Blood Craving

by Gabrielle Bisset

  They didn’t have much time. He planned on making the most of it.

  Lifting Noele off him, he slid out from underneath the covers and into her warm and wet cunt. She made that familiar soft moan he loved hearing every time they made love, exciting him more. A gentle tug on her long brown hair let her know he was in the mood for something a little rougher tonight, and she stopped above him.

  With a sexy grin, she whispered, “Feeling a little Visigoth tonight?”

  Ramiel flipped her onto her back, staying inside her all the while, and thrust his cock deep into her. “Every night, my angel. Every night.”

  Wrapping her legs around his waist, she offered herself to him in the most intimate way, and he adored her for it. She truly was his angel. In her, he’d found a home he’d never believed existed anywhere in this world. Finally, he wanted to be worthy of the name Amita had given him, and with Noele he believed he could be.

  He worshipped her body with a passion that had stirred inside him from the minute he’d first laid eyes on her. She was so much smaller than he, but that tiny female contained a spirit as strong as he was. She took every powerful thrust he offered and returned his desire with her own that was just as great. In truth, while he certainly was a male who enjoyed being dominant with his female, she was no submissive.

  And he liked it that way.

  He’d had more women than he wanted to remember who let him do as he pleased, mostly pleasing himself, first and foremost. With Noele, it was different. He wanted to please her too. She brought that out in him. He never would have believed it, but her strength made him stronger. The very fact that such a woman would give herself over to him still amazed him.

  Her body became part of his body and vice versa to the point that when they made love, they shared something perfect and complete neither of them found anywhere else in life. Noele scratched her fingernails down his back as a sign that she was close, and he plunged his cock into her cunt one last time before she came apart beneath him. The feel of her thighs as they quivered against his sides—something so small between two souls—thrilled him more than it probably should have, but it never failed to push him over the edge into that sweet oblivion release offered. Buried deep inside her, he came and then stilled his body above hers as she tenderly stroked his back.

  “I want you to know that there are so many times I want to scream out, but with the baby in the next room, I don’t,” she whispered in his ear as her fingers continued to slowly glide up and down his spine.

  “You don’t have to make an excuse for anything, Noele,” he answered. “I don’t need a female who has to scream out every time I put my cock inside her. You could never say anything again when we make love and I’d know if you were satisfied.”

  He kissed her softly on the lips, and she smiled. “That’s good. I’m happy we’re like that.”

  Nuzzling her neck, he teased, “But once the boy is old enough to have a room further away from ours, you better be ready for the things I’m going to do to make you scream, angel.”

  Noele made that sexy giggling sound she did only when they were alone, and Ramiel sighed, content to know that was something only he got to hear. “We better check on Theron. It’s got to be close to sunset.”

  “I think we have a few minutes, but we can check, although I’d rather stay like this all night.”

  Chuckling, she pushed him off her and stood up from the bed. “The lives of parents, right? Someday when he’s grown up and out on his own and all our other children are too, we’ll get to do whatever we want any night we want.”

  Ramiel silently wondered if the grown up version of Theron wasn’t just months away. He liked the idea of other children, though. Who knew? If they all were like the boy, they might have an entire brood of kids and be able to spend their nights as they liked in just a few years.

  “Mama! Come see!”

  Theron yelled for Noele, but Ramiel knew instantly he wasn’t in the next room. His voice sounded too far away. Noele knew it too, and she quickly threw on clothes and dashed out of the room to find him.

  “Ramiel, the baby’s not in the house! Where is he?” she screamed frantically just seconds later as he slipped on a pair of pajama bottoms. “Ramiel!”

  He’d barely made it to the kitchen before he saw Noele pointing toward the door. It was slightly ajar, and from outside the little boy could be heard laughing as he called to his mother.

  “Mama, come here!”

  A look of terror settled into Noele’s face. The last rays of the sun still shone through the crack in the door, which meant Theron was outside in the sunlight. “Ramiel, he’s out in the sun! We have to get him!”

