Desire by Blood

by Schroeder, Melissa

  “Mr. Blackburn told me to let you sleep, but it has been hours and Mrs. Blackburn—meaning his mother—said to check on you.”

  She was plump and young, probably no more than twenty if that. She had blonde hair, bright green eyes, and one of those healthy complexions you usually only saw on country misses.

  “My name is Bessie, my lady. Mr. Blackburn assigned me to you.”

  “Nico…where is he?” she asked, trying to pretend not to be utterly embarrassed—as if being completely naked with people walking around was normal for her.

  “He’s talking with Malik.”

  For a moment, the use of Malik’s given name surprised her. But she had never heard anyone use another name for him.

  “Mr. Blackburn wanted me to help you with the facilities. He wasn’t sure if you had used the plumbing.”

  She nodded, wondering what she was supposed to do now. Cordelia had grown up with servants, but it had been years since she had a personal maid. In fact, it was before she had reached the age of thirteen.

  “Ahh…”

  The maid looked at her as if she were waiting for Cordelia to say something.

  “I need a robe.”

  “Oh,” her eyes widened at the comment. “Of course.”

  Bessie scurried over to the wardrobe and pulled out the black silk robe Cordelia’s mother-in-law insisted on buying her. She laid it carefully on the bed. “I will meet you in the bathing area.”

  With that, she hurried off again. Cordelia sighed and tried not to be embarrassed. To avoid thinking about it, she picked up the robe and slipped it on. After tying the sash, she walked in the same direction as Bessie. It took her longer than usual. The pain between her legs had increased. She stepped into a passageway that led to a bathing room. On the other side of the room sat a copper tub. Water was pouring out of a pipe extended from the wall.

  “Goodness.”

  “I am amazed Mr. Blackburn did not show this to you last night. But, being a man, he had other things on his mind.”

  Cordelia’s face started to burn. When she said nothing, Bessie glanced around.

  "Oh, I am sorry, my lady. I am sometimes too talkative for my own good."

  Cordelia cleared her throat. "No worry."

  She smiled. "That's good because I can tell you I was excited when Mr. Blackburn appointed me to take care of you. The truth is, there are a lot of people in our world who would kill to help a mate of a Blackburn."

  The odd speech caused Cordelia's mind to freeze. What was she talking about? In their world...mate?

  She opened her mouth to answer her, but Bessie turned off the water. "I put some good salts in here that should help you. I am sure you are a bit tender."

  Cordelia nodded. "Thank you."

  "I am going to go down and order some food for you. I am sure you are famished."

  Before she could say anything, the young woman curtseyed and hurried out the door.

  "Well," Cordelia said to an empty room.

  She decided to make use of her privacy and slipped off the robe. Gingerly, she stepped into the tub. At first it was a bit hot, but she ignored it. Once she sat in the scented water, she sighed.

  "Oh my."

  The heat helped her muscles relax, her mind to drift. She moved her head from one side to the other and felt a tug on the right side of her throat. She lifted her hand and felt an indention in her flesh. She slipped her fingers over the two tiny marks wondering about them, but the bath was too tranquil. Within moments, she was dozing.

  * * * *

  "The girl is awake?" Nico asked.

  Malik nodded. "No."

  “But Dr. Bingam thinks she will recover?”

  Malik nodded. “He examined her, as did the midwife. They believe she wasn’t raped.”

  “At least there is that,” Nico’s father said.

  “Her family has disowned her.”

  “Bastards." Nico did not understand how parents could do such a thing to their child.

  “I never cared for them.” His father frowned. “Your mother will come up with something by the time she recovers. That might be a while, since I am sure her body needs rest. She needs to sleep. It will give her time to heal, physically and mentally. I cannot even imagine what she has been through.”

  "Dr. Bingam said that we should just let her sleep, and when she comes to, we are to give her tea and some gruel. It seems to be helping her. Gray is a bit..."

  "What?" Nico asked.

  "I think he is getting a little obsessed with her. I am not too sure that is a good thing."

  "Obsessed? In what way?"

  Malik shrugged. "I am not sure, but it is just odd the way he acts like he is her protector."

  Nico filed that bit of information away. “Is there anything else?”

  “Yes. I thought having your mother there would help.”

  “Excellent, Malik,” his father said. “Adelaide will be happy to help.”

  "Good. If that is all, I would like to see my bride and not be disturbed.”

  Before he could leave, Malik stopped him. "There was another killing last night. Not two blocks from Gray's house. The Alliance is not going to be happy about it."

  "No, but are they going to do anything about it?" Nico asked sarcastically.

  His father shook his head. "Our problem is that we are too set in our ways. It is not doing any of us any good, especially not in a time like this. They do not want to look at the idea of someone doing just what Vlad did. Worse, there is a chance he has better knowledge. You know he has to wonder what happened to Hurst."

  Nico knew that, knew that he should be worrying about it. His mind was on something else entirely.

