A wave of dizziness distracted her from the thought, and she shook her head. “Whoa.”
He propped himself up on his elbow. “What’s wrong?”
Devi tried for a dismissive smile, but the muscles in her face seemed uncooperative. Bone-deep exhaustion was taking over, and she had no way to repel it. “I guess I just need a little break.”
His expression betrayed his disappointment. “Of course.” He brushed a kiss to her forehead. “You should sleep.” With a glance at the clock on her table, he asked, “Do you want me to leave?”
Finally, she was able to smile. “No.” Devi put her hand on his chest, slightly alarmed by the expenditure of energy such a simple task required. “Please stay. I’d like to wake up next to you.”
“I’ll be here.” It sounded like a promise when he uttered it so solemnly. She clung to the idea, taking pleasant images of how it would feel to wake up beside her lover with her as she gave in to her body’s demands for rest.
Chapter Three
Mal lost track of time as he held Devi, watching her sleep. Blackout curtains prevented even a crack of light from getting into the room, so he kept the overhead light on. It was a distraction to sleep, but he didn’t care. At that moment, he had no interest in slumber. Devi captured his attention completely.
She really was beautiful. Her beauty was unique and striking, but he knew on an instinctive level that he would have found her just as alluring if she looked just like every other woman. More than her beauty spoke to him. Something drew her to him, and it was more than the spell. The binding spell supported only a purely physical exchange, allowing one person to become the vessel of the other’s power-source. It had no power to twist perceptions or emotions. It sure as hell didn’t make a guy feel like he was starting to fall in love.
“Perfect timing.” His lips twitched, but he didn’t laugh. There was no real humor in the situation. Here he was, in bed with a woman he could envision spending a long time with. Their future would be bright and optimistic, if only he hadn’t seduced her under false pretenses and was currently stealing her power in order to save his dying father.
Thinking of that, he checked her pulse. It was slow and thready. Her breathing was deep and even, but her color was slightly ashen. It was obvious she couldn’t take another round of lovemaking for several hours. If he risked it, she could die.
If he didn’t, his father certainly would. Mal quietly cursed, torn between his father and the woman lying beside him. How could he risk killing her by taking more of her power before she had a chance to recover from the amounts he had already drained?
As he mused, his cell phone rang. The personal ring tone for Eli blared from his pants, and he carefully eased away from Devi to retrieve the phone from his pocket to answer it. “How’s Father?” he asked in lieu of a greeting.
“Deteriorating,” said Eli, sounding unemotional. That was typical for his elder brother. “Have you located the latent?”
“Yes.”
“Well, have you had success?” Eli’s impatience was clear.
Mal ran a hand through his hair. “Of sorts. I’ve made contact and begun the process of draining her power-source.”
“Excellent. How long until you finish? An hour? Two?”
“I’m not sure.” Mal had no intention of explaining the delays to Eli, and he steeled himself for his brother’s reaction.
After a pause, Eli asked, “I am only asking for an estimate. I don’t expect you to know exactly. Even if you’d taken the easy way, it can be a time-consuming process. I expect even you know that.”
“Yes, I know.” Mal gritted his teeth to keep from responding to the subtle reference to his lack of formal education in magic, having refused to spend years at one of the archaic institutes where the greatest warlocks studied. He had natural aptitude, but little interest in learning the ways of magic, much to his father Saul’s frustration and his brother’s delight. Eli enjoyed knowing Mal would never be a rival for succeeding their father as Magister, and it seemed to please him that Mal fell short of Saul’s expectations. With a sigh, Mal tried to push aside the thoughts, having accepted long ago that he would never be the son his father wanted him to be, and thankful that Eli was what Saul needed.
“How long then, Malkiel?”
“A few hours yet.”
“Might I remind you that our father has precious little time? We don’t even know what his enemies used to poison him, so we’re having no luck creating any sort of antidote or way to slow the poison. If the Nixa Coven learns he’s been poisoned, there will be chaos. If other covens find out—”
Mal cut off his brother’s tirade. “I know what’s at stake. I’m doing the best I can.”
