“Take what you want from me. I’m yours.” He tilted his head to the side to give her access to his throat.
The sight was too much. Nick lay out below her, giving her dominance over him even though she knew he was stronger. Her cougar roared in triumph. Canines dropped from her gums, and she leaned forward to nuzzle his neck. With more strength than she meant to use, she struck, burying her teeth in his neck. His shout was covered by her moan of pleasure. Nothing tasted like him. Nothing reached the empty places in her heart like his blood did. She sipped at his neck as they continued to move together.
The connection between them strengthened with each drop of blood she took. What started as a thread tickling her thoughts became a rope that bound them together. Her soul rejoiced at the connection. She could feel him inside her thoughts, feel his need, his desire to make this right between them. She could taste the fear he still harbored that she would resent him as her mate. His love and affection swamped her, buried her in wonderful understanding. Tears came unbidden to her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She took another mouthful of his blood and reveled in the bond between them. She pushed her thoughts toward him, feeding her passion and love into his mind.
While her mind embraced the mating bond, her body was reacting to their intimacy. Each pull on his vein brought her that much closer to her climax. He moved a hand between their bodies and strummed her clit with a finger until her body ignited. Flashes of light fired behind her eyes, her muscles clenched and pulsed around his cock. The feel of hot cum coating the inside of her passage tipped her over the edge again. She cried out against his neck and had to release her hold on him to breathe. She rested her head against his chest while they both caught their breath.
When she could think, she looked at the wound she had caused and grimaced. She licked the puncture closed, kissing him on the marks she left. The enzymes in her saliva that entered his blood and formed the mating bond would have caused the marks to scar in a shifter. She was slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t carry her marks on his body, but that feeling slid away quickly. Exhaustion pulled her down over his body. She snuggled her head into the hollow of his neck.
She was content for the first time in more years than she could remember. She was connected to her mate even at that moment. She wouldn’t be alone ever again. His presence was a little soft touch of emotion in the corner of her mind. If she concentrated on it, she could sense his emotions, which echoed hers at the moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him with all of the emotion she couldn’t speak about.
“So, mate of mine, want to head home so we can have our slow and sweet lovemaking in our own bed?” Nick’s voice rumbled under her ear. His hands stroked along her back in long, slow sweeps.
“Our bed? Are you moving in?” She lifted her head just in time to catch the concern in his eyes. “I’m kidding. You can move in with me or me with you. I don’t have any emotional connection to my place. You need to relax. I’m yours and you’re mine, right?”
“I don’t want you to regret what you’ve been forced into, Willie. You were just forced into making me your mate, for fuck’s sake.”
“Look at me and listen to my words. No one forced me into anything, okay? I had made my mind up days ago to take you as a mate. I’m just stubborn. I can’t regret what we’ve done. Can’t you feel the connection? Can’t you feel my thoughts and emotions? I’m nothing but happy about this.”
The sigh that escaped his lips held all the anxiety and fear that he had been feeling. She could feel it wash out of his mind. He pulled her down and kissed her softly, sweetly. “We are together forever.”
“Explain to me about what we did downstairs. Am I safe now?”
“You and I claimed each other in the eyes of the Council, which means you are my responsibility going forward. In their eyes you are my creation. I will act as your maker.”
“So, like my daddy?” She giggled when he smacked her on the ass.
“No, not like your daddy.” He grinned at her. “Vampires do take mates, and I think that everyone down there knows we are mated. It doesn’t happen as often with vamps as it does with shifters, but there are instances of vampires finding and taking a permanent mate.”
“It’s too bad my bites won’t scar you like they would a shifter. I don’t want to have to be nice to all the females that come on to you. That Anna was about one step from death when she was all over you before.”
He chuckled. “I sort of liked the fact that you were jealous, although killing the favorite child of the head of the Council probably wouldn’t have been good.”
Willie started to say something else, but a knock on the door stopped her. She shot a questioning look at Nick. He shrugged and stood to answer the door. He peeked out into the hall and spoke to someone for a moment. She watched the play of muscles across his back and ass as he walked to the door naked. Obviously nudity in the vampire world was about as normal as it was in the shifter world.
He turned to her with a look of mild surprise. “The Council would like to speak to us again if we are done ‘talking.’”
She scrambled to get dressed, trying to keep the fear down to a dull roar inside her mind. As she threw on her clothes, her mind spun, looking for a reason for their summons. Why would they want to see them again?
They walked hand in hand down the white and black hallway. A human man walked in front of them, taking them back to the Council chambers. He didn’t have any information about why they were wanted again. He didn’t know if Alex would be there.
When the man pointed them toward the double doors, they walked through, both feeling differing levels of trepidation. The Council members still sat in the same seats, looking as bored as before. Alex lounged against a wall to the left, grinning and winking at Willie. That alone made her feel better. If Alex was still here, things couldn’t be too bad. She was pulled from her thoughts when one of the Council males cleared his throat.
“Alex has once again offered a suggestion that merits thought. The Council would like to offer Willimena a position as an investigator to be partnered with Nickola for the capture of Stephen. If she completes this assignment as expected, then the offer would be permanent. This would allow the two of you to travel together working for the Council as a pair.”
