“It is.” His hands cupped her breasts.
Oh boy. “Why me?” This was the best dream of her life or she was hallucinating. Either way worked for her. She spread her legs and let him sink down into the space between. It would take so little for the cock she could feel to slide inside and fill the hollow ache within.
“Why not you?” His mouth descended onto her breast, teasing the nipple with his tongue.
Marduk’s back instantly arched up at the delicious tug of his mouth on her breast. “Stop it. I can’t concentrate when you do that.” Her hands slid over the firm, warm flesh of a broad male back.
“You’re not meant to, darling.”
This was madness. She knew what she felt but how could it be real? Seeing was believing. Was feeling just as good? Marduk pushed at what felt like his shoulders. “Why me?” she repeated. If she had been able to look into his eyes she would have known the answer. But he was asking her to trust her on nothing. It was not something she was capable of.
He held fast to her. “Because I am the only one for you as you are the only one for me.”
The sincerity in his voice made Marduk want to buy whatever he was selling. “I don’t even know your name.” The stroking touch of his hands was making the need to know his name rapidly less important. Besides, this is my dream. I can make it up as I go along.
He chuckled at her words. “Is my name important?”
Well, it was if they had a relationship but then this wasn’t one of those. “What is this?”
“Lust.” He leaned down once more and licked her nipple.
Marduk shivered and clutched at him. “Y-yes.” Lust was good.
He reached down and pulled her legs up to his shoulders. “And love.”
“If this is love you wouldn’t be invisible.” But then this is a dream. Isn’t it?
“You think too much.”
The lips she felt on her lower stomach made her squirm in delight. “It’s who I am.”
“And this is who I am. I’m just as real as you.” His words were punctuated with slow, burning kisses that teased the top of her pussy. “Now just relax and enjoy.”
Oh, I want to. I really do. “Do you do this a lot?” Please go lower. Much lower.
“Sex? Oh yeah.” And in answer to her unspoken words, his tongue flicked once then twice over her clit.
It was impossible to stop the shriek that sprang to her lips. No man had ever done that to her before. “O-oh god, don’t stop.” Her lover responded by fastening his mouth on her clit and sucking hard. In order not to frighten the neighbors, Marduk bit down hard on her bottom lip as she swallowed her scream. His mouth devoured her flesh as if only she could give him the sustenance he needed. “Are you invisible because you’re ugly?” The words came out in a breathless rush.
His mouth left her clit after a long, slow, lingering kiss. “Would that matter if I was?”
“N-n-no.” Looks were irrelevant to her. But, damn, I want to see this man.
“So why are you fighting this, darling?”
“It’s weird—good but weird. A normal person doesn’t have an imaginary lover.” Who licks her pussy like she was the best thing he ever tasted. Marduk parted her legs as far as she could. She wanted everything she could get.
“You’re normal and I’m very real.”
Yeah, he felt real. “Um, Harry?”
“Yes,” he replied in amusement.
“Is that your name?” It was hard trying to carry on any sort of conversation with an unknown, unseen man who had his head between her thighs.
“It will do for now.”
What felt like the tip of a cock pushed at the entrance of her vagina. Normally it would have taken a lot more foreplay to even get Marduk wet. But then I have not been dry since that moment in the shower. Maybe I’m in heat? Maybe that’s why I stared at the photocopier man’s butt. “I just don’t normally do this with a flesh-and-blood man I can see, let alone one who’s invisible.”
“I know. It’s fun, isn’t it?”
And then the fun really began. Marduk had experienced sex before but this was different. The cock that pushed into the wet core of her body felt right. It was not average or okay. It was right. It was also wildly sexy not to see but only to feel. As the length of him moved within her, Marduk felt his lips once more return to her breasts. This time they weren’t soft or gentle. They were possessive and hungry. They sucked and nipped, leaving her nipples hard and wet and made her cry out for more. The rush of fierce heat between her legs as her lover plunged in and out was exactly what she needed. Marduk wanted to be taken hard and fast without time to think or worry. I just want to feel.
His mouth left her breasts and licked a trail up to her neck. He never once stopped the thrusting pace of his cock as he pumped away. “Darling, I need to taste. To bite. To suck. May I?”
If he had asked for her credit card and the keys to her car Marduk would have given them to him. Anything he wanted, she needed. “Yes.” And then she felt it, like last night but different. It was the same rush of heat as the pressure of his teeth broke though her skin. But this was more intense. “O-o-hh…” Soft heat radiated though her veins as her lover’s mouth fastened on her neck and sucked. It was the most sensual feeling in the world. She had a cock between her thighs and his mouth on her neck taking full possession of her body. “Don’t stop.” Marduk had never felt so beautiful or loved before. So this is what love feels like.
His mouth left her neck. “You are mine.” He thrust long and hard into her.
At that moment Marduk completely believed it and she grabbed hold of a man she could not see and put her total faith in him to make her feel something she never had before. As the orgasm hit, Marduk stiffened as an unfamiliar feeling took hold of her body, making her shake and cry out over and over. “I love you.”
Chapter Three
“You are making no progress.” Archimedes’ voice was low and unforgiving.
