“Liam…”
She didn’t want to acknowledge the fear in his eyes. He cupped her chin. Their mouths were inches apart, her lips swollen from his kiss. Once he claimed her again, there would be no point in resisting.
He tasted her. She slid her arms past his shoulders and hooked them around his neck. He gathered her up and lifted her off the table. She kissed him harder, more urgently, with a desperate need to feel him close.
Liam responded by moving his hands to her lower back and pulling her tighter to him. She inhaled sharply when she felt how hard he was.
“You want me right here?” she managed to ask before he kissed her again. His lips were rough and demanding, his tongue a silky caress. Liam’s hands moved slowly, tantalizingly, across her back.
In one abrupt motion, he grasped her ass and lifted her up so she was positioned with her pussy right over his bulging cock. She moaned into his mouth. When Liam finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and carried her to the couch.
She stared into his eyes. He lowered her onto the smooth leather, being gentle now, and then planted a kiss on her cheek before stripping her shirt from her, tearing the fabric again.
“You owe me a shirt,” she joked.
“I’ll buy you a whole wardrobe.” He grinned.
She leaned back, watching as he tore the shirt from his body, the arms in his muscles taut, his abdominal muscles rippling. My god, he was sexy. Especially when he tore his clothes off like that.
Before she could fully admire him, he lowered himself over her, pressing her into the couch. His skin had a hint of warmth.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“You know I love you, too.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of him: masculine, with a hint of spicy cardamom and sweet bergamot. He grasped the back of her head and then his mouth collided with hers again, his kisses wild and passionate. She reached for his jeans and began undoing the belt.
Liam let out a low groan as she traced a hand across the bulge in his pants, and then slid the jeans down his firm thighs. His hands were gently caressing her stomach now. Her body was tingling, desire pooling low in her belly.
His tongue ran across her bottom lip. Liam withdrew and kissed down her stomach to the top of her pants. He pulled them free from her legs leaving the two of them naked, bodies entwined.
He entered her quickly as if he couldn’t hold back. She was wet enough to easily take him in. She closed her eyes in pure contentment, feeling his mouth on her skin as he gently sucked on her neck. When she felt the graze of his fangs she hesitated, remembering how it felt when he fed from her. The unnatural hunger and pleasure.
Liam leaned back and looked into her eyes. Without saying a word, she knew what he wanted to ask. She could see the desire, the arousal, on his face. He wanted to taste her; to take their love making to a deep, primal level that part of her yearned for.
But she also wanted to feel human.
“Let’s keep it vanilla.”
“Whatever pleases you,” he said with a wicked smile.
His lips caught her in desperate passion. With his cock already buried deep, he began thrusting. He was doing slow, hard thrusts that had her on edge until each moment when his balls slapped against her.
He filled her, touching her with every movement and sending waves of pleasure through her body. This was tender, passionate. He was making love to her, not intending to claim her with raw, hard heat. She clung to him, not wanting to let go. He pounded into her with a steady rhythm, the sound of their bodies slapping together filling the silence, her wetness coating him. He groaned, his lips finding her skin and leaving damp heat down her neck. He tasted a nipple, pulling it between his lips.
She arched her back, unable to resist the pleasure swelling inside. And he kept going. Kept slamming into her with a force that shook the couch, their bodies. And when she thought he couldn’t stop, he slowed, his cock throbbing. She felt every twitch and tightened against him as he exploded.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m giving you all my cum.”
His hot cum went deep, pumping his seed so far inside her inner walls, sating her. She moaned, losing herself in the pleasure. And with his cum still filling her, he started thrusting again and it leaked down all over him. Their mingled cum, their combined essence. His cock felt silky and hard, enveloped in it.
She cried out his name, the sensation of him heightening her pleasure. Her breasts shuddered with each thrust. His muscles were taut as he towered over her, taking her urgently, his rough groans filling the silence.
