Wrapping his arms around Elise, he held her tight. Their kiss turned fiery and he sensed her heart rate increasing rapidly. Not wanting to jeopardize her health before he did a full blood exchange with her, he let his fangs descend and raked his tongue across them. Blood pooled quickly in his mouth and he thrust his tongue deeper. Sucking softly on it, Elise swallowed his blood--his power.
When he pulled away he noticed her sleepy eyes. It was normal for a human to react this way, or so he’d been told. He’d never actually given blood to anyone before. He’d saved himself for two hundred and fifty years in every way imaginable.
Elise touched her swollen lips and stared at him. She shook her head slightly before turning to the elderly woman she’d arrived with. "I have to go, Grandma."
"After that kiss … hmm, I think we should check your heart rate, sweetie."
"I’m fine." Elise said, pushing past Jean-Pierre and running through the door.
Chapter Two
"Come, ma amour. Let me see all of you."
Elise turned slowly, looking through the mist for the source of the voice. "Jean-Pierre?"
A soft laugh answered her. She moved down the dark corridor quickly and did her best to see through the rising fog. "Jean-Pierre, is that you?"
"You are so certain that it is I, yet I am but a stranger to you." He sounded so close, yet she could not find him.
He was right though, he was a stranger but she just knew it was him. She also knew that she was dreaming. There was no way she could move this fast in real life without stopping to take a break. "This is my dream and if I say it’s you, then it’s you. Let a girl have her erotic dream about the hot French man in peace, will ya?"
He chuckled. "You are even more amusing than you once were. No longer are you meek and accepting. You are strong now and I admire that."
"Everything but my heart’s strong, you mean."
Elise came to a stop outside a large mahogany door. "Jean-Pierre?" Something wasn’t right. She could sense evil near her. "Jean-Pierre!"
Strong hands grabbed hold of her shoulders and she screamed out. "Shh, it is I, ma amour." Liquid pooled between her legs as his cool touch ran over her. She’d never desired a man this way before. Her heart was too weak to afford her the pleasures of sex, but now, in her dream, she could live freely. "You desire me, do you not?"
"I do," Elise said boldly.
Jean-Pierre moved around and stood before her. No longer did he wear black from head to toe. No. Now, he wore dark pants that laced up the front and a white shirt that reminded her of something a pirate would wear. He looked a bit disheveled and it was sexy as hell.
Aching to touch and be touched by him, she grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled him down to her. He felt so real. Each swipe of his tongue sent shivers down her spine and only served to add to the dampness between her legs. Elise yanked at his shirt, needing to get her hands on his chest, and to feel his muscles beneath her fingertips.
"You are so different now, Elise," he whispered.
"Different?"
"I will dwell no more on our past so long as you promise that we have a future--together."
Jean-Pierre’s words sounded so sweet, so sincere that she wanted to shout out ‘yes’, but held back. Something warned her that once she said the word, she would be forever committed to this man, dream or not. In the shop, he’d seemed so peaceful, so beautiful, but here, in her dream, she sensed darkness in him.
Jean-Pierre lifted her shirt slowly, and worked it over her head. "I have wanted to make love to you for so long. I have gone without, waiting for you, always waiting for you, Elise." His cool mouth encircled her nipple before she had time to register what was going on. The feel of his tongue grazing over her erect nipple was too much. She cried out and pulled at the sides of his face. Something sharp nicked her breast. At first it was painful, but the pain was quickly replaced by pleasure.
He suckled gently from her breast, as she tipped her head back further. Never before had she felt so sexy, erotic, so in control and lost all at the same time. "I need to feel you, Jean-Pierre."
He pulled back slowly, releasing her nipple, and allowing the cool air around them to hit her wet breast. "Oh, ma amour, I promise that you will feel every inch of me tomorrow night."
"Why tomorrow?"
"Because tomorrow is All Hallows Eve, the night that I reclaim what is rightfully mine. Sleep now, ma amour, and we shall be together for all eternity soon enough."
