by Kym Grosso
“Surrender is power. Yin and yang. My dominance to your submission.”
“My wolf…I don’t know if she will,” she sighed.
“You must be sure this is what you want.” His hand reached between her legs.
“Ah…I…” She lost her thoughts as he speared a finger deep within her core, his hot breath on her neck.
“Your blood. It’s the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. But I will walk away if you don’t want to be in my world. I’m far too old for complications,” Quintus told her as he withdrew his finger.
She gripped his shoulders, her mind and body spinning in arousal. Commitment to someone she’d only just met was incomprehensible. Whatever street smarts that told her to run seemed to disappear as the call of her wolf grew louder, urging her to make love to him. Earlier, she’d simply wanted to be bitten, an urge to satisfy a carnal desire. But with a full understanding of the ramifications, her beast grew impatient. To be mated for the rest of her immortal life to a vampire, to surrender to the slice of his fangs, to submit to a man forever…logic told her to run. Yet as his lips pressed to her skin, her core tightened with desire and she gave in to the yearning.
“I want this. I choose…I choose you.” Her pulse raced as she committed to her vampire.
“Stand still my little wolf. Your lesson begins,” he growled.
His towel dropped from his hips, revealing his proud erection. As he stepped away from Gabriella, she sucked a deep breath, anxious to touch him. She attempted to go to him but froze like a frightened rabbit, his voice commanding her to stay.
“Patience. It’s a skill that must be practiced. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Centuries we may wait for exactly the right moment.”
Gabriella’s nipples tightened in anticipation, excitement dancing over her bare skin.
“I want to see you.” His gaze slowly painted over her body from head to toe. “Fuck your pussy.”
“What?” her eyes widened at his words.
“Touch yourself, Gabby.”
Her heart pounded against her ribs as she raised her hand to her chest. Trailing her fingers over her aching breasts, she trembled, her tender nipples begging to be touched.
She knew he demanded submission but it wouldn’t come easily. She’d been independent far too long. The seduction continued; a slow torturous dance. Drinking in the sight of his glorious body, she imagined his cock thrusting inside her as she glided her fingers through her wet folds.
“That’s a girl…fuck, you’re so beautiful,” Quintus groaned, stroking his palm over his thick cock.
Gabriella’s eyes locked on his, his sensual energy sizzling through her as her fingers plunged between her legs. Her other hand went to her breast. Taking her sensitive tip between her fingers, she tugged gently, the pain distracting her from coming.
Quintus crossed to the bed, his cock in his hands. “Over here. Now,” he growled.
The demand shot through her, but she didn’t move. Her spectacular vampire stood tall, the candlelight dancing over the contours of his skin. She drank in the sight of his broad muscled chest and his ripped abdomen. She imagined licking wine off his entire body, tasting every hard line of him.
“Now,” he demanded, breaking her contemplation.
Her focus snapped to attention, her fingers slowly withdrawing. The painful ache between her legs caused her to suck a breath as she slowly made her way towards him. Her magick crackled, an aura of glowing sparkles flittering into the air. Like a magnet, she was drawn to the domineering vampire, her beast pacing.
“On your knees, little witch.”
Gabriella’s heart skipped a beat at the request. She found herself obeying. Her knees brushed the cold hardwood floor, wakening her body. She settled in front of him, the heat from his thighs emanating onto her face.
“Open.” His expression heated as her pink lips parted.
Gabriella lost her words, her mouth wide as he drew closer. She reached for him but he swiftly reprimanded her. “No touching.”
As Quintus guided his cock over her tongue, she closed her eyes, savoring the delicious taste of her vampire.
“I’m going to fuck your pretty little mouth. I’m going to fuck you in ways you’ve never been fucked.” He withdrew and pressed back into her. “Once I drink of you, you’re mine.”
Gabriella opened her eyes, her gaze settling on his as he slid into her mouth. She’d never felt more vulnerable or more powerful as he groaned, her lips closing around his shaft. Her tongue lapped over the slit of his broad head.
