Blood Bound

by Tara Sampson

  “Would you like to tell me what is going on?”

  She was now standing just feet in front of him with her hands fisted on her hips.

  Watching her through a red tinted haze, Leo only grunted. It was none of his mother’s business as to what was going on. This was between his bride and him.

  Isabella glanced around the room, noticing the one thing that was missing.

  “This is about that pet of yours isn’t it?” She posed the question with blatant contempt. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that meaningless human of yours is what has you in such a state?”

  He could feel his muscles bunch and coil up tighter than a rattle snake at the way his own mother dismissed his bride. The very fact that she was his mother was the only thing that held him back from attacking and ripping her head clear off of her shoulders.

  Quicker than a blink of an eye, he had her by the collar though and forcefully pushed her up against the stone wall.

  “She is my bride,” he breathed out through his distended fangs, “my life partner.” He paused to let that little bit of information sink in. “This is the last warning that I will give to you, Mother. Either you accept her or you can get the hell out of my life. Do you understand me?”

  Isabella kept her mouth closed, lips flattened in a grim line. Hell would freeze over before she ever accepted a measly turned human as one of her son’s life partners. But judging Leo’s current surly mood, she felt it wise not to say anything. Instead, she nodded her head. If she couldn’t talk some sense into her stubborn child, then she would find another means to get what she wanted. It was a well-known fact that Isabella Risso always got what she wanted in the end. And this time would certainly be no different.

  Leo let go of his mother but held no false aspirations that she would just accept Shelby on his word. But he had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment aside his meddling mother—like finding his bride for instance. And when he found her, the monster in him was determined to make his imprint on her.

  He had tried to do this gently; by giving her time to adjust to this new life but after this last stunt, all gentleness had left him. He was ready to fully claim what was his so that she would never be able to leave him again; magical pendant or not. It was time for their souls to join.

  Stepping back from his mother, he flicked his hand, covering himself with the cloak of night. Spreading out his senses for a second time, he was able to lock onto Shelby’s essence. With a destination in mind, he smiled to himself.

  “Got you,” he whispered and with practiced ease, he flashed himself to confront his bride.

  “Shelby, quit being so melodramatic. Stand up.”

  Shelby looked up at her friend from her position on the floor and rolled her eyes.

  “After what I’ve been through, I think I deserve a little sympathy here.”

  Her friend bent down and grabbed Shelby by the arm, pulling her up.

  “Alright… moment over.” Her emerald green eyes flashed an even brighter shade of fuchsia when she let go of her arm. Turning her back on her, Anissa strode over to her dresser and thumbed a tattered book. “Now you need to get over it.”

  Figuring the easiest way to do this was to be straightforward; she rounded on her friend and looked at her with all the seriousness in the world.

  “You’re a vampire Shelby. So is Leo and many others that walk this earth. There’s a whole other night world out there full of species such as vampires, an array of shifters, and witches alike. Learn to deal with it.”

  Shelby’s face was a mask of shock and disbelief. Her mundane life had been suddenly turned upside down. Everything that she’d ever believed seemed frivolous now in the grand scheme of things and her best friend, who she had just learned less than an hour ago, was a witch has told her to deal with it.

  “Get over it? Deal with it?” Her tone was filled with incredulousness. “I have to drink blood in order to survive and you want me to just deal with it? How in the hell am I supposed to deal with something like that Anissa? I can’t kill people like him. I’m not that kind of monster.”

  Her eyes now glowed with that trademark red color while her emotions began to whirl around her. She could feel the prick of her fangs come through her gums as her friend suddenly became about ten pixels clearer.

  Anissa laughed. She had the gall to throw her head back and laugh out loud which only infuriated Shelby.

  “What is so funny?” she screamed, her fangs now fully distended. She wasn’t finding anything at all about her situation remotely amusing.

  Covering her mouth, Anissa struggled to control herself.

  “You have it all wrong, my friend. What in the devil made you think that you had to kill people?”

  Shelby stilled and then blinked, unsure if she heard her correctly. Was there a way around this?

  “I don’t have to drink blood?”

  She shook her head. “No, you will definitely require blood to survive but you don’t have to kill in order to get it. You can go to blood banks or one of the blood bars.” She turned toward the window; a faraway look came to cross her face. “But I don’t think your Leo would go for that. Vampires are territorial by nature and I can’t see him allowing you a consort. Hell, the easiest way for you to drink would probably be to take from Leo. I imagine that’s probably the most enjoyable way too,” she shot her friend a conspiratorial look, “if you get what I mean. At least, if the rumors are in fact true then you, my friend,” she said pointing at her chest, “have managed to land quite a skillful lover.”

  “Whoa there,” Shelby interrupted, holding her hand in the air. “I don’t think you get it. I don’t want to be a vampire. I don’t want to drink blood and I don’t care how skillful Leo is. He is not my lover.”

  Liar, her subconscious taunted her.

