“I don’t know how to tell,” she moaned, losing herself in the rioting sensations rocketing through her. When he pulled back, she let out a long, low whine. Then he slid one hand up into her hair to cup the base of her skull, and moved the other around to the juncture where her back met her behind. He spread his long fingers out wide to push her flush against him.
“Let me show you,” he affirmed. He captured her lips in a soul-searing kiss. Her mind blanked, sending her spiraling uncontrollably down into the encompassing embrace of desire.
She slid her hands from his shoulders, down his chest, as he moved his hand on her back upward to the clasp of her bra. He tilted her head to the side, giving him deeper access to the tantalizing depths of her hot mouth. With one swift fluid motion, he unhooked the slip of material holding her breasts bound. It shimmied down her arms to wind around her hands, which now rested on his lap. She dug her nimble fingers into the heavy leather strip securing his jeans to his hips.
After pulling the belt open, Kaelyn violently whipped it from the loops of Tyrian’s pants, and tossed both it and her bra across the room. He broke the connection between their lips, and took a couple of deep, heaving breaths as he stared into her eyes with a look of pure, unbridled passion. He slowly leaned forward, and she moved with him, making quick work of flicking open the buttons holding his jeans closed. She lay back amidst the downy covers as his delicious weight settled down over her.
He rolled his hips forward, dragging the roughly clothed length of his rigid erection against the moist heat of her center. Pleasure lanced through her, bowing her back, and bringing her naked breasts into tight contact with his own bare chest. Her overly sensitive peaks raked roughly against his skin, shooting another wave of torturous bliss through her. She would never be able to survive this, the barest brush of his skin against hers drowned her in ecstasy.
She dug the sharp points of her teeth into the flesh of her lip, hoping the sharp pain would bring her some semblance of sanity. In fact, it did the exact opposite, ratcheting the pleasure even higher. When Tyrian’s hot mouth claimed purchase of one rosy nipple, she screamed brokenly to the ceiling.
She couldn’t keep still, but undulated beneath him with every rocking thrust of his hips against hers. Good God, he hadn’t even entered her yet! Finding that unacceptable, she lifted her knees, ran her bare feet over the backs of his denim-clad legs, and hooked her toes in the waistband of his jeans. Already unclasped, when she dragged them down, they came away easily.
Tyrian scissored his legs to toss the material onto the floor. Nothing remained between them now except Kaelyn’s flimsy black boy shorts. She reached down to tear them off, but Tyrian suddenly captured her hands, and drew them up to tangle with her splayed chestnut locks. He held her wrists firmly, yet gently, his face close enough to touch their noses together, but frustratingly too far away for her to capture his lips.
He held her gaze, a clear warning in his eyes to leave her hands exactly where he had put them. Then he suddenly started to pull away, and she widened her shocked hazel eyes and let out a frustrated whine.
Oh, hell no.
Dark amusement colored Tyrian’s handsome features, and she almost huffed with fury that he would even joke about leaving her in her current condition. He turned an unyielding gaze to her, though. Whatever his intentions, he clearly expected her to abide by his wishes. She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought of his ridiculous games. But then he suddenly surged forward, and dragged the entire length of his naked body against her in a full frontal assault on her senses. A battle that he quickly won.
He pulled back just enough to stare into her listless eyes. Then he released her, and slid his palms down the length of her arms, leaving behind a paralyzing trail of electric heat. She couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to. He continued his torturous descent: hands, lips, teeth, tongue, all waged war on her frazzled nerves. She found it increasingly hard to breathe; the anticipation left her feeling cold and clammy, and a fine sheen of sweat broke out across her skin.
She felt feverish, her stomach twisting in knots, muscles clenching in expectation of what, she didn’t know. She bit her wounded lip, refusing to watch, choosing instead to open herself fully to the feeling of Tyrian sliding languorously down her body. When he finally hooked his fingers in the edges of her undergarments, dragging them down her legs with deliberate slowness, she gritted her teeth to hold back a strangled moan.
