Kara’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do with me, now?”
“I’m going to make you forget about all the useless heroes of this world and beg for me to corrupt you.”
“Oh wow.” She let out an excited laugh. “Damn, but I love it when you go into bad guy mode.”
“That’s fortunate for both of us, since it come so naturally to me.”
“If I beg now, will you be gentle?”
“Fuck no. Get on the bed and turn around. Now.”
“Okay. Uh...” She looked over at the tall mattress like she was trying to figure out how to climb up onto it without falling right off, again.
Damien didn’t give a damn about graceful techniques and he was about to go insane. He just grabbed her and lifted her onto the bed himself. “You’re right. I need new furniture.”
*****
Under other circumstance, Kara would have laughed at that annoyed comment. She couldn’t really find the oxygen to do much more than gasp as Damien flipped her over, so she was face down.
Strong arms pushed her knees up as his leg separated thighs from behind. She was on all fours, naked and exposed before the man everyone called a villain.
And she loved it.
Damien wasn’t going to hurt her. She believed it totally.
Kara made a restless movement, her breasts sliding across the sheets and enflaming her.
“Don’t move.” He gripped her shoulder holding her in place against the bed. “The first time my people mate, it’s always like this. I told you. It’s safer for the woman.”
“I’m not worried.” She felt safe with Damien. They could do this standing on their heads, for all she cared, just so he hurried.
Damien’s body came up behind hers, his fingers testing. “Now, the hero of the piece would ask you if you were sure, at this point. Give you one last out.”
Kara was sure. Very, very sure. She turned her head as far as she could, trying to see him. “Good thing you’re so nefarious, then. What if I’d changed my mind? Would you have to let me go?”
“Never.” His head dipped to kiss the curve of her neck. Kara bared it to him and he made that appreciative growling sound, again. The one that had her wanting to sob with lust. “I’d just have to chain you to the wall and change it back.” His tongue lapped her skin at that magic spot, again.
At the same time, she felt the warm, smooth length of him slide against her. His palm came down on the mattress beside her. He leaned over her and thrust forward with a long, slow push. Kara cried out, automatically trying to move against him, only to have his other hand pin her shoulder, again, holding her still. There was something so predatory about that. So damn erotic about his possession. She whimpered as Damien slid all the way inside her, stretching her straight to her soul.
His breathing developed a jagged edge. “I wanted you the first moment I saw you.” He rocked gently, taking every last inch, and Kara’s eyes closed in pleasure. “I knew then that I’d have you like this. Even if you’d been Slade’s mate, I would have taken you and kept you for my own. I’d never let another man have you. You’re mine.”
God, he was good at the hot, possessive dialogue.
His hand left her shoulder and circled around to her breast. He massaged it in time with his thrusts. “Your hair and your body and your fire. You were made for me. Do you feel this between us, too?”
“Yes.” Without the ability to move, all Kara could focus on was sensation. The ecstasy was increasing, stronger than ever, but he still held relief just out of reach. He really was evil. “Please.”
His mouth found the curve of her throat, again. Teeth scrapping. Again, Kara turned her head and gave him the access he wanted. It was a primal instinct. Submitting to the dominate animal. She shivered with erotic feel of it, still needing more.
“I’m not human.” He rumbled.
“I know.” He was a sorcerer. For once it didn’t seem ridiculous.
“My ancestors were both man and Vampire.”
“Uh-huh. Mine were Irish.”
He made a sound that was almost amused. Except villains didn’t chuckle. “Will you give me everything, cari?”
“Yes.” He could have anything he wanted. “Just don’t stop and I’ll do anything you ask.”
“That’s what I like to hear from my hapless victims.”
She gave a breathless chuckle. “You’re sooo bad.”
“I know.” Damien abruptly lifted her up, so she was sitting on his lap, her back to his front. “But, you like it that way, don’t you?” He pressed her down. Hard.
