Bloodlust Denied

by Phillips, Christina

  Her breath fanned his face. “What guarantee do I have you’ll release me if I do as you say?”

  The tips of his fingers caressed her nape, so shockingly seductive that spirals of lust teased her pussy.

  “None whatsoever.” His arrogant response served only to heighten the desire thudding between her thighs.

  She leaned into him, and braced her imprisoned hands against his shoulder. His grip did not lessen, but his fingers briefly stroked her bound wrists through the fabric of her gloves.

  Their lips almost touched, but he made no move to assist her. Merely sat there, his hands chaining her, waiting for her to pleasure him as though he were an emperor and she a lowly slave.

  “At least promise me you will stop your carriage.”

  His eyes devoured her. “No.”

  Her heart skittered and her breath stumbled. He would give her nothing, not even a veneer of civility.

  But at least he gave her the truth. And that knowledge ignited flames deep within her sensitized pussy even as caution whispered through her mind at the prolonged separation from Thanatos.

  She pressed against his unresponsive mouth. Her pulses hammered and she pressed a little harder, moving her lips across his, bumping noses.

  He remained as immobile as stone beneath her touch. Except his fingers, clasping her nape, tightened.

  It was enough encouragement. Elemental power surged through her at the knowledge that even her poor attempt at a kiss could arouse him. Her lips parted and her tongue caressed the seam of his firm, unyielding mouth and felt the barrier of his teeth. And then he opened to her, drawing her into his scorching heat, consuming her within the furnace.

  He released her hands from their confines and caressed the length of her arm, from wrist to elbow to shoulder. His fingers slid into the bodice of her gown and ripped the fine muslin from her breast as though he was a primitive barbarian from the depths of time. Damp heat seared her pussy as his tongue tangled with hers and his thumb teased the aching nub of her nipple.

  She leaned into his questing fingers and his legs parted, before trapping her between his muscled thighs. Fire flickered from the tip of her nipples to her core. Mindless with pleasure she speared her fingers through his windswept hair, and cursed the barrier of her gloves.

  Her tongue probed, explored. Her breath shortened and pulses thundered. It felt as if she had kissed him a million times in the past, and yet this was all new, all erotic, all encompassing. He tasted of spices, of cinnamon, and the sensation was strangely familiar. Yet beneath prowled danger, scarcely leashed, clamoring for release.

  And then, without warning, he severed the kiss. She gasped against his lips, desperate to recapture that closeness, that elusive sensation of being one.

  His hot breath feathered her jaw and his green eyes blazed into her, as if he wanted to consume and destroy her. Tremors played over her naked skin, a melody of sensuality and her lips were tender, swollen and begging for more.

  “Was that also the kiss of an untouched virgin?” Her words were breathless and she tightened her grip on his long hair, holding him still although he showed no sign of moving.

  “A moderate improvement upon your first effort.” His lips barely moved, as though it pained him to speak.

  Good. She wanted him in pain, wanted him on his knees begging for her favor and she had no idea why she wanted such a thing, because it meant nothing. Yet somehow, it meant everything.

  “Then perhaps I should try again.” She angled toward him, unaccountably compelled to once again claim his lips and experience that exquisite sense of familiarity.

  He resisted her blatant invitation by jerking his head to one side and tweaking her nipple between finger and thumb. Hard. The sensation was shockingly erotic and she gasped, but whether from pain or pleasure she didn’t know.

  “I give the orders, Morana.” He rolled her nipple back and forth, and she hovered on the precipice, unable to protest or move in case the world imploded. “Tell me you will obey my every command.”

  A red haze floated through her mind as the ecstasy and the agony from his ministrations radiated from the swollen bud of her breast to her trembling cleft. Couldn’t he see she’d agree to anything, obey whatever he demanded, so long as he promised to quell the ache consuming every atom of her quivering flesh?

  “Tell me.” His scorching whisper grazed across her ear, and his lips briefly tugged on her lobe.

