by Anna Santos
His scent hit my nostrils and made me narrow my eyes as I gulped. My throat got dry and before I could realize, Ewan was between my legs, pushing himself against me and showing how aroused he was. His lips feathered kisses along my face and neck. His hands molded my breasts, and he rubbed his protuberance against my lower stomach, making me involuntarily sway against him.
“Just like that, baby,” he whispered in my ear. I had no idea of what he was talking about. He was liking something I was doing, but I was barely touching him. My hands were on the counter, grabbing hard to the wood and I was letting him touch me.
He unbuttoned my shirt, placing kisses on my skin and licking my nipples over my bra. Then he flipped open the button of my jeans, unzipping me.
I jerked back, feeling my hips move again, looking for contact. Memories of us making love rushed to my mind, making me wetter. We were wild and crazy. Most of the time, we fought and then made up by having savage sex on a table or against the window. It was the wild days. The urgency he was feeling and the hunger hadn’t faded away. I could barely move with the expectation to have his cock ramming inside me.
“I would rather have you in your sexy little black dress, but this will do,” he breathed against my stomach, rushing to take his belt off and licking my belly button.
His hand plunged inside my panties, and I shrieked in confusion. His touch was clumsy and rushed. My heartbeat halted briefly as I opened my eyes. His lips crashed against mine and I inhaled him deeper. He smelled delicious. My fangs itched again inside my gums. They wanted to grow and bite his lips to taste his blood. That was an insane thought since he wasn’t a human and only human blood could have that effect on me.
I pulled his hand away, irritated by the lack of tenderness, and I tried to stop overthinking about what was happening. But I could hear his rapid heartbeat—much faster than a human beat—and I had my eyes on his jugular. The flux of blood in his vein lured me while I kissed his neck and kept my fangs hidden.
I could appear and feel human, but, apparently, my craving for blood wasn’t completely cured. My body could process human food, but what was keeping me going was the special blood that Galvin gave me every week. I hadn’t drunk it that week. Perhaps that was why I was experiencing withdrawals and having crazy thoughts about drinking vampire blood.
“I can’t do this,” I complained, pushing him back and gasping for air.
“What can’t you do?” His voice was laced with lust. His eyes were shining with sexual yearning. Even if I was feeling the desire myself, I couldn’t go forward with that.
“I can’t sleep with you,” I explained. It was the thought of Galvin that made me stop. I couldn’t do that to him. It would hurt him deeply. I knew it would. My lust and giving in to old memories of me and Ewan together weren’t enough to want to break Galvin’s heart.
“Are you a virgin or something?”
I frowned at him. Is he serious? I could work with that. “No, I’m not ready to sleep with you. You’re rushing things,” I explained.
He furrowed his brows. “Please forgive me. I thought you were as aroused as I am.”
“I want our first time to be special.” I kept manipulating and tried to find plausible excuses to turn him down. Playing hard to get was always a good tactic to leave a man crazy.
“I want our first time to be special, too. But—Sarah, I’m so horny right now. Baby, please.” He tried to pull me back to his arms so he could change my mind. “There are other things we can do to—ease the heat,” he reasoned.
I tensed my jaw as his words made my stomach spin and the nausea rushed into my mouth. “I’m not feeling so good,” I muttered, straightening up and escaping his hold.
“What am I supposed to do now?” he asked, frustration in his voice.
It only angered me and made me understand that I had made the right call. God, he’s self-centered! “Do you know what could help? A cold shower,” I suggested, walking towards the living room and fixing my clothes. “Now, I must go and meet a friend.” I grabbed my purse from the couch and turned around to see his baffled expression. “Could you close the door on your way out? Thanks,” I happily said, going out of my own apartment to escape an almost fatal mistake.
Once outside, it hit me. I had no clue where to go. But I wasn’t planning to stay there and face Ewan’s horny state again. I needed to clear my mind and think about what I was going to do next. I was tense and on the edge. I needed to do something to ease my mind and relax. Besides having sex, the other thing that helped me relax was fighting, so I used my powers to open a portal, which led me to my headquarters, more specifically the training area. It had been a while since I’ve practiced. I had all my material in my locker, and I could always see my hunters’ companions and ask how things were going.