“Your pussy. Your ass. In all ways, in all places. You’ll become mine and no one else’s unless I choose to let them see you with me.”
The dark fantasy swirled in her mind and she moaned in pleasure, the salty taste of him in her mouth. As his hands cupped the back of her head and he increased his pace, she ran her hands up the back of his thighs. He threw his head back in ecstasy, groaning as she swallowed his shaft down to its root.
Gabriella sensed the surge in his energy, so close to coming. She sucked harder, her tongue swirling over his slick cock.
“Ah…fuck, you’re amazing,” he growled, threading his fingers into her hair.
As he tugged her head backward, a sweet twinge of pain danced across her scalp. Panting, she licked her lips, a sensual smile on her face.
Quick as lightning, he reached for her. She gasped as his hands clasped her waist and threw her onto the bed. She pushed up onto her elbows in anticipation, and her eyes widened at the sight of his glorious cock. Quintus crawled onto the bed, his fangs dropping as he pressed between her legs. Detecting the feral energy in his eyes, she stilled, aching in arousal for her lover.
His palms pried open her thighs, and her knees fell apart, revealing her glistening pussy. She licked her lips as his fangs scraped over her sensitive skin.
“Ah, so beautiful.” Quintus rested onto his forearms, his mouth settling onto her mound. “Your blood calls to me…but first I feast.”
Gabriella cried out as his devilish tongue lapped through her slick folds, flicking over her swollen clit. “Oh Goddess.”
“La tua figa è così deliziosa,” he murmured, sucking her swollen nub into his mouth.
“Please…I’m on fire…” A fresh rush of arousal threaded through her, her pussy throbbing as her orgasm mounted.
“You’re so fucking delicious,” he groaned.
“No, don’t stop…” Gabriella shivered, stilling as a sharp point trailed across her flesh. Her wolf howled in submission at the sensation, desperately awaiting the slice of his fangs. As he plunged two thick fingers inside her, she moaned, arching her back. Pressing her hips up to his mouth, she urged him to bite her.
The tip of his tongue lapped over her clitoris, and she gasped, the heat of her body increasing with each lash. Her entire body thrummed with arousal, his strong fingers pumping inside her tight pussy.
“Please…” she begged, her thoughts bordering on incoherent as her magick danced in the air.
“You’re so beautiful,” he told her, his voice breathy. “Easy, bella. It’s time.”
As his teeth sliced into her mound, he drove his fingers deep into her core. Gabriella screamed, her climax rocking through her. Quintus’ thoughts merged with hers, every cell of her body alive as she bucked upward into his bite. His emotions twisted through her mind, memories of a lifetime flashing before her eyes. The pain of dying and being reborn, the great sense of loss and loneliness…her own connection with the vampire sizzling in clarity as her wolf celebrated, giving her lifeblood to her mate.
Mate. Gabriella’s eyes flew open at the silent sound of the word. She was shaken with surprise as Quintus withdrew both his fangs and his hands, leaving her with a desperate sense of need.
“No, please…” she pleaded, panting for breath as he flipped her onto her stomach. As his hand returned to her mound, she sighed.
“Si, bella…I never thought this could happen…” he breathed.
Gabriella braced
herself, presenting her bottom, open and receiving. As he slammed his thick cock into her pussy, she grunted, pleasure spiking through her. Fisting the sheets, she braced herself as he gripped her hips, slamming inside her tight core.
“Quintus,” she cried, his hard cock stretching her open.
“You’re mine,” he told her, wrapping a hand around her waist. “Do you feel this?”
Gabriella pushed upward onto her knees, the palm of his hand guiding her as he fucked her. With her body on fire, she submitted to his wish, accepting every hard inch of him. She mewled as his fingers pinched a nipple, a twinge of pain sharpening her focus.
“You’re beautiful. I’ve never wanted someone so much in my life….ah, yes,” he grunted, thrusting hard inside her tight channel.
“Yes,” she cried as he bit into the soft flesh of her neck, grunting as he came inside her. The wave of her orgasm tore through her, leaving her shaking in ecstasy. Relinquishing control to the ancient vampire, she opened her mind, receiving his energy, allowing him to read her, to know her pain and her joy as he drew her lifeblood into his body.