  She had dreamed about how skillful he was and if her dreams were anything like the real thing, then those rumors were absolutely true. It was a shame that she would never know for real though and she refused to admit any of that to her witchy friend. All Shelby wanted was to be normal again.

  Anissa’s brows lifted.

  “Listen, Shelby. It’s time we had a coming to Jesus meeting because I can’t hold Leo off for much longer and when he comes for you, you need to be ready.”

  “What?” Her mouth gaped open with surprise.

  “Listen,” Anissa stated once again, “our world is on a collision course for disaster. The higher-ups in politics want us to reveal ourselves to humans, enslaving them in the process. There are a large number of us that don’t want to see that happen. We want to protect humanity. And, then there’s the prophecy.”

  “Prophecy?” Shelby sat down on the corner of the bed. She had a feeling that whatever Anissa said next was going to have a detrimental impact on her life.

  “Yeah, prophecy…it was written in the stars over two hundred years ago and has been a closely guarded secret within our coven. A secret that none of my sisters have spoken of, until now.” Anissa walked over to the side of the bed and sat down beside Shelby. She took her hand in hers and willed her to look at her.

  “You, Shelby are part of that prophecy; Leo too. It speaks of a young child, a girl that should have passed after a tragic incident but was miraculously saved by a dark angel. He bled his life into her—into you, Shelby. You were that girl and Leo was the angel. It also speaks of a union of discord; your union Shelby. It’s considered highly irregular in the night world because of Leo’s rank and status. It will bring forth the Savior that our world will need in order to survive the upcoming war and preserve what is left of humanity.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” Shelby spoke, wrapping her arms around her stomach. “Prophecy, war, unions,” she stopped to take a breath. “Do you even believe any of what you’re telling me?”

  Anissa squeezed her hand.

  “I do more than believe, hone—I know. I have the gift of foresight which is why I gave you the pendant for protection. It wil
l help you in almost any situation except for when it comes to your life partner who will be here in about another sixty seconds.”

  Shelby’s face went stark white.

  “Sixty seconds? Leo will be here?”

  “Yeah, and I know that all of this is confusing right now but believe in Leo. Let him guide your way. He really does care about you in a way that very few ever get to experience. If you need me, hold the pendant in the palm of your hand and call out my name three times. I’ll be there, I promise.”

  Shelby started to shake her head back and forth.

  “No,” she cried desperately. “Don’t leave me alone. Please.”

  Anissa sighed.

  “My last piece of advice Shell, go with your instincts. Let your beast go. If you keep it bottled up then soon enough, it will completely control you. When Leo show’s up, let your impulses guide you and I swear, you won’t be sorry.”

  A shimmer electrified the air, letting Shelby know that Leo had found her. She didn’t know how she knew; she could just feel his presence. Seconds later, he stood in front of her, in all his vampiric glory—tall, handsome, sexy, brooding and pissed. He was one extremely displeased vampire.

  “Shelby,” he said her name barely above a whisper but the intent in the way that he said it was more than obvious. He held out his hand and beckoned her with his fingertips. “Playtime is over.”

  Chapter 19

  Shelby could only stare back at Leo. There was just something in the way that he was watching her, something purely predatory that affected her in the most elemental of ways. It captivated her, intrigued and scared the hell out of her all at the same time.

  Tightening her hands into fists by her sides, she took a step back, unsure of what she should do. She was trying to reign in the tumultuous feelings that were assaulting her all at once yet there was this incredible pull that seemed to magnetize her to him. She had never felt this unbalanced in her life.

  He beckoned and he called to her, but there was more to it than that. So much more that she was having trouble processing it all at once. Her body felt divided. A part of it wanted to go to him as he demanded and the more sensible part was wary of his intentions.

  She felt a hunger begin to gnaw deep in her gut and it wasn’t just a normal hunger; it was a carnal hunger that begged to be fed. It set her insides aflame and every second that they stood there, those flames grew in intensity. She was burning inside and she had this feeling that only one person would be able to cool her off; or rather one particular vampire and he just so happened to be standing in front of her.

  “Follow your instincts Shelby.” She startled at the sound of Anissa’s whispering voice from behind her.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she looked back at her with all of the uncertainty that she was feeling and pleaded for help.

  “Go,” her friend urged in return, gently giving her a small push in Leo’s direction. “This is how it’s supposed to be.”

  “Shelby, come.” Leo said simply, pulling her attention back to him.

  She snapped her head back around and their gazes locked. The pull between them was undeniable. Her feet started moving of their own accord; one foot after the other, step-by-step. In a span of seconds, she stood before him, her legs shaking with anticipation. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his face. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to anymore.

  Leo touched her cheek with the pad of his fingers, bent down to her level and angled his head into the perfect position. He had no words to say. The time for words was long passed. Leaning in, he closed that little space between them and took her lips in a passionate kiss.

