Bones crunched and veins severed, releasing a gush of blood into Marcellus’s mouth. He drank his fill until Titan lay limp in his arms, and then he continued until no life remained. Exhausted and weary, he let go of Titan and the man fell with a thud.
It was Deirdre and Sasha who were at his side as he missed a step and almost tripped over Titan’s leg. Dizziness washed over him and he fell forward to be caught by Anton.
“He must go to ground.” Sasha’s voice faded in and out.
“Tamanen,” Marcellus said. He must have it bad for her if all he could think about was his mate as life seeped away. But Sasha was right—he needed to go to ground. “Tell her—” He couldn’t finish his sentence. Anton and Henri both swung an arm around him and in the manner of their people they vanished. The next thing he remembered was his toes dragging along the dirt floor in the basement.
“Elements of the earth open your arms for one of your own.” He heard Deirdre’s chant as she parted the soil. Anton and Henri lowered him into the grave. “Take him into your care and heal him with your wisdom.” As she finished, Marcellus felt the coolness of the dirt fold around him. His nostrils filled with the dusty scent. Before his eyelids slid closed he wondered if Tamanen would miss him or was she wrapped in Lanier’s arms?
Tammy had no idea how sensual being undressed by a man could be. Roark peeled one strap off her shoulder, kissing the very spot he uncovered, before repeating the process on the next one. Hand resting on her hip, he moved to stand behind her. With a brush of his fingertips, he pulled her hair back and out of the way.
“You were wonderful tonight.” His breath caressed her neck, sending shivers up her spine. She lolled her head to the side, loving the way he feathered kisses along her skin.
The whisper of the gown’s zipper falling was followed by a finger that caressed down her backbone, stopping at the small of her back. His seductive touch made her breasts grow firm, her nipples draw into taut nubs. Even the loosening of her gown as it exposed her back ignited her arousal. When his finger trailed lower, a flood of desire anointed her thighs. Something inside her belly fluttered and then moved south.
Tammy attempted to turn around, but he held her stationary with a strong grip on her waist. “Roark, I need you.”
Ignoring her, he dropped a kiss upon her bare shoulder. “Patience, baby.” The grate in his voice was as sexy as his touch.
“Patience—” She gasped as his tongue touched her skin. Slowly, he licked his way down her backbone. With each swirl and stroke the silky gown slid further down her body, until it pooled around her ankles and she stood in nothing but her stilettos and jewelry.
“Roark.” His name came out a whimper, a small cry of need.
“Damn. You have a beautiful ass made for lovin’. But it’s your long, slender legs that give me this hard-on.” Tammy didn’t need to see him to know he was aroused. It was in his tone, his touch, his masculine scent filling her lungs. As if to emphasize the point, he pressed his body against hers. His chest was bare, warm against her back. His lower half was covered in stiff cotton, but it wasn’t his jeans that made her wiggle her ass. The firm bulge wedged between her cheeks was what she wanted to feel.
The sudden pinch of a contraction vanished her perseverance. Tammy willed his pants gone—and it worked. For a brief second his bare legs were pressed to hers. His rigid cock nestled between her cheeks. With a startled gasp, he yanked back his hands as if she suddenly had turned into a ball of flames. That’s exactly how her body felt, hot and combustible. Another cramp assaulted her. Dammit. She hated this part. When he didn’t immediately touch her, she tensed. Had she done something wrong?
“Well, that’s certainly a useful trick.” There was an air of amusement in his tone that made her release the breath she held. When he spooned her back once again, it was flesh to flesh. Adjusting his hips, he pushed his erection between her thighs.
“Yes,” she moaned, sliding her wet folds along his shaft to ease the building need tightening and releasing her sex. That’s exactly what she wanted to feel. It would be even better if he bent her over and drove deep inside her pussy.
Roark must have read her mind. With penguin steps, he inched her closer to the bed. “Bend over and grab the bedpost.” She did as he asked, looking over her shoulder to meet hungry eyes. “I’ve dreamed of taking you this way—from behind.” His nostrils flared as he scented her. His cock jerked, growing firmer before her eyes. “Your scent— It drives me wild.” Trembling hands grasped her hips. Chest rising and falling with each breath, he positioned himself and thrust forward.
There was something compelling about Roark—strong, yet almost vulnerable. If she didn’t know better she’d say he had real feelings for her.
Tammy cried out as he parted her folds and drove inside her. The gentle pace he began, rocking back and forth, turned her pain into pleasure. With each stroke he placed tinder to her fire. When he reached forward, grasping her breasts in each hand and squeezing, she cried, “Roark.” The tingling that splintered through her breasts intensified as he rolled her nipples between his fingers, pulling and pinching. At the same time, he continued to glide in and out of her body. Each stroke teased her inner muscles, clenching desperately to keep him nestled inside her.
“Baby, do you like it slow and easy?” He released her breasts to firmly grasp her hips. Thrusting forward, he ground their bodies together, touching a sensitive spot that took her breath away.
“Ohhh my…” Tammy was at loss for words. She was lost in the depth and fullness of his takeover consuming her completely. She shivered with ecstasy, thinking it just didn’t get any better than this. He held them suspended in that special place before angling his hips so she could feel the pulse of his erection against the walls of her sex.
