He pulled his fingers free, the heat of his body over her as he continued. Kissing her neck, he didn’t have to ask; she tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access. Then he did what she had been craving him to do, the sting of his teeth penetrating through her skin, the orgasmic pull of his sucking triggering a third release. She let it roll over her.
Ethan pulled his teeth free but continued to lick and kiss at the spot he had bitten, while he drove hard into her until his cock thickened and he came with a guttural cry, his whole body shuddering around hers.
Aria felt crushed. His weight suddenly crashed onto her back, knocking the breath from her lungs. Crying out a muffled sound, she struggled for breath. His weight lifted as he dragged her up to her side and into his arms. She gulped in lungfuls of air until her breathing and heart rate started to slow. Her limbs were heavy, sated and sleepy.
“You are a gift to treasure, ma petite,” Ethan said as he smoothed down her hair.
She whimpered in sleepy protest as he pulled away for a moment, not even bothering to open her eyes. If anything, Ethan was her treasure.
Then there was something warm and wet between her legs; he was washing her, she realized. It was such a tender action from such a strong, violent warrior. Her heart melted a little more as he rearranged their bed, pulling her back into his arms before tugging up the covers. In that moment, there was no other place she wanted to be than in his arms, forever.
Chapter Twelve
Aria felt terrible. A storm had hit the ship, making it pitch and sway with more violence than she had grown accustomed to in the past two days. Her stomach churned, and her head ached. She’d lost count of how many times she hunched over and heaved up in the cabin’s toilet bowl.
Ethan had woken to find her slumped over the toilet bowl, her body racked with tremors. Her sweating made thin wisps of hair stick to her forehead and cling against her neck. Ethan took a cool cloth, crouched down, pulling her hair back from her face, and wiped her brow and neck.
Then he gently rubbed her arms and back.
Any mortification of seeing her in such a state, he dismissed. His expression only held tender concern. “It is not just the pretty parts I care about, Aria, but all of you, whether in health or not. You are mine to take care of.”
Take care of her, he did, scooping her up, stripping off her clothes to shower her down, toweling her dry before tucking her into the bed. He tucked pillows behind her head and emptied the wastepaper basket, placing it by the bedside.
“You sure I’m not pregnant?” She glanced up at him, giving him a weak smile. She had never been in love before; she was pretty damn certain what she was starting to feel toward Ethan may be just that, and it scared the hell out of her.
Vampire and alien he may be, but he was also a man. In this
moment, Aria would rather face a hundred hungry vampires or battle a pit of vicious, snapping alligators than feel like this. It made her feel vulnerable and weak. Right now, that was the last thing she needed to be.
Through the hard road that had been her life, she had learnt how to survive.
Ethan kissed her forehead and shook his head, giving her a heart-warming smile. Her heart lurched, along with her stomach.
“You shall gain your sea legs soon. I shall fetch the doctor; there may be something this modern medicine can do for you.”
As Ethan left to fetch the doctor, Aria had to face the facts, as much as she hated to admit it to herself. She was indeed losing her heart.
*
Dr. Juan smiled kindly and gave her a bottle of motion sickness pills, advising her to drink plenty of fluids, eat nutrient-rich soups, and get plenty of rest until she felt better. Ethan must have taken the doctor’s words to heart, for he seemed to be always holding a glass of water, pushing it to her lips. He insisted on feeding her bowls of rich beef and vegetable soup that one of the ship’s stewards brought to their cabin.
Aria dozed on and off and cuddled against Ethan’s side, feeling comforted by his strong arms around her. He read a myriad of books he had gathered from the ship’s library, including, to Aria’s amusement, a complete set of encyclopedias.
Even though knowing what he was, she was still amazed by the speed he could do things at—speed reading through each book, casually tossing it aside before reaching for the next. He also watched dozens of movies on the small entertainment unit at the end of their bed. The horror films amused him; the science fiction made him laugh; the one vampire movie made him frown.
Not once did he push for sex or blood. She would’ve been blind not to have noticed his constant state of arousal, nor did she fail to notice the way his eyes would glaze over with a look of hunger.
Aria would ask him questions about his life throughout the
different centuries. He painted such clear, vivid pictures. She could almost see herself standing with him within each moment in time. She found herself wondering if he had had girlfriends, even a wife. With each small story of the night-life of French villagers, her curiosity gripped her, compelling her to ask. “Was there someone special? You know, a wife or girlfriend?” Even though she didn’t glance up, she could feel his amused gaze as she lay against the comfort of his side.
“I had lovers, if that is what you ask, ma petite, but never a wife.
Never have I found my destined heart.”
“‘Destined heart’?” Aria did raise her head this time, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before she lowered hers.
“Among my people, when a couple became mated, we called them ‘destined hearts,’ as they were always destined to be one; it is a deeper bond than husband and wife.”
“I like the sound of that.” Not wanting to delve deeper, with the sudden fear of her feelings for Ethan, she fell silent. This tender side of him was starting to melt the glacier-sized ice of her stubborn resolve. The heat of his lips was tender against her hair as her mind drifted off once more. She figured it was useless, so she gave up the fight.
