by Eve Newton
“Humph,” I say with a frown. I move to the closet to pull out the black dress, this being the only clean item of clothing that I currently own, the rest being worn out on my adventures earlier. I get a shock when I spy a whole load of designer clothes hanging gorgeously from satin covered hangers. I turn to him with a shrewd look.
“You know the way to a girl’s heart,” I say with a pointed look. “Such a low blow.”
“You misunderstand,” he says with a laugh. “If you are to stand by my side, I need you looking your best. Your own collection is quite limited.”
“Fuck you,” I say to him, my delight turning sour. I slam the doors closed and stand there at a loss as to what I am supposed to do now. I won’t wear bribes no matter how perfectly cut they are.
“Don’t be so stubborn, woman,” he growls at me and opens the doors again. “Just accept the gifts.”
“No gifts. I will pay you for them,” I say shortly.
“Christ, fine, whatever,” he says, throwing his hands up.
“Good,” I say, pleased with our arrangement and turn back to the closet to pull out a finely tailored black pants suit and a white, silk blouse. “Underwear?” I ask archly.
“Sorry, no. I’d rather you didn’t,” he says.
I throw him a bitter look. “These tits are not meant to go bra-less.” I point to my fairly large breasts.
“Oh yes, they are,” he breathes and I throw a shoe at him.
“Get out,” I snap. “I have had enough of you ogling me.”
“If you didn’t like me ogling you, then you wouldn’t be standing here naked, would you?” he asks slyly.
“Asshole,” I mutter and turn my back on him. I forage through my bag for clean underwear and proceed to cover up.
“You are annoyed,” he says after a few minutes.
“Pissed off, more like, but how astute of you,” I say sarcastically.
“Not at me,” he says blandly. “You and Aria clash. You are both difficult women, stubborn and aggressive. You need to take the high road, Ember and try to accommodate.”
“Accommodate?” I ask him with a frown so fierce I give myself a headache.
“You aren’t used to being around other people, especially people who challenge you,” he explains.
“I have my reasons,” I say coldly.
“We need to be together on this, Ember, or it’s not going to work. Can you see that?” he asks gently.
“I guess so,” I say, looking away. “But someone needs to have a word with Aria as well. I am not the only fucking one who is going to make an effort,” I say, just a stubborn as ever.
“I will have a word with Cahl,” Draven says with a smile.
“No!” I roar at him. “Not him. I don’t trust him.”
“Do you trust me?” he asks.
“I—I—uh,” I stammer. He has completely caught me off guard.
“Do you trust me, Ember?” he asks again, coming closer to me. “It’s a simple question.”
“No, it isn’t,” I say, wringing my hands in an unfamiliar show of vulnerability. “For starters, you let me die!”
His expression turns to one of shock. “Excuse me?” he explodes at volume.
“You let me run straight into the wards, you didn’t drop them,” I say defensively.
He visibly calms himself, tugging on the cuffs of his suit jacket. “I didn’t let you run into them, Ember. You moved too damn quickly for me to react. When I saw you flung back, I—I—you scared the shit out of me,” he finishes.
“Oh,” I say, a bit flustered at the emotion in his voice. “Well, we aren’t talking about you anyway, we are talking about Cahl.”
“Do you just dislike him because he knows more about your prophecy than you do?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, please,” I scoff. “I dislike him because he just barged in here and took over. Everything. And you let him.” I point an accusatory finger at him.
“He did no such thing,” he says stiffly.
“Oh, no,” I snort unattractively. “He just kicked your brother’s ass and then proceeded to dominate the conversation.”
“Half-brother,” Draven says fiercely intent on making the distinction. “He is no kin of my mother. And he shouldn’t have made a move on Aria.”
“Whatever, who cares?” I say, intrigued by his forceful reaction. “You keep defending the wrong person.”
He gives me an inquisitive stare. “Aria?”
