Again and again, he played with her, wringing every sensation of bliss from her body that she could give him, until finally he rose above her. His muscled arms bore his weight, his skin taught and smooth, cast in silver by the moonlight. His abdominal muscles rippled as he slid into her, and she gasped as her gaze met his. The sensation of him there, hot and thick, was a delicious torture, and her muscles clenched.
Without breaking eye contact, he slowly withdrew, and then slid inside, smooth as silk. Heat bloomed through her, from her core, up to her chest and down to her toes. She couldn’t look away, could only open herself up to the sensation that was building inside her, something that was beyond just the physical.
Arms rising, she embraced him as he made love to her. His hips rolled with a grace and expertise that stole her breath. She arched her back, her breasts pressed against his broad chest as he slowly thrust inside her until she peaked yet again, and this time they were chest to chest, heart to heart, when they each found their fulfillment.
* * *
Vivianne stared at Zane in wonder as he lay down on the forest floor next to her. That wasn’t just sex. That had gone beyond sex. It had been more than a physical release, a venting of rising tension. No, that had been...indescribable, and something she hadn’t encountered in her nine hundred years. She could feel her beast stretch, could feel the warmth flood through her, a soft emotion that went beyond the affections she’d allowed herself in the past.
She could sense him. Sense his satisfaction, his relaxation... He cracked an eyelid, and his brown-green gaze met hers. He was happy. He was proud he’d pleasured her so thoroughly. He felt more than affection for her. He was... Her eyes widened as something snapped, much like her bones did during a shift, only to reform into something stronger, something that connected her to Zane.
She bolted upright. “What did you do?” she gasped.
He arched an eyebrow. “Princess, if you don’t know what that was, I’ll have to do it again, only better.”
Her core melted at his words, and she shook her head, stifling the want, the need...the acceptance. “No, something’s different,” she rasped, gesturing between him and her. “Something changed.”
He frowned as he sat up. “What the he—” His eyes widened, and she could sense his stunned shock.
“I can feel you,” she hissed. Happiness. Shock. Disbelief—but mainly shock. What. The. Hell?
Zane shook his head. “Uh, no. No.” He stood and walked a few steps in the clearing, then halted, his back to her. Despite her confusion, and a sense of climbing panic, she couldn’t help admiring his physique. Golden skin, broad back roped with muscle. His firm buttocks clenched as he ran his hand through his scruffy hair. “No.”
“No, what?” She, too, rose to her feet, trying to understand what was going on. It took her a moment to realize the rising panic she could sense was his. Which created a similar reaction within her. If Zane was mildly freaking out, it must be pretty bad.
“We should get back,” Zane rasped, and turned. He halted when he saw her, his gaze sweeping over her naked form, and she could feel it, the rising hunger in him, in his beast. Her own beast stretched in response, and she could feel a similar need rise within her. Her breasts swelled, and she could feel her core pulse with liquid desire.
As though she’d developed a Pavlovian response for the man. See Zane. Want Zane. She swallowed, trying to fight the urge to mate with him.
Mate.
Her eyes widened as her beast made a sound inside her head that was all acceptance and approval.
“What. The. Hell?” she exclaimed.
Zane held up his hands in placatory caution. “I can explain, Vivianne. Just—give me a minute.” He dragged his hand over his face, and she saw, felt, his surprise. His shock. He stood for a moment, his hands over the lower half of his face, and then he took a deep breath.
“Okay. It seems we may have...bonded.”
“Bonded?” What the hell did that mean? It sounded like a restraint, a hold...a limitation. “Explain.” The word came out clipped, harsh. She folded her arms as she waited.
Zane sighed. “I’m assuming vampires can form long-term relationships,” he began, his arms gesturing. “I mean, you guys live forever, so I figure there has to be some capacity for deep emotion among you?”
Vivianne frowned. “Yes. Vampires can be together for many years. My parents loved each other until the night my mother was killed, and that was centuries—although it’s uncommon for a true commitment to last that long.”