The boy shorts hit the floor. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath until it suddenly left her lungs in a great whoosh of air. Tyrian gripped her knees with his large hands, spreading them wide. She snapped her head back, and could not contain the strangled moan this time. It wrenched forth from her mouth when he firmly dragged his hot tongue over her center.
The inevitable completion of Tyrian’s pleasure games spurred Kaelyn’s frozen limbs into action. He shot one hand down to tangle in the dark locks between her legs, as he gripped her breast with his other hand. She rocked into his mouth, and he moaned against her, sending shockwaves ricocheting through every fractured nerve ending in her body. The sliding of his tongue within her pitched her over the edge, and she crashed with a broken sob. Her limbs twitching, she struggled to catch her breath as she came down from her peak.
* * * *
Tyrian rested his forehead against Kaelyn’s lower abdomen, and struggled to regain his composure. He had felt her orgasm almost as clearly as he would his own. He’d opened himself to the connection they shared through their bond, and it had nearly undone him. His chest heaving, he rode out the waves of shared pleasure he still felt coursing through her.
He lifted his head and locked his eyes with hers; he saw a desperation in their depths that he understood all too well. Now painfully hard, he had gone nearly mad with the need for his blood-bonded mate. His mouth went dry with the realization that he had come within one swift stroke of consummating their union. The need to possess the woman beneath him in every way possible suddenly overcame him.
Tyrian hooked his elbows under Kaelyn’s knees, and pulled them with him as he rose up the length of her body. He lifted his face right above hers, locked his gaze to her hazel eyes, and finally slid home. An unmistakable look of complete euphoria flashed behind her expressive eyes, mirroring the sensation that encompassed him at their joining.
He kept their gazes locked as he pulled back gently, then shifted slightly to the left before sliding back in. The altered angle brought forth a new wave of pleasure that he relished through their bond. He drank in the sight of her widened eyes and her full, pink lips, parted to draw in a sharp breath. He rocked against her, hitting that hypersensitive spot inside with every downward stroke. He kept his pace just slow enough to gently fan the flames within both of them, but sufficiently fast to keep them dangling right on the edge of completion.
Tyrian released Kaelyn’s legs, and propped himself up on his forearms for greater leverage. He adjusted his aim, lowering his hips on the outward stroke and lifting on the upward thrust, which slid him even deeper inside of her. She panted her pleasure, and clawed for purchase on the wide expanse of his back at the intensity of his pace.
He rested his forehead against hers and persistently held her eyes with his own, watching her every expression intently with every move he made in and out of her body. He struggled to describe the vision she made for him: flushed, lightly bronzed skin; full, pink lips parted with panting breaths; hooded hazel eyes alit with emblazoned passion that shone only for him. Emotion welled up within him as he drank in her features, shrouded in pleasure.
He had reached his limit, entirely consumed by the moment, and the insistent pull of her inner walls encompassing him. She dragged him, unwilling, over the edge; a ragged gasp escaped his dry, cracked lips as he shattered apart in her arms. A strangled scream barely registered in the haze around his mind, signaling Kaelyn’s own release from her fractured pleasure. He trembled in the wake of such a powerful experience,
entirely spent, and filled with a soul-deep exhaustion.
He hadn’t slept for more than a couple of hours in weeks, and his body finally seemed ready to remind him of that. Using the last of his waning strength, he flopped onto his side to avoid crushing his mate upon his inevitable collapse. She curled into his chest, and wrapped her slender arm around his back. He managed to wrap his own arm around her before succumbing to the darkness of much-needed sleep.
* * * *
A dejected sigh escaped Kaelyn’s lips as she turned what seemed like the hundredth corner in the ridiculously large castle. She’d been wandering through the castle for the better part of an hour. Her stomach had awoken her, dragging her from the warm comfort of her sleeping mate’s embrace, and out into the wide expanse of never-ending hallways. She’d roamed the halls for so long now that it seemed she would never find her way back, a thought that was even more discouraging than the persistent, clawing hunger in her gut.
