License to Bite

by Carrie Pulkinen

  “Honestly, gentlemen, Ethan did us all a favor,” Jane said. “The state of Louisiana wouldn’t want to have the blood of the Texas Governor’s daughter on its hands. Imagine the drama that would have caused. The humans owe you one now, if you ask me.”

  “Go on.” The Magistrate leaned forward.

  “You’ve got a bargaining chip now, one you can use with both Louisiana and Texas. I absolutely love being a vampire, so the next time one of ours gets into a tiff with the humans, you can remind them that you saved my life, and I’m thankful for it. I know my father. He’d rather have me around as a vampire than buried six feet under.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Ethan asked in Jane’s mind.

  “Absolutely, and I’ll tell him everything when the time is right. You’ll see.”

  Ethan watched in awe as Jane schmoozed the men in the room—all but Watson, of course—convincing them Ethan’s turning her hadn’t broken a law he wasn’t even aware existed. By the time she finished her speech, they were all nodding in agreement.

  The Magistrate rapped his gavel on the table in front of him. “Ethan Devereaux, you are acquitted of all charges and are to be commended for your efforts to save this woman’s life.”

  The constable shot to his feet. “Preposterous! What’s next? Will you allow someone to turn the President? I cannot let this go unpunished.”

  “You have no authority here.” The Magistrate’s pupils narrowed to slits, his irises glowing red. “You’re nothing but a messenger for the Emperor of the SWO, who allows his Magistrates to interpret the laws and hand out punishment as they see fit.”

  Watson sank into his baby throne. “She should at least be sent back to Texas where she belongs. This coven doesn’t need to stir up any more issues with the humans.”

  “You want me here, Magistrate.” Jane turned on the charm. “Think of it. The Governor’s daughter, a vampire, willingly living in Louisiana. I could be a liaison…a bridge between the states as well as the human and vampire governments.” She flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to supernatural New Orleans.”

  Ethan tensed, waiting for the Magistrate to unleash his wrath at her statement, but the man simply nodded, his lips curving as he considered her words.

  “You may be right, young lady.” The old man winked—actually winked—at Ethan. “I like her.”

  “You have good reason to, sir.” He clasped his hands behind his back and let Jane continue her magic.

  “I have a few ideas I’d like to run by you while I have your ear, sir.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “But I’d rather not discuss it in front of outsiders.” She nodded toward the constable.

  “Give us the room, Watson,” the Magistrate said.

  “But—”

  “I said leave.” He hissed as Watson cinched his coat closed and scurried out the door. “Good call getting rid of the weasel, Ms. Anderson. He was getting on my nerves.”

  Her smile could have lit an entire city block. She went on to propose an idea for a nightclub where patrons paid a cover charge to be bitten by vampires. “Everyone knows there are vampires in New Orleans, but most people—myself included, until I met Ethan—think they’re just humans with a few screws loose who like to play pretend and drink real blood.”

  She shuddered. “Of course, our vampires will be the real deal, and they can use their glamour to make it a pleasant…possibly erotic…experience for the donors. I haven’t worked out all the details, but people will be lined up around the block to experience a bit of the darker side of the Big Easy.”

  The idea made sense, but when had she thought all this up? It was the first Ethan had heard of it.

  “I’m happy to oversee the operations…behind the scenes. I know how to throw a party. Think of all the revenue it would bring in. You’d have more bargaining power with the humans and…whoever else you bargain with.”

  “It’s a fabulous idea.” The Magistrate clapped his hands. “Your new subject is proving herself indispensable, Mr. Devereaux. Good choice.”

  “Thank you, sir. She is pretty amazing.”

  “Wonderful. Oh, Ms. Anderson, since you’re here, would you like to test for your biter’s license and save yourself a trip? It’s the least I can offer for your advantageous ideas.”

  She pressed her lips together and looked at Ethan. He lifted his brow and spoke in her mind: “Turn the charm back on, princess. They’ve been staking people for this for weeks already.”

