by Claire Marta
He knew he would have to make sure she did not knock them off. It was imperative they remained where they were. Nothing else mattered but the girl in the bed.
He stripped out of his wet clothing and left them in a pile on the floor. He was naked now, but it held no embarrassment for him.
Raoul tossed him a large fluffy towel. Drying himself quickly, he crawled into the bed beside her. Eric pressed his length against her cold side. She was still far too cold.
A faint shiver rippled through her. After a few minutes the chills had intensified, taking over her body and contorting her muscles.
Eric made sure the hot water bottles remained in place. With his body and hands, he tried to keep her calm. Jasmine’s body was reacting violently to the change in temperature. He knew this was not going to be easy. Any slip up now and they would lose her.
Raoul stripped down to his underwear. Quickly as he could, he slipped into the bed on the other side of her. Eric sent his friend a grateful smile. All the body heat she could receive was most welcome.
Jasmine’s teeth clenched and then began chattering uncontrollably. They rattled wildly in her mouth non-stop. Eric held her through the convulsive shaking. Hands caressing, he tried his best to soothe her. He knew she was in pain, groaning and breathing hard. She was also barely conscious. Still, this was all a good sign. Her body was awakening, striving to pull itself from the icy limbo the vamp had forced upon it.
Raoul was vigilant with the hot water bottle on her neck and her chest. Not once did he move to touch her body with his hands, though. He also kept his gaze averted from her breasts.
Eric knew his friend was doing this out of politeness. He also had a feeling Raoul suspected he might become jealous. It was something he did not waste time to think about.
He knew that if Jasmine were awake, her nakedness would embarrass her—her lovely, pert breasts bare along with the rest of her slender form. She would also be mortified to find both vampires in her bed. Those big green eyes would widen in shock and dismay. Eric liked it best when they flashed with green fire. Usually that was with annoyance or defiance.
He would give anything to see her pretty blush now.
Jasmine suddenly tried to curl into a ball, but he would not allow it. He needed to keep her against their heat, which meant keeping her horizontal.
Eric pushed himself more securely against her side. He was gentle but firm in restricting her movements. His hands continued their movements to relax her. Raoul also snuggled more solidly into her figure. He wisely still kept his hands to himself.
“It is alright, Jasmine. You are safe now,” Eric whispered against her ear. “It is time to wake up now, kitten.”
She did not respond. Her little body was racked with more frenzied shaking.
He frowned. No reaction was worrisome. Eric needed her conscious even if it was for but a moment. Then, finally, he could be certain she would live. Only then he could relax himself.
Anxiety shot through him. If it took everything in his power, he would see her through this.
“Jasmine, I told you to awaken. You will obey me.” Eric laced his tone with authority and his power of persuasion, which tingled in his words.
Jasmine’s eyelids cracked opened. Her eyes were unfocused and glazed. She blinked slowly, then her long lashes closed again. She turned agitatedly on her side, dislodging the hot water bottles.
Eric felt her arms slide slowly, clumsily around his waist. Then just as suddenly she was burrowing against him like a little animal. She desperately clung to his warmth.
A ripple of pleasure blazed through him. They were now pressed chest to chest. Jasmine’s breasts were crushed against his chest. Her silken skin rubbed enticingly touching his own. A sigh left his lips. It did not matter that she trembled in his arms. He held her close, absorbing the sensation of her nearness. Dropping his chin, Eric nuzzled her red hair.
The girl’s feminine scent assailed him. It was like sunshine, warm with a hint of something flowery. An aroma he doubted he would ever forget. He was pleased she had turned to him and not Raoul. She knew he would help her. Jasmine had trusted him.
Her body had become tense, shuddering against him. Running his hand down her side, Eric crooned softly. Raoul helped him remove the hot water bottles. They tucked them around her legs beneath the duvet. Wiggling closer, the mocha-skinned vampire pressed his front to the little female's back. His arms remained away from her body.
Jasmine suddenly moaned as if in pain. She moved herself restlessly. Eric pressed as close as he could and continued to talk softly to soothe her. He did not know how long they held her.
The shivering soon stopped. She was still breathing deeply, although she relaxed against them. He knew the worst had passed.
She felt warm now. Her skin was no longer pale, now a pretty pink. Her lips were no longer blue.
Trailing his fingers over her hip, Eric released a sigh of relief. He felt her body stir.
His legs were tangled with her own. Such an intimate position. One he wished they were experiencing in a more pleasurable situation.
The little female seemed to have dozed off. She had to be exhausted. So he decided to let her sleep.
“My contact has gone silent. I believe he has been discovered,” Raoul whispered into the silence.
Eric raised his focus to his friend. This news was indeed bad. It could only mean that Marcel had discovered his lover was their informant.
“The mage was not where I was told,” Raoul continued softly. “I believe we have been exposed.”
“Marcel knows what I am. He proved that tonight,” Eric replied grimly.
How the arms dealer had acquired this information was a burning question in his mind. It was not something easy to come by. The fat man’s downfall was his lack of knowledge of Eric’s mastery of the cold. Without that, the freezer would have rendered him helpless. He was more than sure Pierre would have been back in the morning to finish him off. Then, no doubt, he would also have been tasked with getting rid of their bodies.
