by I. T. Lucas
Cassandra narrowed her eyes. “Why does that make sense to me?”
“Because you are smart, and you are already connecting the dots. Your mother’s memory lapses could be real, or they could be her way to hide that she is much older. Just think about her manners. She acts like someone who grew up in the fifties.”
Cassandra huffed. “She’s definitely not a prude.”
He smiled. “That’s because immortals are inherently intensely sexual beings. She couldn’t help it. Then there is the story about her losing her driver’s license and not bothering to renew it. She might be avoiding doing that because it would give her away. Besides, she’s probably using an alias.”
“It can’t be true.”
“Which part? My story or your mother being immortal?”
“Everything.”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure about your mother, and I can’t prove that she’s immortal without further investigation, but I can prove that what I told you about myself is true. I’m an immortal.”
“How can you prove it?”
“One of the many benefits of being an immortal is our rapid healing. If I make a small cut on my arm, the wound will close in front of your eyes. The other way to prove it is to show you how different I am from a human male.”
“Start with the last one, and I hope it doesn’t involve your dick and some weird tentacles it can sprout during sex.” She shuddered. “As much as I like you, that’s a deal-breaker.”
He laughed. “What the hell have you been reading?”
“One of my mother’s sci-fi romances.” She grimaced. “Talk about disturbing.”
“Fortunately, I don’t have tentacles, and I’m glad this is the only thing that you consider a deal-breaker.” He lifted his finger and tapped her nose. “Remember that you said it when I show you my fangs.”
“Fangs?” She shifted away from him. “What fangs? You don’t have fangs.”
“They elongate when I’m aroused or in response to aggression.”
Her hand flew to her neck. “Are you a vampire? Did you suck my blood?”
“My fangs deliver venom. I don’t consume blood.”
Her face twisted in a horrified expression. “Venom? Like a snake’s? Is it poisonous?”
“The venom acts as an aphrodisiac and euphoric when used during sex. In battle, it can be used to immobilize an opponent, and either put him in stasis or stop his heart, depending on the dose.”
Cassandra shook her head. “I don’t understand. How can it do one thing during sex and then another during a fight?”
“The venom glands react to stimulation, and the venom produced is different depending on the stimuli.”
“What if you get aggressive during sex?”
“As long as I’m aroused, my glands will only produce the stuff that induces orgasms and euphoria.” He leaned closer. “You’ve experienced it twice so far, and you loved every moment.”
The good thing about the direction their conversation was taking was his rising arousal. Without forcing his body to stifle its reactions, his eyes were probably already glowing, and his fangs tingled, indicating that they were elongating. In a moment, he would have proof for Cassandra.
The bad thing about it was her reaction to finding out she’d been bitten twice already.
“How come I don’t remember that?” She rubbed her neck at the exact spot he’d bitten her.
Her subconscious remembered it, and all he had to do was to release those memories and let them float to the surface. It would serve as additional proof.
“I thralled you to forget my two bites. But I can release those memories.”
“What do you mean when you say you thralled me? Is it like hypnosis?”
“It is, and it’s not. I don’t need to speak to you to affect your mind, and I can also see your most recent memories. A hypnotist can’t do either. When I entered your mind, I pushed the memory of my bite below the surface of consciousness. That’s why your hand is rubbing the exact spot I bit. Your body remembers it. You might also have dreamt about it.”
“I haven’t. But I have a big problem with you entering my mind without my permission.”
“I didn’t look at anything other than the sex we shared. It would have been a violation.”
“Weren’t you tempted to take a look at how I feel about you?”
“I don’t need to infiltrate your mind to know that.” He leaned closer and sniffed. “There is one more thing immortals can do that I forgot to mention. Our sense of smell can discern strong emotions. I know when you are aroused, and I know what pleases you. That’s one of the things that makes me such a great lover.”
Her lips twitched with a stifled smile. “You are so full of yourself.” She lifted her finger and pointed it at his face. “Your eyes are glowing.”
He smiled, letting her see his partially elongated fangs. “That’s what talking about sex with you does to me. I’m aroused.”
Unafraid, she leaned closer to examine his fangs. “I know for a fact that you were aroused at other times, but your eyes didn’t glow, and you didn’t sprout fangs. How come it’s happening now?”
“I’m not actively suppressing my reactions. I have very good control over my body.”
She looked down at the erection pressing against his slacks. “You don’t seem to be able to control that.”
“I could if I wanted to. But since it’s not strange for a male to get a hard-on, I don’t bother. My only concern is hiding my immortality. The very existence of my people depends on no one discovering that we exist.”
69
Cassandra
Cassandra didn’t know what was more unbelievable, the story Onegus had told her, or the fact that she was inclined to believe him.
“Aren’t you taking a risk by telling me?”
“I can make you forget.”
“So why tell me in the first place?”
“Because I need your consent to induce you. I won’t do it without getting it first.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You are a dormant carrier of immortal genes, I’m willing to bet my right hand on it, which means that those genes can be activated, and you can turn immortal. But I won’t do it unless you agree to it. There are some risks involved.”
