Shift of Fate

by Elisa Adams

  Hurt sounded like a good thing to his hunger-clouded mind. He advanced a few steps toward her, his fangs elongating as he watched the breath rise and fall in her chest. She was so easy to aggravate, and he had to admit that a little female obstinacy turned him on. He’d never tell her that, but it made him rock-hard every time he saw the spark of anger in her eyes. The hunger inside him grew quickly as he thought about all the times she’d insulted him, given him a taste of her attitude. If she had any idea how goddamned hot it made him, she’d probably never want to argue with him again.

  God, he loved a challenge.

  His fangs came down fully, the tips biting into his tongue. His breathing became shallow, almost harsh, as he fought for control of something rapidly getting out of hand. He ran both hands through his hair, swiping the shaggy strands back from his forehead. What was wrong with him? Why did he let her affect him this way—and why couldn’t he fight the hunger once it started? He’d never known anything like it before. He didn’t even feel like himself.

  It was his own damned fault for skipping a couple of meals in the last few days. He’d been running on adrenaline alone since the phone call from Wil, and it showed in his lack of composure. But watching the pulse beat in her throat…shit.

  “So, not willing to be my nightly sacrifice, huh?” he asked, stopping a few inches from her. She squirmed, tried to duck away from him, but it only increased his arousal.

  “I don’t think so,” she muttered, but he saw hesitancy flash in her eyes. He’d be willing to bet if he touched her sweet pussy, she’d be damp for him.

  His cock tightened against his zipper, his pulse pounded, and his fangs itched to cut into her flesh. He wanted to feed. He needed to feed. On a pretty little demon with a bad attitude. He grabbed the counter behind her to steady himself as a wave of fevered lust ran through him. Lust for her body, or her blood—he didn’t know which. He just knew he needed something soon or he was going to snap.

  He grinned at her, baring his fangs, and took delight in the little shiver he saw course through her. She could deny it all she wanted, but he saw in her eyes what a turn-on the fangs were for her. Good.

  He wanted Merida. Any way he could get her. The hunger combined with the beautiful, challenging woman proved to be an intoxicating combination. Sweat broke out across his forehead. His hands clenched into fists so tight he felt his short nails bite into his palms. He hadn’t been this out of control in too long to remember. What had been a game turned into something more when she bent over to get something out of a grocery bag on the ground. The last vestiges of his control evaporated into the electrically charged air as his muscles clenched and his mouth watered.

  That sweet ass…what he wouldn’t give to sink his fangs deep into that firm, round flesh. He licked his lips. He needed…

  With a growl of frustration, he slammed his fist into cabinet next to the stove. Merida turned to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise. “What was that for?”

  “I haven’t eaten in days, I didn’t sleep well knowing you were so close, and then you act all high and mighty and like nothing ever happened between us and I want to hurt something. I can’t take this. I need…” He let his voice trail off with a low growl.

  She straightened, her muscles looking tight, her gaze glancing around the room—ready to bolt, he’d guess by the look on her face. Sorry, kitty. No running away this time.

  “What do you need?”

  He licked his lips as he grinned at her, knowing this was a terrible idea but having no clue how to stop what he’d set it in motion. “Come here, kitty.”

  “No.” She shook her head vigorously, balling her hands into fists. Her glare might tell him to stay away, but her tone lacked conviction.

  “No?” He smiled at that. He’d have her then, and they both knew it.

  “That’s what I said. You keep your hands to yourself, Cardoso. I’ll kick your ass if you don’t.”

  He’d like to see her try. Really. At this point, maybe some kind of physical confrontation would help him get his mind back where it belonged—on helping Wil with his problem instead of feeding from and fucking a Panthicenos. He didn’t even know if feeding from her was possible, but at this point, he’d take what he could get.