  “I will obey your every command.” She breathed her surrender that was no surrender because he demanded nothing she hadn’t craved since the moment she’d left him in that dark alley.

  His lips curved against her sensitized skin. She could imagine the arrogance in that smile but it didn’t matter. Let him have his moment of victory if it meant that much to him. In the end, they were both victors.

  “On your knees.” His fingers, still clasped around her nape, bore her downward.

  “What?” She stumbled as the carriage rocked over a pothole in the road and clung to his broad shoulders for support. “My knees?” Had she understood correctly?

  “Where you belong.” The arrogant smile he arrowed her way far surpassed her imagination.

  She braced her palms over his broad shoulders. Trepidation licked through her at the realization the duke had other pursuits on his mind than simple copulation.

  “No.” She knelt before no man. No woman, either.

  “Are you disobeying my command?” He sounded neither surprised nor angered by her refusal, but aroused.

  She flattened her hands against the base of his throat. What would he do if she tore that elegantly tied cravat from his neck?

  “Yes.” The husky word slipped from her lips as her fingers toyed with the cravat. She wanted him naked as he plowed into her, wanted to see his muscled arms and chest and groin without any sensual silk or fine lawn cloth between their writhing bodies.

  He molded her breast, and the touch of his fingers holding her, caressing her, caused desire to arrow through the wet folds of her pussy. And then his hands clamped over her shoulders and forced her to the floor of the carriage.

  “I said no.” She slammed her hands on his granite thighs and despite her anger, lust flared at the strength beneath those tight cream breeches.

  Pinning her in place with only one hand, he traced a finger along the outline of her face and across her parted lips.

  “If you want to survive this night, you will do exactly as I say.” His words sent a sensual shiver across her naked breast.

  Her fingers clawed, but his thighs were impenetrable. “And if I refuse?” Her heart pounded. Dark excitement thundered through her veins at the raw danger exuding from every measured word he uttered.

  There was nothing he could do that could physically harm her. She knew it and yet a thrill of alarm vibrated through her soul, warning her that this man, this stranger she had fucked and yet knew not at all, had the power to destroy her in ways she could barely imagine.

  “You’ll never see the sun rise again.”

  His smile was predatory. He believed she was his prey and at his complete mercy. Had she been an ordinary woman, doubtless she would by now be begging for her life, acquiescing to all his demands, promising him whatever he desired in exchange for her continued mortality.

  But she wasn’t. And his threats didn’t flay her soul or terrify her heart. Instead they stoked her lust and inflamed her desire. Because how easy it would be for her to break the arm that held her and grind his autocratic hauteur beneath her dainty heel.

  She could still escape and return to Thanatos any time she wished.

  “A threat, Your Grace?” She flexed her shoulder, to show him she wasn’t in his power as he imagined.

  Ice coiled through her, chilling her heart as her shoulder remained immobile beneath his touch. She tried again, exerted herself, concentrated in using all her strength to throw off his hand, yet again it was as if she had scarcely attempted to shrug.

  “No, my love.” The duke
bestowed another mirthless smile at her. “A promise.”

  Chapter Six

  Disbelief clawed through her heart. The duke was a powerful man, but only a man. Had her preternatural potency deserted her? She felt no weakness, no draining of her vigor but what other answer could there be? Under normal circumstances, no mortal surpassed her physical strength.

  The duke gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. The uneven light from the swinging lantern threw shadows across his face and his beauty was dark and malignant. A demon from Hades intent on exacting retribution for the sins she had committed against his brethren.

  She couldn’t allow him to see her fear. Inhumanly strong or not, he was still merely a human. She’d proved that beyond all doubt three wretched years ago.

  As such, he couldn’t truly harm her. And certainly, he could never kill her.

  Yet still her heart pounded, her blood thundered, and her limbs trembled at the knowledge that at last she had met an adversary whose motives she could not fully conceive.