She openly gaped at Alex. She hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Nick being sent away on Council business. The fact that this irritating, egotistical bloodsucker would think to solve a problem she hadn’t even thought of was, in one word, astounding.
“What are the terms of her employment?” Nick seemed to take this change in stride. Perhaps he had already thought of the problems a separation would cause for them. Maybe he and Alex had already discussed it. Maybe he was just better at bluffing through his emotions.
“Her terms and compensation would match yours. A monthly stipend for retaining her services, payment upon each successful assignment, travel allowance.”
Willie was reeling. Her entire life was changing right now, as she stood rooted in place on a black marble tile. Her money issues, her loneliness, her connections to the vampire world. Everything she had based her life on for so long was changing with each second that ticked by and each new sentence that was uttered. Her vision dimmed, and she realized that she had been holding her breath. Breathe, she commanded herself, don’t you dare pass out.
“Willie?” Nick’s face swam into her field of vision. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’m just having a life crisis, but it will pass.” She stared over his shoulder at the Council with their expectant expressions. “Do I have to sign a contract or something?”
“No, your verbal agreement is all that is needed. Understand that you can’t back out of this contract without first coming before us. We don’t look kindly on someone who breaks an agreement with us.”
She turned to Nick for help. “What do you think?”
He took her hand in his and gave her a squeeze. “This
will ensure that we are never parted. Take the deal.”
She looked into his eyes for a moment more, sensing he told her the truth. She turned to the Council. “I accept the job offer.”
“Good. Now, go away and take Alex with you before he decides you deserve a position on the Council.” The smile that played around the male’s lips changed his face completely. “You will have two weeks to train before we expect you and Nickola out hunting Stephen.”
Willie grinned. She wouldn’t have thought that any member of the Council would have a sense of humor. She turned to Nick, grabbed his hand, and almost skipped over to Alex. Her heart was light, her life was looking up, and she was walking away from the vampire Council alive.
“Come on, boys. You guys owe me a burger and fries.” She laughed at the scoffs behind her as she raced from the ballroom.
Chapter 13
Nothing beats being in your own home, stretched out in your own bathtub. Well, maybe making love to your mate was better, but after that the next best thing was a soak in the bathtub. She relaxed into the tub further, breathing in the steam and grinning to herself.
They had finally gotten rid of Alex, although he promised to see them soon. He had driven off in a black Mercedes that had appeared between the moment they drove into her driveway and a few moments later when he walked out the door with a wave. Mysterious things happened with he was around.
Now Willie was obeying her mate by taking a bath while he ordered them dinner. A giggle bubbled out of her throat, and she almost submerged herself from embarrassment. She wasn’t a girl that giggled. She snickered, smirked, and perhaps laughed evilly once in a while, but she never giggled. Happiness was doing something to her, and she couldn’t get worked up enough to worry about it. For this moment she was happy and content. Life promised to screw with those feelings, but she would drink in the contentment while it lasted. At least fate had given her a mate that she adored. The giggle bubbled again. The changes in her thoughts about having Nick as her mate were like day and night. She couldn’t imagine a day without him in it now.
“What are you giggling about in here?” Nick sauntered into the bathroom. His eyes roamed over her, igniting a flame of need deep in her belly. “Mmmm, you look downright tasty all wet and warm.”
“What did you order for dinner?” She watched his eyes flare emerald green when she opened her thighs and ran a hand under water down her belly. She cupped a breast with her other hand. When she caught him looking at her hands, she pulled her nipple and rolled it, moaning softly. “Do you want to come in here with me?”
“You are such a temptress,” he said, groaning. He closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. “I ordered pizza from Mark’s. It should be here in about twenty minutes.”
“That’s plenty of time. Come in here with me. I’ll scrub your back, and if you’re really nice to me, I’ll scrub other places, too.”
He didn’t even take the time to answer her. Passion flared in his gaze as he pulled off his clothes as fast as he could. He stepped into the tub and knelt between her legs. One hand swept down her belly to touch her pussy. His other hand wrapped around her lower back and pulled her out of the water enough that he could latch lips onto a breast. She gasped at the speed of his assault. Fingers slid in her folds, skimming her opening and sliding to her clit. He rubbed her in quick circles and suckled her nipple to the same tempo. She struggled for a moment, but his hold was like steel chains. Flicks of his tongue across her nipple had her bowing from the water, pressing her body into his.
A moan was ripped from her lips when he speared two fingers into her channel before pressing them to her clit again and rubbing. Her mind was being taken over by the sensations. Hot water bathed her body, moving in waves over her sensitive skin. Small nips of sharp teeth on her breast were exquisitely painful. Teeth clamped around her nipple pushed her closer to the edge. His fingers rubbed against her clit in small, rough circles. Her muscles tensed, knowing an orgasm was building. A flick of his tongue on her compressed nipple sent her screaming over the edge. She bucked against his body, sending waves of heat across her breasts. She cried out when he bit her breast enough to draw blood. The slide of teeth into her flesh took her higher, clamping her muscles down, vibrating pleasure through her body. Her release was brutal and wonderful.
