A Taste of Dawn

by Aubrey Ross

  I trust him. She used the thought to push back her uncertainty. And I ache as I have never ached. They know what they’re doing.

  I love you, Mercedes. If we are Day bonded we have the best chance of surviving the coming storm. You saw that creature. We cannot be helpless the next time we face the Setti.

  His gentle reassurance was all she needed. She pulled her tee-shirt off over her head and slipped out of her jeans, standing before the men naked and unashamed.

  “You are a lucky man, vampire. Your mate is exceptional.”

  Eric moved up behind her and hooked his arms beneath her elbows, pulling her arms back. “Open for him, love. Let him see how brightly you flush and smell how quickly you cream.”

  “I’ll remain dressed as a reminder of my role,” Brock told them. “Regardless of how demanding she becomes, I will not join the bond.”

  Held firmly in her lover’s arms, Mercedes enjoyed Brock’s stroking fingers. He lavished attention on her breasts, cupping and squeezing the generous mounds with one hand while the other drifted toward her pussy.

  She stiffened, tossing her head against Eric’s chest. Having her breasts fondled was one thing, but things were moving too fast. Brock suckled her nipples, while he lightly teased her folds.

  “It was no idle boast,” Brock murmured. “She is already soaking wet.”

  “Would you like his tongue on your clit?” Eric whispered above her ear. “You come so sweetly whenever I touch you like that.”

  “I want your tongue on my clit.” She twisted her hips, pulling away from Brock’s teasing touch.

  “Brock is an extension of me,” Eric insisted. The rough edge in his voice hinted at a jealousy he wasn’t allowing her to sense. They needed Brock’s help to complete the Dawning. Eric’s uneasiness soothed her. He loved her enough to permit another man’s touch, but only for tonight. “His hands are my hands. His tongue is my tongue. You are coming for me.”

  Brock knelt and Eric released her arms, angling her torso so he could reach her breasts. She closed her eyes as the tension built, so many sensations. Eric continued the slow, deep suction on her nipples, while Brock focused on her clit. He dragged his tongue over and around the knot of nerves until she ground herself against his mouth.

  If the burning had just begun, how was she going to survive the night? She panted. Each harsh breath tugged against Eric’s mouth. Brock traced her slit with the tip of his finger while he went on caressing her clit. He was being too gentle. She needed his teeth and the fast, firm slide of his fingers inside her core.

  “Enough,” Eric said.

  “No.” She whimpered as Brock immediately stopped. “I was almost there.”

  “I know.” Eric sounded completely unapologetic. “You will only come when I allow you to come. You must trust me with your pleasure.”

  “I trust you and I really need to come.”

  He guided her to a set of cuffs suspended from the ceiling and closed them around her wrists. Though molded from some sort of metal, the cuffs were lined with a plush fur. He knelt and fastened similar cuffs around her ankles, then gradually tightened the chains, spreading her arms and legs wide, leaving her body completely open and accessible.

  Heat crawled across her skin and her nipples tingled. What would they do next? Her head throbbed in time to her thumping heart and her core rippled, demanding fulfillment. She was definitely burning now. Why hadn’t they let her come?

  The men circled her slowly, boldly assessing her naked body. Eric had discarded his shirt and unfastened his jeans. Brock remained fully dressed.

  “Answer me honestly,” Eric began. “Did the hag ever hit you?”

  “No. Her abuse was far more creative.”

  “Have you ever been flogged?”

  She shook her head, knowing the brightening of her skin would give her away.

  “You’ve been curious about it?”

  “I definitely like pleasure more than pain, but your bite was… unbelievable.”

  He raked his hair with both hands. “I’m no good with a whip. I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”

  “I am adept,” Brock said. “If you think she honestly wants to taste the lash.”

  “She’s a novice,” Eric stressed.

  “I will stop with five if you feel she is overwhelmed, but ten is how I usually begin.”

  “I will signal you after I see how she responds to five.”

  Holy shit! What had she just done? Brock was actually going to whip her. Her logical mind rebelled against the idea, while her skin tingled and her pussy fluttered.

