Destined Hearts

by Castle, Angela

  “And my blood set you free, how?” Something flashed across her face as realization dawned. “Holy shit, you drank it, didn’t you? Y-You’re some kind of vampire?”

  “Oui, chèri, I am a vampire.”

  Surprisingly, she didn’t look fearful at the news. Instead she pulled back to glance him over with great interest. “Aren’t vampires meant to look all pale and pasty? Where are your fangs? I haven’t seen any.”

  He let his incisors lower and push over his lower lip.

  “Holy shit, they are real. Can I touch them?”

  He raised an eyebrow and suppressed a smile at her avid curiosity.

  “Do as you wish, ma petite. I will not harm you.”

  Her fingers traced over his lips and two teeth before she dropped her hand. It rested on his chest over his heart. “Well, it certainly makes sense, why you’re clueless about the things around you, why you’re so dirty and I feel so damn weak. But why were you imprisoned for so long?

  Why didn’t you kill me? Why did my blood wake you up? Who the heck was that other guy who was obviously trying to feed me to you? I mean he did, but how did we end up in a hotel room?” The rapid-fire questions tumbled from her mouth.

  “Do you always ask so many questions?” He let his smile show.

  “Well, yes, I mean no. C’mon, it’s not every day you have a shower with a real, live vamp boy. But I think the most important question is, are you going to kill me?”

  “I told you I would not harm you, ma petite. You are too precious.”

  Her brows knit together in confusion. “Okay, so no death by blood loss, which leaves the question of what are you going to do with me?”

  “Kiss you.” Vocalizing his intent made her heart accelerate again; he felt her whole body respond to his simple words.

  Ethan smiled. He’d been staring at those lips for too long. The feel of her hands on him, her positive responses, only seemed to confirm his actions in claiming her. Not only was she a blue blood, but, so much more, she was his blue blood. She belonged to him. He tightened his hold, pressing her body closer into his. The wet material that held her breasts rubbed against his chest, creating a delicious friction. He slid his hand up to grasp at the base of her head, gently tugging her back so he could take full advantage, lowering his head to brush his lips over hers. She gave a soft whimper when he ran his tongue over the seam of her lips. They parted and hot, sweet breath expelled. Ethan used that moment to seal his lips over hers, at last claiming what was his.

  All sanity left Aria when his mouth took hers. His tongue pushed possessively into her mouth, tasting, exploring, claiming. If she was weak before, she was even weaker now from the desire and lust that strum through her entire body, from the tingle in her toes to the tip of her scalp.

  It was insanity, all of it. Yet she wanted more. He tasted clean, sweet.

  Aria moaned as strong, large hands cupped her ass; the material of her panties was torn off her body and cast aside, and he pulled her tighter against his harder-than-steel erection, which was stabbing into her lower belly. A small snap, and her bra was yanked from her body. The tongue that had been ravaging between her lips trailed to the corner of her mouth and down along her chin to her throat. She shivered in his arms, as he pressed his lips over the pulse in her neck, and tensed for a moment, wondering if he would bite her.

  “No, ma petite,” he said, reading her thoughts. “Soon you will recover and be stronger; right now I want your body, not your blood.”

  “Ethan!” She gasped as his hot mouth closed over her nipple, sucking it deep into the cavern of his mouth. Aria let out a moan of pleasure. His breathing was heavy as he released her breast with a soft

  pop.

  “Oui, ma petite, let me have you.” The deep, husky tone of Ethan’s voice only added fuel to the flame of her desire.

  She was glad of Ethan’s strong, vampire strength as her legs no longer supported her. He pressed her back into the tiled walls, the cool, smooth ceramic on her skin doing nothing to cool her rising body temperature.

  Ethan went back to feasting on her breast, rolling the flat of his tongue over her nipple, slowly letting his mouth slide off before catching the hardened peak between his teeth. It was hard enough to cause a small level of pain, which only heightened the pleasure coursing through her; the tug on her nipple seemed to have a direct invisible line to her clit, making it pulse with each tug. Her breast bounced free of Ethan’s hot mouth, but before she could protest the loss of his mouth, he snatched the other breast into his mouth, repeating the process, wrangling longer and louder moans from her along with small, panting whimpers.