  Straightening her spine, she lifted her chin and explained her issue with blood. “I’m sure if Ethan had known, he wouldn’t have turned me, but he didn’t, so here we are. I have plenty of income to buy what I need from your bank, so I’ll be contributing to society monetarily. But there’s simply no way I could bite a person, Your Honor. Not anytime soon. Would you be so kind as to give me an extension on my permit?”

  The Magistrate steepled his fingers, glancing about the room as if making sure Watson didn’t sneak back inside. “Three weeks, just to spite that little shit, and you mention this to no one. If word gets out that I’ve gone soft on you, that weasel will report me to the SWO and have me removed.”

  “Thank you, sir. I won’t utter a word of it. New Orleans is lucky to have you as a leader, and I would never do anything to jeopardize your position.” She glanced over her shoulder at Ethan and winked.

  The Magistrate nodded. “This city has thrived under my rule for the last hundred years. Then that weasel Watson shows up with his Supernatural World Order mandates, and all hell breaks loose. He’s staked four of my people already.”

  She gasped, placing a hand on her chest. “A tragedy.”

  “Indeed.”

  Wow. This two-week-dead vampire was talking with the Magistrate like they were old friends. The Magistrate. The man who struck fear into the hearts of every vampire in the city…except for maybe Gaston. He was too drunk to be afraid. Never in Ethan’s twenty-five years as a vampire had he seen someone take command with her superiors like this.

  She was fierce, intelligent, incredibly savvy, and insanely beautiful on top of it all. Vlad had stood up and taken notice. It was time Ethan did too.

  The Magistrate dismissed them, and as they exited the coven headquarters, thunder clapped from above. A static charge built in the air, and ominous dark clouds gathered in the night sky.

  His elation at their—at Jane’s—accomplishment quickly tumbled into darkness, his mood growing grimmer than the brothers themselves. They had to get home, out of the storm.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jane followed Ethan up the front steps and waited as he unlocked the door. He’d been quiet on the way home, nervously glancing at the sky as if he were afraid it would open up and swallow him whole. No doubt, he was in shock at the way she’d handled the Council tonight. He’d doubted her, but Jane had grown up in politics; she knew how to stroke egos. Vampires were no different than men in that arena.

  He fumbled with the key, dropping it on the porch and cursing before picking it up and jabbing it into the lock.

  “Are you okay?” She put her hand on his arm, and he tensed.

  “Yeah. Just want to get inside before the rain starts.”

  She laughed. “Don’t tell me we’ll melt. That’s just witches, right?”

  Lightning flashed in the distance, and thunder boomed as he threw the door open and marched inside. “No one melts in the rain, Jane.”

  She ignored his irritated tone and followed him into the living room as rain fell from the sky. “We were brilliant in there tonight. What did you think about my idea for the vampire bar? I came up with it on the fly, but I think it could really work. I won’t be able to travel for my blog much, so I’ll need to supplement my income. I could totally run a night club, as long as I don’t have to watch anyone actually biting people. I’d call the evening a success, wouldn’t you?”

  His hands curled into fists like they always did when he wasn’t happy—which
was often. “You only got a three-week extension on your permit. You still have to get over your aversion to blood.”

  “Oh, pish.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll get it extended indefinitely. I didn’t want to push too far tonight. Don’t worry.”

  “Whatever you say.” He flipped the switch to close the light-blocking blinds and plopped onto the sofa, his expression going from grim to confused and back again.

  She turned the switch back up, raising the blinds. “Sunrise isn’t for another three hours. Let’s enjoy the storm.”

  “I do not enjoy storms.” He shot to his feet and hit the switch again, sending the blinds back down.

  “What’s not to love about them? The energy in the air alone is fantastic, and I adore the sound of rain falling on the roof, rapping against the windows. It’s so relaxing.” She waited for him to step away from the switch before she hit it again.

  “This is my house, and I want them closed,” he growled before tapping the switch and covering it with his hand.