  Brock walked to the rack of whips, straps and floggers, choosing a short crop with a frayed end. “She is untrained. You can’t expect her not to come.”

  “Mercedes, don’t resist the sensations. Let your body experience each to the fullest.”

  She tensed a bit more with each step Brock took toward her. He swung the crop, making it whistle. Her belly quivered and her breasts bobbed. Why had she suggested this? Did she really want -- the crop slapped against her left ass check and she yelped, twisting to the right. Sharper than a sting, but more intriguing than pain, the sensation spread across her skin and sank into her muscle. Heat.

  The lash kissed the other side of her bottom next. She bit her lip as he paused three full seconds before repeating the first two strikes. Her bottom burned now. She wanted to rub against something or better yet have something rubbing against her. She twisted her hips and tossed her head, her core throbbing with deep, needful pulses.

  As she savored the sweet fire, Brock moved to her side and aimed the crop at her tender nipples. She cried out, caught off guard by the explosion of pleasure/pain. Two lashes each and then he trailed the crop down across her quivering belly.

  “Please, I don’t think I can --” The crop snapped against her mound, directly over her clit and she came in violent spasms. While she was still gasping for breath and reeling from the first orgasm, he delivered the final kiss.

  The second release was even more shocking than the first, her inner muscles clenched painfully until her abdomen cramped. She sobbed. Orgasms weren’t supposed to hurt and pain wasn’t supposed to make you come!

  Eric knelt in front of her and praised her surrender with his mouth. He licked her and kissed her, sucking gently at her cream. Each slow swipe of his tongue sent heat curling up through her body, prolonging the heat. This wasn’t what she needed. As much as she craved his tenderness, it simply wasn’t working tonight.

  Brock touched Eric’s shoulder, drawing his attention away from her pussy. “Watch her face.” Without warning he thrust two fingers deep into her cunt and she screamed in ecstasy. “Save the lovemaking for after the bonding. Tonight is about intensity.” He pulled his fingers out and stepped back.

  Holding her open with one hand, Eric thrust two fingers into her core with the other. She groaned and squeezed him, rocking her hips into the motion of his hand.

  “Has she ever been taken up the ass?”

  She looked over her shoulder at the question. Brock stood behind her staring at her welted bottom.

  “I don’t think so.” Eric continued the blissful slide of his fingers. “I used my finger on her once and she is incredibly tight.”

  “Stop talking about me as if I’m not here.”

  Brock moved up close behind her and cupped both her burning cheeks. “Have you ever had a cock up your ass?”

  “No,” she admitted.

  “With your permission, I’d like to be a bit creative.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. Her nerves were already stretched to the breaking point. How much more of this did they expect her to take?

  “What did you have in mind?” Eric asked.

  “I’ll show you.”

  Try as she might, she couldn’t see what Brock was doing. Eric stood up and took her chin between his index finger and thumb, turning her head back around. “You’ll find out soon enough. Do you want my fingers inside you or not?”

&nb
sp; “It’s getting worse. I need to come again.”

  He wrapped his arm around her waist and pushed his fingers deep. “Just relax and feel my fingers sliding.” Nearly immobile in her restraints, she stared into his glistening eyes and reveled in the skillful slide of his long fingers. In, out, in, out. He turned his wrist, curving his fingers so they dragged the front wall of her core. She gasped and wiggled as the pleasure spun up around her.

  “Now,” he commanded and her body obeyed, coming with steady ripples of pleasure. “Better?”

  “Thank you,” she whispered and he kissed her gently, allowing her just a taste of his tongue before he pulled away.

  “I hope you didn’t get her too relaxed. This promises a very different effect.”

  “Did you find everything you needed?” Eric asked.

  “Eventually. This isn’t my playroom.”

  “You could have just asked where things were,” Eric pointed out.

  “And let her know what to expect? Where’s the fun in that?”

  Eric released her from the cuffs and swept her into his arms. “How will we know when the bond has been formed?” He pressed his lips to her temple as she snuggled against his chest.