“How reassuring,” said Eli mockingly. “The future of the Nixa Coven is secure.”
“Call me if he worsens.” Mal omitted a parting word, barely restraining the urge to slam shut the phone. With several deep breaths, he regained control of his anger and set the phone gently on Devi’s nightstand.
He returned to the bed, crawling in beside her. She made a sound in her sleep and turned toward him, but didn’t waken. It was completely natural to hold her against him, and with Devi in his arms, Mal felt complete in a way he hadn’t before. She curved against him as though tailor-made, making the moment bittersweet. With his purpose for being there, he knew there was no possibility of continuing a relationship with her beyond the rest of the day. Each time he made love to her, he weakened her further and betrayed her more deeply. He could only imagine her reaction if she ever found out what he was doing to her. She would never forgive him.
If he hurt her, he would never forgive himself, either. The sobering thought kept him awake for a long time as he watched her, brooding about his choices. Finally, he surrendered to the call of sleep, resting more deeply with his lover in his arms than he had any right to.
Devi woke sometime in early evening. She knew the time of day before ever glancing at the alarm clock. It was the way she had always been. According to her foster records, she had always been a child who fell asleep before the dawn and woke within an hour of sunset. That quirk had probably saved her life, according to her doctor. Otherwise, she would have had much more extensive exposure to the sun before medical tests diagnosed her with an allergy to sunlight.
Something was different, and it took a moment to realize she was in Mal’s arms, held tightly against him. His soft snores made his chest rumble, and she smiled. Deliberately, she moved with exaggerated care to avoid waking him. For a long second, Devi stared down at him, still amazed by his male beauty. She found herself hoping he was as genuine as he seemed, and that his true self was as beautiful as his outer shell. So far, she had no reason to think otherwise, and it was odd for her to wonder about such things since they had known each other for just a short time. Devi shied away from confronting why she was questioning such things. Firmly, she reminded herself their affair was purely physical and would stay that way. She refused to entertain ideas of anything else and be disappointed.
Stretching, she padded from the bedroom to the bathroom. After a quick wash, Devi was refreshed and looked almost human again when she saw her ref lection in the mirror. Water beckoned, and she left the bathroom to go to the kitchen. Mal had turned on his side, his arms stretched out in front of him, as though reaching for something. A fit of romantic whimsy had her thinking he had noticed her absence and was reaching for her in his sleep.
With a dismissive shake of her head, Devi went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Automatically, she started the coffeemaker and poured a cup for herself when enough had brewed to fill it. By the time she finished that cup, the pot was finished, and she poured a mug for Mal. When she carried it back to the bedroom, he was still sleeping.
Devi set the cup on the nightstand by an unfamiliar cell phone. There were two ways she could wake him. With a gentle shake, she could offer him freshly brewed coffee, or she could be more creative.
A surge of desire warme
d her belly, and Devi decided to take the second approach. With care, she climbed back into bed, kneeling between Mal’s legs. He stirred, grunted, and resumed snoring. With a small laugh of delight, Devi leaned forward, bracing her hands on his thighs. She didn’t wait to see if that awakened him. Instead, she lowered her head, placing her lips around the head of his semiflaccid shaft. His cock jumped at the light touch and was instantly hard.
She licked the underside of his shaft, paying special attention to the V of sensitivity. Mal jerked, and she felt him sitting up as she swallowed his erection, taking the full length until he settled at the back of her throat. Looking up through the veil of her lashes, she reveled in his expression of stunned confusion, quickly followed by a contortion of pleasure when she sucked.
“Oh, God, Devi.” He groaned as she bobbed her head, her tongue constantly moving over his head and shaft. “That feels so good, but you have to stop.”
