Lost Paradise

by Tara Fox Hall

  Lash was motionless as a statue.

  “Come on,” Kevin growled. “I can smell how much you want her. You can even have her first, if you agree to hold her for us after.”

  Lash resheathed his knife, and coiled his whip up, snapping it back on his belt. “Hold her for me,” he hissed lustily.

  “Yes!” Kevin shouted with relief.

  I struggled in his arms, but he held me easily, the knife still at my throat.

  “I want to go first,” Vince growled from the floor. “I’m hurt—”

  Lash looked down at him. Vince shut right up, and didn’t move, staring up at Lash with fear.

  Lash strode over and stood before me, his flat eyes staring into mine. “Put her hair in front of her body, so I can see it,” he hissed. “And take the knife away from her throat.”

  “You said to hold her,” Kev said suspiciously.

  “Hold her arms. She’s afraid enough that she won’t move. I don’t want to feel anything but her body against mine, Jerk.”

  Kev put away his knife. Shoving my hair to fall over my chest, he took firm hold of both of my arms. “You should have known better than to put your faith in a celibate were,” he murmured in my ear. “There’s no vampire here to save you this time, Sar.”

  “Be quiet already,” Lash hissed at Kev, as he grabbed hold of my shoulders and bent his head to my neck.

  I held still, praying the man I’d come to know wouldn’t betray Devlin, even if he still hated me. His fangs pierced me, and he began to drink. The moment he did, The Lust washed over me again.

  Yes, God, Kev could hold me, anything to feel this again, to feel Lash drinking me down like water…

  “Yes,” I murmured, letting my head fall back as I clasped Lash closer. “Please—”

  Kev’s grip abruptly loosened. Lash groaned and pulled me against him hard, his arms going around me, grinding his hips into me. I let out a moan, then reached down for his zipper.

  Lash exploded into action. Without warning, he yanked his fangs out of me, shoved me aside, and sank them into Kevin’s neck. Kevin shrieked, trying to push him away. I was painfully wrenched back towards them, my hair caught in Kev’s belt. Lash gave me another push, tearing me free. Kev shrieked loudly over and over in absolute terror as I rolled to lay on the ballroom floor, dazed.

  Pushing myself up with my arms, I saw Lash let go of Kevin. The werebear slumped to the floor, his eyes rolling up as he convulsed. His mouth was agape, drooling as he jerked spastically. Vince was screaming over and over, his eyes wide with fear, as he tried to crawl away from Kev and Lash. Lash went for him next. With a hard snap, he broke his neck and Vince’s scream cut off. He fell to the floor to lie in a pile of bloody arms and legs.

  “He healed,” I murmured. “There’s new skin showing through the hole in his shirt.”

  Lash left them where they lay and walked over. He put his hand gently on my shoulder. “Are you all right?” he hissed softly.

  “Yes,” I said brokenly, and began to cry.

  Lash took my hand, and pulled me to my feet. “Come.” He took me into the nearest bedroom down the hall and shut the door.

  I looked about me at the red walls, dazed. “This is the flame room.”

  “Sit for a moment.”

  I sat. It was good to sit.

  Lash went to the bathroom sink and washed out his mouth, taking something from his pocket, and mixing it with water. He did this several times, spitting whatever it was into the sink. After, he came back over to me. “Do you want me to call Dev or not? He can come here—”

  It seemed hard to think. Why couldn’t I understand his words? “What were you doing?”

  “The poison I shot Kev up with won’t kill him, but he won’t be able to move for the better part of a day. It would have killed a human.” He looked at me intently. “I needed to get any traces of poison that were left out of my mouth, just in case you were still in the mood.”

  My terror eclipsed my outrage. “You said that your bite was only poisonous in snake form!” I said shrilly. “You lied to me!”

  “My fangs don’t change,” Lash said blatantly. “If they went back to human teeth, that would be true.”

  I shrank back from him. “So any time you drank from me, you could have killed me—”

  Lash’s hand shot out to grip my face hard. “I won’t hurt you,” he hissed, his flat eyes staring into mine. “I promised Dev I’d keep you safe. I can bite without injecting poison, as you well know.”

