“Are you not going to have any wine?” she inanely demanded, shivering as he deliberately brushed against her body.
“Not tonight, I think. I prefer that my senses not be dulled when I am in your company. Your mere presence is quite intoxicating enough.” His voice was husky with a thickening accent; the scent of sandalwood filled the air. “Have you fully recovered?”
“Yes, of course,” she said, even as she wondered if she were speaking the entire truth. It would be convenient to blame her giddy excitement on the events of the day, but she was not completely naive. “In fact, I should be returning home.”
He laughed softly. Just a breath of sound but it flowed through her body, as potent as the mulled wine.
“You are home, little one.”
Home.
With Victor.
Her heart clenched with a dangerous longing.
“Ridiculous,” she whispered.
The smoldering silver gaze lowered to her unsteady lips. “It is perhaps lacking a feminine touch, but I assure you that it will be refurbished to suit your pleasure. Whatever you desire shall be yours.”
It was a flamboyant promise but oddly she did not doubt him. “My lord . . .”
“What is it?”
Juliet spoke the confusion that had besieged her since the moment she had awoken.
“I did not think a vampire would allow others to enter his private lair.”
He stilled, as if considering how best to answer her. Juliet watched in fascination as the firelight danced over his perfect features, adding a hint of mystery. Suddenly she possessed the most desperate urge to shove her fingers into the rich curtain of his raven hair and tug him down so she could drown in his kisses.
“A vampire will share his lair with one other,” he said, at last breaking the silence. “His mate.”
She abruptly tensed. “Mate?”
He moved to take her arm, laying it across his lap. Then, with a deliberate motion, he pushed aside the torn sleeve to reveal the crimson tattoo that shimmered beneath her skin.
“Mate.”
Juliet forgot how to breathe as she stared at the unmistakable marking.
For two years she had struggled to keep Victor at a safe distance. She had sworn to herself that she would never become a mindless toy for the vampire.
But over the past hours she had been forced to admit that she had been far from successful in keeping the beautiful demon out of her heart. Why else would she have preferred to die than to watch Victor harmed?
But to become his mate. Good Lord.
“How did . . .” She lifted her head to meet Victor’s unwavering gaze. “How is this possible? I thought that you must exchange blood to complete the bond.”
He shrugged. “You must have taken some of my blood during our journey through the portal.”
A heat stained her cheeks as Juliet belatedly recalled her frantic kisses over his bloody face.
“And now we are mated?”
“Not . . . precisely.”
She frowned in confusion. “I do not understand.”
“I am mated to you, but until you are prepared to accept the bond and offer your blood, it remains incomplete.”
“So.” She took a moment to consider the implications, a rather wicked smile slowly curving her lips. “You are bound to me, but I am at liberty to find another?”
“You are mine.” He leaned forward, the silver eyes shimmering with a dangerous purpose as she hastily pressed back against the pillows. He stretched his long length beside her, remaining raised on his elbow to study her pale face. “I was a fool not to have recognized the truth the moment I met you. There has never been another female who has fascinated me as you have. Even when you are at your most infuriating I still crave to be in your presence.”
A shudder of anticipation wracked her body even as she narrowed her eyes.
“I am infuriating?”
“Admit it, little one. You do love to challenge me.”
“Only because you are so insufferably arrogant, my lord—”
“Victor,” he interrupted, his fingers running through her curls and spreading them across the pillows. “I want to hear my name upon your lips.”
A delicious heat curled through the pit of her stomach, sending tiny tremors through her body. For once, however, Juliet made no effort to deny her scorching reaction to Victor’s touch.
She was done fighting a battle she could not win.
“Victor. It suits you.”
His hand moved to cup her cheek, his touch flowing through her until her toes curled in response.
“Just as Juliet suits you,” he husked, his fingers drifting down the length of her throat. “You intrigued me from the moment I first caught sight of you. The candlelight shimmering like fire off your magnificent hair. Your features as pure as those of an angel. The elegance of your every movement. It stirred a hunger in me that haunts me no matter where I go.”
Some deep part of her whispered that she should be frightened as his fingers briefly lingered upon the pulse at the base of her throat before gliding along the opening of her smock.
Not that he would physically harm her. That had never been her fear. And, of course, now he was bonded to her. A vampire would destroy the world to protect his mate.
No, he would not injure her, but she was not so foolish as to believe that she could give herself to Victor without consequences.
Fright, however, was the last thing Juliet was feeling as his fingers brushed over the curve of her bare breast. She arched upward as a jolt of pleasure burst through her.
“Victor.”
“Look at me, little one,” he whispered.
Allowing herself to become lost in the silver gaze, she made no demur as he tugged the smock over her head and tossed it aside. The remainder of her clothing swiftly followed until she was lying naked on the satin sheets.
The world had somehow slipped away. There was nothing but the dark eyes and the slender fingers that tenderly explored her body as if he were memorizing every angle and curve of her.
“This is madness,” Juliet whispered.
