Blood Bond (New Breed Book 2)

by Melody Raven

  “We’re bonded, you and I. I know you crave me because I crave you.”

  “I crave a double dark chocolate gelato pretty much any given time of the day. But yet I manage to abstain.”

  “I can’t abstain from you. I can’t stop thinking of you. Do you know what it took for me to stop from taking you as I fed from you? How much I wanted your warmth and heat all around me? And then sharing that bed with you was pure torture. You might be upset that you got pulled into my dream, but you don’t know how thin my control is stretched.”

  Alyssa could feel herself leaning into him. Being seduced by his words as she remembered just how good it had felt to be touched by him in that dream. So what if this was crazy? She couldn’t get him out of her head, and he was apparently super into her. What harm was there in letting off a little steam?

  And then she remembered Cora, who had been sold off to the highest bidder. And Tela, who Dante had killed. And John, who had been owned and chained.

  She ripped her head away. “No.” She bolted for the door.

  Running was a mistake. She knew what happened when you saw a large predator in the woods. Make yourself appear bigger. Intimidating. But don’t run. Because if you run from a predator, they chase you.

  Alyssa never made it out the door. The second her fingers touched the handle, Dante had closed in behind her. His fists slammed into the door, both caging her in and guaranteeing there was no way she could pry it open.

  She didn’t turn around. She wanted to think it was because she was standing her ground, but she knew she was just scared. “Just let me go,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “I need you to listen.”

  “There’s nothing to listen to. You have it in your head that something is going on here, but you’re wrong. You have to be wrong.”

  “You need to listen to me.”

  “I am listening to you! You don’t have to be right in my face for me to listen to you!”

  “I don’t need you to hear me. I need you to listen.”

  He had moved closer, and even though he wasn’t touching her, she could feel his heat penetrating her T-shirt and jeans. She might as well be naked.

  She pushed away from the door and turned to face him, but he still didn’t back up. She had to back her head against the door so she could angle it enough to look up at him. “All right. I’m listening. Really listening. Tell me what you want to say and get it over with.”

  She could see a muscle tick in his jaw and knew he still wasn’t happy. “We made a mistake.” Well, that wasn’t what she expected. “I gave you my blood to help you. To heal you. But I wasn’t supposed to drink from you. Not until my blood was out of your system.”

  “I thought you said it was safe.” He’d practically dared her to try it.

  “Safe is relative,” he snapped. “Right now you’re safer than you’ve ever been.”

  “Funny, because I’ve never felt closer to death than in the past few days.”

  “You’re safe because you have me protecting you. Because if you go, I can’t function. I can’t breathe. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. Without you, there is no peace. Without you, there is no me.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “This bond you keep talking about isn’t real. It can’t be real.”

  “You’re human. This isn’t supposed to happen. There aren’t any plans for this. There is no standard procedure. But it’s happening and I don’t know what I can do. But I can’t deny what I need. What I want. And you’re lying if you say you don’t want it too.”

  “So what? I want you. All right? There, I said it. You’re extremely handsome and I know you know that, and when I’m around you I feel... things. But that’s no reason for you to intimidate me or entrap me or—”

  “I’m not trying to trap you!” he screamed, banging his hand into the door so hard that little splinters went flying around them. “Can’t you see this isn’t something I can fight much longer?”

  “Just what every woman wants to hear. That a guy doesn’t actually like her—it’s just some biological need to breed. Well, I have news for you, buddy. I’m not a breeding machine, okay? I don’t care what biological clock is ticking in your head. This is what self-control is for.”

  He cocked his head and stared down at her. “Is that why you consistently deny me? Because you think I don’t actually want you?”

  “That’s one of the many reasons I keep denying you. I just learned about that admittedly very valid reason to keep my panties on around you.”

  Suddenly Dante reached down, gripping the back of her thighs and moving her against the door as he leaned into her hips, pressing fully against her. Alyssa sucked in a breath and met his dark gaze, not that they were eye to eye. Except his eyes weren’t their normal brown any longer. They were jet-black, leaving no doubt about what he truly was. “You shouldn’t do this,” she warned.

  “We had a deal,” he reminded her. “I kiss you and if you kiss back, then you’re mine. You kissed back.”

  “That was....” It was so hard to think while he was between her legs. “That was so long ago.”

  “Hours. It was hours ago. The only reason those hours seem so long is because my blood and yours are reaching for each other. Demanding.” He whispered the last word against her lips, and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

  But he took advantage and kissed the sensitive skin of her neck. She tightened her grip on his shoulders. Definitely not pushing him away though.

  Was he right? Was there some supernatural force binding her to him? There was surely something pulling the two of them together. Maybe calling it supernatural was an easy out. Maybe they could go ahead and finish this and get it out of their systems. “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” she said, only then realizing how breathless she was. “This bond thing.... Is it going to go away any time soon?”

  Dante ran his teeth along her neck, not answering her question.

