by R. E. Butler
He rubbed his temple, thinking that sounded extremely dark and depressing.
She dropped the second steak and moved stealthily to him, butting her head against his arm until he draped it around her shoulders. She purred loudly, rubbing her nose against his throat. She sat on her haunches and leaned against him. He pressed his head against hers and closed his eyes. Strangely enough, she made him feel better just by touching him. He supposed that was the way of truemates – the calming touch, the feeling of security – and she seemed to be able to tell that he wasn’t happy.
She settled next to him and picked up her half-eaten steak. He rubbed her head, enjoying the feel of the soft blonde fur. He told her the story of his turning. The idea that he’d gone home with a stranger for a one-night stand and ended up a vampire had seemed like a cosmic joke to him for a long time. He wasn’t a reckless guy by any stretch, but he had wanted to cut loose, and it had nearly cost him everything.
He told Lia about his rise to power in the kiss. He’d always been driven to be successful in whatever he did. The previous master had gone soft because no one wanted to be the master of Belle Terra. It was unimportant – too small to compete with the bigger cities, and overflowing with supernatural creatures that outnumbered vampires. Caleb had fought and killed the master and those loyal to him. Being master of a city meant brutality at times. To keep his place, he had to prove he was the best so no one would come against him. He was thankful for the loyalty of his kiss, especially now that he had a mate to take care of.
He lifted the now-empty trays and set them outside the door. He turned and found a beautiful blonde where his tigress had been. Her eyes were the same burnished gold of the cat, burning with desire. Her hair was the color of sunshine and fell past her shoulders in a glorious wave. And her curves! His fangs punched from his gums as his gaze slowly trekked down her body.
“Aw,” she said.
“What?” His gaze snapped to hers.
“Your fangs. They’re adorable.”
He snarled and stalked to her. Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her to him roughly. “There isn’t anything about me that’s adorable, sweetness.”
Her finger ran the length of his fang, and it took every ounce of will in his body not to let his eyes roll back in his head. His fangs were not supposed to be an erogenous zone.
She regarded him with a small smile. “I know they’re lethal, but they’re small. Mine are nice and big. No one messes with me in my shifted form.”
“No one will mess with you anymore, period.” He touched her jaw with his fingertips. “You’re gorgeous.”
She fit against him perfectly. Her soft curves against his hard muscles.
“Caleb,” she whispered.
He stopped tracing her lips with his gaze and met her eyes. She didn’t have to say anything for him to know what she wanted.
“We should discuss mating.”
“I like it hard and fast.”
He chuckled as his body tightened further. “I mean, if we do this now –”
“Not if, because we’re doing it.”
“Would you let me finish my thought, woman? I’m trying to be romantic.”
She tilted her hips in invitation, rubbing provocatively against the towel secured around his waist.
“Finish. I’m standing here hot and naked and you want to talk.”
He growled and she grinned. Sassy, tempting mate. He wanted to be noble and make sure she wanted to mate with him before taking her to bed, but she clearly had no need for chitchat. As anxious as he was to make love to her, to mate her and make her his, he’d put the brakes on his libido so they could talk. She seemed to have other ideas.
“When we mate, sweetness, it means that you’ll be mistress of the city, even though you’re not a vampire.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but to his surprise, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she snaked her hand between them and began to touch herself.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
“I’m hot and you’re talking. I like your voice, Caleb, it’s damn sexy, but my cat is clawing at my brain to cement our mating, and you want to discuss kiss politics? Not. Right. Now.”
She moaned softly, and his brain misfired. She was not going to get herself off when he’d been waiting several hours to touch her. He grabbed her roughly and tossed her over his shoulder. She shrieked in surprise and then laughed, tugging at his towel and tossing it away as he strode to the bedroom. He dropped her to the bed and gripped her knees, spreading her legs apart slowly for his gaze.
She was bare, her skin glistening with arousal and scenting of heat and woman. “Mine,” he said with a growl.
She placed her hands on top of his. “I am, Caleb. You’re mine, too.”
He wanted to do a million different things to her, to find out how many ways he could make her come. She growled suddenly, and he found himself flat on his back with his beautiful mate straddling him.
“You’re thinking too much,” she said, smiling down at him.
“I’m not trying to,” he said, gripping her hips as she moved provocatively above him.
“I’m going first, just so you know.”
As he opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, she flipped around on his body so her knees were by his shoulders and her pussy was over his face. She kissed the head of his dick, and he chuckled.
“If you do that, I’ll be going first,” he promised.
“Then you better have a good tongue.”
He hooked his hands around her thighs and looked at her pussy. He’d never taken the time to really love a female, to explore her and know everything about her body. Lia’s pussy was beautiful, bare and silky with her arousal, and the heady scent of her – sunshine and sugar – filled him with deep longing. He pulled her lower, and she spread her legs apart.
