Love Bites

by Aleera Anaya Ceres

  28

  The minute Ignacio got off the plane, he felt the panic and anxiety as though they were his own. It was gone as quickly as it came.

  The second thing he felt, deep in his soul, was the weight that held him down being lifted once more. It was hard for him describe, but it was as if the emptiness within him had been filled with Katheryn’s essence once more. He felt her near him, and after what felt like forever without her, he was finally complete again.

  But Ignacio also knew Katheryn was in trouble. If the pounding heart and anxiety thrumming through him was of any indication, someone was hurting her. The thought of someone causing her pain sent an icy rage coursing through his blood.

  He would kill them. He would kill them and leave no trace of their miserable body behind.

  But how would he find her? How would he get to her? He knew the answer right away. Their Soul Mate connection would lead him to her. The invisible cord binding them would guide him to Katheryn.

  He closed his eyes and waited, listened...felt. The invisible cord thrummed over and over again, pointing in one direction. Ignacio followed it. It didn’t matter if he didn’t know his way around D.C., The cord would lead him to Katheryn, even to the ends of the earth.

  He just prayed he wasn’t too late.

  29

  Katheryn ran as if the devil himself chased her. She knew she probably didn’t have much time before Hunter arrived home and discovered what she’d done. Then he’d come after her. There would be nowhere she could hide. The city wouldn’t be safe for her. If he wanted to find her, he would.

  She barely noticed her surroundings or who she ran in to as she shouldered past people. A few times, she collided head on with other pedestrians. Once, she tripped on her shoelaces and nearly fell to the ground. She quickly righted herself and continued running through the night, straight into a solid wall.

  “Ow,” she mumbled, straightening and rubbing her forehead. She looked up and realized it hadn’t been a solid wall, but a person.

  “Sorry,” she muttered, attempting to skirt around him and run again. But the person grabbed her by the arm.

  “Katheryn?”

  The honeyed voice was so familiar, as recognizable as the static electricity that coursed through her skin, in her veins. A river of fire churned through her blood. The panic she had felt had overpowered every other sensation in her body. But now, she saw clearly.

  His face was just as she remembered. The emptiness in her heart filled with his very essence. His brown hair was loose over his forehead, amber eyes shining at her with disbelief, wonder and, most important of all, love.

  “Ignacio!”

  Tears of joy fell before she could stop them. In the next moment, she was swept up into his arms, being twirled around on the sidewalk. Everything else fell away. Her worries, the troubles, the people staring at them. She let it all go and engulfed herself in the flames consuming her as they embraced. He was so real, so warm and solid. Her heart leaped for joy. She’d thought she wouldn’t see him again for a long time. But here he was, holding her in his arms as he had weeks ago in Spain.

  “Katheryn, my love.” He gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips. He stared at her as if he didn’t quite believe his eyes either. “Please tell me this is not a dream.”

  She laughed and leaned into his touch, relishing the warmth of it. She’d felt so cold for too long, and it felt so wonderful to be touched by him, to feel that warmth, that fire and the static.

  “If it’s a dream, then it’s the best one I’ve had in weeks.” She filled her eyes with the sight of him. He wore a black turtleneck, simple jeans and a jacket to protect him from the cold air.

  “You’re bleeding.” He lifted her hand to his face, and Katheryn realized, with a start, that she still gripped the nail file in her bloodstained hand.

  His eyes flashed an angry red at the sight. “Who did this to you?”

  He pried the file from her fingers, dropping it to the ground, then checked her hand for wounds.

  “It’s not my blood,” Katheryn told him.

  Ignacio raised an eyebrow, prompting her to share with him as to whose blood it was, but the reality of the situation began to sink in. She looked around the street, nervously. “I’ll tell you, but we can’t stay here. We have to leave. We need to go back to Spain, right now.”

  Ignacio shook his head. “We can’t go back to Spain. Not tonight anyway. My pilots won’t be ready to fly again until tomorrow. Besides, you look exhausted. Let’s find a hotel where you can rest.”