  “Trust me, you’ll know.”

  Hunger stirred within Mercedes, more complex than anything she’d ever felt before. The two sides of her nature, which had subtly competed for supremacy all her life, suddenly joined in one driving force. She wanted blood and she craved energy. Her fangs extended and her body ripened, demanding sexual release.

  She grabbed Eric’s face and thrust her tongue into his mouth, sucking his breath into her lungs.

  Brock pulled her out of Eric’s arms and set her on the floor, quickly maneuvering her arms behind her back. He controlled her without hurting her. “She’ll get more and more aggressive from here. Let her suck your cock now, any later will be too dangerous.”

  She heard his words from very far away. He couldn’t be talking about her. But the second Eric slipped off his jeans, she lunged for his cock. He caught her face between his hands and didn’t let go. Moving together with Brock, Eric sat on the edge of one of the benches, and Brock guided her to her knees between Eric’s spread legs.

  Without hesitation she took Eric’s cock in her mouth and sucked hard on the head until she heard his throaty groan. Brock held her hands firmly at the small of her back, so she could only use her mouth. She formed a firm circle with her lips and bobbed her head.

  Her fang nicked his shaft and blood rolled across her tongue. Pleasure and desire spread through her. She wanted to slice him open and let his blood fill her mouth. Shocked by her reaction, she pulled back and gingerly licked the tiny wound.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” She looked up into his eyes, ravenous and miserable.

  “You don’t need to control yourself. Surrender yourself to me.” He adjusted his hold on her head, keeping her face at just the right angle. “Do you want my cum?”

  She whimpered. The last time he came in her mouth it had been blissful. Scooting to the very edge of the bench, he moved in her mouth. All she had to do was keep her mouth still and let him fuck her.

  Surrender.

  Eric’s hard shaft throbbed against her tongue, bumping the back of her throat with each steady thrust. Brock rolled her nipples and cupped her mound, occasionally brushing his finger across her clit. The hunger boiled. Mercedes arched her neck, taking Eric into her throat, silently demanding his surrender. His fingers flexed against her skull and he gave her what she demanded, releasing his seed in hot bursts.

  Swallowing and sucking, she refused to release him until every last drop had been expelled. Heat sank past her breasts and settled low in her belly. Eric’s essence soothed her ravaged senses and allowed her to think past the burning. He stroked her face and ran his fingers through her hair, waiting until she was ready to release him.

  Still on her knees, she let his cock slip out of her mouth and rested her head on his thigh. “If we take each other’s blood will it compromise the Day bonding?”

  “I don’t think so.” Brock rubbed her back and traced the crack between her ass cheeks. “You’re both part vampire. You can’t deny your nature.”

  Eric watched Brock’s hands move over her rounded bottom. The welts had begun to fade. Just seeing another man touch her and incite pleasure in her made Eric want to tear Brock limb from limb. The fact that the Nac O’te warrior possessed skills Eric did not certainly didn’t make matters easier to tolerate.

  “I was going to do this while you sucked his cock, but you were already on the edge,” Brock said softly to Mercedes.

  Knowing what Brock had planned, Eric took her hands and tucked them under his thighs. Her breasts pressed against his shins and her head rested in his lap, so calm and trusting.

  “This will feel odd at first, but most enjoy the additional fullness.” Brock lubed the blunt end of the butt plug, then spread her cheeks with his other hand, exposing the puckered hole where he intended to insert the toy.

  Eric imagined her bound over one of the benches spread wide to take his cock in just such a way. She looked up at him, her gaze shining with desire.

  I told you I wanted everything.

  He didn’t know if Brock heard her telepathic communication. The reminder had his cock hardening inches from her face. Brock pushed the butt plug inward. Her body opened, stretching around the smooth object, accepting the fullness. Eric had to look away. He panted, wanting her, craving a savage joining that would shock and frighten her.

  You could never frighten me. I know you too well.

  “Leave us,” Eric snapped.