“Cahl, you idiot!” I scream at him and his denseness. “How do we know we can trust him? Besides, why you care about Jacob and Aria is another mystery altogether.”
I flex my shoulders and turn away from him. I am getting agitated and he is pushing all of my buttons in totally the wrong order.
“Do you need to feed?” he asks quietly.
“No, I’m good,” I say steadily.
“You can use me….” he states and I turn around with a look of surprise. He has gone bright red and it is adorable.
“That’s sweet,” I say with a soft smile. “But no thanks.”
“Not good enough for you?” he asks sharply, but then softens. “You think I am sweet?”
“It is sweet of you to offer without expecting any promises in return,” I say. “And it’s not you, it’s me.”
“Who said I didn’t expect any promises in return?” he asks wickedly. “And don’t give me that bullshit line. It’s insulting.”
I glare at him and he glares back momentarily, a fierce look suddenly crossing his face. “Did you bite him?” he growls at me.
“Eurgh, no,” I say forcefully, knowing he means Jacob. “Men are all the same,” I add sadly. “None of you can give something without wanting to take something back. I won’t give you sex in return for your blood. That is insulting.”
Draven’s relief is evident, which annoys me. “Who said anything about sex?” he asks. “I want you to bite me, Ems. I want to have that connection with you. I want my blood to sustain you. What is so insulting about that?”
I glare at him for shortening my name. That’s not his right. He doesn’t know me well enough. “Don’t call me that,” I growl at him.
“Why not? That vampire prick did,” he remarks.
“Because I have known him for years. You, I have known for a couple of days,” I answer.
“You haven’t responded to my statement,” he points out.
“Ugh!” I make a noise of frustration and clench my fists at him.
“It’s a good thing I like a challenge,” he drawls. “Cuz, goddammit, woman, you work my last nerve.”
“What is it about me, huh?” I ask him. “I annoy you, I am apparently difficult to get along with, you find me insulting…” I tick off the list on my fingers. “I don’t get this infatuation.”
“It’s not an infatuation,” he says, laughing. “And, yes, you are all of the above, but my God, Ems, when you look at me with those perfect gray eyes and pout at me with those perfect rosy lips, it’s all I can do not to drag you to my bed and show you how I feel about you.”
“You are so fucking slick,” I say to him in order to get my swimming thoughts of us tangled together in his bed out of my head. “You probably say that to all the women you have bedded.”
“No,” he says seriously. “There have been no others.”
“Excuse me?” I splutter. What is he saying?
He rolls his eyes at me. “Christ, give me some credit, woman. I have been around for a hundred and thirty years. What I meant was: there has been no one that I have felt this way about before, because I can’t. You are it. Get used to it.”
“Don’t order me about, it pisses me off,” I say to him.
“Ember,” he growls in frustration. “You seem to have no problem in accepting compliments about your looks. Accept these as compliments about you.”
“Say those three words and I will rip your head off,” I growl back at him.
“Please, do you think I have a death wish?” he
asks with a chuckle. “Have no fear, my sweet vampire. You aren’t ready for that. Certainly not when it is said by a real man.”
The dig at Simon is so obvious, I roll my eyes at him.
“And about Aria and Jacob,” he adds. “It isn’t about her, but that wolf is volatile and as destructive as your vampire and I will not allow either one of you to let loose inside these walls. Because I will have to stop you. Are we clear?”
His tone has gone so icy, I shiver involuntarily. “Clear,” I say in a small voice, definitely feeling the reprimand slash me across the face. It’s like being with dear old dad, all over again. If I had any misgivings about Draven’s ability to handle Cahl, they have all been squashed as flat and dead as his eyes that are currently boring into my head. It both excites me and turns me off so badly I leave the room without another word.
He catches up with me in the hallway and grabs my arm. “I mean it, Ember.”
“I know,” I say. “I just…your tone…your attitude…it’s…” I want to blurt out that he reminded me so much of my father. “…unflattering,” I finally choke out.