Shaking her head, she lifted a hand. “First, tell me how this induction is done. Because if it’s anything like Bella had to go through when Edward was saving her life, I’m out.”
Relying on a movie was the epitome of stupidity, but since what Onegus had told her was partially covered by myth and turned out to be true, maybe the author of Twilight had based her story on a myth that was actually a true account as well.
When Onegus looked like he had no clue what she was blabbering about, Cassandra rolled her eyes. “It’s from a movie about vampires called Twilight. Don’t tell me that you haven’t heard of it.” She snorted. “That could be used as proof that you’re an alien.”
“I’ve heard of Twilight, but I didn’t read the books or watch the movies. Many of my female relatives did, though, and there was this whole silliness going on about team Edward versus team Jason.”
“Jacob, not Jason. But to make a long story short, Bella was dying after giving birth to a half-vampire daughter, and Edward saved her by biting her all over and injecting her with his vampiric venom. She made it, but she suffered through hellish pain while her body transitioned from human to vampire.”
“Really?” He cocked a brow, but his lips were twitching with a stifled smile. “You would give up immortality to avoid a little pain?”
“That’s a lot of pain, mind you.” She shifted away, creating some space between them. No way was she going through that.
Besides, he’d said the process was risky, just like in Twilight, which meant that she could die. She’d rather live out the remainder of her human life than submit to torture that might or might not result in her gaining immortality.
“Then you’ll be glad to
know that our induction process is much more pleasurable. All that’s required is unprotected sex and venom bites, which you’ve enjoyed greatly. I can’t contract or transmit diseases, so that’s not a problem, and if you are worried about pregnancy, contraceptives other than condoms and spermicides don’t interfere with the process.”
“What about the risk?”
“Our doctor warns that older Dormants might not make it through the transition, but so far, we haven’t lost even one, and some were much older than you and not in as good health.”
She frowned. “Hold on a moment. You said that it’s all fun and sex, although I will need my memories back to determine whether it was as fun for me as it was for you. So, what’s the risky part?”
He took her hand in both of his. “The induction is the fun part. When the transition process actually begins, it’s not as fun. It starts with symptoms of mild flu, fever, muscle aches, etc. and after that, most transitioning Dormants lose consciousness, some for a few hours, others for days. Each case is different. The moment the transition starts, though, you will be admitted to our clinic and monitored by our doctor, who by now is very experienced with the process. Other than the flu-like pains, it doesn’t hurt. Well, for females. Males have to grow fangs and venom, and that’s painful as hell.”
Judging by his grimace, he’d experienced that and remembered it vividly.
“Did you go through that? You said that children of immortals are not born immortal.”
“Correct. I was induced at thirteen. That’s when Dormant boys go through their transition. It’s treated like a rite of passage, and there is a small ceremony.”
“What about the girls?”
“They transition at a much earlier age. Usually as toddlers.”
“How come?”
“That’s how it was always done.”
“That’s not an answer, but I get it. Tradition doesn’t always make sense. How many Dormants have your people discovered so far?”
“Not many, and all of them recently. The Fates have neglected us for a very long time, and then suddenly decided to smile upon us. Syssi, Kian’s wife, was the first. Amanda discovered her about four years ago.”
“How? Does Syssi have a paranormal talent?”
Onegus nodded. “Precognition. Amanda is a neuroscientist, and when Syssi volunteered for testing, she scored off the charts. Amanda hired her as a lab assistant and introduced her to Kian. The rest is history.”
“I bet there is much more to it.”
“There is, and the other Dormants’ stories are no less fascinating, but now is not the time for them. I need an answer from you. Do you consent to induction or not?”
“I need to think about it. That’s not an easy decision.”
“It’s not.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw, looking vulnerable for the first time since he’d started his incredible tale. “There is another part to this. Usually, when the Dormant is a female, her inducer is her chosen mate.” He lifted his glowing blue eyes to her. “Am I your chosen guy?”
Cassandra hesitated.
Her gut’s answer was an unequivocal yes, but he’d just dropped on her a load the size of an aircraft carrier. It would take time to process it.
“We haven’t been together long enough, and now with all that you’ve revealed, I need time to think.”
“What does your gut tell you?”
“That you’re the one for me, fangs and glowing eyes and all. But despite my short fuse, I’m not an impulsive person. I don’t want to make promises that I would later have to break.”
“Fair enough.” He’d either taken her hesitation in his stride or had read through it, realizing that she was just stalling because she was scared. “Do you want your memories back? They might help you make up your mind.”
“Aha, so that’s the ace up your sleeve. Go ahead. I’m ready.”
“Look into my eyes.”
“Easy enough.”
His eyes were gorgeous, even more so than usual, now that they were glowing.
