Remann had given her a tidy sum upon her release, enough for her to leave modeling and pay for college, and go on vacation with her sister. Tears stung her eyes, and Melanie sniffed loudly before she rubbed her nose with her dirty arm. Her long limbs were barely covered by the rug regardless of how small she tried to make her body. She was beginning to forget what being warm felt like. Dressed only in her bra and underwear, she curled tighter into her ball.
“Katie, please find me,” Melanie said as hot tears flooded down her cheeks. Night would fall soon.
Chapter 6
Kate finished her sandwich as Aiden sat next to her at the kitchen island. A heavy silence hung in the air that neither was willing to break. She still felt awkward at the position Aiden had caught her in earlier, and she certainly hoped the man hadn’t lost respect for her.
She sipped her sweet tea and let her gaze roam over Aiden’s chiseled features. He was so overtly masculine, and Kate felt a surge of jealousy at the thought of Deidre’s hands all over him.
“I guess I’ll go out this afternoon and look for a new apartment.” She picked at a string on the linen napkin that lay in her lap.
Aiden let out a breath. “Would you like a ride into the city?”
The rumble of his deep voice sent a hot shiver down her spine.
“I don’t want to trouble you. I’ll call a taxi.”
Aiden’s leg bounced up and down on its perch on the stool rung. “I insist. Cabs can be dangerous in the city.”
Not wanting to argue, Kate decided to retrieve her cellphone so she could pull up the internet. She hadn’t seen a computer in sight in the mansion and felt it would’ve been an obscenity in such a home.
“Whatever you want to do.” She put her plate in the dishwasher and headed toward her room.
Walking inside, she shut the door softly, somewhat disappointed that Aiden had remained seated at the island. Kate sat on the huge bed, sinking into the silk coverlet. She folded her legs and started searching for rent ads online.
A tap at the door had her heart lurching before it began a rapid staccato.
“Yes?” she said. “Come in.”
Aiden stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He walked to her and gently took the phone from her hand.
* * * *
“We shouldn’t do this, my darling Kate.” Aiden’s voice was raw as he stared into the smoky depths of Kate’s wide eyes. She was impossibly irresistible, and he felt jealousy shoot through him at the intimate way Deidre had touched her earlier.
Kate’s breathing became shallow as Aiden willed away his vampiric attraction. He wanted her to be responding only to him.
She swallowed. “Do what?”
He couldn’t help but grin at her feigned innocence, and he allowed his hand to rest loosely on her throat.
“It can be a bit dangerous with a man in my condition,” he said.
A puzzled expression crossed her lovely face as he brought his lips to hers. She hesitated, but only a moment before she crushed her lips to his, rising on her knees to wrap her arms around his neck. Aiden groaned as his cock grew rock hard and Kate’s body grew soft.
His hand slid down to her breast and he massaged it, his thumb stroking her pebbled nipple. Kate groaned, and her head fell back to expose the pale flesh of her throat. Aiden’s heart quickened. The sound of her rapid heartbeat was loud in his ears. He fought his hunting instinct, forcing it into submission.
“Aiden, please,” Kate said in a ragged whisper.
His hands cupped her backside then one slid between her thighs to stroke her pussy. He could feel her growing damp through the denim fabric. He wanted to taste her. Aiden pulled her t-shirt over her head before he discarded his own shirt. He brought his mouth to her breast, sucking hard on her nipple as the pad of his thumb teased the other.
Kate pushed him away, getting off the bed. She got down on her knees before him, undoing the catch on his slacks. Aiden weaved his fingers within Kate’s thick locks as she slid his cock out. He groaned as she licked the pre-cum from the tip before she ran her tongue all along his length.
“Oh, Kate, my darling Kate.”
She pushed his slacks down, and he kicked his shoes off. Kate stroked his shaft as her tongue did wicked things to him.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to come,” he said, pulling her up.
Kate discarded her jeans and stood before him dressed only in a white, lace bra and matching panties. She was the most desirable woman he’d ever beheld.