*
Anticipation made Jacob edgy. He guessed it was the law of nature that gave vampires their one weakness and vulnerability to even out the fact that they were the superior predators. Daylight at least gave the humans a fighting chance. This left Jacob little choice but to rely on other resources. Humans, if they were not ignorant, walking food, could at least be used for daylight duty. There were two ways to secure a human’s loyalty. One: pay them an extreme amount of currency. Two: offer them power and immortality. The second method worked better than the first.
He glanced at the two men he had chosen to bring with him from the States; they had at least proven their usefulness by keeping him safe while they traveled on the chartered aircraft. Jacob and the others, who found it necessary to travel by aircraft, usually made sure they coincided
their journey to start and end in darkness. Traveling to Europe had left him vulnerable during the trip; he was unable to avoid daylight. He had been secure in the jet’s private hold, his two guards outside.
Now he stood on the Dunkerque docks and studied the ships coming into the harbor. The Hav Sang was due in after dawn’s break; he was ready for them. A property had been secured and traps were set into place. Ethan would not be able to outmaneuver him this time, even with his speed and strength. He could have simply let the men take Ethan during his slumber, but where would the fun be in that? Jacob wanted Ethan to know he could not and would not be outsmarted. He didn’t care how old the vampire was; Jacob was simply better.
“You have your assignments.” He nodded to his men. “The girl and the vampire are not to be harmed in any way.” He had to drive that point home. If they didn’t follow his instructions to the letter, he would kill them.
They both gave assuring nods.
“Try not to draw attention to yourselves when you search the ship for them and carry her out. The passenger deck is third level.”
Both of the men he had chosen were apt at gaining access to locked and restricted areas, or
he wouldn’t have brought their useless hides along.
A short, sweet capture and retrieval. Ethan would be back in the hole where he belonged, and he would have little Aria in his possession and away from the prying elders. He would make sure they would never be found. Sure, the elders were going to be pissed that he had taken the woman, but ultimately they would have what they wanted—Ethan—and continued control of their corner of the planet.
*
When Aria awoke, it was early morning. Her head was clear, and it took her a moment to realize that there was no pitching or swaying. The constant low hum and vibration of the ship’s engines were oddly silent; they must have come into a harbor or port. After being ill and stuck in a
cabin for the past three days, she felt a great need to get out and about, to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, to see some daylight. Untangling herself from Ethan’s embrace and climbing off the bed, she quickly showered and dressed. Exiting the cabin, she made her way through the corridors and up into the warmth and light.
Grabbing a passing crewmember, she inquired as to where they were. Dunkerque, France; they had made it. She sighed. There was nothing she could do until nightfall. They would find their way out to wherever it was he wanted to take her. She watched from her spot on deck as huge cranes reached over the ship, lifting and unloading several of the large shipping containers.
Her thoughts were churning over how she felt toward Ethan; yes, she loved him. His every action over the past few days had just tightened the ties that bound her to him. The feelings of fear and euphoria were mixed in the strangest way. Yes, she belonged to Ethan, wanted to belong to him, but in turn, that man belonged to her right back, which left her uncertain of his true feelings. Yes, he was kind, caring and possessive as hell, but that didn’t mean he loved her.
Aria shook her head before raising it to enjoy the heat of the sun on her face. It always boiled down to a matter of survival. Ethan had promised her a better life, and she didn’t need his love for that. She could steel herself against loving him, even if she couldn’t stop the emotion. It would work, could work… Oh, who was she trying to fool? It would never work. She would be the biggest idiot trying to stop the way she felt.
Sighing again, she turned, making her way below deck. Ethan would be hungry when he awoke. She was amazed at how normal the thought of Ethan drinking from her sounded, how much she craved his touch, his bite, and, yes, she craved his love. She prayed she was wrong, for her own sanity’s sake, and could hold in her feelings—well, just a little longer.
Entering the haven of their cabin, Aria quickly stripped, pulled back the covers, and paused to admire her dark, sexy vampire’s gorgeous body. She curled up against his side. With a contented sigh, Aria knew this was the place she belonged.
Chapter Thirteen
Aria was jolted awake by the hands clamped around her wrists and one over her mouth to muffle the scream that rose in her throat. The sound of hard breathing reverberated around the cabin as two men flipped her onto her stomach to bind her wrists and ankles.
“Shit, she’s naked,” said a gruff baritone with an unmistakable American accent.
“Hell, if she was mine, I’d insist she be naked all the time, but we’re not to touch her,” another replied, half wistful.
The other one chuckled. “Yeah, but he never said anything about not looking.”
“Wrap her in a sheet; we’ll take all her belongings. I for one will not risk Jacob’s anger.”
At the mention of Jacob’s name, all of her fears over their safety didn’t sound so foolish after all. Ethan had assured her they would be safe. She didn’t have a chance to see who they were as a blindfold descended over her eyes; a strip of material was secured around her mouth, and she was wrapped up in a sheet.