  But threaded through every beat, every erratic breath, apprehension shivered. She wanted the duke, but she was no longer convinced she could leave him at any moment, that she could easily return to Thanatos before their separation impacted upon their well-being.

  “What do you want?” Her voice was barely audible.

  His eyes glinted with wicked amusement. Abandoning her jaw, he untied the front of his breeches.

  “Use your imagination, Miss Craven.”

  Fascinated, she watched him stroke his thick cock and rub his thumb over the dark head. A heavy heat tugged low in her belly and pooled between her thighs. Even after all this time, she could recall how his erection had strained against her fingers, how he had filled her tight channel and stretched long-unused muscles.

  She wanted to feel all that again. And more.

  Trembling fingers reached for him and glided over his throbbing shaft. Gods, he was so hard and hot and a moan rasped along her throat. The aroma of arousal filled the confined space within the carriage, seeping into her mind, her blood. Without conscious thought, she lowered her head and breathed in his heady, irresistible scent.

  Powerful fingers tangled in her hair, rendering her immobile. But she didn’t want to move, couldn’t tear her gaze from him.

  “Open your mouth.” It was a guttural command. “And I’ll fuck you the way I wanted to fuck you three years ago.”

  She tried to look up at him, but could only move her eyes, so brutal was his hold upon her head.

  “I owe you nothing from three years ago.”

  His lips bared in a mockery of a smile and for one brief second the flickering light played tricks on her mind, as she imagined she caught an elusive glimpse of vampiric fangs.

  “You owe me everything, Morana. And by the devil I’ll see you pay in full.”

  Her heart thudded against her ribs, so violently she wondered they didn’t splinter, and desire spiraled low in her belly and flooded her pussy.

  He couldn’t force her. No matter what he thought. She tore her gaze from his hypnotic glare and feasted on his glorious erection. Experimentally she flicked the tip of her tongue over his glistening slit and the salty, exotic flavor of man tantalized and intrigued.

  She flattened her hands against his thighs and swirled her tongue around his swollen head, exploring uncharted territory and untouched horizons. The knowledge that she was on her knees before him, as if she was his pleasure slave, should infuriate. Yet excitement sparked deep inside as though despite appearances, she was the one in control.

  Her tongue danced to its own erotic symphony, licking and tasting. Fog rolled across her memories and for a fleeting second, she was certain she’d done this before, that they had done this before. She faltered, confusion skating through her lust-soaked mind.

  Had she explored a man’s body in this way once before? Why couldn’t she remember?

  “There’s nowhere to run this night.” His smoky voice tore her from her futile recollections. “I have you at my mercy.”

  With one savage thrust, he invaded her mouth. His heat and length filled her, shocking and unexpected. Instinctively she jerked back but his hands cradled her head in a deadly embrace.

  Dark pleasure engulfed her senses at the knowledge he possessed the strength to master her and her nails dug into his hard thighs. For answer, he tugged her farther into his groin. His massive cock choked her as he rammed his length into her, fucking her mouth as if he were fucking her wet cleft.

  His balls slammed against her jaw with every frenzied thrust, and his erratic pants of approaching climax speared raw need through her soul.

  The feel of him inside her mouth, the knowledge she was helpless against his onslaught, sent shocking waves of primitive lust arrowing through her soaking pussy and trembling clitoris.

  She wanted him there, between her thighs, fucking her the way she needed to be fucked. She squirmed helplessly as her slick sheath contracted. She needed him inside her slit, filling her long-unused body the way he had before. Wanted his fingers to tease her sensitive nub until she came around his plundering shaft.

  Her musky scent drifted in the heated air. He wrapped her hair around his fist and roughly angled her to his complete satisfaction. She could scarcely breathe, scarcely think. All she could feel were his fingers digging into her scalp, his cock hammering against the roof of her mouth and his hard, hot balls pounding against her jaw.

  A guttural roar reverberated through the carriage. He reared into her, cutting off oxygen and sanity. His climax consumed her, scorching, overwhelming and she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, could do nothing but suffocate or swallow.

