Bonds of Blood (Blood Bond Series)

by Hart, Shauna

  Kat’s nipples tightened at the erotic scene, and her pussy quaked.

  “He’s in the back,” Mina explained startling her out of her fantasy.

  “Who?” she asked.

  Mina pinned her with a look of sarcasm. “Our informant. The man we came here to meet.”

  Kat nodded as she tried to get a grip on herself. “Right,” she replied.

  Mina shook her head as she took Kat’s hand and led her down the hall. Kat followed her through what seemed like a maze of turns that made her head spin. She had never realized how big the club really was. No one would ever assume it from looking at the outside of the building.

  Mina led her into a small room at the end of the hall on the right. Kat walked into the dimly lit room. To the right was a long black sofa. To the left was a set of black drapes. Behind her, Mina closed the door making Kat spin around with narrowed eyes.

  “Where is he?”

  Mina smiled as she walked across the room to join her. “He’ll be here soon.”

  “I thought you said…”

  Her words were cut off when Mina pulled on a black cord to draw back the curtains. Beyond the drapes was a large window.

  But that wasn’t the shock.

  The shock was the scene that was playing out behind the curtains. In the other room, a woman with black hair stood with only a black sheer robe covering her bare skin. Two men stood on either side of her. But her gaze remained focused across the room. Kat’s eyes followed the woman’s to find Damien sitting in an ornately carved chair.

  His blue eyes seemed to hold the woman in his thrall. With a nod of his head, the woman slipped the robe off her shoulders exposing her nudity. Kat looked back at the man across the room. His full lips slid into an answering smile. With an inclination of his head, one of the men standing next to the woman reached out to stroke her cheek as the man behind her moved in close.

  Kat watched in awe as the man standing behind the woman grabbed her hips to pull her back against him. Taking the unspoken cue, the other man tilted her head to the side. The man behind her took the opportunity to snake his tongue along the curve of her neck as the man in front of her began placing tiny kisses along her chest before circling her nipple with his tongue.

  A look at the woman’s face revealed that she was enjoying every minute of their tender ministrations. Never in her life had Kat witnessed such an intensely erotic scene. She had never thought of herself as a woman who could enjoy the attentions of two men at the same time, but watching the passion on the woman’s face made her curious.

  That wasn’t the only thing she was curious about.

  Kat turned to look at the blonde man in the chair, but he was gone.

  “Where did he go?” she asked, turning to give Mina a quizzical look.

  Mina offered her a sly grin as she turned to look at the back of the room. From out of the shadows, the blonde man appeared before her.

  “Hello, Katarina,” he greeted, his deep voice making her insides flutter uncomfortably.

  Something about the deep scratchy bass of his tone spoke to her in a way she didn’t understand. He closed the distance between them, his mouth sliding into a sensuous smile.

  Kat couldn’t look away from him. She barely even noticed when Mina moved behind her.

  One side of his mouth curled up. “I’ve waited for you for a long time, Katarina. And I am not a man who waits for anything.”

  Before she could ask what he meant, she felt Mina’s hands on her shoulders.

  “Why?” she managed, her voice coming out breathless.

  He reached up to stroke her cheek in a move so similar to what she had witnessed beyond the glass.

  “Because you are simply too delectable to pass up,” he replied.

  His hand trailed down the line of her jaw to her throat.

  “I don’t understand,” she confessed softly.

  He smiled. “Look into my eyes,” he commanded.

  When she obeyed, he continued. “You do understand.”

  Something in his voice made her nod her head in compliance.

  “Tonight, you will be mine.”

  Chapter 13

  The words sounded foreign to Kat, and though she wanted to argue with him, she found she couldn’t. It was as if the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes had sucked all of the will to fight. All she could do was accept his words and give in to what he wanted.

  When she felt Mina’s hands snake around to undo the buttons of her dress, she wanted to stop her, but the look in Damien’s eyes warned her not to. The logical part of her brain told her to put an end to this, but it was like something had taken hold of her, and she was under its spell.

  She felt the material slide down her shoulders. The cold air teased her chest. Damien smiled as he reached out to trace a finger along the line of her jaw, the arch of her neck, the curve of her breast.

  “I can’t…” she croaked.

  Damien titled his head to the side. “But you can. And you will.”

  With those words, all the remaining strength she mustered seemed to vanish into thin air. And when she felt Mina undo the clasp of her bra and begin to slide the straps over her shoulders, she didn’t protest.

  ****

  Damien watched the black lace bra fall to the floor.

  Ah, but she was beautiful.

  A delicacy to be savored.

  Her full breasts held rosy nipples that stood out. He ached to taste them. Before he had the chance, Mina’s fingers reached around to tweak them in welcome. It seemed the girl was just as hungry for Katarina as he was.

  He felt his cock harden against his leather pants as he watched Mina tease her. Pushing her hair to one side, Mina began to place small kisses on Kat’s neck. He looked into Kat’s eyes to see if there were any last lingering traces of resistance. But her eyes remained clear.

