“Alaric.”
In response, he bit the naked lobe, then nibbled.
“You like that?” he asked.
“Ooo.”
He sucked it into his mouth, flicking at it with his tongue, and she felt as though she were melting. Melting into pleasure, losing herself in him so completely, she didn’t know where she ended and Alaric began.
“And that,” he said. “You like that?”
She was beyond speech, beyond anything but simple female acquiescence. She let her body relax into the bed because she felt too weak to support herself.
He leaned into her until his body was pressed firmly against hers, then closed his mouth over her throat and licked. His tongue scorched her from the sensitive hollow in her throat down the length of her carotid, where he took his time tasting her. He lapped at her skin as if he were starving for the taste of her.
She groaned.
“Tell me, sweetheart,” he said, moving his lips along her jaw line. “Are you ready to give yourself to me completely?”
“Completely?”
He pulled away and stared down at her. “I want all of you.” A glimmer of a smile reshaped his lips, but only for a moment. Then, he frowned at her, his gray eyes narrowed to thin slits. “Are you certain you’re ready for that?”
Feeling more than a little confused, she tried to sit up again. “I just want you, Alaric.”
He ran his tongue along her lower lip and her mind went straight back to the gutter.
He grinned and straddled her, pinning her to the bed beneath him. She felt a momentary panic as his weight settled on her and she realized she was completely at his mercy. But then, she didn’t know of any other place she’d rather be held captive, or of any other person she’d rather have as her captor.
He gripped her wrists and pinioned them to the bed. “Tell me you’re sure.”
“Yes,” she finally answered. “I’m sure.”
His eyes softened and a slow smile curved his lips. She registered the increased pressure on her wrists and felt his erection, thick and insistent, pressing into her stomach. She watched, silent, as his nearly translucent eyes lightened to the palest hue she had ever seen. It made his eyes looked like the finest of gems. His lips, already full and succulent, took on a deeper tinge. Then, his teeth changed. The perfect white canines sharpened until the blunt edges formed fine points, but they didn’t lengthen. Not yet.
“Are you offering yourself to me, then?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Is there a choice?”
“Oh, there are always choices. And right now, I chose you.”
Before she could respond, he brought his mouth down on hers, capturing her in a fierce kiss. He forced her lips wide with his tongue and drove it within her depths. She opened her mouth to him, loving the rough texture of his tongue against hers. She moaned against his lips as he laced his fingers into hers and pinioned them at either side of her head. He ground his hips into her and she could feel his erection pressing against the thick material of his pants, straining for release.
His kiss was hungry and possessive. Already, she felt a trickle of moisture seeping down her thighs. She knew now this was exactly what she wanted. What she had hoped would happen, when she’d begged the Warlord to send her to him.
She moved her lips against his, welcomed his tongue into her mouth and sucked on it. He groaned and thrust his hips into her again. When she felt the hard press of his erection against her this time, she marveled that she would finally know how it felt to have him inside her, moving within her.
She would know what it was like to be Smenkhare.
He pulled back and gazed at her, his translucent eyes heavy with lust. The deadly fangs protruded over his full lower lip now, but she didn’t feel threatened by them. He’d taken care not to prick her or hurt her in any way with them. She trusted him.
“Not so scary now, am I?” he said, giving their laced fingers a gentle squeeze.
Her chest heaved. “Not in a vampy way,” she agreed.
He grinned, making the fangs appear larger than they’d been a second earlier. “Among my kind,” he said quietly, pausing to run his tongue along the sharp point of a canine, “this is the most precious, the most sensual gift we can give a lover.” Scraping at his tongue with the edge of a canine, a tiny trickle of blood appeared. “Taste,” he said.
She opened her mouth as he bent to her and felt his lips closing over hers again. This time, though, he eased his tongue into her and moved it slowly, languidly against hers. Forgetting the blood, she arched toward him, hungry for the taste of him. She felt starved for him. But when the trickle of blood spilled onto her tongue, a spasm more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced rocketed through her body. In response, he pulled away, a half smile playing on his lips as he gazed down at her.
She gasped out her surprise and threw her head back. Hot pleasure, so intense she’d thought she’d faint from the force of it, lighted on her tongue, then flowed through her body. She moaned at the intensity of it and ground her hips into him, suddenly desperate for her release. His smile broadened as erotic heat descended through her body, turning her skin into a momentary sensor of pleasure. Every touch was ecstasy and every stroke was heaven. The press of his hands against her breasts was too divine to be real.
“Please, now,” she begged.
He only smiled, and began to massage her stiff nipples with his fingers.
The pleasure finally resolved itself deep in her loins, making her pant and gasp like a common whore. She didn’t care, though.
“The first time is always the most intense,” he whispered, but she barely heard. “I gave you a few drops before, but this time—”
“Please. Now.”
He reached for the button on his pants.
She thought she’d die from longing. This was too much; this intense need of him was too much.
He pulled the button free, then paused to make sure she was watching him. She was. She was watching every move he made, silently pleading with him to move faster.
He pulled the zipper down and she groaned when she remembered he wasn’t wearing anything beneath. He had said he didn’t wear underpants.
