by J. S. Scott
Her body was burning with unsated lust and desire. His assault on her aching breasts had her thrusting out her chest for harder contact and she ground her wet core against his thigh.
More. She needed more. "Liam, please." If he wanted a fuck, she'd give him one. If he didn't take her soon, she probably expire from need. She couldn't separate her needs from his, and she knew she was feeling them both, the force of them nearly leveling her.
He scooped her body up easily, but before she could even begin to enjoy being held against him...he dropped her onto the bed. She watched without shame as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and dropped it onto the floor before he joined her, covering her body with the weight and bulk of his own.
Regan sighed, welcoming his scorching hot body that blanketed her smaller form. She ran her hands over smooth skin and bulging muscle and raised her hips, feeling the steely bulge of cock against denim. She rocked up again, begging for him.
Liam evaporated the rest of their clothes and she moaned as she felt his rock-hard shaft between her legs. She squirmed, trying to get it closer to her core and threaded her fingers through his hair.
"Don't. Touch." Liam grabbed her wrists again and stilled her roving hands above her head. "I don't want you to touch me. This is just about scratching an itch. Getting laid." He let go of her hands, but they remained stretched over her head and locked in place with magic. She yanked, but Liam's magic was powerful and her arms were completely immobile.
Regan recoiled, feeling like Liam had slapped her. She felt the tears forming in her eyes and willed them not to fall. She reminded herself that Liam believed that she had betrayed him, repudiated him, and she longed to tell him the truth, but she bit her lip and remained silent. She had to suck it up and take what Liam could give her right now. And she would. Because she loved him, and she wanted this. If a casual screw was all she could have...she'd take it. Damn it, she wanted one time, one moment of intimacy, one experience of being the object of Liam's desire.
Regan bit back a groan as Liam's hot mouth trailed along the side of her neck and back to her breasts. She thrashed her head as his fingers trailed over her stomach and crawled closer and closer to the place where she needed him the most. "Oh, God, Liam."
"Need something, Regan?" his husky voice asked, his question innocent, but his intent evident. He was going to make her pay.
Her legs slammed shut automatically just as he finally reached the soft hair between her thighs, but Liam parted them again easily and locked them into place just as he had her wrists above her head. Regan wanted to sob as he lightly stroked her wet folds, his fingers delving into her moist depths.
Fingers circled around her clit as his hot mouth devoured her nipples, alternating between the two, bringing them to tight peaks. She moaned and strained against her invisible bonds, "Liam, please."
He removed his fingers from her shivering pussy and positioned himself over her. His breath was hot and uneven against her ear and she trembled as he plunged his hands into her hair and rolled his hips, bringing his burgeoning cock in contact with her swollen clit.
"Tell me what you want," Liam demanded in a voice that Regan had never heard from him before.
"You" She answered honestly, squinting in a room illuminated only by the moonlight now that complete darkness had fallen. She longed to see a look of desire, but she couldn't quite see his eyes. His face looked strained and at the moment she could feel the testosterone percolating in his body, seeping through his pores, and it made every inch of female in her body stand up and take notice. "Please."
"You want me to fuck you? Even though I'm a lowly vampire?"
"Yes. Yes," she whimpered, desperate for his possession. She was a female responding to her mate, and she needed him. Now. Badly.
"Then tell me," he growled. "Beg for it."
"Fuck me, Liam. Please." Regan lifted her hips as far as she could strain with the magic restricting the movement of her limbs.
"At least you want me now." With a carnal noise somewhere between a groan and a snarl, Liam positioned the blunt head of his member to her tight opening and buried himself deep inside her, breaching her virginal sheath and forcing himself between her tight walls.
Oh, God. It hurt. It hurt really badly. Regan was caught between pain and the joy of being joined completely with Liam.
Liam's body froze as his cock came to rest inside the hot, tight cavern, his balls resting against Regan's ass. "Virgin?" he rumbled.