Her hot tongue licked around the head of his dick and then she ever so slowly took him into her mouth. He resisted the urge to hump her face like an out of control puppy and focused on her. He licked her, from her clit to the sweet heat of her entrance, delving his tongue inside to taste her. Sucking on her plump lips, he tasted every inch of her pussy until he felt drunk on the sweet taste of her.
Tilting her hips, he licked her clit and then sucked it into his mouth gently. She moaned around his dick, and her whole body shuddered. Flicking the tip of her clit with his tongue, he reveled in the sounds she made and the deepening scent of her arousal. She shuddered over him, her hand gripping the base of his dick as she lifted from him and groaned.
“Fuck, Caleb,” she moaned.
He loved how she said his name.
Moving his tongue rapidly, he drove her to the peak of pleasure, and when she screamed his name and her body quaked above him, he switched their positions until they faced each other and his dick rested against her heat. Her fangs were elongated in her mouth, the sight, coupled with the flush on her skin and the golden color of her eyes, was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen.
He pressed into her slowly. Her arms and legs wrapped around him, and she sighed softly against his neck.
“You feel like home, Caleb,” she whispered.
As their bodies connected, wed as tightly as possible, he knew he’d never be the same. He had a truemate now, perfect for him in every way. He only hoped he could be the perfect mate for her, too.
Chapter 5
The orgasm rolled through Lia like a tidal wave. When Caleb pushed his cock into her, it kicked off little waves of pleasure, making it feel like she’d never stop coming. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body, drawing him close. Her cat purred. Tilting her hips to bring him deeper into her body, she felt the connection between them solidify further.
He took her mouth with a kiss that was both tender and intense. Their tongues tangled, and she slid her hands up into his thick hair and fisted the strands. He growled as they kissed, tilting his head and driving his tongue into her as he swiveled his hips while he pulled f
rom her pussy. Then he drove in deeply, gripping one thigh and hiking her leg high up his body.
He lifted from her mouth with a snarled groan and stared down at her as he moved. His hips twisted as he pounded into her, driving them both toward release. His eyes were dark with passion and the connection between them bloomed deeply. She met his thrusts with her own, moving her hands from his hair to his back where her nails dug into his flesh as she held on.
Tension coiled deep in her belly, and her pussy rhythmically gripped his cock as he moved. The headboard slammed against the wall, accenting his driving thrusts as everything within her focused on the pleasure that coursed through her. Her gaze latched onto the place where his shoulder and neck met. Her fangs, which had erupted the moment he’d made her come with his talented tongue, lengthened further and her cat growled.
He tilted his head slightly, his body flexing as he took her harder and faster. Their bodies were slick with sweat, the scent of their combined arousal filling the air between them. Licking her lips, she snarled and struck, burying her teeth in his neck.
He groaned, his hand tightening on her thigh as he pounded into her.
“Fuck yes, fuck,” he said, growling the words.
As the taste of his blood crested her tongue, her body locked down on him, and the pleasure rose within her. She lifted from his shoulder and screamed her pleasure to the ceiling, raking her nails down his back as her body tightened and released.
Caleb sank his fangs into her throat, and a mini orgasm flashed through her. He groaned into the meat of her throat as his cock spasmed. She tightened her legs around his waist and hugged him close. She wanted to give him everything she had – her body, her heart, her soul.
Tears pricked her eyes. He lifted from her throat and pressed his cheek against hers as he breathed heavily.
“Mine,” he whispered.
She shivered at the possessive tone.
“You’re mine, too.”
He rolled them over, and she sprawled on top of him. As her cat purred in contentment, she rested her cheek against Caleb’s chest. There was no heartbeat, and she wasn’t sure she thought there would be.
He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. “You wondered if it still beat?”
She lifted her head to look at him. His brow was arched, and a playful smile curved his full lips. “I wasn’t sure.”
“I’m immortal. I was human, but the turning froze me like this for eternity.”
“It’s a good thing you’re so sexy.”
He chuckled and his eyes danced. “I once saw a really fat vampire. I asked him if he was happy, and he said if he’d known that he’d be like that forever, he would have exercised more in his youth.”
She sat up, leaning over his exquisite chest. She let her fingers dance over his pecs, brushing his nipples and watching his muscles tighten. “You were holding back.”
His lip curled, and he moved so quickly she found herself flat on her back and staring up at him. “I was not.”
“I mean biting me. You bit me after I bit you, but then you didn’t feed. I thought you would. I thought…” Sadness flitted through her. Did her mate not find her appealing?
“Hey, hey,” he said, cupping her face. “I didn’t trust myself to feed from you and not turn you. I would never do that without your permission. You taste amazing. Like sunshine and sugar. Damn.” His fangs elongated, and he leaned back, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I’ve never tasted anything better.”
Pleasure stole over her. “You taste pretty good, too.”
He stroked her throat, just above the still-healing marks. “We should talk about the future. I’m immortal. I want you to be, too.”
His fangs receded and he leaned over, kissing her. She sank her fingers into his hair, loving the softness. His tongue slipped past her lips, and the entire inside of her body clenched at the spicy cinnamon taste of him.