“I have frightened you?” he asks, searching my eyes in that way that makes me feel like he is searching my soul.
I curl my lip up at him. “Hardly,” I lie scornfully. “I could take you one-on-one.”
“Now that is something we can both agree on, however, I never go anywhere without my magic,” he says lightly, holding out his hand and showing me a flash of electricity so intense it makes my eyes hurt.
“Do I frighten you?” I ask back, now that he has shown me his hand. Literally.
“Yes,” he says brazenly.
Ouch, that actually hurts. I didn’t think it would when I challenged him. I thought it would please me to know that he holds some fear of me. But the feeling falls woefully short of pleasure.
“I can see that it hurts you,” he says. “I will never forget what you are, Ember, and I will never forget what you did to those three men, but I am not the kind of man that will use that as an excuse not to be with you. Don’t play that game with me, because I am not interested. There is good in you, I can see it in your eyes when you let your guard down, and when you smile, it captivates me. That is all I need. For now.”
For now? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I brush his hand away, uncomfortable with this entire discussion.
“Just let me in,” he whispers, coming closer to me and pushing his hand into my hair. He gazes down at me with those bright blue eyes and I lose it. My willpower caves under his intensity. He wants me and I am tired of fighting him. I nod hesitantly and his eyes darken as I give him what he wants.
He pushes me back into the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him, his hand going to undo the buttons on my jacket. He pushes it off my shoulders and starts on my blouse. I reach for him, ready to touch him, but he bats my hands away lightly.
“No,” he says hoarsely. “I want to savor this.”
He sheds me of my blouse and his gaze roams over me, desire clouding his eyes.
He drops to his knees and removes my shoes before going to work on my pants.
Soon I am clad only in my underwear.
He runs his hands up my thighs, his fingers lightly brushing over my skin, causing a tingle all over my body.
He slides his hands into the sides of my panties and presses his lips to the thin cotton, breathing in deeply the scent of my arousal. He kisses me there and I can’t help the moan that escapes me.
“Take me now, Draven,” I say, finally running my hand through that silky mane of his.
“Not yet,” he murmurs, slowly pulling my panties down, his lips still so close to me. They drop to the floor around my ankles and he helps me out of them, before he runs his tongue down the entire length of my bare pussy.
“I have wanted to do that since I laid eyes on you,” he whispers. “You taste every bit as good as I imagined you would.”
“Ah,” I cry out as his tongue works its way between my folds and finds my clit. He strokes me gently, before he nips me with his teeth, tugging gently on the ripe nub.
He grabs my hips before my knees give way at the intensity of his actions and stands up so he can finally kiss me, his lips covered with my juices. I shove my tongue into his mouth, eager to have his dueling with mine. He wraps his arms around me so tight, lifting me up so that I can wrap my legs around his waist.
I struggle frantically to get his suit jacket off and it joins mine on the floor, along with his shirt. Our lips never part as he reaches up to unclasp my bra, my abundant breasts falling free of their casing. I press myself closer to him, wanting desperately to feel his skin against mine.
Draven’s fingers dig into my ass, needing to get me closer to him as well. I slide my hand down in between us to flick open his pants and they drop straight to the floor, his cock springing free, ready for me.
“Mm,” I murmur into his mouth as I take him in my hand and work him up and down.
“Fuck,” he breathes, pulling away from me. “If you don’t stop that, I am going to come in your hand.”
“Oh, now we don’t want that, do we?” I ask wickedly and rise up even higher. “You promised me an impaling.”
“And I intend to deliver,” he growls at me as I grab his cock again and he shoves it inside me. I push down, clamping my thighs tighter around him, but I have no need to worry. He is strong enough and tall enough to hold me in place as we fuck each other standing right here in the middle of this room.
I ride him, working every last muscle I have to grind up and down on him, his hands on my ass helping to push me up.
“Fuck,” he whispers again as I drench his cock. “Don’t stop, Ember, don’t ever stop.”