Chapter Three
Elise woke with a start and looked around her bedroom. The dream had felt so real that for a moment she was sure that Jean-Pierre had been suckling from her breast. Glancing down, she saw that her silky pajama top was unbuttoned. She moved her fingers down slowly and pulled the material back, revealing her breast. Tiny drops of blood ran down it and when she saw the bite mark, her eyes widened.
"How?"
This didn’t make any sense. An erotic dream about a sexy man shouldn’t have left her bleeding. But the reality of it all stared back at her as a drop of blood fell to her leg. She should have screamed, kicked, anything that would have indicated that she was scared shitless, but she did none of them. A part of her wanted the dream to be real. She wanted to believe that a man like Jean-Pierre would vow to love her for all eternity, even though she had but a few months to live.
She stood slowly and hoped that the dizziness she felt would pass. Tonight was the Halloween party to end all parties. Dubois Manor had fascinated her since birth and she wasn’t about to miss the chance to go inside it. She’d toss something together and call it a costume. There would be so many people there that no one would notice or care what she wore.
Elise headed slowly into the bathroom and prayed for the strength she’d need to make it through one more night.
* * * *
Jean-Pierre moved around his large home inspecting every small detail to assure that it would be perfect for Elise’s arrival. He’d commissioned the restoration of the manor one hundred years ago when he’d first felt the pull of the area. Some unknown force had guided him to the place where he would one day be reunited with his long lost love.
It had been hard at first. The locals here in America were as suspicious of him as the ones in France had been. They noticed that he only came out at night and that he never seemed to age. He’d been forced to fake his own death more times than he cared to remember, and constantly reinvent himself as the son of Jean-Pierre Dubois. He wasn’t even sure what number he was, at least according to the locals anymore. Last count he was Jean-Pierre Dubois IV.
He walked down the long hallway making sure that every candle was lit and that every room held the old world charm that he’d originally selected the site for. Elise had loved his home in France. Had her life not been cut so terribly short, they would have filled it with children and love. Now, two hundred and fifty years later, they could recreate the magic they’d once shared, here in America.
He smiled to himself as he thought of her opening his present right about now. She’d had to leave the costume shop so early that she didn’t have time to select one, not that it mattered. He’d had one made for her from the moment he planned the party. It was beautiful and elegant, just as Elise was. Sure, the black spider dress he’d pulled out had been exotic, but it would never do for his love. It had served its purpose though, it had allowed him an in to speak with her. Everything would be perfect for him when he reclaimed his wife. He’d waited too long to let anything get in his way.
Chapter Four
Elise smoothed the front of her gown down and adjusted her mask. She’d been shocked to find that boxes had arrived for her, and when she’d opened them she’d had to take a heart pill. The dress inside was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Done all in soft shades of peach and cream, the silky creation hung to the floor and made her feel like a princess. She’d been reluctant to accept the gift until her grandmother had handed her a note from Jean-Pierre.
He’d insisted
that, if her health permitted, she join him at the All Hallows Eve party this evening. It mattered little to her that the entire town had been invited, the fact that Jean-Pierre had asked her to attend with him was special. She didn’t care if her heart did pick today to give out. She’d just leave instructions for her body to be dressed in the gown and dropped off at Dubois Manor. The paramedics would most likely protest, but she didn’t care. Death wouldn’t stop her from visiting the Manor.
Elise made her way through the large iron gates of Dubois Manor. For years they’d remained locked, forcing her to admire the estate from a distance. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d pretended that her one true love resided there--waiting for her to join him. It was a romantic and foolish notion, but one she’d had for as long as she could remember.
"Why, Elise Marie, is that you?"
She turned and found Margaret standing with several other people from the town. Margaret was dressed as a nun. It suited her. She did like to preach. Elise gave her a polite nod and smiled at the two men dressed as monks behind her. "I like the theme you have going. I didn’t notice those costumes the other day. Holding all the neat ones back for yourselves?"
"Oh, you know me and my sons. Always love a party."
"Funny, I didn’t think you’d come. Well, not after the way you blew up about Mr. Dubois and the way he went about planning this."
