Deadly Desires

by Jennifer Salaiz

  “Oh, Samael.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his mouth softly. “I’m okay. I promise.”

  Jason slid out onto the balcony and Samael felt rage equivalent to the moment his father took his love away from him. Black covered his vision and he slowly rose. The collector in Jason must have stirred, because he froze and got in a defensive position. “Calm down, buddy. It was just a joke.”

  “A joke.” Samael’s body became numb from all the adrenaline that rushed through his limbs.

  “No.” Marcella put herself between them. “You won’t do this. Calm down, right now.”

  “What would have happened if she had gotten hurt from one of your jokes? What then, Jason?” Samael stepped around Marcella.

  A laugh came from Jason’s mouth, which was a huge mistake. The last thing Samael could stand to hear in his anger was laughing. There was nothing funny about her getting injured.

  “She’s a collector for crying out loud. Marcella isn’t going to get hurt.”

  Samael pressed his lips together at the need to rip this kid up by his throat. “She’s about to be a pregnant collector, you jackass. No more pranks around her. Period. If something happens to our baby from your negligence, you’re not only going to have to worry about my wrath. There’s a list of people that would hunt your ass down.”

  Jason’s face sobered. “Fine. I’ll refrain from doing pranks around Marcella. You’re right. We can’t risk anything happening once she gets pregnant. It’s best to start now.”

  Samael threw his hands against the edge of the balcony and tried to calm down. The possessiveness that he felt over the woman he loved was starting to border on obsessive. The black faded from his eyes, and all he wanted to do was go back to his room. He kept his head down and slammed the door behind him. The clothes covering his body vanished and he made his way to the shower. One more night and they’d be leaving. Damn if he couldn’t wait.

  Chapter 8

  Marcella wiped the tear from her cheek and waved good-bye to Donavon. She couldn’t believe he was leaving on his journey without her. But it had to be this way. He had his best men, Aaron and Gabe, to accompany him, so she knew he would be all right.

  “And so it begins,” Samael whispered beside her.

  “It does.” She stood straighter and watched Donavon’s Mercedes SUV disappear from sight. The heat was extra hot today. Sweat was already beginning to collect between her breasts. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad, except the humidity was through the roof, making it hard to breathe.

  Marcella turned and walked toward the projection of the small house that hid her fortress. “We should get ready. I want to leave the moment the sun goes down.”

  “As you wish.” Samael followed her inside, and she watched as the wolves and vampires interacted throughout the great hall. Most of them got along and kept their distance, but she loved that groups were beginning to evolve and interact with each other. Ambrose walked forward and she smiled big at her new collector. It was so weird not to think of him as the master vampire anymore.

  Power emanated from him as he got closer, and she couldn’t believe how strong he really was. It was amazing.

  “My queen.” He bowed his head and smiled as his golden eyes connected with hers. “Samael.” He nodded in the dark angel’s direction.

  “How are you feeling today?” Marcella asked while she walked with him to their table in the back of the room.

  “Excellent. Really. I’ve never felt better.” They took a seat and Marcella grabbed an apple from a bowl centered in the middle. Now that she knew her body was actually working again, she wanted to get it as healthy as possible. She couldn’t risk losing the child she planned on having. She couldn’t. Everything inside of her burned with the importance of this decision. And it wasn’t just to have a child so she and her men could live. This child was meant for greatness. The role it was going to play in the future was a crucial part of its destiny.

  “I’m glad you’re taking well to your collector. It really becomes you.” The tattoos went all the way to Ambrose’s wrists on both arms. He looked completely different, and yet the same.

  “I like it.” He smiled. “More than you know. I’ve never felt so alive. And I mean that. Like, living. I can go outside and see without having to squint. My heartbeat’s so powerful. And the food…” He manifested a pear and bit into it. “God, I’ve missed the way food tastes.” He moaned and focused on the fruit.

  “Well…good.” Marcella laughed and paid attention to her own appetite. She began to pile everything breakfast related onto her plate. Although collectors didn’t need to eat unless they were pregnant, it was still good to do. Especially when their bodies were going through changes like hers.

