John The Deliverer

by Rhiannon Neeley

  "Devlin Morse thinks you're a vampire hunter," he said, his face a mask of seriousness.

  Maddie was taken aback. "What!"

  Raven crossed one of his long legs over the other, his leather creaking as he moved. "One of Devlin's horde read your book. Then she brought it to Devlin. She was worried."

  Maddie frowned. "About what? What does my book have to do with anything?"

  "It's too true to the vampire life."

  Maddie snickered. "Are you kidding me? 'When Glory Came Home' is true-to-life for a vampire?"

  Raven nodded.

  Maddie's mouth dropped open. He was serious. Her book, her 'fiction' novel, was a true-life vampire story? Oh this was just getting better and better. "Okay. If Devlin thinks the book resembles vampire life too closely, why would he think I was a vampire hunter and not a vampire instead?"

  "Because no vampire would write something that would expose the lifestyle. No vampire that wanted to survive, anyway."

  Maddie shook her head. "What I wrote is fiction. Can't they see that?" She frowned. "How many of them are there, anyway?"

  "In Devlin's clutch, there are four. Three male and one female."

  "In Devlin's 'clutch'?"

  "A clutch is what we call a certain family-like group. Devlin's clutch contains himself, two other males and a female who calls herself Claire."

  Maddie noticed a cloud pass over Raven's eyes at the mention of Claire. Was there something between them? Was that why he had broken off the kiss? Was Raven, who professed to be a vampire hunter--vampire killer--attracted to the female vampire named Claire? Maddie felt a little glitch in her heart at the thought. Stop it, she told herself. Yes, you are attracted to Raven's ... maleness but you don't have to feel like you've been jilted. There is no relationship between us. Still, the thought of him with another woman, even a woman vampire, wounded her heart. Maddie mentally shook herself. These thoughts were getting her nowhere.

  "So, if Devlin thinks I'm a vampire hunter, what does he want with me? And why are you here?"

  "Devlin sent me to find you."

  "So you are one of them."

  Raven shook his head, anger flashing in his dark eyes. "I am not one of them. Never say that."

  Maddie jerked back. Whoa. A bit touchy there. "Then why did Devlin send you? Do you owe him something?"

  Raven looked away for the first time. He stared out the window behind the couch, not meeting her gaze. "I don't 'owe' Devlin anything. He sent me to test me. Test my loyalty to the Clutch."

  "Why do you feel the need to prove your loyalty if you're not one of them?"

  Raven clenched his fist, making the armored ring on his finger give a metallic 'clink'. "Devlin has my brother."

  Maddie felt a tug at her heart. "Family," she whispered. Can this dangerous looking man be so devoted to family? she wondered.

  "Yes. My family." Raven sighed heavily. "What you need to worry about is how you're going to survive."

  Maddie's throat went suddenly dry. What did he mean 'survive'? Was Devlin out to kill her? Good grief, she'd almost allowed Devlin to walk her to her car earlier that evening.

  "I am really in that much danger? That someone would want to ... want to kill me?" Maddie felt the icy hand of fear clutch her throat.

  Raven swung his face toward her. He leaned forward menacingly. "Yes. Devlin wants you dead."

  Maddie bolted from the couch. "No. This is ridiculous. You're lying. You have to be. I'm not even sure who the hell you are and you break into my house, my home," she swung around, "and threaten me."

  Raven slowly rose from the couch and with one step, was directly in front of her.

  Maddie stood her ground, even though her insides had turned to icy fear. Her stomach trembled at the thought of Raven's powerful hands and what they could do to her. At her height, she barely came to his chin and he had over one hundred pounds on her. He could snap her like a twig. But still, this was her house, damn it. And her town. Who did he think he was?

  "Listen to me, Madison," Raven said lowering his head toward her. His eyes gleamed with intrigue and mystery. "Devlin is not one you should underestimate. He is a vampire. An old vampire and very powerful. If he wanted you right now, I would have trouble stopping it. You would go to him as if he were your lover."

  Maddie swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "He ... he could do that?"

