Eden

by Eden (lit)

  “You know,” Alexander commented thoughtfully, “poetry is my favorite form of seduction. It makes you notice things you wouldn’t normally pay attention to.” As he said this he removed his coat and opened the top few buttons on his shirt. “It’s persuasion by prose. The rhythms it uses are the natural language of the body.”

  “If you start quoting poetry, there’s no telling where we might end up tonight,” Catrina whispered. “And I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

  Alexander’s smile was kind as he said, “You make me stumble over myself, over my words. Nothing comes out quite right, except poetry.”

  “Are you trying to say I give you butterflies?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he whispered. And as he turned toward her his eyes began to glow in the dim light. “Can I return the favor?”

  Before she could respond his lips were pressed against hers. Catrina leaned forward, pressing her body against him as his arms pulled her even closer. His tongue prodded her mouth and a small cry escaped her. Alexander growled and the sound vibrated across her lips sending shivers down her spine.

  Catrina reached inside his shirt and the phone rang.

  “Don’t answer it,” he panted.

  “I have to,” she said, pushing back from him. “Jacob is out tonight, it could be important.”

  Alexander slumped back against the couch with a sigh while Catrina scrambled to get the phone.

  As soon as she picked up Jacob asked, “How soon can you get downtown?”

  “I don’t know,” she stammered.

  “I know Alex is probably still there,” he said. “I am really and truly sorry, but I’ve got a situation here and I need your help. Actually, I need your weapons.”

  “Slow down,” she said, heading toward the bedroom. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  She turned around and motioned for Alexander to follow her while the priest explained.

  “I found where the necromancer, Malik is hiding.”

  “That’s great,” she said, looking for some jeans.

  “He sent some of his men out to find me. He sensed me somehow. I’m in a warehouse on 34th and Green. It’s only a matter of time before they find me.”

  “But why are you hiding? Jacob, I’ve seen you fight.”

  She pulled on the jeans underneath her dress as he said, “Because he sent out about thirty vampires to bring back my head.”

  “Holy shit. I’ll be right there.”

  She hung up and tossed the phone to Alexander while she explained. Catrina ran into the closet, snatched off the dress and her jewelry and walked out pulling on a t-shirt. She reached down to tie her boots before looking up. Alexander had stripped down to his underwear and she nearly stumbled when she saw him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m coming with you,” he said. “I know Jacob has to have some sweats around here somewhere.”

  “There’s some in the laundry room,” she said. “But you don’t have to do this. I was going to call Viktor.”

  “You don’t have time for Viktor,” he pointed out while he ran toward the laundry room. Catrina followed him and threw on her jacket. “Jacob needs help now and I’m right here.” He snatched on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and said, “Let’s go.”

  “You’re barefoot.”

  “I’m a werewolf, remember? It won’t bother me, I promise.”

  He helped Catrina gather up a bag full of weapons and they were out the door in record time. She jumped on the motorcycle with Alexander riding behind with the weapons and a blanket she’d insisted was necessary.

  “It would have taken Viktor this long just to do his hair,” he said nastily.

  “Why do you hate him so much?” she asked.

  “My brother was a vampire,” he said bluntly. “Viktor killed him.”

  Catrina swerved a little at his words, but they didn’t have time to discuss things now. In spite of what he’d said, she summoned Viktor telepathically. They headed downtown at a break-neck pace and when she drew near the warehouse she could see the vampires out front. They had the priest cornered beside the building, though he was managing to fend them off fairly well.

  “Hand me the bag,” Catrina said.

  She rummaged through and pulled out what looked like an oversized grenade.

  “What’s that?”

  “A UV bomb,” she said. “I’m going to pull right into the middle of them and I want you to cover Jacob with that blanket.”

  “Alright.”

  Catrina didn’t wait for further response. She held down the gas and ran through the circle of vampires straight toward the priest. She put on the brakes and swerved, causing the bike to fall on its side as they stopped beside him.

  “Jacob, down!” she yelled.

  Alexander flung the blanket over him like a cape and the priest ducked as she pulled the pin and threw the UV bomb. The vampires barely had time to scream as they were turned to piles of ash where they stood. The wind blew them away almost before the flash had finished.

  “Are you alright?” Catrina asked, flinging back the cover.

  “Thanks to you.”

  While Jacob was explaining what had happened, Viktor arrived and he had Bernard with him. Catrina had forgotten his flight was supposed to arrive that night. Bernard had obviously taken her fashion advice and was wearing his long blond hair down. It billowed about his shoulders as they ran to her. He was also wearing black pants and a white shirt with ruffles, almost like the ones Viktor wore. If she hadn’t known she was looking at Bernard, she might have thought he was sexy.

  “Viktor,” she said, hugging him as soon as he was within reach.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  After she and Jacob were done explaining, Bernard asked, “Why were you out with a werewolf, for the novelty?”

  Alexander snarled and snapped at the blond vampire and Catrina jumped.

  “Fuck you,” he growled at Bernard. “And fuck this.”

  He turned and ran back toward town at a pace which clearly wasn’t human.