“I have to taste you,” Aiden said.
He pushed her back against the bed. Reaching around, he unhooked her bra, allowing her luscious breasts to tumble free. He kissed the top of each as his hands slid the lacy fabric of the panties over her hips. His tongue licked each nipple, drawing a whimper from Kate. He dropped to his knees and guided her thighs apart. As she leaned against the bedpost Aiden’s tongue stroked the thin strip of hair leading to her slit. He slid his tongue within her.
* * * *
Kate was sure she was dying. Aiden held her firm even as his tongue shot out to stroke her. Her head fell back, and she gasped as her legs grew weak. His tongue then slipped between her folds and Kate wound her fingers into his hair. The tip of his tongue teased her swollen clit, and her legs shook beneath his supporting grip. Her ragged breaths filled the room as did her moans.
“Oh God, Aiden, I can’t take this.” She felt dizzy as pleasure mounted within her.
Aiden stood and grasped her around the waist as her legs gave out.
“I want your beautiful pussy riding my face.” He lay down on the soft coverlet, pulling Kate with him.
“Let’s sixty-nine instead.” Kate turned her body, bringing her thighs around to straddle his face.
Grabbing his thick cock, she stroked him as he pulled her body down to his waiting mouth. Her mouth covered his cock and sucked hard as his tongue played within her wet folds. It was a race to see who could push who over the edge.
Kate’s hungry mouth moved up and down over his cock as the waves built inside her. She moved faster and harder, needing to share with him the pleasure overcoming her. He gripped her hips hard, his fingers biting into her flesh as his mouth devoured her. Aiden’s tongue thrust deeper and harder within her, and she crested the waves. Throwing her head back, she screamed his name as the orgasm overtook her.
* * * *
Aiden rolled Kate over to her back and quickly covered her, parting her thighs. As she wrapped her legs around his waist he thrust hard into her. She bucked beneath him. He drove her on as his own need mounted higher and higher. Aiden wanted to hear her scream again and feel her pussy tighten and spasm around his cock. He ground his teeth together, fighting back his own orgasm. Kate sucked in a deep breath, and her nails dug into his back.
Then she cried his name, and her entire body shuddered with her orgasm. Unable to restrain himself further, his own climax overcame him. He cried out as his body convulsed with the power of his release. For several long minutes they lay entwined as their breaths slowed. Finally, Kate stirred.
“Crap,” she said. She sighed deeply and brought a hand up to rub her forehead.
“What is it, my darling?” Aiden asked as he drifted in bliss.
“We just had unprotected sex. I’m not on the pill or anything. I’m usually more responsible than this.”
Aiden came to attention. As he’d lain within her arms he’d found himself forgetting his true nature, forgetting that she was merely prey to his kind and he a real danger to her. He’d even imagined a future with Kate. Her worried words brought him crashing to reality.
“Kate.” He sighed. What if she wanted children someday? Why was this even a concern with him? “Kate, I’m sterile.”
Silence hung thickly in the air for several long seconds.
“Oh.”
It was a simple word said without inflection, yet Aiden analyzed it over and over.
Kate’s breathing soon slowed as she drifted to sle
ep. He watched, fascinated by the way her lips were slightly parted with her breath, her eyelids fluttering as a dream danced before her mind’s eye. He didn’t sleep, as vampires had no need to do so.
A feeling washed over him, something as gentle and pleasing as it was strong and terrifying. He’d fallen for Kate, something that was an impossibility for the both of them.
* * * *
Kate awoke with a start, not sure what had brought her from sleep. A jarring vibration echoed through the bedchamber and she realized it was thunder. Lightning flashed through the dim room as she rubbed her dry, gritty eyes. She yawned and searched the room.
No Aiden.
She sat up as disappointment filled her. Kate suddenly felt very alone. She knew, beyond a doubt, that she’d fallen in love with Aiden. How such a thing could be possible in such a short time boggled the mind. Perhaps all the stress had left her overly vulnerable.