  “Jeez Louise,” Jason gasped at seeing her plate. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat so much.” He nodded. “I’m glad. It’s about damn time.”

  The anger she felt from Samael brought her eyes off the plate. At seeing her notice, he looked down. She sighed. Those two. It was always something. Most of the time they got along, but moments like this just really made things difficult.

  “Here.” Samael handed her a small, white bottle. Marcella looked down and narrowed her eyes as she read the label.

  “Prenatal vitamins.”

  “Yes, I’ve been doing research. Supposedly they will help with your health. It says they’re good to take when trying to get pregnant, too, so…” He shrugged and went back to drinking his coffee. Marcella felt a warming in her heart. She leaned forward and kissed his rough cheek.

  “Thank you, Samael.”

  “He’s right.” Jason plopped down in the chair. “I called my mom and talked to her about it. She mentioned taking them, too.”

  “Your mom?” Marcella looked at him nervously. “What exactly did you tell her, Jason?”

  A plate appeared before him, and Marcella noticed that it was stacked just as high as hers. “Not much. Just that I was in Colorado visiting some friends. She’s getting used to me being gone a lot. I told her that I was checking out colleges here so she’d relax a bit.”

  “About the pregnancy, Jason.”

  “Oh.” He bit into a piece of bacon. “I just told her one of my friends’ girlfriends was pregnant. She asked me if she was taking prenatal pills or had been to a doctor yet. The nurse in her started going on and on.”

  “A doctor?” Marcella hadn’t given that much thought. She looked over at Samael, who looked at her, worried. “I guess I do need to try to find one for when it happens. But…how? I mean, they do all types of blood work. Mine is going to throw all kinds of flags whether I change human or not.”

  “You’re going into Wiccan territory,” Jason said. “I’m sure one of them is a doctor that might be able to help you. They lead normal lives, too. If not a doctor, at least a midwife. They’re basically the same thing.”

  “You’re right.” Marcella nodded and focused back on her food. Samael had told her to come to him once her monthly was over. Well, she should have gone to him this morning, but with Donavon leaving, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him off.

  The food disappeared from her plate and Marcella couldn’t believe she’d eaten so much. She felt positively stuffed. The bottle caught her attention and she opened it and popped one of the pink pills in her mouth. The orange juice was cold as she washed it down. Damn, she’d always hated taking medication, and the pill wasn’t the size of a Tylenol, it was damn gigantic.

  She looked around the table and noticed that everyone was in their own little world. She rose and looked around the crowded room. Nothing brought her joy like seeing her followers walking around. The majority of their souls fluttered around in her core. Jason had the others. Once word had gotten around within their communities, the outreach to find Marcella had been momentous. Every day it seemed like two or three more people would show up. She hated that she was going to have to tell them good-bye tonight, but she trusted Jason and Ambrose to take over. Plus
, now that the two of them were both collectors, they’d need the souls as much as her.

  “I’m going to rest.” She turned to her collectors. “Will you let them know that we leave at sunset? I would like to see them all before our departure.”

  “Will do,” Jason said, in between bites of eggs. Ambrose just nodded. She looked to Samael. “Would you like to rest with me?”

  Jason leaned forward. “I wanted him to watch the vampires train. They’re getting so good.”

  Marcella groaned. Apparently that had gone right over Jason’s head. “It’s daytime, Jason. They prefer to train at night.”

  “We cover the bailey against the light so it doesn’t hurt their eyes,” he said with a huge smile.

  “Jason.” Marcella tried to stop the warmth coming to her cheeks. “I need Samael with me.”

  He looked at her, confused. The bottle of prenatal pills caught her attention, and Marcella picked it up and shook it in his direction.

  “Oooh. He can watch later then.”

  Samael’s eyes lifted to her, and she saw the heat blazing behind them. “It’s time?”