Regan tried to relax her body, breathing through the pain that had become a dull ache. One sharp pain that had quickly receded. "Yes," she breathed softly in his ear, ruffling his hair as she breathed in and out again.
"I don't think I can stop," he rasped, his breathing ragged.
"Don't stop." He couldn't stop. Now that the pain was almost gone, she willed him to move, to quench the desire that roared through her body. She arched her back, letting the coarse hair on his chest abrade her nipples and her hips undulate up into his groin. "Fuck me."
She felt her plea jolt his body into action as he pulled his cock almost completely out of her and slowly sunk back in. "Fuck. You're so tight. So hot. Mine."
Yes. Yes. She was his. She had always been his. Regan longed to wrap her arms and legs around him to claim him. The soreness between her legs didn't dampen her desire for Liam to take her completely.
She felt the shift in the air the very moment he lost control and began a relentless rhythm that made her come apart and shatter. His hips hammered in and out of her slick, tight channel, opening her, asserting his dominance and she relished it.
"Mine. All mine. Never try to run from me. I'll find you. Never let you go." The fevered, possessive words that he chanted mindlessly as he lost himself to passion made the storm of tears that Regan had been holding back flow down her face. "Need to see you come. Come for me." Liam reached between their bodies and stroked her clit as he kept slamming himself home in a frenzied joining.
"Bite me, Liam," she told him urgently, craving the additional intimacy.
His tongue licked over her vein in an erotic swirl that nearly put her over the edge before he obeyed her request and his fangs pierced her tender flesh. "Oh, God, yes," she hissed as the same hot, erotic pulse stole over her body as he sucked her life blood and pounded into her body with equal force.
He pulled his finger from her clit and thrust both of his big hands underneath her ass as her body began to spasm and she screamed his name. He buried himself deep inside her and Regan could feel him trembling as he released, grinding his groin against her center, bringing them tightly together.
Regan's heart was still stuttering from her incredible climax as Liam closed the tiny pinpricks at her neck and rolled onto his back.
"Could...could you release me please?" Regan requested breathlessly.
Her limbs jerked loose abruptly. She closed her legs and brought her arms down, her muscles quivering from the strain and the aftermath of the volatile climax. Wanting to cover herself now that embarrassment was creeping in, she started to roll from the bed, but Liam grabbed her upper arm, bringing her back to lay on her side facing him.
"What's this?" he asked quietly as he stroked her mangled hip.
"Nothing." Regan knew it was a stupid thing to say, but she wasn't sure how to respond. Liam knew exactly what it was and he could see it very clearly in the dark.
Her hands shook at the memory as she tried to bat his fingers away.
His fingers did move, but only so that he could place them at her temple. It took her a few moments to understand what was happening, but by the time she comprehended his intentions....it was too late. She cursed her stupidity as she tried to pull away.
Regan's memory was accessed and she was completely exposed.
*****
Chapter 4
It only took Liam a second or two to find the memory of the branding on Regan's hip, but he knew instantly that it was a nightmare vision that would haunt him forever.
; Regan naked with his marking completely exposed on her hip. Regan fighting...but losing the battle. Several mage males and one female holding her down on the floor, her hip exposed. The sizzling brand being held to her hip. Burning flesh. A pained scream. Threats.
Liam flinched and pulled his hand away from her temple, unable to continue seeing Regan's pain. Coward. She lived it. But he couldn't watch it anymore.
A red haze formed over his vision and his body tensed as he clenched and unclenched his fists to try to gain control of his fury. "They hurt you. Threatened you."
"Yes." Her voice was barely audible.
"I hurt you," he choked out, his anger and rage barely contained.
There was a slight hesitation before she confirmed. "Yes." Liam heard her suck in a breath before continuing, "But Liam-"
"I couldn't even watch the whole thing," he admitted harshly as his finger stroked over the brand covering his mark.
Mage. One word. One ugly brand covering his entire mark until only a few traces of his colorful marking remained around the very edges of the scarred flesh at her hip.
