He released her after an entire minute of heavenly bliss and worked to extricate himself from her clutches. Sometimes they wouldn’t let go. Sometimes they needed a little push.
He stared her directly in the eyes, letting his gaze bore into the depths of her soul. Then he pushed, “That’s enough. Release me now.”
She immediately removed her hand from a solid grip on his ass cheek and suckled her fingertip suggestively. Though they couldn’t hear over the music, she clearly communicated her willingness to perform. He could make her go down and swallow him whole right there in front of her friends and family. She’d do it without a second thought. The power he held over these women was immeasurable, and highly intoxicating. He had to get away before he forced the poor girl to do something she’d later regret. He respected his food. They gave him what he needed, and in turn he gave them respect and affection … to a limit. He walked away leaving La Mexicana angry yet sated, her entire group gawking as if she’d lost her mind.
He again looked to Michelle. She fed from a taller woman who accepted the intimacy like one who prefers women over men. Michelle attracted lesbians constantly. To her it didn’t really make much difference. She welcomed anyone when it came to feeding.
His immediate bloodlust sated, he scanned the crowd once more to locate his lost Snow White. He sensed a uniquely familiar presence at his back. She had come looking for him.
* * * *
Anastasia had circled around to watch him more closely. She’d been checking him out, sizing him up. She studied his features, trying to ascertain why he’d grabbed her attention to begin with. He wasn’t really a large man, very young actually, several years her junior. Definitely something different about him, an undeniable power and presence.
She watched him watching her. She actually felt when his mind entered hers, felt his presence. Just like the first time he did it. He was reading her mind, she knew it, could sense it as though he’d lifted up her dress to check out her panties. She experienced him rummaging through her thoughts like a man feeling her up, tweaking her nipples, stroking her inner thighs, invading her.
So intimate, so weird, yet interesting and arousing at the same time. He would be able to understand her like no other person on the planet. He would know how she felt, exactly how she felt. How awesome, to be understood at such a deeply personal level. And she knew he was interested in her. She had a feeling he might even take her home with him.
This was the one, the one she’d been looking for all her life. She’d found her golden boy, and he was everything she’d ever wanted––Sleek, fit, handsome, confident, not a muscle-bound monster, but powerful, nonetheless. She felt an unbelievably deep well of power flowing off him in waves. He radiated power.
* * * *
Aaron delved deep into her psyche. He sought to learn why she fascinated him so much. Anastasia, had a nice ring to it. Digging down deep into her essence, he caught a vague image of her father, same raven black hair. He’d been of Eastern European descent, a full-blooded Romani gypsy. Cultural differences and other disagreements led to the breakup of their family right after her seventh birthday.
There it is. She inherited a gypsy fortune teller’s intuition and psychic sensitivity. It took a few moments of intense probing, but he found it. Her unique factor, that special quality he found so damn attractive. She had beauty, an exotic beauty of sorts, but that was only part of the equation. Her sensitivity and insight made her stand out from the cattle herding about him. They were two people staring at each other knowingly, communicating psychically amidst an ocean of deaf, dumb and blind meatsacks. Beyond Michelle, no one else could really communicate and connect with him like this. A very attractive proposition.
He made the decision without once thinking of the consequences. He had to have her, had to acquire her. For keeps. He couldn’t imagine leaving without her.
* * * *
Anastasia lifted her arms in invitation, waiting for him to decide. He made his move, changing both their lives irrevocably as he enfolded her in his welcoming embrace. He whispered in her ear, “You’re mine, and I’ll never let you go.”
All that power flowing off him prickled her skin like static electricity. His aggressive-possessive-ownership response really did it for her. She had been looking for this all her life, since the age of sixteen, walking down the road with everything she owned in a garbage sack. She needed to be his, needed him to own and possess her.
She had finally found the missing piece of the puzzle, that which could make her whole. His dark predatory nature meshed seamlessly with her darkest desires. She had a nasty history of being victimized by predatory men. It started with her mother’s boyfriend, and spiraled out into an inescapable cycle. Her attraction to the wrong kind of man had made her a regular victim of abuse.