  Katheryn shook her head. “We can’t. He’ll find us! He has eyes everywhere.”

  She glanced around fearfully. She wouldn’t be surprised if he were watching them even now, from a distance. Just the thought of going back to him, of being forced to pretend to be his fiancée again… She couldn’t.

  Ignacio tightened his grip on her, his eyes flaring once more. “Katheryn, I don’t know what he did to you, but I’m here now. And I will never let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me, love. Do you understand?”

  Katheryn released a breath and nodded slowly. He was right. He was a vampire and would be stronger than any of Hunter’s men combined. But that didn’t stop her from worrying about him or what Hunter would be capable of doing. Finally, she let Ignacio pull her away, and they walked silently until he hailed a cab to take them to a small hotel.

  Ignacio got them a room, while Katheryn stood silently by his side, hand in his and holding on for dear life. She didn’t want to be separated from him ever again. She felt safe just being near him. She felt home.

  They got their key then went quietly to their room. As soon as the door was shut and locked behind them, Katheryn found herself in his arms again. They kissed with desperation and passion. Her lips found their way to his, and soon, their tongues danced together, familiar and inviting.

  “I’ve missed you, love,” he broke from her to say. “I couldn’t bear to be apart from you. Forgive me for taking so long to find you.” He pressed the tip of his nose to hers. “Are you hurt?”

  Before he even let her answer, he rushed to the bathroom and back, holding a wet wash rag in his hands which he used to wipe the blood tenderly from her skin. When he finished, he tossed the rag aside and began patting her down, on the pretext of checking for injuries. She laughed and pushed his hands away.

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry. But I don’t want to talk about it right now, Ignacio.”

  “No?” He smirked as if he’d read what she wanted on her face.

  “No.”

  She pulled him down to her and kissed him again. She didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to think about the horrors of what had happened or what could have happened if she hadn’t escaped. Instead, she wanted to feel her Soul Mate, wanted to feel his body covering hers. She lost herself in Ignacio, in his touch, in his kisses.

  He gripped her tightly at the shoulders and eased her back to the bed. She fell on it, and he fell on top of her. There was nothing slow about it this time. There was no time to explore what she’d missed in the past few days. There was only time to hold on to each other, to lose themselves, to hurry in case it was all just a dream. Katheryn didn’t want to wake up.

  His hands slipped inside of her shirt to find her waist, to caress it with fire. In a rush, he pulled away whatever material blocked access to her skin. She pushed the jacket from his shoulders and reached for the bottom of his shirt. He helped her pull it over his head. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted him before. She longed for his warm skin, igniting sparks on hers.

  He kissed her neck as his fingers fiddled with the button and zipper of her jeans. He pulled them past her hips, along with her underwear, and his fingers dove into her warm, swollen folds. She cried out as he moved them in and out of her. Her muscles tried to suck him in deeper, longer, but she couldn’t. Her head spun with euphoria, her hips rose up to greet him with each powerful thrust of his fingers, but she wanted more. She needed more.


  “Ignacio!” she exclaimed, gripping strands of his soft hair. She wanted him. Needed him.

  “I know, love. I know.” His fingers left her, and he unfastened his pants. He shoved them down only a little way before thrusting into her with a hungry cry. She screamed and tore his back with her nails, pulling him closer to her, crying out his name with each thrust he pounded into her.

  Their pleasure mingled, rose and fell, until it finally shattered like glass cracking and exploding in a shower of crystalline sparks around them. Katheryn fell back on the covers with a pleasurable sigh. Ignacio lay against her, weighing her down with his body in a way that was all-too-comforting and familiar.

  “I’ve missed you.” Katheryn smiled into the crook of his neck. She fiddled with his hair, letting it fall between the spaces of her fingers. Oh, how she’d missed this comfort, the simplicities of just being with him like this, of the feel of one another’s touch.