  With one arm supporting her, he leaned back a little as a hand slid down over the curve of her hip, moving lower to nudge her thighs apart as large, calloused fingers threaded through the soft curls at the junction of her thighs and into her wet, weeping heat.

  Aria jerked in his arms, letting out a whimper, as a long digit slid straight into her pussy while his thumb flicked over her clit. He gripped her hips, pinning her against the wall as he slid down her body, the water from the shower beating down on his back. He trailed open-mouthed kisses under her ribs, over her rounded stomach, nudging her legs farther apart with his shoulders.

  “Such a sweet smell. I know you are going to taste even better.”

  Aria gave a shuddering gasp as his tongue laved over her sensitive bundle of nerves. Never had she felt like this, not even with her first lover, Kevin, who had been nice enough but only as a means to an end. It always seemed that people or men were only nice when they wanted something from her. Kevin had turned out to be a real prick when she had refused to continue fucking him, and he had spread it around the school that she was an easy slut. Aria had been hurt and angered. Mae had told her the simple

  truth that all men were bastards and were never to be trusted.

  There was something about Ethan that made Aria want to sample everything he had to offer. He was more than just a man, and it was more than her attraction to this dark, sexy being. Something drew her to him on a level she couldn’t seem to comprehend. In this time and moment, she didn’t want to think about it but simply feel.

  And feel she did. Her body was weak and alive at the same time in the hands of this ancient vampire. He laved again, and her belly quivered; her hips arched out, seeking more of his tongue. He gave it to her, spearing into her heat. She moaned, undulated, and writhed. She could feel herself rushing toward release as he sucked on her core.

  Then his mouth was gone.

  Aria whimpered in protest. She had been close, oh so close. Her whole body burned with a white-hot fire for the man on his knees before her.

  “Do you want me, Aria?” His tone was husky, strained.

  “Yes,” she hissed. “I want you.”

  “Do you give yourself freely to me?”

  “Yes,” she wailed. “Please, Ethan.”

  He buried his face once again into her, pushing his tongue in deeper. She sighed in ecstasy, curling one of her legs around his back, her heel deep into his shoulder. A rumble of pleasure vibrated from his chest.

  Her body was so tightly coiled that it suddenly burst apart as she shook and trembled. Her cream rushing down, he lapped and laved.

  He withdrew his tongue and stood up, towering over her. His hands slid down, cupping her ass and lifting her up his body. His hard cock now pressed in between her legs as her trembling limbs wrapped around his thickly muscled, narrow waist. She felt the blunt tip of his cock piercing her. Aria cried out as he pushed his entire cock into her in one long, slow thrust, forcing her body to take him. If she hadn’t already been soaking wet, Aria knew it would have been a hell of a lot more painful, but this was just the right mix of pain and pleasure.

  He rested the top of his head on her wet hair, allowing her time to adjust; never had she felt so stretched and full, but it wasn’t enough.

  Greedily, she wanted more. His breath sounded labored as he waited.

  “Did I
hurt you, ma petite?” Concern was evident in his strained voice.

  “No, so good, Ethan, don’t stop. More, give me more.”

  “So tight, my little Aria,” he groaned. “Mon dieu, so good.” He pulled back to plunge back in. French spilled from his lips as he frantically started hammering into her.

  Feeling the ridges rub at every possible nerve ending within her, it was an incredible sensation. All Aria could do was cling helplessly to him, her fingers digging into his shoulder, feeling the build of another climax.

  He pumped in and out of her faster; she tumbled over the precipice, feeling like her whole body had splintered into millions of pieces. With a deep, guttural groan, her eyes flew open as she felt him grow thicker within her, prolonging her orgasm, hot seed ejecting into her center. His body shuddered, trembling in her arms.

  Time had no meaning as her body went limp, their pounding hearts starting to slow. Any remaining strength had vanished. Ethan raised his head and reached behind her to turn off the shower flow. Aria hadn’t even noticed that the water had cooled.

