by L.H. Cosway
My spine arched in invitation as he stroked the folds of my sex, then found my clit and began circling. I stifled a moan, turning my head into the pillow. Ethan’s hand on my breast came up to grip my chin. “Don’t look away. I want your eyes.”
“I’m going to come embarrassingly fast,” I confessed, and he grinned like he enjoyed that idea.
“Come then, lumina mea. It will be the first of many,” he coaxed as his fingers continued to do wonderful things.
That statement sent my head into a tailspin. With Ethan’s experience, I was certain he could give me orgasm after orgasm without breaking a sweat.
“You make me crazy,” he growled, the rumble of his voice vibrating through me.
“You make me crazier,” I shot back, burying my face in his neck and sucking his earlobe, unable to take the intimacy of looking right at him. He shuddered when I flicked my tongue along the shell of his ear. A second later, I orgasmed against his hand and he growled again, this time in displeasure.
“You cheated.”
“It was too much to keep looking at you,” I breathed, my pulse pounding from the release he just gave me. There was a fire in his eyes, a challenge almost, as he flipped me onto my stomach and pulled me to all fours. I barely had time to register him shoving down his pants before he took my hair in hand, fisting it and pulling my head back so that I was looking at him.
My body was stretched taut, my breasts jutting out, my nipples hardened peaks. I’d never been more aroused in my life. Ethan devoured me with his eyes, and I felt his smooth, silky erection nudge against my backside. His hold on my hair was gentle but firm.
“Look away again and there’ll be punishment.”
“Bring it,” I goaded him, and desire seemed to cloud his vision.
He caressed my cheek, and his voice was tender when he asked, “Are you on birth control?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
“I have not been with anyone for quite some time,” he stated and something inside me preened at that. I liked the idea of him being faithful, even when we weren’t together, even when I was convinced he hated me. It meant his feelings ran far deeper than the betrayal he felt when I took Rebecca.
“Me neither.”
At this he swore gutturally, and my core clenched.
“I have some condoms—”
“No,” I said, a little too eagerly. Maybe I was being reckless. Or maybe it was the build up of need for him that had grown and expanded inside me over the last few weeks and months, but I wanted to feel him. All of him.
Ethan exhaled unsteadily, his eyes intense. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” I said adamantly, not dropping his gaze.
A second later my breath caught when he pushed inside me. I was already slick and wet from the orgasm he just gave me. Both of us moaned when he filled me to the hilt, connecting us in the most intimate way. He stilled then, his eyes practically glittering as a shudder went through him. Then his hips began to move in earnest, and I lost the ability to think. I was nothing but sensation as Ethan laid claim to me. He fucked me hard from behind, then pulled out, flipping me over and ramming into me again so fast I barely had time to blink. We were face to face now, and he gripped my chin, not letting me look away. Staring into his eyes was intense in a way I could barely handle.
“Frumoasă,” he breathed as he gazed down at me, the muscles in his torso tensing and releasing. I had no clue what he just said, but it sounded pretty.
He lowered his mouth, brushing his lips over mine. He kissed me lightly at first, then deepened the kiss until his tongue had melded with mine and I didn’t know where he started and I began. I’d never had sex like this before. The way Ethan made love, he invaded every part of me and refused to leave until I surrendered to his complete and utter domination.
He broke the kiss, and his breathing was laboured as he reached between our bodies, ready to make me come again. Ethan didn’t let me turn my head into the pillow this time. He insisted on eye contact. My release shattered through me, even more magnificent than the first time. Now he was inside me, and he didn’t stop moving as pleasure spread out from my core, all the way to my fingertips, and down to my toes.
My moans filled the room, and he ate them up with his kisses. I arched my spine, my breasts pressing into his hard chest. The brush of my nipples against his skin felt incredible. I wanted more, anything, everything he could give me.
He rose, pumping into me fast, and I knew he was close. His fangs extended from his mouth, but some part of me knew he didn’t intend to bite me. I was learning there was a difference between a vampire’s arousal and his hunger. Right now, Ethan fell into the former category. The sight of him above me, blond hair hanging forward, eyes bright and luminous, fangs glinting in the dark, I’d never seen a more beautiful specimen in all my days.
A moment later, he threw his head back as he thrust into me deeply. I ran my hands up his muscled forearms, watching in awe as he came.
Wow.
He was absolutely glorious.
He dropped down, falling into the pillows as he pulled my body to his, wrapping me in his embrace. I inhaled deeply, savouring his scent and being this close to him.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” I whispered into the quiet room.
His lips brushed my forehead as he swept a hand down my spine. “It was long overdue.” His fingers skimmed my hip before venturing farther, grazing my bottom. “Your body was made for me,” he went on, and arousal built in me once more. He just made me come twice and already I wanted to go again. Pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw, I started to crawl down his body, a seductive smile touching my lips.
“What are you doing?” he asked, watching me intently.
“You still haven’t officially forgiven me,” I murmured. “I feel like I need to do more to convince you.”
“Oh?” he replied throatily, curiosity alight in his gaze.