  “And I, you,” he murmured against her bare skin. “I missed touching you like this.” He demonstrated by trailing his fingers slowly down the length of her shoulder, lower down her chest, between them, lower to her stomach and finally, they found their way home.

  She cried out as he teased her wet center, twirling his fingers in circles, expanding her insides. Her hips twisted and thrust with each movement his fingers made.

  “I missed tasting you, like this.” His warm mouth found her nipple. He took the nub into his mouth and teased it to a painful peak, and he did the same to the other one. She urged him on, to keep touching her, to keep kissing her.

  “I missed loving you slowly.” In one expert move, he pulled off the rest of her clothing and tossed it on the floor beside the bed.

  “I missed undressing in front of you.” He stopped caressing her to stand and tug off the rest of his clothing.

  She watched, licking her lips in anticipation. It didn’t matter that they had just finished, they could have kept going for hours, and it seemed as if he was planned on it. When he finished undressing, he rejoined her on the bed and brushed aside the strand of curls from her cheek and pressed gentle kisses there.

  “I missed kissing you.” His lips found hers in a kiss that left her breathless. “I missed kissing your lovely breasts.” He did so, slowly torturing her as his lush lips trailed blazing flames down her entire chest then lower still to her stomach then lower still.

  “And I missed licking you here,” he murmured then dipped his tongue into her, nearly sending Katheryn over the edge.

  She gripped the sheets at her sides tightly and cried his name as he teased her with his tongue and lips. When he found her sensitive nub, everything else exploded.

  Her hips jerked, and a scream escaped her lips. Whether she’d cried out his name or simply screamed for the pleasure of it, she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that moment of sweet release.

  Ignacio grinned. “I missed hearing my name on your lips as you orgasm.”

  Katheryn felt her cheeks flush. “There’s no need to gloat, Ortiz.”

  He chuckled as he slid up her body. “Not gloating, love,” he said as he entered her in a powerful drive that brought a gasp of pleasure. “I missed being inside of you.”

  He stroked and thrust, over and over until Katheryn screamed his name again, until he screamed hers, then together, they lost themselves in the comfortable euphoria that was home.

  30

  “I’ve missed you,” Ignacio repeated as he held Katheryn in his arms some time later. She felt so good against his bare skin, just as he remembered it, soft, creamy, and delicious. He’d lost count to how many times he had made love to her, but it had been many. He couldn’t get enough of her. But now, they were entwined, and it was time to talk about what had happened.

  “I know,” she chuckled. “You said that already.”

  He held her tightly against his chest as if his arms were a shield to protect her from unpleasantries. “I’ll keep saying it until it ceases to be true.”

  She sighed and leaned into him. “I’m so glad you found me.”

  “What happened, Katheryn?” he asked finally. He almost dreaded the answer, dreaded to hear what that bastard had done to her. She tensed in his arms, which only seemed to confirm his suspicions. He growled low in his throat and flipped her around so she faced him. “What did that bastard do to you, Katheryn? Did he—”

  Katheryn shook her head.

  “He didn’t r—” She cleared her throat as if saying the word pained her. “He didn’t rape me, Ignacio.”

  Though the answer gave him some relief, he couldn’t relax. There were other methods used to torture people. “What did he do to you?”

  Ignacio’s grip tightened as he searched Katheryn’s bright-blue eyes. They shone with tears she let fall freely. He buried her face against the crook of his neck as his fear grew.

  “Talk to me, love.”

  “Oh, Ignacio!” She gripped him tighter then broke down and told him everything that had happened to her since leaving him in Spain.

  He listened with sadness and growing rage as she recounted the events. Ignacio’s heart broke for his Soul Mate when she told him how she’d been forced to defend herself and beat the man with a curtain rod in order to escape.

  “You did what you had to do, love,” he reassured her. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault you had to go through this nightmare. I should have protected you…” His throat tightened with emotion, and tears fell from his eyes.

