We are in a hotel in the United States in a place called Florida. The weather we left behind in India was mild and quite pleasant. It’s not that the weather is cold here, but it is cooler than what we are accustomed to in November. We will be driving to The Moor’s home tomorrow. Grandmother and Mother told me ferocious stories of this vampire who has killed so many. My mate seems unconcerned and I trust him, so I try to keep the feelings of apprehension away.
Grandmother yells back at V, “Give me five minutes and do not shut this door, or I will break it down!” She storms from the room.
I look at V, and he’s obviously not sure what to do at this point. Mother speaks up, “Please give her this, and I will make sure she leaves you alone tonight.”
“Tonight?” V grumbles. He crosses his arms and widens his stance. I squeeze his arm and try to convey patience. Truth be told, I’m afraid. During the days of a wedding ceremony, the bride comes to know the groom, but we know almost nothing about each other. We are mates and that cannot be denied, but I am also a virgin, and what will happen tonight is outside my knowledge. I know only the basics.
Grandmother returns, carrying a red cloth. I know instantly what it is, and my eyes burn with tears. This is the drape of her wedding sari. It has delicate gold stitching and is extraordinarily beautiful. She puts her arms out, and I lift the material up and bury my face in the cloth. I glance up when Grandmother speaks to me in our native language. She grants her blessing and Mother nods. I turn to my mate and smile. The two women back out of the room and V closes the door.
His eye color hasn’t changed, but the temperature in the room has. We have not been alone since Marcus entered the other hotel room. We stare at each other. V’s hair is dark brown and about three inches long with a slight wave, which causes it to stick up here and there. Spiky bangs cover the top of his dark eyebrows. His brown eyes are accented with charcoal or something else he uses as a cosmetic. I do not understand why I find this or his dark lips attractive. His face is angular and his jaw square. He’s also much taller than I am; I must crane my neck to look up at him. I decide not to tell him that tomorrow is my twenty-fifth birthday. He looks my age, but I really have no idea what his true age is. I do know that he’s young for a vampire. By listening to his short conversations with Marcus, I’ve learned that he only had one clan-mate before my family and Letta became part of his clan. Letta also told me how V fought another vampire and won her. Winning the fight also gave him the right to honor me with death. V was there while Letta told me the story. It fascinated me, because he was very uncomfortable while she spoke. He wouldn’t look at me.
Torbic has been my master since I was born, but I didn’t share blood with him until my sixteenth birthday. He does not allow a tiger to search out her mate until he drinks from her throat. It’s one of the creepiest things that I’ve endured. Each year, I had to present myself so he could feed. Mother and Grandmother always went with me. They fed him, too, though they had to do it more often because of their age. Torbic always spoke inside my head while feeding, and went on and on about himself: how powerful he was, how many concubines he had, his wealth, and prowess in combat. Mother and Grandmother never spoke about their feelings toward Torbic, but I could tell they loathed him as much as I do. There was nothing they could do, though. Feeding a vampire is a fact of life for beastkind, and is required for immortality. I worried that Mother and Grandmother would cease his feeding from them, and allow themselves to fade away after I was gone. That fear was greater to me than my pending death.
A tigress can produce children outside the mating after her human mate dies, as long as they have one child together. My grandmother stopped having children in her three-hundredth year. My mother had me and my sister Quatea after living for four hundred years. She has lost so many daughters, and it’s been devastating for her. I can’t imagine bearing V’s daughters and then losing them. I do know that, as an immortal, he would suffer the same devastation.
I take a minute while staring at him and give a short prayer to the Goddess. Please allow us happiness in the short time we have. I don’t know if my death will kill him, but I add one last silent prayer. And please allow our bond to complete before I die. He doesn’t deserve to die with me.
I don’t even realize I’m crying until V steps closer and says, “Don’t cry, Esha. It pains me.”
I offer a trembling smile. “I don’t feel worthy of you,” I tell him honestly. This isn’t why I’m crying, but it is the truth. He deserves more than I will ever be able to give him. His gentleness when he meant to honor me with death proves it.
