He made a growling sound that vibrated through her and she choked back a sob. His lips and his tongue were everywhere. Pushing, licking, driving her higher. Her fingers fisted in his hair and she tried to rock against him.
Hands found her hips, keeping her still, angling her to his mouth. Overpowering her. Kara gasped at the sensation of being at her mercy. It didn’t scare her. Damien had never really scared her. She had no idea sex games appealed to her, but she suddenly felt like the helpless prisoner of a seductive sorcerer. In fact, she kind of was. Her arousal somehow spiked even higher.
“Don’t move.” He breathed, again. “I can’t lose control.” Then, he went back to his work.
Kara squeezed her eyes closed in pleasure.
She should have known that Damien would want to dominate like this. The elegant layer of civilization peeled back to reveal the predatory nature of his species. He could have done bondage without the leather and chains, just from inhuman strength and extreme sexual talent.
Suddenly, he pulled back.
Kara nearly cried. “Don’t stop.” She was so close, now. “Damien, please.”
He sat back from her, breathing hard. He wanted something. She could tell from the intensity in his eyes.
And, from out of nowhere, she knew what. Kara lowered her gaze, her heart pounding, and instinctively turned in the seat so her back was to him. Flushing, not sure what she was doing exactly, she held the heavy skirts up so her bottom half was bare to his gaze. She bent slightly, so he could see her from this new angle. “Like that?” She whispered.
“Fuck yes.” He whispered it on a groan.
Definitely not Tanya dialogue. Damien was making up his own lines, now. Finding his own voice. Even when that voice was swearing, Kara loved hearing it.
Her other hand braced on the back of the bench, she turned to stare at him. He was so aroused. She could tell not just from his body, but from the rough cadence of his breathing.
“Stay still.” He ordered, again and then he stood directly behind her, leaning forward so he didn’t hit his head on the top of the carriage. Caging her with his sheer size, like a male animal with its mate.
Kara nearly came as his palm slid down and began rubbing against her sensitized flesh. Testing it. Parting it for his touch. “Vlad.”
“Why do you call me that?” He nuzzled the side of her neck.
“Vlad the Imapler.” It came out as a moan. “He was a big, scary guy who… impaled people.”
“I like that.” His tongue touched her ear. “Will you let me impale you, Kara Lynn?” One finger almost entered her and she sobbed.
“Yes.” It was total surrender.
He could be gentle and forceful at the same time. It more gasoline on the fire as he readjusted her body, with strong, insistent movements. Spreading her thighs even wider, Damien suddenly supported most of her weight. Kara whimpered again as he caught her arms by her sides. She was trapped against him and she’d never been closer to a climax in her life.
He hesitated, breathing fast. “The Vampires say Wizard Warlocks mate like creatures. The first time take our… women it’s always from behind, keeping them still.” His hoarse voice was in her ear. “It’s so we don’t hurt them during the mating. Instinct, because things can get out-of-control. We aren’t monsters. The women consent.”
She heard the desperation in his voice. “Damien, Jesus, do I seem like I’m not enjoying this?”
He fondled her damp curls. “No.”
“Then what the hell are you worrying about?” She licked her lower lip. “Forget the Vampires. You’re not a creature. I know that. If you do something that freaks me out, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, hurry up!” She rubbed against him, impatiently.
She heard him expel a shaky breath. “We can’t mate here. When I do take you, it will be in a bed. Civilized. But, it will be like this. You held before me.” Two fingers slipped inside of her in a kind of sneak preview. “Will you accept me fully?”
Kara cried out as he pressed as deep as he could go.
And then he just stilled.
She couldn’t get any leverage, so she was still under Damien control. Her back arched in frustration needing relief, feeling vulnerable and wanton, full and needy.
“Will you accept me fully, Kara Lynn?”
Would she sleep with him, he meant. Kara hesitated, trying to think. Fooling around was one thing, but actually having sex with Damien was… more. It seemed real. Like a commitment. She didn’t just jump into bed with men on a whim. Especially not magical, non-human ones.
