by Emma Dawn
“That is our choice.”
“It’s unfair, and I won’t have it.” I ran a hand through his thick hair. “I’m not a fool. I know this isn’t love. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I would throw away any of you.”
“Not even me?”
I frowned at him. “Why would I throw you away?”
“Because you believed I set you up to die.”
I closed my eyes. “That was a mistake. Did you not believe my apology?”
He closed his eyes but not before I saw the flash of pain. I put both hands on his face. “King, look at me.”
He opened his eyes and I held him so he could not look away. “I am sorry, but I’ve been hurt by men enough times to shoot first and ask questions later, as the saying goes. I was wrong. I trust you. I trust Spartan. I trust Preacher and Wick and even Celt. Trust is not something I normally give this easily, but it feels like you all have a part of my soul that I had no idea was even missing.”
He pressed his forehead against mine. “I was a slave. For many years before Lily became my queen and I rose out of the filth.”
I thought about his hands in the shower, how good he’d been at helping me. “A slave?”
A rueful laugh flowed out of him. “Yes, that kind of slave, to a beautiful woman who had a cruel touch and a desire to shame me at every turn.”
I bit my lower lip. “I would never do that to you.”
He kissed me, his lips parting over mine, with so much care that my heart ached for him. He was afraid I would hurt him. That me, a tiny little human woman, would hurt this big, strong vampire man.
“Roll over,” I whispered. “Let me show you what it is to be cared for.”
Chapter Eleven
On the bed in my room, King rolled off me and onto his back, his hands going to his sides. I leaned over him. “Are you good with me taking the reins?”
He laughed. “Yes, though it hasn’t been that way in a very long time.”
I wanted to clap my hands with glee, but was afraid to startle him. It felt like I was dealing with a large uncertain beast that would bolt and run with any sudden movements.
I sat at his side and slid my hand down to the top of his damp pants. “May I remove these?”
He nodded, and I tugged the pants down, doing my best not to stare at the size and girth of him. Again, the urge to clap my hands and giggle almost overcame me, but I held it together. I was at his feet now, and I slowly climbed my way up his body, dragging my breasts and hair over his thighs, then over his straining cock, then up his chest until my pussy rested at the tip of him.
I took his hands and placed them on my breasts. “That’s your only job.”
“Terrible.” He whispered, “What an awful task you give me.”
I winked at him, and slid my hips back, pressing myself onto his cock, pressing him in the first few inches, and pausing. Good God, he was huge. Maybe I should have let Wick stretch me a little more.
His fingers flicked over my nipples, catching them and tugging them in a steady rhythm that my hips desperately wanted to match. I pushed down farther on him, my pussy tightening, pulling him in deeper.
“Sweet mercy.” He groaned the words. “I won’t—”
“Last, I know. You boys are all the same.” I grinned down at him but the smile slid as I fought to take him all the way in. Maybe he wasn’t longer than Preacher, but wider, and that stretching sensation of holding all of him brought me to the razor’s edge of pleasure and pain as he filled me.
On my knees, I pulled away and pushed back in a long, deep thrusting stroke that drew a gasp from both of us at the same time. His fingers tightened over my breasts, and I had to stop for a breath.
“I’m not going to last,” I whispered to him.
His eyes closed. “Damn it.”
I bit my lower lip, trying to hold the sensations in one place and not let them overcome me. “I...I have to move, King. I want you so badly. Please.”
“Yes, ride me, lovely lady. Take us to heaven.”
I shifted my weight, beginning the ride that would carry both of us to the heights of pleasure. Angling my body a little, I could get the occasional rub of his pelvic bone across my clit, spiking the urge to move faster and harder. He tugged and pulled on my nipples in the same pounding rhythm, until there was no distinguishing between the pleasure in the various parts of my body. It was all around me and it was all I could do to hang on, keep moving, keep drawing him in deeper and deeper.