I palmed his cock as I nestled between his legs, and he groaned, a rumble coming up from deep in his chest. I grazed my lips across the head of his gorgeous penis, and his hips jutted forward. I couldn’t believe how I affected him. Ethan was almost three-hundred years old, and I thought he’d be jaded with sex by now, but he was incredibly reactive. I had to admit it gave me a little thrill to see how much I turned him on.
“Tegan,” he said, sounding desperate as I bent to take him fully into my mouth.
***
“You’re forgiven,” Ethan whispered several hours later as he held me to him under the blankets. I’d given him three orgasms tonight and he’d given me three, so for now we were even. I snuggled into his chest.
“I don’t ever want to be away from you,” I whispered candidly.
There were blackout blinds on the window, so I couldn’t see if it was bright yet, but my internal clock told me it was almost morning, and we hadn’t slept a wink.
“I’m here for however long you’ll have me,” he replied, arms tightening around me.
One of his hands cupped my breast, and the other rubbed lightly at my stomach. His breath on the back of my neck was soothing, and I felt myself relax. My body was spent, but my heart was full. I never expected our reunion to make me feel quite so whole again. Maybe I simply had no clue of the true extent of my feelings for him because right now my heart was soaring.
“Ethan,” I said in a quiet voice.
“What is it, Sunshine?” he murmured, still stroking my stomach.
“Why don’t you love and care for Gabriel the way you do Delilah? He’s your family, too.”
His hand stilled and I sensed a small amount of tension in him. After a long moment, he replied, “It’s a part of our culture to reject dhampirs, but if I’m being honest, deep down it never sat right with me. Delilah means the world to me and I’ve always felt very protective of her. I always knew of Gabriel’s existence, but my father convinced me he hated us. Now I know he was playing fast and loose with the truth and I feel incredibly guilt
y for never trying to know my brother better. That’s why I sometimes talk out of turn to him. I’m simply lashing out because of the guilt,” he admitted.
“Well, you can try and repair the damage your father did now. I’m sure Gabriel would like to get to know you better without the usual hostility. He and Delilah have seemed to really hit it off.”
“Are you trying to fix my broken family?” Ethan asked, affection in his voice.
“I just know what wonderful men you both are. It would be a shame for you not to have a relationship.”
“I shall try and mend the bridge, but I can’t guarantee Gabriel will be on board.”
“He accepted Delilah’s friendship easily enough. He might be a bit of a tougher nut to crack when it comes to you, but with time I’m sure he’ll get there.”
“With time, perhaps,” Ethan agreed, and his hand resumed its stroking.
Somewhere along the way, we both drifted off to sleep. I woke up just before midday, Ethan’s scent surrounding me. Pleasant shivers shot through my body as memories from the night before flooded my head.
I knew I should go over to Finn’s and check on things, but I didn’t want to leave this bubble. Outside the real world was waiting for me, but it held absolutely no appeal. I stayed cuddled with Ethan for a long time, but I knew I couldn’t stay here all day. Finn was probably wondering where I’d gotten to last night.
I climbed out of bed slowly, making sure not to disturb Ethan, and went to find my clothes in the other room. I dressed quickly and left the house, making my way across the street. Rita’s RV sat still and lonely in front of the house. I let my hand drift over its metal exterior, wishing I could click my fingers and she’d be the old Rita again. The loss of Noreen had changed her. I just hoped it wasn’t an irreversible change.
“I take it you stayed with her last night,” Finn’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I startled, glancing away from the RV to find him standing on the doorstep with a cup of tea in hand. “What?” I asked stupidly, my heart racing. For some reason, I felt like Finn would be disappointed in me for spending the night with Ethan.
“I assumed you stayed with Rita. You never came back to the house last night.”
I stared at him now, my heart filling with guilt. Depending on the extent of Finn’s suspected feelings for me, hearing I was with Ethan all night could hurt him. I didn’t want to hurt him.
“I wasn’t with Rita,” I answered truthfully. “I went for a walk yesterday, and then Ethan came looking for me …” I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.
I glanced away from him, staring down at my boots like they were the most fascinating thing in the world.
Finn studied me a moment, his face changing when understanding dawned. In the space of a few seconds, I saw the ideas he had about us one day possibly getting together die a quick death. My stomach dropped a little because there was something reassuring about having Finn around. I felt safe with him. He shook his head, jaw flexing. “You were with Ethan,” he said, his voice flat.
“I didn’t plan it.”
He set his cup on the ledge and ran a hand down his face. “He can’t be trusted, not when it comes to you. You saw how he reacted to your blood the other day. If you’re with him you’ll always have to be on guard, and if you aren’t and you drop your guard, then I shudder to think what could happen to you.”
I reached out to touch his arm. “He wouldn’t hurt me.”
His blue eyes met mine. “You can’t know that for certain.”
“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
He didn’t drop my gaze for a long time, then finally, he exhaled. “Okay, if you want to be with a vampire, then that’s your choice. I don’t agree with it, but I accept it. And I swear, if he ever does anything to harm you, I’ve got a stake in my back pocket with his name on it.”
I pulled him into a hug, grateful that he was being relatively understanding about all this. When I pulled away, I noticed his attention had gone to Rita’s RV.