  Katheryn looked at him in disbelief. “But it wasn’t your fault, Ignacio! It’s Hunter’s!”

  Ignacio didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded.

  Katheryn snuggled closer to him. “Thanks for coming for me.”

  “I’d follow you to the ends of the earth, my love.”

  31

  A couple of hours later, as it neared sunrise, Katheryn sat at the edge of the bed, flipping through channels on the TV. Although her body had been exhausted hours ago, now she felt wide awake. Ignacio was in the bathroom, showering before bed.

  She clicked the remote mindlessly for a while, then a sudden pounding at the door startled her. She looked toward it in surprise and shut off the TV. No one should be knocking at their door. No one knew where they were. She stood up and stared uncertainly at the door then called out to Ignacio.

  “Did you order room service?”

  She heard him answer no and that he’d be out soon. Her gaze returned to the door as the knock sounded again.

  Hunter. He has eyes everywhere.

  Fear churned her stomach and crept up her throat. The urge to vomit hit her. She clutched tightly at her stomach.

  “Ignacio!” she called out fearfully. She needed him beside her, needed to feel his strength.

  The pounding resumed, and her heart jumped in her chest. Suddenly, the door burst open, and in poured a dozen or so men, each carrying a gun aimed directly at Katheryn.

  She startled and reached for a blanket to cover her body. She stared fearfully at the men, but they stood silently. Then, Hunter Francis strode through the door and smiled at Katheryn.

  “My darling!” he greeted her with a mocking smile.

  Bile rose in Katheryn’s throat. Hunter had found her, just like she’d feared he would. He’d always find her, no matter how far she ran or where she hid. This time, he’d brought armed men with him, and she feared for Ignacio’s life. She had to protect him from Hunter and his hired thugs.

  “Hunter,” Katheryn acknowledged, keeping her voice calm. She wanted to rip his smirk from his face, but kept her face as impassive as her voice.

  “I fear we’ve caught you in a compromising position,” Hunter sneered.

  “How did you find me?”

  She already knew the answer. With his money and power, he could buy anything he wanted, information, hired thugs, guns. It was why she’d wanted to leave for Spain as soon as she’d escaped earlier. Ignacio should have listened to her.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he dismissed the quest
ion. “What matters is I’ve come to take you home.”

  She clutched the blanket covering her body. “Home?” she snorted. “My home isn’t with you.”

  “And where is your home?” he snapped. “With your lover? That vampire? I paid for you, Katheryn, and you’re coming with me, whether you like it or not. If you refuse, I’ll have them shoot and kill him.”

  Icy fear snaked its way into her heart. She staggered back, trying to keep steady, to stay calm. But her head reeled, and chaotic thoughts and emotions formed a vortex inside her. Hunter would kill Ignacio without so much as a second thought, in order to have Katheryn for himself.

  She bit her lip, knowing she had no choice. She had to save her Soul Mate’s life by going with Hunter, and doing whatever he told her to do. She wouldn’t let Ignacio suffer because of her, because of Hunter. Her heart ached at the decision she had to make. She was sure she heard it shatter as she nodded her head.

  “I’ll go with you, Hunter, if you promise me you won’t kill Ignacio.”

  Hunter smiled triumphantly. He nodded then motioned to his men. At his signal, they put their weapons away. “I promise I won’t kill your precious vampire if you promise to do as I say.”

  The idea of going with Hunter churned her stomach and filled her with a terrible fear, but she would do anything to protect Ignacio, even if it meant having to give him up. If he died because of her, she’d never be able to live with herself.

  She sighed and nodded her agreement. “I’ll go with you.”

  Hunter wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Katheryn went cold all over. His touch was like a poison, and she didn’t want it on her, but she had no choice.

  “Get your clothes, Katheryn,” Hunter ordered icily.

  She nodded but didn’t reply. Tears lodged at the back of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let Hunter see her cry.

  “Katheryn?”