Pierced [Pain & Love 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Ashlei D. Hawley

  Leigh waited patiently as Mallory thought through the decision, but he was almost completely assured of what it would end up being.

  “You’re sure this isn’t the sleaziest scheme ever concocted to get someone in bed?” Mallory finally asked as the hand that had been twisting her bracelet moved to rest on her hip.

  “Believe me, I could come up with far sleazier,” Leigh told her. Mallory sighed.

  “What the hell,” she said. “If that’s all it is, I’ll kick your ass afterward.”

  Unable to keep himself from showing off a little, Leigh moved supernaturally fast. Before Mallory had expelled the rest of her breath, he crossed the room, scooped her up, and deposited her on the bed.

  “Nifty,” Mallory declared. She was breathless for a reason that had nothing to do with Leigh’s inhuman speed and wonderful strength, she told herself. The lie was so transparent she could have laughed out loud at the futility of trying to convince herself otherwise, but Leigh began to do things that made it impossible to catch the breath he’d stolen.

  Mallory had never had a man strip for her. She hadn’t even believed it would be possible to become aroused knowing that her family was in jeopardy, but with every article of clothing Leigh shed, her pulse stampeded faster and her body’s interest soared higher.

  The first thing he did was unbuckle his belt and pull so that the black leather left the loops with the slithering sound of fabric on fabric. He tossed the belt away, unbuttoned, and unzipped his blue jeans, and then left them as he kicked out of his black boots. His feet were bare within and Mallory found it alluring that all of his skin stayed so wonderfully tanned though he was a self-proclaimed creature of the night.

  Leigh slipped his shirt over his head in one smooth motion and it landed on the ground beside his bare feet. He wondered momentarily why he was bothering to make a show for Mallory but could admit it to himself that he wanted to enjoy every second of the finite time they had together. Even with her family in danger and her world changing rapidly, Leigh wanted to do everything he could to amuse, excite, and please her. He was in a sad and sorry situation, he told himself.

  Hearing how her heartbeat accelerated with every new inch of his nakedness, Leigh stalked toward the bed while easing his lower garments from his body. He wanted her to have an up-close view of the show’s finale.

  Leigh stood close to the side of the bed and though Mallory found she couldn’t move her body, her eyes pulled magnetically to the gradually exposed flesh. When he stood before her fully naked, she felt she’d choke on the excited hammering of her heart.

  Unable to stop her hand, Mallory reached out and touched the rough, wiry hair on Leigh’s bare chest. His muscled abdomen tensed under her questing hand as she ran her fingers through the softer hair that led down to his groin. Avoiding his hardening manhood, Mallory brushed her open palms down his thigh, noting that the hair there felt different than on his torso. The skin was soft and warm underneath, and she touched as much of him as she could manage before the edge of the bed stopped her. He was like an expertly crafted piece of jewelry she couldn’t help picking up and admiring. In her mind, the best admiration was done through touch.

  “You’re pretty.” Mallory wanted to groan aloud over her sophomoric statement, but her words made Leigh grin.

  “You’re prettier, I think.” Leigh’s teasing tone made Mallory think there was more to the stormy-eyed man than his aloof air of mystery, and she wanted to explore it. He was enigmatic, captivating, and ridiculously handsome. Yet something about him also felt simple, relatable, and almost sweet.

  She wasn’t afraid of him any longer, nor was she concerned that she might be getting scammed. The sight of Leigh chased away her doubts. She wanted what he offered, no matter if she didn’t understand it or thought it was illogical. As with everything in her life, she’d experienced stranger.

  Leigh moved closer, until his thighs were pressed up against the edge of his bed. Mallory tensed as he pulled her tank top over her head and her hair spilled back down, tickling her bare arms and shoulders. She wore a plain white bra, and wished that she was exciting and exotic as she was sure most other pretty women were. Why didn’t she have on a killer black number with a matching, lacy thong under her shorts? She was pretty sure she was wearing boy shorts that claimed the day to be Wednesday. Sexy.

