His release came like a crashing dam that obliterated everything in its course. It broke his defenses, finding him unprepared. For a moment, the extreme pleasure wiped his mind from any thought, leaving him at the mercy of emotions that were too vivid to bear. His heart expanded against his ribcage until he couldn’t breathe, and moisture filled his eyes.
“Lavinia,” he whispered against her lips, rocking against her to soothe the quakes still gripping their bodies. “You are divine.”
Lavinia languidly pushed down on him, her mouth seeking his for a torrid kiss that the water raining on them couldn’t dampen. Trailing her hands over his chest, she explored at leisure, while her tongue danced with his. She stoked his passion, and he obliged her silent request by making love to her again.
Later, he leaned against the stall, smiling at the vixen still in his arms. “We should go downstairs.”
She nodded with a lazy smile, her eyes half-closed. “We made love, and you didn’t bite me,” she said.
“No, I didn’t.” Even in the throes of the overwhelming passion she had awoken in him, Adrian’s foremost preoccupation had been to be careful about not hurting her. “You come first.”
She snuggled in his arms, her head resting against his heart. “Thank you,” she whispered, laying a kiss on his chest.
Adrian walked into the bathroom and covered her with a soft cotton robe before entering the closet.
“I’m sorry I destroyed the clothes you bought for me,” she said.
“They looked nice on you.” He smiled, placing her on top of the dresser in the middle of the closet. “I’ll order another set of that outfit.” Moving to the shelves where he had stacked her new clothes earlier that morning, he picked up another pair of designer jeans and a skirt. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he asked, “Which one do you like better?” He held the two items for her.
“Jeans,” she answered.
Placing the skirt back on the shelf, he grabbed a fluffy white sweater and showed it to her. Before handing her the outfit, he opened the underwear drawer and picked matching underwear. The bra and panties were made of ivory lace that would hug her curves like a fitted glove.
“Put them on so I can strip them off you later tonight,” he said, offering her the change of clothes and underwear. “I’ll wait for you outside.” Grabbing a change for himself, he exited the walk-in-closet.
He dressed, pulling on his trousers over his erection that didn’t seem to abate, even though his release should have taken care of that. When Lavinia entered the bedroom, he couldn’t help but grab his bloodmate by her tiny waist and press her soft body against his.
“Don’t be scared, but I’m not done worshipping you.” He playfully bit her bottom lip, drawing blood to the surface and igniting his need once again. It was torture, and yet, he couldn’t stop.
“I want you too, again,” she said. “Is this normal?” Her hand snuck into his pants.
He moaned, pressing against her touch. “We are bloodmates. Nothing is normal about us, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“You make me feel… whole.” Lavinia seemed to hesitate a moment before adding, “I’ve never been with anyone like you.”
“My supersized ego thanks you, while my insane jealousy would demand the names of your past lovers so that I can kill any man who touched you,” he said, only half-jokingly.
“Should I ask for your lovers then?” Lavinia asked, a naughty smile illuminating her face.
“Touché.” Adrian skimmed the sweater with a light touch that revealed her nipples straining against the soft knit. “I will settle for tearing that sexy little piece from your inviting curves on the first occasion.”
She shivered against his hand as she gently caressed him over his pants. He eyed the bed behind Lavinia and started to back her against its frame, only to remember that Mark was downstairs.
28
Lavinia followed Adrian into the hallway, but her addled thoughts remained in the bedroom.
Even after the erotic encounters she had experienced, the intensity of her attraction to him hadn’t lessened one bit. Her sexual fantasies had never even come close to what had happened in that shower stall. Adrian’s sensual mastery was all-encompassing. He had played her body like an instrument and made her sing in ecstasy. She wasn’t a virgin but had felt like one in his hands because her past relations couldn’t compare with the pleasure he had coaxed in her.
As they descended the stairs, she couldn’t help but hope that the detective would disappear soon and with him the rest of the world, as well. Her only desire at the moment was to give Adrian what he wanted the most: her blood. She was willing to risk everything for him, because never in her life had she ever felt so at peace.
She pulled at his hand, making him stop at the first-floor landing. “I’m ready,” she said, locking her eyes with his. “I want you to feed from me.”
Adrian’s beautiful eyes darkened, his hold on her tightening. “Are you sure?” he asked after studying her for a moment.
“I want to be yours in every way.”
“My love,” he whispered, opening his arms to her.
She entered his embrace, and he immediately cocooned her in a strong hug.
Incoming voices ruined the moment, and Adrian sighed. “It’ll have to wait,” he said, dropping a kiss on her crown.
“Adrian,” Detective Lane called from the foot of the stairwell. “I’ve just finished talking to Collins—”
“His boss,” Adrian told Lavinia.
“And we need to talk,” the detective said with a dark grimace.
As they entered the foyer, it became clear that while she and Adrian had their passionate interlude upstairs, Lane had been hard at work. A crew of supernatural paramedics had almost finished removing the bodies, and the cleaners were already disinfecting the area. The smell of ammonia was strong. Even with all the windows open, it wouldn’t go away for hours, maybe days.
