His eyes flashed with heat. “I'm not through with you yet,” he said, his voice thick and low. He lifted her leg higher. The head of his shaft brushed against her opening, heat radiating from him. Her juices began to wet her yet again. But, she stiffened. “Dirk, I've never…”
“Casey—I've been tested. Disease-free.”
Still, she hesitated.
“Do you want me?” he asked, his face fierce with lust.
Casey's muscles clenched. Instead of voicing her desire, she arched her back. The tip of his cock entered her as if it were a key that was made to unlock her.
Holding her eyes in his gaze, Dirk began to ease himself into her velvet sheath, the sheer thickness of him stretching her deliciously.
Casey quivered under him.
“Relax,” he said as he moved carefully deeper.
The length of him pressed against her core. Casey caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Feelings of fear and need warred with each other inside her trembling body. Dirk advanced, pushing against the resistance of her virginity. Casey moaned. Pleasure and pain.
Dirk pulled back, easing his rock hard cock slowly out of her wet sheath, leaving only the tip of him inside. Taunting. Casey felt his muscles vibrating and taut. He was fighting for control so that he didn't hurt her.
But Casey yearned to have him buried deep inside her. Buried to the hilt. “Now, Dirk,” she breathed against his ear. “Take me.”
Dirk growled deep in his throat and with one hard thrust, he impaled her.
A flash of pain zinged through her then nothing but pure rapture filled her. Dirk moved inside her, generating a heat like she'd never known. Each deep stroke sent her closer and closer to the edge. Casey bucked to meet each and every stroke, building toward an orgasm that threatened to shatter her. Casey screamed when she came, the orgasm blindsiding her with its power. She clutched at Dirk to keep herself from falling into the chasm of oblivion that filled her being. Within seconds, Dirk shouted his own release, adding his seed to her succulent nectar, riding the wave with her.
Dirk collapsed on top of her, her leg sliding out of his hold bonelessly.
She wriggled weakly beneath him, waves of ecstasy still rippling through her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, cradling him to her breast while she tried to catch her breath.
Never—never—will I be able to get enough of this man, she thought, closing her eyes in dreamy satisfaction.
* * * *
Dirk's mind was reeling. He'd never gotten off like that before, never come so hard or so violently. For a moment, when Casey's pussy had clenched him like a fist as she came, Dirk had thought he was on the edge of passing out from delicious pressure. It had sent him over the edge and when he had let loose his hot seed, it had felt like his head was about to blow off. He rested his head on the pillow of her firm breasts and wondered just how in the hell he was going to be able to bring himself to lead her back into the den of monsters that he vowed to destroy.
The Clutch and Connor Fagan.
He couldn't take her back. Wouldn't.
His resolve hardened. Connor Fagan would never touch this woman again. Now more than ever, Dirk felt pure, unadulterated hatred fill him.
Connor Fagan had to die.
Chapter Eight
Drake and Holt arrived in Deer Run, Kentucky a little after ten o'clock at night. Darkness was thick, the little town quiet except for the lights glowing from a clapboard building on the corner of the second block of the one and only street. Drake had driven all the way, listening to music and tapping the beat on the steering wheel. Holt had remained his stoic self, sitting silently in the passenger seat, lighting a cigarette every so often. Drake had counted every word that Holt had spoken so far on the trip. The grand total was five. Two more words than the last time they had taken a long drive. Drake didn't mind though. Holt had always been a silent, shadowy presence in his life. His older brother—The Intimidating One.
Drake pulled the black sedan into the dirt lot beside the building and cut the engine. There were two well-used pick-up trucks and a shiny red Mustang parked in the lot. “This place is jumping, eh, Holt?” Drake asked, opening the car door to get out. His boots crunched on gravel, hinting that at one time, the dirt lot had been stone. He closed the car door. It sounded a hollow clunk in the dark. Holt stood on the other side of the car gazing across the roof at Drake. He had gotten out of the car with his usual silence. Drake eyed the place warily. A neon sign buzzed and flickered in a small window beside the only door. 'Joe's Bar' it read in an eerie, sick green glow. Drake caught Holt's eye. “Awfully quiet for a bar, don't you think?”