The object of her desire was bent so she could only see the very top of it, enclosed in a mass of pale curls.
She caught her breath.
He reached inside his pants and pulled the member free of the constricting material. Freed from its constraints, his erection stood at attention.
A long, uneven sigh escaped from her lips as she stared at it. It was perfect.
Seeing her wide-eyed stare and open mouth, Alaric stood. A sudden chill swept over her body where he had been, but only for a moment. He’d gotten to his feet long enough to undress. When at last he stood before her, naked and more perfect than any fantasy she’d ever conjured, she nearly came on the spot.
Muscles stood out on his chest, making him seem like an Adonis. His thighs were heavy with muscles and his arms were roped with them. But it wasn’t too much. He looked nothing like a competitive body builder whose body had become deformed with muscle mass. Alaric was beautiful. The most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
As if he could read her mind, he grinned and did a body builder bicep flex. She smiled up at him.
“You’re so big,” she said.
“I’m a Visigoth…” he began, but she interrupted.
“I can’t wait any more.”
Alaric lowered himself onto her, covering her with his body.
“I’m gonna fuck you so thoroughly, Al-Kenna,” he said, then his mouth was on hers, his hands on her breasts, kneading them. He moaned against her lips, ground his hips into her, drove her completely mad.
She felt the head of his cock pressing against her cleft, tormenting her. She wanted him inside of her so badly. She was frantic with her need of him, hungry for the taste of him. She closed her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to her, savoring the taste of his tongue. But she
wanted more than simple kisses now, wanted more than the press of his body against hers; she wanted the blood. His blood and his cock.
“Please,” she begged. “Take me now.”
He rested his weight on his elbows, ending the kiss to look at her.
“You would have me take you, even though you know what I am?”
It was kind of late for that question, she thought, nodding.
“And what am I, Al-Kenna?”
“A…”Her voice trailed off at the thought of saying it out loud.
“I want to hear you say it.” He ground his hips into her, sending delicious shivers along her body. “Say it. Tell me what I am.”
“You’re a…”
He eased the head of his cock into her, making her body hum with pleasure. She arched toward him, hungry to have him fill her to the brim.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned.
“Say it,” he insisted, pulling free of her.
“Please, Alaric.”
“You’re going to have to say it.”
“You’re a blood drinker, one of the undead, a vampire.”
He lowered his head and kissed her slowly, as though he had an eternity to enjoy her. She writhed beneath him, working her hips in a desperate effort to force him to enter her. Instead, he ended the kiss and gazed down at her again.
“I’ve shared my blood with you, Al-Kenna. This is something my kind doesn’t do lightly.”
His voice was even, and she sensed the seriousness of his words. His eyes were intense as he looked at her.
“I understand,” she said.
“Do you? Do you realize by sharing my bed, sharing my blood, you’re committing yourself to me in ways you cannot imagine?”
“I understand,” she insisted.
“After this day, Al-Kenna, after this consummation,” he went on, doggedly, “you are committing yourself to me body, mind, and spirit for all eternity. All that you are belongs to me and me alone. After tonight, I’ll never permit any man, save myself, to touch you.”
That penetrated her lust daze. “I’ve never wanted any other man. You’re it. My first and only lover.”
He swept down for another, deeper kiss, lighting her loins on fire again. “You belong to me now,” he said in a whisper. “Your body is mine, your mind is mine,” he paused. “Your blood is mine.”
Before she could respond, he thrust into her.
She screamed out from the sudden pain. It started deep in her womb and radiated out to her entire body. She felt she would burst from being so completely filled by him. She wasn’t large enough; she was too tight, he was too big.
“Take it out,” she said. “My gosh, Alaric, please take it out.”
“Shh, I promise it will get better.”
“It hurts.”
“I know, but soon you won’t remember the pain. I promise.”
She felt his muscles tense as he struggled to remain still inside her.
“You feel so good. So tight. But I won’t move till you’re ready.”
“But it’s so intense,” she pleaded. “I can’t take it.”
This wasn’t anything like she’d expected. It was pain unlike any she had ever known. Pain deep within her core. There wasn’t anything erotic or pleasurable about this. He had to stop, pull out. She twisted beneath him, trying to free herself, but he was immovable.
Completely unaware of the torment she was causing him, she continued to writhe.
Alaric closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Shh,” he cooed.
When she looked at him, she saw he was biting his tongue hard enough to force a spray of blood from his mouth. It dribbled down his chin and splattered her chest. He lowered his face to hers and forced his tongue into her mouth.
When the first taste of his blood hit, she trembled beneath him. Intense pleasure washed over her, making her cry out. If the first time she had felt pleasure, this time she felt an ecstasy so complete, it all but engulfed her. He’d said the first time was always the best, but she had to wonder if he knew what he was talking about. She didn’t know if it was the sheer quantity he had fed her this time, but waves of pleasure pulsed through her body, making her moan into his mouth.
She sucked his tongue hard, hungry for every drop, all but forgetting the pain beneath this intense pleasure.