Cassandra’s only warning was a gentle squeeze of her hand, and then the memories flooded her mind in a rush, as if a dam had collapsed. At first, the pressure was too much, and she pulled her hand out of Onegus’s grip to press the heels of both hands into her temples.
Thankfully, he hadn’t suppressed a lot of memories, and the flood ended in a few seconds.
Closing her eyes, she let them wash over her, and the erotic images flashing before her eyes, as well as her body’s recollection of the sensations she’d experienced, had her grow moist and needy in an instant.
“You weren’t kidding,” she breathed. “No wonder I can’t get enough of you.”
70
Onegus
As the scent of Cassandra’s arousal flared, Onegus hissed, “You are killing me.” He reached for her and lifted her into his lap. “All I want now is to make love to you, but I didn’t secure your consent yet.”
“It can wait for the morning.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I want to experience that bite again, and this time, don’t make me forget.”
Closing the distance between their mouths, she licked at the seam between his lips. “Let me in.”
He gripped her nape to hold her back. “Careful. You might get your tongue nicked by my fangs. They are very sharp.”
“I want to touch them.”
He’d never let a woman kiss him, penetrate his mouth with her tongue, and the idea of Cassandra being his first was like dousing a fire with gasoline.
“I’ve never had a woman’s tongue anywhere near my fangs.”
She smiled against his lips. “How exciting. I’m going to take your fangs’ virginity.”
As she licked into his mouth, Onegus groaned, and as she folded her tongue around his right fang, he nearly exploded in his pants. Then she licked the other one, and it took every ounce of self-control to stop himself from taking over, throwing her on the bed, and tearing her dress off.
Onegus lasted for about ten seconds before taking over the kiss, his tongue sweeping in and conquering Cassandra’s mouth.
She moaned, and it was his undoing. Gripping her nape even tighter, he kept kissing her while his other hand pushed the one strap holding her dress up down her arm.
Except, the dress was too form-fitting for him to tug it off without ripping it. Some semblance of restraint had him search for the zipper and lower it slowly enough not to destroy it.
As the bodice finally fell away, he discovered that Cassandra wasn’t wearing a bra, and the last of his self-control snapped.
Lifting with her in his arms, he crossed the two feet to the bed and put her down.
“Is it a yes?” he asked as he shrugged his jacket off and tossed it on the couch.
“Yes.” She shimmied out of the dress and pushed back against the headboard in her panties.
He needed to know precisely what she was agreeing to. “Yes to sex, or yes to sex without a condom?”
“Condom. I need more time.”
It was disappointing, but he wasn’t in a position to argue. All he wanted was to bury himself in her heat, and if it had to be with a damn condom, he’d take it.
“Take off your panties,” he commanded as he tore off his bow tie and attacked the buttons of his shirt.
Onegus would have torn that off too, but he had nothing to change into. After the first two buttons were open, he remembered the cufflinks and pulled them out before tugging the shirt over his head.
“You move so fast.” Cassandra’s eyes roved over his bare chest. “Have you been holding back before?”
“You still have those panties on.”
Her long fingers traveled to the gusset, and she pulled it aside, just enough for him to take a peek at the glistening slickness. “I want you to take them off me.”
“Of course you do.” He toed his shoes off along with the socks and dropped his pants.
Cassandra sucked in a breath. “No wonder you look like a statue of a Greek
god. You have their damn genes.”
He was on her between one heartbeat and the next, his fingers replacing hers in the slick heat, sliding in and out of her.
She was soaked, ready for the taking, but even though she didn’t need any preparation, he needed a taste of her.
Sliding down her body, he tugged the panties off and then pushed her legs apart and dove between them.
As he treated her to the first lick, Cassandra jerked up, her bottom lifting and opening her further for his tongue to plunge.
He fucked her with his tongue, savoring her taste and her moans and her undulations, but he was too close to climaxing to torment her for much longer. He needed her to come so he could bury himself in her to the hilt.
Replacing his tongue with two fingers, he sucked the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs into his mouth.
With a growl, Cassandra bowed off the bed, her climax tearing through her like an explosion. He kept on licking and sucking, wringing every last drop of pleasure out of her. At some point her fingers threaded in his hair, and she tugged on his curls hard enough that the slight pain penetrated his sex-addled brain, and he let go.
71
Cassandra
If not for the memory of that bite, Cassandra would have let herself drift off to sleep.
The orgasm Onegus had wrung out of her had left her sated and boneless, and given how tired she’d been before he’d carried her to bed, it was a wonder she wanted more.
He kissed her inner thigh, one side and then the next, and as she lifted her head and looked at him, he smiled and licked his lips.
“Come here.” She tugged on his hair.
He didn’t need to be asked twice.
Kissing up her belly, he reached her right breast and licked the nipple, then moved to the other one before settling in the cradle of her legs.
Poised above her, he was all muscles, fangs, and glowing eyes, and he was hers. Somehow, he didn’t look alien to her, or scary. He was her Onegus, too gorgeous to be real, too charming, too much of everything, but he was hers, and she was not giving him up.