  “Are you sure? This is obviously the final wave.”

  “Go!”

  He couldn’t be gentle and he couldn’t wait any longer to truly bond with his mate. Soul bonding or Day bonding, it no longer mattered, he had to make her his. Before Brock even made it to the door, Eric had her flat on her back across the bench. He entwined their fingers and held her arms over her head.

  “You are mine.” His gaze bore into hers, revealing the full ferocity of his dark nature. “You have always been mine.”

  “You don’t frighten me.” She raised her legs high against his sides and Eric thrust into her welcoming heat. “I’m your muse and you’re my champion. This was meant to be.”

  Each thrust drove them higher, forced them through the hunger, propelled them beyond the burning. She tightened her inner muscles, the butt plug accenting the fullness of each stroke. He released her hands and pushed his arms beneath her, grasping her shoulders from behind. Hard and deep, he drilled into her, reaching for that elusive spot where their beings converged.

  “Blood and energy,” she whispered and sank her fangs into his shoulder. A second later he completed the circuit with his bite. She arched so violently she nearly bucked him off her. He thrust hard, driving her into the bench, demonstrating his superior strength and dominance.

  Light burst within her and he understood. They had freed her from the darkness to which she was born. Now he must anchor her with his love or she would drift, caught between two worlds, belonging to neither.

  Frantic and determined, he forced himself to slow down, to soothe and adore her with his body and his mind. He retracted his fangs and dragged her mouth away from his flesh. Covering her lips with his, he eased his tongue into her mouth. She pushed her fingers into his hair, taking the kiss deeper. He wouldn’t allow her to rush him. This had to be perfect. They had only this one chance to change the course of their lives. She hooked her legs over his and let him lead the way. He touched her face, her neck, her shoulders, never ceasing the steady rhythm of his hips.

  Her soul bathed him in shimmering light. He countered with velvety darkness. Her energy felt different now. She was a creature of light. He sank deeper into the meld, immersing himself in her radiance. They twisted around each other. The contrast was spectacular. Then the bond snapped into place and pleasure exploded within them.

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sp; She wrapped her legs around his waist as her core squeezed his cock. He clasped her to his chest and came with a roar. On and on her body milked the pleasure from his only to send it back across their telepathic link.

  Shifting his weight to his knees without separating their bodies, Eric looked down into her eyes. “Your face is still glowing.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

  “We’re not the same any more.”

  He chuckled. “We weren’t the same before. You are very much a woman and I’m a man. You’re half Froswick and half organic vampire. I’m just a transformed human. If anything, this has made us more the same. Now we’re both confused as hell.”

  She laughed. “Is Brock still here?”

  Eric shook his head. “We’ll talk to Kylie after we’ve slept for a few hours. I’m still not sure how all this works. I know we can pass energy to each other and you’re no longer nocturnal, but does this mean I can go into the sunlight now too? Kylie said we are both Day Warriors. That made it sound like this bond would change us both.”

  “We’re not going to risk it until we know more.”

  “I agree.” He swept her into his arms and started across the playroom. “Do you want me to take out the toy?”

  She wiggled a bit and then laid her head on his shoulder with a dreamy smile. “It makes me feel decadent.”

  * * *

  “As Mercedes becomes more skilled at passing you energy, you’ll be able to venture into the sunlight. That’s the purpose of Day Warriors. They protect the rest of us from the Setti while we’re lost in our solar trance,” Kylie told Eric the following night on the video phone. “You will always be nocturnal, but she will be able to keep you from slipping into a trance during the day. You should consider going to our home world. Her skills will improve much more quickly if she is properly trained by the Nac O’te. I suspect they could teach you a thing or two if you’d let them.”

  He couldn’t argue with her conclusions, but the thought of leaving Earth was more disconcerting than he expected it would be. “Have you made any progress finding Chevon or the Setti shifter?”

  “Commander Sihngal is tracking the shifter and Chevon is my new assignment, now that the Mercedes Smythe case is officially closed. How is she adjusting to all of this?”