As he withdrew his teeth, licking over her wounds, she went limp, overwhelmed in sensation. Her wolf crouched in submission to her mate. Quintus eased himself out of her, swiftly cradling her to his chest, his gentle kiss brushing her forehead.
Shocked in the realization that this creature, this man, this dominating vampire was hers, she trembled, both terrified and exhilarated at once. She couldn’t say she was in love but knew without a doubt that she belonged to Quintus and her life was forever changed.
Chapter Seven
Quintus leaned back into his chair, sitting at his desk and sighed. Making love to Gabriella, tasting her blood had been extraordinary. He was her mate. It seemed incredible yet true; she was his, and he’d begun bonding with his little wolf.
He fingered the golden figurine as he reflected on his life, emotion seizing his chest. Thousands of years had passed since he’d been turned. His master, Baxter, had sired hundreds of vampires over the centuries, but only a handful had survived. The skilled sadist bastard took pleasure in the art of torture. He’d skin his victims, bringing them to the brink of death and then reviving them. Inflicting brutal punishments thrilled the malicious vampire. He’d kept a menagerie of creatures at his beck and call, as no supernatural was immune from his fury.
Quintus ran the pad of his thumb over the ridges of the winged metal creature. Although he’d never seen Mao shift, he’d memorized every contour of her human form, making love to her for hours. He’d tasted of her blood, certain he’d been her mate. While he’d never communicated with her telepathically or completed the bond, Quintus had absorbed her vibrant energy, immersed in their special connection.
When his master discovered he had fallen in love with his beautiful Chinese lover, he’d kidnapped and raped her. Mao’s bloody screams had echoed into the night. Quintus had attempted to save her but was too late. By the time he reached them, he watched in horror as his master hoisted her limp body into the Daduhejinkou Grand Canyon. A fledgling vampire, his ability to materialize on a whim hadn’t been cultivated, so he’d been helpless to save her. Swearing retribution, Quintus had waited patiently, growing more powerful through the centuries, until the day he’d been strong enough to destroy Baxter. But his master’s death had never relieved the crushing grief that haunted him.
The notion that he’d ever love again had been a dream he’d never anticipated. Instead, he’d filled his time amassing his wealth as a mercenary, killing for money and his enemies alike, bedding women on a whim. He’d deliberately remained elusive within the vampire hierarchy, preferring to wield his great powers as he saw fit.
Quintus glanced again to the dragon-like statue in his hands, and his thoughts drifted back to Gabriella. It had been much more likely he’d bond with a human. But like the rarity of lightning striking twice, another shifter had connected with him. The pure energy connection he’d shared with Gabriella had taken him by surprise. But moreover, when he’d bitten into her soft flesh, his mind had blended with hers, experiencing her memories, her emotions, her hopes.
For the first time in over a thousand years, he’d been terrified. Losing Mao had broken him. Gabriella had burst into his life like a bright star, shining like the sun. When he’d bitten her, he’d known there was a possibility he was her mate. But now all had changed. The bond had begun. There was no turning back, except to refuse her his blood, to deny the completion.
Both guilt and fear rushed through his thoughts. He’d loved Mao, and she’d died a horrific death because of him. While Baxter was long dead, a few of his legacies remained hidden in the far corners of the world. Like dormant volcanoes, they could reignite their fire, turning them deadly with the news of his new bonding. If Gabriella died because of him, he’d never forgive himself.
The creak of the wooden floor sounded, and Quintus’ eyes flashed to the entryway. Viktor stood dressed in a tuxedo, tapping his fingertips on the doorjamb.
“You think too hard, brother,” he commented as he stepped into the office.
“This has been a good life, si?” Quintus set the figurine onto his desk. “You’re dressed already?”
“Why yes. I’m not going to be late to this shindig. The witches be bitchin’. Vampires…well…they suck.” He gave a laugh, seemingly fake.