  “You think I’m kidding? I mean it, Cardoso. Back off.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  He reached out for her—and with a sweep of her leg she’d knocked his out from under him. He snagged her wrist as he fell backward. His back smacked the tile floor as Merida landed on top of him in a tangle of limbs. God. His cock hardened to the point of pain, her soft flesh pressing against him in a way that only increased his discomfort. She tried to wriggle away, but he rolled her to her back and pinned her down to the floor with his body weight.

  He held her down with barely any pressure, securing her wrists to the floor with just one forefinger and thumb. She didn’t fight him—not even a token protest. A shiver skittered up his spine when she arched against him. He watched her eyes darken before dropping his gaze to her nipples, puckered under the thin fabric of her t-shirt.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “You’re a smart girl. You figure it out.” He shifted her under him, moving so that his lower body rested between her thighs. Much better. Intense heat ran through him at the contact—her soft, warm skin separated from his by only a little fabric. He remembered the past summer and their too-brief interlude. She’d been so hot, so willing…he needed that feeling again.

  “Royce.” Her pleading tone nearly destroyed him as her gaze urged him to take what he wanted.

  He ran his tongue down the side of her neck, reveling in her sweet-salty skin. He dragged his teeth over her collarbone denying himself—for the moment—all that he needed from her. “When we worked together before, all I thought about was doing this to you. When it happened, it was beyond incredible. And then you walked out on me. It nearly drove me insane.”

  She snorted. “I don’t matter to you. You can have any woman you want. Why bother with bitchy little me?”

  He would have laughed at that, if he hadn’t been half out of his mind. “You’re doing it to me again. Making me crazy. I have to have you.” He nipped her earlobe, but made no move to bite in earnest. Not yet. “I can’t get enough of you. And this physical stuff gets me hot.”

  “It does?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He’d never been fond of strong women until he’d met Merida. He’d always preferred his women to accept what he said without question—until last summer. After her, no one else had satisfied him. He had a sinking suspicion he’d have to search the rest of his life to find another who would. “Tell me something, kitty. Will your blood hurt me?”

  He could swear he heard her whimper before she answered. “No. It’ll drug you if you drink too much. But unfortunately, it’s not going to kill you. For the most part, in human form, I’m human.”

  “Good.”

  She gulped, anxiety clouding her expression. What could she be afraid of? “I…uh…why don’t I go find you something, anything that—”

  “I don’t think so. Not when I have a nice, warm body here.”

  She shook her head vigorously.

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t let you.”

  He brushed his lips over the side of her neck, trailing his tongue down to her collarbone. “Come on, Merida. Just a little.”

  “Royce, stop.”

  The force of her command made him pause. He snapped his gaze up to hers.

  “Royce, really. You can’t bite me. Trust me, okay? Just stop.”

  “I don’t think I can,” he answered just before he sank his fangs deep into the flesh where her shoulder met her neck. Her yelp turned into a moan as he flicked his tongue over the small wound. The flow of her powerful blood gave him a rush, a high feeling. It was the most incredible thing he’d ever experienced. He could easily get addicted to her flavor.

  He held her tight against him,
his mouth anchoring her in place. He was so turned on he couldn’t draw a complete breath. A sexual pull during feeding was normal, but nothing like this. His cock throbbed and threatened to break free of his now too-tight pants. His every nerve tingled and his balls tightened. He broke away well before he’d had enough, but at this rate, he’d embarrass himself by coming in his pants before he got his fill of her.

  “My God,” he mumbled, panting as much as she was. “I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.”

  “Like what?” she breathed.

  He rested his lips against her neck and smiled, trying to rein in the impulse to drive into her. If he didn’t wait a few minutes and regain some of his control, he’d last all of two thrusts. “Like I could have come right then, just feeding from you.”

  Shock registered in her gaze, along with a heavy dose of arousal. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

  “I tried to warn you. You should have given me a chance to explain. Biting—it sometimes makes me crazy.”

  “Crazy?” His cock stiffened a little more and he groaned.

  “Oh, yeah. Crazy.”