The faintest smile curled the corner of his mouth. “This is fate.”
“Fate?”
“Destiny.” His head lowered, his lips brushing her mouth as he spoke. “I have waited an eternity to find you. I will never harm you.”
Of their own will her hands lifted to grasp his shoulders. The brocade was smooth and delicious to the touch and she found her fingers stroking down the wide width of his back.
A low sigh hissed through his lips. His kiss became more demanding, his tongue dipping into her mouth with a sweep of wetness. At the same moment his hand cupped her breast and his thumb rubbed over the tight peak.
Juliet bucked against him as the shock of sensations jolted through her.
“Oh.”
He pulled back enough that she could see herself reflected in his shimmering silver eyes. Or at least someone who looked vaguely like her.
Her curls were tumbled like a river of fire onto the pillows, her face flushed with pleasure, and her parted lips still damp from his kiss.
She looked like a decadent sacrifice offered up for some sensual beast.
“What has brought that frown to your beautiful brow?” he whispered.
Her attention returned to the man poised above her. Good heavens, he was so beautiful. Astonishingly beautiful. Unable to resist temptation, her fingers lifted to plunge into the heavy thickness of his hair.
Ah . . . yes. It was just as soft and silky as she had imagined.
“I have wanted you from the moment I saw you in the ballroom,” she confessed in soft tones. “But that does not mean I intend to complete the mating bond.”
His chuckle slithered down her spine. “You are my mate. You hold my heart and soul. We are one, whether you are too stubborn to admit the truth or not.”
Holding her gaze, he pulled the brocade robe from his body. Her eyes widened at the sight of th
e hard, chiseled muscles that rippled beneath the ivory skin that was tattooed with a beautiful dragon. His shoulders were broad, his chest so pale and smooth the nipples appeared startlingly dark in contrast. Her gaze refused to lower beyond the contoured ripple of his stomach. Her body already felt as if it were burning from within.
Holding her gaze, he slid slowly downward. The rub of his skin against hers made her breath catch painfully in her throat.
His lips touched her collarbone, tracing the delicate line with the tip of his tongue before slowly traveling down the curve of her breast. Juliet shifted restlessly beneath the teasing mouth. Good Lord, nothing had ever felt so wondrous.
“You are so warm,” he whispered against her skin, turning his head just enough to capture the tip of her nipple between his lips.
“Blessed Mother.”
She arched off the bed and her hands slid to frame his face in silent encouragement. Whatever she had thought she knew of passion had never included the tender caresses that were sending a storm of sensations lashing through her body.
With obvious expertise he used his tongue and even his teeth to torment her nipple to a hard peak. Her eyes squeezed shut as she groaned low in her throat. He turned his attention to her other breast, his hands sliding down the curve of her waist.
Juliet was lost in the tide of building sensations when his arms encircled her and without warning he had rolled onto his back. In one powerful motion she discovered herself perched on top of his hard frame. Her eyes widened as she regarded the fiercely handsome countenance.
“Victor?”
“Do not fear,” he murmured as his hands smoothed down the curve of her back.
“What are you doing?”
His lips twitched in soft amusement. “If you have not noticed, I am a rather large vampire, while you, my beloved, are delectably tiny.”
She smiled wryly. “Even if I had not noticed our size differences, your habit of calling me ‘little one’ would have given me a hint.”
His expression settled in oddly somber lines even as his hands continued to send shocks of pleasure through her body.
“I have never made a secret of how desperately I want you, Juliet,” he said, his voice husky with need. “But what happens, or does not happen, in this bed will be decided by you.”
An unexpected thrill of power raced through her as she gazed down at the compelling man beneath her. She better than anyone understood the effort it took Victor to relinquish control. He was an ancient demon who had gained his position by brutal force.
Such a gesture revealed not only that he truly understood her freshly discovered need to take command of her life, but also a trust that was nothing less than astonishing.
Quite willing to prove her gratitude, Juliet leaned downward, outlining his sensuous lips with the tip of her tongue.
“Does this please you?” She nibbled a path down his clenched jaw and then the strong column of his neck, savoring his intoxicating taste.
He growled, his mouth parting to reveal his fully extended fangs, and a cool surge of power washed over her.
“You please me.”
She slowly retraced her path, a heat pooling in the pit of her stomach.
“Are you certain?” she husked. “I fear I am not overly experienced in such matters.”
“Allow me to show you.”
Grasping her face in his hands, he lifted himself upward, capturing her mouth in a kiss of stark hunger. Juliet shivered with pleasure, her mouth parting to allow his tongue to tangle with hers.
Sinking into the bliss of his devouring kiss, she stroked restless hands over the satin smoothness of his chest. A delicious excitement swirled through her body as she felt the hard thrust of his arousal pressing against her lower stomach.
As if sensing the growing urgency of her desire, Victor pulled back, his body mesmerizing in the soft glow of the fire.
“Juliet, I need you,” he said. “I need to be inside you.”
His voice flowed over her skin like honey, flooding her body with liquid heat and making her fingers dig into the hard muscles of his chest with a flare of aching desire.
