by Nikki Landis
After that, only silence.
“About that energy exchange,” Damian whispered seductively. “You need to replenish. I could use a little boost even with his blood. Say your spell, precious. The next few minutes you’re mine.”
This wasn’t the first time Damian shocked me with the possessiveness of his tone but today it was magnified by our mutual desires and increased need. My sexy vampire was a constant contradiction and I loved his dark humor and quick wit.
It took a moment for me to realize that my head was spinning, and I felt far weaker than was normal. My body was close to collapse as I fought a wave of nausea. What was the matter with me?
‘Damian.’
That was all I managed to say before I crumpled to the ground. My vision tunneled and I found it increasingly harder and more difficult to breathe. My chest ached with the need for oxygen. I was fading . . . fast.
Maybe I used too much energy to free us from Roman’s spell.
‘Cassie!’
Damian lifted me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. ‘Start the Succubus spell. Now!’
‘I’m too weak.’
‘No, I don’t accept that. The moment you begin the spell I’ll increase the pressure. Do it!’
The last spark of my energy glowed within and I latched onto it in desperation. If I didn’t make it, at least I’d leave this world doused in pleasure.
The words of the spell floated through my consciousness as Damian’s kiss deepened. Soon his tongue was thrusting into my mouth, devouring me as if he couldn’t get enough. A small spark ignited within me and began to grow. Fed by the energy much as a Succubus would be, I yanked on every pleasurable sensation until I felt my strength slowly returning. It wasn’t long before I was threading my fingers through his dark hair and arching my body against his, my mouth seared to his lips as I took what I needed.
‘Keep going!’ he shouted in my head and I continued to draw strength from him, feeding off the sexual desire and need that kept growing within.
“Can we move this along?” Vincent asked, sounding both bored and impatient.
Damian broke the kiss for about three seconds to reply. “You’ll wait until we are ready, necromancer.”
A small chuckle greeted us from the cell next door. “By all means, take your pleasure, but remember we are all on borrowed time.”
Damian didn’t answer as he pulled me into his arms, his deep emerald eyes focusing on mine as they glowed within the dark chamber.
‘I don’t think I can be gentle this first time, my beautiful pet. My need is too great.’
‘Perhaps I feel the same.’
A low growl of appreciation rumbled from his throat as Damian’s lips crashed down on mine. In the back of my mind lingered the thought that we were going to have sex in a dungeon next to a dead body with a necromancer listening in the cell next door. Talk about macabre.
Damian slid his wrist along a fang and a droplet of blood appeared. “Drink this,” he ordered. “You need a boost in addition to the spell.”
I licked the few droplets of blood away as he moaned. The skin healed almost instantly.
All thought fled my mind when Damian’s lips swept across my throat with hot sensual kisses. Seconds later his fangs scraped the sensitive skin of my neck. Small jolts of pleasure tingled every nerve ending in my body.
‘I want to sink my fangs into you the same time as my cock.’
My body was stripped of clothing so fast I blinked. Picking me up and pressing my back against the cold stone wall, Damian’s hungry gaze focused on my own as my legs wrapped around his waist.
‘Cassie.’
He’d never hurt or harm me in any way. ‘It’s okay, Damian.’
That first hot thrust filled me so completely, so perfectly that I cried out his name as he began to move. His fangs pierced the skin of my neck at the same time. The room filled with the sounds of mutual pleasure and the slap of our flesh as we both gripped the other tighter. Our moans and groans echoed throughout the room and echoed as if amplified, alerting anyone in the vicinity of the extent of our lust.
‘You’re so hot and wet, my pet. Delicious, too.’
The heat of desire pooled in my belly as my arousal increased. By contrast, Damian was slightly cool to the touch, more so than usual and it occurred to me that he was probably starving. The lack of fresh blood pumping through his body from a feeding would enhance the cooler temperature. Listening to my thoughts, he began to suck with greater speed and strength, spearing my body with each long, hard stroke as his hips pumped steadily into mine.