  "Most definitely. But he's worried. That's why he sent me to find out if you really are a hunter. And if you are, he will eliminate you. It's a question of his survival. And if it comes down to a choice between his horde or you, you will lose."

  Maddie stared up into Raven's deadly serious face. What was she going to do? She had seen Devlin Morse's fangs and he had been awfully friendly at the Mall. He had wanted to get her alone. "And you're here to protect me," she whispered.

  Raven nodded, his long dark hair shifting in the dim light. "Among other things."

  "I'm ... I'm not a hunter. I'm just a writer. A fiction writer."

  "I know."

  "Then why does Devlin think...?"

  "Because your book hit him too close to home."

  Maddie shuddered. This was a nightmare. Her normal life had disappeared and in its place was a horror movie of the scariest kind. "What am I going to do?"

  Raven moved closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Trust me."

  Chapter Six

  Standing this close to Raven, feeling the waves of his animal magnetism wash over her, Maddie felt as if she already knew him. He towered over her, his dark eyes intense in their scrutiny of her. His hands gripped her shoulders, burning her skin through the thick bathrobe she wore. Maddie knew him. Knew him intimately.

  She knew the way his hands would feel against her bare skin as they roamed over her body. The sensuous moist heat of his mouth on hers, tasting, probing. The ripple of his muscles flexing underneath her hands as she stroked his strong back.

  Maddie looked into Raven's dark eyes and felt desire coil inside her, hot and steamy. She ran her tongue over her lips, wetting them. She wanted him. Wanted him now. She wanted to let her hands, her fingers, her tongue explore his hard-muscled body to make sure he wasn't just some smoky filament of her wild imagination. After all, she had created him, lived with him, loved him in her mind for a very long time. She had written him into her book. He was her dream lover.

  "What are you thinking, Madison?" Raven asked, pulling her closer.

  A rush of heat swept through her as his breath caressed her cheek. His hands tightened on her shoulders, then slid down to grip the collar of her robe. Maddie sucked in her breath.

  Raven lowered his head. "Tell me," he breathed against her ear.

  A wave of pure passion rippled through Maddie, as Raven's hot breath trailed down her neck. She closed her eyes and braced her palms against his chest. She could feel his heart beat under the black silk shirt that he wore. He turned his head, the stubble on his cheek brushing against her own, sending a shiver down through her core. Maddie sighed, a hot wetness moistening the cleft between her legs as she splayed her fingers across his chest.

  Raven brought his right hand up to her cheek, cupping it in his palm. Maddie instinctively turned toward the warmth. Raven ran his thumb slowly across her bottom lip as he tilted her chin up. "Look at me. Let me see the real Madison," he said, his voice low. Maddie took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

  Raven's face was but a whisper away. Maddie was lost in his eyes, the dark depths swirling, taking her down. His breath trailed over her fevered lips. Maddie parted her lips and drew his breath inside her mouth. His essence entered her, sending tendrils of sultry heat deep inside her body. Her hands, still on his chest, clenched, gathering the black silk in her fingers.

  Maddie's insides quivered as the wetness of her arousal grew. She closed her eyes again with a sigh, and when she felt his tongue slide slowly over her lips, she moaned. Raven's mouth came down on hers then, capturing the moan, his tongue driving inside her mouth.
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br />   He slid his hand to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair as his tongue explored the underside of her own. Colors swam behind Maddie's eyes, the heat that was coiled down low in her belly threatening to explode. Maddie released her grasp on his shirt and snaked her arms up around his neck, threading her fingers through his silky hair.

  John Raven was her fantasy and had been for some time. She had created him in her mind, written him into a novel, dreamed him and now--somehow--he was here in the flesh. To hell with normal, she thought, raising herself up on tiptoe. I want this man. Maddie intensified the kiss, drawing Raven's tongue deep into her mouth. She sucked it, moaning at the thought of what a tongue like Raven's could do to other secret places.

  Raven chuckled deep in his throat as he drew his tongue back and broke the kiss.

  Maddie gasped for breath, her body a live, vibrating wire.