  She reached for the door, but Ramiel yanked her back just as she was about to risk her own life to get the child. Pulling her close, he said, “No. I won’t let you get hurt.”

  Looking up at him, she cried, “I have to go save him! Let me go!”

  “No! Give me a second and I’ll get Dante over here. I can get him.”

  Noele pushed against his hold, making dialing Dante difficult. She began crying as the phone rang, which tore at his heart, but he couldn’t let her risk her life. He’d sooner do it himself than let her, but if he could get Dante there fast enough, maybe nobody would get hurt.

  “Hey, Ramiel, what’s up?” Dante chirped into the phone.

  “Theron’s outside, it’s still daylight, and we need you here NOW!” he ordered into his cell.

  “Holy shit! I’m on my way, dude.”

  Ramiel had no idea where Dante was, but thankfully, he was as good as his word and appeared outside in just seconds. Noele’s crying slowed just a bit as they listened to the clyten talk to Theron.

  “What’s up, buddy? I don’t think you’re supposed to be out here.”

  Noele yelled toward the door. “Dante, is he okay? How bad is it?”

  “Hang on. I’m bringing him in now. Give me a second.”

  Noele shook with fear, and Ramiel had to work to keep calm. Born vampire or not, their son could be seriously hurt by the rays of the sun, even those that lingered just before sunset. Thankfully, his rapid aging probably meant he’d heal quickly too, but how bad his injuries would be terrified the new father.

  Tilting her face upward, Ramiel said the words he knew would calm her. “He’ll be fine, Noele. We’ll take care of him and the first thing I’ll do is make sure all the doors and windows are locked and childproof so he can’t get out again.”

  Her brown eyes were wide with fear, her natural maternal instincts stronger than ever. “Ramiel, what if he’s not okay? He’s just a baby, no matter how fast he’s aged. I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s not okay.”

  The sadness in her voice broke his heart, and he pulled her close to him to hold her. “He’ll be all right. He’s a strong born vampire like his mother.”

  Noele buried her face in his chest and sobbed while Ramiel held his breath in anticipation as Dante opened the door to come in. A quick glance at the child in his arms told him that his son seemed fine. He wasn’t burned, so maybe the sun hadn’t touched him somehow.

  “He’s okay. It’s all going to be okay,” he whispered as he kissed the top of Noele’s head. “He’s fine. See?”

  Turning to look at her son, Noele visibly relaxed, her shoulders sagging in relief. She ran to him and took the boy in her arms to examine every inch of him from head to toe for any damage the sun may have caused.

  “Mama, I saw a bug just like in the picture book! See?”

  In his hand, Theron held a caterpillar just like the one on the cover of the book Noele had read him as she put him to bed that morning. The child beamed a smile that lit up the room, not knowing that he’d given his parents the scare of their lives.

  “Theron, are you hurt? Tell mama where it hurts,” she said as she ran her fingertips over his hair and forehead.

  “Not hurt, mama. Just a bug,” he answered sweetly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

 
Ramiel motioned for Dante to join him in the next room. When they were alone, he whispered, “He should be hurt, Dante. The sun was still up.”

  “No kidding. I know that. While all you spend your days lounging out, I’m up most of the time. He should definitely be suffering from burns.”

  Looking past the fellow Son, Ramiel watched as Theron jumped down from his mother’s hold and began playing with his new friend. How was it possible he hadn’t been burned in the least from the sun?

  “Maybe his rapid aging healed him before any real damage could be done. I don’t think he was out there for more than a few minutes and he was wearing pajamas,” Ramiel wondered aloud.

  “Dude, you’ve a got a clyten kid,” Dante said as he chucked Ramiel in the shoulder.

  “How? Neither Noele nor Thane’s clyten.”