He cried out first, his body bucking against mine as if he’d throw me off, wild and spasming as his orgasm caught him.
I kept moving, kept riding that knife edge of pleasure, wanting it to last forever, but my body was not interested in letting me take it further. My pussy began to pulse, a shimmering orgasm seeming to cascade upward from the center of my body, through my belly and breasts, erupting as a scream from my lips.
I collapsed on his chest, sweat dripping down my sides. He rolled us over on the bed, one arm under my neck, the other in the crook of my waist. His cock was still in me, as my body milked him with the last tremors of my orgasm.
“Allianna, are you okay?” He kissed the sides of my face. I blinked up at him.
“Okay? That was amazing. King, you make me feel things I didn’t think were possible.”
He kissed me, deeply and sweet and still, oh, so carefully. “Thank you, that is...the best thing you could have given me besides your trust.”
“Happy to oblige, sir.” I grinned up at him. “Just wait till next time.”
He laughed, a grin spreading over his face, flashing his fangs. I reached up and touched one with my thumb, drawing a shudder through him.
“Not that I mind,” I said, “I wish...I wish that all of you could bite me. I get the feeling the sensation would be phenomenal.”
His arms tightened around me. “Only the one you choose will have the pleasure of your blood during sex.”
“I know. Spartan told me. It’s like a bonding thing?”
He kissed my nose. “Yes, something like that.”
A sigh slid from him. “I wish I could stay longer. But Celt will only leave you an hour or so to yourself before he will want his time with you.”
I held him tightly when he moved to pull away. “Stay with me, talk to me a little while. I will only need a few minutes to myself to clean up.”
His green eyes were still full of uncertainty but he obliged, spinning out his story, at least as much as he could in that short time.
Being a slave was something he’d known as long as he’d been alive. There had never been a time when he had been free, not until he’d been taken to Lily to be turned into a vampire. His looks, and quiet, well-trained demeanor had been what had drawn Lily to him, apparently. Of course, there was fire under the calm, but he didn’t let it out often. He and Preacher were the two brothers who kept the other three in check.
Kept them from wreaking havoc.
“You do a good job,” I said, curling my head against his chest. “Spartan defended you immediately. There was no question in him about your loyalty.”
King rubbed a hand down my back, drawing little patterns with his fingers. “He is a bit of a conundrum, that one. When we found him, he’d been beaten by the other hive.”
“Wait, there’s more than one hive?” I lifted my head and King smiled.
“There are many hives, and many queens and even some kings. Over fifty, at last count. Ours is one of the largest which is why we got away with stealing him out from under their noses. He didn’t belong with them. While he is a warrior, his heart is too strong and true to be a violent man. It would have killed him eventually, if he’d had to stay there.”
I had to agree with King. From what I’d seen of Spartan, he was far from the maniac he’d looked like on my first impression of him.
We lay there, talking for a few more minutes before the door burst open and Celt sauntered in. “Still going at it, are we?”
I looked up at him from over King’s body. “Just talking. You want to come and join?” King stiffened and I laughed, patting his cheek. “Not like that. I meant just talking.”
Celt, though, stripped off his coat and boots and flung them to the side. “Don’t tell me you got our King to open up? What magic do you wield, lass?” With a hop, he was on the bed, his head tucked between mine and King’s.
“Are you and Wick related?” I asked the blond-haired, blue-eyed man.
He roared. “Why, because we be twins of one another?”
“Nah,” I shook my head. “You both be cheeky bastards.”
King laughed and sat up. “I’ll leave you to her, Celt. And you aren’t going to last, brother.”
Celt made a swiping motion with his hand. “Please, I can outlast any of you. Always have, always will.”
King snorted, and grabbed his pants from the floor. I watched as he drew them over his hips, covering himself. A sigh of regret slid through me. His eyes darted to mine and there was a world of words unsaid that passed between us before he spoke to Celt. Gratitude, and an understanding of where we stood with one another that was clear as crystal.
