Dante’s Circle Reborn: A Dante’s Circle Collection

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  And Caly was not one of them. Instead, she was his mate, and he had almost killed her. “Caly.”

  “Vampire,” she breathed, her gaze a bit wide-eyed and distracted.

  “Yes, I’m a vampire. An immortal as we sometimes call ourselves. We don’t tend to use the word vampire too often, but that doesn’t matter, does it?”

  She licked her dry, cracked lips, and then cursed again. “You aren’t supposed to exist.”

  “No, we aren’t. We almost died out once. The elders made sure of that. They’re afraid of those who they call ‘dead.’”

  “Are zombies next?” she asked, her voice so soft he was worried that she was going to die. In fact, he knew that he needed to give her sustenance, needed to heal her quickly. He was just afraid that if he did so, it would be far too soon for what would come next, and yet, far too late for what she needed.

  “No zombies that I know of. However, you never know what other secrets are out there.” He paused. “Caly, pet, you gave me far too much. I will be forever in your debt for saving my life, but I need to give you blood.”

  Her eyes widened, and she pushed at him. She was so weak that she couldn’t do much. He wanted to curse himself for what he had done, but there was no going back. Not now.

  “It won’t turn you. Vampires, just like every other paranormal out there, are born, not made.” He paused. “Well, the lightning-struck seven might be a little different, but you are not one of them. You will not turn into a mer-vampire.” He paused. “Those do not exist, at least that I know of.”

  “I can’t drink blood.”

  “It will replenish you. It’s the only way. You’re dying, Caly,” he ground out, his fangs extending and his claws curling. “Because of me. Let me save you.”

  “At what cost?” she asked. It was as if she could see right through him.

  “It’s the first part of the mating bond,” he whispered. The truth lay heavy between them. “If I do this, there’s no going back. But if I don’t, you’re going to die, Caly. Because of me.” He slid his hands through her hair, her body cold to his touch, her gaze unfocused. Her heartbeat was slowing, and he knew she didn’t have much time left. But he wouldn’t take this choice from her. The first part of the mating bond would cement their fates together far quicker than he had ever imagined. But he wouldn’t take her choice from her. He couldn’t, not after what she had already been through, and given who he was.

  “I don’t want to die,” she whispered, her voice so faint that he barely heard it.

  It wasn’t the declaration of love a true mating should have. It wasn’t a mating call at all. But it was permission.

  And so, he slid his fangs into his own wrist and cut deep. His body was already back to full strength, even past it with the potency of Caly’s blood in his veins.

  She was dying because she’d tried to save him, and he would never forgive himself. He put his bloody wrist to her mouth, and her eyes closed, her body limp in his arms.

  He didn’t have much time. He forced blood down her throat before she greedily latched on, sucking. His blood wasn’t just pure, it was an elixir of sorts, one that would send her over the edge into bliss if they weren’t careful. And it would send them into their mating, the urge too strong for either of them to deny or prolong. But he would wait for as long as it took. To keep his people safe, and to give Caly a choice. He was already taking one decision from her. He wouldn’t do it again.

  Misha moved so Caly was in his lap, her head resting on his thigh. He willed his cock not to harden any further.

  The act of blood sharing between mates was an intimate one, something that nearly always led to sex and even procreation.

  For those vampires who were lucky enough to find their mates, they didn’t need to drink from a human or another paranormal. They need only drink from their mate—even if they were another vampire. That was how close the bond was. You were each other’s life force, life mate, everything. You were each other’s life itself.

  And as the bond started to solidify between them, slowly at first, winding between their souls, he swallowed hard at the intimacy.

  Because he didn’t know her. He didn’t know who this person was. But she would be irrevocably changed, bonded with him until the end of their days, be they long or short.

  She moaned, arching her back as she drank more, and he licked his lips, knowing she needed a little bit more to be healthy, but he couldn’t let her take too much. Not because it would hurt him, but because it would send them both over the edge into an abyss neither of them was truly ready for. At least, he hoped there would be no pain, no confusion—only bliss.

  He didn’t know, he didn’t know anything. His long life of being a warrior for his people, the secret keeper, a leader, all amounted to nothing with this woman in his arms.

  He pulled her away gently and licked his wound closed before wiping her lips with his thumb.

  Her eyes widened, and she blinked quickly as she swallowed hard.

  He slid his hands over her shoulders, checking for any more wounds, ensuring that she was safe.

  He had almost killed her, and now he was hers.

  “What…what happened?”

  “The bond between us has started,” he whispered.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means whatever we need it to mean.” He swallowed hard. “But the mating urge between us? It’s not going to die down anytime soon.”

  He let out a breath and did his best not to adjust himself in his pants. He wanted to be inside her, needed to, and there was no controlling it.

  She squirmed in his hold and shook her head. “Why am I feeling like this?

  “We can stop, we can walk away from each other right now.”