  “Goddamn it, Bernard,” Catrina said, rounding on the vampire.

  “What did I do?” he asked.

  “You hurt his feelings.”

  “And this is important to you?”

  She glanced at Viktor as she answered, “Yes, it’s important to me.” She turned toward Viktor then. “He said you killed his brother. Is that true?”

  “Yes,” he admitted readily. “He didn’t bother to tell you his brother tried to kill me, did he?”

  Telepathically, Viktor said, “Now might be a good time to fake our breakup and see what else you can find out.”

  “No, he didn’t,” she said.

  “I may be able to shed some light on that,” Jacob said.

  “Save it,” Catrina replied. She turned first to Bernard, then to Viktor and then to Jacob as she said, “Fuck you, fuck you, and I’ll see you later.”

  She turned on her heel and started toward the bike.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to Viktor. “I didn’t know what else to say.”

  “That was good,” he answered. “They seem to be buying it.”

  It hurt her to speak to Viktor that way and he knew it. It also hurt her to drive away from him and he knew that too. He had been expecting this, however and was relatively well prepared. What he hadn’t been prepared for was the sudden sharp pain in his chest when he watched her drive away.

  Catrina knew in general where Alexander lived, but she’d never been there before. She got a little lost before finally arriving at a mailbox which read, “Anderson.” Since his car was still parked at her house, she had only his description of the place to go on and this house fit the bill. He lived just outside an exclusive gated community and for a second she wondered if the gate was to keep him out.

  Catrina parked her bike and headed toward the front door slowly. She had no idea what to say, especially after the way Bernard spoke to him. She looked up at the large house with its m
odern architecture and tried to steady her nerves. Catrina’s hand trembled when she pressed the doorbell.

  Alexander snatched open the door wearing nothing but a blue towel. He used one hand to hold the towel in place and the other to hold the door open. It was obvious he had been in the middle of a shower. His hair was slicked back and his eyes had a wild look she’d never seen before.

  “What are you doing here?” he growled.

  “I came to apologize,” she answered shakily.

  “Did Viktor send you?”

  “No.” Catrina took a step forward and could no longer resist the urge to touch him. She placed one hand against his chest and he gasped. “I didn’t come here for Viktor,” she said. “I came here for you.”

  His eyes softened as he looked down at her, but his voice still held resentment.

  “Are you doing this just so you can say you’ve been with a werewolf? For the novelty?”

  “I would never tell anyone I’d been with a werewolf,” she said softly, reaching for him. He was clearly shocked by her words, but didn’t fight off Catrina’s advances. “But I might tell someone that I’d been with Alexander Anderson.” Catrina wrapped her arms around him as she said, “It’s cold out here, Alex. Keep me warm.”

  The werewolf growled as he pulled her against him and into the house. He closed the door and in an instant he had Catrina pressed against it.

  “There’s something you should know,” he growled against her throat. “I don’t want to be your friend.” He pulled back enough that she could see his eyes and they glowed a pale and frightening blue. “I have never wanted to be your friend.”

  “What do you want?” she panted.

  “To feel you from the inside,” he growled.

  Thunder rumbled outside and Catrina could have sworn it was his kiss which caused the reaction.

  “There’s a storm coming,” he said. “If you don’t leave now, you’ll be stuck here all night.”

  Catrina wrapped herself around him in response and he carried her down the hall to his bedroom. Alex put her down beside the bed and crouched in front of her. He pressed his face against her knees and smelled his way up her body, stopping at her throat.

  “These clothes smell like Viktor,” he growled. “Take them off.”

  “Alex,” she said as he removed her coat. “I’ve never wanted to be your friend either.” She unbutton her pants as she said, “I have yet to have one single friendly thought about you.”

  “What do you think about?” he said, pulling her shirt over her head.

  Catrina gasped and pressed her body against him as she confessed, “I lay awake at night thinking of all the ways I’d like to touch you.”

  “I’m in love with you, Catrina.”

  “I know.”

  And just like that they lost control. Neither one of them had any restraint left. Months of longing would no longer be denied. The werewolf’s hands swept over her, leaving a fever in their wake which could not be cooled. He knelt at her feet and helped Catrina to step out of her jeans. She was down to her pretty lace bra and panties.

  “Is this what you were wearing underneath your dress while we were at the play?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What I wouldn’t give sometimes for x-ray vision,” he said with a sigh.

  Catrina put her hand on his chin, urging him to stand up. Alexander looked down at her hungrily as she pressed her body against his. She bent down and ran her tongue across his nipple.

  “I’ve wanted to do that for months,” she panted.

  She ran her hands over his body, reveling in the feel of him as she kissed her way down to the curve of his hip. She ran her tongue along the muscular grove she found there, before putting one hand on his knee. Catrina knelt in front of him and ran one hand up underneath his towel. She reached his inner thigh and he growled, but when she finally took his shaft in her hand, Alex cried out.

  Catrina pulled the towel gently and it fell to the floor, revealing the body she’d spent so many nights remembering. She pressed her fevered face against his shaft, rubbing against him like a cat.