“Or do you like it hard and fast?” he growled, suddenly plunging into her over and over, until her breaths turned to short pants.
There was no tenderness in the pace Roark fucked her. The sound of flesh slapping flesh, the scents of their juices mingling, the unrestrained way he took what he wanted released the animal in both of them. He snarled, a grating timbre calling to her beast. She answered with a surly growl that made him bend forward and nip her shoulder.
Bone crunched as her canines pushed through her gums. The taste of blood on her tongue made her rear back, slamming her body into his. She needed to taste him, feel his blood flow down her throat.
A rumble vibrated in his throat as he withdrew his cock, taking himself in hand. Tammy felt him tremble against her back as he used her own juices to anoint her anus. Needing to get her mind off his beating pulse, the swish of his blood calling to her, she felt pressure at her entrance and pushed into his touch. Fire lanced her opening. She screamed, lights flashing behind her eyelids as he slid past the tight rings and buried deep inside her.
“Fuck.” He shook uncontrollably as he fought to hold still, give her time to adjust. “Baby, I’m sorry.”
She was anything but sorry. The pain helped her gain control of her thirst. “D-don’t s-stop.” She bared her fangs, releasing a steady hiss as she writhed beneath him. He answered her demand with a thrust, one after another. Not slow, but fast. Hard.
“Tight,” he breathed. “So fucking tight.” His hand caressed over her hip, across her abdomen to find the pulse between her thighs. When he touched the bud nestled there, she went off like a siren, throwing back her head. Her scream could have awakened the dead. It did the guards beyond their door.
Stephen and the two vampires stationed outside burst into the room, the door slamming and then bouncing off the wall back at them. Like statues they stood there, eyes wide and their mouths slack-jawed.
Tammy was too lost in the climax that ripped through her like a tornado to care about them. Roark groaned, “Shit,” as he came hard and fast. Not a very romantic comment, but somewhat apropos for the moment. The last thing she remembered before she collapsed on the bed was hearing the door quietly shut and Roark stepping
away from her.
As she lay there trying to catch her breath, Tammy felt a warm washcloth against her skin. Roark touched her like she was porcelain and any minute might break as he cared for her, ensured her comfort. Tears welled in her eyes, racing down her cheeks. No one had ever made her feel so cherished.
“I’m so sorry.” Roark speared his fingers through his hair. He looked upset. “God, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Rolling upon her back, she wiped at the tears but they just kept flowing. “You didn’t hurt me.” The pleasure he gave her was short of miraculous.
“Then, what? Oh…”He glanced toward the door. His expression hardened. “Forget them. They’re trained to be discreet.”
An uneasy burst of air squeezed from her lungs. “I wish I could.” Lord, what they must think of her.
Roark gathered her in his arms. “I don’t know how to fix this.” He sounded so forlorn, which only made her tears fall even faster. “Tammy, please don’t cry. I’ll think of something.”
Tammy cradled his cheek in her palm and inhaled a ragged breath. “Thank you.”
“What?” Shock drained the sorrow from his eyes to replace it with confusion.
“Thank you for caring about me,” she explained. “Helping me through this adjustment. Not giving up on me.”
He released a breath she took as relief followed by a burst of laughter. “I thought— Well— I’m just glad I didn’t hurt you.” He looked a little sheepish. “I’ve never lost control like that before.”
“It was wonderful.” She buried her face into the curve of his neck, realizing it was the wrong move when the place she had marked him began to pulse. Her mouth watered as she moved her tongue over it in a swirling pattern, tasting salt and his male essence. She was just about to bite down when she stopped mid-way. Easing out of his embrace, she drifted away from him, getting to her feet.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, moving off the bed and coming toward her as she stepped backwards.
“Hungry.” She licked her parched lips tasting him. The sound of Roark’s heart beating grew louder in her head. The temptress inside Tammy slinked beneath her skin. She willed her to stay put, but Tammy could have sworn the vixen laughed at her. I will control you.
Roark tore a sheet off the bed, wrapping it around her, guiding her to sit down. Quickly, he moved to the door and beckoned Stephen inside. The guard didn’t say a word, but his eyes sparkled just the same.
“I need you to stop her from feeding if I don’t,” Roark said, moving to Tammy’s side. Stephen flashed him a look of concern.
Tammy crawled across the bed away from them. “Roark, leave me or get Marcellus.” The temptress inside looked through her eyes at Roark and then Stephen releasing a seductive purr. She pinched her eyelids together. “Get out.”
“Baby, you can control your hunger,” Roark reassured. “Come to me. Let me help you.”
Tammy began to shake. Saliva gathering in her mouth as hunger gnawed on her backbone. She had to fight the need. “Juste une petite morsure.” Just a little bite. The words slipped out of her mouth. Like a magnet she was drawn to Roark’s side. The sheet slipped down her shoulders, catching Stephen’s eyes, and she smiled seductively. Moving to her knees, she leaned into Roark to thread her fingers through his hair and tilt his head to the side. She breathed in his wild scent, caressing her tongue over his skin to feel the vein beneath her touch swell invitingly. Slowly she opened her mouth, canines dropping as she leaned in, pierced his flesh, and began to suck.