  I curled up into a ball, making myself small. “Why’d you lie to me?”

  “That night I said that I wanted your blood. You wouldn’t have let me

  if—”

  “You scared me.”

  “I had to,” Lash hissed. “I had to make Kev believe that I was going along with their plan to get close to him. He was right, he could have cut your throat before I could stop him. Titus is too far away to save you. You would have bled to death.”

  “No, I wasn’t scared then,” I whispered. “I was scared of you before, but not now. I trusted you to save me.”

  He let go of my face. “I saw that you did in your eyes, before The Lust came.”

  I wanted to tell him that it meant something that he had had me there in his power and he hadn’t taken advantage. Right now he was probably regretting he hadn’t…Embarrassed at my unkind thought, my face flushed.

  “Why were you in there anyway?” Lash hissed. “You said you were coming to meet me for lunch. How am I supposed to keep you safe if you don’t do what you say you will?”

  “I went looking for you,” I replied, coloring further. “Kev lied to me, told me you were there.” I sank down to the floor, sitting cross-legged.

  Lash eased himself down beside me. “But you don’t want me now, right?”

  While Lash had made sexual remarks before, they’d been teasing or hostile. His words now were polite, laced with an undercurrent of passionate need. What Kev had said about his celibacy had most likely been true.

  Disgust rose in me at the thought of Kev, at what he’d tried. But more disgust was for me, that in the midst of attempted rape I’d still managed to get off on the idea of fucking Lash. What the hell was wrong with me?

  “I’m going crazy,” I said brokenly.

  “Maybe,” Lash offered, after a moment. “But it’s not like you got there by yourself. For a human, I think you’re handling things really well.”

  I wiped at my tears. “I hit Vince with a hammer. I enjoyed it. I was hoping to hit others—”

  “If I were you, I’d have hit him, too,” Lash said drolly.

  I looked over at him. “I’d have hit you if I found you, if you hadn’t done what I wanted.”

  “No hitting me,” Lash said, giving me baleful eyes. “Not that you’d have needed to. I’d have done what you asked, whatever it was.”

  I looked back at him, biting my lip. He stared back at me, unmoving.

  I looked away. What was it about him that called to The Lust? It had always wanted violence, back from the first. But Lash had never hurt me. I’d witnessed him hurt Theo, but that was it. None of this made any sense…

  What did I know for a fact? Only that The Lust had risen today when Lash had drunk my blood. But The Lust rose and was sated with Devlin without Devlin doing any blood drinking. Maybe it was Lash’s fangs entering me that had incited The Lust to rise?

  I cast another quick glance over at him. Lash looked back, clearly still hoping.

  If he kissed me, would The Lust rise? There was only one way to find out. But did I really want to go there again on purpose? Sure I’d fucked up his life, driven his girlfriend to another state, and he’d been celibate now for months. But that didn’t make sex with Lash a good idea.

  On the other hand, what if he didn’t need to touch me for The Lust to rise? The first time I’d just looked at him. I’d been minding my own business this very afternoon when I’d been driven to seek him out. What if we left here, and The Lust came
back in the kitchen during lunch, or worse, a couple days from now when I was home with Theo? For whatever reason, it clearly wanted Lash this time. If I denied it again, I might be even more violent the next time it overtook me. What if I picked up a gun then instead of a hammer?

  I had to control this. It was better to get it over with now where we had a little privacy.

  I reached for him, my eyes a little scared. “Come to me.”

  Lash looked at me in surprise, and then moved closer, coming into my arms. He pulled me tight against him, molding his body to mine, the press of his erection straining to be free against my groin. I reached down between us then, hesitantly, and very slowly ran my hand across the hardness. He let out a loud hiss, his pelvis contracting against me.

  The Lust rolled over me like a steamroller, squashing my resistance flat, making me feel like I had not been with anyone in years. Without a word, I unzipped his jeans and reached inside. He was hot and swollen, already a little slippery in his readiness. I curled my hand around his shaft, and he thrust into it, hissing with eagerness. I brought his penis out of his jeans, stroking him quickly. Lash hurriedly unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, baring himself fully to me.