  “Oh, wow.” Jane raised her hands. “I see how it is. It’s your house, and you want the blinds that I had installed closed. The blinds you wouldn’t even have if it weren’t for me.”

  His eyes softened. “Look, Jane, it’s been a long and tedious night. Can we not do this right now?”

  She crossed her arms. “Not do what? Talk about the fact that I saved your ass tonight, and you won’t even let me listen to the rain?”

  “I just need some peace and quiet.”

  What the hell was his problem? “Oh, I’ll give you peace and quiet. If you want to live your death like your stuffy, dusty, boring old attic, you go right ahead…but I don’t want any part of it.” She flung open the door.

  He sighed, resigned. “Where are you going, Jane?”

  “To dance in the rain.” She marched outside and slammed the door behind her.

  Peace. That man wouldn’t know peace if it bit him on his cold, hard, very enticing, undead ass. And to think she’d actually allowed herself to fall for him, to like his uptight personality. You’ve gone insane, Jane. That’s all there is to it. Becoming a vampire has corrupted your mind.

  No more. She strutted onto the sidewalk, letting the downpour soak her to the bone. Tilting her head toward the sky, she closed her eyes and just felt. The fat droplets splattered on her cheeks and rolled down the contours of her face before sliding onto her neck, washing away her worries, as her mother liked to say.

  The thought warmed her soul. Her fondest memory of her mom was dancing in the rain when she was five years old, splashing in the puddles and not having a care in the world. Mr. Broody McBroody Pants wasn’t the only one who’d lost a loved one. Even after her mother passed, Jane still enjoyed a good thunderstorm, because it reminded her of simpler times. Of love and laughter.

  Something she’d never get from Ethan Devereaux. She’d have to inform Gaston that the stake wedged up Ethan’s ass had become a permanent fixture. She’d managed to wiggle it loose, but he seemed to like it right where it was. Another meeting with the Magistrate was in order. If she could get them to extend her biter’s permit indefinitely, maybe she could get them to free her from Edward Cullen too. This vampire gig was easy peasy. She didn’t need a mentor.

  The front door opened, and Ethan appeared in the doorway. He hesitated there, looking up at the sky, shaking his head slightly. Jane ignored him and held her arms out to her sides, spinning in a circle before kicking her boot through a puddle, sending muddy water splashing across the walk in a wave.

  He leaned against the door jamb, silently watching her until the weight of his gaze became too much to bear. She stopped her dance, parking her hands on her hips and returning the stare. He didn’t budge, didn’t open his mouth to speak, but if he wanted a standoff, he’d better have his big boy britches on. Jane was the queen of the silent treatment, believe it or not.

  She moistened her lips and cocked a brow as his gaze fell to her mouth. His lips twitched before he pressed them together hard and looked into her eyes.

  “It was storming the night Vanessa died. Rain has put me in a bad mood ever since.” His eyes held pain and guilt, and her heart softened into mush.

  “It’s been twenty-five years. It’s time to stop beating yourself up over it.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” He uncrossed his arms and let his hands dangle at his sides. No fists. “I’m ready to move on.”

  “Prove it. Come dance with me.”

  “Jane…”

  “I’m a master of words, Ethan, and they go a long way. But real emotional connections between people happen because of actions. You can’t change the past, but you can decide, right now, to change your future.”

  “It’s forty degrees outside. If you were human, you’d be freezing.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing someone turned me into a vampire.” She held out her arms. “Dance with me.”

  His lips curved into a half-smile, and he stepped off the porch into the rain. “There’s no music.”

  Thunder clapped in the distance, and she took his left hand in her right, resting her other hand on his shoulder. “Nature is its own symphony.”

  They swayed softly, and she inched closer as he slid his arm tighter around her waist. “Tip your head back,” she said, and he obeyed. “Let the rain wash away your guilt, your pain. Make the decision to let it all go and be in the moment. To live your undead life in the best way a vampire can. To—”

  “Hey, Jane?” He opened his eyes and locked his gaze with hers.

  “Yes?”

  “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” She crushed her mouth to his.