Aria screamed into her gag as she was lifted and flung over one of the men’s shoulder. It was useless to struggle. She allowed her body to relax as there was nothing she could do now except to conserve her strength for the fight that was sure to come.
“Is it true what I’ve heard about him being one of the firsts?”
“He’s fucking ancient, man. I wouldn’t want to mess with him.
He’s gonna be pissed as hell when he wakes up.”
Aria was relieved; at least they weren’t taking Ethan. She wondered about the move, though. They had her, and Ethan was there, vulnerable and for the taking. What did Jacob hope to achieve by taking her and not him? Obviously, Jacob had not learned from his last encounter with Ethan, unless he had something else up his sleeve.
“Let’s get the hell out of here before any of the crew realizes what’s going on and calls the French cops.”
Aria heard the door open and shut softly, holding a rise of nausea at being bounced on a broad shoulder as she was carried out. Through the thin wrap of the sheet, she could still smell the freshness of early morning.
She had still been tired from her illness and had fallen quickly into a heavy sleep. She had always been a light sleeper until Ethan; with him, she had felt safe and secure enough to let everything drift from her mind but him.
Her abductors were right about one thing: Ethan was going to be one seriously pissed off vampire when he woke up.
*
Ethan bolted upright. He drew in a deep breath, scenting everything around him, and even though the day had passed, there were still lingering scents like sweaty palms that had come in contact with surfaces, door handles, odors of more than one masculine presence. His whole body was rigid with pure rage; he leapt from the bed, stalking naked across the cabin, ripping a little square of paper that had been pinned to the door. It was an address in Paris. He observed that everything of Aria’s was missing along with her. Whoever had taken her had just guaranteed themselves a painful death by his hand.
So they wanted him to come. It smelt of a trap, but at that moment, he did not care. They had taken Aria, and he would always go to her. She was his to protect.
Ethan quickly dressed, laced his boots, and with his vampiric speed made his way topside, emerging on the upper deck. He paused to take in
the port of Dunkerque, the French seaside town. It had come a long way since its beginnings in the early fifteen hundreds.
Ethan gripped the railing and launched himself over the upper deck railing, not caring if anyone saw him as he landed with a solid thump on the paved dock. He scanned the area, inhaling a deep breath.
He could not scent Aria, and it unnerved him.
He would have to enlist the help of a weak-minded mortal for fast transportation to Paris. Aria’s words popped into his head. Yes, he was going to rescue his woman and kick some serous butt across Europe.
*
Handcuffs were fun with Ethan, but now they were simply pissing her off. She was cuffed for the better half of the day to a small cot in some sort of sparse, rundown apartment building. Her two albeit good-looking, burly abductors took turns in dozing and going off somewhere to buy food. They had allowed her only thirty seconds to dress or threatened to do it themselves. They had refused to talk or respond to any of her questions and threats, even if it was plain fact that Ethan was going to tear them apart limb from limb. They had seated themselves in another room with the door wide open so either one could keep a close lookout on her.
They had left her a banquet, some fruit and a few bottles of water. She had managed to doze a little, needing to conserve her energy for nightfall.
Darkness had descended like a heavy veil; it had taken them a few hours to get from Dunkerque to Paris. She had heard the men grumbling about French traffic and French drivers, even while blindfolded and housed in the trunk of a car. It meant Ethan was a few hours away from coming; for once, she didn’t want him to come to her rescue. It was a trap, plain and simple. It would break her heart, yes, but it would be a hell of a lot better if Ethan just walked away and found his people. In the grand scheme of things, she didn’t matter. He would find another blue blood; he would continue on and make Jacob Math
er’s life a living hell. She grinned at the thought. Hell, yeah, she would bitch-slap and kick ass as much as she possibly could. Why should Ethan get to have all the fun?
“Hello, little dove.”
Aria jumped at the sound of Jacob’s voice.
“Quite the romantic setting, don’t you think? You and I in Paris.”
She glanced up at him as he leaned on the doorjamb and smiled triumphantly down at her. “Go fuck yourself,” she growled.
Jacob gave a laugh, a laugh she had heard before, just like the one he had given her before dragging her down the stairs and throwing her in with Ethan. “Tempted, but I would rather fuck you, little dove. Lover boy won’t be here for a little while yet. That will give you and me some quality time together.”
“Touch me and I’ll cut your balls off and feed them to you.”
He barked with laughter, pushed off from the doorjamb, and moved in closer.
She scooted as far away as her cuffed hands would allow as he sat himself down on the bed, watching him with careful weariness. “I don’t get it, Jacob. You took me, but why not Ethan? You could have easily had us both.”
“And where would be the fun in that? I want him humiliated as he did to me, and I am going to enjoy watching him suffer when I finally taste you and fuck you in front of him.”
“What makes you think he’s even going to come for me? Ethan’s been around a hell of a lot longer than you have, asshole, and knows how to survive.”
“He and I think in similar patterns. We know what we want, and we don’t share what belongs to us. You, little dove, are something we both want but in the end only one of us will have. Unfortunately, it won’t be lover boy. Don’t fret; I’ll soon put any thoughts of him out of your pretty little head.”
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