Eric’s fingers caressed Jasmine’s hip once more. Her face was pressed into the hollow of his throat. The warmth of her breath whispered against his skin, sending delightful tingles through his body.
“That is impossible, Eric.” Raoul looked worried. “How could he guess you are a vampiria?”
“You sensed the wards on that vault yourself, my friend. They are meant only to contain our kind.”
This meant that Marcel had knowledge he should not have. Vampiria were always careful to keep themselves hidden. They could not afford to be discovered.
“What do you intend to do now?” Raoul asked, shifting uncomfortably.
Gently as he could, Eric pulled the girl more firmly against him. “We observe, then move when the time is right.”
Chapter 21
Jasmine awoke tucked in a delicious cocoon of warmth. A mattress was soft and comfortable beneath her. The smoothness of a duvet brushed against her skin.
A small sleepy sigh of contentment left her lips. If this was a dream, she was enjoying it. She felt so secure, so safe. Things, she realised, she hadn’t experienced for quite a while.
A vague memory of feeling as if she had been frozen to her very core buzzed around inside her head. Ice had coated her insides with a thick, cold, burning layer. Then a numbing darkness had stolen every feeling, every sensation. She had drowned in it. The air had literally stopped in her lungs. Had she died? Maybe that had been the dream?
As her mind kicked into life slowly, she became aware of other sensations. A big naked body was pressed up against her back. She could feel hard, thick legs tucked up beneath her own. The chest behind her back was muscled and firm. Heat was radiating off the male in waves.
She was also, she realised, very naked herself.
Nipples pebbling into taut peaks beneath the blankets, she felt desire tighten in her stomach. The smell of snow and pine enfolded her, wrapping itself around her like a blanket.
Her heart did a strange little flip flop in her chest.
Startled, she turned her head.
Bright cerulean blue eyes were watching her tenderly. With him so close, her body was thrumming with sudden arousal. It was as if now she was highly tuned to the vampire.
“You have slept for five hours since your temperature was raised,” Eric told her softly. “I am very glad to see you awake.”
Jasmine's mouth turned down. Five hours? In a rush the memories crowded her.
The frozen little room. Being trapped. The bitter glacial cold that had been killing her slowly. Their kiss.
Fuck, she was alive.
For someone who had practically been a popsicle, she felt pretty good.
Eyes wide, she peered around. They were alone and once more back in the hotel room. She realised she had a huge gap in her memory, though–she didn’t remember how they had gotten back.
“You can thank Raoul later for eventually coming to our aid,” Eric said as if reading her thoughts.
Meeting his watchful gaze, she smiled. Raoul was going to get more than thanks when she saw him. He was going to get a hug. Stretching her limbs beneath the blankets, she tried to ignore her nakedness. She didn't know why they were all rather naked in bed, but maybe it had something to do with her being warmed up. She wasn’t about to complain though. Having Eric so close, so bare was a fantasy.
Flopping over onto her back, she kept the blankets up covering her chest. “What’s been happening?”
She knew life would have carried on around her. The vampires would have continued on with the case. How much could have happened in five hours?
Eric sighed heavily. “Smith's body was discovered in the Seine two hours ago.”
Jasmine felt her heart sink. So it was true the American agent was dead. She had been half-hoping it was a lie. She had really liked Smith. All that talk of retiring and he hadn’t managed to do it. She didn’t even know if he had any family.
“Marcel’s building is a hive of activity according to Raoul,” Eric continued. “We do not know what he has planned, and unfortunately, our informant had also been silenced. We fear he, too, is dead.”
He had his head propped up on one arm. The blankets were draped over his lean hip as he continued to lie on his side facing her. A relaxed, carefree position. Eric’s full pecs and well-defined muscles of his chest were on show. The skin looked smooth and flawless. He wasn’t as pale as she had thought he would be.
Jasmine licked her dry lips. She was ogling her boss again, not that he seemed to mind. Her eyes strayed downwards. His stomach was flat and muscular, his abs were muscled, firm, and sharply contoured. The vampire definitely had a body any woman would pant over. Continuing down, she followed the slight hairy arrowing of black hair that dipped below the blankets. What lay beneath was hidden from her gaze. Disappointment curled through her.
Jasmine bit her lower lip almost painfully. The beat of her heart picked up. She had imagined Eric naked once or twice. Seeing him almost all on display was nothing how she had pictured. It was way better. From what she could see, he was sculpted to perfection.
A dull throb started between her legs. Squeezing her thighs together, she tried to ease it. Blinking, she tried to remember what they had been talking about. It seemed surreal having this conversation in bed with the vampire. Intimate. Unreal.
“Who was it?” She asked fairly sure he had said something about an informant.
“Claude, his lover.” The vampire’s voice had grown huskier, deeper. Did he like her looking at him? Did he know his nearness was turning her on?
Dragging her eyes away from his chest, Jasmine met his gaze. “Oh no! What happened to him?”
Those icy eyes were now burning with a dark, hungry look. One she had caught glimpses of before. But this time he did not try to bother to hide.
