Eden

by Eden (lit)

  She was sitting on the couch with her second glass of wine when Viktor came up in the lift. He walked in and went straight for the fridge. Obviously he should apologize, he just didn’t know how to go about it. He had no idea that seeing him hurt would upset Catrina so much. Viktor watched as she curled up, tucking her feet underneath a pillow while he put a bottle of blood in the microwave.

  “Where’s Jacob?” she asked quietly.

  “Finishing up. He wanted a few more minutes alone to practice with his thumbnail.” Viktor walked back into the living room and she tried to pretend like she wasn’t looking at his bare feet. She hadn’t even liked feet before seeing Viktor without his shoes. But there was little use pretending otherwise now. He sat down in the chair across from her and Catrina’s eyes roamed up the muscular expanse of his inner thigh.

  He took a sip of blood before saying softly, “I didn’t know that seeing me hurt would upset you. I didn’t realize you cared.”

  Catrina got up slowly and set her glass on the coffee table. She walked over and reached for Viktor’s bottle of blood, placing that beside the glass. Then, with just as much calm and control she slapped him right across the face.

  Viktor sat in stunned silence as she handed him back the bottle, picked up her glass and sat back down across from him on the sofa.

  Finally she said, “Don’t you understand, it would hurt me to hurt you? That’s not a weakness, Viktor. Having a heart is something I’m proud of, especially with the shape the rest of the world is in. I’m just so afraid that … Shit, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

  She put down the glass again and stood up. About that time Jacob came up in the lift and grabbed his coat from the rack beside the door. “I’m going out for a bite.”

  “What?”

  “A bit,” he corrected with a laugh. “Honestly, that came out wrong. Although I am having a craving for Italian.” He winked and she knew he was teasing her about dinner.

  “Shut up,” she said, fighting back the smile.

  “I just want to be out in the night for a while,” he said. “It calls to me. I’ll pick up a six pack of O positive while I’m out.”

  When Viktor turned back toward her, Catrina was gone. He drank the rest of the bottle quickly, rinsed his mouth, and followed her down the hall. The floorboards beside her door creaked as he entered the bedroom, but she could sense his presence anyway. Her heart was running away, like it always did when the vampire was near. He took a moment to appreciate how small she was, perched on the end of the big bed like a cat about to spring. Her black clothes only added to the picture. She contrasted nicely with the golden bedspread and cream colored pillows. The only place Viktor had ever seen more lavishly decorated than Catrina’s apartment was The Palace. He smiled as he noted how similar their tastes were.

  She looked haunted and he longed to erase the worried lines from her forehead, but he didn’t want to approach her first. Not because of anything to do with pride. He just didn’t want to get slapped again. He spotted the lush red chair in the corner and walked over to it, dislodging its oversized velvet pillows in order to sit down.

  Once again her eyes were drawn to the way the fabric tightened over his thighs when he sat down. Viktor’s body was even more impressive without the clothes and when she remembered this, Catrina slid off the bed and started toward him.

  The vampire watched as she took one of the velvet pillows and tossed it onto the floor to cushion her knees as she knelt between his legs. Catrina leaned forward, pressing her small body against his as she spread her palms against his chest. Without warning she ripped off what was left of his shirt and he gasped. She continued to run her hands over his body as if checking for injuries and Viktor didn’t say a word. He just relaxed and let her touch him however she needed to.

  Catrina pressed her hands against his sides for leverage and slid up further, resting herself completely against him. She pressed her lips to his chest and started to cry when she felt his hand against her back.

  “Viktor,” she said softly. “I know that nothing has exactly been settled between us.”

  “We don’t have to talk about this again,” he interrupted. “I know how you feel.”

  “No you don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t know if Alexander is something I can get out of my system.” He remained still, but Viktor’s heart was breaking. That is until she pressed her lips against his chest, directly over his heart and said, “But I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

  Viktor wrapped his arms around her, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. “Love me,” he whispered.

  It was a simple request. Two softly spoken words with the potential to make her completely come undone.

  “I already do.”

  Viktor had never kissed her the way he did that night. No words were necessary. If he had continued to remain silent, that kiss would have said it all. There was a tenderness in his touch that had been missing before and a hunger in his eyes which had nothing to do with sex.

  He slid his hands up her back, lifting the shirt until her breasts pressed against him. Catrina melted into his kiss as Viktor unclasped her bra and slid it up with the shirt. She gasped when her bare breasts rubbed against the hair on his chest. Her mind was now open to him and she picked up his thought. He was wondering if he should take her over to the bed.

  She slid back down his body and back to her knees on the pillow as she pulled the shirt and bra off. Catrina placed her hands on the backs of his knees and slid him toward her.

  “Right here,” she whispered as she pulled down his pants. She leaned back over him, pressing a kiss just below his navel as she added, “Right now.”

