by Jessica Lee
“Yes, you are,” she said. “And I’m the most fortunate female on earth.” She licked her lips, forcing a growl from his throat at the sight.
“That’s right.” His voice went primal. “You’re mine.” He fisted her hair and tugged her head back. A sharp exhale escaped her, but her eyes flashed with arousal.
Fuck. His shaft bucked against the restraint of his zipper. He wanted her so damn bad. Right there. Bent over the bed rails. Her legs bare. Thighs spread wide. Her pussy wet, glistening, yearning for his cock.
But that would have to wait. Markus uncurled his fist from her hair. He had to do this right.
“So how do we do this?” She ran her fingers beneath his shirt, her nails scratching over his abs. And he couldn’t help but imagine them running over the head of his dick. He groaned.
“First, you’re going to have to stop what you’re doing,” he said. “If not, I’m going to be inside you, and we’ll never get around to mating.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” she drawled, and pulled her hand away. “I do enjoy teasing you, though, and getting you all hot and bothered.” Smiling, she tugged his shirt back in place.
“Don’t worry, Vixen,” he said. “You’ll get your chance.”
Markus maneuvered around her and over to the nightstand, where a few days before he’d placed a pouch containing what they would need. Mating her had never been a question. Alexandria had been his from the first moment he’d seen her. He’d only been waiting for the perfect moment.
“This is for you.” He handed over the dark blue velvet bag and began undressing.
“What’s inside?”
“Pull the gloves out and put those on first.” He tossed his shirt onto the chair behind him and worked on shedding his boots and jeans. “The bindings inside contain silver.”
“Oh…” Alexandria opened the drawstring to the soft material and proceeded as instructed. “I take it I’m going to be tying you to the bed with these?” she asked, straps in hand.
“That’s right.” Naked, Markus climbed onto the bed and stretched out onto his back. Still rigid, his cock settled onto his abs.
Smirking, she stared down at him. “Well, you seem mighty comfortable with the idea that I’m supposed to bind you with silver.” She shook her head. “This is going to hurt like a bitch.”
“Does it appear like I care?” He wagged his eyebrows, more than ready to proceed.
She stared back at him, scrutinizing his expression. “Not in the least.”
“Then don’t worry about me,” he said, making damn sure she could see how much he needed her. “I want this, Vixen.”
“So do I.” Her tone was gentle, yet her expression had never been more serious.
“Do it,” he commanded, and placed his arms over his head. “I have to submit to you, then you drain me.”
“All of you?” Alexandria placed one binding around his wrist, and his flesh sizzled against the toxic metal.
Hissing, he bit down with his molars.
“Damn,” she spat. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m good,” he gritted out. “And yeah. All of me,” he added. “Once you finish, my soul will seek yours out, and then you’ll need to feed me. Bring me back. When I leave, I’ll take a portion of you with me. Once I return and wake, it’s over. We’ll be blended.” He inhaled deeply, bracing himself for the next wrist strap. She was so damn worth it.
“I can’t wait for you to be a part of me,” she said, and pulled the last binding tight.
Another sizzle filled his ears and the burn arrowed up his arm. He closed his eyes, dug his nails into his palms, and held on as the initial heat wave passed.
“From what I know that Elle’s shared with me, we’ll be able to communicate telepathically,” she said. “Imagine how intimate that’s going to feel.”
“Fucking intense.” His cock jerked. “I’ll be able hear your thoughts, sense what you feel when I’m buried inside you,” he said, his voice hoarse with growing lust.
Alexandria strolled around the foot of the bed, pulled her tank over her head, and allowed it to fall to the floor. Christ, she was a midnight seductress with her coal-black hair streaming in waves down her back.
She undid the hook to her bra. The lace tumbled down her arms, and her full breasts swung free. His mouth watered at the sight, fangs bursting from his gums. Holy hell, his cock pulsed, ached with need.
“Don’t make me wait.” Markus yanked on his bindings, rocking the bed.
