“What about as my friend, what do you think about it then?” Sarah challenges me with crossed arms.
“As your friend I still think it’s a bad idea. And if you’re not going to listen to your lawyer, which as your friend, I also think is a bad idea, you should at least make him call you and meet in a public place during the day.” Maybe she will listen to that reasoning. Lucan is nodding his head in agreement from his booth.
“Okay, you’re right. I should give him my number and tell him to call me. If he doesn’t then that’s fine. If he does, I will suggest we meet for coffee someplace.”
“In the daylight,” I add.
Kyle the waiter returns with our drinks and three shot glasses. I can generally hold my own, but when I start with the shots things tend to go downhill fast. It’s a good thing we came in a cab.
“These are on me. Bottoms up ladies!”
Sarah grabs Kyle’ arm and writes her number on his hand. “Call me,” she shouts over the music. He mouths “Tomorrow.” before leaving us to tend to his other tables.
It is after one and I’m feeling very floaty. Sarah and I return to the dance floor for a few more songs. She’s dancing for Kyle and he watches her intently from behind the bar. Leave it to Sarah to meet a new guy on her first night out as a “single” woman. Just before two, the DJ announces the last song so we settle up with Kyle, who won’t let us pay for our drinks, and beat the crowd to the cabstand outside.
“Well, I guess this is where we split up. It wouldn’t make any sense to cab it back together.” Sarah’s voice sounds muffled after the loud club.
“Not really,” I agree. “But are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Look, you can watch me get in the cab and I will call you when I get home. My building has security at the door and I already told them not to let Mark in anymore.” That does nothing to assuage my fears. Mark had already demonstrated his ability to get into buildings whether he was allowed or not.
“Okay,” I relent, mainly because I can’t legitimately keep up my concern for her safety without it being strange. It’s not as if she is drunk and in need of assistance or protection from dishonest cab drivers. Plus, I don’t have the cash on me to cab it to her house and then back to my apartment or the Chrysler. “You take the first cab then.”
Sarah hops in the waiting car and waves at me through the window. I wave back holding my hand up to my head like a phone to remind her to call me when she’s home. She rolls her eyes as the cab pulls away from the club.
Just as Sarah’s cab disappears around the corner, the valet brings the Evora up to the curb. There is a swell of pride in my chest as I notice a few guys gawking at it. “Need a lift, ma’am?” Lucan’s voice in my ear melts my insides. He is intoxicating and not just because I am intoxicated.
“Why, good sir, that would be most helpful. As long as you’re going my way, that is.” Two can play at this game. “Wow, is that your fancy blue car?”
“No, it’s my girlfriend’s,” he whispers. “You won’t tell her, will you?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. But I think you can find a way to keep me quiet.” Oh how the alcohol is making me bold.
We head back to the Chrysler, making out like teenagers at the red lights. Just before we get into the iron beast, my cell phone buzzes to let me know Sarah is home safe and locked in. Relieved, I text back that I will call her tomorrow.
Before Lucan can ask me about Sarah, I have him pinned against the wall of the elevator. The alcohol has completely taken away my inhibitions because I am never this forward. Lucan pushes a laughing thought into my mind that he doesn’t care and will still respect me in the morning. The cliché makes me giggle. He’s letting me lead. I run my hands down his chest feeling each hard muscle along the way. My hands stop suggestively at his belt.
His lips part in surprise and I invade with my tongue, running it along one extended fang. What is it about these things that excite me so much? A deep, primal growl erupts from his throat. It is the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. He deepens the kiss as he runs his hands down my body, cupping my ass and lifting me off my feet.
The elevator stops with a jerk. Before I can let go of my kiss I am in Lucan’s arms. He throws open the grate and we are across the room at the bed.
“Oh!” I exclaim as my brain catches up to how far we’ve traveled. “Wow.”