  “We both know that’s not true. And not just because of who you are. I know what happens to mates when they begin one part of the bond and don’t finish it.” She sat up and moved away from him, but not far enough that her hand wasn’t able to touch his thigh. He looked down at her pale skin against the blackness of his jeans and he swallowed hard.

  “Caly,” he whispered.

  “I can see. I can see you.”

  He frowned, looking at her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are my future, the one I should trust. You always were. You’re the shadow within the darkness that I hid from. I always knew you would be here, I just didn’t know what form you would take.”

  “You’re a Seer?” he asked.

  “Not exactly, but I have some prophetic abilities. It’s why I’m so good at looking at legacies and finding family trees. Because I can see beneath the truth. And I can see you, Misha. I can see what we need to become, even though we’re not there yet.”

  “I won’t take what’s not freely given,” he whispered.

  “I can trust in the future because I know we have to be stronger together to fight what’s coming at us.”

  The heat between us isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.”

  “So, you’re saying we let it cool down by completing the bond, and then we figure out exactly who we are later?” she asked, looking down at her hands. “That’s pretty much the exact opposite of how most matings are supposed to go.”

  “Work backwards?” he rasped, his predator on edge.

  “Yes, we work backwards. We figure out what we need to do.”

  “Okay, then.”

  And then he was on her, his mouth on hers as he groaned. She wrapped her arms around his neck, arching into him. They were on the ground of a cave where his enemy could arrive at any minute, and yet, he didn’t care. Not with the mating urge riding them so hard.

  He slid his hands across her body, over her shoulders, her hips, and then grabbed onto her ass, pulling her closer to him. They were lying on their sides, one of her legs wrapped around his waist as she arched into him. He ground into her, her heat scorching against his jean-clad cock.

  “We’ll figure out the rest later,” he growled.

/>   “Emotions and feelings later. This first.”

  He didn’t have a problem with that. He didn’t have many emotions as it was. Only the need to protect. And Caly would be his to protect. But first, he needed to get inside her.

  He tugged at her shirt, and then they were both sitting up, pulling at each other’s clothes. He had his mouth on her nipple in the next instant, groaning at the sensation of her flesh in his mouth. She shivered, pressing his face closer to her breasts. They filled his palms, far larger than what he could hold, so he pushed them together, sucking and licking, imagining thrusting his cock between them.

  She tugged on his jeans, so he stood up with her and shook them to the ground, tugging off his shoes at the same time. She wiggled out of her own jeans, and he ignored the fact that there were bloodstains on both of them.

  He was a vampire, after all, this was part of his life.

  And then she was naked in front of him, and he went down to his knees and pressed his mouth to her core. She shouted his name, and he groaned against her, spreading her flesh so he could lap at her clit and pierce her with his fingers.

  She clamped around him, and he pushed harder, faster, his thumb circling her clit.

  “Come for me, pet.”

  She looked down at him then, her eyes glowing blue as her whole body shimmered. She didn’t have scales, she was still in her human form, but she was glorious, the purples and pinks and blues of her tail sliding up her flesh in an iridescent glow before going back to the color of her skin. She was losing control, and he loved it. So he lapped at her, pushed her forward, and then she came, her knees going weak.

  He pulled her forward so he was on his back, her straddling him, the wetness of her pussy pressing against the hard, rigid length of his cock.

  “Ride me, my mermaid.”

  “You’re going to make me do all the work?”

  “Oh, I might, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you enjoy it. He reached up and slid his hands over her breasts, plucking at her nipples, twisting ever so slightly to near the edge of pain. She moaned, rocking her hips along his length, and then she lifted herself and sat down right on top of him. They both groaned, her pussy tight, wet, slick, hot. He was balls-deep inside her, and he moved his hands to grip her hips, keeping her steady.

  “Goddess,” he whispered. “If you don’t stay still for just a minute, I’m going to blow right here, and I’m going to feel like a teenager, rather than the five-hundred-year-old vampire that I am.”

  She raised a brow. “Five hundred, you say? Okay, old man. Show me what you learned.”

  He grinned then, knowing he was showing fang. But she didn’t back away. Well, apparently, seeing the future as she did was a good sign for them. He just wished she would’ve been able to see him before this so he wouldn’t have had to be such an asshole. Or maybe that’s what they had needed. He didn’t understand fate, only that Caly was his. And he was going to show her exactly what she’d gotten in the bargain. He lifted her off of him and then slammed right back into her.

  She shouted, her whole body shaking, and then he moved one hand up to her breast, playing as she rode him.

  They moved together, him lifting up, her pressing down, both of them rocking. The sensation filled him, making his entire body shake. He couldn’t help but groan, wanting more.

  He pulled her down then, needing her mouth, and his fang nicked her lip.

  “Fuck, sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” she whispered as the taste of her blood settled on his tongue.

  “You can bite me if you want. I know you want to.” She winked, and he groaned.

  “Mates.”