  Dante shrugged and made a goofy face. “I have no idea. Hell, I have no idea why I’m a clyten. When I find that out, maybe I’ll know why the little guy is one too. Doesn’t matter why, though. If he can handle the sun, he’s like me.”

  A clyten? The implications of this new development raced through Ramiel’s mind. A born vampire aging rapidly who was also a clyten? Being a father just got one hundred times harder.

  “So what do we do?” Ramiel asked, for the first time feeling as if Dante was someone other than the Son that irritated the hell out of him.

  Dante laughed and held out his hand to shake Ramiel’s. “You count yourself blessed. Your kid will never have to worry about the sun like most vampires.” Pointing to himself, he puffed his chest up. “And you know a clyten, by the way. I can help the little guy and you two when it comes to dealing with him.”

  Noele joined them looking like her usual self again, her expression full of relief. Theron followed in tow, bringing his caterpillar with him as he plopped himself down at his father’s feet.

  Hugging Dante, she planted a big kiss on his cheek, making the clyten grin like a Cheshire cat. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you came as soon as we called, Dante.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I was just telling Ramiel that I’m more than happy to help the little guy figure things out about being a clyten.”

  Noele shook her head in disbelief. “He’s not a clyten. We just got lucky this time.”

  Ramiel put his arm around her and squeezed gently. “There’s no way he wouldn’t have been hurt out there, Noele. At the very least, he would have been burned a little. He’s a clyten if he can stand the sun’s rays.”

  She looked confused, which Ramiel could certainly understand. First, Theron had begun aging so fast they never knew what he’d look like from one night to the next and now this.

  Gazing down at the child, she said, “A clyten? There was never anything mentioned about this in the stories my mother told me all those times.”

  “Did she ever mention his learning to walk and talk at just a few weeks old? Did she ever mention anything about like he is now?” Ramiel asked.

  “Not to worry, guys,” Dante said with a laugh. “I’m the man for this job. I can show him the ropes. You said last night I was doing pretty good as a babysitter.”

  Noele turned toward Ramiel and gave him a look that pleaded with him not to overreact. “We could use his help. He knows what Theron will deal with, and you’re right. We’re flying blind, for the most part. Having Dante to turn to about him being a clyten can’t hurt.”

  Obviously outnumbered, Ramiel raised his eyebrows in disbelief at the turn his life had taken. Once a committed bachelor who made it a point to live life as solitary as possible and never a fan of Dante’s, now he bowed to the wishes of the woman he loved and accepted the help of the one member of the Sons of Navarus he would have bet money he’d never even want in his home.

  “If that’s what you want, Noele, then Theron’s got a new nanny.”

  Noele rolled her eyes while Dante protested his new title, amusing Ramiel. At least if he had to accept everything in his life changing he could do it with a little tweak to the clyten’s ego. Feeling a tug on his pant leg, he looked down to see his son smiling up at him as he placed the caterpillar on the top of his foot.

  Life had certainly changed.

  Three

  Looking around the dimly lit park, Saint waited for his phone to ring, pulling it out of his coat pocket every minute or so to check for the pale light that showed it was still working or to press the volume button in case it had somehow mistakenly been turned down. For weeks he’d been on what might be a wild goose chase talking to a woman who claimed she knew where Solenne was being held. Some nights, she’d instructed him to wait at a café only to not show. Other nights she called simply to say she was trying to help him but couldn’t yet.

  Tonight she’d promised to give him the address where his wife waited for him to rescue her. He prayed to God that she wasn’t just stringing him along in some sadistic game of cat and mouse. Weeks of following instructions only to be left with nothing had left him raw and emotional. Just the thought of Solenne hurt or worse by that fucker Verrater made him want to kill someone, and his nerves teetered dangerously close to the edge.

  Clenching his fists in frustration, he searched the area around him but saw nothing. This was his first visit to Corsica, and if he had any say in it, it would be his last. All he wanted was to find Solenne safe and sound and take her home. Then all he wanted was to hold her and never let her go.