  “You cannot leave me, my Aria. You belong to me.”

  Too weak to make any protest, she barely noticed Ethan lifting her from the tub and toweling her dry before carrying her back to the bed.

  Even before her head touched the pillow, Aria had tumbled into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Four

  Thank goodness Jacob had planned to meet John not long after feeding Ethan; of course, when he hadn’t shown up, John had come looking for him. He had a spare set of keys to the lower part of the elders’

  building but no key to Ethan’s cell, which had forced John to beg a key from Lord Formont. The senior elder was understandably pissed off to learn Ethan was awake and free.

  “She was just a whore,” Jacob defended to Lord Formont. “A plain, common whore, no different from any of the others I feed him. How was I to know her blood was different?” He was humiliated and angry by the situation he now found himself in.

  “Whore or not, she is a blue blood, because only a blue blood could have woken him.” Lord Formont’s tone dripped with venom.

  Blue blood? Jacob had heard rumors of such women existing but only long ago before his time. Jacob studied the elder vampire before him with his long, white hair and piercing, blue eyes. Jacob gauged he must have been in his early thirties when he was turned. “He’s out of his time.

  He’ll have trouble adapting to this century, and if the woman manages to live, he’ll be lumbered with her as well.”

  “For the sake of every vampire and human life alike, find him, or it will not be his head that will be hunted, Jacob,” Lord Formont threatened, making Jacob clench his jaw. “I don’t care what it takes to find him; just do it, and do it quickly.”

  Jacob knew there was more at stake here for Lord Formont. Jacob

  had done his research after he had been given the job of taking care of Ethan. Ethan was one of the first vampires to have ever walked the Earth.

  There had been some sort of argument or war between Lord Formont and his elder buddies, which had forced them into relocating to America, but what exactly happened between them no one knew but them. Ethan was one of the major reasons Lord Formont kept power over the other vampires in the country.

  “If this woman is alive, bring her to me unharmed. If she is a true blue blood, then we can’t have her keep feeding Ethan.” There was an evil gleam in the elder’s eye. “Blue bloods are the only women on Earth who can bear a vampire child. I have not been able to find one since moving to this country.”

  Jacob raised his eyebrows at Lord Formont’s comment, giving Jacob much food for thought, and that delectable, little, innocent woman was in the forefront of them.

  Jacob had deliberately left out a lot of information for the elder; despite her appearance, the woman was no whore. He had wanted to taste her himself. If her blood was so special, maybe he’d sample her in more ways than one.

  “You waste my time here. Go do what must be done,” Lord Formont hissed.

  Not wasting another moment, he spun on his heels, striding out of the long, opulent room. It was time to do a little tracking. Fortunately, the tasty little lady had left her purse behind. Jacob knew where to start tracking her. A plan formulated. This time he would have the advantage.

  *

  Aria awoke with a jolt, sunlight filtering in through the window.

  She glanced at the lit red numbers on the bedside clock, which said it was just after noon. Shit, she had to be at work in an hour. Unfortunately, she was still imprisoned in two very strong arms, one wrapped around her waist, the other curled over her upper torso. Looking down at the hand clutching at her breast, she gave a wavy smile. Vampire or not, men were

  men. Often male customers at the diner would leer at her ass or breasts.

  On the odd occasion, some of the worst of them groped her then would leave a lousy tip. Those men were bastards. But this one wrapped around her? She wasn’t so sure; she hated when she was made to doubt herself.

  “Ethan?” She spoke quietly at first before trying louder.

  He didn’t stir.

  Did vampires really sleep like the dead during the day? Well, she was about to find out. Aria pinched the arm that held her waist hard, but there was nothing, no response. She remembered his words before she had fallen asleep.

  “You cannot leave me, my Aria. You belong to me.”

  Like hell she belonged to a centuries old vampire, even one as sexy as Ethan. He could find someone else to be his snack bar. Aria had had an unfortunate night, though, granted, in a twisted way, she owed him her life, saving her from a situation that could have been worse than being a blood donor.

