Seth (Dark Assassins #2.5)

by Valerie Ullmer

  “I can’t wait. I’m going to claim you, make you mine.”

  Her answering moan was all the encouragement he needed and without finesse, he made quick work of the button and zipper on her jeans. Kneeling to remove her clothes, he had to remember to breathe as his movements exposed inch after glorious inch of her beautiful pale skin. He pressed a kiss to her hip. When he pulled back to finish stripping her, he could smell her arousal. As soon as her clothes were discarded, he stood, making quick work of his jeans and boxer briefs.

  Taking her hands in his, he stepped back enough to see what a beautiful sight she made. Pink tinged her cheeks and when he spotted matching freckles across the top of her breasts, he wanted to kiss each one. He reached out and, with the tip of his finger, he drew in down her breast and with the slightest touch, brushed over her nipple with the rough pad of his finger.

  “Seth, please.”

  He captured her mouth and easily lifted her, his moan lost in her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock brushed against her wet core. Knowing that she had no experience with men, he held his hips still as he walked them into the bedroom and laid her gently onto the bed. Breaking the kiss, he dropped to his knees in front of the bed and took a long moment to peruse the entirety of her body.

  “So beautiful. Mine, all mine.”

  “Yes. You’re mine, too.”

  With her words bouncing in his head, he began to explore. His lips started at her knees, not wanting to startle her by moving too quickly. As he kissed up her leg to her outer thighs, he smiled against her skin as he heard her breath stutter. His movements were slow and very thorough, kissing back across her leg to her inner thigh, staying several inches away from her core. As he reached her inner thigh, he pressed his lips against her skin and sucked.

  “Oh…oh, please. Seth, please.”

  Drawing out her pleasure, he bypassed her core and pressed his lips against the soft skin of her belly. His hands weren’t idle as they ran up and down the sides of her legs. When his mouth reached her taut nipples, he couldn’t stop himself from having a little taste. His tongue swirled around the hard bud, loving each sound and breath that let him know how much she enjoyed his touch, before he closed his lips around her and sucked.

  Her body arched against his, seeking more contact. Not to neglect her other breast, he slid his fingers across the other hard bud and when he relented on his suction, he squeezed his fingers over her sensitive nipple and tugged. He smothered her scream with his kiss, loving how she clutched at him as he devoured her mouth. Her body vibrated with need beneath his.

  Breaking the kiss, he glanced down and almost smiled at the sight of her silver eyes glazed with lust. They were beyond the stopping point as her body arched into his, seeking contact and relief.

  “One more kiss, Aubrey, and then I plan on tasting you until you come in my mouth.”

  As with all the other kisses, it quickly grew out of control. But this time when he pulled back with the need to devour her, he hadn’t noticed that her fangs had extended and one scraped against his bottom lip. A snarl torn from her throat had his head snapping to meet her gaze. Her pupils had dilated and instead of the silver he was used to seeing, her eyes were black and focused on the blood that pooled on his lip.

  The tension he’d kissed and touched away was back. He could feel her hands fisting by the side of her hips as she locked down her body. She hadn’t tasted his blood, but he could see as she struggled with herself, strain in her muscles, worried that even one little taste would make her crazed. Without thinking, he took the decision out of her hands.

  “Taste me, gorgeous.”

  Her eyes opened and her mouth dropped open in shock. He leaned forward and kissed her, the blood smearing on both of their lips.

  “What…”

  Her tongue darted out and licked up the blood he dabbed on her lips as they kissed. The silver in her eyes flashed before she jerked him down. He had been worrying the split on his lip the moment he ended the kiss and had successfully reopened the wound. He waited for her reaction to his taste, and this time, her tongue darted out and swiped off the blood.

  Before he could blink, he lay alone on the bed. His eyes darted around the bedroom; he found her in the corner of the room, fists clenched and head down.

  Determination and need coursed through him as he gazed at his mate. Quickly standing, he strode over to Aubrey, needing to close the distance between them before he lost his mind. He knew that by the end of the night, he would find a way to prove to her that she wasn’t a danger to him.

  Chapter Nine

  Aubrey

  Seth’s taste called to her in a way she’d never thought possible, but images of pain and gushing blood rose in her mind. She was afraid that she would lose control from the taste of his blood, and worried she would rip out his throat. The images filtered through her mind, over and over again, and she panicked before she could quell them. Finding herself across the room hadn’t been a surprise. She couldn’t take a chance on hurting him.

  The rustle of the sheets pulled her from her thoughts. She turned toward the sound and caught his languid movements as he rose from the bed, beautiful and completely naked. The sound, a cross between a moan and a plea, escaped through her pursed lips. The corner of his mouth tipped up in a semblance of a smile, and for a moment, he stood still and allowed her to look.

  Desire flooded her core as her eyes traced down to the corded muscles of his neck and then lower, over the defined muscles of his chest and arms. She memorized each indent and rise as she ogled his firm stomach, and in a matter of seconds, forgot the entire reason she moved away from Seth.

