by Lia Davis
A slow curve formed on his lips. “Beautiful. Fangs and all.”
“You need to hurry,” she warned.
He dipped his head and placed a kiss above her nipple, then swirled his tongue around the tight nub. Pleasure fired from each nerve, sending electrifying pinpricks throughout her. A moan escaped her once his teeth grazed a nipple.
Gods, it was hard to not overpower him and end the suffering he put her through with his damn teasing.
When she opened her mouth to tell Zach about it, he slid his hand down her belly and cupped her sex. Oh. She fisted the sheets and moved against him. The pleasure built, threatening to push her over the edge.
He pumped in and out with his fingers while rubbing his thumb over her clit. Her fangs extended again but not out of hunger. It made her wonder if the myth of vampires getting a sexual release from taking blood was true. Before she tested that out, she wanted Zach inside her.
Reaching up, she cupped the back of his head and drew him to her. Gold swirled wildly in his brown eyes. “I need you inside me, now.”
One dark brow rose, but she could smell his arousal. Earth and sage mixed with rich notes of rose. She’d never noticed the complexity of his scent before. You’re a vampire now. A predator.
A sharp sting to her earlobe brought her out of the dark thoughts. She smirked and took the opportunity to sink her teeth into Zach’s shoulder. He growled out a groan and ground his jean-covered erection into her.
With a single thought, she willed his jeans gone. A moment later, he was as naked as she was.
Zach chuckled. “Someone is being naughty.”
“Someone else is taking his sweet-ass time.”
As soon as the last word had left her mouth, he thrust inside her. She gasped and then moaned as he moved in and out. Power wrapped around them and filled the room. Tiny pricks of electrical current nipped at her skin as she rode the wave of an orgasm, so close to the edge.
She scored Zach’s back with her nails and tightened her legs around his waist. He picked up the tempo, slamming into her. Gods, he felt too good, smelled too good.
She cried out in pleasure as the climax pulled her under. Zach followed with his own release.
After the last shudder left their bodies, Zach pulled out and lay beside her, hugging her close.
She lifted her gaze to Zach’s. A frown formed as reality crashed into her. She was cursed to crave blood. Although Samoan had said, “become vampire” in Latin, Lydia didn’t feel any differently. At least, not now that she’d fed from Zach.
“What’s wrong?” Zach traced her jawline, stopping at her chin where he rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.
“I’m not sure. I don’t feel like killing for blood anymore.”
Zach laughed. “You’re not craving it like a few minutes ago?”
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. I mean, how often will the hunger rise?”
He kissed her quickly on the lips. “I believe you are stronger than you think. Plus, wouldn’t your healing gift help you control the hunger?”
She thought about it. “It’s possible.”
“We can try. Also, I’ll have Ayden come over in the morning so you can test your control.”
Lydia frowned. She didn’t like testing anything on anyone. “Could we just go hunt down some demons? I could get the whole thing out of my system and be well fed before I face anyone else.”
Zach worked his jaw before answering. “From what I understand, feeding too much could put you into bloodlust. There would be no controlling the hunger once it’s gone that far.”
True. “I wish I knew a vampire.”
He lifted on one elbow and studied her from above. His eyes narrowed. “Talking about demon hunting.”
Lydia sighed. “It was the secret I was going to share with you earlier at the coven. I started hunting them down about a month after Logan was born. After seeing what the bastards did to mom, I snapped. They’ve taken so much from me and everyone. They need to be stopped.”
His features softened slightly. “I agree with you one hundred percent. Yet, you can’t go off alone. It’s too dangerous. Especially with that crazy bitch Samoan on the loose.”
And look at me now. Lydia groaned. “All I thought about was killing that bitch. But she got me instead.”
“You could have told Khloe, and she’d have been on board with tag-teaming the demoness with you.” Zach smiled and waggled his eyebrows.
“I figured you’d be mad.”
Lying down beside her, he gathered her to him. His earthy scent surrounded her, soothing the worry churning in her mind. “I’m the last person to pass judgment for keeping secrets. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the fact that you went off on your own. You could’ve been killed.”