“Fuck off,” Decatur responded as he walked past him.
Archimedes arched his eyebrows at his tone. Vampires were always pissy when trapped. Decatur was no different. “Marduk Howell is supposed to be with you.”
“I don’t have to be with her though.”
“But you will be.” Archimedes had not come this far to fail. The attitude of the blond vampire would not be his undoing.
Decatur stopped in his tracks, his shoulders tense as he turned to meet the eyes of his nemesis. “So your plan works? I’m tired of whatever your plan is.”
Baring his fangs, while impressive, did little to intimidate Archimedes. He’d been alive too long to be scared by anyone. “You owe me.”
“You should have let me rot like the others. I did not ask you to save me.”
No, he hadn’t. None of the four had. “I had my reasons as you know.” And Archimedes had no intention of being thwarted by a display of attitude now.
“I don’t care about your reasons.” Decatur glared at him.
There was such hatred in his eyes. That sort of passion was something that Archimedes could use. “You do. If the woman was of no consequence to you, Decatur, you would have taken her and used her like all of your other discarded victims.” Vampires were so obvious. They sucked and they fucked and then moved on for fresh blood. That Decatur was hesitating indicated he was aware there was more at stake here. “One week has passed.”
“So what?” Decatur’s teeth were gritted in fury.
“You are too slow with the woman. I thought vampires never let any desirable woman pass them by. Is it that she doesn’t interest you?”
“Go to hell.” Decatur turned his back on Archimedes and continued on to where he had been heading.
“Been there, done that, and not about to go back,” Archimedes called after him. “The truth will out, Decatur.”
“You know what? Stick your truth.” Decatur’s voice echoed back down the long corridor.
Archimedes smiled. He did so enjoy playing with the fo
ur of them. They were all filled with rage to find themselves trapped in this situation. Archimedes had not saved any of them out of the goodness of his heart. He didn’t have one of those. His thoughts focused on another of the captives. Sumerian. She was another he had saved against her will. She would vouch he was heartless. Sumerian had called him that many times. Not that her opinion mattered anymore. Archimedes would never allow that to happen again.
The great war of the immortal world had taken most by surprise but not Archimedes. He had long expected it. Too many factional powers all vying for control was a recipe for disaster. Hell wanted to rule, heaven wasn’t about to let them and the vampires just wanted to do what they had done for centuries without the interference of others. The others—the witches, goblins, fairies and the like—could be swayed by greed to follow one group or another. Their survival was different. They knew they could never rule but their loyalty could be bought. So with so many conflicting agendas it was only a matter of time before the immortal world imploded. Archimedes had made his move before that happened and in doing so he was stronger than any of the other survivors.
Humans would never know or understand the full-scale destruction that had occurred. When the immortals fought each other neither group cared for the damage they inflicted. And, while it was true that an immortal could not die, they could be horribly wounded and suffer those wounds for eternity. Everyone, despite genetic make-up, had weaknesses. It was just a matter of finding and exploiting them. Archimedes had done that and survived the war. Few immortals took him on. It was smoke and mirrors on his part. He was no stronger than anyone else. But those who loathed him, feared him, and none of them were game enough to band together to take him out. They could have done that so easily. But not now. It would be impossible and foolish of anyone to challenge him and they knew it. The immortal world was in tatters and Archimedes had kept his power intact.
“And now I have these four…” He was almost invincible. Archimedes smiled. Immortals hated to be indebted to anyone, let alone another of their kind. He wasn’t silly. Archimedes knew they were each plotting to thwart him. He would have been surprised if they weren’t. It was probably the first time in history that a vampire, a demon, a warlock and a fallen angel had to consider the merits of banding together. Not that they particularly liked each other. It was more they were stuck by circumstance to rely on the small group they had been thrust in.
The four immortals themselves were not that important. They were merely the conduits to greater power for Archimedes. His plan was to use them and discard them. Archimedes knew they were aware of that and that the end battle would not be easy but he was determined to win.
Archimedes’ thoughts turned to the mortals who were to become important to his plan. Normally he preferred not to deal with humans as they were so silly and weak. But deal with them he would as their offspring and who they would become was the key to his plan. It was amusing to think that the militant immortals were destined to mate with and produce greatness that Archimedes would then exploit. Of course none of them knew his plans. They were trapped to do his bidding and if they didn’t comply? Each of the four knew the cost of that. Killing an immortal could be very difficult, but was not impossible. Unlike other immortals these four were unique. They could be killed easily if one knew their weakness—and Archimedes did.
To his knowledge, no one else was aware of the medieval prophecy of the children of the ankh. It had fascinated Archimedes for centuries. Over the five hundred years he had walked the planet, he had searched for those with the ankh symbol tattooed on the left side of their neck. There was said to be only four of them, each unaware of the other or why they were branded with this symbol. But Archimedes knew. That’s why he had collected them together. It was all about power and the giving of eternal life. While Archimedes was immortal and unable to die, there were those that he wanted to see live again. The prophecy was that the offspring of those branded with the ankh, though part mortal, would be able to resurrect the dead. There were many mortals who Archimedes wanted to see life breathed back into. They were those who had led, beaten, terrorized and entranced the world. He wanted the power of life and death, to pick and choose who lived in the mortal world. Archimedes couldn’t do that now but through his immortal prisoners and those humans they were fated to be with, he could. Once those children were born, he could dispense with their parents.