I met each powerful thrust with my own, moaning at the intense pleasure that coursed through my veins like molten lava. The hot and cold, fire and ice combination was an aphrodisiac like no other. My body responded to his with such fervor and passion that I lost myself completely in his touch. It wasn’t only the spell. His body and mine were meant to combine like this. A sudden overwhelming urge to ride him overcame me but he growled an answer.
“Next time, precious. I can’t slow down now.”
“Damian,” I moaned louder, gripping his shoulders as he hissed in response.
His lips returned to mine as the metallic taste of my blood coated my tongue. Damian was an excellent kisser, sweeping my mouth and practically devouring me in a way no man had ever dared before him.
A hiss entered my mind. ‘There is no other. Not a Cosan. Not anyone from your past. Only me and this moment, my precious. No one else exists.’
He was right.
Lost in our mutual pleasure, it was just the witch and her vampire. In the back of my mind lingered the thought that I was becoming closer to Damian than any of the others, but I found I didn’t mind. There was something special about him – the brooding, sarcastic, betrayed man who smoldered with passion and wasn’t afraid to take what he wanted.
His immortal soul spoke to mine.
My lips were swollen with his fevered kisses as he slowly trailed his mouth down the side of my neck, his fangs piercing my skin again as he thrust wildly upward. I couldn’t help how often I was yelling out his name, clinging to the man who held me and truly fucked me as deliciously hard as he threatened.
The more he fed, the more the heat returned to his skin and increased the temperature. His thick cock grew harder and hotter with every movement of his hips. My body responded to his like we were made for only one another. Gliding in and out with a consistent tempo that caused my legs to tremble, Damian didn’t lessen the pace.
I was going to fall over the edge soon and I was certain my cries would be heard throughout the castle.
‘Do it,’ he panted, his voice raw with a feral need. ‘I want to hear my name on those pretty lips. I want to feel you spasm around my dick.’
I couldn’t take any more.
Damian sent me over that ledge, and I came so hard I saw stars. My voice grew raspy with the amount of times I called out his name. I could feel the aftershocks pulsing through my core with each stroke. In my head he kept saying my name and calling me his beautiful witch.
I’d never felt more complete in any man’s arms than that moment.
With a primitive roar he released, his own climax vibrating his frame as he fought to control the nature of his beast. Damian blurred in front of me, still lodged inside as he turned into the form of his true self. I was staring into the eyes of a demon. The thick black skin was like marble, but it was his glorious ebony wings fanned out around us that caused my eyes to widen.
He was strikingly, terrifyingly exquisite.
‘You’re not afraid?’
‘No,’ I answered honestly. ‘You’re amazing.’
He lowered his head and pressed dark, foreign lips to my own. The leathery texture was somewhat odd, but I grew accustomed to the feel of them quickly. Damian began to move again, and I moaned with pleasure. His increased size meant all of his muscles, too. His cock stretched me wonderfully as he slowly picked up the pace until he turned away from the wall. Sta
nding in the center of the cell, he expertly moved my body up and down as he pumped his hips.
My cries grew louder again until I shattered, my orgasm as fierce as the one he also released. Lowering his forehead to my own, he drew in several ragged breaths.
‘Fuck, my precious pet, that’s one I won’t soon forget.’
Laughing as I caught my breath, I agreed. ‘I’ll never forget.’
Pulling out, he lowered my body and restored his glamour. One hand cupped my cheek as he kissed my lips. “Never,” he whispered. “My Cassie.”
The sound of something wet, like the slap of flesh during intercourse filled the sudden silence. Moments later several grunts could be heard from the cell next door.
Oh. My. Ancestors.
Did the necromancer just jerk off to my sexy time with Damian!?
The loud guffaw from my vampire was enough to confirm the answer was an embarrassing yes. I smacked Damian’s shoulder and then buried my head in his chest, breathing heavily as I blushed deeper.
‘Don’t be concerned. Sex is just sex, pet.’ I glared up at him. ‘Unless it’s you and me.’ His hand brushed the side of my face with a caress. ‘Don’t overthink it.’