Holt shrugged one shoulder, then headed for the entrance, unconcerned as always.
Drake followed, his senses on full alert. A bar was not usually this quiet. It jangled his alarms, alright.
Holt stepped into the bar then moved to the left. Drake entered, immediately scanning the dim room as he crossed to the bar. There were two middle-aged men camped at the far end of the long, wooden bar, nursing bottle of beer. A wicked-good-looking bleached blonde sat at a table on his right, inspecting her fingernails while sipping at a glass of beer. She looked up. Drake smiled his best lady-killer smile and winked. She answered with a smile of her own, looking very perky now. Drake had her pegged at around thirty years old, on the prowl with no prey in sight. Until he and his silent brother had shown up, that is.
Perfect, Drake thought as he caught the bartender's attention. If anyone would know about Dirk arriving in town and where the mine was, the blonde bombshell would. He could tell that when it came to a strange male entering this little town, she'd have her radar up and scanning.
“Beer?” the bartender asked.
Dirk raised two fingers. “Two. What she's drinking.”
The bartender pulled two beers out of a cooler beneath the bar, opened them and shoved them in front of Drake. “Three-fifty.”
Drake paid for the drinks, took the long necks in one hand and started toward Holt. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blondie's lower lip push out in a pout. He grinned and continued to where Holt stood by the door.
“Brother,” Drake said, “you look like a wooden Indian standing there. Find a place to plant it while I pump the blonde over there.”
Holt raised an eyebrow at Drake's choice of words.
Drake scowled. “Pump her for info.”
Holt's expression didn't change but Drake saw the flash of amusement in his brother's eyes. Drake turned away, letting Holt fend for himself as he made a beeline for the woman.
Even in the dim light of the weirdly quiet bar, Drake could see a hint of desperation in the woman's eyes. As he neared her, he was surprised at her uncanny resemblance to Lydia, Eric's bride-to-be. He sat down across from her without asking permission and slid one of the beers toward her. “Hi,” he said, “I'm Drake.”
She smiled back at him, a bit of nervousness showing through. “I'm Grace. Thanks for the beer.”
“Welcome.” Drake took a long pull at his beer. It went down cold and smooth. “I'll bet that little red buggy out there belongs to you.”
Grace nodded her head. “It's a '65. Do you like it?”
“Mmhmm,” he murmured, propping his elbows on the table. “I'm new here,” he said. “My brother over there is too.” Drake nodded his head toward where Holt stood with his back leaning against the bar. “We heard about this abandoned coal mine around here. I thought we could check it out.”
Grace reached across the table, laying her hand on his arm. Her hand was warm, her grip firm. She shook her head. “You don't want to go on up there in the dark. It's dangerous. That's why they closed it down.”
Drake used his free hand to toy with her fingers. “Where is it, anyway?” he asked. He took her hand from his arm and began to massage her palm with his thumb, drawing slow circles on its smooth surface. A veil drew down in her eyes, her attraction to him obvious. Drake smiled his best lusty smile. He knew she'd tell him anything he w
anted to know.
And if he had time when this assignment was finished, he'd pay her back for the info. And he would make it very enjoyable for both of them.
* * * *
Dirk grabbed his pack from the ground and stood. They were fully dressed now. He glanced down at Casey where she was sitting on a fallen tree. She was busily plucking grass out of her hair, detangling the thick mane while she worked.
Dirk's heart clenched. God, was he ever in love. He wished that the circumstances were different. Immediately he chided himself for that thought. It was more than an understatement. The circumstances couldn't get any worse.
Casey flipped her hair over her shoulder, finished with her task. She smiled up at him. Her skin glowed palely in the moonlight. She looked made of alabaster, her dark hair enhancing the effect. Dirk figured that part of her unearthly paleness had to do with her being on the edge of turning. He wasn't going to let her get any closer to falling off that cliff.
“I'm ready,” Casey said, standing up and brushing the butt of her jeans.