  Her eyes darted back to meet his as he took his first step forward. Although his steps were slow and casual, something dangerous flashed in his eyes that promised sensual torment.

  He held her gaze as the distance between them disappeared. She almost cried out in relief as his body crashed into hers. But instead of pressing her up against the wall and feeling his skin against hers, he leaned away from her.

  Then the real anguish began.

  She could feel the heat radiating off his naked body, but nothing other than his lips touched her as he devoured her with sure strokes of his tongue. He cupped her face and her sensitized skin tingled as his callused fingertips slid down to caress her neck, moving her hair out of the way, before his mouth found the sensitive spot behind her ear.

  Tired of the teasing, she wrapped a leg around the back of his thighs and pulled him closer. Breathless and throbbing, her core flooded with warm, wet heat at the feeling of Seth’s cock pressed up against her stomach. He swallowed her moan and jerked his hips forward, echoing her need in his growl. Vaguely aware that their rough kissing had split his lip again, she sucked on the wound, savoring the drop of blood that touched her tongue.

  Seth pulled back and studied her face, searching for something that she could only suspect was her acceptance of their situation. The last emotion she could feel with him pressed against her body, promising pleasure beyond what she could have imagined, was fear.

  “I trust you completely, gorgeous.”

  Without waiting for her response, he lowered himself until he knelt in front of her. Her brows drew down in confusion, but in a flash she understood. He angled forward and placed a kiss right above her clit, before his eyes found hers and he smiled.

  “I’ve never…I don’t…I can’t…”

  “I know, but you can, Aubrey. And I’ll be here to catch you.” His voice had deepened.

  With his breath washing over her sensitive clit, she dropped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. “Okay.”

  “All I want is your pleasure and your taste on my tongue.”

  Before she could ask what he meant, he gently raised her right leg and draped it over his shoulder, exposing her fully to his view. Her cheeks flooded with heat and before she could open her mouth to protest, pleasure beyond her comprehension exploded from the inside out. The tou
ch had been slight—a gentle flick of his tongue against her clit—but her hand threaded through his hair and clenched. She wanted to beg for more while at the same time cry for mercy, because if he touched her again, she thought her body would give.

  His tongue darted another lick to her clit, but without any time to recover, his lips pursed around the place his tongue had been the moment before, and he sucked her into his mouth. Heat shot up her spine and even her moans were silent, caught in her throat at the sensations that ran throughout her body. She felt the slide of his hands as they moved to her hips, as he continued with the onslaught that left her breathless. He pulled her closer while he flattened his tongue, taking one long, wet lick across her sensitized clit.

  “Fuck, Seth. I can’t take it.”

  Over the next heated minutes, he set a rhythm without taking his mouth from her pussy. As he pulled her forward, his tongue would flick against her clit several times before he relented. Before she realized that the torment wasn’t over, his tongue traveled to her entrance. It wasn’t anything she’d ever felt before; it was electric. When he curled his tongue and pushed it inside her pussy to steal her wetness, she clenched her fingers in his hair as her body jerked against his tongue. Without warning, her orgasm washed over her and her hips jerked in an unnatural way as his tongue never left her.

  By the time she caught her breath, her legs couldn’t hold her up any longer and she slid down the wall. Not caring how hard she hit, she closed her eyes, ready for sleep to take over.

  Instead, Seth wrapped her in his arms and carried her to his bed. When her head hit the pillow, she forced open her eyes and smiled. His dark eyes sparked with something she couldn’t define. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and moaned as his lips contacted hers. His tongue darted in; she could taste her essence on his lips and moaned when his hardness brushed against her sensitive skin.

  “I want to be inside you.”

  “Yes.”

  Without hesitation, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. This time, instead of hiding away from the sensations that he drew from her, she stared with wide eyes as his hand moved between their bodies and he easily glided a finger inside her.

  “More,” she begged.

  Although she wanted to watch Seth’s reaction to their joining, she became riveted on his cock as he pressed the crown inside her. She could feel her muscles stretch to accommodate the intrusion, but there was nothing but pleasure and the need for more. Slowly and a little torturously, his hips pressed forward until her tight, wet heat surrounded him.

  “So…good.”

  With one hand on her hip, he pulled back; a loud whimper escaped her throat. Her legs tightened around his waist and with that small movement, he drove into her. He touched something deep inside her that lit up her body, and she begged him to fuck her harder. His mouth slammed down on hers and while he kissed her, nipping her lips, he kept up his thrusts.

  “You are so beautiful. You’re mine, gorgeous. All mine.”

  “Yes, always yours.”

  At her words, his movements became erratic as he gathered her in his arms and buried his face against her neck. His hips rocked back and forth, drawing against the one spot that had her seeing stars as she screamed for him to fuck her harder. With one last thrust, the head of his cock pressed against the exact spot that made her come apart in his arms. But what stole her breath was the rush of warmth that filled her as her pulse beat in time with the throbbing of his cock.

  She clung to him long after consciousness returned, pressing against his neck and breathing in his minty scent. Seth grounded her in a way routine and self-imposed seclusion had never done, and as she savored being in his arms after making love, she found herself smiling against his neck.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “You. You make me happy.”