Sighing, I nodded as the body of the dead guard rose up slowly from the ground. His movements were stiff and jerked in odd angles for a moment before he seemed to get his bearings. If I wasn’t already used to all the supernatural and weird shit that happened, I would have freaked out. As it was, I kept my distance as the reanimated corpse walked toward the cell door and unlocked it. I heard the key turn in the lock next door and knew Vincent would show up any second.
‘You did it, precious. I knew you had it in you.’
‘Uh huh. I almost died.’
‘You almost die all the time.’
That was entirely too true.
He smirked like that thought was amusing. “Well, my pet, at least we’re free.”
Chapter 3
“This place is too dark. Witch, want to shed some light on this situation?”
Damian hissed as I turned and waved a hand, every torch in the cell and those in the corridor lighting up at once. Super glad I was dressed again, I decided not to meet Vincent’s gaze and ignored his happy moment alone from a few minutes ago. I really didn’t want to discuss what those noises meant.
“Excellent, you’re handy to have around, precious.” Vincent appeared in the doorway at the same moment he spoke low to the dead guard. The body collapsed as he grabbed the jail cell keys and swung them around on a finger. “All set to escape this creepy castle?”
If the necromancer thought it was creepy, that was a clear indication we were practically on the threshold of Hell. I opened my mouth to reply when Damian bolted forward and shoved Vincent up against the stone wall so hard it cracked in several spots.
“Cassandra is my witch. You will not call her precious, pet, darling, or any other endearment unless you want me to rip you apart slowly piece by piece as I devour your blood and drink you dry.”
I didn’t doubt he meant every word.
Chuckling, Vincent shrugged. “Noted. Ready to leave now?”
Shaking my head, I stepped through the cell and nearly faceplanted as a wave of nausea swept over me. My hands smacked against the cold dirt floor as I lost my balance and fell to my knees.
‘Cassandra!’
‘Something is wrong, Damian.’
A hand met my back and gently brushed along my spine. ‘You’re still weak, even with my blood. We need to get out of here.’
Sighing, I let out a groan as I pushed up from the ground. “I’m really sick of this place.”
Snorting, the necromancer fired off a sarcastic response. “Try having an extended stay. It’s been months since I’ve seen daylight.”
“No one cares,” Damian mumbled, tucking me in against his side.
“Have an idea where the nearest exit is then?” Pursing my lips, I ignored Vincent’s clueless shrug.
“I know a way out,” Damian confided. “This is my home, after all.”
How could I have forgotten?
“Lead on, oh great one.” Vincent gestured for us to move ahead but Damian shook his head, indicating the necromancer lead the way.
“Just keep going straight until you come to the fork where it splits off, turn right and stop at the entrance to the underground tunnels.”
At the mention of the tunnels, I froze. “Tell me there aren’t any rats.”
‘You’ve fought demons, witches, and other immortals and the rats frighten you?’
I lifted my chin, ignoring the jibe. ‘They bite and carry diseases.’
Chuckling, Damian reached for my hand and led us down the dark, damp corridor of the dungeon. Rattling chains, moaning, eerie wails, and other noises filled the empty space as the hair on my arms rose. I hoped never to come back here again.
Realizing that wasn’t possible since Roman and Dmitri were somewhere close, I kept my thoughts to myself. Damian must have decided this was a good choice because he didn’t say a word aloud or in my head. It wasn’t long before we entered the tunnels, nearly slipping on the slime covered concrete. As long as nothing scurried beneath my feet, I’d attempt to remain calm.
Sensing my unease, my vampire came to the rescue. ‘How much of our lovemaking was the spell?’
Huh?
‘Was it the spell the entire time or not?’ Obviously, his thoughts were centered on an entirely different subject.
Frowning, I didn’t get his point. ‘The Succubus spell?’
His lip curled up in a snarl. ‘Yes, what other spell mattered?’
As his meaning became clear, I smiled deviously. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know.’