He lifted from her mouth with a groan. “Talking first.”
“You’re such a downer.”
“You’re very tempting, sweetness, but this is important.”
“Then get off me so I can think.”
“You can’t think when I’m like this?” he asked, lowering himself until their bodies almost touched.
Her cat purred and the sound rumbled from her throat. He laughed and sat up, moving away from her to lean against the headboard. She rolled to her side and linked her fingers with his.
“Tell me about being immortal.”
“I won’t tell you it’s all puppy dogs and sunshine, but it does have some benefits. Your body will remain as it is forever. You’ll be nearly impossible to kill.”
“What’s the turning like?”
“When I do it, sweetness, it won’t hurt. I’ll feed from you, but instead of stopping, I’ll keep going, which will make you drowsy. I’ll cut your arteries so you drain faster. At the point where your heart slows almost to a stop, I’ll feed you my blood, which will send you into the turning sleep. You’ll be out for two days while your body changes from human to vampire.”
“You have to time it just right? What if you get distracted?”
“As if I’d allow that to happen,” he said with a growl.
“You growl a lot for a guy who doesn’t have a beast lurking in his subconscious,” she pointed out.
“You’re the most important person in the world to me, Lia. I need you to be immortal so I don’t have to spend eternity without you. Your safety, your security, are of utmost importance to me.”
She liked how earnest he was. She didn’t doubt he could turn her safely. Even though they’d just met, she trusted him to the very center of her being.
“Then I wake up and…” she prompted.
“You’ll feed from live donors twice a day for a week, and then you’ll be able to feed once a day as I do. For the first year, you need real blood, not synthetic, but it’s not a problem. There are human donation facilities all over the world, and even one in Belle Terra owned by the kiss. I also own a synthetic blood facility. Or, I should say, we do.”
“We?”
“All I have is yours.”
“I won’t be able to shift anymore, will I?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
She would hate to lose her cat. She was the last female saber-tooth tiger in existence, but she had Caleb, and she wasn’t about to grow old gracefully while he stayed young and sexy forever.
“I heard that vampire guys can have kids for the first ten years after their turning.”
His eyes darkened. “I’ve only been turned for seven years.”
“Then you better knock me up fast.”
His brows rose. “Oh yeah?”
She rolled to her knees and faced him. “I never considered being immortal. I’m a shifter, so I expected my mate would be mortal, either another shifter or a human. I feel like its fast, but it also feels very right. I want to be like you so we can be together forever. But I’m the last female of my kind. If you change me now, I won’t be able to have kids because my insides will freeze. If we wait a little while, then we can have a child together first, and then you can change me. But you have to swear to change our child, too, because there’s no way I’m going to stand by while our son or daughter ages and dies. When he or she is old enough to choose, promise.”
“I swear. You’ll be able to change them, too, sweetness,” he pointed out. His gaze latched onto her throat, and her pussy contracted at the thought of his fangs in her again. “Just one child?”
He moved sinuously, pushing her to her back. She wrapped her legs around his waist and curled her hands over his strong shoulders.
“Maybe a few,” she smiled.
He lowered his head and brushed her lips. “My sexy, sweet, tempting mate. Nothing would make me happier than having children with you.”
She ran her thumbs along his strong jaw. “I’m not on birth control. Whenever this happens between us, I know it will be the right time. I have a request, though.”<
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“Anything,” he said huskily.
“Promise to bring me ice cream and pickles and whatever other crazy things I crave when I’m knocked up.”
He smiled so broadly that she was surprised his cheeks didn’t crack. “I will be the best mate to you, Lia. Anything you need, you just have to ask and it’s yours, even if I have to pull the moon from the sky to get it.”
Was there anything sexier than a man vowing to make his mate happy?
“I’m one lucky female,” she whispered against his lips.
“I’m the lucky one, Lia.”
* * * * *
Lia rolled over when her mate woke up. She’d been up for a little while, thinking about the future and how quickly her life had changed just by going to a club. She had a mate now, a male to love and care for, who would love and care for her in return. She really wished her parents were alive, but she was thankful she still had her brothers.
Caleb pulled her a little closer and kissed her throat. “Sweetness, you smell amazing.”
She chuckled and wiggled her butt against his groin. He stilled her movements. “I need to feed first. And we’re supposed to be at the penthouse meeting your family for dinner.”
“It will be so much nicer having a real home than sharing that small RV with my brothers.” They’d lived in the cramped quarters for a year. She loved her brothers dearly, but their bathroom habits left a lot to be desired. After dealing with their grossness, she was surprised she hadn’t been turned off finding a mate entirely.
She rolled to her back and kissed him. “Do you want to feed from me?”
“More than anything. You don’t have to feed me. I’m happy with donated and synthetic blood.”
“Well, I’m not. At least not right now. I can provide for you, Caleb. Don’t you think that turns me on? Don’t you think I want to give you something of myself in that way? You’ve fed from others in the past.”
“You’re my future. I don’t care about what either of us have done in the past.”