  “Lie back.” Leigh coupled his command with a single finger on Mallory’s bare shoulder, pushing her back. She knew he didn’t put any force behind the push, but she allowed him to guide her body to fall back against the thick, red comforter that covered the mattress. It was comfortable and plush, but Mallory was still tense. She wanted to look at what Leigh was doing, but she didn’t want to awkwardly crane her neck to catch the glimpse she wanted.

  As she debated whether or not she should look up, Mallory mourned her lack of bedroom skills. Leigh’s hands found the buttons and zip on her shorts, distracting her from thoughts of her shortcomings. He unfastened them and slid the material down Mallory’s legs. His fingertips brushing her skin sent electric zings tripping over themselves as they raced up and down her nerve endings. What a lovely sensation, she thought to herself.

  Leigh pressed a kiss to the inside of one of her thighs and Mallory jumped, nearly kneeing him in the jaw with her irrational twitch. She wasn’t used to being seduced, or touched for anything beyond minimal preparation. Leigh was kissing along her legs, her knees, and down to her ankles. No one had ever touched her feet, especially not in an erotic sense. She writhed as he ran his tongue along the side of her toe, jolted by the liquid pull of sensation that blossomed in her belly from that surprising contact.

  “I thought we were having sex,” Mallory said in an inquiring tone. She finally looked at Leigh and saw him giving her a timeless, masculine expression.

  “There is far more to sex than penetration.” At the word penetration, that slippery heat in her stomach roiled in two directions, heating her blood and causing other parts of her body to respond. Her nipples peaked, tingling beneath the fabric of her bra, and she felt her sex dampen in anticipation.

  Leigh smelled Mallory’s heightening arousal and even though his own words argued the thought, he wanted nothing more than to plunge himself inside her and satisfy them both in that instant. Instead, he took his time kissing back up her legs until he could lick along her navel. In one smooth movement, he swept her underwear aside, quirking a smile at the word Wednesday printed in a happy, funky font.

  Lifting her to him, Leigh unfastened Mallory’s bra as he held her pressed to his chest. The nearness was intoxicating. Her skin against his, her breath coming quick and nervous, her eyes darting around anxiously all endeared her to him. She was fluttering and shy, quite unlike the woman he’d found and loved before. Mallory was softness and sweetness, and he wanted to lick her up like the delectable treat she seemed to be.

  Mallory knew that when she backed away from Leigh she’d be fully exposed to him. For some reason, she wanted to keep that last bit of fabric between them. As though he sensed her hesitation, Leigh drew her away from him tenderly and eased the slim straps of her bra down her shoulders. Her last piece of clothing landed on the floor beside his discarded shirt and her pulse tripled in speed.

  Before she could become too unnerved at her own nudity, Leigh leaned forward and took the tip of one heaving breast in his mouth, swirling his tongue around her sensitive nipple. Mallory sucked in a sharp, surprised breath as she felt the tip of one pointed fang graze the puckered flesh of her areola. Leigh switched his attention to the other breast, lapping at the tingling peak as his large hand massaged the mound his mouth had just left.

  Mallory tensed when Leigh moved his mouth from her breast to her neck, but he didn’t bite her. Instead, he licked a line of heat from her collarbone to her jaw and up to her earlobe. He drew the sensitive skin into his mouth and sucked on it, sending shivers and chills down Mallory’s spine.

  Leigh scooped Mallory up, using his hands on her warm buttocks to l
ift her and move her closer to the headboard. He deposited her against the pillows and joined her on the bed, easing his way between her legs before she could object to his presence.

  “Leigh,” Mallory started nervously, but he shushed her. He needed her body untroubled before he initiated The Turn. He knew from experience that she didn’t handle it well.

  “Please relax,” Leigh urged as he dropped soft kisses between her breasts and down her abdomen. As much as he wanted to bury his face in the silky curls between her legs, he pressed his hands into them, instead.

  She was wet for him, and he loved the responsiveness of her hot core. He slipped one finger inside of her, testing her body’s willingness for his entrance. Mallory squirmed as he stroked, but didn’t object when he added another finger. He dragged his fangs along the skin on her navel as he rhythmically plunged his digits into her, bringing more moisture and heat with every stroke.

