long silence as Tobias rolled onto his back and rested his head in a nest of his fingers. He looked up at the ceiling. “I wish it were different, but I’ll take what I can get.”
She rolled on top of him, spreading her knees and sinking into him. She feathered her lips against his. He answered with a long, languorous kiss.
When he finished, he asked, “But… are you excited about becoming coven master? Every time you talk about it, you get this look on your face. Sometimes I think you’re going to cry.”
She rubbed sleep from her eyes and tried to answer honestly. “I think anyone might feel overwhelmed. Since I was a child, I’ve been groomed to take over. I’m ready. Of course I’m ready. It just came on suddenly.”
“But you love being a nurse. It’s your calling. Aren’t you sad you have to give that up?”
<
br /> “Yes. Life is like that though—we don’t always get what we want. Or maybe it’s that we have to choose between the things we want. I want to be a strong leader for my coven. I also don’t want to change anything about my life. I can’t have both.”
“Is this where you quote Voltaire and say ‘With great power comes great responsibility’?”
“Power is more of a cross to bear than most people understand. This is my fate. It is who I am, and it is who I will be. You need to know that.”
A shadow passed through his expression. “I think I understand.”
“But?”
“I was just thinking you’re a healer, like me. You prefer feeding on energy instead of blood because you don’t want to hurt anyone. Although you’ve been trained not to react to it, you gain no pleasure from violence. When we were in the museum, you sacrificed yourself and took a knife to the chest rather than hurt a sworn enemy.”
“So?”
He stroked her hair. “You are a kind, gentle, and selfless woman. You can force yourself to be a brutal mob boss like your father, but will you be happy? I want you to be happy.”
A long silence passed between them, and Sabrina’s head was flooded with the shaman’s words. You will never be like them. She frowned. Her voice sounded small when she answered him. “I guess we’re going to find out.”
His arms wrapped around her and she rested her cheek on his chest, enjoying the simple comfort. “All great leaders lead reluctantly. It wouldn’t be normal for this to be easy for me. I’ll have to change. My father didn’t have it all figured out when he took the helm, but he rose to the occasion.”
She felt him kiss the top of her head. “You are like no other woman I’ve ever met. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”
Pushing herself up, she rubbed her body against the length of him. The way he looked at her made her feel like a goddess. Like she could do anything.
Windy City Dragon Page 15