Promise Me

by Tara Fox Hall

  “I know that. I can smell her excitement when I touch her. It gives her blood a certain flavor. But there’s no reason for you to be jealous. I don’t want more from her than what we are now: donor and benefactor.”

  “I’m not jealous,” I lied. “But it’s the bed where we made love. It’s our bed.”

  “I’d like it to be our bed, but right now it’s just my bed.” He turned tender. “You are my only lover. Don’t begrudge them their fantasies when you have the reality.”

  “That’s why I came tonight,” I said forcefully, drowning his words. “I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to try living with you.”

  He stepped closer, confused. “Why now? You said you needed time.”

  “What I need is to have you beside me when I wake up.” I swallowed hard. “Most of all, I need that look in your eyes that hits me so hard I can’t bear it. The look that says you see all of me, and what you see is so precious that nothing else matters.” I swallowed hard. “I lost an opportunity a year ago by chance. I don’t want to lose another out of fear.”

  He pulled me into his arms, and the tears sliding down my face soaked into his shirt. “Of all the nights to come to me, you would have to pick tonight,” he said ruefully. He unclipped his cell from his belt and dialed a number.

  “Mary, come and change the sheets on my bed.”

  He picked me up suddenly and carried me into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind us. He sat me on the toilet seat, started the shower running, and began unbuttoning his shirt. “Take off your clothes.”

  “Moving kind of fast, aren’t—”

  “Not to be critical, sweetheart, but you must have come here right from work. You smell of metal fumes and burnt oil.”

  Good going, Sar. I’d taken care of the pets, researched the route, hell, even stopped for chicken, and forgotten the most important thing: showering. Ugh. No wonder Angelica had looked at me with such interest; she was surprised someone like me was Danial’s girl. I took off my clothes and stepped under the spray, Danial slipping in a few minutes behind me. The water felt heavenly as it washed away the day’s grime. I let it wash away all my reservations, too.

  No sooner had I finished with my hair than he was in front of me. “Kiss me, Sar.”

  “Did you...um...?” I couldn’t deal with tasting someone else’s blood on his tongue. I didn’t like tasting my own blood.

  “Of course, before I came in. That’s why it took me a moment. Kiss me.”

  I reached up to put my arms around his neck, kissing him gently. His arms went around my waist, crushing me to him as he devoured me, his body stirring to life. He shut off the shower and scooped me up in his arms, then carried me into the bedroom. Fresh sheets adorned the bed, shining. He laid me down on them, leaning over to kiss me again. I responded, pulling his head down to crush his lips to mine. He cupped my breasts with his hands and gently squeezed, bringing a whimper to my lips. I reached down and caressed him, stroking gently.

  He abruptly pushed himself up, bearing his weight on his arms. His eyes were black with desire. “Do you know how much I wanted you to say those words?” he asked huskily. He moved his legs so he was between mine. “I hoped you would come to me like this, deciding you wanted a life with me, not able to wait another day to tell me. God, I’ve wanted it so much.”

  All the trouble I’d taken to come to him was suddenly nothing, hearing that satisfaction. He kissed my neck, his teeth grazing gently.

  “There is only one thing I want more right now, and that’s to be inside you in all ways.” He thrust the full length of himself into me and bit hard into my neck.

  I cried out, but he held me tightly as he kept thrusting, feeding at my throat. I groaned, my body awash in pleasurable sensations even as I felt the pressure of his mouth sucking hard. My heart throbbed so fast the beats seemed to run together. God, what he was doing felt good!

  I pulled his head closer as I arched my back toward him. He drove into me as hard and as fast as he could, making muffled sounds of pleasure, as if what my body and blood was doing to him was like nothing he’d felt before. I came screaming his name, pleading for him not to stop. He came with me, arching his head back with a loud cry, only to sink his fangs into the other side of my neck. I spasmed again as his teeth penetrated my skin.

  He moved back, withdrawing from me. I let out a sigh of pleasure, going limp in his arms. He kissed me gently, licking both wounds as he hugged me to him.

  “God, that was good,” he said. “Sar? Are you okay?”