Dear God, what had he done? Rolling to his back, Liam struggled to find the words to express himself, but his emotions were tempestuous and he couldn't clear the red fog that threatened his sanity.
Beads of sweat trickled from his forehead, soaking Regan's pristine pillow.
Kill. Kill.
The word pounded through his head like a jackhammer, and all Liam wanted was the necks of every person who had harmed his mate.
"Liam, I have to answer the door. It might be someone who needs a healing." The feminine voice seemed to filter to him through a long tunnel, the voice of his mate.
No. Protect. Protect. Kill.
He rolled over to keep Regan on the bed, keep her close, protect her from any harm.
He landed on his stomach with only a comforter beneath him.
Regan was gone.
*****
Regan cinched the heavy cotton robe around her waist with shaky fingers. Liam was scaring her. She wasn't afraid of him, she was frightened for him. He wasn't really hearing her or acknowledging her. Had her mangled hip freaked him out so badly that he wasn't responding? It was ugly, but was it really that bad? Or had it been his glimpse of her memories that had him stunned?
She slipped the chain lock and took a deep breath, hoping that it wasn't a healing request. She really couldn't leave Liam. Another healer would have to be called immediately.
A mage male, probably in his early thirties, came into view as she swung the door open. Recognizing the magic but not the face, she inquired politely, "Can I help you?"
He would probably be considered handsome in mage circles. His light blonde hair was cut in a neat, attractive style and he had aristocratic features with high cheekbones and a sculptured nose and mouth. Probably a little over six foot and lean, he had the usual mage build. He wasn't smiling, but then, the mage rarely smiled.
"Regan Taylor?" His voice wasn't a low, pleasing baritone. It was a tenor with a rather impatient tone.
"Yes."
"I'm actually here to help you. I'm Tom Spencer, the council's choice for your mate." He smirked at her as he strolled into her home without waiting for an invitation.
He was coarse, base and she disliked him immediately. A cold chill was running up her spine as she answered sarcastically, "I'm not ready to receive guests at the moment, as you can see. Perhaps we can meet at another location and time." Or not! Definitely...not!
He closed the door and turned to face her, backing her up against the wall as she tried to move away from him. "Right now is good for me. What you have on is also good for me. I want to inspect the merchandise before I buy," he stated arrogantly, as he reached for the tie to her bathrobe.
She nearly gagged as she got a whiff of hard alcohol and pungent aftershave. Ewww... "Get the hell away from me." Regan was pissed off now and pushed him hard enough to move sideways and away from his wandering hands. How dare he come into her home and treat her like an object to be bought and inspected?
"Heard you were a vampire whore, but that can be overlooked, as long as you come from the Taylor line. You're attractive enough and probably could be adequate in bed with some training," he told her flatly, moving closer as she backed into her living room to get away from him.
Regan froze, taken aback by his blunt words. Of course he didn't care, as long as they produced a good lineage. She was a Taylor, he was a Spencer. Two prominent families that were both direct descendants of mage royalty. No matter that either of those so-called aristocratic families had two pennies to rub together; they would make blue blooded babies.
Her stomach rolling in disgust, Regan put out an urgent calling spell to her sister, hoping Sasha would bring Nathan along with her. She was going to need help getting this repugnant, vile male mage out of her house. For some unknown reason, he already thought he owned her, and he obviously wasn't leaving by request. Tom was older and male, but Regan would be damned if the vile creature would be disrobing her for inspection. She'd already gone through that at the hands of the council. No way was some beady-eyed, drunk, male mage pawing her like she was property and nothing more.
Her ass hit the couch and she groped wildly to come up with something, anything to bash him on the head hard enough to stop his progress. Her hand came up with a flower pot of artificial stone. Not as heavy as she would have liked but...
The flower pot stopped in mid-swing as a low, menacing growl came from the other side of the room. Regan's head jerked to the bedroom door to see Liam, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, his eyes red, his face nearly unrecognizable, and completely ready to go in for the kill.