To see his face contorted in pleasure, knowing she made him feel that good, made her come again until she lost track of how many times her pussy convulsed around him, taking in more of his cum.
She clung to him, not wanting to stop. When he slowed and moaned his release, he collapsed against her. She held him close, feeling the wet heat between her thighs, the pleasurable sensations numbing her body. His cock twitched within her and she was deliciously sensitive.
They lay for hours, letting time pass and focusing on nothing but each other. They were both at a loss. She saw the confliction in his eyes.
“Please, tell me what you’re thinking,” she breathed.
“I can’t lose you. I’ve been through two wars. One against the Japs, one battle against my inner animal. Both tested my limits and risked my life. But to face another, with you in jeopardy? It tears me up inside.”
She ached for him. “We’ll find a way. The Awakening has to work.”
But the responding gleam in his eyes confirmed her doubts: he didn’t believe it was the answer.
Chapter Eighteen
Traversing through town reminded Madison of her meeting with Ethan. She flinched. His death had been needless and so sudden. Wasn’t that always how it went? She’d lost one of her cousins to liver cancer. Days after he was in remission, it stole his life capriciously.
Being a vampire was an ever persistent reminder of death and its aftermath. Well, an oddly conflicting aftermath living as a vampire. She had half of a life, but Liam made it whole.
The fact that she’d participated in her own funeral and had to dig free of her grave was a haunting memory that lingered, and a reminder of all she’d accomplished to get to this point with Liam. They’d come too far to back down.
Liam had wandered down a side alley to find someone to feed from. They were confident of the area to roam separately and were keeping an eye out for signs of the inevitable war. He didn’t want to initiate the Awakening until it reached breaking point.
Footsteps echoed behind her. Assuming it was a passerby, she continued walking. She stepped into the alleyway and began heading toward the back of an abandoned store.
An unmistakable tension flooded her body and she turned around to see a stake being flung at her. Before she could react, it pierced her shoulder, the wood lodging itself deep. Pain seared through her in a brief flare of heat.
Shocked, she looked from the stake to the hunter who released her hold on it and smiled triumphantly. Olivia. Madison tried not to shout from the pain. She couldn’t attract unwanted attention, yet hoped Liam would sense her.
Olivia’s aim had been far off the mark. Madison grasped the stake and tore it free, the sudden movement aggravating the wound. A pained cry escaped her. As the shock subsided, she glared at Olivia. The hunter’s brow furrowed as she noticed her aversion to becoming dust.
“Shit!” Olivia lashed out with a punch aimed at her wound, but Madison stepped aside and with her vampire speed, she grabbed Olivia’s arm and slammed it against her knee, feeling it break.
Olivia opened her mouth to scream but Madison seized her by the shirt and flung her into the wall. It seemed to be the easiest way to incapacitate her without seriously injuring her. Olivia slammed into it, grabbing at her arm helplessly. Her knees buckled and she leaned against the wall for support, her face contorted with pain.
Madison scowled at her. Olivia h
adn’t learned a thing. Anger threatened to overwhelm her and she’d been lucky to avoid being staked to death right here. She knew how easy it would be to react and end her life as she had done with Sandra. Something held her back from doing so. Guilt. The wisp of her humanity.
“I almost killed you!” Olivia spat.
“I wouldn’t call that a success. My boyfriend’s not far. He’d end your life before you could blink.”
“At this point, I don’t care! As long as I get revenge for Sandra.”
Madison noticed Olivia’s forehead was bleeding profusely from when she’d hit the wall. Her green eyes were wide, her jaw clenched. She looked so utterly beaten that she began to pity her. She was only human, after all.
“Revenge doesn’t matter if you’re not alive to witness it. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but while you waste time hunting me every night, vampires are killing werewolves. There’s a war on the cusp of breaking.”