  She felt better, stronger, had learned from her mistake, so now it was time to move on. Aria had to be strong; she had no one else to rely on but herself, though at least she still had Mae. Never again would she try her hand at turning a trick. No matter how desperate things got, Aria would battle through. She was a survivor.

  No more trying to be what she wasn’t. She would work hard, stick with the diner, even find a second job if she had to. It was time to say goodbye to Mr. Sexy French Vampire.

  It was a struggle, but she managed to wiggle out from his grasp and roll off the bed. She let her gaze linger on Ethan; his relaxed features in sleep made him appear boyish, beautiful, making her almost reluctant to leave him. Why shouldn’t she just snuggle back into his arms and say to hell with the rest of the world? He had treated her tenderly, hadn’t bitten her again. His kisses had done things to her that she never thought possible. She sat back down on the bed, gently brushing several strands of hair out of his face. Something was tugging at her to stay.

  “Don’t be stupid,” she muttered, jumping to her feet, recalling all her bad experiences. Men were only nice when they wanted something,

  and this one wanted her blood. That was all.

  She fought the compulsion to stay, tore her gaze away from him to glance around the room. She found clothes that had been thrown over a chair. They were men’s and women’s clothing, all with tags still attached.

  Ethan had gone shopping last night? It didn’t matter. Aria snapped off the tags and dressed in a silk blouse—more than she could ever afford—and a cream skirt that hugged her hips. There was no underwear; her nipples brushed against the silk material and tightened. She let a soft moan escape her lips, remembering how good Ethan’s mouth had felt tugging on them.

  “Oh, get a grip!” She searched the room for her purse; it was missing. Damn. Aria went to the pile of clothing that Ethan had worn last night, searching through the pants pockets and tugging out a black leather wallet. She flipped it open.

  Jacob Mather’s driver’s license photo stared back at her. The man from last night; Aria realized he must be a vampire as well. Ethan must have snatched his wallet along with his clothes. That bastard had kept Ethan naked and dirty in that cell. Anger curled into her being. He had treated Ethan worse than
an animal.

  “Bastard,” Aria hissed softly.

  She liberated a twenty from the wallet before placing it onto the night stand next to the sleeping Ethan. She stood transfixed a second time, watching the rise and fall of his beautiful, sculptured chest, the muscles bunched in his shoulders. She licked her lips, her own mouth watering for another taste of that tanned skin. Damn it, she had to get away from him before she found herself enslaved to this dangerous vampire. Without shoes, she padded softly to the door and pulled it open then paused. She wasn’t going to look back. She couldn’t afford to look back. She had to get away from this madness for her own sanity’s sake.

  *

  Aria pushed a stray hair out of her face and spun on her heel at Dennis’ yell and the ding of the bell.

  “Order for table two, Ari!”

  Stifling a yawn, Aria snatched up the two plates and balanced the third on her arm. Six hours into her shift, her stomach grumbled, and her body ached with fatigue. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Ethan. A gnawing feeling of guilt for leaving him had kept her edgy and snappy. She tried to shove it to the back of her mind and get on with her job, and she hadn’t noticed that the sun had set.

  Aria had barely made it to work after finding herself thirty blocks from her apartment; she had taken a cab to get home quicker. Dressed with shoes on, there was no sign of Mae as she skipped out, tugging back her hair in a ponytail, racing the four blocks to work.

  “You look beat, Ari.” Amy, her fellow waitress, passed her.

  “Two hours, and then I’m down and out, straight home, straight to bed.”

  “What, on a Friday?”

  “Yes on a Friday. I had a hell of a night last night, and I have no intention of reliving it.” She headed out with her plates, pasting a fake smile on for the customers. No, she was going home to lock the doors now that she knew what really prowled the streets at night. She wanted no part of it. The only hope of having a normal life was to forget that Ethan even existed and that last night had never happened. She stifled a groan; it was an impossible task to ever forget about Ethan and how incredible he had made her feel. The diner door dinged as more customers came in.