  I snuggled closer, tired. That had been the best sex of my life.

  “Shit,” he swore. He got up and rushed into the bathroom.

  I lay there thinking how good I felt. I hoped I wasn’t bleeding too much on the clean sheets, but I wasn’t worried about it. Happily, Danial returned with gauze and got me to hold it against my neck while he held more against the other side. We stayed that way for some time. Finally, he checked my throat and removed the gauze.

  “Sar, talk to me.”

  “That was incredible,” I said softly. “Just incredible.”

  “Do you feel okay?” he asked urgently.

  “I feel wonderful,” I said, languidly stretching. That made me a little dizzy, so I lay still again, blinking.

  “What did you have for dinner? You didn’t eat anything, did you?”

  “I had to get here to...talk to you.” I slurred my words.

  “We need to get you something to eat. I took too much.”

  “It’s okay,” I reasurred him with a yawn. “I picked up some food. It’s in the car. Chicken for Theo—”

  “Stay here and don’t move. I’ll be back.”

  He was back in a few minutes with a huge bowl of steaming shrimp and rice. I was absurdly touched that he’d nuked it in the microwave. After a few bites, I came back to myself enough to take the spoon from him.

  I ate the whole bowl, the entire quart. By the time I was half done, I felt better. When I’d finished, I was okay enough to sit up without dizziness. I went into the bathroom against his protests and looked into the mirror. He followed me in, his arms protectively around me.

  “I look so pale.”

  “It’s my love bites,” he murmured. “Give it an hour or so and the redness will fade.” He touched one gently. “Did it hurt?”

  The twin bites below my choker were angry against my white skin, but there was no pain, not even at his touch. “No.”

  “They may leave a scar, but we can remove it if that happens.”

  “I’m surprised you bit me. Instead of the kiss, I mean.”

  He smiled. “Truth be told, though the blood is the same, it feels better to bite. My teeth are intended to puncture not slice open a cut. At least, that’s what some scholars theorize.”

  What scholars? First things first. “Can I see?” I said curiously.

  He obediently bared his teeth for me. He was right; they were made for sinking into flesh and holding. Interestingly enough, he didn’t have only the upper incisors as fangs: his bottom canines were longer, although not as long as the top ones. I ran my index finger over one, pressing down and it pricked me. A drop of blood welled from my finger.

  “Careful, sweetheart. The front and outside edges are sharpest.” He pressed it to his lips and kissed it, his eyes holding mine. When he released my finger, the wound was healed.

  “It took a long time to get used to speaking with my fangs,” he continued. “I still cut myself accidentally sometimes. But the cut always heals fast, and it’s usually shallow.”

  I examined the bite marks again. Each mark didn’t have two wounds, but four.

  “Come to bed,” he said seductively. “Come to our bed.”

  He scooped me up yet again and settled me under the covers. I fell asleep almost instantly cuddled up against him.

  * * * *

  I woke up the next morning feeling groggy, unaware of the time. Leaving Danial still asleep, I padded to the bathroom to see how I looke
d.

  Whoa. My reflection was spectacular. My skin was almost white, making my green eyes darker and my hair more light brown than blonde. My pallor set off my choker, and the gold glowed, the ruby eyes winking. The bites stood out on either side, the skin red and purple. The bites themselves had scabbed over, though the deeper one had opened during the night and seeped blood. I thought about cleaning it but didn’t know if I should. What if it opened again? I’d lost enough blood last night...

  I put on some clothes and located my watch on the floor. It was seven in the evening. I’d slept for almost nine hours. I put on a robe and went out to kitchen in search of my dumplings and dogs. Cia was in the kitchen reading the paper.

  “Evening,” she said, and did a double-take. Her eyes widened as she took in my appearance, her mouth open.

  I was self-conscious, the “lovebites” like huge hickies on my neck. But covering them with gauze wouldn’t fool anybody living there. “Something wrong?”

  “I’m sorry for staring. I’ve never seen a double mark before.” She came over and inspected the wounds. “Are you in any pain?”

  “No,” I said, blushing. “But they are certainly eye catching.”