“Oh God, yes!” Her body arched as she came. Damien slid into her so fully that Kara couldn’t tell where he left off and she began. The explosion of it nearly consumed her and still Damien kept up his steady pace. Kara collapsed against him, helpless and panting as pleasure roared through her. “More.”
He didn’t let up as she shuddered through the aftershocks. He just made an animalistic purr and thrust into her, again and again. “There’s my good human.” His hand remained on her breast, feeling it bounce with their movements.
“Can you…? Oh God.” Yeah, he could keep it up. Kara’s head went back against his shoulder, the pleasure building to unbearable levels. Damien controlled their movements and she was going to go crazy if he didn’t go even faster. Deeper. “Please.” Her dazed eyes met his, begging for even more. For something she couldn’t name, but she knew she needed. “Give me everything.”
“Fuck yes.”
He was so eloquent.
She smiled, happy and high on passion. “I love you.”
“Are you sure?” His jaw was tight with restraint. “I couldn’t bear it, if you weren’t sure that it was really Damien you love.”
For a second, she had no idea what that meant. Hadn’t she just said as much? And she’d already admitted that he was her mate, so that couldn’t be what he was asking. Honestly, it seemed pointless to try and deny their connection, at this point. The love she felt for him was so big it could only be fate. She bit her lower lip and tried to concentrate. “Of course, I’m sure.”
Black eyes stayed locked on hers with hope and doubt. “Is it real for you? Am I truly Damien to you and not a character in a book?”
Kara abruptly understood what he wanted. What his insistence questions were all about. Her hand came up to touch his dark hair. “I love you.” She whispered. “You’re Damien. You’re my best friend and the Wizard Warlock and the man who I want more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. This is real. You’re real.”
He made gave a harsh groan and his thrusts grew harder.
“Damien!” She pressed her breasts forward, so her nipple rasped against his palm. He pinched it, rolling it between his fingers.
Teeth nipped her shoulder as he rocked. His hand left her breast and came up to stroke her face. His eyes gleamed as Kara sucked his thumb into her mouth and bit down gently. “Do you consent to the entire mating?” His other hand slid down her body. The heel of his palm began a slow rotation at just the right spot. “You want everything?”
“Oh yes.” It was a sob.
“I could explain some things first.” Even as he said it, Damien caught her arms, trapping her completely against him. “I should have already, but I am not an honorable man.”
“Don’t care.” Kara was so close. Her lips found his and she poured herself into the kiss. “Just take me, now.”
He kissed her back, long and openmouthed. “You will be mine forever when we do this.”
“I already am.”
Without warning, Damien slammed her down, surging up at the same time. The impact of it sent her right over the edge. Kara cried out as the greatest orgasm of her life swept over her. It washed through her body, electrifying every circuit. “Damien, Damien, Damien!” Her gaze went wide. “Oh, Damien, yes!”
He liked that. He liked her shrieking his name. “Kara Lynn.” He growled. “Mine.” He gave a roar as came inside of her, pushing her own climax to grea
ter heights. Kara’s nails scratched him wantonly as Damien held her tight against him.
And then she felt the sharp pain at her neck and his teeth sinking into her. Kara exploded for a third time as he bit down on the exposed curve of her throat. The dark pleasure of it had her eyes fluttering closed, offering him everything. The rapture went on and on. Endlessly.
Not quite Vampire, not quite human. She should have guessed the Wizard Warlocks liked some fang. No wonder they worried about keeping their women still during the mating. Too much thrashing around and someone could slice a vein.
He wasn’t sucking her blood, though, just…marking her.
Kara should have been way more freaked out about it than she was, really. But, she couldn’t seem to do more than rub against him soaking in the decadent thrill of it. The feel of his teeth hold her, his tongue stroking, had her humming in satisfaction.
It was because he was Damien. Because, she trusted him not to hurt her and because he made her so bonelessly content. Because something warm and right swept through her, somehow binding her to this man on an elemental level that made her feel like she wasn’t alone.
Because he was magic.
Damien finally drew back and gave a triumphant growl. “Mine.” His hand stayed at her breast, caressing. “Mine.” He kissed her temple with something like determination.