One of his fingers wipes away my tears. He places his finger in his mouth. “I am unworthy of your tears,” he says after removing his finger from between his gorgeous lips. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He takes my hands and threads his fingers through mine. His hands are twice the size of mine. He lifts our hands so they rest against his heart; the drape resting across my arms remains between us. “Do you understand fully what will happen tonight?”
I offer a hesitant smile. “Some of it, and I’m afraid.”
He leans in and softly places his lips against mine before pulling back. Our hands are still locked between us. “I won’t hurt you, and I will stop if you ask me to. We don’t know each other well, but I feel as if you are a part of my soul.”
“That is the mate bond solidifying. If we’re lucky, it will be a quick process, and you will not be tied so closely to me.”
His gaze travels from my lips until he meets my eyes. “That would be torture, not luck. I’m finding the adjustment of having you close is a gift and not a trial.” The corners of his mouth lift and I notice slight indents in his cheeks. Not enough to be called dimples, but they’re there. “Tell me about pisacha.”
Heat fills my cheeks. “The goal is for you to seduce me so I give you my virginity and forgo a proper marriage ceremony. It doesn’t get you out of the mating ceremony, though.”
His groan fills the room, but he smiles. “Ceremonies and I don’t get along. They are long and tedious. I will find a way around your grandmother.”
“She is your grandmother, too,” I point out again.
He doesn’t say anything as he releases one of my hands and runs his fingers through my hair, placing it over my shoulder. His hand lifts slightly higher and he rubs more hair between his fingers. “Do you wish a proper marriage ceremony, mate?”
I’ve wanted nothing more since I was a little girl. I look down at the red embroidered drape. It only means something if love is in the picture. I’m a selfish person because, even knowing that my death is imminent, I want V to love me. I don’t want to waste a single moment on a proper ceremony. I lean into him and go to my toes. “No, love me gently tonight and it will be enough.” His head dips so our lips meet. He releases my other hand and wraps his arms around me. I’m breathing heavily when he lifts his head.
“I will stand at the bathroom door while you change into your gown. Be quick.” He takes my hand and leads me to the door. We have our own suite of rooms and are in the master bedroom, which has a large bathing room.
“I have no petticoats or blouse to match Grandmother’s gift. Alone, the drape will be indecent.” I’m a shifter and nakedness is part of my life, but tigershifters are modest, unlike other beastkind. I feel quite shy.
A hot gleam enters V’s eyes. “All the easier to seduce you, my dear.”
My heart almost pounds out of my chest, and V’s eyes turn amber.
Chapter Nine
Rondy the Seducer
I stand at the bathroom door, with my fingers pressed to the cool wood. This doesn’t mean I’m closer to her, but, for some reason, I feel nearer to her, and the ache of separation isn’t so intense. I wasn’t lying when I told her she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. It’s more than that, though. I’ve had several people try to explain the mating bond. Hell, Amy tried to explain it from a vampire’s perspective. Nothing anyone said come
s close.
We’re connected by a million threads of the toughest steel. When Esha is more than a foot or two away, it tugs on every part of me. Two feet, two inches and the threads pull tight, which causes tingles everywhere. Two feet, three inches and the tingles turn painful. When I shut her out of the bedroom so Marcus and I could speak privately, I was too upset to understand what was happening. I paid the price for not listening to my body. This shouldn’t happen to a vampire. Of course, I’m the only vamp to mate a tiger. For some reason, the tigershifter laws governing her kind are affecting me the same way.
She nears the door, and the pull on the invisible threads lessens. I step back as the door opens.
Hell.
She stands before me, the red cloth draped around her hips. It comes up across her shoulder and falls behind her. Her hair is loose and newly brushed. I gaze down. The material parts slightly at the waist, and I can see the smooth dark skin of her stomach. Her legs are bare and the material skims just the tops of her thighs.
I inhale her scent, and beneath the sweet smell is the wildness of her tiger. The tigress doesn’t want seduction, and I fight the need she’s pressing into me.
