Shifters were visceral and tactile, and although they were around humans more than vampires, their fascination with the weaker species would lead them to cross paths with Liv more than he would deem necessary. The thought of anyone touching Liv, even a fellow assassin, sent a shaft of rage through him.
He hadn’t realized that he tensed at his own thoughts, until she let out a little cry of pain.
In a split second, he huddled over her. “Did I hurt you?”
He heard her heart beat faster in her chest, and a small pang of worry rushed through his body. The emotional tie between them felt stronger, but being so far removed from human emotions, he tried to work out what her specific emotion signified. A scowl of concentration must’ve startled her, because her gasp pulled him from his internal investigation as he tried to tune into her emotions.
“No, I’m fine. I’m disturbing your sleep, so I’ll go down to my own room,” she said.
With a sharp shake of his head, he lay on his side, and slid his hand down to her waist, pulling her closer until they faced each other, barely an inch separating them. As he gazed into her eyes, he understood what he’d sensed when she woke. Shit, she thought I would push her away.
“No, I was thinking. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay.” She scanned his face before she continued. “You snarled several times so I thought I would give you some room.”
He kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her in closer. “I like you right where you are. I was thinking about the team coming to the house. The vampires keep to themselves, but the shifters are more…hands-on.”
“Are they angry with me?” she asked.
While they’d been talking, his hand rubbed her back in slow, languorous circles. He shifted and entangled their legs, keeping her as close to him as possible, but he answered her.
“No. They know about the bio-weapon, but Ghost explained that you had nothing to do with it. I’ve already sent them everything you downloaded, except for the video. That’s something that should be watched only once.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“How old are you?”
He calculated his actual age, including the years he spent as a human. “Two hundred and thirty-one. I died in battle at the age of twenty-eight.”
“Do you know…who turned you into a vampire?”
“No. I woke up on the battlefield, surrounded by bodies. All the wounds I sustained from the shrapnel when the canon exploded were healed, and I was completely alone. Whoever turned me left a few men, slowly dying from their wounds, and I drank from them, but after I gained my strength, I learned to fend for myself. I taught myself to drink without killing, and for years, I roamed the States without much direction. Ghost, the founder of Dark Company, recruited me in 1925, and I’ve used the natural abilities that come with being a vampire to my advantage.”
He listened to her even breathing and could feel her mulling over this new information with what she’d learned about him so far. He didn’t mind speaking about his past—he didn’t think there was much to it—but he would answer any questions she had.
“Did you ever see your family after you turned?”
“No. By the time I made my way to home, they had been notified I had been killed on the battlefield, so I let it be.”
“You weren’t married?”
“No. My mother was Korean and my father white, and because of my heritage, I wasn’t accepted in society in those days. There were no women who would’ve married me or even been seen with a man of mixed race at that time, so there was no chance of marriage,” he said.
The silence grew between them, and he realized he enjoyed holding her in his arms and being able to kiss her without holding back. It still scared the shit out of him that her life was in danger, but he would keep her as close as he could, and if need be, trust the others to protect her.
Emotions that he hadn’t felt in years, maybe even ever, had flooded him when they first kissed. But they had strengthened the more he learned about her, the more he could sense the natural goodness inside her. He would keep her close, and try to figure out a way to tell her how she made him feel, if he could figure it out himself first.
“So…”
“Yeah.” He glanced down and again was taken by her understated beauty.
“What’s with the silver eyes?” she asked.
Her casual question startled a laugh out of him, but as she rubbed his chest with soft strokes, his amusement turned into a hunger that stole his breath. Gulping in several deep breaths as he closed his eyes and tried to keep his arousal from growing out of control, his mind memorized each stroke that scorched his skin. To keep his body under control, he blurted out an answer to her question.
“Apparently when we’re bitten, the venom damages the pigment in the eyes, and they lighten to silver. One vampire, Thomas, had a theory that it allows us to see better in the dark, but all of our senses are heightened when we’re turned, so I doubt that’s the reason. Do they look strange?”
“No. I’ve never seen the color before, and I was curious. They are very striking. What was your original color?”
“A deep blue, as far as I can remember.”
She traced the black ink around his shoulder, mesmerized by the pattern and the intricacies of the design.
“All of the assassins have a tattoo similar to this one. It bonds us together.”
They grew quiet as he enjoyed her fingers tracing over his skin. He found that he enjoyed her soft, smoky voice as she asked him questions, and reveled in her body pressed against his. He’d never enjoyed a time with a woman as much as this.
“What’s it like…being a vampire?”
“I don’t really have much to compare it to, but I suppose it’s similar to being a human. The difference is that I sleep during the day, I drink blood for sustenance, and have enhanced abilities that allow me to be deadly.”
He demonstrated his speed as he leapt from the bed in one quick motion and reached for her naked ankles. She squealed when he brushed a finger on the top of her foot, but he refused to be deterred, even though the sexy sound washed over him and left him wanting her more than his next breath. Careful of the pressure from his hands, he pulled her until her legs were draped over the edge of the bed and her naked body was displayed in all its glory.