  Raven leaned his forehead against hers. "Madison, I want to see your eyes," he whispered.

  Maddie opened her eyes and gazed into his. Unable to help herself, her tongue snaked out and traced his lips, longing for the taste of him. She felt him smile under her assault.

  Raven moved his hand from her tangled hair to the collar of her robe to join the other. "Open yourself to me," he said.

  The tide of her arousal doubled as Raven drew the collar of the robe slowly open, exposing her breasts. Maddie flickered her tongue into his mouth again, testing the sharp points of his fangs. Her body was on fire, her insides seething with need.

  Raven pulled back from her face. His hands slid from the collar of her robe and cupped her breasts.

  Maddie blinked and bit her bottom lip. Slowly, Raven began to massage her straining breasts with the palms of his hands. Maddie bit down harder on her lip to keep from whimpering from the intense sensations his hands were creating. A smile formed on Raven's lips as he captured her pebble-hard nipples between thumb and forefinger of each hand and leaned toward her.. "Tell me what you want, Madison," he said again.

  Even while her mind screamed, 'Danger! Vampire!', her body ached with the urge to surrender to him. "I ... want you," she breathed, a shudder traveling down her spine.

  "Then you shall have me," he said, his voice a low growl. He went to his knees in front of her.

  Maddie gasped at the first flick of his moist tongue across her now-swollen nipple. She dug her fingernails into his leather-clad shoulders as his hands captured her waist and held her.

  Then his mouth was on her, taking her right nipple inside its hot wetness, sucking hard.

  Maddie arched her back, her hands drawing him closer as the coiled heat in her belly began to unfold and flames licked through her.

  Raven chuckled, the touch of his fangs on her breast sending her into an explosion of pleasure. "Oh my God," she gasped as the orgasm rocked through her and her mind shattered into a million shards of light, electricity crackling through every nerve in her body.

  * * * *

  When Raven felt Madison's knees give way with the power of her orgasm, he released her engorged nipple from his mouth and quickly stood, catching her in his arms before she collapsed. He slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back and lifted. She weighed next to nothing in his arms, her small body making him feel powerful. She reeled with the force of her pleasure, arching her neck back, her eyes closed, lost in the wake of her release. Though the belt of her robe was still tied at her waist, her breasts were fully exposed to his hungry gaze. He couldn't help himself. Raven lifted Madison higher and drew his tongue across the nipple he had neglected, and felt her shudder in his arms. With a groan, Raven settled his mouth over the rosebud of her nipple and gently sucked, reveling in the taste of her.

  Madison moaned in his arms. Her hand came up to stroke his hair as he drew circles with his tongue around her coral-colored nipple. Raven then turned, and moving to the couch, gently placed her on it. Then stood back and allowed his eyes to drink in her half-naked body.

  Maddie gazed back at him with hooded eyes, making no attempt to cover herself. Her face was flushed, her creamy skin glowing softly with the blush of passion. Raven took a deep breath, shrugged out of his leather coat, and tossed it aside. He sat down next to her and Madison sat up. She reached for the buttons of his shirt. Raven watched her nimble fingers fly over the buttons and soon his shirt joined the coat on the floor. He felt a flicker of fire race through him as her hands traveled over his bare chest exploring, while her eyes widened as his apparent need for her strained against the leather of his pants..

  "I dreamed of you," Madison said, her eyes searching his face.

  "I know."

  She lifted one hand to his mouth. Her fingers were cool against his lips as she traced over them. Gently, she slipped her thumb inside his mouth and ran it over the tips of his fangs.

  If she wants me to play the part, he thought, I'll give her what she wants.

  He nipped her thumb, gently and Maddie jerked it from his mouth with a small gasp.

  * * * *

  Maddie rubbed the thumb that Raven had bitten. It hadn't hurt, just surprised her. She still couldn't believe Raven had satisfied her so easily, just by toying with her breasts. No man had ever made her feel so wanton.