She recognized a key difference with this one. He was truly the most powerful male she’d ever encountered, but she sensed his gentleness, his reserved nature. He would never purposely harm her, would never beat her or treat her with the maliciousness and psychotic abuse of the other men she’d dated. He represented the best of both worlds. All that power and aggression wrapped up in neat little mild mannered package.
* * * *
Aaron knew she was no saint. The girl had issues, big time flaws, and a raging drinking habit that came along with it. She downed liquor like water, a fish. But he understood her plight all too well. Much like Michelle, Ana’s remarkable beauty incited constant pursuit by men. But in the men she chose it led to a very unhealthy codependent possessiveness and violent jealousy. Poor Ana was not made tough like Michelle. She needed a protector to shelter her from the envy, jealousy, and abusive tendencies of the human cattle.
As he delved deep into Anastasia’s soul, sifting through her mistakes and sins, a powerful urge to protect and defend seized him. He squeezed her tight against his body. She accepted his embrace and hugged him back.
“No one will ever hurt you again. This is my promise.” he vowed. She’s my property now––never to be victimized again.
She was so very tired of being beat up by the world, by men, by life in general. She’d gladly take all the protection he offered, no questions asked. Her first spoken words were, “Thank you.”
* * * *
Chapter 5
Aaron smiled when he read how Ana perceived him as a relatively attractive young man. She knew his outward appearance was a façade, a wrapper hiding the underlying truth. She felt the caged beast lurking within. The creature inside called to her far stronger than any fleeting attraction she’d had for other men.
What she sensed intuitively about Aaron’s hidden nature arose from that nasty incident in New York. The trauma of the massacre unleashed something inside him, a primal consciousness, a dual personality. This aggressive predator had been called forth from the dark recesses of his vampiric nature by Michelle’s desperate cry for help.
The predator didn’t go away after dispatching the detectives. It remained, lurking in the shadows of Aaron’s subconscious mind. It occasionally leaked over into his nightly life, tainting his thoughts with its violent carnal nature. He had to monitor himself constantly, verifying his thoughts were truly his own, and not the animalistic drive and hunger of the predator.
This strange desire to possess and protect Anastasia was a new facet of the predator. He had never experienced this urge to acquire pets.
She snuggled into his embrace with a smile. I want her, she’s mine. She brought his inner beast to the forefront, bleeding into the waters of his consciousness, an aggressive stain coloring his thoughts and emotions.
The predator, very close to the surface now, sensed a psychic tweak from Michelle, breaking his focus from Anastasia. Sliding back down through the psychic tie of his bond to Michelle, he saw through her mind’s eye what had happened. She’d been feeding on her latest victim, number five, a tall man who had to bend down to accommodate her access to his neck. While treating the man to a nice dose of venom the b
rute she’d fed from earlier decided to regain her attentions. The hulk came up from behind, reaching one arm around her waist and the other between her legs, pulling her in his direction. He obviously wanted Michelle all to himself, not willing to share.
She disengaged her bite at the last second, just as the brute jerked her up into his arms. If she hadn’t released she’d have ripped the poor guy’s throat out with her elongated razor fangs. She went along with the brute for a time, allowing him a moment’s fun. He pulled her up tight, stroking her intimately with his hand up her dress. Aaron felt it when the man penetrated Michelle with two fingers. The guy was determined to keep her around for the night.
Michelle taught Aaron to tolerate this behavior during feeding. The intimate, sensual experience usually involved a little touchy feely. They accepted the affections of their victims as a token of appreciation for the blood offering. But there were times when it went too far. The Brute had hit that mark, the situation had become troublesome.