  She hooked her leg around his and managed to flip him onto his back, her fingers flying to the button and zipper holding his jeans closed. Shocked at her sudden turn, Royce did nothing more than lay back and let her have her way. She was strong, crazed, and he couldn’t get enough. His cock throbbed, his balls ached. He needed her. She made him as nuts as he made her, and there was no way in hell he planned on stopping her.

  “You’re going to hurt yourself,” he told her, trying to still the motions of her hands before she scratched herself—or him.

  She batted his hands away and yanked at his jeans. He glanced down to see her fingers were now tipped in sharp looking claw-like nails—claws that tore the front of his jeans to shreds. “I’d rather hurt you.”

  He gulped. “Sounds promising.”

  She paused, smiling down at him with a wicked gleam in her eyes as she freed his cock from the confines of his boxers and stroked her hand up his length. “It is.”

  His eyes drifted closed and he lost himself in the moment—at least until she ran those sharp nails down his chest. He winced at the pain, but at the same time, it felt so good. The damned claws were such a huge turn-on. He couldn’t help it. He nearly came right then. She ran one thin claw over his erect nipple. It felt amazing. Jesus. Instinct and a deep, primal urge to mate took over and he let go. “Get rid of your pants.”

  She glanced down at his rigid cock once more, her tongue running over her lips, before she pushed off him and stood long enough to strip off her pants. He stood and came up behind her as she started to remove her panties. With a sharp tug to the filmy material, he ripped them from her body. He dropped the ruined fabric to the floor and slid his fingers between her legs. Wet, drenched. He shuddered at the thought of sliding into all that heat.

  “Do you know how much I want to fuck you, honey?” he whispered into her ear, finding her clit with his thumb and relishing in the way she wriggled against him. He pressed his front to her back, his cock hard against her soft skin.

  “Do it, Royce.” She arched back into him, her hands gripping his hips. “Fuck me.”

  So much for taking it slow and savoring the feel of her near him, surrounding him again. He kicked a chair out away from the table and pushed her toward it, bending her over so that her palms rested on the polished wood surface. He used his knee to spread her legs further apart and slid his fingers into her drenched cunt. She let out a sound somewhere between a moan and a growl. Her inner muscles clamped down on his fingers and a wave of heat washed through his gut. He’d wanted to wait, to tease her a little more to make her pay for the way she’d walked out on him, but that would have to wait. His cock throbbed, needing to be satisfied.

  He raised her higher and replaced his fingers with his cock, thrusting into her with enough force to move the chair several inches back until it hit the table. Her body shook and Royce’s legs started to weaken. He leaned one hand on the chair back, keeping his other on her hip, as he slammed into her again and again.

  He fought the urge to come for as long as he could, but when he felt himself losing the battle he dropped his fingers to the apex of her thighs, stroking his thumb over her clit. It took no more than a few seconds for Merida to come, her body racked with convulsions and her muscles clenching on his cock in a way that drove him over the edge. He groaned as a powerful orgasm ripped through him, destroying him right to the core. He withdrew from her and pulled her up against him, sinking into the chair with her draped over his body.

  He nestled his face against her hair, breathing in the scent of warm woman. He’d never felt so sated in his life. But it wouldn’t last. He felt her stiffening against him as his breathing settled to a more normal pace. He ticked off seconds in his head, and hadn’t even reached five before she’d jumped up and stalked across the room—and out of the kitchen without even a word to him.

  “Hey! Where are you going?”

  “Shower,” she called without looking back.

  “Want some company?”

  “No.” Her heavy footfalls slamming up the stairs echoed her response.

  Well. Good thing he didn’t care for pillow talk. He’d let her go—this time. One of these days she’d have to stop running. But not tonight. After the way her she’d milked him dry, he didn’t think he’d be able to stand up for more than five minutes at a time. He followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs, but instead of turning right toward the bathroom he made a left and walked into his bedroom.