Lucan sets me down on the edge of the bed and begins taking off his shirt. I want to rip the buttons from their stitching and tear the shirt from his back but Lucan is slow and deliberate in his actions. His eyes never leave mine as he tosses shirt on the floor. My hands are fisting the comforter in frustrated anticipation. I can’t wait any longer and I reach for his belt. It’s undone in one swift, almost vampiric, movement while my other hand flicks open the button of his jeans open and undoes the zipper. He raises an eyebrow at my prowess before giving the jeans a final push over his ass, letting them drop to the floor.
“My turn. He extends his hand to help me off the bed. When I am standing, he begins kissing the shoulder left exposed by my dress. An amazing chill runs up my body that had nothing to do with amps and I throw my head back in ecstasy. My dress is unzipped and on the floor with one swipe of his hand.
“It was all I could do not to do this at your apartment earlier and again at the club this evening. You’re lucky Sarah was there.” Lucan’s voice is husky and deep as he moves his kisses across my collarbone.
“Lucky?” I tease. His jet-black hair is so soft between my fingers. The amps are low and slow between us, drawing me in.
“Yes, love.” His tone is decidedly more serious. “But you must be entirely sure this is what you want before we go any further.”
“It is. Don’t worry, I’m not drunk or anything. I know what I’m doing.” Something tells me he means more than just regretting moving too quickly.
“Abri, sex with me will be a little different than with a human man.” He steps back from me a little, breaking my focus. I drop my hands from his hair and instinctively cross my arms over my exposed chest.
“How? I mean other than the obvious.”
“What do you think is obvious?” he asks hesitantly.
“The amps. I sure they will be stronger with that kind of, um, connection.”
“That’s part of it. But please don’t worry about that part; it’s not any more dangerous than when we kiss.” His face is grave. “The other part is a connection of a different sort. When a vampire has sex, they become bonded. We become, well, fixated on our partner afterwards. I know it’s weird and a total mood killer but I wanted to tell you.” Lucan is looking at me with pleading eyes.
“Still no bats though, right?” I say with mock uncertainty. Lucan smirks at me. “I’m already your Sodalis. That’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it?”
“Well, sort of, but maybe a little more intense. I don’t know. I’ve never done this before and I want to be sure you’re okay with it first.”
“Ever?” I ask, trying to suppress the shock trying to flood my face and mind.
“No, not ever. Just not since I became a vampire. The last time I dated people weren’t having a lot of sex outside of marriage.”
I’m still shocked. And here I thought my two year dry spell was unfortunate.
“That’s a long time.” My voice sounds calm, which is good. I close the distance between us by tugging on the waistband of Lucan’s boxer briefs forcing him to follow. He gently pushes me back down on the bed. This is the most we’ve talked since leaving the club but I’m done with talking. “Fuck the consequences,” I think to him. “If your obsession with me is the worst thing I have to deal with, so be it.”
Lucan silently takes off his boxer briefs and climbs onto the massive bed next to me. He starts at my lips and kisses a trail down to the tops of my lacy panties. I am squirming with ecstasy and anticipation.
“Are you nervous?” he breathes from somewhere south of my belly button.
“No, are you?” I manage to reply in between heavy breaths.
“Not anymore. I love you, Abri.”
“I love you too.” The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them but I don’t regret it. I mean them completely. I am completely under his spell.
This is all the encouragement he needs. Lucan tugs at my panties and I arch up so he can slide them over my ass. The feel of the lace as it scrapes across my legs makes me feel like a wanton goddess. Now that we were both completely naked and the moment is upon us, my rational brain, who has been all but relieved of her usual duties lately, sounds the alarm.
“Uh, Lucan, do we need to, um, use anything?”
“Oh shit. I didn’t think about that.” He pulls himself up to lay beside me. “The last time I did this that wasn’t an issue or an option for that matter. Human diseases don’t affect me so I don’t think there is anything to worry about. I mean, I can’t give you anything.”
“What about the other issue?” I say, ignoring the unstated “I can’t get anything either.” I know what he means.
