“Do what?” He sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hair away from her face. Those few minutes of a catnap she’d just gotten weren’t nearly enough. She still looked drowsy.
“Fight smiling.” She twined her fingers through his where he’d left them resting against her face and pressed her lips to his palm. “You’re so gorgeous when you smile. It makes me giddy.”
“I haven’t had a lot to smile about.” He bent and kissed her, a gentle meeting of lips. “Until you.”
“Well, I plan to make you smile a lot,” she whispered. She looped her arms around his neck. “What’s happened since I passed out?”
“Not much,” he said, anticipation tightening his muscles. “You know that Maddalene is dead and I’m the new king of the enclave. Sadly, Aodhán has left to return to his people.” He grinned at her openmouthed expression. “Oh, and Natalie may have followed him. I don’t know about that yet.”
Her mouth snapped closed and her eyes narrowed. “Not much has happened, huh?” She smacked him in the chest but returned to her loose hold around his neck. “I’ll get you for that.”
His grin widened. Her pupils dilated and her breath quickened. “I wouldn’t call this giddy,” he murmured.
“You wouldn’t?”
He shook his head. “I’d call this aroused.” He drew her into his arms and slanted his mouth over hers. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, stroking in slowly, tempting her to follow as he retreated. When he pulled back, her breath came in gasps.
Her nipples were tight little beads. He thumbed across one, feeling its hardness through the layers of her clothing. She moaned. When he looked at her, he saw the fatigue clouding her eyes, saw it in the shadows beneath her eyes and in the paleness of her cheeks. They’d have time for sex later. Right now it was time for giving and receiving comfort.
He stretched out and drew her against him, fitting her back and buttocks against his chest and groin. With her head pillowed on one of his biceps, he settled his other arm across her waist, letting his hand cup her breast. “How do you feel?” he asked.
“Tired,” came her prompt reply. “And a little…off. Different.”
“So still the same as before?” he asked.
She nodded against his arm. “But I’m too tired to worry about it right now.”
He pondered that then said, “I don’t want you tapping into the Unseen again, Kimber,” he murmured. “It’s too dangerous.”
“What about the connection you wanted?” came her sleepy reply.
He was silent a moment, thinking about it. He’d held on to the hope from the time he’d first met Kimber and realized what a powerful ability she had. But after seeing what had happened after she’d tapped into it for Bishop and then again several hours ago, he wasn’t willing to risk her life. A thought struck him and he turned it over in his mind. He’d wanted a connection to the Unseen so that he could begin to feel again, to experience life the way he had as a human. But he had been, slowly but surely, over the last six months.
Since he’d designated himself as Kimber’s protector and had been spending more time with her, all of his emotions had bourgeoned to life. Anger, frustration, irritation were all more acute when dealing with her sass. And happiness, contentment and optimism when dealing with her love and humor.
“I have that connection through you, sweetheart.” His heart felt full. He cleared his throat of the emotion obstructing it and placed a kiss in the curve of her neck. God, she felt so good in his arms. So right. “That’s all I need.”
She wiggled against him like a puppy happy with its master’s praise. “That’s nice,” she whispered. After a few minutes she said, “But I think I need to connect again, Duncan. You saw what I did. That was on a small scale. What if I could do it on a larger scale?”
“No.” Absofuckinglutely not. “You could have died. Would have died if you hadn’t stopped when you did. We’ll survive this, Kimber. We’re safe here now.”
She was silent as she apparently thought that over. Finally she replied, “But I don’t think it would be as bad if other necromancers were helping me.”
“I’ve been told more than once that you’re the best, sweetheart. Can others even do what you’ve done?”
She shrugged, her shoulder blade rubbing against his chest with the movement. “I don’t know, but I have to try.”
He pressed another kiss to her neck. “If you think you can end the apocalypse, I’ll help you.” He’d damn well make sure she stayed safe, too. She was his now. He was hers. “Whatever our future holds, we’ll face it together.”