  He stripped out of what was left of his jeans and boxers and flopped down on the bed. He’d never come so hard in his life. One more second and he would have blacked out. That was a scary thought, but exhilarating at the same time. He’d had great sex before. Hell, he’d had phenomenal, mind-blowing, toe-curling sex quite a few times in his long life. But with Merida, it had gone past even that. The last time he’d had her, it had been good. Worthy of a repeat performance. But what had happened in the middle of Wil’s kitchen…it had annihilated him. He’d never be the same.

  It shook him. Hard. Getting her back into bed had started out as a game—a way to prove to her and himself that he wasn’t as forgettable as she’d seemed to think. But somehow it had turned into so much more. Somewhere in the middle of her tearing him apart on the floor, he’d come to a realization.

  He was hooked.

  She had hooked him that first night they’d met. Her attitude intrigued him, her body fascinated him. He wanted more. A lot more. He wanted to spend the next two weeks in her bed, fucking her in every possible position until neither of them could walk. But that wouldn’t be possible As much as he appreciated a good loving, he’d never let sex come before work. This would not become the exception.

  He sighed and flipped to his back to accommodate his rapidly swelling cock. He hadn’t nearly had his fill of her yet. If she thought she could escape by running out of the room, she was dead wrong. Just thinking about her…what she’d done to him…what she’d look like naked and soapy in the shower—shit. Whether or not she wanted company, she’d get it.

  He stomped into the bathroom and threw back the shower curtain. Merida gasped, her eyes widening as her lips parted. Flushed pink and shiny from her washing, she looked good enough to eat. He smiled at the thought. Pulling her from the shower, he lifted her into his arms and settled her ass on the edge of the vanity, spreading her legs with his hands.

  “What do you think you’re doing? I’m soaked. I need to dry off.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t even think about it. I prefer you wet, kitty.”

  He didn’t give her time to respond before he dove in, plunging his tongue deep into her cunt. One of her hands flew to his hair, grasping large handfuls and tugging in a way that crossed the line between pleasure and pain. He loved the way her hands felt on his head, her fingers curling against his s
calp as she moaned softly. He couldn’t get enough.

  And the way she tasted—just a lap and he felt like he’d go out of his mind. There was definitely something about this whole demon thing. Would a human woman ever satisfy him again? He seriously doubted it. He sucked her clit into his mouth, using his lips and teeth to bring her to the edge. Her moans grew louder, her fingers tightening in his hair, and she shuddered in orgasm. He swirled his tongue over her clit until her spasms subsided before standing and pulling her into his arms. She didn’t fight him this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his bare chest instead, as if she’d known how much he needed it.

  That thought stopped him in his tracks. Where the hell did that come from? He didn’t need her. He didn’t need anyone. He didn’t do relationships, couldn’t handle commitment. He was just in it for the sex. Every time.

  Yeah, right, spoke a little voice in the back of his head. Not this time.

  He mentally told the voice shut up. He didn’t have time to get involved. He only had time to get her into bed. That was all he wanted to do.

  The little nagging voice got a little louder. Yeah, and that’s why you dragged her all the way up here when Eric would have done just fine. Because of work.

  Because he knew how close to the truth the voice was, and because he didn’t like it at all, he did the only thing he could think of to banish it from his head. He stood up and thrust his cock into her cunt, still contracting from her orgasm. Her head flung back, her hair dripping water into the sink, tiny goose bumps peppering her naked skin. God, he loved her skin. It was so soft, so warmly tanned—silky and smooth. He wanted nothing more than to lie over her, his skin covering hers, to feel her curves pressed against him he stroked into her slowly, tenderly—

  Fuck. Why was his mind stuck on this whole tender thing?

  “God, Royce,” Merida moaned. He looked down at her, but he couldn’t hold eye contact. That would do him in. Instead, he focused his gaze on her lips—full and naturally dark pink. So sexy. So goddamned sexy. He wanted to feel them, hot and moist, wrapped around his cock. Oh, yeah. He liked this train of thought much better. Now he had his mind back where he wanted it—on the act itself and not the emotions better left alone.