“A few thousand years on this planet and you still have the worst jokes. But looking stylish as always.” Quintus chuckled and leaned backwards in his chair, resting his head and closing his eyes. “There were times I’d wish I’d died. If it weren’t for my desire for revenge…”
“Baxter. He haunts you tonight.” Viktor glanced to the bottle of cognac. “1858 Cuvee Léonie?”
“Mao.” Quintus sighed. “He killed her for no reason.”
“Jesus Christ. All these years…” Viktor threw himself down onto a white leather chair. “You know it wasn’t your fault.”
“I didn’t say…”
“He was a bastard, Quint.”
“If it were only that…” Quintus opened his eyes, his energy drained from reflecting on her death.
“This world, it breeds both good and evil. And he sure was from Hell. I didn’t think we’d survive.”
“Nor did I.”
“Mao was your happiness. That’s why he killed her. He killed your happiness.”
“As he did yours.”
“We survived, though. He didn’t. So fuck him.”
“The good. That light within us. I’ve held onto it with a straw at times. To turn to his dark ways…it could have been easy.” Quintus reached for his glass, and brought it to his lips, the smooth cognac coating his tongue.
“True. Our brothers and sisters…some chose his way,” Viktor reflected.
“A few are still out there. I feel them at times but they dare not stay within a thousand miles of me.” His sister, Amelia, was especially dangerous, but it had been many years since their last encounter.
“Gabriella’s yours?” Viktor asked, brushing lint from his red velvet jacket.
“I don’t know how it’s possible.” Quintus considered denying the bond, but as the minutes passed, his psyche continued to absorb her unique magick.
“So she is yours.” Viktor raised a questioning eyebrow, his lips curving upward. “You’re bonding.”
“She’s not human.”
“A witch, though. It happens.”
“She’s hybrid. A wolf.”
“But of course the Goddess pairs you with a shifter,” he laughed.
“You should see her. She’s beautiful. She shifts into this gorgeous black wolf.” Quintus blew out his breath and shook his head. “It’s still hard to believe this is happening.”
“Hey, I can’t say I’ve had experience in this area but you can’t shake this bond. She belongs to you. I know that much.”
“I can choose to walk away,” Quintus lied. It would be nearly impossible.
“So you say, my frien
d. But why…”
“I have enemies. She’s vulnerable. I cannot allow her to be killed. Mao…”
“That was a long time ago. We were young. Weak. Now, you’re one of the most powerful vampires in the world.”
“The only thing I can do is protect her from the coven. Do what I need to do to break whatever hold they have on her. She’s already in enough danger.”
“Tonight’s the full moon. Does she have a pack?”
“No, but you are right on the moon.” She’d be forced to shift. “I’ll make arrangements but we’ve got to straighten out the witches. There must be peace. Jax will control his wolves.”
“You plan to pawn her off on the Alpha?”
“She will have no other master.” His eyes snapped to Viktor, who wore a sly smile.
“Ah, but she’s wolf. If the bond is not completed…” He stood and stretched his neck from side to side.
“She doesn’t belong to Jax. I’ll simply see to her safety.” A stern expression crossed Quintus’ face, his pulse racing at the thought.
“So you’ll keep her then?” Viktor gave a chuckle and gazed out the window.
“She doesn’t belong to Jax,” Quintus replied without directly answering his question.
“And tonight?”
“If there is one thing I’ve learned in all these years it’s not to be impulsive. We have many things going on of importance. The vampires have concerns regarding the witches. There hasn’t been this level of unrest in hundreds of years. From the minute we arrived in New York, I sensed the rumblings. What happened in the club was just a taste.”
“Surely what you did to Ravi will make an impression?”
“Perhaps. But other vampires from outside the city could be involved, possibly from Louisiana.”
“You’d think Kade would have some info,” Viktor guessed. “How ‘bout Jonathon?”
“He’s an amateur but I wouldn’t discount him.”
“He’s hungry for power. He knows Kade’s got a tight hold of New Orleans, and if there’s nothing in Baton Rouge for him, it wouldn’t surprise me. Takes balls, but never underestimate stupid.” Quintus set the glass on his desk.