Eternal Hearts

by Jennifer Turner

  Toni heard every word Drake had said, every heartbreaking admission he’d spoken. She felt his anguish wrap around her, his desperation wash over her. But one specific set of words caught in her chest and refused to budge. “You love me?”

  He looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course I do. How could I not? You’re the only woman who’s ever made me forget what I am. The only one who’s ever treated me like you actually care about me for who I am, not what I can do for you.” He stepped forward and cradled her face between his warm hands. “I love you.”

  Toni stared up into Drake’s dark eyes and realized just how much he was hurting. And as she continued to stare into them, pushing past the curtain to see the man she truly cared for, she also saw something she couldn’t ignore…the truth.

  She closed her eyes as a thousand emotions whipped through her. Was it fair to expect him to feel sorry for her family? He didn’t even know them. Was it right to hold his friendship with Oktober against him, even though he hadn’t known her three years ago? How would she feel if he’d done the same to her and Clint?

  She struggled for a breath. She knew Drake would never expect her to stop talking to Clint just because Clint didn’t like him.

  And Drake was right about something else, too. If he’d told her about Oktober last night it would have only made things worse. He hadn’t lied just to sleep with her, and deep inside she knew it. And even more importantly, she believed it. She believed him.

  She should have never jumped to conclusions and thought the worst of him, especially when she hadn’t even tried to talk to him. But now he was so angry, and so sad, she didn’t know what to do. Unable to think of anything else, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Drake leaned down and crushed Toni against him, his anger instantly fading under the soft feel of her in his arms. All he wanted was to keep her there, safe and happy, for as long as she’d have him. When she pulled back to kiss him, he could barely breathe from the torrent of emotions behind it. Sweet and intoxicating, her lips told him something he was almost too afraid to believe…

  She loved him, too. He could taste it on her lips, feel it in the way she touched him.

  Picking her up, he took a step forward and pressed her back against the wall of the warehouse. It wasn’t but a second before her legs were around his waist and her hands tangled into his hair. He smiled as she fanged and sucked at his bottom lip.

  The woman definitely had a thing for his hair.

  When Toni felt the beginning of Drake’s erection press against her, followed by the curve of his lips against hers, she pulled back and stared up at him. Every inch of her body was on fire where it touched his, aching for more. She wanted this man more than anything in the world, but when he dipped his head and moved to kiss her again, she fisted her hands and held him at bay.

  She wanted to remember this moment, wanted to burn his image into her memory. She never wanted to forget the way his blue eyes shimmered with something indescribable in the faint streetlights, or the way snowflakes danced around him, glittering like diamonds against the obsidian silk warming her fingers. She never wanted to forget how those flakes caught in his eyelashes, or melted in the puff of steam that slipped past his parted lips with every breath he exhaled.

  She wanted to remember the way she felt pressed against him. Small but powerful. Safe…yet somehow completely vulnerable. Happily terrified, oddly comfortable, confidently lost.

  The man whose rough thumbs were now brushing the tears from her cheeks made her feel something she hadn’t been for three long years...alive.

  For the first time in Toni’s life, the human woman she fought so hard to hold onto, and the dark beast born inside her the moment blood first passed her lips, wanted the exact same thing.

  She leaned forward until the hot burst of Drake’s breath seared her mouth. “I want you, Drake. Whatever…whoever comes with you, I’ll find a way to deal with it.” The minute her admission filled the space between them, a low growl rumbled in his chest and the ridge between her thighs grew harder.

  And this time, she couldn’t hold him back when he claimed her mouth. His tongue pushed past her lips, branding her with a passion she’d never know. She gasped when his fangs pierced her bottom lip and he sucked tautly, sending a million sparks of pleasure across her skin.

  The beast inside her purred in wicked delight as he licked at the crimson drops welling from her lip. Although the scent of any blood was enticing, when the rich, powerful aroma of his infused with hers, the woman and animal became one.