“I'm going alone,” Dirk said.
Casey crossed her arms. “What changed your mind?”
Dirk sighed. “I don't want to argue with you.”
“Give me a break,” Casey said. She narrowed her eyes.
Dirk felt the push, the tendrils of Casey's consciousness, trying to find entry into his mind. He allowed her in, letting her see his reasons for sending her back down to his car away from this place. Because that was exactly what she was going to do.
After a few moments, her face softened. She came to him, placing the palm of her hand on his cheek. “You really do love me,” she said.
“Yes.”
“Then why do you want to send me away?”
“Casey, you know what kind of creature I'm dealing with here. I do not want you hurt.”
A frown creased her forehead. “I know exactly what we're dealing with but you need to understand this. Number one, I love you. Completely. It doesn't matter to me if you are one of them or you're just a man with funny teeth…”
“Casey…”
She raised a finger. “Don't interrupt.” She took a breath. “Number two, I don't want to see you hurt. Connor has plans for you. I don't know quite what they are. I can't read him. But I guarantee that it won't be pleasant. I've survived in this den of monsters for some time now and I'm still human. So don't write me off as some kind of wuss just because I was a virgin.”
Dirk laughed. He didn't mean to but when she said 'wuss' he couldn't help it.
Casey slapped his chest. “This is serious, Dirk … Dirk…” Her voice trailed off.
All of a sudden, Casey was dead quiet.
Dirk choked back his laughter and ran a hand through his hair. “What's wrong?” he asked.
She looked at him, her eyes pained. “I don't know your last name. Your surname.” She slapped a hand over her mouth as if she had said something bad.
“It's nothing, Casey…”
“Yes, it is,” she said. “I gave up my virginity to you and I don't even know your surname.”
“Raven.”
Casey blinked. “What?”
“Raven. My surname is Raven.”
“Raven,” she repeated. She bit her lip. “And you destroy vampires,” she said after a moment.
“Yes.”
Casey shook her head. “Boy, I can't wait to research your family history, Bucko.”
Dirk reached out and stroked her arm. The coal oil was almost completely gone from her skin. “Casey, I'm asking you this time. Please go back to the car and get out of this place.”
“No.”
“Yes.” Dirk groaned. “Okay, here's something you can do to help me.”
“Not so fast,” she warned.
“Would you just listen? I've called for reinforcements. They should be arriving soon,” Dirk said. He hoped they were already here, somewhere on the mountain. He wanted to dispatch Connor Fagan straight to Hell as soon as possible. “You take the car and go down to that town. Lead them back to the mine.”
“There are more of you?” she asked coyly.
“More Ravens.” She sure was getting spunky but if he could convince her to go down the mountain, he would breathe a little easier. “Here are the keys. The car is straight south from here, not far from … Mitchell. Now go.”
She took the keys from his hand. Dirk drew her to him and sought her mouth. He kissed her long and tender, branding the sensation into his mind. Just in case it was the last time. He pulled away from her tasty mouth reluctantly. “Go,” he said. “Bring them back.”
“How will I know them?” she asked.
“You'll know.” Then he turned away and started walking in the direction of the mine. He hoped that Casey would do as he asked.
He hoped they would both make it out of this.
Alive.
And still human.
* * * *
Casey weighed Dirk's car keys in her hand as she watched him disappear through the trees. Casey bit the inside of her cheek. She held the keys to her freedom in her hand. The keys to Dirk's car. Who knew what had happened to the keys to her own car. All of the things that she had brought with her—including her GPS system—had disappeared. Connor had probably stashed them away somewhere. Insurance so that if she tried to escape, she'd have to do it on foot. Plus, Casey knew that she was in the general vicinity of the cemetery where Connor had kidnapped her but, in these hills, it was easy to get your directions backwards. Especially at night.
Casey fiddled with the keys. Should she follow Dirk's orders? Go to the town he said was down the mountain? One thing that she yearned for was a hot bubble bath. If she did go down to the town, she could have that, couldn't she? But could she find his car in the dark? She didn't have the senses of a vampire.
