Hells Gate: Santino

by Crymsyn Hart

  “Can I ask you another question before I say yes?”

  “It depends on what it is.”

  “Will you kiss me once more?”

  “That will have to come later.”

  “Then what’s your name?”

  “Santino. No one has asked me my name for a long time.”

  “I’m surprised, because you’re such a good kisser.”

  “Thank you for that.”

  April smiled. “Will you let me go?”

  “Will you say yes to me?”

  She had to touch him one last time before she answered. “Just release one hand. Please.”

  Santino sighed. He undid one of her cuffs. She reached under the hood and placed her hand on his cheek. He winced but didn’t shy away. His skin was soft underneath the cloak. When she touched him, another spark sizzled her soul. A moan that permeated her body came from her throat. The urge to touch all of him was so overwhelming she yearned for him more than she’d ever wanted any man in the whole world. His hand slid over hers.

  “How come I feel this way? It’s more than you kissing me. I want to feel you all over. It’s more than you being in my dream. Then it was…I don’t know…scorching. This is explosive.”

  “So you’ll come back with me and allow me to make love to you?” he asked.

  April closed her eyes. She loved his soft touch. Her body’s needs had to be answered. “Yes.”

  Chapter Five

  Her captor released the other cuff. April tried to see his face, but he kept the cloak over it. He tucked her underneath his arm and held her close. She slipped a hand around his waist and nestled her head onto his shoulder. The cloak was made of heavy velvet, soft and warm. She inhaled the scent that clung to him. It was heady and laced with cinnamon.

  “Hold on to me. Close your eyes, and don’t open them until I tell you to.”

  April squeezed her eyes shut. Her other arm went around his neck. The fog in the club wrapped around her arms and legs, tugging on her flesh. The music completely disappeared. A rushing wind roared around her until it drowned out even her heartbeat. A great weight compressed her bones until pain shot up her arm. She tried to cry out, but when she sucked in the air, it suffocated her. The chill reached inside of her throat and permeated her body. She clung to him tighter until the world settled down around her.

  “It’s okay now.”

  April gasped as the air came rushing back into her lungs. The weight on her body disappeared. “What was that?”

  “It’s how all of my kind travels. I apologize if it was unpleasant for you.”

  “What are you? If you can do that, and come into my dreams, what else are you capable of?” April asked.

  “I’m cursed. That’s all you need to know.”

  “What kind of curse?” April looked around. They were in a bedroom. The bed was back against the wall and covered in a black spread. It was settled into a wrought iron frame. Cobwebs hung from the corners of the bed. The air was stale and musty. It stuck to her tongue when she drew in a breath. Faint light filtered in through the holey curtains. It was obvious he hadn’t used this room in quite some time. Hearing that he was cursed made her heart go out to him.

  “Long story. Sit on the bed and take your clothes off.”

  April sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She slipped her shoes off. Starting to unzip her skirt, she felt as if she were on display the way he watched her. Santino stayed stoic in the corner. April kept his eyes on him and bit her lip. The room was cold, and her courage was slipping away. He was having no interaction with her and the fire was dwindling inside of her without his touch. At least he had been involved when they were in her dream.

  “What are you waiting for?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry. But the other night you were more intimate than you are now. Just standing there…” She stood and redid her skirt.

  He stepped forward. “I thought you wanted to see my face.”

  “I do, but—”

  “I understand. Sit down again, please.”

  April studied him, but his face was still hidden. If she could see his eyes, she could see how sincere he was. Sighing, she bit her lip and sat back onto the bed. He knelt before her. Santino took her hands in his and kissed the back of each of them. The feel of his lips on her flesh was intoxicating. It brought her back to her dream.

  “Forgive me.” He pressed his mouth to hers.

  At once she was transported to another world. The pleasure of his kiss ignited her nerves. She groaned and slipped from the bed onto her knees. She slid her hands along his cheeks and through the strands of his hair that hung around his shoulders. April pressed her tongue against Santino’s mouth and he accepted it. The delight of his soft lips on hers was so ecstatic she could barely keep herself contained. Breaking the kiss, she pushed the hood back. Santino hissed and looked away. From what she could see of him, he had pale skin and dark brown hair.

  “Let me see you.”

  “No,” he growled.

  She kissed the side of his cheek. Even the feel of his skin gave her pleasure. Something about him drew her. No man would ever make her feel this way again. “Please.”

  She placed one hand on her breast. When she squeezed their combined hands, her nipple puckered. With her other hand, she trailed it over his flat stomach to his cock. Santino was already erect. April kissed the side of his throat and bit it lightly. He tasted smoky and she desired more. Through all of this, she didn’t force him to turn his face toward her. As she nipped his ear, he turned. He took her face in his hands. His golden eyes were the first thing to capture her. They gazed into her soul and held her prisoner but did not rob her of her free will. It didn’t matter because at his first kiss, she was his slave. Santino’s mouth was drawn back into a sneer, showing off deadly fangs. A gasp parted her lips.