  “As they should be,” a melodious but ruthless voice said.

  I turned to see Devlin standing in the doorway, his golden eyes fixed on me.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Had a busy night, did you?” Devlin leaned one arm upon the door nonchalantly. “You should’ve invited me, Sar. I would have been glad to come.” He bared one fang in a smile. “And you’d have been delighted when I did.”

  I expected his brazen language, but blushed anyway.

  “Leave,” Cia growled as she maneuvered quickly in front of me. “Now.”

  “Or what?” he said casually. “You’ll make me?”

  Cia grabbed for her cell phone on the table, but he was faster, slamming his hand on it so it broke into pieces. We both jumped and backed up.

  He held up one finger when Cia took a breath to say something. His lips wrinkled back to expose his fangs. “Don’t. And you try for the phone, I’ll snap your neck.”

  Cia backed me up almost to the counter, her eyes fixed on him.

  His face smoothed. “Stop running away.” His features then curved into a sardonic smile, focusing on me. “My God, you’d think I was brandishing an ax or something. Do you find my appearance that frightening?”

  “No.” On the surface, he was normal, dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt, his gold hair falling to his shoulders matching the stubble on his jaw. But his tawny eyes were cold. He might be as gorgeous as Danial was, but there was nothing of his brother’s softer side in him.

  “Good. Come over here.”

  “No way.” I wasn’t going to fall for his manipulation this time.

  He gave an elaborate sigh. “Then I guess I shall have to come to you.” He stalked toward me, deliberately moving slowly and sensuously.

  “Danial!” I yelled.

  “He can’t hear you. His bedroom is soundproof.”

  Cia growled, baring her distending teeth. Her nails were an inch long and curved like claws.

  “Get out of the way, little fox.”

  She didn’t move. “Run, Sar.”

  I made a dash for the kitchen door, but Devlin lunged to block me. I backed up with a gasp. He was almost within reach.

  “You’re unarmed, fox,” he said in an offhand manner. “How long do you think you can last against me?”

  “Long enough for help to come.”

  With a growl, she launched herself at him. Their bodies collided, falling against the counter. I lost my balance but pulled myself up fast and ran for the door, glancing back once I cleared it.

  Devlin had Cia’s arms behind her back and drove her to her knees. She fought back until there was a wet crunch, then a thud of something heavy hitting the floor. I bolted only three steps before a hand fastened on the back of my neck. As Devlin turned me to face him, I saw Cia on the kitchen floor, unmoving, her head at a crooked angle.

  He flipped my hair out of the way to examine the bites on my neck. I tried to pull away, but he held me easily.

  “Now, Sar,” he said seductively, “don’t jerk so much. You’ll open those lovely bites my brother gave you. Ah,” he said, leaning closer so his nose touched mine. “You’ve already opened this one.”

  He caressed my neck, and I felt wetness on my skin from the deeper bite.

  “The bites are technically supposed to be the same depth, but on the whole, he did nice work marking you. I wished he’d have asked for my help. I would have healed this—”

  “I want only him to bite me,” I said with anger. “I’m his, not yours!”

  He purred, “Stop, Sar, you’re turning me on.” He held up his hand, my blood on his index finger. He put it to his lips and tasted it, looking into my eyes as he did. “Hey, if you want to bleed, I’m all for it.”

  He leaned in close enough to kiss me. “And I must apologize. You see, I asked Ryan to get a spell for you, since by law, I couldn’t interfere myself. Nothing bad, just something to make you weak so Danial would know you weren’t strong enough to be his companion.” His lips were nearly on mine, but then he shifted, moving closer so he whispered in my ear. “But the idiot had to get a death curse. He’s in my dungeon at Hayden, counting his last hours. Don’t worry; he’ll be tortured by my best man—”

  Fear squeezed my heart, making it hard to breathe. “Don’t hurt me—”

  He let out a peal of laughter, moving back to face me. “As if I wanted you hurt.” His golden eyes narrowed. “If I’d wanted you dead, you’d be dead. I’m here because we both know you want me here.”

  “I don’t!”

  He gave me a seductive smile. “Don’t you?”

