Maggie picked her friend up at exactly nine o'clock. Maggie was also a senior at Somerset university, majoring in biology. She wanted to be a nurse but she was also fascinated by the study of inter-species relationships and conception between humans and wolves, humans and vampires, and vampires and wolves. Besides being ridiculously intelligent, Maggie was flawless. She had chestnut brown hair that fell in perfect waves down to the middle of her chest and big brown eyes. She was petite, with slender curves she knew how to emphasize without making it obvious. She was also the sweetest person Danielle knew, which made her practically perfect. Her one flaw - which Danielle didn't see as a flaw but Maggie apparently did - was that she didn't have enough experience in order to obtain a good paying full-time job with benefits. She refused to go to her family for help - in the entire four years that Danielle had known Maggie, Maggie never talked about why she hated her family save for her mom - so she had to work ridiculous jobs in order to pay for her tuition after her grandparents died and their money was tied up in legal battles between Maggie’s mother and uncles. Regardless, Maggie always managed to see the bright side of things, which was why Danielle loved being around her.
They met up with four other friends - Addison, Taylor, Ashley, and Kasandra - outside the club and bypassed the long line thanks to Maggie's Black Card she got as a registered supe blood donor. The dance floor was already filled and there was a heightened sense of danger that permeated the air. It was as though people knew there was a chance they could get mauled or attacked by the supes in the club but humans were here anyway, scantily dressed, looking for some kind of bad romance that lasted a few hours and could be checked off a bucket list.
The group of friends first stopped at a bar and bought drinks. Danielle wasn't very familiar with the themed beverages so she had Maggie order her one: Blood Kissed. It had some kind of tequila mixed with a strawberry flavor. It was divine. The best part was that it was difficult to even taste the alcohol which made it that more delicious.
"Whoa!" Maggie exclaimed. "Slow down there, tiger. You're a lightweight and probably haven't eaten anything the past few hours. Let's go dance, keep our drinks close, and relax. We have the whole night to get wasted!"
Danielle took Maggie's advice and tried to relax as best as possible. The alcohol was messing with her mind in the most delightful way. She was feeling relaxed, loose, and way more eager to have fun. She still had control over her cognition. She could still process everything that was going on and knew the difference between right and wrong. But she was much happier.
For the majority of the evening, Danielle was on the dance floor. She danced with everyone who came up to her. She danced with her friends, she danced with some guys she never would have danced with had she not been drinking.
After a moment, hands wrapped around her hips and a voice whispered in her ear, "What are you doing here?"
Danielle knew that voice. Her entire body tensed up and she glanced over her shoulder to lock eyes with icy blue ones. He was hunched over her, his hands planted firmly on her waist like she belonged to him and no one else, and the look that he was giving her was nothing less than predatory.
Her mouth went dry and she froze in place. The music reverberated throughout her body and she knew that perhaps she should be dancing but she couldn't move. She could feel his hard body against her back and she turned her head back so she looked straight ahead and closed her eyes trying to get a hold of her senses.
What was happening here? Hadn't he told her they would never be like this again? She didn't care. He was here, he was behind her, holding onto her like she was his, and he wasn't letting her go anytime soon. Should she pull away? If she didn't, would that make her look easy? Maybe she could pretend for just a little bit that he wasn't her professor and she wasn't his student and they were two people attracted to each other, caught up in a hazy dance floor and quiet lust.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his hands tightening on her body even more than they already were. "Don't you know what you've walked into? Don't you know there are vampires who want nothing more than to fuck you against the wall in the bathroom, bite your neck, and make you theirs?"
"Why would a vampire want to be with a human?" Danielle asked in a shaky voice. Images of her being taken by Alek in just that way flashed through her mind and it was a good thing he had such a strong hold of her or else she would have buckled at the knees.
"You silly fool," Alek said, his lips vibrating against her ear, making her feel such strong emotions and conflicting feelings. "There is much you don't know about vampires. Now, answer my question. What are you doing here?"
Danielle swallowed. Maybe it was the liquid courage she had been drinking all night or maybe it was the fact that she wanted to tell Alek how she really felt for a long time and this was the perfect opportunity to do so, but when she opened her mouth, she did not try to censor herself.
"You don't get to be the boss of me anymore, Professor Alek," she said. She was pretty sure her voice was slurred but she couldn't bring herself to care. At least, not yet. "I came here with my friends who wanted to get fucked by vampires. Well, actually, only Maggie wanted to get fucked by them, my friends just came to support her because that's what friends do. Maybe if you had friends you would know this. Although, between you and me, I think Maggie is all-talk. I think she’s still a virgin and being out here helps her forget the family drama she has going on."
Alek smirked against the column of her throat, clearly amused. "And you?" he asked her, ignoring the barb she threw at him. "Do you want to get fucked by a vampire?"
Danielle's breath hitched in her throat.