So he saved the vampire Decatur, Amory the warlock, the belligerent demon Morphos and the feisty and flawed fallen angel, Sumerian. Each was marked with the ankh. Each was plotting to overthrow him and escape. But he would not allow that to happen as he knew their flaws. That was what gave him strength. While the authority of the tattooed ankh made them powerful, it also made them weak. Nothing, in whichever universe one came from, was ever bestowed without a price. Archimedes did not want to destroy any of the four just yet. That would destroy his plans. While each of them knew he had a goal in mind, they were also aware that Archimedes could destroy them. Like anyone who had lived for centuries and knew no other life, they were not about to give that up. So they went along with him until they could find the chink in his armor to free themselves.
“I just saw your vampire. He looks rather peeved.”
Archimedes looked at his assistant Vulcan. He liked to understate things like that. It amused him. There could not be anyone who looked less “Vulcan”-like than the demon beside him. His thin frame and weak features gave him the look of someone who was a pushover. But Vulcan was anything but. Few immortals, Archimedes included, knew what he really looked like.
“He’ll get over it. Decatur knows he has no choice.” Unlike Vulcan. Archimedes was still not sure why he was his assistant. That the fair-haired, bespectacled man had an agenda was undoubted. What it was, no one knew. But like the old saying, Archimedes believed in keeping his enemies close.
“They’re an angst-ridden bunch,” Vulcan observed, his eyes never leaving the other man’s face.
Archimedes was unfazed at the intensity of his bright, blue eyes. They were meant to intimidate but he was not one to ever allow himself that emotion. Vulcan had been alive longer than most immortals. No one knew exactly how long. Some said thousands of years. Most would never know. Vulcan played his cards very close to his chest. So why are you with me, ancient one?
“Too bad.” The emotional well-being of his four puppets was not Archimedes’ problem. They were a means to an end. Besides, immortals never broke down as humans did. They just destroyed other immortals to disperse their rage.
“What about Sumerian?”
Archimedes’ smile was thin lipped. He knew what Vulcan was trying to do. He would not allow any perceived weakness of his own to thwart his plan. “It is pointless loving someone you cannot have, Vulcan. I’m sure you know that only too well.” That Vulcan flinched slightly was all Archimedes needed. Everyone had a weakness to exploit.
* * * * *
Decatur kicked a chair across the room. That he was stuck in this position made him madder than hell. He was trapped. He knew it and Archimedes was enjoying every moment of it. “Bastard.”
“You allow him to get to you,” said a deep, knowing voice.
Decatur turned to see the warlock, Amory. He had the ability to appear without a sound. It was unnerving and Decatur knew he should have been more watchful. He never normally let anyone approach him without his knowledge. But then, these were not normal circumstances. They hadn’t been since the war.
It had not surprised Decatur that war had erupted in the immortal realm. But then he was a vampire and very little, if anything, shocked them. Vampires by their very nature were selfish, contained individuals who only did what they wanted when they chose to. They lusted after two things. Blood and sex. The petty factional wars did not concern them. But Decatur expected the war, the chaos and the smell of death. He was ready for it. He took no sides but his own. Then Archimedes came along.
“I will save you,” the man with the glittering,
golden eyes and skin had told him a month ago before war had broken out.
“I don’t need saving, Archimedes.” Everyone in the mortal world knew who he was. He was a skilled manipulator who used and abused anyone who was in a position to aid him in his quest for more power. The problem was, Decatur was neither a team player nor sycophant and he looked to no one for help.
“This war will kill many.”
Death was not an issue Decatur ever contemplated. That happened to others. The Hollywood stake-through-the-heart killing of his kind was as funny as it was incorrect. “I am as immortal as you are.”
“Yes, in theory, but I happen to know that which would kill you, vampire.”
It took every nerve in the vampire’s body not to flinch. “You’re bluffing.” Yet even as he said that Decatur knew by the tone of Archimedes’ words he wasn’t. How did he find out? Only two people knew his weakness. One was dead and the other had sworn a blood oath not to tell anyone. But then everyone had a price. Mortimer clearly had his.
“Yes, it was your friend Mortimer. He expected a lot of gold in payment.” Archimedes nodded his head in confirmation. “Problem for him was his greed was his downfall and some goblins who wanted payback for a crime he had committed on their queen. Sucking and fucking their sovereign lady is a big no-no. They were happy to take half the gold to maim him so terribly that he can never walk or speak again. As for his cock, the goblins have that in a nice little jar in their temple.” Archimedes shivered in mock terror. “Goblins are such nasty little bastards—but useful.”
Yes, they were. Decatur had seen their deadly handiwork on other victims. They liked long, sharp knives that could cut through tendons and sinews leaving their victim alive but wishing they were dead.
Decatur the Vampire Page 3