  That’s what he should have been doing to keep her safe instead of spending time with Nico trying to figure out the goddamn Archon nonsense that ruled his world now. If he had the chance to hold her in his arms again…

  No. When. When he held her in his arms again.

  A shadowy figure passed under a street light on the other side of the park, catching his attention. Was this the woman who could give him the information he needed? He watched as the figure continued to walk away from the meeting spot the mystery woman had told him to be at, and his heart sank from disappointment. Would this be yet another night filled with hope that would end once again with him in misery and no closer to finding Solenne?

  The sound of his ringtone startled him out of his sadness, and he jammed his hand into his coat pocket to fish his phone out. A quick swipe of his finger across the screen and he was listening to his informant’s voice whispering the words he’d waited so long to hear.

  “From where you are, walk three streets to the south and look for a pale yellow house. Go to the side door. She’s in there. I tried to find a way to get the key, but I couldn’t. You only have one hour before he’s out of his meeting. Any longer and I can’t promise you’ll have enough time. I don’t know if he has a security system or if anyone is there watching the house. All I can tell you is that he isn’t there now. Good luck.”

  Saint took off across the park following her directions, still holding the phone to his ear. “Who is this? Will you be safe now?”

  “My name is Emily. I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you and your wife. I didn’t know. If I had…”

  Saint ran at a full sprint now as he approached the house where Emily had said Solenne would be. His heart pounded against his chest in anticipation, his mind whirling with visions of what he’d find when he finally rescued her.

  “Thank you, Emily. Thank you. If you need me, you know how to find me. Whatever you’ve done, I’ll help you if you need it.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve made sure he has no idea that I’ve found out his secret. Just hurry or he’ll find you both and kill you.”

  The phone went silent just as he got to the side door of the house. Turning the handle, he found it locked, but that wasn’t going to stop him. A simple wooden door, it wasn’t going to hold him back from saving the only woman he’d ever loved. Angling his shoulder toward the door, he slammed into it with all his weight over and over until finally it gave way and he staggered into the basement of the house. A quick look around the rooms in front of him told him Verrater had no one guarding the house
. No security alarm alerted anyone to the break in either.

  Now all he had to do was find her.

  “Solenne! Baby, where are you? Answer me!”

  Saint stormed through the rooms but saw no one. Racing up the stairs to the main floor, he found it bare. No furniture, no appliances. Nothing. It was as if no one lived here.

  Had Emily intentionally misled him to give Verrater a chance to trap and kill him?

  Then he heard a sound that would forever be imprinted on his heart. Solenne was somewhere in the house and calling his name. Her voice sounded faint, as if she was hurt, but it was her.

  She was alive!

  He tore down the stairs toward the sound of that beautiful voice and called out again, “Solenne! Where are you? Baby, where are you?”

  In a room off the main basement, she cried out, “Declan, I’m in here! Declan, can you hear me?”

  The door was locked, but he simply crashed through it, the adrenaline pumping through his body at the thought that he finally had found her. The doorframe splintered and the door nearly came off its hinges in his wake. He would have torn the stars from the sky if it meant having Solenne back safely with him.

  She stood staring at him with stunned eyes—blue-green eyes that had so many times looked at him with love, even when he was cruel and unfeeling. Still as beautiful as always, she seemed unharmed, but he couldn’t think of any of that now. All he could think of was taking her out of this place and back to their home.

  “Declan…” she began but stopped as the tears began to flow. Covering her face, she shook her head and sobbed, “I never gave up hope. Never.”

  Saint took her in his arms, holding her tightly against his body as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”

  Cradling her face in his hands, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. “Don’t cry. I got you. You’re safe now.”

  Leaning her cheek into his palm, she closed her eyes as she continued to cry. “I never stopped believing you’d find me. Every night I told myself tonight would be the night, and every day before I closed my eyes I whispered ‘I love you’ knowing wherever you were you knew no matter what, I loved you, Declan.”