Margaret waved her hand, dismissing Elise’s claims. "Oh, nonsense. I was just tired. I love a good party as much as the next person." She walked up to the door. "You be careful now, Elise. There are all kinds of strange creatures out tonight."
"Uhh, thanks, Margaret. I’ll be sure to be on the lookout for rogue trick-or-treaters."
"Oh, if it were only that innocent, child," Margaret said as she and her guests closed the door.
Elise shook off the weird vibe and looked up at the old manor one more time. It was so beautiful, with its stone exterior and stained glass windows. This night was like a fairy tale and she never once thought that her dreams could come true. Now, if only the man of her dreams would pop out and claim that he’d always been there waiting for her, her fantasy would be complete.
Grow up, Elise. You’re too old for fairy tales and happily ever afters.
A slight breeze blew past her as she stepped up to the front door. Several of her long ringlets came loose from her upswept style. They fell into her face and she went to lift her mask to adjust them when someone touched her shoulder. She jumped and grabbed her chest, fearing that the slightest thing could set her off tonight with as excited as she was.
"Mademoiselle, I have come to escort you into your new home."
Her breath caught as she turned to find Jean-Pierre standing behind her. His black hair was tied back at the base of his neck and he wore a mask similar to her own. The deep navy jacket he wore looked so old, so regal that it demanded attention, and yet seemed to be at home on his tall, muscular frame.
"Nice tights," she said, glancing down at his legs.
"Ahh, they are pants, ma dame, not tights." His lips curved into a luscious smile that she wanted to lick off his face. "Do you not like them?"
"I love you … err … I mean them. I love them and I love this costume. Thank you so much for it. Please let me know what I owe you. I called Margaret at the costume shop but she claimed that she didn’t know anything about it." Her face had to be at least seven shades of red. She was so embarrassed by her Freudian slip that she wanted to run from him and never look back. Why had she blurted out that she loved him? What could have caused that?
Because I do love him. The voice in her head that she normally listened to now seemed insane. She couldn’t love him. She hardly knew him.
Jean-Pierre touched her lips lightly, thus ending her rambling thoughts. "Shh, do not chastise yourself for expressing your true feelings to me, ma sucré."
Ma sucré, my sweet? She knew that from somewhere. But where? Flashes of Jean-Pierre standing before her, dressed as he was now came to her mind. The love on his face was clear and directed at her. Elise watched as the images showed her erotic flashes of his hands all over, and his body wedged between her legs, as he moved his hips, sliding himself in and out of her.
"Mari du seigneur, je t'aime," she whispered, as she reached out to move Jean-Pierre’s mask from his face.
His blue eyes widened and as he pulled her into his arms. "What did you just call me?"
Elise shook her head, in an attempt to shake the images from her mind. "I don’t know … I just … the words fell out. I don’t know that they mean. I don’t speak French."
"You called me your Lord Husband and told me that you love me."
She tried to break free of his hold. She wanted to be anywhere but before him. Humiliated and confused, she hung her head and let unshed tears build in her eyes. "I should go."
Jean-Pierre grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her with him as he stormed around to the side of the Manor. "What? Where are we going?"
"I am doing what I should have done the moment I saw you, I am taking you to my bed."
"Your bed?" she asked, puzzled. "But, Jean-Pierre, the person who’s throwing this party isn’t going to like us running around making ourselves comfortable in his home."
He laughed. "I have it on good authority that he wants me to make love to you."
"Make love to me?" She almost choked on the words. Her mouth was suddenly dry and her hands shook uncontrollably. It was a heck of a time for her nerves to get the better of her. She was being offered a chance to make love to a gorgeous man before her crappy ticker gave out and she died a virgin. Now wasn’t the time for cold sweats and mini-freak outs. No, now was a time to give in to her carnal desires and allow Jean-Pierre to show her pleasures she’d only dreamt of.
"Am I correct in believing that is what husbands and wives do?"
Elise’s ears perked up. "Husbands and wives … what? No, I don’t know why I said that before. I think that my medicine is going to my head. I should get home and," she stumbled slightly and he caught her. "Oh, umm … what was I saying?"