How the hell was she supposed to answer a question like that? A vampire, in general? No, not unless she was in a committed relationship with him. But Alek? Yes, she wanted to be in his arms once more, she wanted to be pinned down and fucked the same way he fucked her last time, like they were the last two people in the world and the sun was going to evaporate. She wanted that passion, that desperation.
"I can smell you," he continued, his lips thrumming against her ear. "I know you do."
"We can't," she reminded him, craning her neck back to lock eyes with him. "You said that."
"I did," he agreed. "Let me ask you a question: do you know how sensitive a vampire's smell is? I know it's common knowledge that wolves have a good sense of smell and they do, but vampires do as well. I know each time you walk into the classroom, even when my back is turned, because I can smell your jasmine vanilla lotion or shampoo or whatever it is. It invades my space and it won't let me breathe until I acknowledge that you are present. Do you know how hard it is to resist you whenever I see you and I can smell your arousal for me? Whenever you look at me, your eyes turn a darker shade of green, like trees in a forest, and you have no idea how badly I want to throw everything off of your desk and take you right there, in front of the whole class. Especially in front of Carson."
Danielle's breathing hitched as Alek placed his lips against her throat, right where her pulse was beating frantically against her skin.
"I can hear your heartbeat," he continued. She had no idea how she could hear his low voice, especially mumbled against her skin. "It dances across my skin and stretches into my chest. Do you know what it feels like, to have someone else's heart pulse through your body?"
Danielle's eyes rolled back and she craned her neck so he had better access to her. What was going on here? Why was he doing these things to her body when he made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with her because she was his student and he was her professor and - God, he knew exactly where to kiss her.
"Wait," she managed to get out, "but we're not supposed to be-"
"Nobody has to know what we do and what we don't do," he told her. "I know you want me and I want you. I want to be inside you again, feel you as you mold to me, as you splinter all over me."
Danielle broke at that moment and she lunged at him. She turned her body so she faced hi
m and pulled him to her so she could completely consume him. He tasted like the rain and she needed more. Her mouth opened to him immediately and his fingers were in her hair, at the back of her head, guiding her ministrations and tilting her head back so he had better access to her. His tongue was hungry and domineering, dueling with hers until she finally relented and allowed him to take over. He didn't need to be told twice, either. One hand dropped from her hair to clutch her cheek, to grasp it firm enough to hold her solidly but gentle enough to add a slight touch of sweetness to an otherwise passionate kiss.
"I saw you the minute you walked in," he said when they were forced to part for air. He did not let her go, however, his crystal blue eyes a midnight color due to clouded lust. "I could smell the jasmine and I knew it was you. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you and when I saw..." He let his voice trail off and he closed his eyes. "I won't have anyone else touching you."
Danielle smirked, though her heart wasn't in it. "You don't get to tell me what to do," she asked. Her head was spinning, whether it was because of the alcohol or because Alek was kissing her, she didn't know. In the end, she supposed it didn't matter, and then chuckled at the irony the statement brought as it flew through her head like a cloud in the sky.
He clenched his jaw so tightly that it popped. He glanced around, as though suddenly aware that they were in a very public setting where anyone could see them interact. Danielle wasn't sure if his friends were University related or from somewhere else. She also didn't know if there were other Somerset students that frequented this club and they had been kissing openly, where anyone could recognize either one of them.
Her stomach pinched with queasiness but she didn't want to step away from him. He was surprisingly warm for being a vampire. Stereotypically, they were thought to be cold because their heart didn't pump blood to the body anymore. She didn't know how but Alek felt warm and safe and she wanted to stay in his arms for as long as she could.
"Do you want to stop?" Alek finally asked, looking down at her with dark eyes.
"I" - This was her chance to be honest, to have him, if only for tonight. She was going to say no, of course she didn't want to stop. She wanted more. More than just kissing, more than just him. She opened her mouth, her response dancing on the tip of her tongue.
Without warning, she keeled over and threw up the little contents on her boot. After that, the world went black.
8
Danielle woke up with the worst headache she had ever experienced in her entire life, and that was no exaggeration. She couldn't even open her eyes as consciousness started to pull her away from her slumber. It was only when she was fully awake did she notice something off about the texture of her sheets. For one, they were much softer and smoother than the basic cotton sheets on her dorm room bed. The more she relaxed her body into the material, the more she realized it was familiar in a luxurious type of way...
Satin.
Her eyes popped open. She was immediately hit with a somewhat familiar bedroom, a bedroom she had seen one time and one time only back in September. It was predominantly black, the windows closed and shaded. Even though vampires had the capabilities of walking around during the day, they were still sensitive to the sunlight. There was a dark oak desk on one side of the room and huge walk in closet with sliding mirror doors on the other. The floor was hardwood, which meant it would be ridiculously cold if she stepped on it in her bare feet. Besides that, there was nothing personal about the room except, perhaps, that everything was in pristine order, which meant Alek was near.
Alek.
Professor Eriksson.
What the hell happened? Why was she at Alek's place in his bed?