  “Still want to see my face?” he asked.

  April suppressed her fear. Seeing him this way didn’t dull her attraction. Instead, she ran her thumb down one of the teeth and settled it on the tip. She pressed the pad of her thumb against the fang until it punctured the skin. Santino groaned. His mouth encompassed her thumb. He sucked and stroked it with his tongue. Once he did, April’s eyes fluttered. She gripped his length, trying to hold on to something to remind herself this experience was real. He clutched her wrist and held her finger to his mouth. She opened her eyes and locked her gaze with his.

  “You’re a vampire?”

  He released her finger and licked his lips. “Yes.” His tone was husky. The gold in his eyes had taken on a crimson hue. “Does that terrify you? Tell me the truth, because I’ll know if you’re lying.”

  April swallowed her alarm. The situation frightened her. “Yes. A little bit. No offense, but none of this is normal. Not that it was when you entered my dream either.”

  “Do you wish I hadn’t kissed you?”

  She thought about her answer. If she hadn’t kissed him, then she’d never have felt this way. The wanting would not be consuming her. The dramatic change her life had taken would never have occurred. She would still pine for him in her dreams. “I liked that you kissed me. No man has ever made feel…I don’t know. You ignite this fire deep within me. I still desire you. I want you to fuck me. This time I want to feel your cock inside of me. No messing around like in the dream.”

  His eyes widened. “You mean that.” Santino released her wrist. His eyes returned to their golden hue.

  She took his face between her hands. “Yes. But tell me your curse.”

  “This is my curse. I was transformed into this nightmare. Four hundred and sixty-three years ago. All I want is someone to be with me. I’ve been alone for a long time.”

  “So you’ve been kissing women at the club to find someone? How do you know if I’m the one?”

  Santino laughed. “Because you’re here with me. When I kissed you, you didn’t fall under my spell. I couldn’t pull in your essence the way I do with the other
s. And the instant I touched you, I felt this connection. I had to be sure.”

  “So you feed while you kiss them?”

  “Yes. I can take their energy to survive. It does them no harm. They recover in a couple of days.”

  “So then you don’t drink blood?”

  “Oh, I do. But I take enough to sustain myself from the women I kiss. I drink from those whom I must.” He took her wrist and kissed the inside of it, tracing his fang over the skin. “You taste wonderful. Better than I imagined. I want to taste more of you. All of your flesh. Your sweetness.”

  Santino gazed at her. She saw the desperation and the loneliness in his eyes. The same loneliness she’d felt, but he’d been suffering with it for much longer. The pleasure of his touch wound through her and settled between her legs. Her need for him was growing out of control. Her mind reeled with the knowledge that he was a vampire and she was supposed to be his mate. Monsters didn’t exist, but here he was.

  “So now you turn me into a vampire?”

  “Maybe not right now. But eventually. You’ll have to turn.”

  He kissed along the inside of her arm. The more his lips touched her, the more she fell under the spell of his passion that rose inside of her. Santino bit down gently with regular teeth on her inner elbow, and she pressed against him. “Right now, I want to fuck you and claim you for my own.”

  “Then fuck me. Because I’m already yours.” Once she said the words, she knew they were true. She undid the clasp at his throat and pushed the cloak off his shoulders. April unbuttoned his shirt and rested her hand on his chest, feeling his cool skin. When she set her palm over his heart, his chest was silent. He remained still and waited for her to make a move. She placed her mouth where her hand was and began to kiss him slowly. She moved over to his nipple and bit down on it.

  He moaned and gripped her shoulders. “April, let’s do this on the bed. You’d be more comfortable, and I want to watch you undress.”

  A smile spread on her face. This was what she was hoping for. That he would be more involved. She tugged on the pert bud one more time and then stood. April took a step backward and slowly unzipped her skirt. She slipped it off and stepped out of it. Luckily, she had worn matching black panties and bra. Santino’s eyes widened when she undid the corset and took it off. He cupped her breasts lightly through the satin. Her firm nipples pushed against his palm. He pressed his lips to the top of her right breast and ran his tongue over it until he stopped at her heart. He left his mouth there. His other hand slipped down her belly, tickling a line until he covered her sex. Santino placed his thumb onto her clit and began to rub.

  She moaned.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered. “I can taste your arousal on your skin.” He began to fondle her faster.

  April clutched his arm and tried to keep herself erect, but her knees were weak. The ecstasy coursing through her body was beyond the point where they had been with just kissing. She was being rocketed to another world. The blaze was climbing ever higher and consuming her from the inside.

  “Please, Santino.”

