Unable to ignore the urgent ringing, she picked up and heard her sister’s shrill voice.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Eliza, where are you?”
“Rachelle?”
“Yes, of course it’s me. What’s wrong with you? I went to pick you up at the hospital and you weren’t there. They said you had already left. And that was two hours ago.” She let out a little moan of despair. “Jesus, I thought you were dead. Tell me where you are so I can pick you up.”
Although it would be just like Rachelle to find a way to bother her even in a dream, her sister’s words were beginning to bring Eliza out of her trance. Right…she had gotten lost in a strange neighborhood…and was now trapped in some creepy guy’s house. Or maybe she had passed out by the side of the road and this was all a hallucination. While she thought she was having some kind of odd, sexy vampire dream, she was actually suffering from brain bleeding and dying in a ditch somewhere.
Eliza stood up, feeling a little unbalanced, but she was thinking more clearly. “Rachelle, you have to help me. I don’t know where I am.”
She thought that her urgent tone might make her sister explode with worry. Eliza was the calm, rational one and Rachelle was the one constantly flailing in some kind of freak out. Who knows what would happen if Eliza actually freaked out for a change. However, Rachelle seemed to manage it well. Her voice was syrupy with tears but steady.
“It’s okay, Lizzie. I’ll come get you. Everything will be okay. Just tell me where you are.”
Levi shook his head at her.
“Exit 152 off of I-10.”
Rachelle paused on the other line. “What street? I’ll put it in my phone.”
Eliza looked at Levi for help but he just shook his head again.
“She won’t be able to find it,” he said.
“What’s your address?” Eliza asked.
“Who are you talking to?” Rachelle asked urgently.
“Some guy. He’s helping me.”
“Okay, let me talk to him then.”
Eliza handed Levi the phone and he promptly hung up the call.
“Why did you do that?” Eliza asked, her fear returning. This wasn’t a dream. This was real, and she was being held captive.
“Telling her my address won’t do any good. She won’t be able to find you. I’m happy to drive you home myself, once the attention has died down.”
Eliza shook her head, partly to say no and partly to get herself to wake up. “No. I’m getting out of here.”
She darted toward the front door. She figured she only made it because he had been sitting down and holding a very expensive glass of wine. He needed a second or two to stand and put his glass down. Also, she seemed to move surprisingly quickly. She unbolted the door with cat-like reflexes and sprinted out into the lawn. Had she always been this fast? Maybe it’s just been a while since she sprinted full out and she had forgotten how it felt.
However, she wasn’t fast enough. She once again felt like she had been hit in the back by a large metal beam. The hit knocked the breath out of her and she thought she heard her ribs crack again. How many times could she break her ribs and still be walking around? Her face hit the sidewalk, and she tasted blood in her mouth.
Someone or something was moving her like she was a ragdoll, and by the curtain of long silver hair, she figured it was the woman who had attacked her before. Eliza felt a stabbing sensation in her neck and she cried out in pain. She had never felt so terrified. The pain dulled a bit, but the fear stayed sharp. Although it didn’t hurt much, it was the lack of control that made it so scary. She felt like she was in that dream where she wanted to run but couldn’t move her legs. The thing sucked on her, draining her of her life force, and she was powerless against it.
The woman pulled her fangs out of Eliza’s neck and she could feel the warm blood spilling down her chest. Even though the woman had stopped the draining, she still had her clasped in a vice-like grip. Eliza felt like a moth that had been caught in a spider’s pincers. The woman screeched—sounding more animal than human. And then she dropped Eliza.
Eliza turned her throbbing neck to see that the woman had to drop Eliza so she could defend herself against Levi. They bared their teeth at each other like animals, circling each other. Levi lunged at the woman, and ripped the skin of her back with his teeth. Eliza closed her eyes in reflex. It was all too horrible to watch.
However, in the moment she closed her eyes, she was attacked by another angle. Two of the creatures—she had to call them vampires now--had pinned her down. One sat on her legs and the other pushed her face down against the cement. She was done for now. Levi could protect her against one vampire, but what about all the others she had seen? But for some reason, the two vampires didn’t bite, although they leaned their cold mouths toward her like they wanted to. Eliza got the sense that they were saving her for the other woman vampire who had already staked her claim.
Then the vampire on her legs was knocked off…but it wasn’t by Levi. She could still see him fighting the woman vampire. The vampire holding her head screeched at the new intruder and then jumped off Eliza to attack. Before she knew what was happening, she was being dragged back into the house again, this time by dark, feminine hands—hands that were just as strong as Levi’s had been. The presence was familiar and for a moment, Eliza thought Rachelle had found her and was saving her. But that made little sense. How could Rachelle fight off vampires?
Chapter Five
The mysterious heroine shoved Eliza back into Levi’s house and shut the door again. Soon after, Levi appeared in the doorway. He had scratches and gouge marks on his arms and chest. It appeared that his shirt had been torn in the fight. His chest heaved up and down and he looked much more like a monster than he had before. Eliza felt certain that he would attack her now, suck his own teeth into her already mangled neck. She cradled the wound in her neck protectively.
