“Cianán can change into whatever he wants?”
He nodded. “Even into me. His preferred form is a wolf.”
“I wish I could do that,” she said.
“There’s also the obvious traits; we’re stronger, faster, heal quicker, can fly. Some can phase through solid matter, or spread their molecules through the air, but that’s extremely rare among us. I’ve only ever known one other vampyre who could do that. Our senses are much better. We can hear an’ smell things from miles away. Our sight is, well, the way you see things during the day is the way we see them at night, only we can see much farther an’ there’s more to see. Remember what I said to you earlier about the night? There are things which only come out at night, an’ only if you know where to look. Usually, right at dusk or dawn. But that’s something I’ll have to explain later because it deals with the magic.
“Basically, what I’m tryin’ to tell ye is, since you already have some of the special gifts we’re born with an’ ye have the birthmark, I don’t know how it’d affect you. It might be too much for ye, make you insane. I’ve seen it happen before; it’s not a pretty sight, although I’m not clear on what the circumstances were at the time.
“I just don’t know if I want to take that chance with you. I don’t want ye to be like me, Ky. Can’t you understand that?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts, Kylie, I can’t do it. I can’t promise you somethin’ I’m not sure about.”
“Then how can I help you? I can’t fight him like this. He’ll kill me if he’s as strong as you say he is.”
“He’s going to use your blood, not kill you.” I think.
“But I want to be with you—”
“I won’t bring you into this life. How many times must I tell you? I can’t believe you’d even consider this. Are you insane?” Those were not the correct words to use when speaking to a woman. Shit.
Her right brow arched. He’d crossed a line.
“Of course I am, look at what’s happened to me over the past week. Not to mention tonight!”
“Ky, there aren’t enough words to describe how deeply sorry I am about tonight, but I can’t do it,” he said. “I don’t want you to be like me.”
“I think it’s my choice, not yours. You sat here and told me all of these wonderful things you can do because you’re a vampyre, and you expect me to stay like this when you know damn well I’d be stronger as a vampyre. Whether or not it would drive me insane is beside the point because I think I’m halfway there now. Not to mention you’re using it as an excuse; you don’t want me to get hurt. Which, by the way, can very easily happen in my mortal state, so you’d better figure something out. I love you and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you live forever without me!”
Her words slapped him in the face. It didn’t matter if she was right; he still didn’t want to do it. “You’d be damned, all right. I’ve spent most of my life in hell.”
“That’s because you were sad and alone. You could spend the rest of it with me.”
“Now there’s a pleasant thought. What if I grow tired of ye?” He tried to hold back a smile, without much success.
She hauled off and punched him in the arm.
“Ouch, that hurt.” He rubbed the spot gingerly. It only took a few seconds for the sting to wear off.
“Good!”
“I was kidding. Forever with you would be heaven.” He leaned forward to kiss her, but she leaned back.
“Promise me.”
“Let me think about it.”
“You’d better hurry if we don’t have much time.”
“I know. I promise I’ll think about it, okay?” He knew he wasn’t going to win the argument tonight. She was so damn stubborn. It must be a family trait.
She nodded and he leaned forward again to kiss her.
“So, when are you going to teach me killer fight moves?” She’d interrupted just before his lips touched hers.
He growled. “First thing tomorrow.”
“Are you a nice teacher?”
Her voice hit a playful tone, like the night he’d chased her around her living room. God, he loved chasing her . . . even the chase earlier aroused him in those glimpses when he was himself.
“I can be,” he said. If you’d let me kiss you already.
“Well then, I’d like an ‘A’.” She leaned forward, running her hands up his thighs.
His body jerked with a different kind of hunger. Her lips met his and he was more than a little shocked. He’d planned on giving her a quick peck because he didn’t think she’d go for anything else. Her tongue danced wildly with his. She’d bounced back so well. He didn’t understand how, when her entire world had just been turned upside-down, she could be so incredibly calm.
He tried to pull away, but she made it difficult as she continued to kiss him.
“How?” he breathed out heavily, and her tongue slipped back into his mouth.
“Can I want you now?” she finished his thought for him and kissed his cheek.
“Aye, after what just happened.”
She smiled at him and held his face in her hands. Kylie bit his lower lip and kissed him again. “Don’t you know?”
“Know what?” His breath quickened. He couldn’t read her thoughts anymore. She has to be the only woman on earth capable of doing this to me.
“Fear is an aphrodisiac,” she whispered in his ear.
Her breath sent a chill through him, and he shuddered at the wonderful sensation.
“Besides, you told me things I never thought were possible, and it’s, well . . . it’s exciting.” She gently bit his earlobe.
He moaned. “I was right then.”
“About what?”
“Vampyres turn you on,” he said.
She bit his neck. “Uh huh.”
“Stop biting me.”
“Why?” She continued down his neck.
“Because it feels too good an’ I might bite back.”
She bit his neck again, much harder this time.
He gasped for breath.
“Mmm. Would that be such a bad thing? Maybe I want you to.”
“It’s not gonna work, Ky,” he said, trying to keep control. Another growl rumbled in his throat. “You’re not gonna get me to turn ye.”