Olivia laughed harshly. “Why the hell should I care? Just kill me already. I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”
Madison considered a different tactic. She grasped Olivia’s throat and tightened. Her eyes bulged and she started thrashing. Witnessing the hunter’s lack of oxygen made her gut churn, but she waited for a few seconds and released her. Olivia clasped at her chest, gasping in air.
“Now you owe me for sparing your life. Waste your crappy fighting skills on something useful. Aid us. You can be useful during daylight. Otherwise, you’ll force me to end your life. And wouldn’t that be pointless?”
Olivia recovered, standing shakily, her eyes bloodshot. “Bitch! I don’t trust you.”
“I know.”
“And I’ll never forgive you.”
“I don’t want you to. You can die by my hands, or during this war. You’re caught up in this now. You won’t last long.”
The stark reality of it seemed to wipe the hatred from her face, replacing it with cold indifference. At least she’d been calmed into submission, her grief and anger too blinding for her to see sense. Madison didn’t expect her to act rationally, but at least she could give Olivia another chance by subverting her belief of their kind.
“Let’s move,” Madison decided, leading Olivia back to the house. Liam would meet her there eventually. Olivia walked slowly, obviously in pain, and she felt a twinge of empathy. A sign her conscience wasn’t completely diminished.
Liam opened the front door, glowering at the sight of Olivia. His gaze fell to Madison’s bloody wound. “What is this? What the hell is she doing here?”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Olivia. “What are you trying to do? I wouldn’t feed from her if my existence depended on it.”
Madison shook free of him. “Figured she could be useful. She could aid us during daytime.”
“Couldn’t give a fuck if she dies,” Liam snapped, gesturing to her healed wound. “She staked you! You could’ve died! I’ll kill her with my bare hands.”
He stepped towards Olivia, but Madison held him back which wasn’t an easy feat. “She can do something. Please.”
“I don’t believe this! You’re showing mercy to an unstable human. Compassion doesn’t deserve to be shown with hunters.”
“This is about working together to defeat an enemy stronger than all of us, and you can’t see that.”
“No, all I see is that you’re allowing her into our home, our lives, after she tried to kill you!”
He stalked away, leaving her alone with Olivia. Her eyes gleamed with something she couldn’t discern. It didn’t matter what Olivia thought. Liam’s reaction hurt. Madison hoped that he would accept any slim chance that they could get the upper hand and make a difference, no matter where it originated. Even though it was too much to ask. Part of her didn’t want to kill Olivia, and this was an opportunity to save her in some way.
Showing empathy is to be human.
Olivia sat on the couch uncomfortably. Madison waited for Liam to return from the hallway even though every fiber of her being wanted to chase him down. He was stubborn, and used to getting his way.
When he eventually returned, his anger had visibly faded. He sighed. “I see what you’re trying to do, babe. She may prove to have an advantage. The werewolves don’t have a Council, they have packs within each state lead by an alpha. I consorted with one of them in New York decades ago. I can confront him, try to talk him out of this.”
Madison smiled. “At least it’s something.”
Liam ran a hand through his hair. “I’m familiar to them. The alpha has a deep dislike for our kind. If you’re with me, especially with the Awakening rumors, he may kill us.”
Olivia piped up, “So that’s where I come in. I’m liking the sound of these werewolves.”
She paid her no attention.
Liam nodded. “Having a human alongside me will lessen the chance of them viewing me as a threat. Olivia allows a meeting with the alpha a possibility.”
“And if it backfires and they kill you?” Madison asked.
“Wolves only act if their lives are directly endangered. The Awakening poses a threat but with your absence and Olivia’s appearance, it’ll make them reconsider. Besides, not all want this war to continue.”
She frowned, but even a comforting smile from him didn’t ease her doubts. Olivia may want to help but her motive would always involve killing Madison. Still, she had her uses, just as Ava did, and trusting anyone wasn’t a luxury.
Liam entwined his fingers with Madison’s. “Olivia, I need you to find a car with tinted windows or get your windows tinted, but do it as soon as you can. We’ll leave once you’re ready.”