To her delight, he seemed to be having trouble speaking. She ignored his request to stop and twisted the base of his penis with one hand while bobbing and sucking the remainder of his member as though she’d never tasted anything so delicious before. In actuality, he was delicious, and she had never enjoyed giving head like this. Devi sucked her boyfriends’ cocks to please them, usually, not herself. While she enjoyed bringing them pleasure, she had never loved the feel of an erect penis in her mouth. Until now. She could have spent hours sucking Mal to completion.
He put a hand on her head, but didn’t push her away or pull her closer. Devi kept going, spending a long minute laving the corona of his cock and the bundle of nerves, grinning bigger with each twitch of his body and thrust of his hips.
“I’m coming.”
She nodded to show she had heard the warning, but didn’t stop. Mal shared his gratification with her in streaming spurts, and she took every drop, not lifting her head until the last spasms had faded. Discreetly, she wiped her mouth. “Good morning,” she said demurely. “There’s coffee if you want it.”
Mal blinked, seeming to have trouble switching gears. After a hesitation, he reached for the coffee. She waited until he had taken a sip and returned it to the nightstand before rising to a crouch, legs parted, with a hand between her thighs. Devi spread her labia wide to show him her pink temptation. “I feel so empty without your cock, Mal. Can you handle another round?”
“No.” His penis belied his refusal by hardening again. It seemed to be straining toward her, and she pushed her hips forward slightly to show him more. “No,” he said again, but sounded weaker.
With a finger in her mouth, she surveyed him. “I don’t know. You look pretty ready to me, love. Hard, hot and ready to pound my pussy.”
“Don’t do this, Devi.”
She frowned, puzzled by his reluctance. “Do what?” Feigning innocence, she trailed the finger from her mouth downward, grazing her chin and neck before slowing down to trace the outline of one of her breasts. His gaze followed each motion of her hand, and she stopped to circle her nipple, then pinched it lightly between thumb and forefinger. “This is nice. It feels good to touch my nipple. It’s hard and so sensitive. I’d love to have you touch it. Maybe you would lick my nipples? If you’re flexible enough, you could suck my nipples while you put your cock inside me. I can lock my legs around your waist and ride you into oblivion while your mouth is on my tits. Would you like that?”
“No.” He nodded. “Yes, of course. I’d love that, but you need to rest.”
Devi shrugged. She was still tired and more drained than usual, but could definitely muster the energy for another round of sexual escapades with Mal before leaving to open the shop. “I’m fine, except for feeling neglected.” She squeezed her nipple. “I’m starting to think you don’t want me anymore.”
With a moan of surrender, he lunged toward her. “Never think that, love. I want you so much. I just don’t want to hurt you.”
She had to blink away a veil of tears that unexpectedly obscured her vision at his show of concern. “You won’t. Fuck me, Mal. Show me how much you want me. Over and over.”
His weight crushed her into the bed, but it was comforting, not suffocating. Devi locked her legs around his waist and lifted her receptive pussy to meet his entering cock. He surged deep inside her while bending awkwardly to reach her nipples. She helped him by lifting her breasts higher, squeezing them together. As he plunged inside her, his tongue pleasured her nipples simultaneously, pushed together as they were. She whimpered in protest when he lifted his head. “Don’t stop.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said again as he thrust deeply into her. “Let me know if you need to stop.”
“I don’t ever want to stop.” Utter conviction rang in her words, and she meant them on a level deeper than reference to their current encounter. It was all too easy to imagine spending the rest of her life with Mal, in and out of bed.
She wrapped her arms around his back as he embraced her, pulling her tightly against him. He thrust into her, and she tried to meet each one. Heart racing, she stared up at him, once again captivated by his eyes. This time, she knew she wasn’t imagining it when they started to glow. The color was an intense amber instead of the silvery-green from before, and as she watched, the color darkened, taking on a chocolate hue. As the tint changed, she seemed to be falling into a vortex. Her head spun, and Mal’s sounds of passion came from a long distance. She was falling into somewhere, but didn’t know how she had gotten there. She didn’t care. All Devi wanted was to be in his eyes, and she was convinced she would join with him forever if she could find the way.