21
A SERIOUS CONVERSATION
THE TRAINING FACILITY was empty since it was still early in America compared to Europe. After a long night of patrolling, the hunters were still sleeping.
Still feeling a tad sick, I went to the women’s locker-room to wash my face and drink some water. For a moment, I stood there watching my reflection in the mirror. I looked tired and sick just like any human girl. That was confusing, but I was betting it was because of all the side effects Galvin kept reminding me that would happen with the final transformation. If the excruciating pain that I had to endure wasn’t enough, every time I had to submit to the blood treatment, now I had to experience nausea, headaches, and oily skin.
I needed to eat. Something with sugar or chocolate. Chocolate would be nice. There was a vending machine somewhere. We had humans and werewolves training with us, they needed to eat. If I had American currency with me, it would be super. I remembered that I might have some coins in my locker.
Armed with two dollars, I strolled down the corridor, looking for the vending machine. Hearing voices, I halted. I was not as alone as I thought. I sharpened my senses, trying to figure out where the others were. I followed the sound to the men’s locker room. It was on the opposite side of the corridor, and I was going to completely ignore it and move on with my life when I heard Galvin’s name being mentioned.
“Galvin is old and rusty,” a guy’s voice said in a mocking tone. “Or maybe he’s just too busy thinking about Violet.”
“If you want to keep your teeth, you better not talk about her,” Galvin menaced.
Even if the first rude comment coming from the guy’s mouth had annoyed me, Galvin’s reply had put a smile on my lips. Leaning against the wall, I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Someone is in a bad mood today,” another guy’s voice was heard. That one was familiar to me, it was Cyan. He was one of the high-ranking commanders and a jerk—I might add. He thought he could have any girl in the world. “Is the honeymoon period over?”
“Things are great between Violet and I. Now just get dressed guys. We are on patrol tonight.”
“Well, I shouldn’t be here,” Cyan complained. “I had to entertain Anastasia last night, and she was in a really bad mood.”
I frowned at his puzzling words but kept listening.
“Apparently, her brother is falling for a gold-digger, and he was planning to declare his love to her, last night. I’m guessing that Violet was really persuasive in tricking that idiot and making him believe she’s someone else.”
“Yes, Violet always knows what she’s doing,” Galvin mumbled. However, I could comprehend that he was annoyed by Cyan bringing up the subject.
“I don’t know what you are complaining about, Cyan! You always say that Anastasia gives you the most amazing blowjobs when she is stressing.”
“She does. The chick is fucking crazy and paranoid. Plus, she has a crazy obsession with her so-called brother, but, man, does she know how to use her tongue and lips!”
“Maybe her daddy taught her that,” the other guy joked. They both chuckled.
“Or maybe it was her mommy,” Cyan teased back.
All
I heard then was a smacking sound of a fist against someone’s skull, and a body being slammed against the wall.
“Galvin! He was joking, he wasn’t even talking about Violet,” the guy urged Galvin to calm down.
I could only guess that Galvin had punched Cyan and was choking him against the wall.
“I was talking about her real mom. Anastasia said that her real mom was a whore,” Cyan explained, in a strangled voice. Moments after, he shouted, “What the fuck! Can’t anyone tell a joke around here? I know Violet has you whipped, but dude, she is probably right now on her knees sucking his dick, so if you want to punch someone, punch the right guy.”.
“Dude, do you have a death wish?” the other guy asked.
“You caught me off guard the first time, sorcerer. But I can handle you if you don’t use one of your tricks,” Cyan said. “Face it, she’s a whore.”
By the time they were exchanging their pleasantries, I had already entered their locker room. I wanted them to know that I was there, just to see the look on Cyan’s face and because I had to stop Galvin before he killed the douchebag.