She was going to be hurt badly by this.
And she still had to find her sister.
Kate crawled out of bed and walked to the window. The cool air of the room brought goose pimples to her naked skin. A heavy blanket of mist obscured the lake beyond and several more rumbles of thunder reflected her mood perfectly. She felt raw and sore in both her body and her heart.
* * * *
“Perhaps, my brother, you should tell Kate the truth.” Remann lounged on a black, leather couch in his quarters. He sipped a scotch as he eyed his brother. “As we both know, love between human and vampire is destined to fail. In a bloody fashion, most likely.”
Aiden snorted. “I never said a word about love, Remann.”
Remann laughed loudly. “Come now, it’s written all over your face. Judging by the sounds coming from Kate’s bedchamber earlier…” Remann paused as Aiden tensed. “I’d say it’s been consummated.”
Aiden paced back and forth, his hands clutched behind his back. His gaze remained fixed on the hardwood floor.
“How was it with our lovely Kate? I’ve forgotten what a human woman is like.”
Aiden ignored Remann’s question.
“Perhaps you should pay a visit to Deidre. She will be a healthy distraction for you.”
Aiden stopped and faced his twin. “Why is it your concern, Remann?”
His brother gave a casual shrug followed by a big sigh. “Are you such a monster that you can lay with a woman and kill her sister all in one day?”
Aiden bared his canines. “You brought this down on Kate. Remember that, Remann.”
Remann was on his feet in an instant. He curled his lips back as his canines lengthened.
“I did no such thing, my brother.” Remann’s words were carefully measured.
The tension was palpable in the room. Aiden’s body trembled as he held his temper in check. He sized up his twin. Remann squared his body, not giving an inch.
“As expected, I am here to clean up your mess. You’ve always been too irresponsible, Remann. Your lifestyle disgusts me.”
Remann’s fists clenched at his sides. “Again…” He sucked in a deep breath. “I am not fucking a woman and killing her sister all in the same day, my brother. You judge me? Kate has no idea what is happening, what it is we are, or what has happened with her sister. A woman like Kate deserves the truth.”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “Could it be that you have feelings for her as well?”
Remann’s fists relaxed a hair. “If Kate were mine, I’d certainly tell her all she needs to know,” Remann said. “Before I made love to her.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “You’re so cavalier? No, you’re much too selfish.”
“Perhaps I will tell her then, after I seduce her myself, of course. I’d certainly pleasure her in ways you wouldn’t know how.”
Aiden’s body impacting Remann’s was thunderous as the room vibrated from the storm outside.
* * * *
Melanie shivered beneath the old, dirty rug as the storm raged outside. She’d always been nervous when it came to storms, and there she was all alone in the dark. Coughs wracked her body and echoed through the small room. Her teeth chattered, and Melanie was sure she had a fever.
“Please, God, I know you’re listening. Tell my sister where I am.”
Thunder jarred the room.
* * * *
Kate stepped from the shower feeling more energized and determined to find her sister. Her gut told her that somehow she’d find her by the end of the night, though she wasn’t sure how. Feeling more positive than she had in days, she wrapped a big towel around her body and headed to her room. A shadow appeared from her doorway, and Kate stopped, her heart skipping several beats.
“Kate, we must talk.”
It was Remann. Disappointment flooded through her.
“Okay, let me dress first.”
“There isn’t much time, hurry.”
The urgency in Remann’s tone made a thrill of fear spread through her.
“What’s happened? Is it Aiden?”
As she approached Remann she saw several open wounds on his face and neck.
“Oh my God, Remann, what happened?”
“It’s nothing to worry yourself over, my lovely Kate. It will heal within the hour.”
She shook her head, confused.
“Just give me a minute.” She shut the door to the bedroom and threw on her clothes as quickly as she could, then she opened the door.
“There is something you need to know,” Remann said, turning to her. “Several things, actually.”