“It sounds like it’s working to me.” She pushed him back to the floor. Kylie straddled Grant and leaned forward. “And from what I’m feeling, I’d say the process has already begun . . . fangboy.” Her tongue slid carefully over his right fang.
Kylie pushed his pajama pants down a little at a time until they slid off his feet onto the floor.
“Holy hell,” he said softly.
Staring up at the ceiling, he let her do with him as she pleased. Her lips brushed the skin on his left side, just above the hip. He shuddered. Her right hand slid down his left leg, caressing, kneading, and her left hand danced lightly just below his bellybutton, tentative about where to go next. He wasn’t concerned about her naiveté; that was long lost at the hands of assholes he’d love to kill; one in particular needed to die all over again. He still wanted to taste her—the feeling never left—but he couldn’t do it. He had to remain in control.
She bit his nipple and he moaned. She looked up from his chest and smiled. That smile of hers. He reached out and touched her beautiful angelic face. Right now, she was far from angelic.
His control gradually slipped away. He pulled her down and kissed her deeply, fervently, his tongue dancing with hers, exploring her mouth. For her, the aphrodisiac was fear, but for him it was because she knew his secret. Maybe a little bite won’t hurt. No, but—he moaned—She’s making this so damn difficult.
When she ran her fingers along the underside of his shaft, a shudder that would rival an earthquake in Italy ran through him. He let out a growl, and this time, didn’t keep it confined. Grant parted his lips and opened his mouth. The scent of her lust drifted to his nose. His cock twitched. She took it in a firm grasp and s
troked him in slow, methodical motions, her thumb massaging along a sensitive spot on the upstroke.
He needed to taste her, needed her blood in him if they were going to do anything. He hadn’t fed in days.
He wrapped an arm around her and flipped her onto her back. “You’re a wicked woman.”
She giggled like a naïve schoolgirl, but he knew better.
He ripped off what was left of the nightgown and snapped through the elastic of her panties with his sharp nails. No marks marred her delicate skin. He was old enough to forgo a complete change when he had control, and he still had some. Though it was very little.
He lay over her, his arms holding his weight with ease. His hair cascaded down, tickling her collarbone and she brushed it away. He wanted to drink in her warmth. The need grew stronger with feeling his skin pressed against her hot flesh. A small gasp left her lips, and he kissed those sweet lips he’d tasted so many times. There was a hint of vanilla left on her lips from her lip gloss, and he licked his own to savor the taste. He knew she tasted of vanilla elsewhere on her body thanks to the perfume she wore.
He grinned. His lips brushed against hers again. He kissed her until he left her breathless. Grant lowered his body to hers, bracing himself with his left arm, and traced along her neck and shoulder with his fingers. Down he went until he brushed them lightly over her nipple. She sucked in another quick breath. He gently bit along her jaw and she jumped. He worked his mouth down her neck and hesitated over the large pulse. Her heart drummed loudly in his ears.
She turned her head to the side, offering her neck.
Damn.
He ran his tongue along her skin to catch the sweat lingering from the chase. The salty tang excited him, tasted like a victory prize after catching his prey.
He struck.
She bit back a scream and her body jerked beneath his. The action sent his pride soaring.
Blood flowed over his tongue. He took a pull from the wound, tasted his blood mixed with hers, which shouldn’t have been possible after only one drop. He didn’t drink long, taking only enough to get him through what was about to happen next. But oh, she tasted so damn good.
He licked the bite marks closed. His saliva and the magic sealed the wounds and marked her as his. No mortal would see the mark, but any vampyre would.
Grant cupped her breast, massaging gently, kissed it, and rolled his tongue over her nipple. She gasped again, her body shuddering beneath him. He ran his hand down her side, squeezing her hip, and continued down her thigh. Lifting her left leg behind her knee, he ran his hand along her smooth skin. His other hand left her breast and he slid it down her ribcage. He marked a trail down the center of her body with his tongue. Her body tightened and shuddered with every movement. He softly bit the skin at her stomach and inched his way over to her hip, where he bit a little harder.
She gasped. “Fuuuuuck.”
Torment. Exactly what he wanted. He licked across her knee, kissed her thigh. Slowly he made his way back up her leg, running his tongue along every possible inch of her warm flesh.
“Goddamn it.” Disappointment reigned through her emotions, but he was nowhere near finished with his foreplay yet.
Her heart beat faster when he ran his hand down her side to her leg again and inside her thigh. Kylie stopped breathing for a moment, waiting for his touch. He took her breast into his mouth again and teased the tight nipple with his tongue. Watching her reaction, he slid down her body to give her what she desired.
He kissed her inner thigh, and she shuddered. He flicked his tongue against her clit. A small sigh left her lips. He flicked out his tongue again, teasing her pleasure between slick folds. Her body reacted with a jerk, and he instinctively knew no man had ever touched her like this.
She tasted like a rare wine, one he wanted to savor for the rest of his life.
Her hand brushed his arm, searching for something to grasp. It groped wildly along the rug, her body, and reached for him again. Her fingers sank into his hair, and held his head where she wanted him. She bowed her back in pleasure. Her upper body left the floor and a cry left her throat. He fed on her emotions too. The orgasm consumed her.