Casey blinked. Maybe … she did. Her eyesight had sharpened of late. She could see fairly well in the moonlight. And her hearing was also enhanced. Though Dirk was gone from her sight, she could still faintly hear him moving off in the distance. Realization struck her like a hammer blow. She was close to turning. Close to becoming like Connor and his family of monsters. That's the strange hunger that I've been feeling, she thought. I'm craving blood. She drew her arms around herself and squeezed, remembering how she had felt the urge to bite Dirk's neck.
Searching her mind, she thought about certain images that she had picked up from Dirk when their psyches had connected. He, too, had a hunger. An instinct to drink blood. His was stronger than hers but she didn't think he was a true vampire. He was darn close though. Which meant that he was in more danger of losing his soul than she was. And she had let him walk back into the grasp of the Clutch alone.
“Well,” she said out loud, “I can remedy that.” She shoved Dirk's keys deep into her jeans pocket and start walking. Bubble bath, be damned.
She wasn't going to let Dirk go down alone. And when this was over, Mr. Dirk Raven was going to do an awful lot of explaining about just what he and his family did for a living.
* * * *
Connor Fagan lounged high up in an oak tree, his back against the massive trunk, his long legs stretched out along a thick branch. He waited patiently. He had time. Eons, in fact.Dirk was on his way back. Connor could sense his movements. Dirk thought he was returning alone. Returning to destroy the big, bad vampire. Connor smiled widely at the thought. The more Connor thought about it, the more he liked the idea of turning young Dirk Raven into one of his own. That would send the rest of the Raven clan into a hysteria that would bring them all here. To Connor. To save one of their precious own. Or would they destroy Dirk once he'd been turned? There was a thought. A Raven's work was to rid the Earth of vampires, Connor knew. Would they allow Dirk to exist after his turning?
Interesting, Connor thought, crossing one ankle over the other. Just how would that little scenario play out? What would happen when the Ravens arrived to find one of their own blood turned into a bloodsucker? Connor gazed down below to
where Bonnie Lou and Bobby Sue were lying on the ground, languidly cleaning each other of the spilled blood from their feeding frenzy on the deer. Connor did enjoy watching the two. Their deep red hair spilled like flowing blood over their pale skin, skin so white that it seemed lit from inside. They had stripped off their clothes before feeding, not wanting to get them dirty. Their bodies glistened with coal oil and blood in the moonlight. Connor sighed. He liked watching the two clean each other, using their tongues to lick each other free of every drop of blood, especially since it only took moments before they included pleasuring each other while they tongue-bathed. Those two knew how to make each other come within moments, their moans soft on the night air, their mouths making delicious, wet sucking noises as they explored each other's bodies. The two put on one erotic show but it didn't make Connor hard for them. Sure, they could make Connor come if they worked at it but the only one in years that could make his cock spring to life with only a look was Casey Delaney. There was something about Casey that struck a chord in Connor. It was too bad that she was so attached to Dirk. That would be over soon, though. Connor would see to it.
Below him, Bobby Sue let out a guttural cry as she orgasmed again.
Connor raised an eyebrow. Dirk was going to walk right into a scene with two insatiable women who were already hotter than hell and wanting more. It gave him an idea.
“My darlings,” he called down to them softly. Both raised their heads, their eyes smoldering with lust. “Dirk is returning,” Connor said. “When he gets here, I want you both to take your pleasure with him.”
Bonnie Lou tilted her head. “You won't get mad?”
Connor chuckled. “Consider him dessert. Do what you will.”
The women grinned at each other, excited at the prospect of using Dirk to their satisfaction. They fell into a hug. The hugging soon turned to kissing.
Connor shook his head yet again. The twins' hunger for pleasure outweighed their need for blood one hundred-fold. That's why Connor had delivered Mitchell to them. Mitchell was no more than a plaything to keep them occupied but Connor knew that they had become attached to Mitchell as if he were some sort of pet.
Dirk The Savior - Book 3 of the Raven Series Page 10