  Unable to stop himself, he leaned in to place his lips against Kat’s mouth. She opened to him willingly, and he took full advantage. His tongue plundered her mouth, tasting every inch, devouring her.

  She was absolutely intoxicating—more potent than any wine, sweeter than any dessert. He couldn’t wait to drive into her trembling, yielding body, to feel her tighten around him.

  He angled her head to the side with his hand, his mouth traveling over the pulsing vein in her neck. The temptation to taste her right then was so great, he had to bite his lip to keep from driving his fangs into her tender skin.

  But he didn’t want to rush this.

  He wanted to savor every moment with her.

  She was special.

  He didn’t know what it was about her that appealed to him so much, but he couldn’t turn away. Removing temptation, he pushed Mina’s hands away to circle her nipple with his tongue. She arched against him as he drew her nipple into the hollow of his mouth.

  God, she was responsive.

  As hungry as he was, and as much as he wanted her for himself, he was glad Mina was there. Especially when she lowered the dress the rest of the way, letting it slide down Katarina’s long slender legs to puddle at her feet. Black satin panties covered the juncture between her legs. He ached to rip the fabric away, to pull her to the floor and drive into her wet heat.

  Soon, he thought.

  Soon, he would have her.

  His hands slid around to grip her hips as he continued his sensual torment of her breasts. He heard a rustle of fabric and opened his eyes to see Mina taking off her dress. The corner of his mouth quirked up as he saw that she had heeded his instruction. She wore nothing beneath it. Her bare body pressed against Kat’s back.

  Damien kneeled before Kat, the aroma of her arousal filling the air around him. It made him hungry. A glance up revealed that Mina’s hands had already resumed their task of teasing Kat’s breasts. The sight made his cock twitch, eager to take both women.

  Soon…

  He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and slid them down her legs. Her pussy peaked through dark hair, te
asing him. Unable to wait, he parted the folds with his fingers and slid his tongue into her silky, wet heat. The flavor of her arousal punched him in the stomach. She let out a small moan, the sound making his head lift.

  “Soon, my pet. Soon, you will be mine.”

  ****

  Alec stood near the entrance of the club, his gaze scanning the occupants.

  Why had she come here alone tonight?

  It didn’t make any sense.

  After their talk last night, he thought she was beginning to trust him. Which made her standing him up tonight even more confusing. He had known the second he arrived at her apartment that she wasn’t there. As frustrated as he was with that, he knew he had to find her quick. Things were getting too treacherous for her to be alone.

  It was easy to follow her scent, he had been following it for years. He moved through the crowd easily, his gaze searching for her.

  Where was she?

  After everything they talked about, why would she come here without him?

  He had picked up another familiar scent at her apartment. The scent was definitely human, not vampire. That should have provided some comfort but he was still so confused about her motive for not meeting him that he couldn’t quite enjoy it.

  He sniffed the air. She had definitely been here recently. The scent was still fresh. But where had she gone?

  “Looking for someone?”

  He should have known that his presence wouldn’t go unnoticed for long. There wasn’t much that happened here that escaped Genevieve.

  “Where is she?’ he demanded.

  A flame colored eyebrow arched. “And who would we be talking about?”

  His jaw clenched. “You know damned well who we are talking about.”

  “I do?”

  “You rarely ask questions you don’t know the answer to,” he pointed out.

  She let out a heavy sigh. “That is true. But it is so boring. Sometimes, I wish I could live in suspense like the rest of the world.”

  He shook his head. “You could never be like the rest of the world, Gen. You are one of a kind,” he offered, his gaze still searching the club for any sign of Kat.

  As much as he hated wasting time playing games with Gen, he knew her well enough to know that demanding answers right now would get him nowhere. Genevieve lived to play games. And the only way he would get any information out of her right now was to play along.

  She licked her lips as she took a step closer. “You always did have a sweet tongue, Alec.”

  “Only for you, Gen.”

  His entire body was itching to turn the club upside down until he found Kat.

  She let out a low chuckle. “If only that were true,” she mused, her tone taking on a hint of melancholy.

  When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “Why is it that we stopped enjoying each other, Alec?”

  He drew in a steadying breath. “You were simply too much for me.”

  “As much as I wish that was the case, I remember things a little differently.”

  His lips formed a grim line. “I had to go,” he explained, wishing that she would just drop the subject.

  Her eyebrows lifted. “No, you chose to leave. The two are entirely different.”

  “Gen…”

  She held her index finger up in the air. “As I recall, you wanted something more.”

  He didn’t have time to rehash the demise of their relationship. He needed to find Kat, needed to make sure she was okay.

  “Would that ‘something more’ be the lovely Katarina Montague?” she asked, her chin tilted upward.

  His gaze met hers. “Where is she?”

  “What is it about her, Alec? She’s not human. At least, not entirely. I could tell that the second I met her,” she said.

  He tried to school his expression, but Gen was too perceptive. “Is that the draw, then?”

  “Does Damien know about her?”

  “If he doesn’t know for sure, he will soon,” she pointed out.

  He pinned her with a steely stare. “Where?”

  The word came out as a growl instead of a request.