“Oh… OH!” Lucan’s eyes are wide. “No, no. I can’t get you pregnant so we are safe on that point, too.”
“Just checking. Now where were we?” I can feel the amps growing stronger between us but they are different somehow, addictive. Comfortable and relaxed like a good massage. For the first time I can see how they are used to lure prey. Good thing I want to be preyed upon. Lucan’s hand roams from my hip, up my side, to my breast making me quiver with excitement. When we kiss again Lucan opens his mind so I can see his thoughts. He is picturing us together.
“Yes.” I whisper.
His eyes are blue fire as they run up and down my body. Moonlight is streaming in the window and bouncing off his muscled chest, begging me to touch it. When I reach up, he grabs my hand, running his lips across my knuckles. There is something about his mouth on me, the unknown danger and excitement, and I shudder at the thought. He knows what I want him to do, but I try not to think about whether he likes the idea or not.
He pushes my legs apart with his knees and I feel the rising need in my belly start to boil over. Our brief encounter in the bathtub is nothing compared to this. Ordinarily, his intense gaze on my sprawled and naked body would make me shy but I cannot turn my eyes away. I am writhing beneath his stare. He takes me slowly, careful not to make any vampire-like movements. The amps spike and so does my breathing. It takes me a second to adjust to his presence. Lucan is as still as a statute waiting for my cue to continue. After a few deep breaths, I am relaxed again and he begins to thrust, slowly at first, as he tests my reaction. My hips respond in affirmation.
It might have been five centuries, but Lucan is not lacking for skill. My legs snake around his waist to pull him in deeper. He groans as he leans down for a kiss. Before he can reach my mouth, I turn my head, bearing my neck to him. He pauses for a split second as if he’s weighing his options, steeling his resolve. I don’t want him to draw blood; I tell myself and him, not yet anyways. A quiet hiss fills the air between us as his bared fangs graze my neck again before moving lower. I watch him through lowered lashes as he nips his way down to my breasts, careful not to break the skin.
For once, I don’t have any distinct thoughts to worry about hiding from him. This is unlike anything I have experienced before. Lucan’s mouth and hands explore long neglected places on my body that even I have forgotten exist. The feel of his smooth muscled skin under my hands makes my toes curl.
Wanting to return the favor, I nip at his shoulder as the muscles bunch and contract with his rhythm against my body. Well past the point of no return, Lucan releases what control he has over the amps. The result is an immediate, earth-shaking orgasm for us both. We fall back on the bed in a panting heap.
After a few minutes, Lucan reaches over to take my hand. He laces his fingers in mine but there are no amps. He must be tapped out. “Are you okay?”
Unable to form a coherent response, I nod my head. The light outside is growing faintly pink. We have stayed up all night. Hell, we’ve had sex all night. That is definitely different than with a human. “It’s almost light out.”
“I know. I can feel it.” Lucan’s arm is draped over his eyes.
“I thought the sun didn’t have any effect on you?” I ask, reaching for the covers to ward off the chill from my sweaty state and Lucan’s lack of body heat.
“Not like you’ve always heard about. I won’t burst into flames or anything. The sun weakens vampires, dulls our senses. If we are out in the sun too long, we become disoriented and go mad. We have a sort of internal alarm that goes off when the sun comes up to remind us to take cover. I guess that’s how the sleeping in coffins and only coming out at night stuff got started. I try to avoid long term exposure, but any harm done is recoverable after a time.”
“That’s good,” I say through a rather large yawn.
“Get some sleep, dear one. We can talk more about me later.”
“That’s okay. Once the sun comes up it will be too bright in here to sleep anyways.” If only I could sleep without complete darkness, I’d go to sleep and dream about what we’ve just done.
“No problem.” Lucan reaches over to the nightstand and picks up a remote control. A whirring noise begins all around the apartment. “I have sun shades for when it’s too bright out or if I want to go to bed before they shut off the lights on the spire.”