  Santino paused and gazed into her eyes. His were turning red once more. The hunger was growing inside of him. He smiled and she watched his teeth extend. He caressed her face. The tips of his nails trailed along her skin. They were sharper than what they were before. He pushed aside her panties and slid a finger inside of her. April leaned on him more. Her heart banged into her chest while his eyes held her mesmerized.

  “You want me to take you?”

  “Yes,” she groaned.

  He nipped at her throat. “For me to do that, you have to accept all of me. Let me taste you, let me fuck you, drink from me.” He pumped his finger in and out of her while he tortured her clit faster. April bucked against him.

  “Yes!”

  “All of it?”

  “Yes.”

  She wanted his fangs buried in her throat and his dick in her pussy. She yearned to taste him in all ways. Once she acquiesced, he pulled his fingers from her and with a sharp tug, tore the panties from her. April gasped and fell into him. He caught her, picked her up, and deposited her on the bed. Santino spread her legs wider, planting kisses along her sensitive inner thigh. His lips sent shivers all through her. He sucked in her skin while his hands skimmed along her sides and cupped her breasts. April glanced down and saw him looking straight at her. The corners of his mouth turned up when he settled his lips over her clit. She lifted her hips to get closer to his tongue and his teeth. She figured he would try to bite her, but he was gentle. His tongue flicked over her bud. April tried to watch him, but it was too much. The feelings running through her were taking her to another world.

  Her nerves twisted and came alive. Santino’s tongue worked magic over her buried bud. Her unspent pleasure was building. The higher he was bringing her, the more she was nearing the edge. He sucked on her clit and then plunged his tongue deep into her already-wet pussy. April clenched her thighs around his head. Santino wound his arms under her knees and separated them once more. His fingers ran along the outside of her thighs. He sank his tongue into her depths and sucked her clit at the same time. The friction he caused with his fangs brought her to the brink.

  “Santino…oh baby,” April screamed, coming from his teeth and tongue.

  He licked her one last time and then slid along her body until he straddled her. His eyes glowed in the dim light of the room. Santino placed his fingers underneath the straps of her bra and with one swipe of his nails, he broke through them. With another nail, he cut the front of her bra. She ran her hands over his chest, slipped his shirt down his arms, and pulled it off. She sat up and started kissing his chest. April slid her hand over his jeans feeling his erect cock. She unzipped his pants, hoping to touch his dick, and pushed the fabric around his hips. Once she began to stroke him, Santino caught her arm and pulled it away.

  “I’m pleasuring you, remember?”

  “Can’t I have a little fun too?” she asked.

  He laughed, a deep sound that rumbled in his chest. “Maybe later. Hopefully later. Right now, let me make you happy.”

  He placed a few kisses along the side of her throat. She moaned when he stopped over her jugular. A bolt of fright caught her. April couldn’t stop from shaking. What was he going to do? Doubt raged through her that he would go back on his word and tear her throat out. He hadn’t done anything to act that way, but her flight instinct overwhelmed her.

  “Shh, April. I won’t until you tell me it’s okay. I would never hurt you. Trust me.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm down. So much bombarded her mind, but she wanted him in all ways. Needed him in all of her orifices. The passion inside of her throttled her heart into her ribcage. It would burst if he kept on torturing her with passion. It would erupt, and she’d die of bliss from just being in his arms. April placed a hand on Santino’s cheek. “I’m ready. I want you.”

  He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Just relax. You know I won’t hurt you. I could never hurt you. You’re my mate, and I want you with me forever.”

  He worked his lips down her jaw and then settled back on her throat. Santino gripped her breast and squeezed it. She ran her hand down his thigh and grasped his cock before spreading her legs and guiding him into her wet, waiting pussy.

  Santino nipped her a little harder. He started a rhythm between them, pumping in and out of her slowly. She pressed her body against his and let the ardor building in her wash through her body. He dove into her harder. She gripped one of his thighs while he plunged into her pussy and hit her clit with his cock. April tried to breathe with him, taking in small breaths to slow her climax, but it wasn’t working. Her muscles clenched. The pinky toe of her right foot was already so cramped that she knew she was close.

  April clutched her lover’s shoulder, digging her nails into the meat of it. She kissed along his neck and bit into his flesh. She loved his taste and nipped his collarbone. Santino licked the line of her throat
. When he thrust into her again, he plunged his teeth inside of her jugular vein. April cried out. The ecstasy of the orgasm swept her away. She held him close and wove her fingers through his hair, holding his head to her neck. Once she came down from her high, she focused on his lips sucking on her blood. Her heart had slowed some, but his mouth on her skin felt amazing. Santino thrust into her a few more times and then came. April loved the feel of him inside of her. He slipped his hand from her breast and began to rub her clit again.

  “Santino, please. I can’t…”