Kara opened her eyes again and regarded him, dreamily. “I think you really did hypnotize me.” She felt… Wonderful. Different, and safe, and connected to Damien in a whole new way. How the heck did he do that? “You better not have just made me into a Vampire, though.”
“That would be the last thing I’d desire. The marking is a Wizard Warlock’s ritual. It...” He stopped like he didn’t want to finish that. “Well, we can discuss it later. Did I scare you?”
“No.” Kara was feeling too languid to discuss anything, or worry about tomorrow, or think about her long, empty future without this man. For now, she was just happy. She smiled sleepily and nuzzled the underside of his jaw. “You never scared me.”
Damien regarded her seriously. “I know.” He still wasn’t letting her go. He lay down, adjusting their bodies so she was cradled beside him. Big arms came around her, holding tight. “You are the only one who is unafraid of me. Who sees me how I wish I was. A protector and not a creature.”
“You’re not a creature, Damien. Not at all.” Kara loved his sinister edge, and his casual badness, and his propensity to hold her captive, sure. But, inside where it counted, Damien was a good man. He’d always protected her. That was why she had to protect him, right back. Her fingers threaded through his, drawing his palms up to cover her nipples, again. He seemed to like having her breasts in his hands whenever possible. “I wouldn’t have fallen in love with a creature. I wouldn’t mate with him. And I wouldn’t feel this safe and connected with anyone but you. Just you.”
He buried his face in her hair and exhaling a shuddery breath. “I’ve waited twelve hundred years for you and I am still not prepared. I know, I don’t scare you.” His hands caressed her slowly, like the softness of her body mesmerized him. “But, Kara Lynn, you truly scare me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Melessa was the happiest bride in the world. Today, all her dreams would come true. Everything would be perfect from this day on. She adjusted the white veil over her stunning face and fluffed out her shiny black hair. Every girl should have a wedding day so lovely, knowing she was loved and that the reception would be outrageously beautiful and expensive and the envy of all. It was like a beautiful dream.
Which was why Melessa was so understandably upset when the helpful servant helping her dress, suddenly drugged her, tied her in magically reinforced golden rope, and sold her to Damien for eleven rubies and a fancy feathered hat.
Eternal Passion at Sunset- Chapter Fifteen
Kara came awake, aware of Damien’s absence beside her. She automatically glanced towards the nightstand, thinking it might have been morning, but there were no alarm clocks here in 1892. Whatever time it was, it was still mostly dark out. Still mostly dark meant sorcerers should still be in bed, next to her. Where the hell had he wandered off to? “Damien?” She said, sleepily, scanning around for him. She didn’t trust him on his own. He’d get into trouble.
She spotted him almost instantly on the far side of the room. He was standing there staring at Amalie’s portrait, the flickering of candles highlighting the menacing angles of his face.
“Damien?” This time it was a whisper.
“My sister was a Witch, you know.” He didn’t look at her. “It’s not a species. It’s a calling. Some women are just born with amazing gifts for prophesy or healing or magic. They hone their talents and…” He shook his head. “Amalie’s powers were incredible. Vast. I doubt even she knew the extent of them. And she was so good. So tragically good. Just like you. Purity straight down to her soul.”
He’d never been willing to discuss his sister before. Karalynn slowly sat up, not wanting to say anything for fear he’d stop talking.
“She’d be a thousand, tomorrow.” He glanced towards the window and the nearly imperceptible dawn. “Today. That’s the most important birthday for supernatural beings. The day we come into our full powers. Do you think it’s fate that Slade and Amalie share the date? Both of them born on the same day? That kind of confluence means something.”
Kara held the sheet up to her chest and waited for him to go on.
He finally turned his eyes in her direction. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
Damien just stared at her.
Kara cleared her throat. “But, I’ll be thirty-three in May.”
He started chuckling, a hollow, humorless sound. “My Gods, I truly am the villain.” His hand came up to cover his eyes and he released a long, tired sigh. “You’re only thirty-two years old. I don’t even remember what that was like. I don’t think I ever was that young.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong in sleeping with me. I promise you, I was a willing participant. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty about.”
