Bitten Beauty (Book 3 Of the Deadly Beauties Live On)

by C. M. Owens

“What’s… What’s wrong with me?” she moans, pushing herself against me harder. “I can’t stop. It hurts.”

  “The blood,” I whisper, unable to stop either. It’s not supposed to affect us, but it’s sure as hell affecting me right now. “You had blood on your mouth when you kissed me. Open wound. Venom,” I explain, or try to. My sentences are incoherent because I’m too focused on what I’m doing to her body.

  “Zee?” Thad’s voice has Leah’s head jerking back in surprise, and I barely stop myself from killing him. “Where the hell did she come from?”

  I carry her up the stairs of Kane’s house, ignoring Thad. The second we’re inside, I kick the door shut. It takes a second to realize I never invited her in. Hell, I could have just fucking killed her because Kane has an entry spell on this place.

  When she starts kissing me again, grinding against me, my mind shuts off and focuses on the only thing that seems to matter.

  “How did you know I needed help?” she asks, but she resumes the kiss before I can answer.

  Her tongue toys with mine, and I try not to slam her into the wall and rip her clothes off like a savage. A lot of restraint has to be in place, or I could kill her instead of just fucking her.

  Damn it.

  “I feel like I’m burning up from the inside,” she whimpers.

  “It’s the venom. I can fuck you or knock you out until the urge subsides. Your choice.”

  Not sure if the second option would even work.

  “Fuck me,” she whispers, whimpering again when she can’t get friction fast enough.

  I stumble blindly into a downstairs bedroom that isn’t even mine, and the second I find the bed, we crash onto it with me on top of her. I’ve already had a taste of her blood, and it makes me want even more. Why does it taste so damn good?

  Groaning, I shrug my shirt off, and get impatient with her clothes. I might accidentally blow her up if I try to use magic to strip her, so I decide just to rip them off her like I’m a fucking animal or something.

  She doesn’t even act afraid as she claws at the buckle of my belt, trying to get it off with shaky hands. I’m not worried about blowing myself up, so I do use magic. And it actually works right. The pants disappear from my body, along with my boxers, and the feel of her skin against mine has me wanting to claim every inch of her.

  “Kiss me,” she whispers hoarsely, pulling me down again.

  My lips find hers, and my tongue owns her mouth the way I want to own all of her. The frantic way she’s clawing at me and the sexy sounds she makes lets me know she approves.

  With one hip adjustment, I start pressing inside her slowly, feeling how ready she is for me. The venom is better than any aphrodisiac in the world, so there’s no doubt she’s beyond turned on.

  She bites my lip and grabs my shoulders when I push in deeper, slowly letting every wet inch of her encase me, and savoring each and every second of it.

  “So good,” she whispers, kissing the line of my jaw. “Take me.”

  ***

  LEAH

  I’ve always heard that near-death experiences can actually turn someone into a sex-crazed madman. It’s a fitting assumption that it’s what’s going on right now, because I’m practically blind with need.

  My heart is still racing from almost dying, and I’m begging Zee to fuck me. How did things get so twisted? Everything seems to jump from one extreme to the other.

  He pushes my hands above my head, and one of his hands holds my wrists as his other hand slowly slides down my body.

  “Whatever you do, don’t tell me you’re mine,” he whispers, letting his head fall back as he sinks to the deepest point inside me and holds still. His eyes screw shut, and every muscle on his body seems to tense.

  It’s torture. I want him to move… need him to move.

  “Zee,” I moan, even though it’s more of a one-word begging attempt.

  His eyes open, and that feral glowing blue color is in place. His fangs have slid down, and his body is rippling with strength. I should be terrified instead of more turned on than I ever have been.

  His hips draw back, and he thrusts forward with a brutal force that feels so good. So, so good. He keeps my hands pinned above my head as he lowers himself, and I cry out when he grabs my hip with his free hand, holding me still as he thrusts in harder.