She’s too damn attractive, too damn sexy. Michelle elicited possessiveness and other aggressive responses in the men she fed from. She actually preferred feeding from women for this very reason, to avoid the issues. The chest-pounding territoriality of some men was outright ridiculous. They all wanted to have her, keep her, own her. And when denied, as they all were eventually, the passions she evoked could quickly turn violent. Aaron had fallen prey to these same passions to an extent. He knew firsthand the sexual frustrations and aggressions Michelle could arouse.
The brute reached a hand up to Michelle’s breasts, tweaking her nipples, all the while continuing his fingerbang routine. She went with the flow, grinding into his hand. She caught another inch of penetration, working him as he worked her. Aaron had no jealousy over her attentions to this man. These frail creatures could never truly have Michelle. Can the lamb truly have any kind of lasting relationship with the lioness? Michelle played with her food once in a while, a little fun, nothing more.
But this guy didn’t get it. He had no intention of letting Michelle go, ever. The possessive nature of the man reeked of an overbearing asshole.
Gonna have to do something about this guy. Aaron leaned down to Anastasia ensconced in his embrace, swaying happily to the music. “Lets go. There’s someone I need to introduce to you.” It wasn’t a request or suggestion, it was an order. They were going. She was going with him.
He pulled Ana through the crowd, using his superior strength to shove through the tightly packed masses. He maintained an iron grip on Ana. No way he’d ever let her out of his sight again. He’d lost her once this night, and wasn’t taking any chances. The crowd parted before him, bowling pins jostled to either side.
He sensed Michelle’s irritation with the groping hands of the brute. She had her moment of fun and now wished to go her own way. She finished, but he had not. Michelle debated whether or not to make a scene with the man when Aaron arrived providing an alternate solution. She caught his eye sending a psychic plea. “Thank you. A little help, s'il vous plaît?”
Aaron acted instantly, pursuing Michelle’s desire to be free of the man.
“You’ve had your fun, but she’s ready to leave now. Let her go!” The last three words were spoken in a low rumbling growl. The predator skated very close to the edge of his mind. Its aggression had begun to filter through.
Ana flinched at the unmistakable ferocity emanating from him. He read her instinct to flee combatting with her desire to stay. She’d been involved in enough violence to develop an acute sensitivity to it. He had her by the arm, almost painfully tight in his grip. Leaving was not an option.
The brute let go of Michelle, setting her aside, but not in submission to Aaron’s request. He freed his hands to take action.
“I don’t take orders from bitches. Better back the hell off boy.” He bunched up his knuckle-popping fists, stance wide and deep for action.
Aaron didn’t budge. “She goes with me now.”
Aaron read his intent and stepped inside to intercept. He caught the meaty right-handed fist in mid-air with his left hand in a wicked bear-trap grip. The predator had slipped its chains and taken the driver’s seat, putting immense preternatural strength at his disposal.
Aaron’s grip brought the man to his knees. He twisted slightly and little snap-pop sounds tore a gasp of pain from the man’s lips. The brute’s imposing manner evaporated as the color drained away from his face turning him a pale grey-white. Intense agony radiated from the man’s thoughts.
Aaron gave him the chance to walk away from the encounter. He growled, “Its time you leave.”
He punctuated his order with another tweak of the man’s fist eliciting a grunt of pain. He felt the vice grip pressure the man suffered. Several bones were at the breaking point. The man swallowed, sweat running down his brow. Pride be damned, he’d met his match, bested in a split second. A very emasculating experience. Aaron read his acceptance in the nod of the man’s head and the tenor of his thoughts.
Aaron stepped back, mercifully releasing his bone crushing grip. The brute staggered to his feet, favoring the hand. He walked away, life and limbs intact. He’d barely escaped without serious damage, feeling humbled by the encounter.
* * * *
“Holy shit! That was intense.” Ana looked at him in wonder, developing a serious case of hero worship.
He glanced down at her fiercely, and then seemed to remember himself with a slight smile.
“What the hell you got in there?” She felt his left arm up, squeezing his rock-solid biceps with both hands. His arm felt like a wrap of steel tendons. She imagined pulling the skin back to find a machine underneath, a Terminator.