“You think of everything.” I turn over to snuggle against Lucan. “Goodnight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
It is almost noon when I wake up thanks to the sun-blocking window shades. As usual, Lucan isn’t in bed with me. I listen for him but don’t hear anything. My body feels delightfully sore as I stretch beneath the covers. I decide to open the shades and force myself out of bed. The remote is on the bedside table next to me and I push the buttons until the whirring sound starts up again. As the shades retract, an angry hiss has me bolting upright in bed.
“Lucan?” I ask cautiously.
“Can you put the shades back down?” he asks from somewhere near the couch, his voice is tired and weak.
“Sure.” I push the remote buttons again. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just that last night’s escapades have left me a little drained.”
“In the literal sense?” I can’t help but ask.
“Aye. The sun is a little harder to tolerate when I get this way.” He is patient with my questioning, but I can tell he’s not in the mood to explain the ins and outs of vampires right now.
“What do I need to do?” I ask, hoping the answer is something other than the obvious. I am the only live blood source in the room after all. Playful nipping I like but I’m not sure I’m ready for the real thing.
“Nothing. I just need to feed— uh, eat. Geez, how romantic is this turning out to be?” he sighs. “I’m going to the Enclave and I will back in a little while. I’m sorry. I should have planned this out a little better.” Lucan stands up slowly from his post on the couch. He moves as if he has aged a hundred years over night. “Don’t worry, love, you’re in no danger. I promise.”
Shit, I hadn’t even thought about being in danger of an uncontrolled attack. I am happy for my safety, but on the other hand, I don’t like the idea of him feeding on someone else, especially not after last night. Steeling my resolve, I ask, “Why not just eat in?”
I regret the words as soon as they are out of my mouth. They seem so crass, so cliché, like something you would read in a Harlequin novel—the kind with the half-naked guy on the cover, long hair blowing in an imaginary breeze.
“Um, thanks, but no, Abri.” He moves towards me for what I hope is a goodbye kiss. “Being Sodali binds us, the sex binds us. I can’t go for the trifecta with you just yet.”
“Trifecta?” I snicker. “You mean if you drank my blood that would bind us as well? What is it with vampires and bindings?” They don’t want the world to know they exist, but they certainly like to be stuck
to it.
“Not to the world in particular, just those we are meant to be bound to. A blood exchange is another level of bonding even more serious than sex. The sex bond wears off after a while, blood is for life.” With a knowing smile, Lucan bends over the bed and kisses my forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Maybe you should pick up some extra for later on. I think you will need it,” I call out as he heads for the door.
Lucan turns around and gives me a sly smile. “Be ready when I get back.” And with that, he is gone. A shiver runs up my spine. Be ready? All I have to do think of last night to be ready. My stomach growls urging me follow Lucan’s lead and take care of my own bodily needs. I find Lucan’s button down on the floor a put it on before a quick trip to the bathroom.
I am sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal when Lucan summons the elevator on the floor below. He’s been gone just under thirty minutes. He would have to drive incredibly fast to make it to the Enclave and back in that time, let alone feed. Ugh, maybe they have a drive-thru.
The word ‘feed’ sounds so gross to me, so vampire. I need to refuel my body too, but I don’t say I have to feed. I eat, nosh, grub down, and even pig out every now and again, but I don’t feed. The elevator is making its final push to the top and I force my negative thoughts aside least Lucan hear me. It isn’t him, or even him doing it, it is simply the term itself.
The grate, amazingly still intact, rolls open and Lucan steps off. “Now, where were we?”
I haven’t bothered to brush my teeth or wash my face yet and I am suddenly self-conscious. “We can remedy that in the tub, don’t you think?”
He reaches down to scoop me off the couch before I can answer. “I need to wash my hair, badly,” I say, running my hand through the sweat-matted strands.
“Shower it is then.” Lucan is quite animated. It must be the infusion of blood. “Aye, but also because of you, because you are here.”
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