  He bit down on her lip again, just a little bit, and they both froze for a minute and then shattered. The bond slammed into place between them, so intense that he pulled her to the side, holding her close as they shook from their orgasm and the bond cementing into place.

  He had never been mated before, had never truly understood what any of it meant. And, honestly, he couldn’t fathom what it meant now.

  He could feel her soul, her wants, her desires, her fears. He knew she was just as uncertain about whether they’d made the right decision as he was, but he also knew that they both understood there hadn’t been a choice. This. This was how they were going to defeat the darkness.

  And he couldn’t hold back his own fears.

  She slid her hands up and down his body even as his cock still twitched inside her.

  “I’m scared, too,” she whispered. “But it’s okay, we’ll save your people. I promise.”

  He buried his face in her hair, not knowing why he couldn’t speak.

  He had waited a lifetime for this, more than one, actually, and now that he had her, he was afraid that he was going to lose her.

  Because he couldn’t always protect those he loved, those who mattered.

  And he didn’t know if he was strong enough to protect her.

  Chapter 5

  Caly had done many impetuous things in her life, but mating with a man she didn’t know, and had only just met? Well, that had likely won her first prize in the what-the-fuck-was-she-thinking category.

  However, she couldn’t go back now, and she had to trust her gut feelings. They had kept her and her family alive for a long while.

  “What do we do now?” she asked.

  Misha frowned. “You should see what I’m fighting for.”

  Her brows rose. “Where are you hidden?” she asked, staring into his eyes. She could feel the bond pulsing between them and knew that there was no going back from this. She didn’t love him, how could she so soon? But she knew the potential was there. That’s what the bond created. It wasn’t automatic for anything, other than the fact that they would be irreparably changed. And she would figure that out. She would find a way to work through her emotions.

  But she needed to focus on the here and now first. Had to concentrate on what she could change. And if that meant protecting Misha’s people, or at least finding out why they were hidden and who that man was who had attacked them, then that’s what she would do. She would figure out the rest of her life, her romance, and her heart later.

  “I only left a note for Seth saying that I was leaving for work. I didn’t tell him where I was going,” she said after a moment before they left.

  Misha stared at her. “Do you need to tell him that you’re with me?”

  She shook her head, looking down at her hands. “No, because he’s going to want to kick your ass, and we don’t have time for that, do we?”

  “I would say he could try, but I would probably let him beat me at this point.” He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She froze, the contact new and exciting.

  “Seth has a very powerful mate. Two of them, in fact.”

  “One of the fabled triads, then?”

  “I know of a few of them, not so fabled. Dante, the dragon you were looking for? I’m friends with him, as well. He’s also in a triad.”

  Misha frowned but nodded. “I shouldn’t have come into the Conclave like that. I should have found another way. But we were running out of time.”

  “Why? You keep saying that. But I don’t understand.”

  Misha lowered his hand and then began to pace again. “The Conclave won’t let us create our own realm or have a voice, not when we are hidden from existence. Meaning, we’ve had to stay hidden from the paranormals, as well. We can’t congregate, not in large numbers anyway. So, we’ve had to spread out over time. That causes a chink in the communication lines of our kind. And when that happens, I’m not able to protect all the people that I need to. The weak, the ones who can’t protect themselves? They need us to help them, and we can’t do it. Not with enough power to keep them protected from our own kind anyway.”

  “That was another vampire that attacked you, then? I guessed, but I wanted to make sure.”

  “He attacked us, yes. He’s a dark one. One who has killed humans and paranormals alike. He lost his soul
in the process.”

  She took a step back, her eyes wide. “I thought only demons lost their souls,” she whispered.

  Misha shook his head. “If a demon doesn’t take a soul, he loses his own. With vampires, if they take enough life forces, they slowly drain their own soul in the process. The dark one has been coming for my people because he wants to control all of them. He wants the weak to be purged, and then he wants to take the Conclave by force.” Misha let out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “As if he could.”

  “What can I do?” Caly asked, not knowing what else to say. Because she was tied to this man forever now. There was no going back. Only, according to whatever visions she sometimes had, there never had been any avoiding it.

  “I’m going to take you to one of the areas where some of my people are. That way, you can meet them.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And then, I’m going to ask you to go with me to the Conclave.”

  She twisted her hands in front of her but nodded. “We need to know why the elders shunned you.” She paused. “Did you deserve it?”

  His eyes glowed red, but then he closed them tightly, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Our eyes glow red when the predator is at full force.”

  “Mine sometimes glow blue, and wolves’ glow gold. It’s who we are as paranormals. Just because your eyes are a different color, doesn’t mean that you’re evil.”

  He snorted. “The whole no pulse and not needing to breathe thing doesn’t help. And we’re technically dead because of that, at least according to the elders.”

  Pieces clicked. “That’s how you got underwater.”

  He nodded tightly. “I don’t need oxygen.” He raised a brow. “Of course, that can come in handy for some sensual things.”