“We’ll stay like this until you agree.” He rubbed her sensitized flesh just enough to make her brain start misfiring. “The coachman will be surprised when he opens the door.”
Her gaze widened. She’d forgotten about that guy. What was it with carriage drivers in this place? “Can he hear us?”
“Not with me cloaking the sounds.” Damien’s fingers continued their slow massage. “I can stop touching you, if you’re concerned, though.”
Stretched and held by him, Kara felt deliciously wicked. He wasn’t going to stop. The bastard was teasing her, trying to get his own way. Why did any girl ever try to avoid the bad guy? “If you stop touching me, you’d better be wearing Kevlar, buddy.”
“Does that mean you want me to continue?” His erotic tone had her squeezing her eyes shut.
She bobbed her head.
“I’ll give you this, Kara Lynn and later I’ll have you just the way I want. Agreed?”
She nodded, again, stupidly helpless to say no.
“Such a good human.” Satisfaction rang in his tone. “Lean back, cari.” He shifted her against his chest, his lips grazing her temple, as his fingers began a quick, relentless assault. In and out. In and out. Faster and faster, until all she knew was the rough, sinful invasion.
“Damien.” Kara turned so her mouth could find his, kissing him frantically, pleadingly. He could have anything he wanted if only he’d hurry.
His kiss plundered her. “You are mine.” He ground out. “Say it.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” It became a chant. Kara instinctively tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck in seduction and submission. “Now, please.”
He made a snarling sound, his head lowering to kiss the side of her throat. Teeth grazed lightly and Kara exploded. “Damien!” Pleasure tore through her and she shrieked his name.
Damien held her, his face buried against her neck as she shuddered. It went on and on, his fingers still moving, taking everything she had. She finally quieted with a contented sigh, cuddling even closer to him, more replete than she had ever been.
God, she was in trouble.
Damien’s hand slipped from inside her, but he didn’t loosen his hold. Instead, he shifted them around so he was sitting on the seat, Kara resting in his lap. He was rock hard and apparently not going to do anything about it.
Instead, he tugged the neckline of her dress down. Just yanked it over her breasts so they were exposed to his gaze. Kara swallowed, at the proprietary move. It wasn’t even foreplay, now. He just wanted to see her breasts, watch them bounce slighting as the carriage rolled along. He sat there, his eyes on her erect nipples, and gave a contented purr. “Mine.” Large hands came up to massage them and Kara’s eyes drifted closed in surrender.
Yeah. This was definitely trouble.
Chapter Twelve
“Darling Melessa.” Slade swept her around the human dance floor. “Fear not. I have avenged you.”
“Oh, Slade. Thank you for your heroic rescue.” Her gaze cut over to where To’kel’s body lay. The human waiters had covered the dreadful thing with a tablecloth, lest the ball be ruined by his dead, gaping eyes staring at the dancers. Still, it was a dark cloud against the shining sun of their future. “Shall we never know a moment of peace? Will our enemies always pursue us?”
“It is the price of being valiant and good, My Eternal One. Villains always seek you out.” He regarded her tenderly. “But, we sha
ll prevail. It’s a town full losers and we’re pullin’ outta here to win.”
Eternal Passion at Sunset- Chapter Twelve
Karalynn wasn’t meeting his gaze.
Since they left the carriage, she’d been doing her best to look everywhere but him.
Her chocolate brown eyes stayed fixed on the huge, neoclassical buildings of the Court of Honor as they walked towards the ball. Gigantic structures, covered in windows and ornate decoration, they were the centerpiece of the fairgrounds. The guidebooks already dubbed the display the White City.
Surrounding a wide reflecting pool, the main buildings were outlined in electric lights and painted a uniform alabaster shade. All the wonders of the age were exhibited within them. Trains and gadgets and Tiffany glass spread out for everyone to admire. But it was the White City itself that made the boldest statement.
The Pyramid of Giza could have fit inside just one of the massive spaces and there were over half a dozen. The buildings were stunning, ostentatious displays of American power. Damien didn’t blame Kara for being stunned by their size. But he had the feeling she wasn’t even seeing them as she stared up at the plaster façades.