He moved his mouth over her possessively, letting her have her fill of him. When he’d given her enough time to adjust, and while the rapture was still on her, he began to move. Slowly, he eased his cock from within her depths, only to descend into her again. When she didn’t make any move to stop him, he eased out, then back in.
At first, his movements were tentative. She felt a sting of pain as he thrust inside her, but by the third thrust, any remnant of pain had evaporated, dissolved into something she couldn’t quite define. His rose-tinged lips formed a perfect O as he closed his eyes and moaned.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he told her. “Yeah, just like that.”
The simple movement intensified her pleasure. She felt him moving deep inside of her. Slowly, he eased his length in, inch by inch, then drew back.
Having him inside of her felt so suddenly wonderful, she wondered if he were a wizard instead of a vampire. The force of knowing they were joined as one, that he was getting as much pleasure as he was giving was nearly too much for her to comprehend. When she looked up at him, saw the intensity of his desire, she whimpered low in the back of her throat.
“That’s it, honey, look at me. Give yourself to me,” he said.
“I’m yours, Alaric.”
“Does that feel good?” he asked as he thrust deep and rotated his hips.
She writhed on the bed, bit her lower lip, and struggled for control. But control was beyond her. What he was doing to her felt too good. Every inch of her body had become a pleasure sensor. Her womb hummed with erotic sensation. He wanted to know if it felt good. She’d left good behind and moved on to extraordinary. “More than good. You feel amazing.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Tell me how good my dick feels.”
He set his weight on his elbows, still wearing that rakish grin. When he pulled back and drove into her hard, she screamed. But this time, it was a scream of pure delight. To think she had tried to stop him, that she had almost prevented herself from feeling this. She’d been mad.
He thrust in again, harder, and rotated his hips and they both moaned.
Then, he kissed her again. Slowly and deeply.
She ran her hands over the hard plains of his back and marveled at the strength of his body. He was built like solid steel.
His arms trembled, and she realized the steel control he was exerting over himself to make sure he didn’t hurt her.
“Let go, Alaric.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“That’s just it. You won’t. I’m ready now. I’m yours.” To show him she meant what she said, she raised her head and exposed her throat for him. “Take me.”
He panted and she felt the quiver of his muscles against her. Then, he reared up on his hands and stared down at her. His thrusts became harder, more insistent. She saw how pale he was, saw the bloodlust was taking over.
“Take me, Alaric.”
She only had a moment to tense before he fell on her. His mouth closed over her and she felt a sudden sharp, stabbing pain in her throat where his canines punctured her flesh. Still thrusting hard enough to send spasms of pleasure rocketing through her body, he began to drink of her. She felt the suction of his lips, heard the quiet sound of his suckling as moved inside her. This most intimate of kisses was possessive and hot. There was a need in him she hadn’t seen before, a desperation that made her want him more.
As the sweetness of his mouth slowly drawing what he needed filled her, she felt an orgasm building deep within. It teased, coming closer little by little as he drove himself deeper, and deeper still until she could scarcely control herself.
“Harder!” she begged. “Do me harder.”
&nbs
p; He slammed his hips against her; pleasure shot from her wound and radiated out to her entire body. She felt alive with pleasure, full of erotic heat.
His movements came faster, her release so close she could taste it.
He loomed above her, licking his lips and staring down at her. His eyes smoldered. Just looking at him made her release draw nearer.
“You belong to me,” he said, and thrust deep.
She screamed as pleasure erupted up and out of her. She bucked, lost control as wave after wave of pleasure hummed through her body. His thrusts came harder and deeper. He plunged into her, then she felt him stiffen. A moment later, he released a howl that sent shivers up her spine.
When he collapsed on top of her, all they could do was lie in a silent heap, gasping for breath.
When she was finally able to breathe normally, she remained silent. Words seemed too coarse for what they had just shared. Instead, she held him to her and listened as his breathing slowed.
When she fell asleep, it was with a contentment she’d never known.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Charity sat in the library with Raven, who was crouched before the fireplace, staring into the flames.
“What happens now?” she finally asked, breaking the silence.
He didn’t answer for a few seconds. “We wait,” he said finally. “It’s all we can do.”
“I don’t mean Azriel and the imps. I’m talking about us. What happens now between us? I meant what I said last night. I don’t want Figlio, or anyone else. I want to be with you.”
Raven stood and turned to face her. In his trademark snakeskin pants, he looked truly delectable. She wondered if she’d ever stop wanting him. Every time she looked at him, her hormones went from zero to sixty in six seconds.
“Things aren’t always a matter of what we want,” he said quietly. “Life is more complex than that.”
“I don’t care about what anybody else wants, Raven. What do you want?”
Again, it took him a moment to answer. “I’ve been punished for acting on my desires before. I was imprisoned beneath the earth for millennia. Imprisoned with my desire and lust, and no woman to fulfill them. Now, I finally have a chance to redeem myself. I’ve been given this one chance. If I make the wrong decision, I’ll end up back where I started with nothing. I won’t be welcomed back into heaven, and I won’t have you. I’ll be in my pit in my chains, suffering.”
Nephilim War: Book 2 Page 23