“Yes,” she breathed, shuddering as his hands drifted over the curve of her hips.
With infinite care he explored the length of her thighs and then, with a small tug, he parted her legs until they fell on either side of his body. Juliet muttered her approval against his lips, but even prepared she gave a strangled cry when his clever fingers stroked through her damp heat.
“Sssh,” he soothed softly. “Soon we shall be one. One soul. One flesh.”
His low words seemed to echo deep inside her, but she ignored the dangerous warmth that settled in the center of her heart. Instead she concentrated on his finger that teased the tiny pulse of her pleasure.
“Not soon . . . now,” she muttered.
His low growl filled the air, his erection pressing eagerly against her damp heat.
“You are certain?”
Certain? Her nails dug into his chest until she drew blood. She had never been more certain of anything in her entire life.
“Please, Victor.”
“Yes.”
Victor’s hands were pressing at her lower back as his hips lifted and he was entering her in one sure stroke.
Her breath caught, but not from pain.
Searing pleasure rushed through her and she pressed her face onto his chest. She could feel him stroke into her before pulling out and returning with a slow, relentless pressure.
“Dear Lord.”
“Mate,” he whispered as his hips lifted over and over. “My mate.”
“I did not know anything could feel so . . .”
“How does it feel, sweet Juliet?”
“Wondrous,” she breathed, her body moving in perfect rhythm with his.
His soft chuckle filled the air with a thick satisfaction.
“You are mine,” he vowed. “Mine for eternity.”
She moaned as her body began to tighten with a shimmering anticipation. His steady, relentless pace was building a fire deep within her that threatened to burst out of control.
“My mate,” he breathed, lifting his head to nuzzle at her neck.
His slight shift was enough to press him even deeper within her and with a force that caught her off guard the tension that coiled between her legs abruptly burst into a thousand pieces.
She cried out and squeezed shut her eyes, struggling not to swoon beneath the tide of sensations. It was overwhelming. A joy that edged perilously close to pain.
“Victor?”
With a moan, he laid his head on the pillows. For a moment she simply gazed into the handsome countenance, telling herself that what had just occurred was no more than incredible sex. Victor had, after all, near a thousand years and countless women to perfect his expertise, but something deep in her heart refused to accept the lie.
Staring into the silver eyes she knew she was bound closer to him than any other person in the entire world.
They were one.
One soul.
One flesh.
Mates.
Chapter Six
Seated across the table from his mate, Victor ruefully accepted that any hope that Juliet would be more compliant now that she was his lover was doomed to abysmal failure. Polishing off the last of the roasted duck, potatoes stewed in a delicate mushroom sauce, and freshly baked bread, Juliet sat back in her chair and offered him a stubborn glare.
“You can roar and bellow all you wish. I am not going to change my mind.”
With an effort, Victor attempted to ignore the captivating sight of Juliet wearing nothing more than his brocade robe, her mane of fiery curls spilling down her back and her ivory features tinted with a delicate flush.
Not that he was particularly successful.
There would never be a moment that he would not desire his mate.
Even when she infuriated him.
“I do not comprehend why you must be so unreasona
ble.”
“Me?” She arched a brow. “It was your decision to go on the hunt for the Jinn.”
“Because he cannot be permitted to linger in London. Not only do his powers attract the attention of the humans, but his mere presence is a threat to my position among the demons.”
She appeared remarkably unimpressed with his logic.
“So you are allowed to risk your life to remain clan chief, but I am forbidden from rescuing a friend from potential death?”
He paused, his vast experience with women warning him this was a trap with no escape.
“I would not use the word ‘forbidden.’ ”
“Then what word would you use?”
“Strongly discouraged,” he suggested.
She snorted. “I do not consider a threat to tie me to the bed as strong discouragement.”
He growled, his fangs fully extended and aching with a hunger that would never be sated.
“Me either,” he husked, leaving his chair and rounding the table with a slow smile of anticipation. “I consider that an invitation to paradise.”
Juliet hastily rose to her feet, her expression stern although she could not disguise the heat simmering in her beautiful eyes as her gaze skimmed down his body, covered in nothing more than a loose pair of satin pants he had brought from his recent journey to China.
“Victor, you are not going to distract me.”
Easily scooping her off her feet, Victor headed directly for the nearby bed, tumbling them both onto the silken sheets. With a swift roll he managed to end up on top.
“I will admit that was my original intent,” he murmured, burying his face in the curve of her neck. “But I believe I have been hoisted on my own petard. You are delectable.”
Her arms circled his neck, her body instinctively arching beneath him.
“Victor.”
The intoxicating scent of peaches filled his senses. “Hmmm?”
“This changes nothing,” she muttered. “I am going with you to the docks.”
Victor pulled back at her stubborn insistence, an unfamiliar pang twisting his gut.
“Why does this Levet mean so much to you?”
She blinked. “Are you . . . jealous?”
Born to Bite Bundle Page 42