Zane frowned right back at her. “Really?”
Vivianne pursed her lips. “We’re immortal, Zane. A lifetime romance is...forever. It’s difficult for a relationship to last forever.”
Zane’s eyebrows dipped. “You don’t think one can?”
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Zane. I was around when the fairy tales were created. There is no such thing as a happily ever after—ever is a damned long time. Most of the time, if you can find some friendship, some companionship, for a period of time, that’s the best you can hope for.”
His expression became composed. “Well, for us werewolves, it’s slightly different. Unless you’re an alpha, you’ll pretty much spend your life in one pack. You forge lifelong friendships and loyalties—”
“You guys don’t have the claim on that, you know. Vampires can be friends, and loyal.”
“We form binding relationships,” Zane continued, as though she hadn’t spoken. “In some cases we bond.”
“What does that mean?” Vivianne asked, tilting her head in exasperation, but she couldn’t fight the curiosity.
“It means we bond for life. We live with that person. For life,” he enunciated succinctly.
She stared at him for a moment. Bonded. For life. Like, ever. “What did you do?” she rasped.
“Hey, this isn’t something we can control,” Zane explained hurriedly.
“You can’t just go around hitching yourself to people for life,” Vivianne exploded. “What if people don’t want to be hitched?”
Zane’s lips tightened. “Firstly, we don’t just ‘hitch’ to random people. We bond, and it takes two to form a bond. Your beast, my beast, something inside of us connected, whether you want to admit it or not.”
Vivianne gaped. No. She did not want to admit it. She did not want to be bonded. She was independent—had been since before she’d turned. She was in charge of her own destiny. She ruled her life. She didn’t have to consider the feelings of another as she made her personal life decisions. She got enough grief from her brother and father, she didn’t need to add to with—what, a werewolf husband? “I’m a vampire prime,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t just bond with anyone.”
“Neither do I,” Zane snapped.
“Fix it.”
“What do you mean, fix it?”
“You bonded us. Unbond us.”
Zane took a deep breath, as though seeking patience from somewhere deep within, and his massive chest expanded. Again, something deep inside her responded—responded in an entirely inappropriate way, considering the direction of the conversation.
“Okay, first, we bonded. Not just me. We,” he said, gesturing between them both. “Second, the only way a bond is severed is through death. That’s the ‘lifetime’ part,” he said, moving his fingers in the universal air-quote sign. “Otherwise we’d call it bonded for two minutes.”
Vivianne paled. “Death?” One of them would have to die to get rid of this thing?
Zane nodded. “Death. I’ve tried that, though, and I didn’t like it.”
“So what do we do, then?” Vivianne said, and this time the panic she sensed was all hers. “I can’t be bonded to a werewolf.” She turned away, her hands clutching the hair at her temples. “What am I supposed to say to my father? Hey, Dad, meet my mate for life. He’s a werewo
lf.” She shuddered. She wasn’t sure who her father would attack first, her or Zane.
“Why don’t you try something different? Instead of living your life for your father, why don’t you live it for yourself?” Zane’s voice was heavily laced with sarcasm, and her eyes narrowed as she turned to face him. He didn’t realize just how close to the mark his barb had landed. She’d given up on the idea of a man to spend her life with—when you couldn’t have babies, it significantly narrowed the dating pool, and after the fourth request to ‘merge’ so another family could have carte blanche access to her Reform senator father, and the third assassination attempt in a takeover bid for Nightwing’s prime position, she’d barricaded her heart behind a cool wall of defense. What Zane was suggesting sounded like either a lifetime of hell—or a glimpse of heaven—and both scared the crap out of her.
“Oh, it’s that easy, is it? Why don’t we start with your pack? Yeah. I’d love to see how Nate and Samantha would react if you introduced me as your mate.”
Zane’s mouth snapped shut, and he placed his hands on his hips. “Well, I guess we have a problem.”
She nodded. “I guess we do.”