  Fingers clenched uselessly against his muscled thighs, and she was drowning, dying, yet still he pounded, as he emptied his sac into her. Her swollen clitoris vibrated with denied rapture as his burning seed incinerated her throat.

  Alexius clamped his jaw shut but his inarticulate roar of satisfaction thundered in his ears, tormented his pounding brain.

  Wet heat clasped him and the tantalizing glimpse of her vulnerable throat filled his vision. Pale, tempting, throbbing with vital life and his fangs tore through his gums, desperate for primitive satisfaction.

  Damn this creature for the way she shredded his iron control without even trying.

  Because she hadn’t tried. She’d knelt before him, as he’d imagined her doing in countless rabid fantasies. But instead of working his cock with her lips and tongue and teeth, she’d only licked him, teased him, and inexplicably driven him insane with a desire so intense he’d ended up forgetting his plan of making her pay. Instead he had fucked her delectable mouth and experienced an orgasm of such ecstatic dimensions, his entire being ached from the aftermath.

  His fingers tangled in her dark hair and he jerked her from his still-pulsing flesh. She glared at him, lips glistening with his come, before she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  How dare she still look at him in that haughty manner? Why wasn’t she cowering at his feet, begging him for mercy, promising him anything he desired if only he would spare her miserable life?

  Why did the sight of her kneeling between his thighs cause his cock to jerk with renewed lust?

  “And now you owe me.” Her voice was as haughty as her glare.

  Disbelief crawled along his spine and snaked through his guts. But inexplicably did nothing to temper the lust coiling through his still-erect shaft.

  “I owe you nothing.” But she still owed him, and he would ensure she paid, because no one, no one, caused him to lose control and spill his seed over his breeches the way she had with her infernal dance three years ago.

  And he would enjoy her final surrender. The longer she stood against him, the sweeter victory would be.

  His damn cock thickened more and despite attempting to dampen his desire so she would not see how much he wanted her, his erection throbbed between his thighs. He wrapped his hand around her throat, momentarily enthralled by the
erratic beat of her pulse beneath his fingers, by the sensation of her blood pounding through her fragile veins. How easy it would be to slake his thirst, to appease his hunger. Perhaps, then, she would no longer haunt his barren hours with memories of her lips and eyes and sensuous dance.

  Her defiant glare stoked his lust and even as his need screamed through his twisting guts, he knew he wouldn’t take her yet. Despite everything, she still entranced him and he wanted to keep her, no matter how insane the want.

  “Sleep.” He breathed the word into her face and wasn’t surprised when she fought against his intrusion. But he maintained eye contact, invading her mind with his subliminal demand and finally her lashes flickered as unconsciousness claimed her body.

  He lifted her. She sank against him as if she belonged there, in his arms, and he gritted his teeth against the overpowering urge to claim her lifeblood and end this farce now, before they reached his estate.

  With a strange tenderness, he lowered her onto the upholstered seat. How serene she looked, with her black hair framing her angelic face.

  How deceptive appearances could be.

  And yet it was more than her appearance that ensnared him, that tempted him to go against his most base instincts. More than her face, more even than the mind-wrenching ecstasy he found within her lush body, was the fascination with her bold nature, clear fearlessness of him and her damned contradictory tongue.

  It took more effort than he cared to admit to tear his gaze from her. But unless he wished to risk the real possibility of ripping out her throat before this night was over, he needed to feed.

  And fast.

  Morana stirred, a gnawing ache in her belly shredding the veils of sleep that shrouded her mind. Warmth and softness enfolded her and she luxuriated as the sensual satins caressed her skin. Where was she?

  “Thanatos?” She turned on her side, and a sharp tug on her wrist shocked her eyes open.

  A damask tester filled her vision above and matching curtains adorned the four carved timber posts of the massive bed. Disbelief gripped her and she twisted her head and confirmed her horrified suspicion.