“Kai?”
“My turn to taste,” he said.
She reached for the sheet to cover her nude body, but he blocked her movement when he placed his lips against her nipple. She froze, mid-movement, and groaned when his tongue darted out and tasted her. Her honeyed arousal struck his senses in the next second, and he couldn’t stop the growl that escaped from deep in his throat.
Each touch on her body proved as erotic as the next, and by the time his mouth moved down to her clit, his cock throbbed painfully. Her hips jolted off the bed as his tongue caressed and stroked, savoring her sweetness on his tongue. He grew addicted to her taste, and lost track of trying to pleasure her. Instead, he stroked and suckled based on an instinct he’d never known existed. When her body arched and his tongue was flooded with her release, he couldn’t prevent the growl that rumbled through her, prolonging her orgasm.
She scrambled off the bed and stood. He reached for her, but she pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him. His hands gripped her hips and squeezed as she positioned herself on top of his cock. Without a word, she sank down on him in one swift motion, leaving them both gasping in pleasure.
“So…good. You feel so good,” she mumbled.
Surging deep inside her, he grasped her waist to keep her close, and watched her arch her back as she took her pleasure from him. If possible, the movements intensified, and he found himself gritting his teeth to hold back from surrendering to his need to release inside her.
Her hands dropped onto his chest, and he sat up, wrapping his arms around her, and squeezed her tightly to his chest.
“Oh, oh,” she breathed.
Mindless with pleasure, he clung to her as she slumped against his body, her energy completely spent.
It took him several minutes to move.
A unfamiliar tiredness overwhelmed him, but when she shivered at the coolness of the room, he stood and flipped on the switch for the fireplace before he headed back to bed, all while holding her close. He settled them both in bed and reached for the comforter, before he flicked off the lamp. As he pulled her close, she settled her head against his chest and sighed.
“Night, Kai,” she mumbled.
“Night, love.”
For several minutes, he listened to her breathing and traced his fingers up and down her arm as he relaxed into sleep. Oblivious, his tongue brushed against his teeth, surprised. He couldn’t remember when his teeth elongated, but there wasn’t a moment when they made love that he thought about piercing her skin.
A surprising first for him.
Chapter Ten
Olivia
Olivia blinked awake and allowed her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness. Glancing at the bright white numbers on the alarm clock, she almost groaned aloud. She’d never been a morning person and avoided five o’clock like the plague, but when her stomach rumbled with hunger, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and reluctantly slid to the edge of the bed.
A loud gasp escaped her throat when strong arms gripped her waist, and she shivered as he lay back down on the bed with her naked back pressed against a solid chest.
He settled back into sleep. His breaths caressed her neck, causing a shiver to pass through her, but she lay wide awake.
Every moment of the night before rushed back to her, and she flushed as desire inflamed her, inside and out. Her body tensed, and she moaned aloud as her achy muscles made themselves known. Her thighs were sore and as she pressed them together, she could feel some abrasions that weren’t there the day before. Her nipples pebbled as pleasure tore through her body, and her clit was swollen and sensitive from his exploration using his lips and tongue. Each moment seared into her memory, and as she replayed them in her mind, she could’ve sworn that she could still feel every stroke, every touch.
“Are you okay?” he whispered against her ear.
She smiled into her pillow at his concern for her. “I’m fine, just hungry. I’m going to go make breakfast. Go back to sleep.”
He pressed a light kiss against her shoulder blades, and then her neck, and behind her ear, but didn’t release her.
Turning in his arms, she brushed a kiss against his lips while she circled his hard chest, savoring his firm muscles as her hands tingled with excitement.
With one last kiss, she slid out of his arms and giggled when he tried to reach for her again. She turned as he groaned aloud, and found his eyes roaming her naked body.
“Can I borrow a shirt and boxers?” she asked.
“I’d rather you stay naked.”
“I want an omelet with tons of veggies and gooey cheese, but I’ll get naked for you later, okay?”
His hand darted out and circled around her wrist, pulling her close. “One last kiss then?”
She cupped his face and placed a gentle kiss on his lips that quickly burned out of control. For a split second, he became distracted, and she danced away from him and smiled in triumph. His mouth turned down in a frown, but soon he lay back on the pillows and his eyes closed. After several minutes, his breathing became deep and steady.
Pulling on a shirt and his discarded pair of sweats—the latter she had to roll the cuffs and the waistband several times in order to walk—she warmed as soon as she dressed. With one last look at his face relaxed in sleep, she left the bedroom.
As she walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, she knew that she had a silly smile on her face. Last night was the first time in her life that she’d acted on her instincts and did what she wanted, not what she expected of herself.
Being able to touch him, to pleasure him, had been a triumph for her. Instead of pushing her needs to the background, he allowed her to take charge and be bold, and in return, she received much more than she ever thought she could.