The detective motioned for them to follow him into the living room to the right of the foyer. Adrian and Lane waited for Lavinia to sit before they did. It was well-known that vampires were old-school and gallant, but it still surprised Lavinia that they treated her like a lady from a Regency novel. She couldn’t deny that it was a pleasant experience, though, and it somehow lessened the seriousness of the circumstance.
“Start from the beginning,” Adrian sat next to Lavinia on the antique settee she had chosen. Adjusting his long legs in front of him, he draped his arm over her shoulders in a possessive gesture.
“The reason I came earlier is that we found one of Carolina’s boyfriends,” Lane said. “The vampire.”
“So, it was true.” Lavinia still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that her friend had a secret life. Maybe, if she had confided in Carolina and told her she was a werewolf, her friend could still be alive.
Lane nodded. “His name is Pietro Neri, and he is a young vampire. He was out of town when Carolina was killed and contacted the Directive as soon as he knew about her death.”
“What about the werewolf?” Adrian asked, his fingers slowly caressing her shoulder. “Does Neri know him?”
“Yes, he does. The shifter’s name is Antonio Zonin. Neri, Carolina, and Antonio were in a relationship—”
Lavinia could barely believe her ears. “She was with the werewolf and the vampire at the same time?”
“They had been together for almost three years. Neri was already Zonin’s lover when they met Carolina, and he told him that they both fell in love with her and decided to propose a ménage. From what he says, they were happy and kept their relationship a secret because Carolina was mortal. And I assume that she wouldn’t have spoken to anyone else about her boyfriends in any case. Lately, Neri and Zonin were scared that extremist groups could target her and were trying to convince her to move, but Carolina didn’t want to leave Rome.”
Adrian’s gentle touch anchored Lavinia to the present, but as she listened to the tale unfold, she
wondered, once again, if she could have done something to save Carolina. The sinking feeling hurt like a physical blow to her heart. “I should have talked to her. She must have felt all alone with a secret so big—”
“Did she look worried in the last days before her death?” Lane asked.
“She worked and studied. She was tired,” Lavinia said. “And she had this other life—” Lavinia couldn’t even imagine the strain Carolina must have been under.
“Can we talk to Zonin?” Adrian asked.
“And that’s where Collins comes in,” Lane answered. “He called me to let me know that the body of a werewolf with the same build of Zonin was dragged out of the Tiber River an hour ago. From the state of the corpse, the man was killed the same day Carolina died.”
“How was Zonin killed?” Lavinia asked.
“The Directive’s coroner is working on the corpse as we speak,” Lane answered. “Collins was notified because he’s leading a case about a series of racial murders, and the victim presented slash wounds that are consistent with the werewolf attacks in London and New York.”
“This is not the doing of one or two deranged individuals.” Adrian’s hand on Lavinia’s shoulder stilled before he pulled her closer to his side. “We are talking about purist gangs sowing terror in several cities. I can’t believe that in this day and age we are still fighting against bigotry and racism.”
“In the last few years, hate crimes have more than doubled,” Lane said, his voice tired. His cell phone chimed, and he said, “It’s the coroner.” Excusing himself, he stepped out of the room to take the call.
“This is a nightmare,” Lavinia said, turning to face Adrian.
“We’re leaving tonight.” He leaned closer to brush her lips.
“Where to?”
“I own an island in Greece,” he said. “You’ll be safe there.”
“You own an island in Greece,” Lavinia repeated.
“It’s a small one. It doesn’t appear in any large-scale map,” Adrian amended as if it made any difference to her.
Lavinia’s head had been spinning since the night before when Adrian had first touched her at the ball, and it would seem that there would be no respite from the number of surprises still in store for her.
“I need to tell my parents what’s happening,” she said, feeling like she’d landed in a dream that changed from nightmare to fairytale every few minutes.
29
Adrian wanted nothing more than to spirit Lavinia away to his island retreat, but they couldn’t simply disappear.
When Mark came back, his face was even grimmer than it had been when he’d taken the coroner’s call. “It’s confirmed that Zonin died a few hours after Carolina did. A werewolf killed him, and his assassin belongs to the same clan as your attackers,” he said. “Under Zonin’s finger were found traces of a red leather dye that is used on the biker jackets the Caliban Clan wears. The first werewolf who broke into your house yesterday owned one, and the ones who came tonight wore similar jackets. The people who are responsible for Zonin’s murder are the same who are after Lavinia. And Carolina’s death is connected to Zonin’s.”
“Oh, Carolina—” Lavinia whispered, looking at Adrian.
“The punctures on her throat pointed at a vampire, and that’s why I was called to work on this case at first.” Mark caressed his jaw. “According to the coroner’s autopsy, though, the wounds on her back killed her.”
Lavinia shivered against Adrian, and he caressed her back, trying to soothe her anguish. “There’s no need for the details,” he said, giving Mark a pointed look.
Mark nodded. “I apologize, Lavinia.”
“I want to know,” she said. “When you came to my apartment, you showed me Carolina’s picture but didn’t tell me exactly how she had died.”
“You looked very shaken—” Mark started.
Adrian remembered what Lavinia had told him and said, “You used glamour on my bloodmate.”