She sighed and snuggled into him. A yawn escaped her before she spoke. “We all could be killed, even with backup.”
“I know.” He squeezed her closer and fell silent for a few moments before he, too, yawned. Kissing her on top of the head, he said, “Promise me no more rogue activity.”
“As long as you don’t hide your elfin half.”
A tingle of magic rippled over him, and she glanced up to see his pointed ears and the slight glow to his skin. “You know the ears are kind of sexy.”
He crinkled up his nose. “Stop teasing.”
Cupping his face, she drew him close to place a long, toe-curling kiss on his lips. “I like teasing. However, on a serious note, I do like the real you.”
Zach chuckled then frowned. “I’m relieved it’s out in the open now. I still feel like I could lose control, though.”
“Not as much as I could right now.”
“We’ll figure it out. The good thing is, you’re cursed. And all curses can be broken.” When she yawned again, he kissed her forehead and added, “Go to sleep. We can research in the morning.”
Lydia nodded and closed her eyes, snuggling into him, breathing in his soothing, earthy scent. Although things looked bleak at the moment, she was sure about some things. Zach was hers. And Samoan was going to die. One day, somehow, Lydia was going to be there, waiting for the bitch.
That fucking witch was dead when Samoan got a hold of her.
Desiree had failed to report in since their little tiff a few days ago. When Samoan had told her, her son was dead. A twisted smile tugged at Samoan’s lips. True, the kid his mother knew and loved was dead. But not the assassin Khan created. The first of the Dark Divine army.
All in due time, witches.
Samoan stalked the perimeter of the Oceanway Coven. They had strengthened the wards. To any lower-power demon, the magic weaved into the invisible shield would kill them. Not Samoan. She wasn’t fully a demon. Her dark elfin half amped her demon side to levels that equaled Khan. An advantage for her in the coming mating.
The Underworld lord couldn’t bully her into submission, and he knew it.
She materialized at Khan’s house in the Underworld. Taking form in the great room of the gothic-style mansion, she frowned at the large vampire standing guard outside the study. The male snarled and watched her as she advanced to the door.
With a smile, she said, “Don’t you have things to kill?”
A growl was her answer. She rolled her eyes and entered the study. Khan sat at an oversized black-stained oak desk, his head bent over something. Without lifting his gaze to her, he asked, “What has you so annoyed, my bride?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” She dropped into a chair across from him. When he lifted his head and looked at her with a raised brow, she chuckled. “Desiree is hiding out in her coven. I’m sure she has gone to the Divinities by now.”
“So, let her go to them. She’ll have to reveal what a traitor she’s been.” Khan relaxed into his high-back throne-looking chair. His long, black hair hung loosely around his shoulders, blending into his black button-up.
He was pure evil and sexy as hell.
A wicked smile tugged at her lips. Desiree had t
o prove herself to the Divinities and wouldn’t be a problem for Samoan. At least, for a little while. “How is Mathew?”
Khan grunted. “As stubborn as his mother. However, the kid is powerful. More so than his mom. Too bad the witch destroyed the crystal.”
Fuck. Samoan had been planning to ease into that conversation. But she should have known that Khan would find out. She’d just hoped it would be later. “Yes. She lied to me about being able to charge it.”
Samoan crossed her legs and bounced her foot vigorously. The Sinew was the one thing Hecate and her witches had that could stop Samoan and Khan from stopping them. If only they had one of their own… She met Khan’s stare and grinned. “Make your own Sinew.”
He opened his mouth, shut it, and then opened it again. His brows bunched as if he churned the idea over in his mind. “Do you know how much power it would take to create one? It was a stretch trying to charge up a dead piece of Hecate’s.”
Samoan uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “You have an army of Dark Divine under your control. And the resources to take the ones who refuse. Including the Porter witch.”