  "Talk to Gray to see if he can find some younger men to help us. Then we might be able to plan some kind of surveillance on these areas. Also, tell Gray I want him here tomorrow to discuss this. I want to map out the killings and abductions. Maybe we can find some kind of pattern."

  "That sounds like an excellent idea, son."

  Nico’s mind returned to his mate. He’d only been away from her a few minutes, and he already missed her. "I am off. I have been married less that twenty-four hours, and I would like to at least spend a little more time with my bride."

  He left without waiting for an answer. Malik was worried. Nico knew that and was worried too. There was nothing they could do without some organization. That would take a day or two, and hopefully they would at least have some breathing space before their killer struck again.

  He took the stairs two at a time. There would be some explaining today, but he was sure that she would not remember being bitten. The serum from his fangs had taken care of that, and she would be healed. Still, he could not allow her to operate within his world without knowing what he was…what she was. Soon, her own abilities would start to appear, and that would be frightening enough even knowing what she was.

  By the time he reached the bedroom door, Bessie was slipping out of it.

  "Oh, Mr. Blackburn. Lady Cordelia is in the tub, dozing a bit. I set the food tray on the table in the sitting area."

  "Thank you, Bessie."

  She curtseyed, which he had never seen happen in his house before, and scurried down the corridor. He chuckled. He guessed having someone of royalty in his house was changing a few perceptions.

  Nico made his way to the bathing room and then stopped in the doorway. She had her head resting on the edge of the tub. All her glorious golden hair hung over the edge. The warm, humid air added a curl to it that he found he liked.

  "Are you going to continue to stand there?" she asked.

  "I didn't want to intrude on your privacy."

  She opened her eyes. “If you were worried about that, you wouldn’t be here. I would like to finish then I will join you in the bedroom.”

  Being this close to her so soon after their initial mating was awakening all his primitive instincts. It was in his genetic makeup to want to be close to her. In fact, he couldn’t leave her alone if
he wanted to. But he didn’t. There was a part of him that knew it was a function of their mating ritual. But there was a part of him that was intrigued by her. There was so much he did not understand about her. He was sure once he did that the novelty would wear off.

  “Nico?”

  He shook himself free of his thoughts. “I thought I might join you.”

  Her face had been flushed from the hot water, but now it turned brighter. “I don’t think that is a very good idea.”

  His body was ready for another joining. He did not need to feed from her just yet, but his teeth were already trying to descend. It would not be good for her. Cordelia would probably already be weakened by the feeding he took last night.

  He approached the tub and she turned around. Nico knew that he was probably pushing her too much. Normally he took his time. He was known as a connoisseur of women, one who knew how to seduce a lady. But with Cordelia, he didn't seem to think straight. Not since the moment he had her in his arms on the dance floor.

  He pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the floor. Then, he squatted behind her and reached into the bath water. It was lukewarm at best, telling him that she had been in there for a while.

  "You might want to get out," he suggested. His voice had deepened. He couldn't help wanting her, needing her.

  "I will if you leave."

  She said it so primly that he smiled. It was very unlike Cordelia.

  "I have seen you naked, my love." He pressed his mouth against her neck. She shivered.

  "Not in the daylight."

  She sounded mortified.

  "Love, I plan on seeing you in the daylight and the moonlight. I would think you would appreciate the fact that I want to."

  She stilled and her spine straightened. "So, I should be grateful that you married me and want to actually bed me?"

  He knew that tone. He had heard it from his mother a time or two just before his father was verbally demolished.

  "That is not what I meant."

  "It sounded like you did."

  He threw his arms up. "I cannot believe that you are starting a fight with me about this."

  She smacked her hand against the water. "Of course, it is always the woman's fault."

  She pushed away from him and stood. He couldn't respond because his tongue was glued to the top of his mouth. He had seen her naked, just as he had acknowledged, but as she said, he had never seen her in the daylight. Water sluiced down her flesh. Her body was a work of art, full, rounded, and beautiful with the morning light dancing over her slick skin.

  Cordelia grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body. He was already so far gone that he growled. She looked up at him, and her blue eyes narrowed.

  “Did you say something?”

  He could not speak coherently. He shook his head.

  She marched off out of the room and into her bedroom. He was helpless to do anything but follow.

  “I am sick to death of English men thinking women are lucky to be married. Did I ask to be compromised? No, I did not. I was extremely happy with my life the way it was.”

  “You were? And how were you living your life?”

  She stopped in her tracks and stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  “How were you living? I know that your brother was not supporting you, and Diana was not. So, where was the money coming from?”

  “That has nothing to do with what I was talking about. I will not be treated as if I should be thankful that you married me.”

  The linen towel was plastered against her body, and he licked his lips. He could make out the outlines of her nipples. He could remember the way they tasted…how it felt to slip his tongue over the hardened tip.

  “Nico, are you listening to me?”

  He shook his head again and started to walk toward her. She was amazing before, but now she was magnificent.

  “Nico!” She backed up and stopped when she hit the edge of the bed.

  “I cannot help myself, Cordelia.”

  She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Truly.”