“Isn’t there?” He sounded lost. “I wanted you so badly. I still do. But, I shouldn’t have been so selfish. My instincts and thoughts conflict so greatly, I grow confused. I don’t know what I’m doing. What good will it do you to be linked with me? I forced it upon you because I need you so badly. I should never have taken you.”
“Damien, you didn’t take. I gave. There’s a difference.”
Black eyes met hers briefly, longing reflected in the ebony depths. “You make me so confused.” He whispered. “I have never questioned my choices before. And now I feel some new emotion pushing in, coloring everything else, burning through the fog. Why do I feel this way? What is it?”
Kara wasn’t sure how to answer that.
He glanced away, again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be…” He closed his eyes. “You’re just so young.”
“Thirty-two is an adult for humans.
“It’s more than just the number of years, Kara Lynn. That would be bad enough.” He shook his head. “No, age isn’t pages on a calendar. It’s something you feel. Inside.” He pointed at his chest. “Inside of me, I’ve always been older than you. I can’t touch the places you see. The belief and innocence that fills you. It was burned out of me long ago.”
“Vlad…”
“You would not have liked my homeland, Kara Lynn. I’m glad that you will never have to see it. It was…” He shook his head. “Grey. Very shadowed and harsh. It was not a place for anyone innocent.” His face turned back to the picture of his sister. “After my parents died, I did everything I could to protect her. I tried. But, the wars kept going and the Vampires kept coming.” His voice was far away. “I was a doctor, at the time. If you spend your days fighting and your nights trying to heal the wounded, soon it all seems pointless. No peace. I wasn’t able to sleep, from the pain of my wounds and then taking on theirs. Always awake and it…”
She
pushed her hair back from her face. “Taking on theirs?” She interrupted. “What do you mean?”
Silence.
“Vlad?”
He exhaled a reluctant sigh. “When I heal, I take on some of the patient’s pain. It’s a simple thing. Just a…”
“You what?” Kara gasped. “You take on the pain yourself? Oh my God.” Her mind went to the times he’d healed her. Her burned hands. The scratches from Nestor. The zombies’ screaming. “Damien. You did that for me, didn’t you? You took away the pain.”
He lifted a shoulder like he was uncomfortable with the open admiration on her face.
God, how she loved this man. “I didn’t know. Thank you. Don’t do it, again, though. Don’t hurt yourself for me.”
He disregarded that order. “My sister was young. Inside she was so young, but she saw how tired I was. She always cared too much for others and not enough for herself. And that fucking hospital was never quiet. Never any peace. She just wanted to help and I… Shit. Why did I let her help?” He squeezed his eyes closed. “She always wanted us to be together. If I couldn’t come to her, she’d come to me. Even when we were children. After my parents died, she needed me more than ever.”
“What was she like?”
“Mischievous.” His mouth almost curved. “She would play pranks on me. Never malicious. She just liked to tease. And to have her own way. She and I share that trait. We were both obsessed with having what we wanted, no matter what we had to do. But, I was always more straightforward about it. Amalie would come up with roundabout ways to get what she desired.” The near-smile faded, completely. “I should have stopped her from coming to the hospital, though. It was too close to the fighting. I should have forced her to hide somewhere safe. Amalie was powerful, but she was just too young. When the Vampires came, I wasn’t there and she was just too young.”
Tears began to burn the back of Kara’s eyes.
“They destroyed the hospital, of course. The Vampires destroy everything. My sister was a Wizard Warlock and Witch. I imagine she must have tried to stop them, but she couldn’t. I don’t know which of them killed her. It doesn’t even matter. They were all guilty. She died. One more unrecognizable body to bury. And I was alone. I couldn’t be a doctor, after that. I couldn’t do anything but hate. If I don’t have the Vampires to hate, who could I blame, except…?” He couldn’t go on, but the word hung there unsaid.
Not Another Vampire Book Page 25