  “If we’re going to do this—” She sucked in a breath as he bit down on her neck just the slightest bit. Not enough to draw blood but enough to feel a tingle. “I need to know more. I can’t just accept that we’re married now.”

  “Not married,” he said against her skin. “This isn’t a simple signature on paper. This is more.” His mouth closed on hers and she found herself kissing him back, even knowing that was the opposite of what she wanted to hear.

  She managed to get her senses back and wrench her head away. “What about what I want? I didn’t have a choice in this. That’s not fair.”

  “Of course you have a choice.” Dante’s pitch-black eyes met hers. “You’re human. You don’t feel it like I do. You can leave at any time. Go back to your simple life. Your safe life. And that thought terrifies me. And trust me when I say I don’t scare easy.” He kissed along her jaw until he reached her ear and delicately bit down on the lobe.

  Alyssa’s fingers curled in his hair and pulled his head back so she could look at him again, desperately trying to ignore the urge to writhe against him. “No. No distracting. Stop trying to get me so horny that I forget myself.”

  “I have to. I know that if I tell you everything, you’re never going to give me a chance. Give us a chance. And I can’t allow that. I know I’m fighting dirty, but you need to believe me when I tell you I don’t have a choice.” He gripped her hips tighter and she could feel his erection pressed firmly against her. It took everything in her to not wiggle closer.

  She forced her eyes open and stared intensely at Dante. He looked so earnest and strong and desperate and... hot. Even with his fangs and demon eyes. Was it because of this bond thing? Because it had been so long since she’d been with anyone? Or because Dante just had that effect on her?

  “Tell me one thing. Is this all in my head? Do you want me at all? Or is this purely because some stupid blood thing?”

  Dante pressed a soft kiss against her lips. She thought it was another diversion tactic until he pulled back from the kiss. “I came on to y
ou. On the beach after I rescued you. You got really pissed off.”

  Oh shit. He was right. And that was before she even drank his blood. Before any of this bond thing started. “Good enough.” She pulled him toward her and finally kissed him back.

  He let out a growl of approval as he twisted with her in his arms. As he moved to the bed, he deepened the kiss, parting her lips, tongue touching hers. Using a rhythm that had primal, basic origins.

  She moaned against his lips as she gripped him tightly. When they both fell to the bed, he drank in her squeal of surprise.

  For a brief moment, the craziness of the situation hit her and she couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter.

  Dante drew back and stared at her with a furrowed brow. “Am I funny to you?” he asked, breathing hard for the first time she could remember.

  She laughed even more at that realization. “You’re not funny,” she assured him. “I promise. You’re just ridiculous. This is ridiculous. It’s all just....” The laughter faded as she met his eyes. “It’s a lot. You’re a lot.”

  He bent forward and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. So different from their passionate clawing at each other just a moment ago.

  “Probably,” he agreed. “But I’m worth it. And I’ll prove it to you.”

  And then he did. He kissed his way down her jawline and throat. Her heart kicked up a notch as he gave her neck a quick nibble, but he moved on without taking a bite.

  As he reached her collarbone, Alyssa was totally past the point of protesting. Instead, she reached between them to grip her shirt and wiggled until she was able to pull it over her head. The wiggling brought her in closer contact to his very present erection, and she couldn’t resist the urge to rub herself against him.

  Her breaths came in fast, and when he took a nipple between his teeth, she felt as if she were on fire. God, this was what she needed: good orgasms and a deliciously handsome man to give them to her.

  Dante took his time, giving each breast a good amount of love and affection. And as wonderful as each stroke of that tongue and even the pang of pain from his fangs felt, at this point she wanted so much more. She arched her back, getting as close to his cock as possible, eliciting a hungry growl from his throat.

  “Stop tempting me, woman. I’m trying to make this good for you.”

  She bit her lip as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Just trying to keep things interesting.”

  “I’ll fucking give you interesting.” He was suddenly down her body and pulling her pants and panties off in one swift tug. Of course, she obediently lifted her ass to assist in the process as soon as she realized what he was doing.

  And as soon as she was bared to him, Dante closed in, immediately finding her clit, licking and teasing the small bundle of nerves. Alyssa’s reaction was sudden and unmistakable. Her back arched off the bed, and she shoved the pad of her thumb into her mouth to keep her scream from shaking the walls of the hotel.

  And Dante seemed to feed off that energy as much as he had off her blood. He licked and bit and teased her, seeming to note every little motion that set her off even more. The orgasm hit her fast and hard. It was less like falling over the edge and more like a bomb exploding. It reverberated through every single nerve ending.

  She was still catching her breath and staring at the ceiling, her vision still dotted by bright lights, as Dante rose above her.

  He pulled his shirt off, and she could only stare wordlessly at his perfect chest. God damn. He was already super powered. Did he really have to look that good?

  On the other hand, a guy this good-looking was totally into her. She really shouldn’t complain. She reached up and ran her fingers along the ridges and planes of his chest, working her way down to the button of his jeans.

  He met her eyes as she popped open the button and pulled down the zipper until his cock sprung free, large and pulsing with need.