Suddenly, one of the most delicious scents she’d ever smelled enveloped her senses. She followed her nose to a large glass door in the middle of an open corridor. After placing both hands on the slick, warm surface, she gently pushed, eyes wide in anticipation. The door slowly slid inward. She peered into the room, and the smell she’d followed assaulted her senses tenfold, drawing a rumbling growl from her empty stomach.
Kaelyn took a moment to compose herself, swallowed heavily, and scanned the room. She recognized it as a large dining room, with a long, dark glass table centered in the middle, and several tall chairs evenly spaced around the edges. Not a soul occupied the room; in fact, she hadn’t encountered a single person the entire time she’d wandered the halls. She would have wondered where everyone had gone, but she was grateful for their absence. She wasn’t eager to discuss her identity or what she was doing there—wherever this place was.
After taking a hesitant step into the room, she quickly slid the door closed with her back. Then she glanced to the left, seeking out where that delightful scent wafted up from. Gliding across the floor, she gently avoided the edge of the table and chairs, and brought her thumb up between her teeth. She stopped in front of a large, covered serving platter, and inhaled. The delicious scent saturated her, and her eyes rolled back in her head. After sliding her eyes back open, she cautiously reached out and grasped the edges of the glass lid. She carefully lifted it before setting the lid aside.
She’d expected a steaming platter of some richly roasted animal, but instead, the opposite greeted her. It almost resembled Japanese sashimi, thinly-sliced strips of brightly colored raw meats lightly drizzled with a translucent amber glaze. After failing to find utensils, she gently bit her lip, reached out, and pinched her fingers around the edge of one fleshy piece. She lifted it to her mouth, and closed her lips around it.
Flavor exploded through her taste buds. To her delight, she discovered that it tasted as heavenly as it smelled. She rolled the meat around with her tongue and bit down, then moaned at the burst of flavor that spilled out from the center and coated the inside of her mouth in a honeyed sweetness. She let her head fall back on her shoulders, swallowed, and lamented the sudden absence of her new favorite food.
She reached out to grab another, and closed her fingers over her prize right before a voice sounded out behind her.
“I take it you enjoy the confections we had prepared for you.”
Kaelyn jumped, and dropped the piece. Then she snatched her hand back from the platter, spun around on the balls of her feet, and stared wide-eyed at the Vampire behind her. She recognized him immediately as the one she’d healed on the battlefield with her newfound Medium ability. His violet eyes mirthful, he stared back at her from across the wide dining table. She swallowed heavily, and regarded him carefully as he made his way around the edge of the table to stand next to her.
“You do not need to be so tense, young one,” the Vampire said, his expression open and welcoming.
Kaelyn’s nerves quietly settled, and she relaxed, folding her hands in front of her before responding, “Sorry, you just startled me.”
He gave her a wide, closed-lip smile, his aged face lightening as he nodded. Gesturing to the full platter, he asked, “Will you not have some more? I am sure you are positively famished after your ordeal.”
Kaelyn smiling back timidly and turned, her motions a bit jerky, and hesitantly reached out to pick up the piece she’d dropped. She placed the small slice of heaven in her mouth, and watched through her peripheral vision as the Vampire turned and gestured to three more Vampires who entered from the opposite side of the room.
An older female carried two flat, lightly colored dishes. Kaelyn was taken aback slightly, as she had only seen objects made out of the black glass material surrounding her. One younger boy lay soft, leather place settings on the table, while another placed two clear glasses on the place settings. He poured a translucent purple liquid into both glasses, before following the other two back out of the room.
The old Vampire in front of her held out one of the plates to her, and she slowly took it with an appreciative nod.
“Please, have as much as you’d like,” he offered, gesturing with an open, upturned palm to the platter of food.