She just didn’t want to look at him.
Kara liked to be in control. Liked to act as if she knew exactly what she was doing, but she was very, very innocent. Compared to him, she hadn’t lived at all. She’d handed herself over to him in the carriage and she had no idea what to do next.
Tenderness welled inside of him. “Kara Lynn, all will be well.” Damien’s hand stayed at the small of her back. He hadn’t been able to stop touching her since she’d come apart in his arms. She was so soft. He wanted to caress her everywhere. To hear her crying his name, again. To mate with her and seal them together before she changed her mind.
What the hell were they doing, going to this stupid human party?
Even killing To’kel suddenly seemed like a colossal waste of time.
“You don’t understand.” Kara stopped walking and cleared her throat. “Okay, look, I can’t just sleep with every handsome villain who tries to kidnap me.”
He arched a brow and leaned closer to her ear. “How about just one?”
“No! Especially not if he’s you. Stop distracting me by being cute. I can’t let you... Um...” She trailed off as he carefully nipped her earlobe. “Damn it, now I forgot my speech.”
Damien smiled at that and kissed his way down the curve of her neck. “You think me handsome.” He prompted, helpfully. They were standing in the middle of the pathway. Humans were watching them as they passed, but he couldn’t care less. He had no problem with letting the world know Karalynn Donnelly was his.
“I think you’re a jerk.” But, she still tilted her head to give him better access. “Trying to seduce me won’t work, because I’m a strong and moral person who knows that this will all end badly and... Oh, Damien, yes, right there.” His teeth grazed and Kara’s hand clenched on his arm. Her breasts slid against his chest as she arched upward. “Holy cow. How do you do that?”
“Magic.” Biological instinct. He was a Wizard Warlock and she was his mate. What she craved was part of that connection. Gods, she smelled good. He gently bit down on the curve of her neck, just as she liked and nearly groaned when she whimpered. The need to mark her rode him hard. “You are seducing me, cari. Not the other way around.”
“Yeah, right.” She snorted like that was the stupidest thing he’d ever said. “‘Cause I’m rocking the femme fatale. It’s probably the hair.”
“Possibly.” The curls did draw his eyes over and over. He could have drowned in them. Damien pulled back, ducking his head and forcing her to meet his gaze. “Cari, I understand that you’re apprehensive about mating with me. But, you needn’t worry. I will not harm you.”
Her eyes stayed locked on his. “Not intentionally, no.”
Damien was insulted. “Not in any way.” He would die before he hurt this woman. Anything left in his soul belonged to her. “How can you think I’d injure you, Kara Lynn?”
“There are different ways to harm someone.”
What did that mean? “You’ve already given consent for the mating. Do you wish to revoke that?” If she did, he had no idea what he’d do. Weeping might be an option. Or destroying the planet in pure sexual frustration.
“No, I don’t want to revoke anything.” The words were almost soundless. “Not exactly.”
For a man who only felt vengeance, the relief that washed through him was staggering.
Of course, then she bit her lower lip and kept talking. The woman loved to complicate things. “I’ve wanted to sleep with you from the very beginning, Damien. You’ve probably picked up on that fact. You’re incredibly gorgeous, and you’re funny and strange in all the best ways, and you make me feel things that I shouldn’t, and...” She shook her head. “But, it’s just a really bad idea to take this any further. It is.”
His mouth curved into a smile at her earnest tone. “You say I am the villain. Villains like bad ideas.”
“Except you keep saying you’re not the villain. That’s the whole problem. You don’t believe this is a book and, when we get to the end, I’m scared of what will happen to you.”
“I will kill Slade and then I’ll... uh...” Actually he had no plans beyond that. He’d never once thought of what would happen the day after he destroyed the Vampire. Damien paused, confused by the sudden blankness of his future.
Kara stared up at him, looking close to tears. “No. You won’t kill Slade.” She said, quietly. “That’s why you have no idea what happens next. You won’t get out of this book alive. Meanwhile, I keep caring more and more about someone who plans to kill himself.”