  Unable to resist, she wrapped her hand around him as her mouth started to water. “I want you,” she breathed.

  The next thing she knew, she was on her back, her legs parted with Dante at her entrance. She was never going to get used to that.

  “I need you,” he said, still staring deep into her eyes. His black eyes should scare her, but there was so much emotion behind them. And Alyssa totally believed him when he said he needed her.

  And then he was pushing inside. This wasn’t a fantasy. It wasn’t a dream. He was so real as he filled and stretched her to the limit.

  She sucked in a breath as she tried to adjust. But her body was still sensitive from her orgasm, and now that he was inside her, those fires were stoked once more.

  As though her body were moving independently of her mind, she arched against him once more, signaling she was more than ready for him to move.

  And boy did he move. His first stroke was slow and strong, but he quickly gained speed and power.

  All she could do was hold on tight as he came at her hard and fast, each delicious stroke hitting her in all the right ways. This time when her orgasm hit her, she bit his shoulder to muffle her screams. She should’ve known he’d be into biting because he tightened his arms around her as he let out a groan of pleasure and shuddered in her arms.

  By the time they were done, they were both breathless and Alyssa was covered in a sheen of sweat. Part of her felt as if her entire body were Jell-O, but another more self-conscious part crept in.

  He’d built her up so much in his mind. What if she had been too aggressive? Moved too fast? Been too eager?

  But those doubts were quickly washed away as Dante hugged her tightly, resting his forehead in the crook of her neck. “You rushed me,” he said against her skin. “I’ll rectify this next time.”

  She should feel worse. She knew she should feel worse. She should feel guilty. Stupid. Something.

  But right now all she felt was warm. Dante was like a heated, weighted blanket covering her, and it was really hard to feel anything negative about it. And as much as she’d like to snuggle into him even longer, the alarm going off was telling her that it wasn’t time to relax.

  It was time to get Cora back.

  Alyssa reached over and grabbed her phone off the charger, turning off the alarm.

  “It’s almost time.” She sat up and searched the floor for where her bra had gone.

  “Exactly nine minutes,” said Dante.

  Not surprising. Every time she’d waken up through the night, his eyes had been open. Partly because every time she’d woken up, he’d been ready and able to go at it again. But she knew that the joy of sleeping with her had only taken him so far.

  He was nervous. He hid it well, but he hadn’t been subtle about his concern for Cora. “We’ll call Joshua in a few minutes. He might not let us be there, but we can at least be on speakerphone while the exchange is taking place.”

  “I keep on telling myself that it’s for the best that I’m not there. But it feels wrong.”

  She could only imagine. And she was the one who had convinced him to give Joshua a chance. That wasn’t right. Giving Joshua a chance was easy. It made sense. But it wasn’t just Joshua they were trusting. It was the entire military. A government that had kidnapped Cora in the first place. She could hardly believe that he had allowed this.

  Maybe it was proof of the bond he told her about. Now everything that seemed good or right between them seemed forced. As if it wasn’t supposed to exist. As if it was wrong.

  Or maybe that was just her nerves. If she was wrong about this and it ended up getting Cora hurt, Dante would never forgive her.

  She would never forgive herself.

  She finished getting dressed and after a quick trip to the bathroom, she was ready to call Joshua. Dante had also gotten dressed and she refused to be sad about that fact.

  They’d only been together one night and already she couldn’t stop imagining touching him all over.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Dante even as she pressed the number for Joshua. She
already knew he was more than ready.

  Dante reached out for her. “I want you next to me.”

  Her heart melted a little bit. He wanted her next to him? She knew she shouldn’t be reading too much into any of this, but she would be happy to provide him any support she could. She really hoped she hadn’t messed everything up for him.

  “You know it’s not noon yet,” said Joshua as soon as he picked up the phone.

  “You know how lucky you are that we haven’t physically gone down there to make sure this goes okay? The fact that you’re only getting a phone call is a miracle.”

  “All right, all right. And I appreciate it. If you must know, I am sitting outside the big box store in the parking lot and I’m waiting for Wesley to show up with your girl.”

  “With Cora,” said Alyssa and Dante at the same time.

  “Yes, with Cora. We confirmed the meeting this morning. As far as I know, everything is on track.”

  “I’m happy to hear it. But you know we’re not hanging up this phone until we know if Cora is safe and in your custody.”

  “I figured. Dante, have you given any thought to that job offer?”

  “Oh, I thought about it,” he said. “In the next few minutes, you’ll have a very definitive answer about how comfortable I feel working with your government.”

  “And Lys, there’s a job in it for you too.”

  Alyssa snorted. “I don’t really think Uncle Sam wants to work with me anytime soon.”

  “The human with military connections and a vampire boyfriend? Trust me, those are kind of points of view that we want.”

  She opened her mouth to correct him that Dante wasn’t her boyfriend, but stopped herself. She couldn’t really say that anymore, could she? Boyfriend might not seem like the right word, but she and Dante were something.

  “So what? You want me to be an informant?”