The feel of his hard body pressed against hers was too much. She had to have him, had to feel all of him. Rational thought left her and all she could do was run her hands under his navy jacket. The lace on his shirt was stiff, so she pulled it up, freeing his shirt from his pants in the process.
Jean-Pierre moaned as Elise bit his lower lip. The passion she possessed was addictive. The feel of her lush body under his fingertips made his cock go hard. He needed to be buried in her and soon.
Without thought, he scooped her up in his arms and pressed his mouth tightly to hers. While her mouth was occupied with his, he defied gravity, as all vampires could, and carried her to the upper level balcony. His vampiric senses told him that the party goers were enjoying themselves as he’d hoped they would. He wanted them occupied while he ravished his wife’s body. For two hundred and fifty years he’d waited for this moment, and nothing would stop him from taking her. Claiming her. Turning her.
With his mind, he pushed the French doors behind them closed. Elise was still succumbing to his seduction and he couldn’t wait another moment. "Je veux faire l’amour avec toi."
"I want to make love to you too, mari."
Hearing her again refer to him as her husband made his heart beat faster. How he’d longed to hear that all these years. The demon within him tried to surface but he held it down. There would be no supernatural interruptions this evening, not if he could help it.
Gently, he laid Elise down on the bed. She pulled her mask off slowly, and he did the same. The sight of her spread out before him almost made him ejaculate. He’d been celibate for so long that he wasn’t sure he could hold it a moment more. "I have to take you. I cannot wait and I fear that I cannot be gentle with you. It has been far too long for me, and you are so beautiful, so amazing that I do not believe I can be all that I can be."
Her gaze was heavy with desire and her lips were swollen from their pass
ion. "This isn’t the army. You can be whatever you like." Her statement baffled him. He was not as up on his pop culture references as he should be and his guess was that she’d made a joke. When she ran her fingers down and over her ample cleavage, he forgot everything else but her. "Then don’t be gentle. Take me now, Jean-Pierre. Take me and fuck me. I’ve dreamt of this, of you."
With that, he ripped her gown from her body, freeing her creamy globes of flesh and catching a pink nipple in his mouth. He already knew how sweet they tasted. He’d cheated and entered her dreams, needing to taste of her flesh, and her blood. She was the sweetest nectar he’d ever known. He’d never have enough of her--never. Elise was a welcome addiction--one that he’d forfeit his life to have just one more taste of.
"Please," she panted. What she begged for he was not sure, but he planned on giving her everything and so much more.
Yanking fiercely on his shirt and jacket, he freed his upper body. Elise drew in a sharp breath and he was pleased to smell her desire for him. It was important that she want him too. He would never take her without her consent. Leaning forward, he ripped the tiny thong that covered her sex from her body. A neatly trimmed patch of dark curls greeted him. The pink bud that lay tucked between her legs beckoned him. He was powerless but to answer. Pushing her velvety folds apart with his long fingers, he lapped her pussy with his tongue before taking her clit into his mouth. In his opinion, heaven had been found between her legs. A paradise of cream and desire encompassed his senses and he never wanted to let it go.
He could hear the beating of her blood as it rushed to her sex. Her engorged nub throbbed before him, tempting him to sink his fangs into her inner thigh and drink of her warm blood. Sex and blood was a mix that even he, a centuries old vampire, could not resist--especially when it was a heady mix that originated from a mate. That is what Elise was to him, his mate, his wife.
Jean-Pierre rubbed his fingers over her clit and thrust his long tongue into her entrance. Elise’s tight sheath clamped down on him and as he drew his tongue out slowly, leaving his cock pounding with desire. If he wasn’t careful, he’d come in his pants. Rubbing harder, he pushed his tongue in again and made love to her with his mouth, savoring her taste and tiny counter thrusts. He ran his cream slicked fingers down her sex and found the tiny taboo rosette of her ass just waiting for him to pluck. Temptation got the better of him and he slid his juiced finger over it, watching as it clamped down in an effort to keep him out. Gliding his tongue down her body, he rimmed the edges of her rosette.
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