Seduction is my job, and her tiger will not control this. I push back with my power and the tiger recedes, leaving Esha alone in my hands. When our eyes meet, I see she’s watching me nervously. I smile, take her hand, and lead her away from the bed to one of two large, plush chairs. There’s no sofa in this bedroom, but the large chair will work. I sit and pull her onto my lap. I have one hand behind her shoulders, pulling her against me, and the other free.
“Tell me a story of your childhood,” I whisper against her ear.
She exhales and melts against me. She starts talking in her soft, lilting voice. I give her a moment more to relax, and then run my fingers across the bare skin on her arm. Goose bumps appear on her skin and she stops talking. I still my fingers until she continues her story. I trail up her arm to the skin on her bare shoulder. Her breath quickens, but she continues speaking. Next, I touch the skin at her neck where her blood pulses just below the surface. I can smell it, and it’s sweeter than anything I’ve scented in my entire vampire life.
I smile into Esha’s hair. Treson is my blood donor. His blood is anything but sweet. I lean down a bit and pull Esha higher. My nose skims across the flesh at her throat. I kiss the skin and feel a shiver run through her body. Her breathing grows heavier, but she continues speaking. She’s telling me a story about her sister. I gently bite her throat without piercing the skin. This isn’t easy; my fangs are growing by the second. She uncurls one of her hands from her lap, brings it up toward my head, and threads it through my hair. Her voice cuts off on a sigh. I lift my head and our eyes lock. She pulls my hair and guides me down until our lips meet. I need no guidance, but her insistence, not her tiger’s, turns me the fuck on. My free hand travels over the silk cloth of the sari until I find the bare skin of her thigh. She doesn’t seem bothered as I skim my fingers beneath the material. Her skin is smooth, and silkier than the actual silk she’s wearing. I push the material aside and continue my search to more intimate locations—her hip, her stomach, and lower.
I deepen the kiss when my fingers skim the top of her womanhood. Her heart rate accelerates, and her small breaths puff into my mouth. God, she tastes sweet. My fingers finally reach their goal and slide through her folds. She’s a virgin, and I’m determined this will be enjoyable for her.
She’s wet, and I groan deep in my throat. Her breath hitches when I circle her entrance with one finger. I continue playing as I pepper kisses on her lips, cheek, and jaw. After several minutes, she grows restless, and I fight a smile of satisfaction.
“Please,” she whimpers.
I slide my finger into her warmth.
“Oh, that feels so good. Don’t stop.” She rotates her hips, trying to hurry me.
My finger is sliding slowly in and out. She thrusts upward when my finger sinks deep. I nuzzle the hair away from her throat.
“Please,” she begs, and I don’t keep her waiting. I add another finger and circle her clit with my thumb. She’s so fucking tight. Her hips start pumping almost frantically. She’s perfectly in tune with what I’m doing. Her body is a melody, and I’m strumming all the right notes. A growl escapes her throat and I almost laugh. My teeth are poised over the large vein at her throat. Her thighs squeeze my hand and her hips rise insistently. Finally, she tightens even more around my fingers and I feel the pulse of her orgasm. My fangs slide into her flesh. Drinking her blood enhances her orgasm. My cock isn’t buried inside her, but every beat of her heart and clench against my fingers goes straight to my balls.
Her blood. It fills my senses—sweet, satisfying, and all mine. I will never have enough. I draw away from her throat when the pulses against my fingers diminish. Her head is thrown back over my arm, and a small amount of blood trails down her neck. I lick the sweetness from her skin. When I lift my head, I see that she’s staring at me. The smile that curves her lips means everything.
I rise and carry her closer to the bed and stand her up next to it. I slowly remove the silk from her body. Her bare skin is as beautiful as the rest of her. I look my fill, and then pick her up and lay her on the bed. Before I join her, I divest myself of clothes. She watches with interest; her sensual smile excites me even more, if that’s possible.