Please see the next page for a first look at the next book in the Awakening Series…
Vampire’s Thirst
Chapter One
Duncan MacDonnough scrubbed his hand over his chin and stared at his second-in-command. Frustration and irritation made his eyes burn and his fangs elongate. “I don’t need this right now, Atticus.” He tried his best to look stern but feared he came across as whiningly imploring. Not the attitude a newly minted leader of vampires should have. “Tell me you’re not serious.”
“Sorry, no can do. I am serious.” Marcus Atticus shrugged broad shoulders and slouched down into one of two plush dark brown leather armchairs in front of Duncan’s wide mahogany desk. The desk faced the large windows in what had been the former queen’s throne room but now served as Duncan’s office.
The vampire enclave was housed in one of the multi-story buildings of a refurbished tire factory in Akron, Ohio. While the appearance of the outside of the building remained the same from Maddalene’s long and autocratic rule, the inside had seen some changes, not the first of which was the room in which Duncan and Atticus now sat.
The plush chaise the queen had used to lounge on, along with her beefy human consorts, was gone. And good riddance. Duncan still bore some scars on his back from the whipping Maddalene had given him, chained to the central post in the middle of the room, over his choosing to be loyal to his human lover instead of his vampire queen. The marks weren’t as bad as she’d meant them to be only because he’d been able to feed soon after the beating.
But still, yeah. Good riddance. To more than the damned chaise.
Atticus tapped the fingers of one hand on the wide arm of his chair. “Most of the humans who have signed up to live here as…donors…are fine with staying with the vamps they’re assigned to. But a few have decided it’s too dangerous—they’re afraid their chosen benefactors will be more likely to lose control if their food source is too close—so instead they want to stay within the area we’ve assigned to new human arrivals.”
“I don’t have an issue with that.” Duncan’s hold on his already strained patience began to unravel, and he forced himself to remain calm. This was Atticus, his best friend and someone he knew would always look out for him. He didn’t deserve Duncan taking out his frustrations on him. “Why are you acting like it’s a problem?” Duncan asked.
“Because they’re inciting unrest. Most of them are fine. They understand the danger on the outside. But there are a few who say they don’t like being cooped up, unable to leave the compound. They feel like prisoners.” The other vampire scowled. “They want to go to the park; can you believe that?”
Duncan stared at Atticus. There were times, and lately those times were coming more and more often, that he just didn’t get humans. “The closest one is Glendale Park, and that’s at least a mile and a half away. Don’t they understand that if they leave the compound they run the risk of being overrun by zombies?” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Is a walk in the park worth it?”
The other vampire lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “They want a vampire escort for protection.”
Duncan snorted. Was this what his life had been reduced to? Listening to petty gripes all day long? No wonder Maddalene had been such a bitch. “They can want all they like. I’m not risking anyone unnecessarily just because humans with cabin fever want to take a stroll.” He gestured tow
ard the wide window that faced a courtyard between buildings. They’d established a sturdy fence around the courtyard and had vamps on guard 24/7. “They can walk there.”
“They say it’s not the same.”
“Well, I suppose a mile and a half zombie run would give them plenty of exercise.” Duncan grinned. “Hmm. Maybe I should rethink this.”
Atticus gave a snort. “Don’t encourage them.” He paused, another scowl turning down his mouth. “One of them punched Natalie in the face this morning.”
“What?” Duncan surged to his feet. Natalie Lafontaine was the best friend of his lover Kimber Treat and, over the last several months, had become his friend as well. While he had a duty to keep the humans in his care secure, Kimber and Natalie were the two to whom he was especially committed to maintaining their safety. That Natalie, acting as a liaison between humans and vampires, would be in jeopardy and attacked by her own kind was a possibility that had never entered his mind. “What the hell! We’re giving them sanctuary from zombie hordes,” he said, bringing up his hands to tick off a list on his fingers. “We keep them safe, we feed them, we clothe them, and all we ask in return is that they provide nourishment once a week to one vampire only. The amount of blood they give isn’t even a quarter of what they’d donate to a blood bank.”