  Drake growled when Toni lunged forward and drove her tongue into his mouth. The stinging sensation as she pulled one of her hands from his hair gave way to white hot rapture as she undid his pants and her cool fingers circled his shaft. With each forceful stroke of her small hand, every maddening lash of her insatiable tongue, he lost himself a little more in the woman he never wanted to live without.

  He could taste her desire twisting with his own. Taste exactly what she craved, exactly what her blood demanded, and he knew she’d accept nothing less than everything he had to give.

  Wasting no more time, he dropped his hands and unfastened her pants without breaking her incredible kiss. When he realized that even completely unzipped, the damn things still didn’t grant the access he needed, he grabbed the leather on either side of the zipper and ripped them down the seam.

  She broke free from his mouth to gasp when the barrier between what they both wanted was finally gone. He groaned and braced a hand against the brick wall as she rubbed the head of his cock against her clit. Wetness spread across him, fire chasing ice as she pushed lower still.

  He stared down into her eyes, darkened by more than just desire and lust. Her perfect mouth, stained from more than just their passionate kisses. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman. Never dreamed a more erotic picture as he wrapped his hand around hers then buried his cock deep inside her. Her back arched and her head kicked back as a moan filled the air, sending a scarlet rivulet cascading over her swollen bottom lip, down the column of her throat.

  Drake leaned forward and caught the droplet with his tongue, tracing it back to the source as she writhed hard against him. Nothing would ever taste sweeter. Nothing would ever feel better than her wrapped around him, wild and wanton, tight and wet.

  Lost in a flurry of sinful sensations, Toni growled when Drake pulled her hand away, pushed her harder against the wall with his hips, and then started pumping into her. She slid her hands across his abs and dug her fingernails into his lower back as he thrust against her, every powerful stroke fanning the flames threatening to ignite her.

  The hot, spicy taste of him burned her lips as she bit at his mouth. “More,” she breathed. “Harder.”

  She cried out when he answered by grabbing her hips and slamming his cock as deep inside her as possible. The exquisite torture of him sliding out, inch by long delicious inch, was nothing compared to the orgasm that ripped through her when he drove back into her.

  Drake released Toni’s hips and braced both hands against the wall as he rocked against her. He didn’t want the moment to end. He wanted to stay there, oblivious to everything except her and the feel of her body contracting around him. But when she pulled away from his lips and moaned his name, he couldn’t do anything other than join her in sensual ecstasy. He moaned as she rolled her hips against him, matching the lazy rhythm of her tongue as it caressed his.

  When both of their breathing slowed, he concentrated and forced the wound in her lower lip to heal, followed by his own – but he didn’t pull away. He slowly kissed her soft lips clean, reveling in the taste of her. Knowing no matter what happened tomorrow or the next day, he would never love anyone the way he loved her.

  Toni stared into Drake’s eyes when he broke their kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. Her whole body was warm, inside and out, and filled with an emotion she thought would forever be out of her reach.

  How could she have eve
r thought he would hurt her?

  The mere idea seemed unthinkable now.

  She moaned lightly and smiled as he slid out of her then gently lowered her to her feet. She watched as he bent down to button her pants, grinned at her defunct zipper, and then fastened every button on her knee-length leather coat before he finally zipped his own pants.

  When his smile faded into something more serious, she reached out and touched his hand. “What’s wrong?”

  He glanced down the alley before his eyes slid back to her. “There are parts of you I’ll share, but there are other parts I won’t.”

  “Drake, what are you doing in the alley?”

  Toni looked in the direction Drake just had when an eerily familiar voice boomed from down the alley. Heat suffused her cheeks when she realized it belonged to Derek Ballard.

  He was already walking towards them, wearing a pair of camouflage cargo pants, combat boots, and a black t-shirt that said, ‘I made a million dollars today. What did you do?’ in white letters. He had a half full mug of beer with a Mutt’s logo on it in one hand, and what looked to be a few vanilla wafer cookies in the other.