  Mallory dropped her head to the pillows, finding it harder to concentrate on her discomfort when Leigh was working magic between her legs. He swirled the pad of his thumb over her aroused nub and, combined with the thrusting ministrations of his fingers, Leigh surprised Mallory by sending the coils of a dazzling orgasm through her taut body. She gasped and twitched, feeling her inner walls convulse and grip Leigh’s fingers as the aftershock of the climax rippled through her.

  “Much better,” Leigh murmured as he went to his knees and leaned over. He thought to pierce her neck with his fangs, but he couldn’t turn away from the temptation of her lips.

  Mallory sank into Leigh’s kiss, feeling that the bed and the rest of the world should dissolve in the perfection of his lips on hers. She sucked on his tongue and he reciprocated the gesture, though delicately. Mallory felt the tips of his fangs as her tongue played with his, and thought he was so remarkably careful, even when the press of his erection against her stomach assured her his control was fighting his arousal.

  Delirious with the phenomenal sensations Leigh inspired, Mallory dragged her mouth away from his and turned his head so her lips were pressed up against his ear. She gripped his thick hair in one hand and kneaded the flesh of his arm with her other.

  She whispered against his skin, “Take me. Make me like you.”

  A thrill of abandon and lust poured through Leigh at her words. This was a bare echo of the wanton thing she’d once been, but her words had a shockingly powerful effect on him. He wanted her as he had never wanted another.

  Leigh plunged into Mallory, first with his member and then with his fangs. She sighed into the contact and he felt her spasm around him. The pain of his feeding was removed as he drove into her, and she encouragingly rocked her hips against his thrusts.

  Bringing one of his hands to his mouth, Leigh tore the skin so that blood blossomed hot and thick. He mirrored the wound on Mallory’s own wrist, and then repeated the process for their other hands. He then intertwined their fingers so that their blood mingled and flowed together in two spots.

  Whatever magic sustained a vampire also ensured the making of one was a singular experience. No blood went anywhere except the wounds and Mallory felt the fire of arousal mix with another liquid flame of incredible pain.

  Arching up into Leigh, Mallory was stunned by the power of the second orgasm that exploded through her. His frantic strokes only served to make the sensitive flesh more so, and she barely felt the tearing, searing agony that accompanied the trial of The Turn.

  As she began to lose her hold on consciousness, Mallory felt the exquisite pleasure of Leigh emptying himself into her with a guttural cry. She clutched desperately at his hands, feeling like she was crushing her own fingers with how hard she was squeezing. Blackness encroached on her vision, and fear invaded her heart. Even as her body sang with fulfillment, Mallory wept in terror. She knew there was no going back, but she was afraid of what she would find as she moved onward. Leigh whispered encouragement and reassurance into her damp hair as he stroked her cheek and rubbed his lips against her neck. She felt drained and achy. Her eyes wouldn’t open, and she was losing the tenuous connection to the world of the living that was Leigh’s voice.

  Before the darkness claimed her, Mallory pleaded, “Don’t leave me, Leigh.”

  She thought she heard him whisper, “Never again,” but she couldn’t be sure. She closed her eyes, and knew nothing more.

  Chapter Four

  Leigh watched Mallory sleeping. She thrashed in pain and moaned. Everyone was different when they experienced The Turn. Some were still as corpses, others screamed with their eyes wide open, and some, like Mallory, seemed to be having bad dreams during the change. He watched her face furrow and recalled a time long ago, when in another body, this same soul shrieked and batted at invisible phantoms while her body thrashed with pain. He sighed and sat at the bedside.

  It was going to be a very long night.

  * * * *

  Lydia McKinney was pissed. She was so pissed, in fact, that she had burned through her outfit for the second time and was now down to a single spare in her vehicle.

  She longed to transform. If she could be in her true form for an hour, her human body when she returned would be rejuvenated and the lingering wounds delivered by the supreme asshole Jerry would be banished. The longer she was kept from her true form, the easier she succumbed to the flames always at the ready to pour from her skin.