“I know, but they’re afraid.” Atticus hunched forward to clasp his hands between his knees. “Natalie tries to allay their fears, but they don’t seem to want to listen.” He shook his head. “I get that they’re scared of us. We’re predators, every last one of us. But we provide safety they have little chance of having outside this compound.”
Duncan scrubbed the back of his neck and dropped back into his chair. “Fuck a goddamn duck, Atticus. With the death of Maddalene just a month ago I have enough on my plate keeping our people in line. I don’t have time to deal with troublemaking humans, too.” He sent a frown his friend’s way. “That’s why I have you. Deal with it.”
“That was the plan all along. I already took care of the son of a bitch who hit Nat. He won’t be breathing through his nose for a while. Or taking nourishment except through a straw.” Another nonchalant shrug lifted one wide shoulder. “I just wanted to keep you in the loop.” He cleared his throat. “So, have things with you and Kimber settled down?”
Duncan shot him a glare. “There was nothing to settle down. We’re fine.” He did his best to believe it, but his friend was a very discerning man.
“Uh-huh.” Atticus cocked his head to one side, his silver eyes missing nothing.
Damn him. The former Roman gladiator was over 2,000 years old, not that he’d ever given Duncan an exact birth date. Maybe he was so old he didn’t exactly remember. It happened sometimes.
Those silver vampire eyes narrowed on him now. “She’s acting like she’s in perpetual PMS, my friend. Something isn’t right, and don’t try to tell me otherwise.”
Duncan fought the flinch that wanted to work its way over his face. Kimber had been getting more and more aggressive, and he couldn’t help but think that reason was that small amount of the Unseen that had lodged in her soul. He was worried that the Unseen, that mystical force that had once helped her reanimate corpses in her job as a necromancer—and very possibly had, through her, started the zombie apocalypse—would somehow overtake her innate goodness. But what kind of leader would he be if he let that worry show, even to his most trusted friend?
He folded his arms across his chest. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Atticus. Just what the hell would you know about PMS, anyway?”
“I know about women,” came the smug reply.
Duncan couldn’t argue with that one. It seemed any female, vampire or human, had to only take one look at Atticus and become mindless with lust. He wasn’t sure how much of that was Atticus himself and how much of it was due to his age. The longer a vampire lived the more powerful he became. And power took on all sorts of forms, including sexual attraction. Atticus had that to spare. If it weren’t for having Kimber in his life, Duncan could have been jealous of the other vampire’s easy sway over women.
But he had Kimber. For the moment, anyway. Over the last few weeks while he’d been solidifying his hold over the enclave, he’d sensed her drawing away from him emotionally. Physically they were still as attracted as ever, but there was something she held back from him, some part of herself she didn’t want him to see. How could they truly be together if she wouldn’t be fully open to him?
Atticus pushed to his feet, drawing Duncan’s attention. “I’m going to check on Natalie,” his second-in-command murmured. “And maybe get a bite to eat while I’m there.” He winked then tipped his head toward the closed door that led into the hallway. “Kimber’s coming.”
Duncan caught her scent just as the door swung open. He shot a glance at his friend. “Keep me posted.”
“You bet.” Atticus paused beside the redhead standing just inside the doorway and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Hey there, sweetheart.”
“Atticus.” She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Nat was looking for you.”
“Just on my way to see her.” He closed the door behind him.
Kimber clicked the lock in place and walked toward Duncan.
He stood and moved around to the front of his desk, resting his buttocks on the edge, and watched her move farther into the room. She wore her usual T-shirt and jeans, both garments hugging her slim curves. His body reacted as it always did; his cock began to harden, his fangs elongated, lust and love burned his eyes.