Her attraction for him had built for months, and being able to act on her feelings, to learn what he liked and to see him lose control, had given her a power she’d never experienced. It wasn’t control—she didn’t want to control him—but in a way, when he lost control and made love to her in the bathroom, and again in his bedroom, she felt sexy and capable. In that moment, she’d become more than a scientist.
With a quick perusal of his enormous, modern kitchen, she found filters and the ground coffee and started a large pot, before she grabbed the ingredients from the refrigerator. She made quick work of assembling breakfast, and while it cooked, blew a sigh of relief at the first sip of her coffee. Before long, she had eaten the entire omelet and drank several cups of coffee, surprised by her appetite. She then remembered the pierce of his teeth, twice, the night before, and shivered.
The click of a lock pulled her out of her thoughts, and she froze while she listened. At first she thought Seth might be dropping by, but a teenager would never get out of bed at such an ungodly hour. She started as a door she hadn’t noticed in the enormous house opened wide and an alarm beeped.
“Yeah, yeah, Kai and his fucking security,” a voice mumbled.
A colossal man angled through the door, a large duffel strapped to his side and the biggest suitcase she’d ever seen in his right hand, as he fumbled with the alarm. After a couple of missed entries, he dropped his case at his feet and entered the right code and blew out a relieved breath.
“Do you have your own code, too?” she asked.
A growl rumbled through the kitchen, but when he spotted her sitting at the breakfast nook, he relaxed and the sound cut off. For several silent minutes, his gaze roamed over her. He stared her in the eyes for so long, she shifted on her seat, a little uncomfortable by his focus.
“That doesn’t happen to me very often, little girl,” he growled.
As she looked him over, she deduced that the man was a shifter. He had dark-brown hair and he wore it longer than Kai’s clipped look. She calculated his height at close to six and a half feet tall, sculpted muscles, wide shoulders, and fierce brown eyes that continued to glare at her.
He had a code to Kai’s house, so she figured that he worked as an assassin. She could understand why they were recruited. They were both in great shape, fast, and by the looks of it, could tear a human apart with very little effort.
Her brows drew down as she tried to understand what he meant by his statement, and then it clicked, and she smiled up at the stranger. Acting out of character because her mood felt electrified from waking up in Kai’s arms, she teased the newcomer without thinking it through.
“What part? The stumbling through the door, or a woman taking you by surprise?”
His growl echoed throughout the kitchen. “You’re a smart ass, aren’t you, little girl?”
“Not normally,” she admitted.
His frown disappeared as a deep laugh rumbled through him, but she tensed as he dropped his bag and walked closer. Stalked better described his advance, and before she had time to react, he bent in front of her and surveyed her face. She had no idea what he might be searching for, but after a few moments, he hauled her against his body and stood, lifting her up with him. His hands were so gigantic, they spanned her entire back.
“You’re a little close to my ass there, big guy,” she mumbled into his chest.
A sharp bark of laughter shook her, and he held her tighter to his chest. The man was an inferno. His skin was hot to the touch, and as he enveloped her in his arms, she flushed with his heat that surrounded her.
She squeaked as he buried his face in her neck, and wondered wheth
er it must be an immortal thing as he inhaled.
His laughter froze as his arms tightened around her. She wondered for a moment whether she smelled offensive in some way, but he continued to hold her.
“Take your hands off her.”
Oh, shit. She tried to wiggle out of the giant’s hold, but the immovable mountain wouldn’t budge.
Her relationship with Kai had yet to be defined, and she didn’t want him to think that she could easily move on to another after the night they shared. She remembered Kai’s warning about shifters too late, or she would have tried to sidestep or dissuade the man from becoming so intimate with her so quickly. Wiggling and struggling in the man’s arms, she found she couldn’t move an inch.
Warm hands gripped her waist and with a slight tug, she found herself pressed against Kai, his chest to her back. His scent enveloped her and she sagged against him in relief. A movement from the corner of her eye brought her back to her current complication; the gigantic man looked as though he was ready pounce on them and steal her back. The man stopped mid-stride and sniffed the air, and she watched a look of rage pass over his face.
“Fuck!”
The booming curse startled her, and she jerked in Kai’s arms. Kai and the man locked eyes, and some silent communication happened between them, because in the next moment the man turned as if he didn’t have a care in the world and poured himself a cup of coffee. She thought that she had been forgotten, and she blew out a breath of relief. The man took a long drink before he turned back to them. His eyes still perused her, but this time he wasn’t leering.
“Couldn’t wait for the competition, huh, Kai?”
His arms tightened around her waist and another silence passed between them. “When have I ever been competition for you?”
The big man laughed, and settled his eyes back on her. “I’m Reaper.”
“I’m—”
“Liv, yeah—I know, sweetheart.”
A loud snarl ripped from Kai’s throat, but his next words changed the atmosphere. “The legends might be true.”
Kai (A Dark Assassins Novel Book One) Page 8