He let out a cry, which sounded like frustration and knocked down the old-fashioned hat rack by the door. He moved toward her and Eliza cowered. Despite looking like an animal on the hunt, he picked her up rather gently and cradled her in his arms. He took her up the stairs in what seemed like two large bounds and laid her on his bed.
He left and returned with a large handful of gauze. She had to admit, that hadn’t been what she had been expecting. He threw the gauze at her angrily, as if it was her fault that she was gushing blood from her neck. Well, she guessed it was her fault. He has told her not to leave, and she didn’t listen.
She quickly gathered the gauze and pressed it against her neck. She could feel her heart beating. With every enthusiastic pump, more blood would spill from her body. But she couldn’t seem to tell her heart to calm down.
“Am I going to become one?” she asked tentatively. “A vampire?”
He was facing away from her, staring at the closet. He looked like he was trying to hold his breath.
He shook his head. “Not unless you die. It’s not like in the movies. We can feed on humans without making them vampires. If every human we fed on became a vampire, they would become extinct rather quickly.”
“But you said I was a half-dead. What does that mean?”
“It’s very rare. It means you’ve been contaminated with vampire blood, but you never died, so you never became a full vampire. The only way for that to happen is to drink vampire blood. In some rare cases, it can happen if you come into contact with vampire blood, but it would almost have to be poured into an open wound. Something must have happened in that accident…something you don’t remember.”
Eliza wiped tears away from her cheek. “I could die,” she said weakly. “I’ve lost a lot of blood. And I was already hurt from the accident. Maybe we should call 9-1-1.”
Levi finally turned to look at her again. His hands were shaking, but he still looked at her in the kind way he had done before. She also noticed that his wounds were already starting to heal. He sat on the bed next to her and put his hand on her back lovingly.
“You’ll be fine,” he said. “Vampires, even half-deads, heal quickly. That’s what makes half-deads so precious. We can feed on them, and they can regenerate. However, it’s easy for us to go too far.”
“Please don’t feed on me,” she said. She wasn’t happy with how pathetic she sounded, but she was out of options. She did feel like she was gathering her strength again fairly quickly, but she was still so weak, especially compared to him. And she was bleeding like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
“If I’ve been able to control myself this long…I think I can manage…it hasn’t been easy.”
He stroked her hair, weaving his fingers through it gently. She guessed he didn’t mind the frizz. Between the humidity and being attacked three times, she was sure she looked rather wild.
Vampires must still have beating hearts, because she could sense his beating out of control, betraying his calm demeanor. She could sense the blood churning throughout his body and gathering in his abdomen, resulting in an impressive erection. She couldn’t say how she could know this without seeing it, but it was just like hearing a heartbeat from two rooms away. And this was a lot closer than two rooms. Despite the fact that he was colder than a normal man, she could feel heat radiating from his body as the blood rushed into all his extremities. She didn’t know if he wanted to fuck her or feed on her…or both…but he wanted her so badly he might explode. He couldn’t hide his true feelings from her heightened senses, even though he did nothing more than gnaw on his lip while he stroked her hair.
The pain in her neck had turned to nothing but a twinge, so she carefully removed the gauze. No blood spurted out or spilled down her chest, so she must already be healing.
No matter how nightmarish this had been, this was no dream. Her desire before had been real, and it’s still real now. The adrenaline from the attack increased her excitement. All she could think about was his stiff, throbbing erection, and how amazing it would feel to let him sink inside her. She was so warm, wet, and ready.
She leaned in and kissed him, gently sucking on his lips like she had wanted to earlier. He still had a whiff of the intoxicating wine on this breath. She used her tongue to explore his sharp teeth. Her body moved toward his like they were magnetic. Her hips pressed into him. He gasped and pushed her away from him urgently.
She had to admit she felt rejected. With all the men she’s been with before, she felt like she was playing defense. Now she really, deeply wanted someone and he was playing defense.
“Just…let me wash you first,” he said in a strained voice. “The blood…I can’t take it. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Eliza looked down and saw just how much blood she had on her. The blood had dripped down her chest and soaked her bra. It was like asking an alcoholic to make love to a woman covered in body shots without taking a taste.
“Okay,” she said. “Where is the shower?”
Chapter Six
With his hands still shaking he led her into his master bathroom. He had a beautiful claw foot tub, but he led her into his shower—a spacious tiled room with a rainfall cascading showerhead. She stripped her clothing, feeling much less self-conscious than usual. She didn’t even feel the need to hide her over-large backside. She wanted him to see her. He helped her unhook her bra and released her breasts. He took off his clothes too, with the same vampire speed that he had used to save her, revealing the magnificent erection that she had only sensed before. She felt drawn to it, she couldn’t help but touch it. She cupped the head of his shaft in the soft skin of her palm. He groaned at her touch.
He gently pulled her into the shower and turned on the water. She let the warm water cascade down her chest, washing away the sticky blood. He stood behind her with his erection pressing against the small of her back. Part of her wanted him to take her right then—just lean her over and slide into her from behind—but she also loved the glorious torture of waiting. None of the other guys had made her wait.