  “You’re all I need, Aubrey.”

  She raised her gaze to meet his, and she could see another need reflected back at her in those dark eyes. Without overthinking the possibilities, she allowed her teeth to elongate. When she nuzzled her nose against his neck, her fang scraped the sensitive area by his ear, drawing a loud moan from him. Her tongue slashed against the vein she could see throbbing before she gently pierced his skin with her teeth.

  His blood was unlike anything she’d ever tasted—the sweetest, most delectable flavor to ever pass through her lips. Although she loved the taste of him, erotic sensations pulsed in her core at every pull. She straddled his leg and pressed her exposed pussy against the taut muscles of his thigh, rubbing back and forth. His arms tightened around her, encouraging her to do what she needed to lessen the pressure as the blood rushed down her throat.

  “Fuck!”

  Another need more pressing than thirst had her pulling her fangs gently from his throat, making sure that she sealed the punctures. She would marvel later at how quickly the wounds disappeared, but she needed Seth again.

  Shifting her body as she settled on his lap, she clasped his cock in her hand and guided him to her entrance. His hands gripped her hips and she allowed the sensations of his touch to direct her. Her hips shifted forward as she sank down, absorbing his entire length in one stroke. Instincts alone had her lifting herself on her knees until just before he slipped out of her and dropping back down as he met each of her downward movements with a deep thrust of his hips.

  “Aubrey, I’m gonna come.”

  His fingers flicked against her clit and with that, she came apart in his arms, only to shiver when his cock swelled and he came deep inside her. She fell onto his chest and closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He lowered her onto her side as he pressed his chest against her back, enveloping her in his arms. A little while later, he reached for the blankets that were pooled at their feet and covered them both. She snuggled back into his arms and let out a contented sigh.

  “Good-night, Aubrey.”

  She hummed her response from her upturned lips and allowed the blackness of sleep to pull her under.

  Chapter Ten

  Seth

  Consciousness hovered just out of reach, but he snuggled closer to the warmth that pressed against his chest and came close to falling back to sleep. His arm tightened as an image of Aubrey flashed and the events of the night before emerged from the recesses of his mind with sharp focus.

  When he blinked open his eyes, he found his nose and mouth pressed against her beautiful red hair and he inhaled a deep breath. She smelled of cinnamon, with a hint of orange. That brought a smile to his lips as he savored every nuance he learned about her. As she snuggled closer to him, he pressed a kiss to her head, marveling that he’d finally found his mate.

  “Seth.”

  “I’m right here, gorgeous.”

  She cuddled against him and with a deep sigh, fell back to sleep. As with everything else that fascinated him about Aubrey, he listened to her even breaths and shivered when she gripped his hip to move him closer. It had been the same the night before. They had clung to each other as their bodies moved in a rhythm as natural as breathing, each touch as intense as the last, until it built to a crescendo that had both of them crying out in release. He’d never been so aware of his body and the sensations that she drew from him, but it had been her pleasure that he wanted most of all.

  He had tasted her, marked the sensitive skin on her neck and breasts, claiming her in every way. But nothing compared to when she drew from him. A piece of the puzzle that had been missing his entire life clicked into place with ease, and he understood that he existed to be Aubrey’s mate. After the bite, everything righted in his world. Although he could feel her strong emotions before, such as jealousy, after they’d made love and she had some of his blood, he could feel her more fleeting emotions. Her worry for his well-being had her retracting her fangs before she was truly sated, and as she settled into his arms to sleep, contentment and happiness washed over him as she burrowed back against his chest.

  For the
first time since he learned about the existence of vampires and shifters, he could see himself transitioning into a vampire. The one reason that the assassins had bought him the SUV was because he had never wanted to be anything other than human. He knew that Reaper or even Liv would have turned him if he’d asked, but it had never been an interest to him. Until now.

  Kai and Reaper had told him that the transition from human to immortal was a very intimate time between mates, and could be painful. He didn’t care about the pain. As long as Aubrey stayed with him, he would be okay. But he worried about how to broach the subject with her. It wasn’t every day that your new mate asked to be turned into a vampire. But he trusted her completely, no doubt in his mind that this was the course of action he wanted to pursue. But first, he had to convince Aubrey.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He glanced down and met her sparkling silver eyes that never failed to make his heart beat faster. “I’m thinking about our future together.”

  Pushing herself up, she turned toward him. She brushed a quick kiss against his lips before she leaned back and searched his gaze. “And I hope that means us, naked, in various positions that I’ve read about in my romance books?”

  A laugh erupted from deep in his chest as he brushed a kiss against her lips. “Yes, but that’s not all.”

  Sensing the seriousness of the conversation, she sat up and wrapped a sheet around her to cover her naked body from view. Sitting cross-legged on the bed facing him, with her elbows resting on her knees, she scanned his face for any clues. “Are you worried about my reaction?”

  “A little, but I couldn’t live without you in my life, so the decision is a fairly easy one to make.”