My erection is a solid throb of need. I don’t want to scare her, but if I’m not buried balls- deep in the next few minutes, I’ll lose what little control I have. She’s mine, and I need to claim my mate. I join her on the bed and pull her close. Her lips pepper my chest. I roll and bring her on top of me. I grab her thighs and lift her higher up my body. Finally, I can lean up and take a nipple between my lips. The sigh she gives goes straight to my dick. I lavish attention on one breast and then the other. Her head is thrown back and her long hair skims my thighs.
Mine.
I lick her soft, swollen nipple and place my hands on her arms. “Your eyes,” she whispers as she trails her fingers along my cheek to the side of my eye.
I have no doubt that they’re amber and glowing. I crunch my abs and sit up so we’re chest to chest. Her lips draw me back again. Her honeyed taste makes my breathing increase to match hers. I roll us on the bed so she is beneath me, with her legs to either side of my hips. I told her I wouldn’t hurt her, so I must take this slow… even if it kills me.
With one hand, I position myself at her entrance. I release her lips and her eyes slowly open. I flex my thighs and enter her warmth slowly. Her eyes close again. She’s tight, and her nails dig into my back as I gain another inch. I stop and take a breath.
“Open your eyes, Esha,” I demand when I exhale.
I use every ounce of my control and wait for her gaze to meet mine. When it does, I use one arm to support my upper body and lift my other hand to cup the side of her jaw.
“You are mine,” I say as I slide deep within her.
She gives a small cry and her entire body goes rigid. Without taking my eyes from hers, I lean down and place a gentle kiss against her lips. I stay locked inside her without moving. She watches me, and, within a minute, her body relaxes beneath mine.
“You are mine,” she growls.
My control shatters. I pump my hips, and she thrusts up to meet me. She grabs my hair with one hand and the nails of her other dig into my back. My thumb is at the pulse of her throat, and I can feel and hear her blood pump through the vein that I fed from earlier. Her legs clamp over the backs of my thighs, and our hearts and breathing are in tune as her thighs tighten and a strangled cry leaves her throat. I dip to her neck again, and my fangs trail across her skin until I find the sweetest spot and pierce her flesh. She cries out as I take the blood that binds us together—a vampire and a tigershifter. Mates.
Our bodies ignite—the heat of our union is a physical dimension in the room. Her nails sink deeper into my skin, and I grind against her almost frantically. When her release shudders throu
gh her body, I let go and my cry drowns hers out. Her tiger comes to the forefront and absorbs my power. I don’t mind sharing: Esha and I are truly mates.
It takes a long time for our breathing to settle and the world to right itself. I roll in the large bed so Esha is laying half on top of me. I grin because her cat is content and purring with each exhale, even though Esha is in human form. My hand is on her back, and I can feel the vibration and hear the soft sounds she makes. I smile and drift into sleep.
Chapter Ten
Esha
I should have known this would happen, but didn’t think to warn V. I take stock of my ten-foot-long tiger’s body, which is now taking up most of the bed. A tigershifter’s animal form is larger than a normal Bengal tiger. One of my huge paws is across V’s chest and my body is curled around him. She has claimed him completely, and I like the fact that he was able to dominate her. She liked it, too.
He’s asleep, and I have no way of knowing how he’ll react when he wakes. It has been weeks since I’ve let my tiger free. I’ve been so afraid that, if I did, I would not be able pull her back. Now I’m mated, and, with the fear gone, my tiger took over while I slept. I can shift back to human if I choose to. For right now, though, I allow her to have her way. My senses are hundreds of times sharper in this form. The smell of sex permeates the room, with V’s scent beneath it. I can also smell the bed linens, along with hundreds of other unique scents in the air. I’m careful not to pierce V’s skin while I extend and retract my claws. It feels so good to be in this form… I’ve missed it.
He stops breathing the moment he wakes. I freeze until air leaves his lungs and his hand lands on my paw. A short laugh escapes him and I grin, baring my five-inch fangs. He can’t see them because my head is on the pillow above his. His fingernails dig into my pelt and travel up my front leg.
Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More Page 86