An orgasm rocked her to the core, and she cried out. Her voice sounded faint, as if coming from that same distant place. The pleasure engulfed her, pulling her down into an ocean of oblivion, where nothing existed aside from Mal’s eyes and the ecstasy humming through her. As she let herself sink, Mal’s eyes went almost completely black, filling her with a sense of completion, even as a gaping void she couldn’t identify opened inside her. It was as though someone had ripped open her soul and yanked out a chunk.
As Mal came, he realized Devi had gone limp. It took a moment to force himself to withdraw from her pussy, but as soon as the pleasure faded, his ability to focus returned. Cursing, he checked her pulse, relieved to find she still had one. She seemed to be in a coma. He had taken too much of her power-source, too quickly. “Wake up, baby.”
Mal closed his eyes, feeling for the cord that had bound him to Devi from the moment he cast the spell. It was thin and weak now, and he could feel her power inside him. “You have to have some of this back, Devi. I can’t let you die.” Not sure if it would work, Mal imagined the cord was a conductor, withdrawing some of the massive supply of power he held inside and sending it back to her. The cord pulsed with a flash of light, and her eyes opened. He nearly sobbed with relief. “I thought I’d lost you.”
She was clearly confused and barely with him. “What’s going on? I don’t feel like myself.”
“I’m going to fix it.” He kissed her face several times, grateful to have her back with him. “I’m sorry, but I’ll fix it. I can’t do this.”
“Mal?”
With determination, he met her gaze. “I’m a warlock, Devi, and I came here to steal your power-source.”
Her eyes widened, and a hint of fear appeared. “What are you talking about?” she croaked in a raspy voice. “That’s crazy.”
“My father…someone poisoned my father. Eli told me to find the closest latent vampire. Eli’s my brother.” Pent-up energy threatened to explode, and Mal got to his feet, pacing restlessly. “I’m making a mess of this. I know it. I found you. Do you see?” He returned to the bed, grasping her hand. “I found you.” Her skin was clammy when he rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Devi seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. “I need a doctor or something. Help me, Mal.”
“I’m going to.” In a rush, he released her and
threw on his clothes. “I have to get you back to Darkness.”
“The club?”
“Yeah. It’s the only place where there’s a high enough concentration of power to reverse the binding spell.” Mal flipped through the clothes in her closet, selecting a light sweater and jeans for her. A quick forage in her dresser yielded panties, and he didn’t bother with trying to find a bra. “I can’t do it here. I might lose control, and there are no perimeters to hold in the power. If I lose it before returning your power-source, it will be gone. I can’t let that happen. I can’t let you die.”
She was able to provide some assistance as he dressed her, but he could tell she wanted to push him away. It hurt him to see the fear in her eyes when she looked at him. What had he done? In one night, he had found someone he could love and had been the catalyst to ensure she would never love him in return. “I’m a damned fool.”
“Yeah.” Her chapped lips started bleeding in spots when she spoke. “Me, too. There’s a good reason to avoid one-night stands with strangers. I wish I’d remembered that.”
“I’m not crazy. You’ll see after I reverse all this.” Mal wrapped her shivering body in the blanket and lifted her into his arms. “I don’t know if you can ever forgive me, but you’ll see I’m not nuts, at least.” He clung to the hope that maybe she could understand why he had done what he’d done as he whisked her to the car. Mal thought of his father as he settled Devi into the car, and a pang of guilt struck him. He was sacrificing his father for his lover if he reversed the spell. If there was even time to find another latent vampire, the only way to take their power-source would be through murdering that person. The thought made his stomach roll, and he had to bite down the bile. It was abhorrent to him to think of killing someone else, but if he didn’t return Devi’s power in order for her to recover, he would be murdering her. After she was safe, he would figure out how to help his father. Right now, he had to focus on Devi.
What Happens in Vegas…After Dark Page 19