  She inched closer to Drake and tried to act like she hadn’t been doing something totally X-rated five minutes ago, when he stopped a foot or two away then winked at her. “Well, hello pretty Toni, how are you this evening?”

  “I’m good, thanks. What’s with the clothes?”

  He cast a look down at his shirt and grinned as he ran a finger across the letters. “What, you think I enjoy wearing a suit all the time?” He took a bite of his cookie then turned to face Drake. “Mr. Black, could I have a few words with you, please?”

  Drake narrowed his eyes at Derek, but they relaxed when he focused on her. “Why don’t you jump into your car and go back to the hotel? I’ll be right behind you.” She shivered when he bent down and pressed his lips to her ear. “And I’ll be right behind you there, too, if you’ll have me.”

  Toni couldn’t do anything for a minute but smile. When words finally found their way back to her brain, she looked up at him. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you in a few then.” She turned to Derek. “It was nice to see you again, Derek. Cool shirt by the way.”

  “Thanks, Toni. I’m sure I’ll see you later.”

  She turned and started down the alley, but before she could get away, she felt one of Drake’s arms wrap tight around her waist. She squeaked as he pulled her against his chest and kissed her like he was starving. Her knees went weak as he plundered her mouth, stealing the oxygen from her lungs. And when he pulled back and smiled, she clung to his leather covered biceps.

  “I’ll be there soon,” he whispered.

  After nodding and prying her fingers from his sexy body, Toni ran down the alley then across the street towards her car. If she didn’t get away from him now, there was no telling how long it might take.

  When she made it to the parking lot, she sucked in a mouthful of cold air and tried to calm her nerves. There was so much information swirling in her head that most of it felt like it was jumbled and running together. One thing was crystal clear though, and that was just how much she loved Drake.

  ***

  Drake watched Toni exit the alley and waited to see her car go by before he turned back to face Derek. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, knowing no matter what he said, the conversation he was about to begin most likely wouldn’t end well. “So…ah… how’s your night going, Derek?”

  Derek didn’t say anything until after he’d taken a bite of his vanilla wafer, chewed the cookie long enough that there would probably be nothing left to regurgitate, and then washed it down with a mouthful of beer. “What the hell are you doing, Drake? You were supposed to protect her, not sleep with her.”

  Drake smiled at him. “Well…I did stay as close to her as possible.” When Derek didn’t seem to appreciate the humor, he switched tactics. “Well, what do you want me to say, Derek?”

  Derek held his arms out to his sides. “How about, oh, I don’t know…sorry Boss, I screwed up? I swear on my life that it will never ever, ever happen again?”

  Drake wanted to laugh at Derek’s distinctly Odin-like animated movements, but he knew better. He watched as the look on Derek’s face changed from happy-go-lucky billion dollar boy to ruthless Ancient vampire. “You fucked up, Drake. You told her there was a contract on her. You touched her. You broke the rules. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “She thought I was going to kill her, Derek. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

  “You were supposed to watch your ass and make sure she didn’t walk into a bar where you were spilling your guts to Brick, that’s what you were supposed to do.” He kicked at the ground to punctuate each of his words, “You also weren’t supposed to fall in love with your mark!”

  Drake opened his mouth to protest, but then decided against it. No, he shouldn’t have spilled his guts to Brick in the middle of a bar, even though he had no clue Toni would walk in – but he loved her, and he wasn’t about to deny that very important fact.

  “That’s right,” Derek said as he nodded. “Don’t even bother trying to pull that bullshit on me. You may be physically superior, but you’re still not powerful enough to get a lie past me.”