  “Tell me if it’s too much,” he says just before I feel a painful sting at base of my neck. It only hurts for a second before I’m flooded with desire, and my hips start bucking, needing more as he keeps his lips clasped to the skin of my neck.

  When he starts moving, each motion becomes twice as intense. It’s different from anything I’ve ever felt, and I never want to leave this bed.

  I struggle to pull my hands down, but he keeps me pinned. I was so strong earlier, and now I feel weak as he dominates me. I hate it and love it. I want to touch him, run my hands over him, but for some reason he keeps me restrained.

  A tension builds in my stomach, getting tighter and tighter, and I almost blackout when the mother of all orgasms washes over me. I’m almost positive that some part of me explodes, because it’s so good that it’s almost painful.

  He lets go of my neck, leaning up as his eyes close again, as though he’s fighting hard not to lose control.

  The sounds he makes… He really does sound feral, and it only makes my insides clench harder. He slams into me one last time, and he goes still as warmth spreads throughout me. Even my chest heats up, as though part of him is suddenly inside me, warming me to my core.

  He drops to my body, and he shudders against me before running his lips across my skin. There’s no pain where he was latched onto earlier, but I still pull my hand up to feel the damage.

  But no damage can be found.

  “It’s healed. I can do that with my bites,” he mumbles, tickling me with the heat of his breath.

  My body is still suffering from the after-shocks, trembling underneath him. That was better than amazing.

  “This is really happening,” I tell myself, still reeling from how this night turned out.

  “You’re naked and under me, so yeah, it’s happened,” he says dryly. “And I’m fucked.”

  He slowly pulls out of me, and I wince at the loss of contact. I expect to be messy, but…

  “Did you not—”

  “We’re not human,” he says, acting as though that explains everything.

  “But you didn’t get of—”

  “I did,” he interrupts, then blows out a breath. “I almost sired you. You shouldn’t have let me have you. Now… Leah, you don’t realize how serious this is.”

  He turns to face me, and I swear he looks regretful. Great.

  I almost die, end up stupidly having sex with a vampire—really?—and now he regrets it. I was just a boring research assistant a few days ago. How the hell did I step into a pile of shit this big without meaning to?

  With jerky movements, I struggle to wrap the sheet around me to cover the broken pieces of my fucked up life. It’s so overwhelming, and I still haven’t fully processed this as reality.

  “I’ll borrow some clothes for you from Ella or one of the other girls.”

  I don’t say anything. I just stare at the wall across from me as he walks out and leaves me alone with all my screwed up thoughts.

  It’d be nice to cry right about now. I’m not a crier, though. Tears don’t come easily for me. In fact, they never have. I envy anyone who could sob wildly right now, because I feel like it’s exactly what I need after this overwhelming past few days.

  Something loud crashes outside, and I hear glass shatter right after it. I scramble to my feet, and run into the living room. I didn’t notice it earlier, but this house is nothing but windows almost everywhere.

  And I see a set of silver, furious eyes glaring at Zee who is standing up from the ground.

  “You stupid son of a bitch. You’re all psychotic. You’re going to protect her? Do you not know what she is?” Slade barks, vibra
ting with anger as he glares at Zee.

  Zee growls before spitting out blood, and he cracks his neck to the side.

  “You really want to do this? Here? Now? I thought we weren’t worth your effort,” Zee snaps.

  “What’s he talking about?” Karma asks. It hurts me to see her, because I can’t help but worry what Slade might have done to Kya. I just abandoned her there with that monster.

  I notice several of the others walking out, and Ella comes into view seconds before she blurs and gets between Slade and Zee. For the first time since I met the cold-hearted killer, Slade suddenly looks something other than detached.

  His eyes narrow, and he takes a step back, but I can tell he doesn’t want to hurt her.

  “Move, princess,” he growls. “Trust me when I say I’m doing you a favor.”

  “Like you did with Liam?” she asks, stepping closer to him. “Are you trying to make everyone think we’re killing people based on personal vendettas? It seems a little sneaky for your style.”

  The intimidation factor he has seems to be lost on her. She doesn’t act the least bit scared, and he doesn’t even seem to be trying to scare her.