‘That is why I asked,’ he deadpanned.
‘You referred to us together as lovemaking. I thought sex was just sex, bloodsucker.’
‘Cassie,’ he warned.
I’ll admit the idea of frustrating him appealed to my naughty side. Damian was too fun not to mess with and he liked the idea even if he wouldn’t admit it. ‘Yes?’
“Tell me. Now,” he growled, forgetting to keep our conversation private.
Vincent stopped and spun around, his arms crossing over his chest as he smiled. “I want to know, too.” He was intentionally being a dick to annoy the vampire. No surprise.
Hissing, Damian bolted forward, but I managed to step in front of Vincent before he could be harmed. The act was swift and required no thought on my part to accomplish. My body simply reacted. All three of us became perfectly still as the shock of the moment settled in.
I had just moved . . . as fast as a vampire.
“Well,” Vincent broke the silence. “I guess this means you and the bloodsucker are bonded.”
Damian’s hands rose to my cheeks as he looked into my eyes, searching the depths as if he was unsure of what he would find. “Any other manifestations? Visions? Sharp hearing? Thirst?”
“No,” I admitted, suddenly frightened. “What does this mean?”
“We exchanged a lot of blood back in that cell, not to mention the siphon. You took some of my essence. I think our bond reached another level.”
Panicking was not smart but a small part of me wanted to do just that. “Like what kind of level?”
“Deep,” Vincent chimed in. “The kind of bond that’s irreversible and life-altering, at least for you, little witch.”
Damian shot him a glare. “You’re not helping.”
“Why only me?”
“You’re human. For immortals, it’s different.”
“Aren’t you human?” Looking into Vincent’s icy blue eyes, I wasn’t so sure as I spun around.
A red flame swirled within as I gasped and stepped back into Damian’s chest.
“Not entirely.”
For the first time, I noticed the Samhain and Day of the Dead makeup he wore. He was dressed outlandishly in a dark green fitted suit vest and pants, black boots, and a black velvet blazer with tails that resembled a
groom’s wedding attire. Multiple silver rings covered his fingers in morbid designs such as skulls and bones. A necklace made of bones and long angular teeth rattled around his neck. The coup de grâce was the black top hat he wore complete with bits of bone, feathers, and a loosely studded band with metal accents.
He was magnificently macabre and dapper.
Gypsy would love his look. She was into the costume scene and loved anything dark and exotic. To be honest, we both did.
‘She can have him. As long as he stays away from you.’
‘In case you haven’t noticed, Sebastian has it bad for Gyps. She likes him nearly as much.’
“So?” he asked aloud. “Gypsy has her own mind much the same as you.”
Wasn’t that the truth? My cousin was a handful. I’d said it more than once.
Vincent perked up at the mention of Gypsy’s name. “Who’s Gypsy?”
“My cousin. Stay away from her. She’s not even eighteen yet.”
Damian chuckled as we rounded a corner, trekking down another long tunnel. The water was a little deeper as we sank into the slime. Moldy wet walls seemed to close in on us as I felt something brush up against my calf. Screaming, I shot fireballs at the water, illuminating dozens of the vermin. Screeching, I practically clawed my way up Damian’s body.
“We need to do something about your irrational fear.”
“It’s not irrational,” I argued. “That rodent was about to bite me!”
I could see several of the rats slithering in the murky liquid as we walked and decided I’d rather stay in Damian’s arms as long as possible.
“You know, you’re a witch. You can just blast those little fuckers and be rid of them,” Vincent observed.
Idiot. “Just because I’m not fond of something doesn’t mean I have to kill it,” I retorted, disgusted with his comment. Never mind I actually just shot at them all with fireballs.
“Touché. I suppose you’re right, but your screams are putting me on edge,” he admitted, “not to mention alerting the whole damn castle of our escape.”
I wasn’t trying to be loud on purpose. Would it be a crime if I blasted him instead of the rats?
Damian chuckled as he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer against his side. “You know the answer to that, precious.”