  “Yes.” Marcella could feel her heart racing. They’d been intimate before, but this time it was completely different. They weren’t just going to his room to have sex, or even make love. She and Samael were going to try to conceive a child. Out of everything so far, this moment defined her life. It was the most important decision she’d ever had to make, and it was the right one. She wanted this baby. Needed it more than she needed anything.

  Samael stood and took her hand. Something passed between them as they stared into each other’s eyes. He leaned down to her until his lips were right next to her ear. “Let’s go make our baby,” he whispered.

  Fingers wrapped around the back of her neck and Marcella felt the silk of Samael’s bed suddenly behind her. Dark hair fell forward as he looked down at her. “I’ve waited for this moment as long as I can remember.” He lifted and grabbed the straps of Marcella’s sundress. Slowly, he lowered the material down from her body. She’d been so used to making the clothes disappear that, as the fabric trailed down her body, she felt the sensations of the cotton as it lowered.

  “You are so beautiful.” Samael lowered and took her tight nipple into his mouth. A shiver raced down her body.

  Marcella turned her head and noticed the room was suddenly the same as the last time. Candles flickered against the dark walls. She looked down at the silk. It was no longer white but black. Her heart was in her throat as she lifted her hand. It was bare. His blue eyes lifted up to her while he pushed to his knees. His hand came out before her and held the ring. “The decision is yours. You don’t have to be my wife to conceive my child. Trust me, nothing would make me happier, but the fact remains. You’re not my wife anymore.”

  The diamonds sparkled against the light. Did she want to play the role of his wife while she went through the biggest decision of her life? She knew she didn’t have to. But everything she was made up of screamed to belong to him. Her hand was shaking as she moved it forward. She couldn’t ever remember feeling so scared. “I would like to be yours for this. When I think back on the day our child was made, I want to remember this exact moment.”

  Samael swallowed hard. “Nothing would make me happier.” He slowly slid the ring down her finger. The sense of finality as it went into place was one that settled heavily in the pit of her stomach. The pain of pretending was almost too much. Did she really want to be one with Samael and still have her men? The ingrained feeling of being ultimately his would never go away. She knew that as much as she breathed.

  The dress slid past her hips and Marcella lifted to help make it easier. Samael stared down at her body for a long time, taking it in. As he lowered to her belly and began kissing it, Marcella couldn’t ignore the butterflies that took over. It was so intimate. Just knowing that he was kissing the location where their child would be, and that he was embracing the act so much, was almost too much. Her breathing deepened as he made a path down to her inner thighs.

  Teeth gently nibbled the tender flesh and Marcella let out a soft cry. “You smell so mouthwatering. Your scent is peaked right now, and it calls to me so strongly. I can’t wait to bury myself inside of you.”

  Marcella moaned as his tongue pushed down the length of her slit. Her body was beginning to hum with sensitivity, and she could feel the wetness increase. At the breach of his tongue into her opening, she pushed her pussy down against him. The sound that came out of his mouth was one of pure pleasure. He was enjoying tasting her as much as she was relishing in feeling it.

  A finger slid into her pussy, deep, and she moved her hips to match his thrusts. As he sucked her clit into his mouth Marcella felt spasms rock her body. She knew he was controlling her orgasms and she loved it. A growl tore from his throat.

  “You can’t imagine how powerful your taste is right now. I can’t wait. I need you.” Samael covered her body with his, and she spread her legs wide for him. Her stomach was twisting with want and she couldn’t wait to have him fill her.

  The tip of his cock pushed against her opening, and Marcella sunk her nails into his back as he drove his length deep into her core. A scream came from her mouth, and he hadn’t been responsible for her orgasm. That one had come on its own. He looked down at her and crushed his lips to hers. The pressure from his hips drove into her thighs and he rotated to thrust deeper.

  “You feel amazing,” Marcella said against his mouth. She couldn’t get over how he gave her that filling of being full. Every time he moved inside of her, she could feel herself clutch to his thickness greedily.