Kaelyn hesitated, sliding her cautious gaze from the Vampire at her side to the plate of delicious meats. She quickly selected two of each, turned, and took one of the decorated seats at the table. He joined her soon afterward, placing his own plate on the place setting and sitting in the open seat next to her. Following his lead, she lifted another slice to her lips and deposited it into her mouth, chewing slowly to savor every flavor before swallowing.
After stealing a glance over at her dining companion, she suddenly blurted out, “Who are you?”
The Vampire stilled his movements and sat back in his chair, his violet gaze capturing hers. He replied deliberately, “I am El’on, head of the royal house of ’On, and perhaps most importantly, your uncle.”
Kaelyn turned her eyes downward at the mention of their relation, the reminder bringing up the memory of her brief encounter with her estranged, and now deceased, father. Suddenly, her hunger vanished.
“I have upset you,” El’on observed softly. His eyes fell to the table.
“I met him,” she whispered into her lap, knowing that he would hear her and somehow understand. “He tried to get Caleb and me out of the mines. Cynric found us, and he killed him...right in front of us. It’s my fault.”
Kaelyn managed to keep her voice steady through her admission, her face remaining a stony mask of controlled grief. She hadn’t wanted to rehash this with anyone, least of all her father’s brother.
One long-fingered pale hand grasped hers in her lap. She turned her despondent gaze to her uncle, and gasped softly at the look of resoluteness shining in his vibrantly colored eyes.
“My dear, you are not at fault. I am so sorry for what you were made to witness,” he told her in a remorseful voice. She found herself drawing some kind of comfort from him.
“Thank you.” She could not bring herself to offer him a smile, but managed a small nod of appreciation instead.
El’on patted Kaelyn’s hands, and a small, somber smile graced his lips. “Deq knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to work for the Devil. He understood the risks involved, and perhaps even welcomed them. Your father was damaged. He spent his entire life on the battlefield. You can imagine what toll that sort of life can take on someone’s soul. In the end, I truly believe he would only have found peace in death. Do not mourn him, child; he would not want that. To die fighting for what you believe in is an honor those of our race are rarely afforded. Deq’on’s sacrifice will forever be remembered as such.”
He stood, and stared at something etched into the glass wall. She could not make out the symbols, though they seemed to resemble her birthmark. El’on blinked and lowered his gaze, turned back around, and retook his seat.
“You have come into a very large family; would you like to meet them?�
�� he asked.
Apprehension seized Kaelyn, and she found herself staring at El’on’s face as he laughed, the sound of his mirth almost roaring in the tall glass room.
“You do not need to look so frightened, my dear,” El’on managed out through bouts of laughter. “We are not going to eat you.”
Kaelyn shook her head, and smiled softly to herself. “I don’t know if I’m in any shape to be introducing myself to my long-lost Vampire family, no offense.”
El’on heaved a sigh, and nodded deeply. “The choice is yours, of course. We will not push you into anything you are not ready for.”
Suspicion clawed at Kaelyn. “Is that why I haven’t seen any people around here? You’ve had them avoiding me?”
El’on grinned sheepishly. “Not avoiding, maintaining a respectful distance. Everyone wanted you to be as comfortable as possible.”
Kaelyn raised an eyebrow, and popped another piece of meat into her mouth. As she slowly chewed and swallowed, she held the old Vampire in a sidelong, knowing glare. “Because I saved the life of their king?” she inquired in a light, playful tone.
El’on laughed, seeming to take the teasing query in stride. “Because you saved any of them from having to take over the job,” he jokingly replied, his violet eyes dancing.
Kaelyn couldn’t help but smile, finding herself irrevocably drawn to his infectiously good-natured attitude. “So what happens now?” She glanced down at her still full plate.
“Now, I think, you return home,” El’on replied solemnly. He lowered his eyes to her plate as well.
She looked up suddenly, and blurted out sharply, “Can I—?”
As if knowing what she had tried to ask, El’on smiled warmly and nodded. “You may return here whenever you wish, Kaelyn.”
Smiling genially back at the aged Vampire king, she softly replied, “I’d like that.”
Immortal Sleepers Page 24