  His lips were cold…because he was dead…but not in an icky corpse kind of way. Probably because she was dead too, and they were the same temperature. Despite the lack of warmth, they were soft, and as he coaxed hers apart with his tongue, she went all in, pressing her soft curves against his rock-hard… Wow. And I thought his muscles were big.

  She couldn’t help herself; she had to feel it. Working her hand between their sopping wet bodies, she grabbed a handful of cock, and sweet Satan’s balls, it was way more than a handful.

  He sucked in a sharp breath as a deep, sexy growl rumbled in his chest. “Ready to be impaled?”

  “Fuck, yes.”

  He scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, tossing her on the bed like she weighed no more than a bean bag. She wiggled out of her shirt and threw her bra aside as he peeled off his clothes. The button on her jeans unfastened easily, but wet denim was like shrink wrap on a curvy woman, and she flopped on the mattress, lifting her hips and trying desperately to get the damn things off…to no avail.

  Ethan stood there in his boxer briefs, Vlad straining against the fabric, and he smiled. Cheese-and-crackers, that man had a gorgeous smile. If her clothes had been dry, they’d have fallen off on their own. “Need me to help?”

  “If you want access to the goods, you’re gonna have to.” She lay back and lifted her hips while he worked the fabric down her legs.

  “Fuck, Jane, you’re gorgeous.” His eyes devoured her. He hadn’t even touched her yet, but she felt like he’d caressed every inch with a simple sweep of his gaze.

  “I like to think I can rock these curves.”

  “They’re delicious.” He licked his lips, and her center went slick. Good goat cheese, the man might make her come before he laid a finger on her.

  Sitting up, she yanked his underwear down, freeing his dick, and man, oh man, had she hit the jackpot. She gave him a lick from base to tip…all nine inches of him…and sucked him into her mouth. He groaned and gripped her shoulders, letting her get in a good three or four strokes of her tongue before he pushed her onto her back and dove for her sweet spot.

  Sweet baby Hades the man knew how to lick, but Jane hadn’t gotten enough of his dick. She wiggled free from his grasp, using her vampire strength to toss him onto his backside so she could g
o back for more.

  He was having none of it, lifting her and putting her right where he wanted her, but Jane knew a thing or two about wrestling. They rolled about, grappling—in an oh so sexy way—for dominance, until she got him on his back where her mouth could reach him and his mouth could reach her, and devil have mercy, that man had a way with his tongue.

  He worked her into a frenzy while she sucked him, and as the most powerful orgasm she’d ever experienced exploded inside her, she was overcome with the urge to bite. His dick was in her mouth, so she released him and leaned over, taking in a mouthful of duvet and biting hard as she screamed.

  With that need satiated, she sat up, removing herself from his face, and flopped onto her back. “Quick question. Do we have to worry about pregnancy or diseases?”

  He chuckled. “We’re dead. What do you think?”

  “I think you need to give me everything you’ve got.”

  “Are you sure you can handle this much man?” He winked.

  “Try me.”

  He climbed on top of her, filling her with one swift thrust, and stars danced before her eyes.

  “Holy fuck.”

  He groaned. “It does feel a bit like a religious experience, doesn’t it?”

  “Take me to church, baby. Yes!”

  He pumped his hips, and it didn’t take long before another orgasm coiled in her core, ready to unleash like a river bursting through a dam. His rhythm increased, and as he shuddered inside her, her entire world flipped upside down and turned inside out. This man had a magic cock.

  They lay still for a few moments—not catching their breath, since neither of them was breathing—but holding each other as Jane tried to figure out what the hell just happened to her heart. Sex had always been just sex, completely separate from love.

  But what she and Ethan did was so much more than that…for her.

  “Vampire sex is amazing,” she whispered against his ear.

  “Sex with you is amazing.” He rolled off her, and she moved to her side, propping her head on her hand. Her lips tugged into a smile she couldn’t have fought if her undead life depended on it. Ethan smiled too, melting her heart even more, and his gaze flicked down to her mouth.