  She studied him for a moment as if she was trying to glean some truth he was hiding.

  “I believe you will find her in one of the private rooms,” she offered softly.

  When he started to walk away, she reached out to place a hand on his arm.

  “He won’t let her go easily, Alec,” she warned.

  His fangs lengthened at her words, the tips biting into the edge of his lips.

  “I don’t expect him to,” he acknowledged.

  With that, he headed toward the long hallway that led to the private rooms. His gut tensed as he got closer to his destination. Images of what he might find assaulted him. It had been many years since he had actually felt fear. After all, what was there to fear when you were immortal? There was even less to fear when you were an immortal that didn’t care if you lived or died.

  It wasn’t that he was one of the melancholy few who bemoaned his existence. On the contrary, he had reveled in the newfound freedom that immortality afforded. If anything, he was ambivalent. He had no ties to this life, if that is what it was. He had already died once. He wasn’t afraid to do it again.

  No, he didn’t fear death.

  But in this moment, he felt fear like he had never known, not even when he was human. If something had happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself. If something happened to her, the true death would be a kindness.

  After what seemed like an eternity, he came to stand in front of the door where her scent stopped. He reached for the knob, every inch of him bracing for what he would find on the other side. His fingers tightened on the metal as he stilled the raging impulse to rip it off the hinges.

  In one swift move, he pulled the door open.

  Chapter 14

  The sight that greeted him made his hands curl into fists. Kat stood in between Damien and a naked woman. The woman behind her had her hands all over Kat. But that wasn’t what angered him the most.

  It was the fact that Damien’s head was between her legs.

  And the look on Kat’s face was one of complete abandon.

  Was he too late?

  Had Damien already won?

  At the sound of his entrance, Damien’s head turned slightly. Spotting Alec, he slowly climbed to his feet, an unmistakable grin settling on his moist lips. Using the back of his hand, he wiped away the remaining traces of Kat’s arousal making Alec want to tear the other man apart.

  “Alec…to what do I owe this honor? Or are you here for a room? Because, as you can see, this one is already taken.”

  Alec’s fangs elongated as he stilled the impulse to race over and end the man right now. Rushing into a fight would only serve to make things worse right now.

  “I claimed this one the other night,” Alec asserted.

  Damien’s eyebrows arched. “Really?”

  Taking Kat’s hand, Damien pulled her away from the other woman. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he eased her in front of him. Moving her hair over her shoulder, his eyes met Alec’s.

  “That’s interesting. She never said anything,” he pointed out, his hand reaching around to cup her breast. “Are you sure that you claimed her properly?”

  Alec’s jaw clenched. “Don’t fuck with me, Damien.”

  Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Or you’ll what?”

  When Alec didn’t immediately answer, Damien continued. “This isn’t the old country, Alec. Your master doesn’t rule here. You do still obey a master, don’t you?”

  “Don’t push me.”

  Damien cocked his head to the side, his hands settling around Kat’s waist. “How does that feel…to know that all of the decisions in your life are made by someone else? To know that you can never just indulge yourself,” Damien continued, his fingers reaching up to tweak Kat’s nipple.

  Alec’s fingers curled into tight fists. “I indulge,” he replied.

&n
bsp; “But it’s always calculated. You couldn’t just take…say her if you wanted, could you?”

  The words were like a punch to the gut. Harsh and all too painful.

  No, he couldn’t have her.

  And watching another man do the things he wanted to do was driving him insane.

  Damien lifted his chin in defiance. “I don’t answer to anyone, Alec. Do you know how freeing that is? How liberating? If I want her, her body, her blood, I simply take it. It is the way we were meant to live. Not as trained dogs waiting for the next command.”

  The tips of Alec’s fangs bit into his lower lip as he spoke. “The Senex ensure order.”

  “Whose order?” Damien challenged. “Theirs? What about my order?”

  It wasn’t the first time that someone had spoken against the Order. Centuries ago, the Order of the Dragon was formed by the Senex, the world’s oldest known vampires. It was created to bring peace to a chaotic time when vampires were running wild in the street risking exposure.

  Suddenly, a set of edicts were imposed upon his kind. Edicts whose very purpose was to protect them from a time when witches were being burned at the stake. It wasn’t an easy change. And many fought the new rule. In the end, the benefit far outweighed the loss of freedom. The order was accepted much more readily in the old country for this purpose.

  Here, there were too many people like Damien who wanted to create their own rules. And unfortunately, there were not enough Vindicates to ensure the rules were followed. What was left was a state of unrest. The Senex were aware of the situation in America, and they were trying to devise a solution.

  But until they did, the country was a powder keg waiting for flame.

  “The order was created for all of us, Damien. It is meant to protect our kind,” he reasoned.

  Damien snorted. “Protect us from who? Them?” he asked pointing to the two girls in the room. “We both know that the humans are no match for us.”

  “If they knew we existed…”

  Damien pinned him with a steely stare. “They would what? Face it, the Senex have scared you into submission with a fairy tale about vampire hunters that don’t exist.” He made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Now, if you will kindly leave we have a few things to finish here.”