Slowly, the previous night began to flood back to her. The purple dress. Driving in Maggie's car. The hazy dance floor. Running into Alek who looked so good in his white shirt and black jeans. And then she remembered arguing and drinking. Drinking a lot. And then they were kissing in that hallway. Kissing where no one could see. Kissing like they were breathing. And after that...
Nothing. Blackness.
Until now.
Did they...?
Danielle's eyes dropped to her dress. Except, it wasn't a dress, it was one of Alek's casual black V-neck shirts. It was soft and loose on her frame, going just past her butt to the beginnings of her thighs. She checked for her underwear and found that she was still wearing her lacy thong. She wasn't sore so she highly doubted that they had sex.
Which left her feeling... relieved. It just showed that despite Alek's cockiness and jerkiness, he was still a decent guy, at least with her. She felt her cheeks turn red at the care he must have put into her hot mess last night. He made sure she got home. He had her spend the night at his place even though they hadn't had sex. He changed her for some reason she couldn't figure out just yet but she was sure it was for a good reason rather than a sleazy one.
She needed to remember what happened last night. How did she get here? Why?
She groaned, placing her hands on her head and cradling it in her palms. Every time she attempted to think in general, her head throbbed.
"Good morning, star shine," a familiar voice said from the doorway. "You look well-rested."
Danielle shot him a look, but it faltered when she saw that he was wearing nothing but velvet black pants. It looked like the night sky, gleaming in the dull light. But besides that, his chest was bare, giving her complete access to take him in and really look at the glory he had to offer her.
Flashes from last night crossed into her memory: his arms around her waist, hugging her body against his as they swayed back and forth to the music; the way his teeth scraped against her throat, causing her to lean her head back and moan; the way her fingers pushed against the back of his neck and his lips curled up in approval. Her pelvis tingled just thinking about it and she had to suppress a whimper lest she want him to know what she was thinking about. Though, judging by the small smirk on his face, there was a good chance he already knew.
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I've already ordered food. I know humans like to eat, especially you."
Danielle shot him a look. "And how would you possibly know that?" she asked, quirking a brow.
His grin only deepened. "I pay attention," he said. He glided into the room with a feral sort of grace - it was both masculine and gentle, an odd sort of combination, one that was both eye-catching and alluring. He was the sort of person who grabbed everyone's attention when he walked into a room. When he reached the foot of the bed, he sat down next to her and twisted his body so he faced her. "Are you going to ask what happened last night? I'm pretty certain you don't remember nearly as much as you should."
"And you do?" Danielle snapped though her heart wasn't in it. She hoped the food would get here soon because her headache was starting to get the better of her and she was ready to pass out once more if she didn't get sustenance soon. "I could have sworn I saw you drinking too."
"Alcohol tastes good but it doesn't affect us vampires," he told her. "Didn't you take Intro to Supes as a freshman? Our metabolisms are much different than yours. Technically speaking, we are dead. We cannot get drunk or high and modern medicine cannot heal us."
"Where are you going with this?" Danielle all but groaned.
Alek smiled beautifully and Danielle's stomach flopped, causing her to groan. He needed to stop doing things like that.
"I'm just curious to know if you're curious about what transpired last night," he admitted.
Danielle wasn't sure how to respond. "Maybe I shouldn't," she said. "You already made it abundantly clear that you want nothing to do with me so if I broke some kind of rule, I would rather not know."
Alek gave her a look Danielle couldn't read. Nor did she want to attempt it. "You really are a fool, you know that?" he asked her.
"You're the one who said no more," Danielle pointed out.
"You are my student," he said. "Do you know how much trouble I could get into for being around you at that club last night
?"
Danielle rolled her eyes. "It's not like I stalked you," she said. "My friend has a Black Card and wanted to go to the vampire club. She likes it and thought I could get out as well. I agreed. A bunch of us were there."
Alek's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your friend has a Black Card?" he asked. Danielle couldn't make out his tone but she definitely detected an edge to it. Alek wasn't hiding his feelings about Black Cards.
"And what is wrong with her trying to make fast, easy cash on the side?" Danielle asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Even that minimal movement made her head start to throb. "And before you answer that question, do you have any aspirin you can give me to make this headache go away?"
He paused, looking like he wanted to continue the original conversation. Finally, he said, "Yes, but not until you get something in your stomach. For now, drink the water I left you on the nightstand."
Danielle shifted her eyes over to where he gestured and saw a water bottle, room temperature, sitting there, sealed and untouched. She hadn't even noticed it before. Without putting much thought into whether or not she would gag upon putting anything into her body, even water, she reached over, undid, the cap, and took a quick sip. Her face contorted into one of disgust as she could taste the aftermath of her mouth from last night.
"What?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"How could you have made out with me when my breath tastes like this?" she asked.
Alek started laughing, a light, low, genuine sound. She found she enjoyed the sound and wanted to make him laugh more. He didn't look as hard when he laughed. If she was being honest, he looked youthful, less serious, more relaxed. It was a beautiful thing.
"So you do remember?" he said when he finished, his eyes still bright.
The Somerset Series: A Box Set: Books 2-4 Page 36