Damien’s heart gave a jolt. “You care for me?”
“Yes!” She gave his chest an agitated thump with her hand. “That’s why I’m asking you to stop this. Stop trying to kill Slade before it’s too late. Please.”
Give up his revenge? Damien was stunned. How could she ask that of him? “Kara Lynn, I can’t. This means everything to me. My vengeance is all that I have. Can’t you see that?”
Apparently not.
“I see that you’ll be gone before the epilogue.” She jerked away from him. “I see that no matter what happens, I’m going to be alone. I see that you’re a selfish jackass and I’m…Damn it!” She took off down the pathway, swiping at her cheeks.
Damien closed his eyes. The woman was right.
He was being selfish.
A Wizard Warlock always placed his cari first. Her needs were always paramount. What kind of sorcerer cared more for his own revenge than for his mate’s happiness? Was this the type of creature he’d become?
So far, he’d drugged Kara, allowed dragons and Vampires to menace her, he’d kidnapped her, and forgotten to feed her, he’d locked her in his home and made her cry. Now, he wanted her to mate with him, when he might very well die and abandon her to a hostile, unfamiliar world.
He hadn’t even explained what being his cari really meant. He told Kara it was an endearment, hiding the truth because he knew it would make it easier to gain her consent. Consent that really wasn’t consent at all, since he’d stolen her choices. He’d wanted her and he took her. He dragged a small, innocent human into his war.
And still she said she cared for him.
After everything he’d done to her, she still worried for him and their future. Karalynn was so good. She deserved her mate to care for her in return, but that emotion had been burned out of Damien long ago. He wouldn’t even know how to find it, again. He could feel nothing but his vengeance and she deserved so much more. So much better.
He should let her go.
The thought drifted through Damien’s mind and he nearly doubled over at the horrible truth of it. Helpless rage filled him. He wanted to block out the moment of clarity and go back to thinking as he used to, before Kara confused things for him. Back to the comforting fog of his hatred. Only he couldn’t put the blinders back on, now th
at she’d ripped them off.
He should let her go.
It was the only honorable choice.
Let her go with Slade. Let her go free. Kara could be the queen of the Vampires, living in her golden palace. Damien saw his own death drawing closer, all the time. What the hell did he have to offer her? He was the last of his people, so there were no other Wizard Warlocks to care for her after he was gone. If he mated with her, Karalynn would be alone in the world, facing a very long life in a foreign time and powers he hadn’t prepared her for.
In the end, he would destroy her.
Damien’s eyes focused on the back of her head, watching the seductive bounce of her coffee colored curls. She was so alive. So bright and special. She was the only thing he’d ever wanted just for himself. The only being who’d ever offered him a chance at peace.
A good man –one of her storybook heroes-- would let Kara go before he doomed her, too.
What kind of mate was he?
He thought only of his desperate, wild need for the woman. How long he’d waited and how much he wanted to keep her with him. He should think of Karalynn’s future. He should ensure that she would be protected. He should be the man his parents had raised and do one unselfish thing in his long, miserable existence.
Damien swallowed hard, some unidentifiable weight lodging inside of him and making it hard to breathe.
He should let her go.
*****
Kara wasn’t a world’s fair scholar, but she was pretty damn sure there hadn’t been a frigging “Ballroom Building” in the Court of Honor. No way. And even if there was it probably wasn’t shaped like the White House and decorated exactly like that scene from Beauty and the Beast. And she’d bet her life that the orchestra there wouldn’t have actually played a slow, waltz-y version of Springsteen’s Thunder Road.
God, she hated this book.
The Boss should sue Tanya for every penny she had.
Kara stalked passed the doorman, ignoring his prompting, “Do you have an invitation, Miss?” and shoved her way through the crowd. She wasn’t in the mood to be polite. In fact, thanks to Damien, she was pissed at this whole make-believe world. Even more so than usual.
Not Another Vampire Book Page 19