  “Truly. You have always intrigued me, but now…well, I like a woman who has some backbone. I sense that we will have many fights in our future.”

  Before she could respond, he grabbed her and tumbled them both on the bed.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nico landed on top of Cordelia, who squeaked. She didn’t truly struggle, but then he didn’t give her a chance to think. He only took a moment to enjoy the way her soft curves felt against his body before he put his plan into action. He captured her mouth in a long, wet kiss, enjoying the way she moaned against his tongue. She had been a virgin the night before, but she was definitely a passionate lover.

  He forced himself to pull back and settle his weight on his elbows. Her hair was fanned out over the bed, her skin rosy from her bath, her lips swollen from his kisses. He had never been struck mute by a woman in all his years, but one look at her and for a moment, he forgot his name. When he met her gaze, he could only say one thing.

  “You are beautiful.”

  “You don’t have to say that, Nico.”

  “No. I do. You are beautiful. You should see yourself.”

  She started to look away, but he knew this was important. He set his finger against her chin and gently turned her face. “You don’t believe me?”

  “I know my shortcomings. You don’t need to lie to me. We will get on better that way.”

  He could deny it—tell her just what he was feeling at the moment. But he wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling at the moment. Instead, he would show her.

  He kept his eyes open as he kissed her. Hers were impossibly blue, as if they were endless. Then he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, grazing his teeth over it. She sucked in a breath then released it slowly. He slipped off her to the side and tugged the wet fabric away from her.

  “I must have done something right in my life,” he said beneath his breath. He looked up at her, and she was watching him warily with a hint of desire darkening her eyes. She was a woman who did not know her worth. If Nico could, he would beat her father for his treatment of her.

  Without breaking eye contact, he bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth. She shuddered as he bit down gently. As he continued to tease her, he slid his hand down her stomach to her sex. He first skimmed his fingers along her slit, then slipped them between her folds. She was already wet with desire, something he knew was just a primal reaction to him, her mate.

  But he could not stop the way his heart reacted. Knowing she wanted him as much as he wanted her was one of the greatest aphrodisiacs for him. He kissed his way down her stomach. Her flesh was sweet, delectable. He was not a man who had hidden his needs, but with Cordelia, she brought out something in him. He did not know how to explain it to someone else. He just needed her. Now.

  As he settled between her legs, he enjoyed the musky scent of her arousal. It called to him as no other had before. Already, his body was ready, primed to take her again and again. But she needed him to be gentle. With that in mind, he set his mouth against her sex.

  The taste of her exploded across his tongue, and his incisors throbbed with the need to feed. He did not require another feeding, but he wanted that connection during their mating. It was too soon after last night, but his body did not give a damn. He thrust his tongue into her. She gasped and then moaned his name. She slipped her hands through his hair, molding them to the back of his head. He teased the little bundle of nerves as he slid his finger back into her sex. She jolted against him and moaned again. He could taste her need, her passion, and it urged him to take her. Never had a woman reacted to his lovemaking the way she did. Her reactions were so honest. There was no coy gestures or practiced flirting. With Cordelia, she did not hide her raw passion, and it fed his own.

  He took her to the edge, but did not thrust her over into her orgasm. Instead, he pulled back and moved up her body. He wanted to be inside her when she gained her release.

  Nico
slipped off the bed and pulled off his pants. Then, he climbed back on the bed, drawing himself up to his knees, pulling her hips up and off the bed. His movements were rough and unrefined, but she did not seem to care—nor did he.

  "Cordelia."

  She opened her eyes slowly, lazily, as if she would expend too much energy by opening them. When she finally met his gaze, he thrust into her. The moment her wet heat surrounded his cock, he almost lost it. There was something about Cordelia, something that made him just want to lose himself inside of her and stay there for days.

  He wanted to go slowly, but found himself unable to control his compulsion. Why would it be any different than their entire relationship? He had never had any control around her, and for once in his five hundred years, he did not give a bloody hell. He thrust into her again and again. He barely registered that she wrapped her legs around his waist. It did not take long before she was coming apart beneath him. The ripples of her release moved over his member as he thrust into her faster and harder. When he could no longer control himself, he let go. As he poured himself into her, he leaned down and ravaged Cordelia’s lips.

  Moments later, he collapsed on top of her. He knew it was unrefined of him, but he could not seem to drum up the energy to move. He expected complaints from her but instead, she wrapped her arms around him. For the moment, he was happy, happier than he had ever been before in his life.

  Finally, he could pull himself up and look down at her. The sight had the air backing up in his lungs. Her hair was damp and even curlier, her face flushed with exertion, and there was a small smile curving her lips.

  He gave her a kiss, this one slow and almost sweet. Her eyelids fluttered, then opened.

  He forgot his name again. Then, he shook his head and rolled them over on the bed, pulling her closer to him and covering them with a sheet.

  “We truly shouldn’t lie about in bed,” she said with a strange mixture of embarrassment and lazy sensuality.

  He kissed her forehead. “We can do whatever we want. We’re newlyweds.”