Jasmine suddenly forgot how to breathe.
“We do not know. His body is yet to be discovered,” he replied, his voice thickening even further with desire.
She swallowed down her growing excitement. “You think he’s dead?”
“It is a possibility.”
A sense of guilt washed through her. Claude was someone she had promised herself to help. Not knowing he was the informant had not helped. These vampires and their damn secrets were driving her nuts.
Dropping her gaze, she glanced towards the windows. The curtains weren’t drawn and it was dark outside. Paris was lit up with twinkling lights. The Eiffel Tower glimmered in the distance in all its beauty.
“Marcel has to know we escaped by now.” It wasn’t a question. If the fat man was like any other villain, she doubted he would have waited to make sure they were dead.
“Indeed he does.” Eric’s fingers brushed the curve of her hip in a small caress, making her jump. “We were sure to disrupt any cameras. He will also believe we were both carried out half-frozen to death.”
The little gesture had Jasmine’s heart rate increasing. Moisture damped between her thighs, as she pressed them together once again. One fucking touch and her body was ready for him. No, that was not true. She had been ready for him the moment she had woken up.
“You saved my life,” she said softly. Eyes on his face again, she drank in his cold handsomeness. He had kept his promise.
The vampire smiled. It was a charming curving of his lips. “I told you I would not let anything happen to you, kitten. And I always keep my promises. I am sorry I caused you pain.”
Jasmine began to fidget with the duvet. “It was the only way it would work. I understand that. I’m glad you didn’t warn me, though. I’m not sure I would have let you done it.”
His eyes seemed mesmerized by her mouth now. “My kisses are not usually so cold. I can assure you of that.”
As if to prove it, Eric leaned over and let his lips brush hers. Jasmine flinched at first. It was an automatic reaction to the memory of the biting frozen pain.
He did not give up though. Instead he continued to tease her with soft butterfly kisses. Slow and sweet, gentle sweeps of his mouth against hers. They coaxed and comforted, drawing her out of any fear that she felt.
He didn't go further, didn't deepen the kiss—as if he were afraid it might shatter the sensual spell he was weaving. It felt like he had been kissing her forever by the time he drew back. Instantly she missed the press of his mouth.
Eric’s face, holding a fierce passion, was inches above her own. The thickness of his erection pressed against the curve of her hip. He made no move to hide the evidence of his body’s desire.
Jasmine’s heart pounded excitedly in her chest at the unfamiliar pressure.
“Let me take you, kitten. Give us both the release we crave.”
Jasmine shivered at the heat in his voice. She was vibrating with anticipation, but still a small part of her held back.
“I don’t know if I can do that, Eric.” Past pain flashed in the depths of her eyes for a moment. Could she really overcome the events from so long ago? Would it really be this easy?
He stilled beside her. Concern filtered through the blazing passion in his look. “I sense you have had a bad experience that has frightened you away from being intimate.”
Jasmine felt her throat close up. He was right. And it was the same event that had triggered her gifts. She still remembered the burning red eyes boring into hers. A shudder of fear rolled through her. It was something she was never likely to forget. Even now it haunted her nightmares.
Taking a deep breath, Jasmine decided to tell him part of the truth. “I was raped two years ago. I was a virgin before that.” She was amazed her voice kept so steady. “I haven’t been with anyone since. It’s never been easy for me to…well…be like this.”
Eric swore under his breath. Something raw and tender flashed in his eyes. A moment later, Jasmine found herself cradled against his big chest.
“I am so sorry, Jasmine.” His voice was incredibly gentle, nearly bringing tears
to her eyes. “I never imagined it was such a thing.”
His cheek rubbed against her short hair. His hands caressed her arms. Comfort and reassurance. She recognized them for what they were. The vampire was trying to ease her past pain.
She didn’t want to talk about it. The only reason she had shared this was so he would understand her hesitation.
The vampire somehow made her forget to be afraid. He washed it all away. It was the only time in the last two years she felt like she could be close to a man.
*
Eric brushed his lips gently against her mouth in a feather light kiss. The things she said were still tumbling around inside his head. He could almost feel her pain, her fear. His little female had been violated. Someone had hurt her in one of the vilest ways. Anger and rage boiled inside of him, trying to force their way upwards.
Had she been avenged? Where was the perpetrator now? Had he been immersed in the pain and misery he so deserved? Did he now burn justly in the depths of hell? If not, Eric was willing to see to the task.
Reining in his control, he easily pressed the dark feelings back down. Now was not the time for such emotions. The girl needed comfort, understanding. He could give her this. He couldn't go back and change what had been done, but if he had such a power, he knew he would. Eric recognised it had taken her a lot to share such a thing. The pain he had seen once or twice now made sense. Obviously she had told him so he understood any faltering she might have. This just made his lust burn hotter.
Unable to help himself, he trailed kisses down her jawline. Jasmine moaned softly. Reaching her chin, he ventured lower down the curve of her neck. He could sense the racing of her blood beneath her fragile skin. The pulse point at her throat throbbed with the beat of her heart. He licked it, tasting the saltiness of her flesh.