They stood glaring at each other, and Vivianne felt herself curl up inside, trying to ward off hurt. She’d never been attached to anyone. Not since before she turned. Oh, she’d had lovers. She wasn’t a saint. But she’d never emotionally committed to another. This—this was like an emotional overload. Whatever feedback was going on between them, Vivianne could feel her own panic and fears, as well as Zane’s hurt and anger.
Too much. It was all too much. Too much feeling. Too much—ow, heart. She took a deep breath, burying everything under a calm coolness, and Zane lifted his chin.
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
Her eyes widened, but only slightly. She could feel him. Did that mean he could feel her?
Zane nodded. “Yep.”
Vivianne gaped. “Does this mean you can read my mind?” Oh, hell, no. She hadn’t signed up for that.
He shook his head. “No. We can sense each other’s emotions. I don’t read your mind, I read your heart. Hearts don’t lie.”
Oh. My. God. That was worse. To not be able to hide what was at her very heart—it seemed like the greatest intrusion.
Zane’s features softened, as though he could sense her very real fear. The fear that she should be able to keep to herself, damn it.
“I’m not happy about this,” she muttered. “I can’t tell my colony that they have to accept a werewolf as my partner—for ever.” She almost recoiled at the dark hurt she felt, but it seemed Zane could employ control, after all, and the searing hurt was swept away under a curtain of cold calm.
“Yeah, well, I’m thinking I’ll have to kiss any hope of forming my own pack goodbye because I don’t know who would follow me, bonded to a vamp.”
“So you’re not happy, either.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just trying to point out that there would be adjustments for both of us.”
Her chin lifted. “Perhaps we both need some time to...adjust.” She used his word, and this time Zane winced.
He nodded. “Yeah.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Come on, I’ll take you back home.”
* * *
An hour later, Zane parked Nate’s car at the private entrance to the Alpine den. He was surprised to see Nate closing the rear passenger door on the hummer, and wave casually to Samantha and baby J.J. inside. The guardian prime stood back as the vehicle pulled away, driven by Archie, one of the guardians. The vehicle crested the peak just as the sun’s light pierced the horizon.
Zane waved as well, then turned around to face Nate. Darn. He was hoping to return the car without Nate knowing of his little midnight rendezvous. Zane nodded in the direction of the vehicle. “Samantha’s going somewhere?”
Nate nodded. “She’s going to take J.J. to visit her mom, and then she’ll call in with the River Pack alpha prime. They’ve lost more werewolves.”
Zane dipped his head. Samantha was from the Golden Plains pack, originally, and J.J. was old enough for travel. “I see.”
He started to walk inside, but Nate shifted to stand in front of him, blocking his way. “Been out for a drive, huh?”
Zane grimaced. “Yeah. Sorry for not asking you. With the full moon, I just wanted to get out, test myself.”
Nate nodded, grinning. “I get that. We had a lot of juveniles try a campaign tonight.”
Zane smiled. A campaign was a pack hunt, a well-orchestrated maneuver that required excellent coordination and communication. That the juveniles organized one of their own indicated a good, strong generation coming through the ranks. “How did they go?”
Nate chuckled. “Let’s just say more than a few retired hungry.”
Zane nodded. Yep. It took a few years to learn to coordinate a pack hunt. Normally he’d be one of the guardians running perimeter to use the event as a training exercise. He was sorry he’d missed it. His smile died. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to run in a pack hunt ever again. What if he smelled blood? Would he vamp out on his pack mates?
He indicated the tunnel opening behind Nate. “Uh, I’m beat. I’m going to grab some z’s.”
Nate stepped in front of him again, and tilted his head. “There’s something different about you,” the guardian prime commented quietly.
Zane frowned, but tried to hide his worry. “Like what?”
Nate narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know. You know you can tell me anything, right?”
No, I can’t. I can’t tell you I’m turning vamp. Zane nodded. “I know.”