“Never, my love.” A sultry glow emanated from her violet gaze. Inserting her thumbs at the waistband of her pants, she shimmied out of the leather and the barely-there piece of cotton and lace covering her sex.
“Gorgeous,” he rasped. “Come here, baby.”
Like a succubus stalking her victim, Alexandria crawled onto the mattress and straddled his legs. Lowering her head to his cock, she looked up from under her lashes. “Submit to me, warrior,” she commanded, her breath teasing his flesh.
“Yours.” He groaned, and his shaft twitched with anticipation. No way in hell could he ever deny her. If she desired, he’d find a way to give her the moon.
Her tongue flicked out and she dragged the flat tip along the back of his cock from root to tip. A hard shudder seized his body.
“Fuck…” He grunted. “Again.”
She gripped his rod with a tight fist, and his spine arched. “Who’s in command here?”
“Shit.” He sucked in a calming breath. “You are.”
“That’s better.” She pulled his erection toward her mouth once more, and the head disappeared inside her lips.
Air punched free from his lungs. Sweet torture.
Slowly, her tongue followed the sensitive rim, exquisitely exploring every inch of him. His molars ached from the tension on his jaw. He had to hold back. No matter how badly his body screamed for release.
“Vixen…” He shook his head, squeezing his eyelids shut. “Can’t… Fuck. Too good.”
Suddenly, her warm, wet core enveloped his cock. His eyes sprang open as she sank over him, taking him balls-deep. He roared. The desire to grab her hips and drive into her over and over took him to the edge.
Her head lolled, and her thick midnight locks brushed his thighs. Nails biting into his legs, she slid up and down on his stiff shaft. Drenched with her arousal, his erection leisurely disappeared in and out of her pussy. The visual was maddening, destroying him.
“Goddammit,” he bit out. “Fuck me.” He panted.
She groaned, taking him, riding him. “Feels so good.” She came forward, planting her palms onto his chest. “Never want this to end.” The white tips of her fangs glinted in the pale room light.
“We never will, baby,” he rumbled and twisted his head to the side, giving her access to his throat. And it was all the encouragement she needed. His love dived in, driving the sharp points into his vein.
“Alexandria!” he bellowed, his lungs burning as his orgasm burst from the head of his cock.
A gasp sounded at his neck, and she shuddered. “Markus…” she cried out, and her pussy clamped down on him. Her core pulsed around his shaft, drawing every drop of his cum from his balls.
“Christ!” he gritted out. “Love you.”
She pulled at his vein, drinking him as she continued to rock up and down on him.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmured. “All of me.” The room dimmed, and unbidden, his eyelids lowered. “Yours,” the word fell from his lips, heavy, thick.
“Markus?” Her voice called to him from some distant plane. He needed to be there. But she was so damn far away.
“Vixen?” he yelled, but it was as if her name rang out only inside his head.
“Come to me, my love,” Alexandria ordered.
And he had to obey. She was where he was meant to be.
Breaking free from his earthly body with ethereal fingers, he sought out his mate. Like a red-hot target for his icy form, a fiery glow surrounded his mate. He sank into
her. So warm. So very warm. A prism of color exploded before him, red, blue, and yellow, a welcoming firestorm.
“My love,” her voice enveloped him. “My God, Markus,” she whispered inside his head.
“Alexandria…” She was glorious inside and out. Her spirit moved through him, danced in perfect time with his. They were made for each other. Destined to be one.
“You have to come back,” she said. “I need you here with me.”
Something tugged at him. It was as if some unseen force had seized the fibers of his otherworldly body and begun to reel him in. A part of him wanted to cry out at the injustice of having to leave a place so pure and divine. However, his other half knew there was more, a purpose he’d yet to fulfill.
“Drink, Markus,” she shouted. “Come on, you stubborn bastard. You have to take more than that.”
A tearing sensation resonated inside his head, yet there was no pain. Bright light flashed, and his world went mute. He was falling, spiraling toward some magnetic point. Yet there was no fear. Somehow he knew exactly where he’d land.