“You will watch your mouth! You won’t talk about Violet in such a way!” Galvin was pissed, and the other guy was having a hard time holding him back. “First, because she’s your superior around here. Second, because she’s stronger, smarter, and faster than you. She can kick your ass, in fact, she has already done that several times. Third, because she is mine, and if you ever say that again about her, I will incinerate you to ashes, and I don’t care if your daddy gets annoyed about it. I promise you that it’s the last fucking thing that comes out of your dirty mouth.”
Cyan was frozen in place, staring at the big, bad sorcerer threatening his life. He was probably pissing in his pants.
“Now, apologize,” Galvin ordered.
I cleared my throat to signal my presence.
Galvin glared back, rage still burning inside his eyes. The other unknown guy released him and looked at me, rubbing his hands on his jeans.
Cyan turned his gaze at me and recoiled against the wall once our eyes met.
“Hi!” I smiled at them, using a relaxed tone.
Galvin’s eyes softened in mine. He was breathtaking and a perfect gentleman, defending my honor. It was almost amusing, but not quite. Cyan’s sexist comments about me pissed me off. Still, it was endearing to have Galvin so protective of me.
Trailing to my side, Galvin probed, “What are you doing here?”
“I was bored,” I explained with a shrug taking a seat on a bench. I aimed my gaze at Cyan. “So, I’m a whore, huh?” I paused before querying, “And what are you? The King of the man-whores? For what I know,” I continued, relaxing on the bench and holding my hands on the sides, “whores are paid for their trouble and can’t pick who they want to fuck. Last time I checked, I just sleep with guys that I feel like. Or are you just pissed because I rejected you?” Sneering, I pointed at him from head to toes. It wasn’t that Cyan wasn’t good-looking, he was. But he was also despicable and a womanizer. Also, he thought he was irresistible to any woman.
“That’s because you would rather play with boys than real men,” he retorted, rather than be offended by my words.
“Baby, I was playing with men long before you even wore diapers,” I reminded him.
I looked at Galvin, who was focused on me, and smiled as I rubbed my foot against his leg to calm him down. “Shut up, before I turn you into a frog,” I warned Cyan, glaring at him when he was about to open his mouth.
He shut it rather fast, and I got up, motioning Galvin to follow me. He did and left Cyan to his embarrassment while the other guy burst into laughter.
“Shut up, or I’ll smack you,” Cyan threatened.
“Dude, you are so out of your league. She’s too hot and too smart for you,” the guy mocked him.
All I heard next was a locker being slammed. Then, I ignored the rest. “Who is the new guy?”
“Nathan, Jeremy’s son.”
“He’s a good kid. He stopped you from killing Cyan.”
“He’s strong,” Galvin agreed. “Is everything okay with you? You look pale.”
“So, I’m yours.” I reminded him, ignoring his question and postponing the answer.
He stopped walking and ruffled his hair. I turned to watch him. “You will be,” he said.
I smiled. “I like your confidence.” I turned around to keep strolling down the corridor.
“So, what are you really doing here?” he asked, following me, a bit more relaxed.
“I was feeling nauseated. I didn’t know where else to go. I’m hungry, and I’m looking for the vending machine,” I explained, leaving out a crucial fact. I was going to tell him when we were alone and away from prying ears.
“Nauseated,” he repeated, holding me by my shoulder and making me stop. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I want to throw up.”
“We should see the doctor. Come with me,” he requested with a stern face.
Releasing me from his hold, I motioned for him to relax. “Calm down. I’m not dying, and I’m already feeling better. I just need to eat.”
“Then, after you eat, you will see the doctor,” he stated as if I had no other option.
Moving closer, he hugged me by the waist, making me lean back in his arms and stare up. His stern face was replaced by his I-love-you-so-much face. I gulped. He looked extremely attractive when he did that. But I didn’t let him kiss me like he intended. Instead, I hugged him and placed my cheek against his chest, feeling the safety of his hug and feeling like the biggest idiot in the world.
“What’s wrong, Vi?”