“If you didn’t stay with her last night, that means nobody did,” Finn said, sounding worried. “Alvie spent the night with Gabriel.” He walked toward the motor home and rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles. “Rita, you in there?” he called. There was no answer, and when he went to try and open the door it wouldn’t budge.
“She never locks it,” I said. “Not unless she’s going out somewhere, and she hasn’t been anywhere since Noreen’s funeral.”
“Maybe she decided today was the day to stretch her legs,” Finn suggested, pulling harder on the door handle. This time a little bolt of purple electricity slithered over the metal and shocked his hand. “What the hell?” We both stared at the handle in confusion.
“I think she’s put a spell on it to keep everyone out,” I said to him, starting to panic.
“Bloody hell, did she get that idea from Emilia or something? And why would she want to keep everyone out?”
“She bit my head off yesterday for no reason and basically told me to get the fuck out of the RV.”
“She did what? I thought she was getting better after the empath girl worked on her.”
“So did I.”
“Well, this isn’t on. She can’t just keep herself locked up in there. It’s not good for her. We need to get her out.” He stood back and put his hands around his mouth, bellowing, “Rita! Get your skinny arse out here now and undo whatever spell you’ve cast.”
At this, my eyes were drawn to one of the windows, through which I spotted Rita standing in the kitchen, making a cup of coffee and completely ignoring us.
I walked up and knocked on the glass. “I can see you in there. Please let us in. We only want to help.”
Her back was to me, and she continued what she was doing, pretending not to have heard me at all.
“Maybe we should just leave her for a while,” I suggested, glancing at Finn. “I’m sure she’ll come around.”
He watched her through the window with narrowed eyes. “Yeah, maybe.”
Neither of us said it, but it was clear that we both had our doubts about Rita coming around at all.
***
Later that day, while I was doing laundry, something absolutely extraordinary occurred. As I stood by the washing machine, a little speck of golden light buzzed in my face and flitted around me like an annoying wasp.
I swiped at it, but it continued flitting around my head, growing in size. One second, it was the size of a pea, and the next, it was a golf ball. A second later, it was a football before widening into a hula hoop. It fizzled and crackled, sputtering physical sparks like you’d see come off a bonfire.
I backed up against the washing machine, my hands braced against it and my heart pounding. The smell of burnt coal and sulphur filled the room. My heart rate increased further when a blue foot appeared, followed swiftly by a blue leg. That was when I recognised Edwards in his demon form and a huge smile spread across my face. He made it back!
Edwards fell to the floor with a sizzling thud and another body followed, a human one, thudding to the floor right after him. My dad’s skin was blistered from head to toe and his hair was all patchy, like parts of it had been singed off. Emotion flooded me at seeing him like this. He lay on the floor, unconscious but breathing. I was distracted from staring at his horrendous state by Edwards coughing loudly, “A glass of water, please, if it’s not too much trouble.”
Wide-eyed, I went and poured him a glass, handing it down to him. Then I went and crouched before my dad, who groaned when I touched his burned skin.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked desperately, tears clogging my eyes as I turned to Edwards.
“Human skin is not made to withstand the atmosphere in hell. That’s another of the reasons why I changed into my demon form before venturing there.” He handed me the glass of water, and I refilled it before handing it back. He downed it in one long gulp, so I got him another.
I really wanted to comfort
my dad in some way, but every time I tried to touch him his entire body shook as if in pain, so I sat on the floor beside Edwards instead. “I almost lost hope that you’d be back. What took you so long?”
“The dimension didn’t want to let your father go. He’d taken the place of a sorcerer, a very powerful player indeed, and it was angry at the unequal exchange. A human for a sorcerer is not a fair swap. I had to take my time rescuing Martin and leaving the chicken in his place, which is an even more unequal exchange. When the dimension realises your father is gone it won’t be happy.”
I got a chill from the way he described hell as this living, breathing entity with conscious thought.
“So, how long were you actually over there, if time doesn’t move the same as it does here?”
“Months,” he answered. “It was tough, but I truly had a ball of a time.”
I raised an eyebrow at the strange little fellow. “I think your version of a good time is a lot different from mine.”
Edwards chuckled. “I’m half demon, dear, of course, it is. We demons delight in mayhem.”
My dad choked out a strangled cough, and I rushed to his side again. I tried not to let the tears flow when I asked, “Is he going to recover?”
A wary expression crossed Edwards’s features. “Nobody recovers fully from what he’s been through, but with my help, he can come close.”
He got to his feet, and I realised that his blue self was still naked. “Now, could you bring me my suitcase?”
His suitcase? Damn, it was still in Ethan’s car. “Um, I’ll go get it for you. Is there anything else you need?”
“Yes, a clean room with a bed for your father. I may have retrieved him, but he’s far from being out of the woods yet. I have medicines and ointments in my suitcase that will assist in his healing.”
At this, Finn, Ira, and Delilah walked into the kitchen. Seeing me standing there with a little naked, blue-skinned man at my side and my equally naked, completely burned father lying on the floor, Finn exclaimed, “For the love of God! What’s happened?”