One corner of Khan’s sensual mouth lifted. He flashed to stand in front of her, then knelt down. Desire bloomed within her. This was her mate. Father thought it was an arrangement. It was so much more. She and Khan were fated to be together.
When he ran his warm hands up her thighs under her black mini-skirt, she groaned. “You are brilliant. Desiree and her son will have just enough power to extract the magic from the Dark Divine.”
He kissed her, making the desire turn to a wildfire in her veins. He wrapped his arms around her and stood, taking her with him. “We must celebrate, then we hunt all the Dark Divine.”
Yes. Samoan will be the one to get Desiree and torture the bitch a little before draining all her magic.
“We will get what is ours and destroy the witches for good.”
Chapter Eleven
Lydia stretched in the king-sized bed. The sweet aroma of pumpkin mixed with the rich fragrance of coffee drifted into the room. She groaned as her belly rumbled. A smile formed at the thought of Zach in the other room. The man loved to cook. Which was fine by her.
After getting up and conjuring clothes on her body, she made her way to the kitchen. Zach stood in front of the refrigerator in nothing but jeans. She raked her gaze across his broad shoulders, then down to his trim waist. Heat flared in her belly and quickly spread throughout her body. She let out a low groan that sounded a little too much like a growl. Just then, her gums itched and her fangs lowered.
Fuck.
Alarmed, she covered her mouth with her hand and turned toward the living room, desperate to get away from him. She didn’t want to feed. Not on Zach. He wasn’t her personal pincushion. Damn it.
Taking deep breaths, she walked to the wall of windows overlooking the St. Johns River. The water was calm and smooth as a sheet of glass. The rising sun reflected off the surface.
After a few moments, Zach came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Morning.”
“Morning.” The single word was gritted out. She closed her eyes, finding it almost impossible to keep from twisting in his arms and biting him.
“Don’t fight it. Take from me what you need.”
She shook her head. Before she spoke, the doorbell rang. When Zach released her, she whirled around, eyes wide. “I can’t see anyone right now.”
With a frown, he moved to the door. “I haven’t called Ayden yet.”
Lydia inhaled then cursed. “Shit, it’s Khloe and Jagger.” The desperate need to hide overwhelmed her. With inhuman speed, she darted to the hallway, only to slide to a stop when Jagger materialized in front of her.
She crouched, waiting for an attack. Zach stepped between them and threw up a shield around her. With a low growl, he said, “Leave her alone, Jagger.”
Jagger grunted as he slammed a couple of bags of blood into Zach’s hand. “Give those to her. She’s to have a couple of bags three times a day for the first few days, then slowly reduce it until she only needs to feed two to three times a week.”
Lydia moved closer to Zach to glance over his shoulder. The label on the bag said Knight Blood Bank. Lifting her gaze back to Jagger, she frowned. “Did you steal those?”
The Death Demon threw his head back and laughed. “No. I know the owner, who happens to be the Vampire King, Kane Knight.”
“Vampire King?”
Jagger gestured to the bags of blood. “Have your breakfast, and then we’ll talk.” Then he pushed past them to head to the living room.
Zach lowered the shield and turned to her, holding out the bags. Frowning, Lydia took them. Her fangs were still elongated from eyeing Zach in the kitchen earlier like a life-sized chocolate bar. She sighed and then punctured the bag with her fangs, surprised when they sucked up the thick liquid on their own.
After finishing the second bag, she felt better. The drive to attack someone’s neck had lessened, and the slight pang in her belly was gone.
In the living room, Khloe was hooking up a laptop to the flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. Without looking at Lydia, she spoke. “We didn’t mean to show up so early. I wanted to give you at least a day to get the hunger under control. But Jagger insisted you needed to know things before you turned rogue.”
Lydia frowned as she lowered herself onto the cushion in the far corner of the sofa. “The only craving I have right now is to kill Samoan.”
Khloe turned her head to meet Lydia’s stare. A flash of white rippled through Khloe’s teal gaze as her lips curled. “That makes two of us. The bitch will have her day.” Picking up the remote, she clicked a button, and the TV fired up and a video conferencing app appeared, waiting for others to join the meeting. Khloe moved to the sofa and sat next to Lydia, but not too close. “Desiree showed up at Divinity House this morning.”