  He pulled my head back, his hands in my hair. He leaned in and kissed my bleeding neck. He groaned as a shudder of pleasure went through him. I struggled, but I couldn’t get free.

  “Stop fighting,” he murmured. “All you need to say is that you want me, and I’ll take you home with me.” He kissed up my neck, brushing me lightly with his fangs. “I’ll give you anything you ask for. Just tell me you want me and not him. That’s all you have to say. Say the words for me, darling—”

  “No! I love him, not you—”

  “Look at me,” he purred. “Look at me and tell me you’d prefer my brother.” He bared his fangs slightly. “I’m what you really want. I’m your fantasy come to life.” He leaned in and gave me a perfect kiss. “And it only gets better. There is nothing I haven’t done, nothing I balk at doing.” He kissed me again, sensuously, and then drew back, his eyes like molten gold. “Those things you think about in the dark at night and don’t dare utter to him for fear he’d recoil, we’ll do them. We’ll do them all. And I promise, they’ll be better in the flesh with me than they were in your dreams.” He trailed kisses up my face as Danial had done. “Give in to me.”

  In that instant, I remembered Theo’s talk of how Devlin had seduced Danial’s lovers away from him. Rage filled me, because this was all bullshit. “Let me go, you bastard! You don’t care about me.”

  “But I do,” he crooned, sounding hurt. “I dream of great feats in your defense. But you don’t need a man to save you, do you?” He turned pleased. “You’re more than capable of saving the day all by yourself. I love that.”

  “You can’t love me. You don’t know me.”

  “I know enough about you to be ensnared. What else have I been saying with every word and with no right? I know I shouldn’t be here,” he whispered conspiratorially. “But I couldn’t stay away, laws be damned.”

  I was intrigued by his passion, even if I didn’t believe a word he said. “Why not?”

  “He told me how you saved him; how you let him drink you down like water,” he said lustily. “Just imagining that is enough to put me into a tailspin.” He pressed a little harder with his fangs, breathing hard. “I want to bury myself in your soft flesh, Sweet
Sar. Tell me you want me.” He nibbled lightly. “Tell me you want me to bite you—”

  Of course. I took a deep breath, got his earlobe between my teeth, and bit down hard.

  He jerked back, ripping his ear out of my mouth. “You bitch!”

  I tried to knee him, but he blocked me. I shoved him hard, and he staggered. The moment I was free, I raced for Danial’s room.

  Devlin had me as my hand closed on the doorknob, yanking me to him. “You are going to pay for that. A bite for a bite.” He leaned closer, his breath on my neck making my skin crawl. I tensed, bracing myself for the thrust of his fangs.

  The bedroom door burst open. “Let her go, Devlin.”

  “What if—”

  Danial cut him off with a punch to the jaw, knocking him to his knees. Before he could get to his feet, Danial smashed an end table over his back. The thick wood cracked, two legs breaking off, and Devlin collapsed with a grunt. Danial kicked him in the side with enough force to lift him off the ground, and then rolled him over. He straddled Devlin, a table leg in his hands. He leaned on it, and Devlin let out a hiss as it sunk into him.

  “Feel that, brother?” Danial snarled, his words dipped in acid. “I can stake you right here and now. You attacked a woman clearly marked as my own.”

  “But you won’t,” he said, laughing. “You don’t have it in you—”

  Danial leaned hard on the leg, and it sunk farther into him.

  Devlin’s face contorted, breathing with effort. But he remained resolute even in pain. “Who will you call...when you eventually take too much blood from her? When she’s dying and your blood is useless?” He smiled widely. “You’ll call me.”

  Danial went still over him. I held my breath.

  “I saw how pale she is. You just can’t let her recover,” Devlin snorted. “There’s only one way this can end—”

  Danial pushed the stake in another half inch. Devlin screamed and writhed.

  “There’s been too many years of this,” Danial said with hate and disgust. “Too many years and too many women I’ve lost to you. I always assumed the woman was to blame; that she was weak and didn’t love me. For the others, that might have been true, but it’s not with Sar. She doesn’t want you, and you know it!”