Her auburn hair fell to her shoulder blades, longer than it had been when this whole mess had started, longer than when he’d first met her over a year ago. Her hazel eyes met his and a slow smile curved her full lips.
“I know that look,” he murmured and drew her into a loose embrace. Clasping his hands at the small of her back, he pulled her between his spread legs.
“What look would that be?” She pressed a kiss to his chin, his jaw, just beneath his ear. Her hands lifted, fingers threading through his hair, the light tugs zinging straight to his balls.
A shudder of need worked its way through his body. He took her mouth with his, deep, hard, a kiss of possession. Of being possessed. Breaking the kiss, he stared into her eyes. “The look that says you want me and mean to do something about it.”
“Damn straight.” Her smile widened. “I’m here for a nooner.” She pressed her lips to the indent at the base of his throat. She undulated against him, her belly slowly grinding against his erection.
“It’s one o’clock in the morning,” he managed to say on a groan. Until Kimber, no woman before had been able to drive his desire so high so fast.
“Well, since you don’t usually start work until after dark, and sunset was at 8:30, this is your noon.”
“I have a one-thirty appointment.” He cupped her ass and dragged her fully against him, letting her feel the rigid length of his cock against her belly. She moaned and deepened the kiss, driving her tongue into his mouth, winding it around his own in an ancient dance of pleasure and need. She leaned into him, pressing into the space between his legs, and he cupped her against him.
“This won’t take long,” she murmured against his lips. She yanked at the waistband of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping and getting his pants and underwear around his thighs so his hard cock sprang free. She gripped him, sliding her hand from base to tip, and slid her thumb across the sensitive tip.
He groaned. “Too many clothes,” he muttered, fingers working at the button at the waistband of her jeans. He wanted her naked. Now. He shoved her jeans and panties over her hips and pushed them to her ankles. She toed off her shoes then kicked out of the garments pooled around her ankles. With a wiggle and a smile she drew her shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor.
Duncan made quick work of getting Kimber out of her bra and stared at her a moment. “God, you’re beautiful,” he rasped. He leaned forward and swiped his tongue over one of her nipples, then the other, and stra
ightened to see them tighten into hard, puckered nubs. “Sit where I am,” he said, his voice rough as he moved to give her his place on the edge of the desk.
She arched a brow but did as he asked, perching on the wooden surface. “Okay, but I’m going to mess up your desk. I’m already wet.” She wriggled a bit, trying to get comfortable.
“I hope so.” He dragged a chair to where she sat, then even closer, between her splayed legs. As he took his place, he looked up at her for a moment, and it was clear she knew his intent. Already her breath came unsteadily as she moved closer to the edge to grant him greater access to the soft folds between her thighs. She leaned back on her hands, breasts thrusting up.
With his hands just inside her knees, he spread her legs wider and looked at the pussy before him. She was pink and wet and swollen. His. The musk of her desire perfumed the air, that sweetly spiced scent that was uniquely Kimber. He placed his thumbs on the outer lips of her sex and spread her open before he lowered his mouth to taste her. As he lazily traced her with the tip of his tongue, being careful not to nick her with his fangs, she gasped and jolted, and gripped at the desk top. He covered her clit for a moment, sucking the sensitive bud of nerves into his mouth, rolling it gently between his teeth. Her gasps and moans grew louder, the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard.
“Duncan!” She bucked up into his mouth, demanding in her need. “Stop fooling around and make me come.”
Demands he ignored. He built her pleasure, taking her higher and higher, then backing off, then once more ratcheting up her pleasure until she fell apart in his arms. He left her clit and languidly licked her slit over and over. As he found a rhythm, stroking her entrance with firm swipes of his tongue, she lifted her hips against him, moaning, propped up on her elbows.
He focused once more on her abandoned clit, swirling his tongue around the bud first with light pressure, then increasing it bit by bit, swipe by swipe until she was shaking, just on the edge of orgasm.
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