Roark groaned. His sound of pleasure exploded in her ears. Rich blood flowed down her throat, quenching her thirst and awakening her body. Continuing to feed, she moved closer, feeling his heat as she straddled his hips. He was hard, ready. With a gentle glide she smoothed her moist folds over him.
“Release him, my queen.” Stephen’s voice barely penetrated the haze her mind was becoming. Tammy felt a tug on her shoulders and she hissed around the flesh in her mouth. “Stop now.” He firmed his voice. His fingers did the same as they buried into her arms.
Tammy swung out, striking him across the face to send him hurling off the bed and landing on the floor with a thud. In the next minute, she found herself pinned to the bed, Stephen’s knee in the middle of her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. She tried to move, fight him, but it was useless. Her mouth gaped. Air. She needed air.
“I’m all right. Let her go, Stephen.”
When the big ox moved off her, Tammy curled into a ball, sucking in one breath after another. Someone draped the sheet back over her. Fingertips massaged her back. Her chest ached, throat stung, but her breaths were finally flowing evenly.
She’d done it again—lost control.
Shame was becoming her companion. As she raised her head and looked into Roark’s eyes, no condemnation stared back at her, only affection.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she coughed. “As soon as the Hulk released me.”
“Hulk?” Stephen repeated. “You mean that big, green guy?” Before she could answer, he said, “I think I’ve been insulted.”
“Insulted?” She huffed. Damn man didn’t have to be so rough. “Next time you try that I’ll rip your arm off and feed it to you.” She added a growl to her voice for good measure.
Stephen only grinned. “Sounds like your mate has a temper.”
“Temper,” Tammy barked. “I’ll show you temper.” As she started to push to her feet, Roark hauled her back into his lap. “Let me at him.” She squirmed in his embrace, until he captured her mouth and the whimper she released.
“Looks like you’ve got everything under control.” Stephen chuckled. The click of the door shutting behind him was all she heard before Roark laid her gently upon the bed and moved atop her.
* * *
Dammit. Roark was falling hard for Tammy. It was difficult to watch her snuggle up to Donne and kiss him passionately as they said their good-byes. The vampire gazed into her eyes with such passion that Roark’s loins tightened. He knew how hypnotic those eyes were. Holy shit! What was he saying? The incident in the pantry was only a mind game—a fantasy—nothing more.
Fuck. Who was he kidding? Roark couldn’t help eavesdropping. He heard every seductive word Donne spoke to Tammy. Last night had been hot, even more exciting having a man with such power on his knees before him. From the corner of Donne’s eyes he flashed Roark a glance that sent his heart to racing.
This was ridiculous.
Roark shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind. Instead, he attempted to focus on the news Stephen had shared with him upon their rising this Thursday evening.
Donne hadn’t joined Tammy and Roark last night. Apparently, Titan and several of his followers had demanded Donne relinquish his leadership. Like Roark, Donne took insubordination seriously, dealing with it swiftly as Roark had with Layton. Rumor had it that Titan and three of his buddies were no longer a problem. Dead. One of Donne’s guards had confided in Stephen that his master had gone to ground to heal from the battle.
An unexpected spark of anger flared inside Roark. Donne shouldn’t have fought the vampires alone. The unexpected emotion that swamped him made his pulse stammer.
“Thank you, my friend. Our queen had need of you.” Donne’s deep voice seeped into Roark’s troubled thoughts.
Donne’s injuries had to have been severe if he required the healing powers of the earth. From what Roark knew of vampires, they did not sleep in caskets, nor did all of them burrow beneath the ground. Some preferred to sleep in beds like anyone else, except when their injuries were life threatening. If there was a chance of survival the rich minerals in the soil and the elements of nature would heal them.
“You should have called on me,” Roark grumbled.
Donne glanced over Tammy’s shoulder. “A mere scratch.”
“I doubt that.” Roark should have been there to protect him. Donne’s warmth surrounded him as if Donne had put his arms around him. Oddl
y, the vampire’s closeness soothed the anxiety that only moments ago held him in its grasp. Roark crammed his hands into the black leather jacket Donne had supplied along with the rest of his clothing.
“I will join you as soon as I am confident my people are at ease with my decisions.” Donne pulled the edges of Tammy’s sheepskin coat closed, fastened the buttons and stole one more kiss before he released her. The coat and the rest of her clothing, sweater, jeans, and hiking boots were only an instrument to make her appear human.
Donne slung an arm around her shoulders and escorted her to the Jeep. When he raised her in his arms, she laughed. She looked happy for the first time since her conversion. Well that was until Stephen took her out of Donne’s embrace and plopped her down on the backseat.
“Ox,” she grumbled, rubbing her butt before moving away from him.
“Brat,” Stephen returned the backhanded compliment over his shoulder. Roark could see his guard fight the twitch in the corner of his mouth as he moved around the vehicle and scooted behind the wheel. With a tug, Stephen pulled the collar of his shirt up. He was dressed in the same shirt and slacks he wore last night.
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