  I looked at him with hot eyes, savoring the sight of his engorged flesh. I hadn’t been wrong about his width, and his length was good, too, though nowhere near Devlin’s. I stroked his hard shaft gently, rubbing the tip. He responded immediately, moving frantically in my hand, letting out groans with each thrust.

  I wanted him somewhere else besides my hand. Moving my hips closer to his, I put the head of him against my underwear, wanting him to feel how wet I was for him, how ready my body was to accept his. Then I moved them aside just enough to rub the head of his cock on my clit. Lash shifted with a jerk, then went still. I pushed my pelvis toward his, sliding the head of his penis inside just a little. Lash made an agonized cry. I braced myself for him to grab me, eagerly anticipating the shove of his flesh into mine. But he remained where he was, breathing rapidly.

  What was he waiting for? Suddenly it hit me: he was waiting for me to tell him what I wanted.

  “Please, Lash,” I whispered. “Take me.”

  As soon as I said the words, Lash was in motion. He yanked off my underwear and pushed down his pants further, almost ripping them off in his desire. A half second later, he rolled me on top of him, settling my hips on his as he slid in with a loud hiss of pleasure.

  “Ahh!” I cried, throwing my head back, grabbing fistfuls of his T-shirt in my hands.

  Lash began moving at once in long purposeful strokes, even as he reached his hands up to unfasten my bra. My breasts swung free, my bared nipples stiffening instantly. He slid his hands up to cup my breasts, rubbing his hands over my nipples as he thrust. I tried to push up his shirt, wanting to feel his chest, but he quickly stopped me with his hands. Grasping my hips, he pushed me down on him forcefully, driving into me over and over. I grabbed hold of his T-shirt again with both hands, moaning loudly.

  God, he felt so good! “Kiss me,” I groaned. “I want to feel your tongue—”

  Lash pulled my upper body down on his immediately, sliding his arm around my shoulders as he kissed me deeply. His tongue caressed mine, licking eagerly, exploring as his mouth devoured mine. He made no noise, except a soft hiss now and then of pleasure.

  Muffled cries escaped my lips as waves of pleasure washed over me. God, I was so close! I needed him to bring me! “Bite me!” I gasped yearningly. “Please!”

  Lash broke the kiss and moved his head down to my neck, sinking his fangs in. I came screaming. His hand snaked out quickly and covered my mouth, muffling my cries. I shook hard in his grip.

  Before my climax faded, he rolled over onto me, covering my body with his. He moved frantically, shoving himself inside as far as he could. He jerked suddenly, spilling himself with a soft cry. As before, he withdrew from me almost immediately and lay on his back making soft hisses, jerking as his orgasm ebbed. He didn’t touch me at all, or say anything.

  Slowly, in the space of several minutes, rationality returned. Before I had entirely come back to myself, Lash pulled on his pants, got up, and left the room.

  Feeling sordid, I used the opportunity to clean myself up the best I could, and put the little clothing I was wearing back the way it should be. I was just finishing washing my face when Lash appeared with my jeans, socks, and sneakers.

  Ah. “Thanks,” I said as he handed them to me.

  He nodded. “Are you ready for lunch now?” he asked politely.

  “Yes,” I said, pulling on my jeans and the rest. As I followed him to the kitchen, neither of us said anything.

  I was grateful he was making this easier for me by not talking. Or maybe he didn’t want to talk. This wasn’t a romance: what he’d done was just another part of his job, even if he did enjoy it.

  No one was there when we got there, even though it was noon. Either someone had overheard us and everyone had cleared out, or some crisis had happened. Either way the silence was great. I needed time to think.

  My plan to control myself had worked, giving me a theory: The Lust had chosen Lash because it had wanted someone to drink my blood. The question was why.