Sound exploded in his ears a split second before his gut cramped. Hunger, sharp and fierce, seized his mind.
“Alexandria?” he muttered and blinked, his surroundings hazy. That’s when it hit him, like a switch had been flipped to awake on his taste buds. He groaned, and his cock surged to life. Alexandria’s essence trickled down his throat.
“More, Vixen.” He snarled and struck.
“Take from me, my mate.”
“I hear you,” he said, drawing more and more from her vein into his body. “You did it, baby.”
“We did it,” she replied, and there was no way to miss the smile in her words, even inside his head.
Satisfied for the moment, Markus withdrew his fangs and closed the wound to her wrist. Alexandria slid from his hips and onto her side.
“Having you in here”—Alexandria patted her chest—“I’ve never felt so whole and content in my life.”
He closed his eyes, savoring the stirring of her spirit. Her mind hummed with life, yet somehow it wasn’t annoying. The sensation felt right. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“It feels like I’ve been waiting on you ever since the day I was born,” she said, rising onto her elbow. “Even though our beginning was rocky, to say the least, you never surrendered. You pushed me, kicking and screaming, until you made me trust again.” She grinned. “And I’m so glad I stopped fighting my feelings for you.”
His heart swelling and hammering against his sternum, Markus cupped her face. “You were the one who never gave up on me. You brought me back to life, baby, and made me want to stay.” He brushed his lips over hers. “You are my reason. My next breath. You’ve been a beacon shining through the dark.” Threading his fingers through her soft strands, Markus tugged her closer. “I never want to lose your light.”
“It’s yours,” she said, splaying her hand over his heart. “I’m yours. Forever.”
Epilogue
Six months later
“Have you talked to him?” Markus took another swig of the dark brew from his mug and lowered it to the granite. Kenric worked his fingers into his leather gloves.
“Not yet,” the master of the Enclave said. “When Christian comes down, we’ll learn together if this is what he wants.”
“So it’s happening this evening?” Arran brushed past Markus with his own cup.
“I believe it’s time,” Kenric said, and glanced over at his mate, who’d come up beside him. “Michael’s prepared everything for us below.” He wrapped a possessive arm around her, pulling her close. “In fact,” he went on to say, “as I discussed earlier with Emily, this will be the perfect time for a renewal of sorts.”
“A renewal?” Alexandria entered the kitchen and slipped her arms around Markus’s waist. Her presence sent a tingling warmth up Markus’s spine, comforting, yet stimulating at the same time. He swallowed a pleasure-filled groan. Having her in his life, as his mate, fulfilled him in more ways than he’d ever imagined.
Six millennia could have gone by and he would have never believed his life could be this good.
“Yes,” Kenric replied. “A renewal for some and a new beginning for others.”
Rumblings from the staircase telegraphed the arrival of Guerin with his mate. The pair headed over to join them.
“Did you stop by Christian’s room and inform him we need to speak?” Kenric asked his second-in-command.
Guerin nodded. “Yeah. I told him you wanted to talk to him down in the command center. He said he’d be down in just a few.”
“Good,” the commander said. “And our ink guy?”
“On the way,” Guerin added.
“Excellent.” Kenric nodded. “I hope he’s bringing a hell of a lot of black and red.” He smirked. “Everyone,” the elder vampire called out. “Please join us downstairs.”
It’d been years since Markus had been part of an Enclave commitment ceremony. The last had been for Arran, his partner. They’d both been very different males back then, empty, withdrawn. Then Marguerite had come along, and emotionally, Markus had died inside.
Alexandria threaded her hand in his, her touch enticing him back to the present. He glanced down at her violet eyes, the love he found there drawing him in, fueling the next beat of his heart. His vixen. The moment she’d entered his world, she’d reawakened his soul.
“You ready?”
“You bet.” Together they followed the others to the lower level.
Inside, the overhead lights were off, and the conference table glowed with what appeared to be a dozen fat red candles blazing down its center.
“Gather around,” Kenric instructed.