“I know your stand on the moral issue—” Mark raised one hand. “But, before you crucify me, it’s standard procedure. Lavinia was distressed, and I needed information when the case was still hot. I only applied the smallest nudge to calm her, nothing more.”
Adrian still wanted to punch his friend for it, and for the fact that he kept calling his bloodmate by her given name. It was true, though, that vampires frequently used glamour. Sometimes, they did so for good reasons. Adrian was the odd one out who didn’t like to influence people unless strictly necessary. At least, Mark didn’t abuse his power as other vampires did.
“I want to know,” Lavinia repeated, placing her hand on Adrian’s thigh and squeezing softly. “There’s no need to keep me in the dark.”
“I know you are very strong, my courageous wolf,” Adrian said, leaning closer to her. “I just want to spare you unnecessary pain.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said to him before turning to Mark.
Adrian didn’t like the idea of exposing Lavinia to the terrible details behind her roommate’s death, but he nodded, brushing her head with a small kiss.
Mark passed his hand over his face before resuming his tale. “Carolina’s killer attacked her from behind, clawing her back several times. She bled profusely and died. The assassin moved her body behind the pub later. That would be a first for the serial killer I’ve been chasing all over Europe. Then we discovered about her relationship with Neri and Zonin, and her death doesn’t fit with the assassin’s modus operandi any longer. His victims are strictly mortals, who never had contacts with the supernatural.”
Cold to the touch, Lavinia shook like a leaf.
“I’m sorry—” Mark said.
“I’m taking Lavinia away from Rome for a few days,” Adrian said, cutting his friend.
“Where to?” Mark asked.
“My island in Greece.”
Mark gave him a tired look, caressing his jaw. “Collins might want to question La… your bloodmate.”
“I wasn’t asking.” Adrian stood. “Just informing you because cell phones have little or no reception on the island.”
“And if I have to communicate with you urgently?” Mark asked, standing as well.
“I’ll keep the cell phone where there is signal,” Adrian answered. “We’ll be around for another hour or two in case you need me.” Offering Lavinia his hand, he helped her up.
He took Lavinia upstairs to the master bedroom and let his friend deal with the Directive minions.
“We pack light,” he said, grabbing one of his leather carry-on luggage and opening it onto the bed. “We can buy more clothes in Athens if needed.”
Lavinia went into the walk-in-closet and started selecting a few items.
“There’s space for more of those,” he commented when she opened the lingerie drawer and picked up a black matching set of bra and thong. Moving to her side, he sank his hand into the drawer and grabbed as many as he could. “Take the rest. You’ll need them.” He intended to see her in and out of all of those flimsy laces as soon as possible.
They filled the luggage with a few more essentials and were about to leave the bedroom when Lavinia’s stomach rumbled out loud.
“I am a terrible mate,” Adrian said, taking her in his arms for a sweet kiss as she blushed a deep red. “I ordered that big breakfast and never let you eat any of it.” He whipped out his cell phone and called his PA. “Sue, send over a meal—” Placing a hand over the speaker, he asked Lavinia, “What would you like to eat?”
She shrugged. “Pizza’s fine.”
“Do you have a favorite type of pizza?”
“I like everything.”
“Sue, order four trays of pizza from the best pizzeria in Rome. Assorted types.” He hung up and smiled at Lavinia. “Lunch will be here soon.”
“Thank you, but maybe four trays are a bit too much.” She chuckled.
“Is it?” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I have no idea how much a werewolf eats.”
“More than a mortal
for sure, but I am on the smaller side.”
“You didn’t look so small when you were fighting.” Adrian guided her to the bed and lay down with her on the mattress, blanketing her with his body. He kept his weight off her, hoisting himself up on his bent elbow. “In fact, you looked bigger than those mutts.” His free hand slowly traveled across her sweater, stretching the wool, and revealing what lay underneath. He traced the contour of the laces crossing the swell of her breasts, which evoked bondage fantasies, and made him wonder if Lavinia would be amenable to try something different.
“Such a treat for the senses,” he whispered against her nipple, which he had pinched to a peak.
The hard nub strained against the lace of the bra and the sweater, demanding more attention, which he promptly gave. After caressing her soft stomach, he dipped lower, over her panties. Then, rather than go any further, he pulled and released the waistband of the lace panties, making her moan.
His cell phone chimed, announcing that a text had just arrived and reminding Adrian that his bloodmate was still fasting. “Pizza’s here.”
30
Lavinia was famished. In the excitement of the last day, she had forgone food, and now the mere idea of pizza made her drool.
The detective approached them as they reached the first-floor landing. “I’ve directed the delivery boy to the kitchen,” he said, motioning for a cleaner to administer more chemicals on a stain on the floor.
“Go ahead,” Adrian told her as he paused to talk to his friend.
She found the four trays of pizza waiting for her on the kitchen countertop where Adrian had earlier placed the breakfast food, now cold and unappealing. On the other hand, the pizza smelled divine, and the trays sat on a hot plate. Only after the third piece did she slow to savor the wholesome ingredients and the perfect texture of the artisanal pizza Adrian, or rather, his PA, had ordered.
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