Nick entered her before the shivers had finished running over her skin. One moment he was holding her against his mouth the next he had her hips in his hands and was pushing his thick cock into her pussy. His face was a mask of restrained passion. His hips flexed and pushed into her, stretching her channel. She watched him glance down to where he entered her. The view was erotic as his shaft moved in and out of her shaved lips.
“I wanted to go slow this time, but I can’t.” He ground his words between clenched teeth.
“I don’t want slow.” She arched her back, pushing his cock further into her passage. She clenched her vaginal muscles and wiggled in his grasp. “Nick, give me fast and hard.”
He responded with a surge that splashed water onto the tile floor. He pulled out until only the head of his cock remained in her body and pushed forward fast. His pace picked up, splashing water on each slide in and out of her pussy. She gripped his shoulders, trying to hold on. Her body spiraled higher, clenching her muscles, straining toward his body.
When he changed his movements to short, fast bursts, she almost shouted with joy. Each slide into her body stroked against her sensitive clit. The climax cascaded over her body, dragging a gasp from her lips. Nick followed her and surged one last time before she felt the heated fluid filling her.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him to her. His skin was salty and warm under her lips as she kissed his shoulder. She breathed in his scent and grinned as her cougar purred loudly in her mind. Yep, they were finally seeing eye-to-eye. Nick was their mate. The halfie, half-breed, mutant had a vampire for a mate. She grinned and kissed his chest again.
“Okay, next time we’ll go slow and sweet.” He breathed the words against her chest and raised goose bumps along the skin. He lifted his head and grinned. “Or, maybe we’ll just go hard and fast again. I can’t seem to slow myself down around you.”
“It’s a good thing I like hard and fast, then, huh?” She smacked at his ass. “Now, get out of the tub so I can clean up the mess we made before food gets here.”
Nick climbed out of the tub and chuckled. He grabbed a few towels and threw them on the puddles before walking out of the bathroom. She checked the corner of her mouth to see if she was drooling. Damn, he had a fine ass. She scrambled out and wrapped a towel around her before slopping up the water. They would need a larger tub if they were going to bathe together. She followed him into her room. No, their room. Their bedroom. She grinned.
“What am I going to do for training?” She had thought about the directive from the Council but didn’t want to ask in front of Alex. She stood in the doorway of the bedroom watching Nick throw a shirt on. “Two weeks seems a long time to me.”
“The Council was giving us a paid honeymoon of sorts, I think. We will spend some time on hand-to-hand training. I know you’re good with your knife, but it would be good to do some training together, see what we can do to play our strengths together.”
“So, in two weeks we start trying to find this guy who left the deader in your truck? What if he comes after us again before then?”
“We do what we did last time, but this time you won’t chomp off the head of the guy talking.” He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. “As your mentor, I can require all deaths to be at my hand. If you can’t play nice with our toys, you don’t get to kill anything.”
“What? Really? But I like killing things, and now that I’m part of the whole bloodsucking family, I won’t have half as much fun. All those bodies I won’t be allowed to create. Heads I can’t sever.” She stuck her lip out and pouted.
“Yes, really.” He walked over and pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms
around her waist. “I can’t believe you are mine. Fate couldn’t have found anyone more perfect for me. You love killing, I love killing… You love hard and fast lovemaking, I love making love to you hard and fast. Even the severing of heads is something we both enjoy. We’re perfect together.”
The doorbell rang, and he kissed her upturned lips. With a quick slap to her ass, he turned to head downstairs. He laughed as she sputtered.
She dressed quickly and tromped down the stairs. Her pizza and wings came in with Nick’s meal, a meaty twenty-something boy. Yum. She watched as her mate fuzzed the kid’s mind, walked him into their living room, and bit into his neck. What used to cause her nausea was now a turn-on. She watched the muscles in Nick’s neck work as he suckled at the wound he had created. She could almost feel the pull on her clit. She watched him through hooded eyes and finally noticed that he watched her with the same sensual stare.
Willie took a couple of steps to close the distance between herself and her mate. His need echoed through her mind, and she pushed her promise of hard and fast as soon as they got rid of the meal. She felt the pull of his thoughts and grinned. Fate definitely had given her the perfect mate, bitch that she was. Mating needs were wonderful, glorious things.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lea lives in Western New York with her hubby, three children, and miscellaneous critters. Before the rug rats, she lived a life of adventure, following her husband all over Europe with the US military. She’s slept in a car outside Paris, drove six hours just to see tulips in the Netherlands, and knocked ash from her shoes at Pompey. Now she spends her time in life’s adventures at soccer games, PTA meetings, and school plays.
Lea has loved reading from a very young age, spending many sleepless nights devouring books. Science fiction and paranormal were her favorite genres to read as a teenager, and that love bled into her adult life. She started writing during a bout of insomnia, to fill time, and found it filled a creative void. Now she communes regularly with the characters in her head and tries not to laugh out loud when they say something funny.
Half in Love [Willie Krenshaw] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 14