  Viktor rose up enough that she could finish removing his pants before settling back to watch Catrina slide out of the rest of her clothing as well. She kissed along his thigh, savoring the way the curve of his hip felt beneath her fingertips. He was built like someone had purposely sculpted every curve. It was as if they had known what would feel perfect to kiss and to press her naked body against. Catrina nibbled her way up his inner thigh and buried her face against the small cross-shaped scar on his left hip. As she did this her long hair fell across his body, making him hard before her hands ever touched him.

  She leaned up to kiss him again, sliding her body along the front of his. Viktor bent down to meet her kiss, moaning as she rubbed herself against him. On her way back down to her knees, Catrina paused with his shaft between her breasts. She moved down slowly, torturing him with her deliberately unhurried movements.

  Just as soon as her knees touched the pillow again, Catrina leaned forward and took the tip of his cock in her mouth. Viktor cried out and grabbed the chair as she reached her hands around his hips, digging into his flesh for support. She continued with slow, deliberate strokes, but she never used her hands.

  When she could take no more of wanting his gorgeous body, Catrina straddled his waist, pressing his face into her breasts. She reached between their bodies and guided him into her. Viktor held her tight, pulling her to him like it might save his soul. Catrina threw back her head, allowing the vampire access to her throat. It was then that she felt his tears against her skin.

  She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. The question was clear on her face, but she didn’t need to ask.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Viktor whispered hoarsely. His eyes closed and his lashes fluttered as he ran his hands up her back and down over her arMs. “Your skin makes me cry,” he said.

  No one had ever said anything like that to her before. But Catrina knew exactly what he meant, because Viktor had the same effect on her. She rocked her hips, taking him further inside of her and bringing another strangled cry from his lips. She moved slowly, gradually picking up the pace to match her heartbeat. When her movements grew more frantic Viktor whispered, “Turn around.”

  Her legs were unsteady as she rose to do what he asked. Catrina straddled his waist again as
Viktor slid further down in the chair, but this time her back was turned.

  “Lean back,” he said softly.

  And when she did he spread her legs with his thighs, opening her up wide as he slid back inside of her. Catrina moaned as he braced his hands against her hips, pressing himself further inside of her. Her sharp intake of breath was all the encouragement he needed. Viktor moved faster, pulling her back against him with one hand as he rubbed her clit with the other.

  Catrina screamed incoherently as he brought her closer to the edge until finally orgasm broke over her body like a wave. She arched back against him, digging her nails into his thighs as she came.

  “Yes,” she growled as he thrust into her.

  He moved faster again and she screamed. Catrina hadn’t known she could come again so soon, but she did. Her muscles continued to spasm around him as Viktor whispered in her ear, “I’m coming.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she rested back against him. After several minutes, once her breathing had slowed, Viktor lifted her carefully and carried her over to the bed.

  * * * *

  Several hours later she was awakened by the sound of running water. She looked beside her and found Viktor resting quietly. He wasn’t out for the day yet, but he was close. Catrina got up and made sure the curtains were closed securely. Just for extra measure she pulled the covers up over his head before putting on her robe and knocking on the bathroom door.

  “Jacob, are you alright?” she asked.

  “You can come in. It’s not locked.”

  She opened the door to find the priest washing blood from his hands.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Anything wrong?” she asked, taking a step closer.

  His smile was easy as he turned to face her. “Just me being clumsy. I dropped a bottle in the lift. But don’t worry, I cleaned everything up.” He took a closer look at Catrina and asked, “Are you alright?”

  “Fine. I was just afraid you’d gotten hurt, that’s all.”

  “That’s all?” he questioned.

  “Alright, that’s not all, but you’ve got to get a shower and get to bed before the sun comes up.”

  “No I don’t,” he said matter-of-factly. “The sun burns me, but it doesn’t affect me like regular vampires. Remember?” She sighed heavily and he asked, “Want me to cook you breakfast again?”

  “Yeah. That’d be nice.”

  Catrina took a shower while Jacob went into the kitchen and started cooking. She tried not to think while she rinsed her hair. She visualized all of her worries running right down the drain along with the suds. It almost worked.

  After drying off, she pulled back on her robe, closed it tightly and went to the kitchen. Jacob was busy making French toast. She noticed he’d put clothes pins over the curtains to hold them shut. He was still wearing the clothes he’d worked out in the night before and other than his freshly bandaged thumb, he looked unscathed.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing much. Just whether I like the werewolf I may be falling for better than the vampire I have fallen for. Who I should sleep with, who I shouldn’t. What the hell am I doing? Where are we going and why am I in a hand-basket?”

  Jacob laughed. “Ah, the usual then.”

  “I’m worried about the vampire council too,” she said. “Did he tell you anything about it?”

  “He just mentioned they’ll be here next week. He asked me to keep a low profile until after they’re gone. Said they might not take kindly to me being one of them after my um, past life.”

  Jacob turned back to the stove and flipped the toast with practiced ease.

  “Well, at least you don’t have to meet them. Viktor was supposed to go over some of the basics with me. You know, vampire etiquette. But he hasn’t had a chance yet and I don’t want to do something stupid and get myself killed.”