"Liam?" Please hear me. Don't kill the revolting mage. He's not worth the backlash.
The carnality of the noise rose to a menacing snarl and Regan reacted. She swung the pot with all her strength against the head of the unsuspecting Tom Spencer, and it was hard enough to knock him from his feet. As he sprawled to the floor, Regan threw herself over Tom as she pleaded, screaming, "No, Liam. Don't do it. He's not worth it."
Her fingernails dug into the leather of Tom's jacket as Liam sprung, trying to yank her from Tom's body as he growled, "Kill. Protect."
Just as she was about to give way, the pressure released and she heard several voices screaming curses. She couldn't decipher exactly what voices were hurling what violent oaths, but she relaxed slightly as she recognized Nathan.
Stumbling to her feet, Regan quickly took in the six additional bodies, three male, three female, in her small living room. Nathan, Ethan and Rory had a hold on Liam, while Brianna, Callie and Sasha looked on in horror as Liam suddenly broke his brothers’ holds and rushed for Tom.
"Jesus Christ! He's like a vampire on steroids." Nathan grunted as he tried and failed to hold Liam again with the help of his brothers.
Regan's living room was utter and complete chaos as the brothers struggled, trying to keep Liam from getting in any more hits on Tom, who was still sprawled on the carpet in shock.
Regan lunged toward Tom, ready to throw herself on top of him again, but Sasha, Brianna and Callie held her back, away from the flying limbs of the and thrashing bodies of the Hale brothers.
"He can't kill him. He can't kill him." Regan tugged, trying desperately to break free, but her sister held her back, grasping her tightly around the waist to keep her from running forward.
"Stop, Regan," Sasha told her in her severe, big sister voice. "Let the guys handle this."
It really didn't look like the guys were handling anything. Fists were flying and Liam was coming out on top, repeatedly making his way back to Tom in his furious attempt to snuff out his life.
"ENOUGH!"
The whole room rocked from the booming order and everybody stopped whatever they were doing, including Regan. She tried to move, but she was locked into place, frozen, unable to even twitch her little finger.
Holy hell. What now?
If she could have
moved, she would have instinctively stepped back from the form that suddenly appeared in her line of vision, a man who meant business and radiated power that pulsed through the entire room. Shit. He was massive. Strangely enough, he moved his hugely muscled body with the grace of a dancer, strolling casually over to Liam and placing his hand on Liam's shoulder. "Time for you to cool off, my friend." The voice was still powerful, but Regan swore she heard a twinge of empathy in the statement.
Liam vanished without another word, leaving the man to lower his arm back to his side. "I believe it's safe now. You will all stay calm."
"Where's Liam?" Regan demanded the moment she could speak again. "What have you done?"
She stepped in front of the strange male, craning her neck to see his face. His expression was as hard as stone. He didn't look any older than his mid-thirties, but his eyes gave away the fact that he was ancient. Those eyes spoke of knowledge, infinite knowledge and endless wisdom. Definitely vampire, with his signature brown eyes and dark hair that was cut almost military short, making his sharp features appear even more severe than they already were.
The black jeans that molded to his lower body, the black steel-toe biker boots and a black t-shirt just added to his menacing demeanor, but Regan scowled up at him, determined to find Liam.
The big man’s lips twitched slightly as he answered, "Your mate is safe, someplace that he can't hurt himself or anyone else."
"I want to see him," she demanded, frantic to find out if Liam was really okay. He hadn't exactly looked normal, sane or safe for that matter. "And who in the hell are you? And why did you move him?"
His lips twitched again as he stared down at her from his elevated height. "So demanding, little one? I will eventually take you to Liam, if you still want to see him. He isn't exactly-" he hesitated before adding, "himself right now." He placed his beefy hand on her shoulder and Regan felt an instant calming sensation. Her pulse slowed and her body relaxed as he continued. "I am known as Daric, Prince Of The Vampire Healers. I was your mate's mentor and teacher in his youth."