They stood there quietly for a while, staring at each other. Zane was determined not to crack. Nate smiled and thumped him in the arm. “Okay, well, see you later. Sleep tight.”
Zane smiled back, and stepped around him. He’d made it four steps before a force hit him square in the back, and he stumbled to the ground.
He rolled, but Nate pinned his arms, his expression fierce. “You son of a bitch,” the guardian prime hissed. “You laid with a vamp.”
Chapter 17
“You need to get off me,” Zane said through gritted teeth, feeling the anger rise inside him. He didn’t need this. Not tonight. He’d fed, but it had been hours ago, and with Vivianne’s comments leaving him hurt and angry, his composure was low, and now was not a good time for his guardian prime to pick a fight.
“You reek of her,” Nate growled. His hands fisted in the lapels of Zane’s jacket. “I thought I’d caught her scent the last time you came in late, but right now, I can barely stomach being around you.”
Zane’s chin jutted forward, and he hid how much his friend’s words hurt. “Get. Off. Me.”
“A vampire, Zane? And the Marchetta Prime, to boot. What the hell are you thinking?”
Zane could feel the anger coiling inside him, feel his gums twitch, and he battled for control. “I think you better get off me. Now.”
Nate inhaled, and his eyes rounded. “Holy hell. You’ve mated with her?” His friend’s exclamation more than adequately expressed his disbelief—and horror. “You can’t mate with a damn vampire!” Nate shook him by his lapels, and Zane wrestled with his anger, with the need to let loose.
“You know I can’t control the mating bond,” Zane snapped, and he could feel his eyes heating.
Nate’s expression froze when he looked into Zane’s eyes, then he snarled. “What did she do to you?”
Zane shoved, wanting Nate as far away from him, from danger, as possible. “Get away from me.”
Nate fell back, his expression momentarily shocked at the unexpected display of strength. Zane rolled to his feet, breathing in deeply, trying to control the burn—in his eyes, in his gums. He had to calm down.
“What did she do?” Nate roared, as he launched himself at Zane.
Zan
e caught his friend and used his momentum to throw him off to the side. Nate hit the rock face with a thud, then fell to the ground, a little cloud of dirt rising at the impact.
Zane held up his hand, warding his friend off as Nate rose to his feet, his expression dark and fierce. “Stay away from me, Nate. I don’t want to do this. I just want to go home and sleep.”
Nate bared his teeth and launched himself once more. This time Zane went down, exhaling with a grunt when Nate’s fist connected with his gut. The two men rolled, fists thumping against each other. Zane’s heartbeat thudded in his chest. This wasn’t a training session with his guardian prime. Nate was furious, and on attack mode, and Zane was the focus of his fury.
Nate’s fist connected once again, this time with Zane’s jaw, and a haze of red clouded his vision. Zane roared, his fangs extending, and he punched his friend in the shoulder. Nate fell back with the force of it, then Zane sprang, his fist lashing against Nate’s jaw. Nate raised his fist, but Zane caught it, and the struggle for supremacy was short lived as Zane forced his friend’s fist back to the ground by the side of his head. Zane snarled, his mouth opening to show his fangs, and he saw his friend hesitate, Nate’s green eyes showing a mixture of shock, anger and concern.
It was the last that Zane focused on, consciously slowing his breathing, getting his heart rate down to a normal speed. He forced his incisors to retract, pushed the red haze back, until he was panting, glaring down at his friend.
“Stop being such a dick.”
Nate’s eyes widened in surprise. “Me? I’m being a dick? Who’s turning vamp?”
Zane’s jaw muscles tightened, and he levered himself off his friend. He curled his hands into fists, if only to hide the trembling.
That had been a close call. “A side-effect of sharing blood with a vampire while putting death on hold for several months, apparently,” he muttered.
Nate rose, his expression wary, and Zane folded his arms, trying to ward off the hurt of having his friend be so cautious around him. He knew, if their situations were reversed, that he’d be reacting in a similar way—he’d probably be even more volatile, to be honest, but still—it hurt.
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