The growl in her tone led Lydia to believe that Desiree had not been welcome, or had done something bad. “What is it?”
Jagger grunted. “The Porter has been a busy girl.”
Lydia met Zach’s gaze. The gold in his eyes brightened. “What did she do?”
“She’s been working with Samoan.” Khloe held a hand up to silence Zach and Lydia when they opened their mouths. “Demon bitch used Desiree’s child to control her.”
Desiree was a mother? Lydia stared at Khloe then glanced to Jagger, who sat in the armed chair across from them. “Desiree looks so young.”
Khloe shrugged. “Apparently, Porters age a little slower than we do. She has a ten-year-old son. I don’t know her, or what she’s been through. But her emotions were so raw this morning. She’s confused and in a lot of pain.”
It would make sense that Khloe knew the other Divinity’s emotional state. Her bond to her twin and empathic brother-in-law would allow her to read others’ emotions. Plus, her inner cat gave her the ability to scent out truths and lies.
Lydia motioned to the TV. “I take it we’re having a meeting.”
“Yep. We’re doing it this way because we believe it’s better to not expose you to too many people at once.” Khloe flicked her gaze to Zach then back to Lydia. “At least, until you’re sure you are in control and not the curse.”
Understanding where they were coming from didn’t ease Lydia’s annoyance with being a vamp. But she let it go for now. She and Zach would have to search for a way to break the curse. One thing was for sure, Lydia wasn’t going to stop hunting demons.
“How did Samoan use Desiree’s son?”
Khloe sighed and briefly told them about Desiree believing her son was ill and how Samoan had manipulated her into handing the boy over. “So, Lex believes that Mathew transitioned into something other than half-witch, half-Porter. But they don’t know what he turned into.”
Dread settled in Lydia’s gut like a rock. There was no telling what Khan had planned for the boy. Or had already done to him. “Is there a rescue being planned?”
“Not u
ntil I find out it’s safe to bring him over from the Underworld.” Lex’s voice drew Lydia’s attention to the TV. It was the most Lydia had heard the Death Demon say in one sitting. She glanced at Jagger, who wore the mask of silence.
Ayden spoke next. “Lex and Desiree will handle the search and rescue for Mathew. We’ll help in any way, of course. So I want to move forward with destroying the warehouse. I am concerned with computer files.”
Khloe shook her head and sent Lydia a smirk. “I already got them.”
“Should have known,” Ayden teased before continuing. “Lex, Melaina, and I will stay here with Kalissa. You four will meet Teddy-Bear about a block from the warehouse tonight.”
Khloe picked up the remote. “We’ll work on a plan to set the charges.”
There was an edge to Khloe’s tone. Lydia studied her as she ended the video. “What’s bothering you?”
“Ayden is considering moving Kalissa to the coven until after the baby is born. Maybe until after the war is over.”
As a bonded sibling herself, Lydia understood how Khloe was feeling. She hadn’t liked being far from Jacen when he was alive. “Then go with her. Zach and I can watch the house.”
Her friend stilled and looked at her. A moment later, she dropped her shoulders and smiled. “I didn’t think about that because I just couldn’t see not living in the house.”
“It won’t be permanent. Besides, do you think Kalissa would go hide out in the coven?”
“No. She wouldn’t.” Khloe laughed as she closed the distance between them and drew Lydia into a hug.
Lydia’s nose tingled. With her vampire sense of smell, she picked up on the slight citrus scent of Khloe’s cat. Tugging out of the embrace, Lydia wrinkled her nose. “No offense, but I don’t like the way you smell.”
Khloe let out another laugh. “None taken. I’ll take it. It’s better than you telling me I smell good enough to eat.”
Jagger cleared his throat. Khloe rolled her eyes and then whispered, “His fangs are the only ones to pierce my skin.”