He smiled wider. “These guns are loaded.”
She busted up laughing. “Seriously, you’re a hell of a lot stronger than you look.”
He leaned down to brush his wonderful lips up against her ear with a whisper. “I know. Don’t tell anyone, it’s our little secret.”
I’m definitely doing the right thing. Her choice to stay with him filled her with satisfaction. All the other men before him were imposters masquerading, he was the real deal. She had a sense that she’d only seen the tip of the iceberg. He had much more going on beneath the surface.
He looked down at her with a severe intensity. “There’s no going back after this. You’re mine and I intend to keep you.”
“Okay … But I don’t even know your name …” Her words trailed off as he leaned down to brush his beautiful warm lips over her neck.
He whispered up against her ear, brushing her skin with tiny electric tingles. “Aaron.”
And then he struck. His teeth sunk into her neck, but it was so much more. He stabbed down deep into her very soul. The feeling of his claim over her was like nothing she’d ever known. He took from her life essence, but gave in return something of equal potency. He gave her the wonder of his bite as they bonded soul-to-soul in a connection that left her forever changed.
It was the end of loneliness.
She finally found the peace she sought in so many men’s arms and the drugs and alcohol she abused. He embodied all and everything she had ever desired. From this moment on her life would be an unsatisfied empty shell without his presence to complete her. There could be no existence without him. She gave him her heart and soul without question.
* * * *
He accepted her commitment, though deep down he suspected her days would be short. Human bodies were so frail, so easily broken. Even if she could find a way to survive the constant demands of a bloodslave, she’d eventually succumb to the ravages of time.
He didn’t care about the repercussions or consequences. Something inside him connected deeply with this beautifully flawed woman.
Ana hit her venom-soaked climax quickly, and spiraled into a multiple orgasm. She convulsed and twitched with cries of ecstasy till Aaron finally released her. He held her close, supporting her weight. Her knees had collapsed halfway through the ordeal. She shook with the
aftershocks of a life-changing experience. Forever marked, hooked, an addict, a bloodslave. He’d done it to her on purpose, to bind her permanently. He’d broken Michelle’s primary rule.
Aaron transmitted the entire experience with Ana to his master. Intense silent communication passed between their wide-open bond.
“Ah mon cher, what have you done? It is a mistake. You will destroy what you seek to keep. C'est un acte horrible. Bloodslaves face unspeakable dangers you know nothing of. Ah, cher, mon cœur se brise pour toi. Love, my heart breaks for you.” He heard her mental sigh of resignation. “Ah, it is done. C’est fini. She is lovely.” Her stare added gravity to the unspoken words.
He spoke loud enough to be heard above the music, “This is Anastasia Lucilla Makarova. Ana meet Michelle.”
Ana did a double-take. “I never told you my name ….”
Michelle smiled at her invitingly, a hint of something else there in her smile. Looking more closely she could see it. They both had it. Fangs.
He watched Ana looking back and forth between him and Michelle, in wonder, awe, amazement. She thought, “They look mostly human, but there’s something more to them.” She found it fascinating. He didn’t look at all like Michelle, but they were definitely of the same breed.
Michelle accepted their new acquisition, enfolding Ana in an intimate embrace, kissing her full on the mouth. She caught Aaron’s eyes again with the stare of admonishment. “The girl is already hooked. She does not yet know.”
He looked away, avoiding her blazing truth. He focused on Ana’s thoughts as she cuddled in between her new owners, warm and happy. Ana’s stomach fluttered in anticipation of the wonders yet to come. Words were insufficient to describe her euphoria of being accepted, understood and protected, by these two majestic creatures. To Ana their embrace felt like a warm security blanket covering her body and soul. Fear, anticipation, excitement, longing, lust, desire, and even love, following Ana’s mind was an emotional roller coaster ride.
The Nightlife: Las Vegas (The Nightlife Series) Page 3