  “So do you.” Samael increased the rhythm. The need to pull her legs up came instinctively, but he stopped and shook his head. “I want you on your knees. I’m going to be so deep that my cum will never leave you.”

  A delicious tremor rocked her body at his words. Gently he turned her over and pushed the top part of her back down. “Rest your face on the bed.” He pulled up her ass and locked his arm around her waist. A cry came from her mouth as his cock slid inside of her at a pace that was nothing less than torturous. “Fuck,” he whispered.

  At the pressure of his thumb against her ass, Marcella could feel herself push back. “Yes,” she moaned. The tightening in her stomach was almost too much. Her fingers moved to cover the top of her slit, and as he entered her ass a little more, she slid down and began to touch where he entered her pussy. Gripping around his cock, she moved in the opposite direction of his thrusts. Samael’s breathing became faster. At the brush against his sac she felt him swell.

  “Make me come, Samael. I need…” The tightening to release was almost unbearable.

  “We’re both going to come together. Right now.” Warmth shot deep within her core and Marcella screamed and grasped Samael’s wrist as her own orgasm took over. A growl tore through the room, and he pushed himself deep as he pumped into her. It was heaven. Absolute bliss.

  “Shit.” He collapsed to her back and held her tightly for a few seconds before they came to rest, curled in each other’s arms. “You should close your eyes for a bit.” He pushed the hair back from her face. “We’ll go again in half an hour.”

  Marcella felt her eyes go big. “Again?”

  “And again. And again. My cock isn’t going to leave your pussy until I’m positive you’re pregnant.” Samael grabbed the back of her knee and pulled her leg over his stomach. “Postpone the trip until after the window. Let’s not miss a single opportunity to make our child. If it doesn’t work this time it could be months before we get another chance.”

  He was right. Recruiting could wait. It was imperative she got pregnant now. She had to. The sense of importance went beyond her understanding, and she wasn’t stupid enough to ignore it.

  “Okay.” Marcella lifted her chest and felt him spring up.

  “No. You stay lying down as much as possible. I’ll go inform them.”

  She eased back to the bed and watched as he got dres
sed. He paused and walked over to place a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you for choosing me. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” Before she could answer he disappeared. A smile came to her face as she rolled to her side. Two days alone with Samael while they tried to conceive a baby. She couldn’t believe her life had led her to this moment.

  Marcella looked down and pressed her hand against her stomach. “Please bless with me a child.” She closed her eyes and felt exhaustion take over. A yawn came from her mouth as Samael reappeared.

  “It’s done. No one will interrupt us unless it’s an emergency.” Samael scooped her into his arms and carried her into the large adjoining restroom. She was barely able to stay awake while he filled the tub and placed her in the warm water.

  “Why am I so tired?” The warmth had her continually drifting off. She jerked her eyes open and turned until she was looking up at his. The swell of her breasts rested on his stomach, and he looked at them before bringing his eyes up to look at her.

  A hungry expression passed over his face. “Your body is working on overdrive right now. It’s not used to it. You’re probably going to be pretty tired for a good week, then you should go back to normal after that.” Samael began washing her back and Marcella rested her head against his chest. The weight of her hair made it almost impossible to hold her head up. God, she hoped she could make it through the next two days, awake.

  * * * *

  Samael dried off Marcella’s sleeping frame and laid her in the center of his bed. As he crawled in and pulled the covers over them, he molded their bodies together. He set an internal alarm for an hour. After that they needed to go again. Mating was always hard on the female, and he knew the next two days were going to wear on her. It was worse that it was her first cycle. She wasn’t prepared for what the experience entailed.

  Light snoring filled the air, and Samael couldn’t help but smile. He still couldn’t believe that she’d fallen asleep in the middle of having a bath. Maybe it was good that she was so exhausted. That meant her body was working extra hard, and it would have to. Collectors had a hard time getting pregnant to begin with. They’d learned that the hard way in the past. Marcella had been with Jason for over two hundred years, having a cycle every ten years, before she got pregnant. Samael sure as hell hoped it wouldn’t be as hard with them.