  She wasn’t meant to be puny, squishy flesh. She was enormous, glittering, harder than metal, and more powerful than any human construction. She was a Dragon, and being confined to human form was pissing her off.

  Lydia jumped out of her car and stormed up her sisters’ driveway. She moved like a hurricane contained in pale skin. Enormous energy rippled beneath her golden eyes and in waves off of her aura. She bet she burned like a supernova to those who could see them. She knew those people existed.

  She’d delivered several of them to the Hunters herself.

  With an explosive sigh, Lydia tossed her spare clothes bag at the kitchen table. It hit the side and landed on the floor. She glowered at it as Daria entered the room.

  Ready for a fight, Lydia turned to her youngest sister with the taste of venomous words on her tongue. One look at Daria’s calm, oceanic-blue eyes, soft, foamy dark hair, and full, pouting mouth doused her ire like water on a weak fire.

  Daria radiated the essence of concern and compassion and was already assessing how best to help her agitated older sibling. She knew that Lydia had become more and more volatile as of late and she worried for the highly emotional older woman. Lydia stressed like few others were able to, and it burned through her to make her moody and unapproachable. Daria approached anyway, as she always did.

  Lydia sighed again, but with much less anger.

  Daria moved forward and Lydia welcomed her youngest sibling’s embrace. Daria didn’t know exactly what was causing it, but the hot-blooded Lydia had become even more enraged as of late. Lydia was secretive, but Daria knew instinctively that her older sister was sheltering her and their other sibling, Jade, from uncomfortable information. Daria knew a part of the secret involved their present inability to transform.

  “If you don’t talk about it, you’re going to overload and burn up,” Daria warned Lydia as they broke their embrace.

  If it had been Jade whom she’d seen first, especially if she’d started with a lecture, flames would already be flying. Somehow, Daria encouraged thoughts of coddling, not murder. It was a special talent, and a useful one to be in possession of with siblings such as Lydia and Jade.

  “You worry for you, little mother,” Lydia scolded gently. She used the nickname Daria had earned in her youth and never outgrown.

  “If I didn’t worry about you, no one would.” Giving a dismissive wave to accompany her words, Daria made a face of disgust.

  Lydia felt her anger draining away. Her baby sister had always had that effect.

  “Where’s Jade?” Lydia asked as she made for the fridge. They burned insane amounts of calories and a
te a high carb, high protein diet. Lydia loved that she could pack away two steaks, a salad, and six rolls, plus still have room for a dessert drowning in chocolate, but it did have its drawbacks, especially in the dating environment.

  Pulling out raw burger and the fixings for an all-American supreme, Lydia glanced at Daria in anticipation of her answer.

  Daria smiled at the balancing act Lydia was engaged in and said, “Out hunting the vampire for you.”

  Lydia almost dropped the collection of glass and plastic containers she was holding. They knew. When did they find out? How? She’d only just received the current target from the Hunters the night before. The bastards wanted to try a bigger target, and the vampire had been living inconspicuously in their town for going on two decades. They’d never fought a vampire before, but they were ready to try if Lydia started the process for them. But how had Daria and Jade found out? It wasn’t like she’d left a portfolio of the target lying around.

  “Daria, I had to.” The words weren’t enough and offered no apology or explanation, and they hurt Daria to hear them.

  Hastily depositing the cheeseburger ingredients on the counter, Lydia tried to think of what she could say to her frowning little sister.

  “Eat,” Daria instructed. “We’ll talk later.”

  When she walked out of the room, Lydia felt a cold wash of guilt in such a great amount, she wondered if it had cooled her anger indefinitely.

  Obediently, Lydia began cooking her burgers in uncomfortable silence.

  * * * *

  Mallory walked along a familiar lakeside and wondered where Leigh was. She didn’t remember why she’d gone to the lake, but part of her insisted it had something to do with the strange, gorgeous man.

  “Leigh,” Mallory called out. Her voice seemed to echo over the lake and through the trees that ringed the body of water she walked beside. The sky was bright white—the clouds the same as the snow that coated the ground. The sound it made beneath her feet as she walked was almost offensive. It was so dry and cold that it squeaked like tires on the floor of a parking garage.