The chairs had been removed, allowing each of them to take a place around the edge. Kenric stood at the head, Emily to his right, followed by Guerin, Eve, Alexandria, and Markus. Before each of them, a single silver-plated dagger lay flat, the blade pointing toward the center. The opposite side of the wood contained the same arrangement in front of Arran and Elle. An empty place remained for Christian. That is, if he chose to join them.
As if Markus had conjured the male with a thought, the basement door slid open and the redhead appeared.
The young vampire stepped into the room, his attention landing on the candlelit table surrounded by the warriors and their mates. “Wow!” he said. “I’m touched. And it isn’t even my birthday.”
“Get over here, you cocky SOB,” Markus spat.
Dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a dark blue shirt with the top two buttons open, Christian sauntered over.
“What’s going on?” He came to a stop at the end opposite the Enclave’s master.
“It’s time we make this official,” Kenric stated, his arms crossed over his chest. “Christian Quinn, I hereby offer you a place among us as a warrior of the Enclave.” Leaning forward, his fingers splayed, the master braced himself on the table’s surface, locking his gaze with the vampire subject. “Do you accept this role to become a protector of humanity against those of our kind who are lost to Death Euphoria? Are you willing to lay down your life, if needed, to protect our species and to save those who cannot defend themselves?”
His expression stoic, Christian met the gaze of each male and female, as if evaluating his acceptance among them. Finally, he settled back on the commander. “I accept.”
“Well done,” Kenric said and with a wave of his hand indicated a spot for him next to Elle. Christian moved into his designated position.
“There’s not a member of this house who hasn’t put their life on the line at one point or another,” Kenric said, addressing his team. “The Enclave isn’t strictly a male group anymore. We’ve become a community. One that is made stronger by the females at our sides.”
He turned his attention to Emily and tapped his mate with a nod. “Starting with you, my love, it’s time I make this right. Emily Ross, I hereby offer you a place among us as a warrior of the Enclave.”
> The auburn-haired female’s brows lifted, and Markus noticed her sharp inhale of surprise. Nice work.
Markus had to agree. The master’s mate deserved an official spot among them. More than once in the past couple of years, she’d put herself out there without hesitation for the team. Not to mention the hell she’d endured and had overcome because of him. She was a worthy female.
After repeating the same declaration as he had with Christian, Kenric and the team waited for her reply.
With her shoulders squared and her chin high, Emily surveyed the others. When her attention fell to Elle, the other female met her with a smile and a nod. Moments later, Emily looked at Alexandria, who also gave her an approving subtle nod. Then it was Markus’s turn. Except this time when he faced Emily the experience didn’t resemble anything like their previous matchups. Her stare possessed no glaring challenge, no judgment. Instead, what he saw he could only define as…respect.
Damn.
It wasn’t physically possible, but Markus could swear that under her inspection he grew an inch or two taller. He nodded, and the corners of her mouth lifted before she moved on and returned her attention to her mate.
“Absolutely,” she replied.
The commander beamed, but quickly smoothed his expression for the remaining serious business at hand.
Next, he made the same proposal to the remaining females in the room: Eve, Elle, and Alexandria. Markus had to fight his own stupid grin as his vixen eagerly accepted Kenric’s offer to join them.
“Last, but most definitely not least, I’d like to address Markus Santini,” Kenric called out, capturing his full attention.
What the hell?
“Yes, sir?” Markus replied.
“I know you already bear the Enclave symbol on your shoulder, but as we all know, a lot has gone down between us since then,” Kenric began. “Some things we’d all rather not remember. Others, we never want to forget.” The elder vampire looked to his mate as if he needed a moment to gather his thoughts, savor a couple of memories. Then he continued. “One of those ‘things’ I’m pleased to recall is how, in the end, you pulled through. You came back to us, made it right, and you found yourself again. As far as I’m concerned, I never doubted there was a place inside you that never left us. That said, I’d like to formally offer you an opportunity to renew your vow to serve humanity. To reestablish your commitment here to your fellow Enclave warriors.” Kenric fixed his attention on him, and for the first time in his life, Markus was floored.