I lose myself in the rapture of this amazing fuck. I feel him slam me up against the wall so he can take some control and thrust even harder, even faster into me.
“Yes,” I scream out as I can feel the pressure deep inside starting to build.
“Scream my name,” he pants, slamming me forcefully up against the wall. “Scream my name, Ember, say I am yours.”
“Fuck, yes!” I pant raggedly. “Fuck me, Draven, make me come, please.”
He moans into my hair as I beg him and then I feel it hit me.
The best orgasm I have ever had thunders over me, coursing through my body, causing me to shudder violently in his arms as my pussy clutches desperately around his cock, milking him to the point of no return.
“Ember!” he roars, speeding up his thrusts until he, too, shudders in my arms as he shoots his seed into me.
I fist my hand in his hair as he drains himself into me and I roughly pull him closer for a kiss.
“That was worth waiting for,” he murmurs as I release him so that he can take a breath.
“I am glad that we didn’t wait any longer,” I say with a cocky smile. “Who knew all the fun we were missing out on?”
“I did,” he says to me pointedly. “I knew fucking a vampire would have its perks.”
“Mm, you didn’t do too badly yourself there, warlock,” I reply.
He chuckles at me and drops me gently to the floor. I smile up at him and then there is a slice of dread that is sliding down my spine that has come out of nowhere. It has nothing to do with Draven; that much I know. I glance around surreptitiously, my vampire senses dinging at me that something is amiss.
Draven picks up on my tension and he frowns at me. “What is it?” he asks, immediately.
“I don’t know,” I say slowly, looking around. “Are the wards up?”
“Yes, I let Aria and Cahl out and then they went back up straight away.”
“And you were there? You were standing by the gates as they left? No one got in?” I ask.
“Yes, I was, and no, of course not. Where are you going with this?” he asks.
“Something’s wrong,” I say, stating the obvious.
As the tense air thickens even more, we exchange a worried look, before we both jump out of
our skins as my burner cell rings over on the dresser.
“Jesus,” Draven says, blowing out a breath as he runs his hand through his hair, reaching for his pants as I reach for the phone.
“Aria,” I say holding up the phone so he can see the caller ID. “They must be back already.”
“Well, answer it,” he says, indicating that I should answer with his hand.
“Aria? Where are you? Are you back?” I ask a stream of questions.
“Uh, Ember,” her voice is like steel coming down the receiver. “You might want to ask Draven to join us the fuck outside.”
“What? Why?” I ask, the feeling of dread multiplying tenfold. I race to the windows and pull the drapes open, with Draven hot on my heels. This window looks out over the front grounds of the estate, straight at the gates.
“Oh shit,” I say as the blood drains from my face and I drop the phone to the floor.
Chapter 21
~Ember~
“Ember?” Draven asks, peering over my head and through the window. “What’s going on?”
“My father is here,” I say weakly. “He’s outside with Aria.” I turn, needing to escape, but Draven’s enormous body is pressed against mine as he swears under his breath at the sight outside.
“Stay here,” he orders me, the authority in his tone apparent. Obey, or else.
He heads for the stairs and I grab my clothes up off the floor, getting dressed in a flash of speed before running after him. “Draven, wait,” I call.
He reaches the front door and spins back around. “I mean it, Ember, stay here.” Then he opens the door and sprints across the grounds towards the gates.
I watch him go, chewing furiously on my lip until I draw blood. What the fuck am I doing just standing here? I have to go and help them. I hesitate for one last second and then take a deep breath and follow Draven across the manicured lawns.
He has dropped the wards and opened the gates. I swallow loudly when I see that Cahl has been detained by a circle of five mages—vampires with the ability to do magic. He is struggling against the ring of magic, but it has him held. For now.
Aria is also surrounded by five vampires, three pointing guns at her that I know will be stocked with pure silver bullets, and the other two pointing solid silver spears at her. Those things burn. I have trained with them, they are crude, but very effective.