Olivia nodded and left without looking back.
She studied him desperately. “I can’t let you go with her alone!”
“Remember, I was a soldier and I’ve been a vampire for half a century. My senses are more attuned than yours, she won’t have a chance. Don’t be concerned for me, I’ll come back for you.”
Madison took a deep breath and nodded. He’d trusted her to confront Ethan alone. Now it was her turn to reciprocate. He pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly.
“The sooner I leave, the better. I’m not putting all my hopes on this.”
“If the leader agrees with you, what’ll happen?”
“They’ll detain Quinn. Quinn will be playing on the emotions of those who lost someone thanks to the Council, and he’s probably gained many followers. There are more wolves insistent on maintaining the truce instead of letting a war begin.”
Madison nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait for you. Be careful.”
It pained her to know they’d be apart. Liam kissed her and then gently brushed her brown hair past her shoulders to kiss her neck, right where he knew it turned her on. She melted against him, loving every touch.
When he pulled away, she caught his smile. How could she doubt him with that obvious confidence? He walked down the hallway, possibly to gather what he needed for the trip. Because of the sun he’d need something to cover himself with.
Madison leaned over the kitchen counter and curiously opened a drawer. She hated leaving a vast kitchen like this unused. She stared in surprise at the neatly arranged silverware. It was a small seven piece set and, upon closer inspection, genuine sterling silver.
Sensing Liam behind her, she spun around. “Need this? It’s silver.”
He shook his head. “I won’t risk concealing any weapons. The truce lasted this long because the wolves were set on peace. It’ll be a short discussion.”
Madison slid the knife into the back of her pants. He was prepared, and she needed to be, too. Quinn was unpredictable.
The door suddenly burst open. They both glanced at Olivia.
“The car’s been sunlight proofed and loaded with a full tank of gas. I’m ready to leave, masters.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Cut that out.”
“You’re robbing me of free will.”
“You’re choosing to hel
p stop this war,” she retorted.
The fire in her eyes faded. “Sure. A nice chat and cup of tea with wolves will solve all these problems.”
“It’s a start,” Liam remarked. “Once this is done, you’re free to go. We won’t need you. If you attempt anything, you’ll die. This is your opportunity to show if you still value your life.”
Olivia resigned to a shrug. Liam lifted a bag onto his back and walked over to Madison. She met his amazing green eyes, dark with worry.
“I won’t be long,” he promised, and kissed her with a passion she equally responded with. He turned away and pulled a blanket over himself, shielding any exposed skin from the sun.
This was their last chance at freedom, but she didn’t know if she could endure more of this uncertainty.
Night arrived slowly. Madison opened the curtains and stared out at the dark sky. There was a half-moon tonight, and she looked up at it wistfully. A heavy wind blew around the house and it creaked loudly. Hours of waiting had inevitably led to boredom and a sharp pain in her side reminded her of a more important need.
She headed outside and locked the door. She moved to the nearest alleyway and slipped between two apartment buildings. As she stepped into darkness, she noticed a homeless man rummaging through a garbage bin. He hesitated when he saw her standing there.
“Fuck off,” he mumbled. “Don’t go insulting me, I don’t wanna listen.”
His words were slurred and the smell of alcohol tainted his breath. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but this was a chance to feed and she had no time to be selective.
Her fangs elongated in anticipation. The primal excitement began to overpower her as she walked toward him. He noticed her change and quickly stumbled back.
“No! Get away!”
“You’ll survive this,” she promised. “I won’t kill you.”
Madison grabbed his arm and he began whimpering in horror. She frowned, confused by his overreaction. Before she could speak, she abruptly sensed something behind her and quickly turned around as someone slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.
She smacked her head on the pavement and felt the back of her shirt immediately dampen. As she got to her feet, she noticed the puddle she fell into. The attacker watched from a distance, observing.
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