Still behind her, he reached his hands around and caressed her breasts, rubbing them with a fragrant lavender soap. The smell of lavender gradually drowned the metallic smell of blood. She found herself moaning as he used the slick soap to massage her breasts. He gently rubbed her nipples, making small circles with his thumb. It made her want to scream so much, he might have been circling her trigger point down below. She didn’t know how she’d keep it together if he moved his hands down south.
And of course, he did, still pressing his now wet, slick erection against her back. She wanted him inside her so badly. It took willpower to keep herself from backing into him right now.
He slowly moved his hands down her abdomen, taking time to touch every part of her on the way down—her belly, the insides of her thighs, and finally he moved his hands to her clitoris. He rubbed her gently and circled his finger around her again like he had teased with her nipples. He slid his finger inside her briefly, again teasing.
She let out a frustrated moan. Once he had made it down to her sweet spot, he retreated again, continuing the torture.
“You still have blood in your hair,” he whispered in her ear.
He turned her to face him and began washing her hair with a lovely shampoo that smelled of rosemary and mint. The mint caused her scalp to tingle, and he brushed his hands against her nipples and clit, causing them to tingle too. He took his time, massaging every inch of her scalp and he leaned down to kiss her as he did so, his tongue exploring her mouth while his hands massaged her head.
He ran his hands through her hair and moved her under the showerhead to rinse the soap from her hair. His body betrayed his intentions. She knew that he was preparing to finally take her. His breath had quickened and his heart rate had increased as he gently rinsed out the suds. His already full erection throbbed close to its breaking point. She knew he couldn’t wait any longer.
He picked her up under the arms much as he had done when he pulled her into his house and now pinned her back against the wall of the shower. Despite the slick surface, she felt completely secure. He could plaster her against the wall as if she was a light as a piece of paper. He finally thrust himself into her. He gasped and then let out a low groan that seemed to rumble her insides. He held her so adeptly that he didn’t need to use all his strength to keep her from sliding down the wall. He could even tilt her pelvis slightly so he entered her at the perfect moan-inducing angle.
Eliza was stuck between two simultaneous desires. After just a few decisive thrusts, she wanted to come…she needed to come. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold it back. But she also wanted this feeling to last forever, hovering right on the precipice of pleasure. However, like she expected, she couldn’t wait. The wave inside her had reached its peak and she came crashing down with a loud moan. The orgasm didn’t end as quickly as she feared. She crashed down in several phases, stopping on one level, and then crashing down further.
She was surprised to find that he didn’t let himself come at the same time she did. She had only been with one guy who could actually bring her to orgasm and as soon as he saw she was close, he would thrust himself to finish too. But Levi didn’t.
He smiled in a self-satisfied way and then turned her over, tossing her like she was made of air. He entered her from behind, once again finding the perfect angle to trust against her sweet spot. She looked down at her feet in bewilderment. He was actually holding her up so her toes just swept the tiles. This was like fucking in zero gravity. He could hold her in any position he wanted.
Eliza had expected to now just wait for his turn to come, but she began building up again, very quickly this time. She had never had a man who cared to bring her to a second orgasm. She had heard the legends, but never experienced it herself. She pressed her hands against the shower walls, using her new strength to resist against his thrusts. He like the effect, groaning again so deeply that she thought she could feel the vibration in her toes.
As she began to come again, she completely lost any shred of remaining inh
ibition. She could barely remember her own name. Her mind was blissfully empty—a first for Eliza. In that moment, she wasn’t planning out her next steps or thinking about her upcoming constitutional law test. Her entire world began and ended with his cock inside her and the undulating waves of pleasure pulsing from between her legs. Now aware that orgasms weren’t in short supply, she didn’t hold back. She enjoyed releasing another orgasm with abandon.
She thought he certainly would finish then, but he didn’t. She could still sense his body and he hovered right on his edge for a supernaturally long time. But even his vampire willpower wouldn’t hold him for must longer. One good thrust and he might come whether he wanted to or not.
Instead he pulled her out of the shower with an impatience that supported her belief that he couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled the bloody sheets off his bed with one grab and threw her onto the lush bare mattress. He pulled her abdomen to the edge of the mattress and entered her eagerly, standing and using her legs to pull her up to just the right angle once again.
He couldn’t control his moans now. She was making him feel the same ecstasy that she had been feeling and she loved it. He bit his lip as if trying to control himself. She wished he wouldn’t…
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered.
He seemed to follow her command, thrusting into her with even more force. She loved watching his face. Watching his eyes roll back as he experienced waves of pleasure too. Even though he was taking his turn, she felt herself getting close again too. A third orgasm? She guessed stranger things had happened.
Her body was so primed and ready that another orgasm came easily. She was already engorged from pleasure, so the amazing feelings just kept coming. As he groaned in final completion, she did too.
Then she went limp and he let her legs drop, also collapsing next to her. Every muscle in her body felt relaxed. She had lost years of tension she didn’t even know she had. She had thought her neck was just meant to be tight. That’s just what necks feel like, right? No, she could have spent all day getting a massage and wouldn’t have felt this good. She thought she might melt into the mattress.
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The Unforgettable Southern Billionaires: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Young Adult Rich Alpha Male Billionaire Romance) Page 86