  Suddenly, he leaned forward and captured her mouth. His kiss was rough, demanding, and Madison wanted to burst into flames under his touch. She responded ardently, tangling her hands in his hair, drawing him closer. As she leaned back against the couch cushions, Raven followed, moving between her legs as he pinned her to the couch with his kiss..

  She groaned, the pressure of his body against her secret place making her want to wrap herself around him. , Raven pulled back, snaking one hand up into the hair at the nape of her neck and gently forcing her to look at him.

  Maddie trembled as she felt his power.

  His eyes burned into hers. "Trust me," he said. Then he turned her head to the side, his hand still gripping her hair. Maddie gasped when she felt his fangs trail over the skin below her ear. He drew his tongue over the vein that pulsed in her neck, making her shudder with anticipation. Raven chuckled, moving down her neck to her breast.

  "No," he whispered hotly against her skin. "Your blood is not what I crave."

  Maddie felt herself dampen as Raven moved lower. He untied the belt of her robe and opened it, revealing all of her to him. Maddie stroked his hair while he tasted her tummy. "Mmmm," he said, deep in his throat. His hands moved down, one on each thigh.

  Swirling his tongue around her belly-button, Raven looked up at her through his dark eyelashes. Wherever his long, hot tongue touched, shimmering sensations rippled through her skin. She licked her lips, trying to hold herself in check. Their eyes locked. Madison's core heated as he continued to move lower, his hands urging her legs wider apart.

  Soon, his lips hovered just above the mass of cinnamon curls that hid her most secret place. Maddie took a deep breath, watching him. A slow grin grew on his lips as he pulled her legs wider apart. His head dipped lower. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. "This," he said, "is what I need."

  Maddie could feel the muscles in her thighs start to tremble as Raven's hands slid up her thighs to her center and spread her open. Her hands were gripping the edges of her open robe as she felt the moist heat of his breath. "Raven..." she whispered.

  Raven watched her face as his fingers gently spread her nether lips wide. As she felt the smooth swipe of his tongue across her sensitive bud, Maddie let out a low moan.

  "Feed me, Madison," he murmured against her. "Fill me with your warm sweet honey."

  Madison closed her eyes, her hips moving toward his mouth. "Ohhh," she said, her breath shaky.

  Raven growled against her swollen bud, capturing it between his lips. He began to suck, his tongue flicking, caressing..

  Maddie started to whimper. Never had she felt like this, as though she was ready to explode. She gripped the edges of the robe tighter, a fine sweat breaking over her body.

  Raven re
leased her bud and with one long, trailing lick, then plunged his tongue inside the deepest recess of her core.

  Maddie gasped, her hips rising to meet every thrust of his tongue. The sound of his feast sent shivers into her bones. "Raven..." she moaned.

  "That's it," he said, flicking his tongue over her hot pink flesh, "Give me all of your juice, Madison. Come for me." Then he closed his mouth over her sweet spot and devoured her.

  Maddie arched her back, wave after wave of passion bursting from her into his mouth. Her hands tangled into his hair, pulling him closer, helping him to feed. He drank deep of her, groaning in delight. Maddie screamed finally, no longer able to control herself. Legs open wide to him, she surrendered completely as her world burst into pure feeling, moist heat and the sound of his mouth feeding upon her unbound desire.

  * * * *

  Raven groaned as Madison surrendered to him. Her spicy honey of passion filled his mouth and he drank deeply, taking everything he could. His tongue worked, lapping at her juices until he tasted the last drop of her orgasm.

  Madison became limp, putty in his hands, totally spent.

  Raven raised his head from the tastiest morsel he had ever had and looked at her. She lay back on the couch, her eyes smoky in their gaze, lips parted. Her breasts were full, nipples hard, telling of her pleasure.

  Raven could barely breathe from wanting her.

  Slowly, he raised himself up, moving along her body. When he reached her breasts, his tongue lashed out, giving each a lick.

  Maddie quivered with each touch, her eyes never leaving his.

  He moved higher still, until her breath was his. Hovering over her lips, he hesitated, feeling the pressure of her bare breasts against the skin of his chest.