  There was also the weirdness that Danial had spoken of back on vacation: why was I able to climax when The Lust hit me during this pregnancy, when orgasm had been impossible during my previous pregnancy? Devlin usually bit me during The Lust, but his drinking my blood wasn’t required; at least, it had been sated without me asking him to. Also, as it had been with Danial, sometimes The Lust came and went without my climax, as its goal seemed to be Devlin’s orgasm. Lastly, Dev’s bites usually caused substantial pain after The Lust left. In contrast, Lash had bitten me twice. Neither wound had been painful; in fact, I didn’t even feel the bites now. Yet his biting had brought me immediately both times.

  Why was The Lust interested in him at all? Lash is no vampire.

  “Sar,” Lash hissed, closing the kitchen door behind us and locking it. “I need to go back to the ballroom. Stay here while I’m gone. Don’t let anyone in, unless it’s Dev. I’ll call him and tell him to come down and get you.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Always a pleasure,” he hissed with a small smile, then turned to go.

  “Wait,” I said suddenly. “I don’t know what Devlin may have said to you about taking blood from me, but—”

  “Shit!” Lash swore, stopping and turning to me. “I’m not supposed to take any, am I? Dev was bitching about it.”

  I touched my neck. “I’m fine. Your bites aren’t even bleeding.”

  Lash flicked his eyes to my neck. “You heal faster now, because of the blood Dev gives you.” His tone was annoyed. “All the same, I shouldn’t have.”

  “Camlyn said my blood levels were fine. No one is taking my blood now but you. It’s okay. You seem to like it.”

  “It’s not the taste, though you taste good,” Lash said hesitantly, then stopped.

  There was something he didn’t want to tell me. What? “And?”

  He looked at me a moment, as if weighing his response, then closed the door, locked it, and came back to stand in front of me. “You remember the night I first tasted you?”

  When you were being an asshole. “Yes.”

  “Remember how I fell asleep?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “It wasn’t because I was just warm, and comfortable, though I was both of those.” He paused. “I have what you might call a mild headache, from the potion I take. It’s present all the time now; day after day, month after month. I’ve gotten used to it over the years, so much so that I didn’t notice a difference when I first drank your blood. But as I was watching Titus heal you, it suddenly hit me that it was gone. The relief from finally being free of the pain was so good, I relaxed completely, falling asleep.”

  The constant pain he was in was probably the reason why he was so irritable most of the time. Now he was pain-free and he�
�d just been laid for the first time in months. No wonder he was verbose. “How long did it last?”

  “Almost a week.” His tone was wistful.

  What he’d taken had been insignificant and I owed him big for saving me. “Then take some each week when I come here to see Dev. The small amount you take won’t hurt.”

  “Why are you offering it to me?” Lash said suspiciously. “I’m not that good of a lay compared to Dev, at least from what I’ve done with you so far—”

  “I don’t want you to be in pain,” I said, flushing at his bluntness. “And your bites are—”

  “I’ll take it if we have sex,” Lash said, getting up. “Otherwise, no.”

  “Why not?”

  Lash shoved the chair, sending it sliding to crash into the table. “Because you’re running some angle by offering me your blood.” His words were cold, and hard, all trace of gentleness gone. “What do you want from me?”

  I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but I didn’t. “The Lust seems to like you best,” I said quickly. “It was thoughts of you that brought it, those first times it rose with my other lovers. You almost brought it when Kev was holding me, even though I was terrified. I thought if you took it every week, maybe between that and Dev—”

  Lash backed away from me a step. “It can’t like me better than Dev. I’m not a vampire. I don’t believe you—”

  “I don’t know why, either!” I replied desperately. “It doesn’t make sense. But the only angle I’m working is to control myself.” I swallowed. “I don’t want what happened this afternoon to happen again.”

  “You’re telling the truth,” Lash hissed. “At least what you believe to be the truth.” He came closer to me. “As for Devlin’s other guards, don’t worry. I plan on making a harsh example this evening. They don’t always remember verbal warnings. They always remember bloodshed, particularly when it’s their blood staining the floor.”

  His casually evil tone sent a shiver down my spine. “So you won’t consider my offer?”

  “I’ll take some if we have sex again,” he agreed. “I won’t take more than I did today, a few swallows or so. If my pain gets worse, I’ll ask you for some when you visit. Good?”