  “I’ve wanted you so much,” she panted. “I know you could sense my reaction all this time. It must have been torture, having to sit and talk to me when you knew I wanted to do this.” With those words she took him in her mouth and he nearly collapsed. Catrina reached behind him, gripping the backs of his thighs as she continued to stroke him with her mouth.

  After several minutes, Alexander pulled back and helped her to her feet. He tossed Catrina back onto the bed and was instantly above her. His eyes were even wilder than before and she could almost see the beast fighting its way out.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  “As much as I want to savor this moment, I want to devour you. I want to lick you just to know what you taste like.” Alexander pulled down her panties as he growled, “I want to fuck you just to hear you scream.”

  Catrina trembled at his words, but not with fear.

  Alexander leaned back over her and wet strands of hair fell forward, framing his face. He was wild and ferial, yet the look in his eyes begged to be tamed.

  “I want to make love to you,” he whispered. “But the beast wants to tear you apart.”

  “I trust you,” she answered softly.

  And that was all she had to say. Alexander held her against him as if he were afraid of breaking her. He kissed her deeply as he rolled so that Catrina was on top of him. She unclasped her bra and tossed it aside. There was nothing between them now and she rubbed herself against him hungrily.

  “Take me,” he commanded.

  Catrina reached between their bodies and guided his long hard shaft inside her. She lowered herself down slowly, not able to take all of him at once. When she had adjusted to his size, Alexander placed his hands on her hips and said, “Move for me.”

  Catrina began to rock back and forth, grinding herself against him in a slow, torturous rhythm. When the beast could take no more, Alex rolled her to her back with a growl and buried himself deep inside her.

  “Yes,” she panted as he let the beast overtake them both.

  His lovemaking was wild and frightening in its intensity, yet passionate unlike anything Catrina had ever felt. She let him sweep over her like a new emotion and lost herself completely in the werewolf’s touch. For a few hours she let him bring out the animal in her and she was more than a match for his beast.

  As they lay together several hours later, listening to the storm outside Catrina rested her head against his chest and sighed. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, but she needed to tell him the truth.

  “I know the timing isn’t the greatest, but there are some things I need to talk to you about,” she said softly.

  Alex moved up on the pillows so he could see her face.

  “This isn’t going to be a pleasant discussion, is it?”

  “It might be,” she said. “That all depends on how you feel about what I’ve got to say.”

  He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

  “Let me get your bike in before the rain gets harder. Something tells me this might take a while.”

  He was right about that. Alex moved her motorcycle into the garage and when he returned Catrina began to unload all she’d held back for the past several months. It was nearly dawn by the time she finished and through it all Alexander had listened quietly. The morning found them sitting in his kitchen while he made them some tea.

  Catrina was wearing one of Alex’s shirts, which reached to mid-thigh and he was wearing a pair of blue silk pajama pants.

  “So, let me get this straight,” he said, adding sugar to his tea. “Your entire relationship with Viktor was a cover up to get close to me?”

  “It started out that way.”

  “But you fell in love with him.”

  “I fell in love with both of you,” she corrected. “I knew all along you didn’t have anything to do with what happened to those vampires. But Viktor needed to
be convinced.”

  He handed her a cup of tea as he said, “I’m not entirely surprised. My first reaction is to be hurt, but you haven’t actually hurt me. And you’ve never kept what you felt for me from Viktor.” He paused to take a sip of tea. “I can’t believe you were so up front with him. And I can’t believe what he suggested.” He took another sip and added, “Then again, I always knew he wanted me.”

  Catrina stirred her tea and added another lump of sugar.

  “He said your brother tried to kill him. Did you know that?”

  He sighed and took a seat beside her.

  “No, but it doesn’t surprise me. My brother was a bastard, but he was my bastard. I never knew the whole story. If we could figure that out maybe …”

  “Maybe what?” she prompted. “Would you really be agreeable to his terms?”

  Alexander snorted. “Oh, I’ve got some terms of my own if we’re going to go there. But if my brother deserved what he had coming, and there’s a good chance he did, well …” His words unraveled like a piece of string. “I’m saying that we could at least talk it over,” he said finally.

  Catrina reached over and took his hand.

  “I’m really sorry for the way Bernard spoke to you. He’s a miserable prick, but he is trying to change.”

  “Well, he’s got a long way to go,” Alex growled.

  The rain continued through the day and Catrina and Alexander spent most their time napping and discussing their options. To her surprise, he was game. However, he had to clear the air with Viktor first. They set out at dusk and drove to her apartment through the persistent mist. Not wanting to put back on the shirt she’d worn the night before, Catrina wore one of Alex’s dress shirts with her jeans. He was wearing another t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans that looked so good on him she wanted to take them right back off.

  The thought of stripping him naked crossed her mind more than once as they rode up in the lift. But when they reached her apartment sex suddenly was the furthest thing from her mind. Viktor and Bernard were reclining on her couch and Jacob was sitting in the chair across from them. All eyes turned toward her and Alexander and one look at the way she was dressed let them all know where she’d spent the night.