Fear welled up stronger within her.
“First, we are not who we seem to be. Please be open-minded with what I am about to tell you. Can you promise me that?”
Kate nodded and swallowed. She tangled her wet hair around her fingers.
“Aiden and I, we are vampires. I know that may sound like madness to you, but unfortunately, it is true. We were born to a noble family in the Middle Ages. We were changed by a vampiress and spared the death of the plague.”
Kate’s mouth fell open.
“Aiden is a Hunter in the Order of Terminus. It is a society that protects both humans and vampires. It is how we keep our secret.”
Kate was speechless. Disbelief and curiosity warred inside her mind.
“Please understand I meant no harm when it came to your sister.”
She sucked in a hard breath, and her fist clenched around her damp hair.
“What has happened to Melanie?” Her tone was low, even as her anger surged.
Remann stepped back, bringing up a hand as Kate squared her body to his. She took a step toward him.
“I released her with a healthy monetary compensation for her time. No harm had come to the girl. Somehow, after her release, she was…” Remann brought a hand to his forehead, shaking his head. “I don’t know what happened, only that she was changed. Melanie is now a feral vampire, a Dissenter as we call them. She is indiscriminately attacking humans. This is a threat to both your kind and mine. Please understand that Aiden is only doing his job.”
Kate’s stomach fell to the floor. “What job?”
“He has to destroy her, Kate, before she can reveal our kind’s existence.”
The world swam before her. She feared a fainting spell as her legs grew weak. Remann’s hands came to her shoulders, catching her before she collapsed.
It was too horrible to be true. Yet, it was so horrible it had to be true. At least the part that her sister was in danger; the vampire part she still wasn’t sold on.
Even as her heart cried out for Aiden, she hated him. She hated Remann, even as he pulled her close, stroking a hand down her damp hair and back.
“We’ve known almost from the beginning why you came to me. I am so very sorry, my lovely, darling Kate. Words cannot express my regret.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she gathered her strength. “None of this is making sense, but if you can get me to my sister and Aiden, please take me.”
There was a softening in Remann’s odd-color
ed eyes. Something she’d seen in Aiden’s as he’d made love to her. Remann brushed her tears away as his gaze roamed her face.
“We need to hurry,” he said.
Chapter 7
Aiden’s quarry hadn’t put up much of a fight. Aiden had received a few deep gashes, but they would heal within the hour. A large bonfire burned next to the old warehouse his informant had directed him to. In the background the mournful howls of a dog finally faded away. He tried to push away the thoughts of Kate as he prepared to toss the body into the flames. The girl, Melanie, hadn’t been quite as he remembered, but Remann had so many young women coming and going it was hard to remember them all.
Anger flashed through him, and he balled his fists at his sides. “Damn you, Remann.”
“No!” A high-pitched wail caught Aiden off guard. Lost in thought, he hadn’t even heard the vehicle arrive.
He whirled and fell into an aggressive crouch, instinctively flashing his sharp canines in a threat.
* * * *
Melanie was sure she’d heard voices outside. Her fevered mind had her dreaming all sorts of scary things, but she felt this was real. She pushed herself up to listen, her teeth chattering loudly. A woman screamed just outside.
“Katie?” Melanie felt renewed strength.
A rusty wrench lay near her. She grabbed it and stumbled to her feet, swaying. Placing a steadying hand on a wall, it was all she could do to lift the heavy piece of iron. She sucked in a deep breath and said a silent prayer.
Melanie’s gaze moved up and focused on the discolored glass above her.
* * * *
Aiden was dumbstruck as he watched Kate run toward him. Remann came around the SUV, and Aiden’s gaze locked heatedly on his twin. Remann ignored him, his eyes on Kate.
“What have you done?” Kate said, her eyes wide in anguish. Her gaze fell to his bared canines—animalistic teeth—and shock registered for a fleeting moment before she looked to the mangled figure on the ground.
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