“You want to make it interesting?” King asked.
“A bet? Damn, you’re on, lad!” Celt still stood on the bed and held out his hand to King. “I can last no matter what the lassie throws at me.”
I stood, stretched and headed to the bathroom, shaking my head at them both. “You two work out the details. I’ll be right back.”
I closed the bathroom door behind me, and leaned against it, drawing a deep shuddering breath. When I was in the arms of one of the brothers, the danger to my life faded to nothing more than a distant memory. After Celt, I would have something of a break then, an hour before Spartan would come to take me for training. I had to make a plan, I had to start finding a way out. From what I could see, it was the only surefire way to make sure we all survived Terra.
There seemed to be no rush to the men’s sharing of me, even though each of them was happy to have their turn. They also wanted to give me a little time to myself, and I could put that to use.
I rubbed a hand over my face and walked to the mirror. My eyes were bright, my skin had a lovely glow from all the sex, and here and there the love bites from King, Preacher, and Wick. They showed bright against my pale skin. I ran my hands over my body, checking for any soreness. Nothing. That magic drink was magic indeed. I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t bruised as I knew I should have been.
I stepped into the shower, soaping down and washing away the smell of King from my skin. Not that I was bothered by it, but it seemed only reasonable when I was about to climb into the arms of another man.
If Cassie could only see me now, she’d be rooting me on. Telling me to take them all, and society be damned.
I flicked the water off and a towel was handed to me. I turned to see Celt standing there, most of his clothes still on. I gave him a mocking pout, and did my best to affect an Irish accent.
“Think that if ye keep yer clothes on that will keep ye safe from my lusty ways?”
He barked a laugh. “That be terrible, lass. And I’ll take my clothes off when I’m good and ready and not a second before.”
I lifted one shoulder and let it drop along with the edge of the towel, exposing one breast. His blue eyes slid from my face, to my rose-pink nipple that perked up even as he looked. I bit my lower lip. “Seeing as you aren’t interested, perhaps I’ll just take care of my own needs then. That okay with you?”
His eyes flew to my face. “What?” The word was somewhat strangled and I casually made my way past him, trailing a hand over his face, then down his chest.
“You said you could hold out, and that sounds like a challenge to me. Perhaps I have a few tricks up my sleeve?” I dropped the towel. “Oops, no sleeves.”
I raised my eyes to his, and gave him a slow, deliberate blink of my lashes.
“Ah, lass, I’ve held out against worse.”
The words were strong, but the way he shifted his stance told me everything. I looked around the room, spying an overstuffed chair with a seat that could probably fit several people. While I didn’t want to hurry Celt, I also knew the sooner we were done, the sooner I’d have my hour to myself. I felt bad about rushing this. I wanted it to last with him too. I wanted to enjoy him thoroughly. If I ever got the chance, I’d make it up to him.
I tried not to think about the trouble I’d get in if I was caught trying to escape.
A zing of adrenaline shot through me.
I reached the chair and bent at the waist, running my hands over the velvet material. “This will do just fine, I think.”
I shimmied onto the chair and leaned back, my knees together. Celt stared at me from across the room, his chest hitching with breath. I pursed my lips together again, and ran my hands over my body, starting at my knees, moving up over my thighs, across my belly, and up to my breasts. I cupped them both, holding their weight a moment before I ran my thumbs over both nipples. I bit my lower lip and let out a moan. My body was so sensitized, I was almost certain I could come just by playing with my nipples at this point.
“Devil woman, you work for King, do you?” His words were full of heat, but also laughter. Like Wick, Celt was full of trickery and fun. Well, that made three of us.
I sighed and continued to let my hands rub across my breasts. “No. But you said you could hold out on me. I don’t want you to hold out, Celt. I want you to fuck me until our bones turn to liquid from coming so hard.”
His jaw dropped and I leaned back in the chair a little more. “But since you want to hold out, I’ll get started without you.”