  She was shocked by the initial sensation rioting within her. His lips touched hers and it was like a bomb exploded inside her. The ground shifted under her feet and the air crackled to life around them. All she could smell was his distinct masculine scent of cloves and sheer domineering maleness. It infiltrated her senses and marked her for life.

  Leo wrapped his arms around his bride. By her eager response to him, he knew he had her. Their time had finally arrived and it was a long time coming. Not bothering with extricating their mouths, he flashed them back to the beach that they had first dream-walked together.

  The smell of salt in the air jolted Shelby to a new alertness. She pulled her mouth away from Leo’s and blinked her eyes several times as she took in her new surroundings.

  Leo left her lips and began to pepper her jaw with butterfly kisses; warm kisses that left behind a delicious flutter in their wake. Her feel, her taste, her scent, everything about her drew him. He couldn’t get enough of his bride and was fast approaching the brink of his control.

  “Where are we?” Shelby asked in complete awe.

  “Do you recognize anything?” Leo whispered against her cool skin. “Is it familiar?”

  He continued with his own lazy exploration as she fought to hold on to the last of her senses.

  She had surmised that they were on a beach. She could feel the warm grains of sand underneath her bare feet and between her toes. She could hear the monotonous sound of the waves softly crashing to the shore. The sound of the seagulls flapping their wings reached her ears and yes, it was all familiar to her, very familiar—but why?

  Leo brought his mouth back to hers and took his time coaxing her lips apart. He slipped his tongue in her mouth, inciting a sensual dance of his own, reveling in the simple pleasure that the small act gave him.

  Then it hit her; abrupt and sudden—her dream—the very intimate dream that she had of Leo and her coming together. It was wild, it was hot and she had no doubts that now, her dream was getting ready to become a very real reality.

  She pulled her head back from him again and searched his midnight-black eyes. If it was her dream then how did Leo know about it; this place? Did he read her mind, intrude on her privacy? Did she even care?

  “How?” she started to speak and Leo quickly hushed her protests with the intricate skill of his mouth.

  Their breaths mingled together as one while the kiss heated up to a whole new level. In one fell swoop, he picked her up and went to his knees, gently laying her in the warm recesses of the sand.

  “Does it matter?” he countered, lightly grazing over her breast with the back of his hand.

  Does it matter? She asked herself and realized that in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t. Leo made her feel like no one ever had. She felt utterly feminine and powerful in her own right. She liked the way that he kissed her and touched her body with the soft caresses that stoked the flames burning inside her. She wanted him and she wanted him now, on this very beach. Nothing else mattered.

  “No,” she said breathlessly. “No, it doesn’t matter.”

  Her answer earned her a sexy growl that strangely excited her even more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her and tangled her fingers in his silken hair, all prior thoughts as to who and what she was had left her. She was only a woman now; experiencing things that only a woman could.

  Seeing his bride stretched out in the sand was almost more than Leo could take. He was shaking inside and that was something that had never happened before. He was a confident lover but there was just something about this woman that shook that superior confidence he prided himself on. She made him feel things that he had never felt before.

  With a tentative hand, he reached up and brushed back the stray loose tendrils of hair that fell across her cheek.

  “You know what’s going to happen don’t you, my sweet?”

  She wriggled in the sand, wanting him to touch her, kiss her and drive her to new heights.

  “Yes,” she mumbled, knowing exactly what was going to happen and wanting it all the same.

  Leo snapped his fingers and just like that, their clothes were gone. Shelby gasped in surprise but kept her eyes locked with his.

  He gave her no time to think about what was going to happen next. He wanted her to just feel. Feel that all of this was right; that they were
right for each other.

  His mouth brushed her lips while his hand played her body to a perfect tune. He touched her in the right places with all the practice of a novice. With his mouth, he teased her breasts into taut peaks while driving her insane with his skillful hands. Her inner core pulsed in such fervor that she thought she would go mad with his careful ministrations.

  Her breaths came in quick pants as she began to ride the proverbial wave of ecstasy. She could feel something building up inside her; something just out of reach; so close yet so far away.

  “Leo,” she pleaded, wanting, needing something more. “Please.”

  Leo came over her, his lean muscular body completely blanketing hers. He held her gaze and in the next moment, with one swift strike, he joined them as one.

  Shelby tensed, the sharp pain of his entrance stealing the very breath from her chest. She felt the sting of tears threaten to spill but bravely held them back. She expected this. She had read all the books; knew that it was inevitable and she waited for it to ebb.

  Leo stilled. He struggled to keep himself in that position but didn’t dare move until he knew that she was ready.

  When she looked up at him through watery eyes, more of his barriers seemed to crumble.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured against her cheek, knowing that from now on he would do whatever he had to do in order to prevent an ounce of pain to be inflicted on his bride. “I’m so sorry.”

  Just as fast as the pain arrived, it disappeared. She felt warmth begin to bloom in her innermost regions and a craving start to build. Lifting her hand she cupped his cheek.

  “Leo…please.”