A grin of pure satisfaction pulled at his silky wet lips. Kylie reached around the back of his neck and pulled him on top of her.
She bit his soft lower lip and nibbled down to his strong jaw. Her teeth made a faint red path to his delicious neck. His hand remained at the juncture of her legs, driving her wild.
The moment she stopped nibbling, he thrust into her. Kylie couldn’t bite back the pleasurable cry. The feel of him inside her made her want more. She arched off the floor to kiss his chest and closed her lips over his nipple.
He moaned softly and pulled her on top of him. He sat back, grabbing her hips and pushing her down on him. The length of him filling her completely made her gasp. She exhaled slowly. He started again, slower this time, and she could handle that.
Grant reached behind her head and grabbed her hair. Wrapped his hand around the hair once, and pulled, forcing her to arch her back. Kylie cried out. This, she liked, and dug her nails into his shoulders. A tremble shuddered through his body. His growl bounced around the large foyer.
He dropped his head forward and his hair fell, tickling her breasts. Grant kissed her neck. One hand gripped her hip, pushing her harder, faster. Kylie attempted to keep some sort of rhythm with him. She deemed it impossible and said, “Fuck it.” With the way he made her feel, he could have her any way he wanted.
The light of challenge flashed in Grant’s eyes and he rolled her to the floor again.
When she slipped her tongue into his mouth, it drifted over his fangs. Traces of blood left from when he took her vein lingered, mingling with the taste of her and him. Her legs quivered. She arched her back, trying to pull herself up to him again, but he pushed her back to the floor.
His sharp nails dug into her flesh as he thrust into her. Kylie cried out from the mix of pain and pleasure it brought her, bringing her the release she’d been waiting for. His release converged with hers, and finally, he collapsed.
Grant lay on top of her and rested his head next to hers, his face in the crook of her neck. Slowly, he raised himself, and she looked into his ice blue eyes; the midnight blue completely vanished.
“Damn, you have some kind of control to not change me.”
His mouth turned up on one side. “You think it involves sex? It doesn’t.”
Satisfied with his response, she pulled him down and kissed his cheek. He rested his cheek against hers.
“When it becomes a necessity, I will,” he whispered.
She smiled and he gently stroked her hair. She believed, even though she already thought it was a necessity, he would change her when there was no other choice.
“I love you, Grant, like I’ve never loved anyone before.”
“I love ye too, Ky.”
“Do that to me again,” she whispered.
He smiled softly, pulled his head back and stared into her eyes. Before she knew it, they were on the bed. She glanced around the room, blinked several times, and looked at him again with a grin.
“I think I’m going to like this.”
“I haven’t even begun to amaze you.” Grant slid his arm under her, rolled back, and pulled her on top of him. Their laughter echoed down the hall, into each and every room of the castle.
Even the spirits of the dead wouldn’t sleep tonight if she could help it.
Kylie woke to the sound of Grant’s voice, yelling for her from somewhere in the castle, but it didn’t really sound like a yell. She rolled over and covered her head with the pillow to muffle the sound, but she still heard him. How can that be?
His voice became very clear. Because I’m in your head, silly woman, now get up.
She sat up, tossed the pillow to the side, and scanned the room. “Where are you?”
Downstairs. I’m making you breakfast. Hurry up, before it gets cold.
This is weird.<
br />
His laughter rang through her head.
“Can I put something on first, since somebody ripped my nightgown?”
First, try thinkin’ your words. An’ second, I’ll buy ye a new one, although ye won’t be needin’ it.
There was a musical Irish lilt to his words. She climbed out of the large oak four-poster bed and felt her inner thigh, looking for that spot where he’d bit her the second time. She placed her foot on the bed and pulled on her thigh to look at it. Where there should be two small circular wounds about an inch apart, there was nothing. I know you bit my thigh.
I did no such thing, he replied.
Yes you did.
You must have dreamt it, darlin’.
I don’t think so. I remember my dreams.
There you are, then. You remember me bitin’ ye, so it must’ve been a dream.
She laughed. Riiight.
Grant threw his head back, laughed, and finished preparing her brunch, since he’d let her sleep in. He sat at the table and waited for her to come down, and looked to his side.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be here soon,” he said to his guest.
The vibrating phone moved slowly across a small portion of the table. Grant stared at it, feeling like someone interrupted his vacation. He knew who it was—a client who’d been trying to negotiate the price of a rare Persian artifact. Cursing mentally, he picked the phone up and opened it.
“Aye?” Of course, now the caller asked him about two pieces Grant owned. “Casey, ye know the price of the Persian one, but the other one is not for sale.”
“C’mon, Grant. Sell me the book.”
Grant dropped his hand to his side, next to the chair. “That’s my final word on the matter. Take it or leave it.”
“Fine. You’re such a hardass.”
“I know.” Grant closed the phone after the caller hung up. “Sometimes it’s just too easy.” He shook his head and smiled at his guest.
The Dracove (The Prophecy series) Page 20