  “He pissed me off. Had nothing to do with you.”

  She doesn’t even blink at his confession.

  “Sure it didn’t. You didn’t try to turn the entire council against us?” she accuses.

  The silver in his eyes grows brighter, and I almost stagger when her eyes turn just as silver.

  They’re the same?

  Why didn’t Kya tell me that?

  “If I wanted them on your ass, I’d have taken his body back to your house and giftwrapped it for them. I cleaned up my own mess. Like I said, it had nothing to fucking do with you.”

  I keep my mouth shut, not bothering to point out Slade and Liam acknowledged the fact they didn’t know each other. The last thing I need to do is remind him why he’s here. Ella seems really in control.

  At least I think that’s her name.

  “Right. Just like you didn’t go after Roslyn, knowing Thad was in love with her?”

  “She’s a fucking traitor to our kind,” he snarls. “And don’t forget who bailed your ass out when you went in blind and almost got yourselves fucking killed while trying to save her!”

  They’re practically touching now, and she’s still not backing down. Her head is leaned back so she can stare up at him, since he towers over her.

  “And now you suddenly want Zee’s girl dead? What is it with you and targeting us? You won’t go after the red jinn. You had Kya tell us not to go after them. Now you’re here chasing one of ours again.”

  It’s like I’m suddenly a part of the group. How did that happen?

  Zee made it crystal clear that I’m not his anything.

  Not that I care. The last thing I need in my life is a vampire boyfriend.

  Christ, my life sounds like a Mad Hatter concoction.

  Unfortunately, mentioning me has made Slade remember I’m here. Pure hatred seethes from his gaze, and I’m damn happy he doesn’t have the power to kill someone with just a look.

  All eyes turn toward me, following his gaze. Zee vanishes from the ground, and suddenly he’s in front of me, blocking me from view.

  “Fuck off. You’re not touching her,” he snarls, sounding feral again.

  I peek around him, hoping Slade is scared of the big bad vampire that seems to have magic. Not sure how that happened, since none of the books I’ve read have said anything about—

  “She’s an Aquarius.” Slade cuts through my thoughts, once again saying that confusing name.

  “A what?” I look down to see the guy named Dice stepping up. Then he steps back when Slade cuts his eyes toward him.

  Dice isn’t quite as brave as Ella, who still has herself placed directly in front of the psycho.

  “It’s the first and most powerful bloodline of the anointed.”

  A few people go pale in that instant. Zee’s fists clench at his sides, and I clutch his arm, hoping he can talk all of them out of killing me. Unless he wants me dead too.

  That would suck.

  Ella turns to look at me, her brow drawn in confusion. “You’re an anointed?”

  I shake my head emphatically.

  “I don’t even know what that means, other than it’s someone who wants to kill anything not human.”

  “She just fucked Zee,” Dice says, pointing at us. “I can taste the sex from here. It doesn’t look like her killer mojo is up to par with the rest of her lineage.”

  “It’s in her blood, incubus,” Slade snaps. “They crave the kill just like we crave our own addictions. If she doesn’t kill, she doesn’t live. Understand?”

  Not true. At all. I don’t want to kill anyone.

  Zee’s arm slides around my waist, and he pulls me against his side. “She’s under my protection. If anyone has a problem with that, I’m so fucking gone. I’ve defended everyone here at some point in time. I’ve been at Kane’s side since I was freed from the bonds, and I’ve never once asked for anything in return.”

  “You did used to have Kane find your willing victims,” Dice chimes in, earning a growl from Zee. “That was before you had game.”

  He really is annoying. Kya wasn’t kidding.

  Then what Dice says resonates, and a pang of unjustifiable jealousy hits me hard.

  I’m certifiably crazy.

  Someone get me a straightjacket.

  “If she’s sleeping with Zee, I don’t think she’s much of a threat. Besides, he craves to sire her,” Ella says, turning back to face Slade like she’s suddenly okay with everything, even though I can tell she’s not. “His instincts wouldn’t drive him toward someone that wants him dead.”