  “Look, I know I fucked up, but I can’t help the way I feel about her. It’s not like I was expecting this, because I wasn’t. This was the last thing I ever thought would happen when you ordered me to protect a vampiress.” He locked eyes with Derek. “But I love her…”

  Derek’s nostrils flared. “Don’t look at me like I’m supposed to feel sorry for you. You’re not supposed to touch your quarry while there’s a contract in place,” he yelled, stressing each word. “Haven’t you ever wondered why that rule is in place? It’s there because assassins have enemies, enemies who’ll kill everything you hold dear. You’re not supposed to touch her because if you get attached to her – it does the exact opposite of keeping her safe. Please, tell me that makes sense to you.”

  Drake narrowed his eyes. “I’m not a Fledgling anymore, Derek. I know what being an assassin means. And I know what loving her means!”

  When Derek glared and his fangs broke free, Drake felt the signature burn of his Ancient power reach out and throw him back against the wall. It pinned him in place, forcing only one of his beasts to yield.

  The muscles in Derek’s jaw clenched tight. “You’re going to spend another night with her, and then you’re going to leave for a few days. You’re going to tell her you have another contract that needs special attention, and that you apologize.”

  Fighting against the invisible waves, Drake pushed himself from the wall and took a step forward. “Why are you doing this? Why can’t I have one thing in my life that’s only for me?”

  “I’m not taking anything away from you. I ordered you to protect her until she talked to Christian. And it just so happens that she talked to Christian tonight. My part in this is done now. It’s Crypt who’s ordering you to leave her. He’s pissed that you touched her, but he’s even more livid that you told her you had a contract on her. It’s one thing to talk to Brick about it, he already knows about us. But it’s another thing entirely to talk to Toni about it. Because just in case you’ve forgotten, The Organization is supposed to be a secret. Now I’ve got a fledgling Warrior who knows that not only do you take protection contracts, but you kill people on contracts, too. She also knows, because of your big fat mouth, that Oktober does the same thing. And you told her you worked for an organization! Toni isn’t stupid, Drake. Eventually she’ll start asking questions.”

  Drake groaned as the magnitude of Derek’s outburst hit him. If Crypt knew what was going on then he was in serious trouble. As the Chief of The Organization, Crypt was the one who made all the final decisions. From the rules they lived by to what contracts were accepted and which assassin was assigned, nothing happened without Crypt’s approval.

  Drake rubbed his hands down his face and exhaled a wea
ry breath. This wasn’t good, this wasn’t good at all.

  Derek began nodding again. “That’s right, Little Man, Crypt knows what happened. Don’t ask me how, because it still baffles the shit out of me…but he knows. He called me the second your little love spat here in the alley started. I’m telling you right now to leave her, because if you don’t…Crypt will put you down.”

  Drake made a motion to object, but stopped when Derek raised his hand. “Don’t talk right now. Just think about it. Do you really want Toni to be left alone for years with no one to protect her from your enemies?”

  Drake drew a deep breath then shook his head. That wasn’t what he wanted at all. He wanted Toni as safe as she could possibly be, preferably in his arms.

  “When Crypt calms down over your major screw up,” Derek said, his face finally showing a few shreds of compassion, “I’ll see what I can do to get him to ease up on you. It’s not like he’s saying you can never see her again. He just wants you to back off for now.”

  Drake nodded at Derek, even though what he really wanted to do was punch him. He knew, as much as he despised it, he couldn’t win this argument. This time he would have to follow the rules. If he didn’t, Crypt might get a bug in his ass and decide to kill Toni for spite, and that wasn’t something he was willing to take a chance on.

  “Don’t look all defeated over there,” Derek said as he used his cookie as a pointer. “I don’t like having to be the bad guy. You know I absolutely hate having to be the bad guy. But if Crypt peeks in on you and sees you with her, you’re gonna be too busy getting drawn and quartered or racked, to think about not getting to see her again. Not to mention what he’ll do to me for not keeping you in line. So if you love her, Drake…if you really love her…you’re going to have to leave. I know it’s a cliché. I know it sounds stupid, but in this case it’s the truth. Do what he says for now and let me try to talk to him. Can you do that?”