“We need to have a serious conversation,” I mumbled against his scented torso. I felt terrible when I sensed his body tense, worried, no doubt, about what I could possibly tell him. He probably had an idea about what was the subject of the conversation.
“You want to break up with me,” he presumed, voice laced with emotion.
I felt my heart beating uncontrollably as I gazed at him, sucking my lower lip with watering eyes.
22
CUDDLING AND ICECREAM
THERE’S NOTHING BETTER to recover from a bad day than laying down in bed, eating ice cream and watching romantic silly movies with your boyfriend. I was learning that rather quickly since I had never eaten ice cream before, and I was fairly enjoying having an indulging and caring lover like Galvin.
My hormones were over the roof. First nauseous, then crying. Now, I was finding myself needy and perfectly happy with just curling up in bed, laying my head on Galvin’s chest and watching TV while sucking my spoon with ice cream. Too bad the bed belonged to the clinic facilities, which was attached to the training facilities. After the doctor had taken my blood, we were left alone to cuddle.
“Are you going to tell me why you started crying?” Galvin interrupted the silence, voice laced with concern. He kept cuddling my hair and I knew that I couldn’t keep ignoring the reason I was so sad and troubled. I just nestled my nose against his chest and growled, upset. He smelled nice and fresh, his heartbeat was regular, and I wanted to fall asleep there, and only wake up when all hurt was gone. “I know you, Vi. There is something wrong with you.”
“I was just hungry.”
“Baby, you need to trust me.”
“Why would I? You thought I wanted to break up with you.” I pouted, still annoyed and hurt about that.
“First, we needed to be in a relationship to break up,” he pointed out. “I guess when people are friends with benefits, it isn’t called breaking up.”
“What can I say to make you feel better?” I asked since there was no point in beating around the bush. I would spend too much time trying to ease his fears when I had a nasty thing to confess.
I looked up at him, noticing that he was pondering my words.
“I want you to marry me after you cut Ewan’s head off,” he said, his eyes furrowing deeply.
I dropped the spoon from my h
and and it fell on the floor, making a loud metallic noise. I said the first thought that crossed my mind, maybe the second, because the first was a bit of static and surprise. “We are immortal, we don’t get married.”
“Of course we do. We have a ceremony to marry us before the Goddess. She will bless our union and…I want to be married to you.”
“Hum,” I mumbled. “Why?”
“I don’t know, Violet, maybe because I’m tired of being single,” he replied sarcastically. Undoubtedly annoyed with my question. He seemed to regret his comment because he honeyed his voice to talk next. “Ewan never married you. Not in front of the Christian God nor any god, did he?”
“No. We just assumed our union as a married couple. I’ve married other men, but they are all dead now. And I was faithful to Ewan for more than three hundred years.”
“I want to marry you, to have you for myself. For three hundred, four hundred, as long as you want me,” he whispered, tender voice and beaming eyes. “We can even have babies. You said you wanted to be a mom.”
“I can’t be a mom anymore.” I sulked, astounded that he even remembered that from my hallucinations when I was experiencing the first weeks of the treatment. “Besides I had a terrible experience.”
“We can test them first for pathological diseases.”
I laughed against his stomach. I liked that he was funny. Even if I was just realizing how funny he was now that we were spending so much time together, and he was being less secretive around me.
“Eylones can have babies,” he clarified, holding on to his own laughter. I stopped laughing and stared at his face with inquisitive eyes. “We are making the necessary treatments to make your ovaries able to conceive with other Eylone males.”
“Other Eylone males…but there are only five in the whole world, right?”
“With me if you wish and if it doesn’t work, then I can step back and let another one try. Yet…you will be my wife, my lover, and I could raise your kids like my own.”
I sat on the bed, noticing how it was small with him in it. He was huge and impressively well-built. It didn’t help that I blushed every time I found myself thinking how handsome he was. However, I was not focusing on his attractive features. I was replaying his words in my mind and my head spun around, even if I was trying to look calm.