  Slade laughs bitterly. “All night stalkers sever their bonds eventually, and their main goal becomes to kill their sire. It’s their way. So that sort of blows your theory out of the water, princess.”

  Ella bristles, and I lean closer to Zee. I don’t know what the hell I am, but I do know I don’t want to be a vampire. Blood and I don’t get along too well.

  His arm tightens around my waist, and Ella glances over her shoulder at Zee.

  “You’re sure about this?” she asks him.

  He glares at her. “You’d let her die if I wasn’t?”

  “No. She’s not dying until she gives us a good reason to kill her. I’m asking if you want her here… If you trust her with us.”

  Zee looks down at me, then back at Slade. “If we don’t keep her, he’ll fucking kill her. She stays, or I’ll take her with me and we’ll go.”

  I’m not sure if that means he wants me here or not, but it sounds better than dying. Beggars can’t be choosers.

  Slade’s jaw tenses as Ella turns back around to face him. “She’s under our protection. Kill her, and I’ll show the same kindness to your group until I’ve picked them off one by one. You might need them for this big fight you don’t want our help with.”

  He curses before spinning and launching a blue streak across the lake. When he turns back around, he looks like he’s on the verge of killing someone.

  “You’re so fucking stupid. I’m sick of saving your life. If you want to invite a killer into your house—and eventually she will try to kill you—then so be it. It’s your fucking funeral. It’s not my responsibility to save your ass.”

  “No one is asking you to save it,” she snaps, stepping back into him.

  I can’t tell if they hate each other or not. Apparently I’m not the only one who is confused.

  “Fine. Her nature will eventually call to her, and you’ll remember this moment. The wolf and the anointed… There aren’t words to describe idiots like you.”

  He vanishes into thin air, and Ella’s entire body starts to quake. Chaz immediately goes to grab her, but she bats his hands away.

  “Did I sound scary enough?” she asks, looking over at Zee hopefully.

  How she went from badass to suddenly shaking is beyond me.

/>   Zee’s lips twitch, and I feel out of the loop. “Completely scary. Hell, even I believed you’d go after his people. Thanks.”

  She nods, and her soft eyes meet mine. They’re no longer the harsh, terrifying silver. They look green, even though it’s hard to see with just the porch light.

  “Slade doesn’t care about his people,” I mumble, and all eyes turn to me.

  Feeling insecure, I tug the sheet up a little better, making sure all the important things are definitely covered.

  I really have to learn to shut my mouth.

  “Well, looks like we finally have some piece of the puzzle. Leah has been inside Slade’s lair. Time to find out if he’s the enemy or not,” Chaz drawls.

  Three days ago he threatened me just as Slade had. I really don’t know who is good and who is bad.

  When Zee’s hand slides to the small of my back, a shiver spreads down me. I might not know who or what he is, but I stupidly feel safe.

  It reminds of blonde cat girl who felt safe with Slade, even though he made it known she really wasn’t.

  Life is crazy.

  Chapter 11

  ZEE

  Dice is already hashtagging everything as I stand up with Leah cradled to my chest.

  “Hashtag, she’s out cold.”

  “Not everything works with a hashtag,” Kimber groans.

  “Hashtag, everything is better with a hashtag.”

  The sun is peeking out, and Leah has told us everything she’s learned over the past two days. Everything except any information on Kya. She refuses to divulge anything, because she says she doesn’t know what Kya wants told.

  Apparently she’s made friends with the cold bitch.

  Unbelievable.

  After putting her into bed, I contemplate getting in beside her. I’ve practically claimed her, but I can’t actually have her. If I did, I’d eventually sire her, and Slade is right about all of us eventually wanting to sever the bonds so we can kill our sires.

  Fucking eh. I need a drink.

  For once though, I’m not hungry. At all. Not even a little bit.

  Her blood is even better than Chaz’s.

  When I shut the door behind me, everyone looks up like they’ve been waiting on me to return.