  “They are a nasty bunch of beasties,” he agreed, setting a plate of toast in front of her. “If you just keep your head down and do what Viktor says, you should be fine.”

  “Since when do you trust him?” she asked, sampling the toast.

  “I don’t. Not entirely anyway.” He shrugged. “But he wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

  Catrina spent the rest of the day reading and catching up on some much needed sleep. She was passed out on the couch when she heard someone coming up in the lift. The book she’d been reading fell to the floor as she stood up and Catrina nearly joined it when she saw Alexander.

  He looked like he hadn’t slept. His hair was disheveled and his pale eyes looked tired. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and the jeans he wore revealed much of what she’d just been dreaming about. Catrina looked out the window at the growing darkness and her heart fluttered. It was dusk and tonight was the full moon.

  “I’m sorry for just showing up like this again,” he said as she unlocked the lift. “But I really needed to talk to you.”

  “What’s going on?”

  He stepped into the living room and took a deep breath, scenting the air. There was blood, sex, and the scent of two different colognes.

  “I’m about to ask you something that’s none of my business,” he said. “But please believe it’s important or I would never ask.”

  “Alex, you’re scaring me. What’s the matter?”

  He sat down beside her on the sofa and the heat from his body nearly made her break a sweat. She had wondered why he wasn’t wearing long sleeves since the weather was cool. But now she understood that he must be running a temperature because of the full moon and his impending transformation.

  “Did you see Viktor last night?”

  He had no sooner asked than they both heard the shower running. Alexander looked toward the hallway and she answered, “That’s him in the shower.”

  He had known she was seeing the vampire, had smelled the sex on her the first time they met. But hearing Viktor in the shower and knowing what must have happened after he dropped her off the night before did things to Alexander he wasn’t prepared for.

  “First, let me apologize for not picking you up this morning like I’d promised,” he said.

  “Oh, I forgot,” she answered. “I’m sorry. A lot went on last night. It completely slipped my mind.”

  Alexander mistook her meaning and frowned despite his best effort to control his emotions.

  “A member of my pack was killed last night,” he announced grimly.

  “And you think Viktor did it.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.

  Rather than directly answer her comment he asked, “Can you tell me what time he arrived last night?”

  “Shortly after nine. My new partner and I were training on the second floor. He joined us, then we came back up here.”

  “I didn’t realize you had a partner.”

  “I didn’t until a few days ago.”

  “Would that explain the second cologne I smell?” he asked. Before she could answer Alexander apologized. “That was none of my business.”

  “It’s alright.” Catrina told him what had happened to Father Marion as briefly as possible. She was trying to hurry and finish her story before the moon came up or Viktor got out of the shower.

  When she was finished Alexander said softly, “You didn’t owe me an explanation.”

  “I know. I just didn’t want you to think … anything else was going on.”

  “So, Viktor was here the rest of the night?”

  “Yes.” She told him what had happened the night before, minus the gory details or explicit commentary.

  He reached over and took her hand as he asked, “Do you know where Jacob went when he left here last night?”

  Catrina remembered the priest washing blood from his hands that morning, but quickly put the thought from her mind. “No I don’t,” she said. “But he isn’t a murderer.”

  “And neither am I,” Viktor added.

  They both turned to watch the vampire walk up
the hall toward them. He was wearing only the black pants he’d had on the night before and his feet were still bare. His long dark hair fell in waves over his shoulders and down his back. Soft wet tendrils clung to his neck as he ran a hand through the ebony mass. This movement caused his bicep to flex and Catrina couldn’t help her sharp intake of breath. He was devastatingly handsome and if it weren’t for Alexander sitting right beside her, she’d have tackled him where he stood.

  “Well, darling,” Viktor drawled. “I didn’t realize you were expecting company.”

  Alexander snarled. The gesture was so obviously not human and seemed strange coming from him. “A member of my pack has been killed,” he growled.

  “So I gathered,” Viktor answered. “Two of my vampires have been murdered recently and I didn’t come tracking you down.”

  That wasn’t entirely true, but Catrina didn’t think now was the time to point that out.

  “Are you telling me you don’t think I did it?” the werewolf asked.

  “Are you telling me you did?” Viktor retorted.

  “Of course I didn’t,” Alexander growled. He stood up and began to walk toward Viktor. “You know damn well I didn’t kill them.”

  “Do I?”

  “Now did you or did you not have anything to do with what happened last night?”

  He walked right up to the vampire and if it weren’t for Viktor being about three inches taller, they would have been nose to nose. The vampire looked unmoved as he replied flatly, “I have no idea what happened last night.”

  Alexander considered him carefully before letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and taking a step back.

  “Do you want to know?” he asked more calmly.

  Viktor sat down beside Catrina while the werewolf moved to the chair across from them and relayed the events of the night before.

  “He was found torn to pieces and lying in a ditch,” he finished. “Only a vampire would have had the strength to do something like that.”

  “Or another werewolf,” Viktor pointed out.

  “There are no claw marks,” Alexander said softly. “Damn it,” he said, standing up again.