Inch by inch, I let my legs drop to the sides, opening myself to him. Letting him see me as I slid my one hand between my legs and dipped two fingers into my pussy. I shivered and shimmied my hips a little for a better angle as I swept my fingers up and over my clit, doing a slow circle while I stared at him.
He closed the distance between us, clothing dropping with each step.
I arched an eyebrow when he reached to touch me. I lifted a foot and put the sole of it against the front of his shoulder. “No, I think you can watch for now.”
His eyes bugged out further. “Lass, that is not fair.”
“You already used your voice on me, brought me to orgasm without a touch.”
He frowned. “Is that what you want?”
I dipped my fingers again. “No, I want you to want me, to not be able to hold back.”
Celt dropped to his knees. “I do want you, lass, more than you know.”
“Then watch, and I’ll tell you when you can join in.” I didn’t tip my head back, but let my gaze rest on him as I swirled my fingers between my pussy and my clit. While it felt good, it was nothing to the pleasure of having a man cupping me, holding my nipples between his teeth while he fucked me hard. I sucked in a sharp breath, the image making my hips dance and buck.
He groaned, his hands on the side of the chair, gripping it until it groaned along with him.
“You be killing me, lass.”
His words sobered me as nothing else could have. “No, that’s the last thing I want.” I sat up and he took my fingers that had been inside of me and sucked on them.
“Lass, you be the sweetest thing I have tasted in a very long time.” He kissed my palm and I scooted forward so his head was at my shoulder level.
Our lips met, hard, angling and more than a little demanding. Because I wanted him to want me, to not be able to hold back like I’d said.
He pulled back a little from me. “Why is wanting you so important?”
I was surprised he’d want to talk in the middle of sex, I’d had to almost force the others. “Because...my ex used it against me. He acted like he was never interested, when I know he went to stripper bars. I know he...” I paused, feeling the pain of being rejected again as if it had just happened, “I know he preferred his hand and his porno movies over me.�
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Celt’s eyes closed and a pained look slid over his face. “Lass, you were with the wrong man is all.”
“Am I with the right one now?” I whispered back. “Are you going to cast me aside, Celt?”
He kissed me hard, demanding once more, biting at my lower lip and tugging it toward him before he spoke.
“Let me show you just how much I want you, lass.”
Chapter Twelve
Celt’s mouth came back to mine in a swell of heat and desire that curled around us, like adrenaline turned into pure, liquid lust. We were both suddenly frantic, clinging to one another as we tumbled off the chair to the cool hardwood below us. I didn’t care that the floor was hard and cold, only that this man was with me and he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
His mouth slid from my lips and latched onto one nipple, sucking hard, rolling the tip of it between his teeth until I cried out, the pleasure pain exquisite in its intensity. I bucked my hips up and he drove into me, hard and fast, while still holding my nipple in his mouth.
I dug my nails into his back, wanting all his hardness in me, wanting to feel the slap of my back against the floor as he took me without being careful or cautious. King’s lovemaking had been gentle, and sweet, but this was the intense power of lust unleashed. A good and royal fucking.
I dragged Celt’s mouth back to mine, and buried my tongue deep, tangling it with his own. I wrapped my legs around his waist holding him tightly, never wanting to let him go.
There was no finesse to this, just raw desire, and it was beautiful in its own uncontained way. I sucked on one of Celt’s fangs and his whole body shuddered. “Sweet merciful heavens.” He groaned the words as I reached around and grabbed hold of his ass, urging him into me harder.
“Celt, don’t stop, please don’t stop. You feel so good inside me.”
That was it, those words seemed to unsnap whatever control he had. He put his palms on either side of my head and used the leverage of the floor to slam in and out of me fast and hard, until our bodies were both slick with heat and sweat. I stared up at him, marveling at the strength in him, but also how even with losing control he still wasn’t hurting me.