The Shifter's Catch

by T. S. Ryder

  She wasn't with anybody. Gavin took a step back. It wasn't often that he was wrong. But he had kicked open her door… How was he going to explain that? "I told you to meet me this morning."

  "It is morning. The sun's barely up."

  "You mean the sun is already up."

  Aria got to her feet. "It's morning until noon, and I'll get up when I damn well please."

  He wasn't used to people talking back to him. Mostly they simpered and agreed with whatever he said. And in the rare case that they disagreed, they bowed and apologized and assured him that his will was what was most important. And yet here was this human with her hair all over the place, sleep sand in the corners of her eyes, wearing faded pajamas, telling him exactly what she thought.

  Gavin wasn't sure if it was refreshing or annoying. "You are here to work for me. That means you keep the hours that I assign you."

  "Be clearer, then. You can't just say 'morning' and expect me to know what you mean..." She checked the clock and groaned. "It's seven. I'm not a morning person."

  Gavin cocked his head to one side. He had intended on giving her a stringent introductory course to what her life at the palace would be like from now on, but perhaps she needed a little more time. Besides, he wasn't a cruel man. He could be lenient in this case.

  "Fine. You can go back to bed, but I need some blood first. I have several important meetings today, and I need my full strength."

  Aria tensed but nodded. She walked past him, into the main room. Gavin followed her, admiring her full ass. It would be delightful to see her form out of these baggy clothes. Everything she wore from here on out would be perfectly tailored for all her curves. And perhaps soon he'd be able to see her without clothes at all.

  The human offered her wrist to him, but Gavin shook his head. "I need something fresher. By the time blood has gotten to your extremities, it's already used some of its energy. I need something closer to the heart."

  His gaze dropped to her neck. She swallowed, but when he reached for her she didn't resist him at all. Good. She was already warming up to him. He undid her top two buttons and moved her top off her shoulder, exposing her skin to him.

  "Ready?" he asked, glancing up.

  Aria's eyes were bright. She chewed on her lip as she nodded. Gavin put an arm around her and drew her closer. He frowned at how tense she was. But this would be the first time he took a proper drink from her. She was probably just nervous. He kissed her neck gently. Aria shivered and burrowed herself closer to him.

  So she was receptive. She just needed a little encouragement. With a grin, he placed his fangs against her pulse and bit down.

  The woman jumped, then let out a throaty moan that surprised him. He felt her vibrate as he sucked, pulling in the sweet, sweet taste of blood. Everything tightened inside of him. It tightened, even more, when Aria grabbed his hand around her waist and tugged it upwards. She pressed him against her breast, her body undulating beneath him.

  Gavin groaned, pulling her even closer. Who cared if he had meetings to attend to? He was the king, his time belonged to no one except for himself. If he wanted to stay here with this beautiful woman, he could.

  He dropped his hand from her breast to her waist, pushing it under her elastic waistband. Aria moaned again, lifting her hips to his touch. He grinned as he felt she wasn't wearing any underwear, and slid it down between her thighs.

  Aria shuddered. She slammed her hand against his chest, making him jerk away from her.

  "No," she gasped. "No. I'm a virgin, and if you want to be the first man who takes me, you have to forgive my father's debt first."

  The king's hand was still on her hip. Her blood dripped from his lips. At first, only one word jumped out of that. Virgin. Fires stirred inside of him. It was his opinion that virginity was overrated. Give him a woman who knew what she was doing over a nervous, inexperienced girl any day. But the thought of teaching Aria all the pleasures of the body…

  Then the rest of what she said hit him. He drew back, his brows furrowing. "What?"

  She clutched her top closed, though blood dripped from her neck to stain it. "You heard me. If I'm going to be your personal prostitute, that's my price. My father's debt wiped out."

  Prostitute. He hated that word. He hated it as much as what Aria was saying. He drew back. "So that was what you were hoping for? Why you let me – no, encouraged me – to touch you? I don't need sex. You're a beautiful woman, but I have hundreds of beautiful women who want to please me. I'll pay for your blood. That's all. I'm not paying for your body. No matter how much you tempt me."

  "I tempt you?" Aria got to her feet and backed away from him. "I'm not the one who started pumping you full of aphrodisiacs. You could have at least warned me that having my blood drunk would be like foreplay! I bet it didn't even cross your mind, did it? You thought that I was agreeing to be your sex toy as well as your juice box. Well, I'm not!"

  Aria's face was flushed, her hands clenched, eyes narrowed. She really believed what she was saying. She hadn't known about the side-effects of drinking.

  Gavin got to his feet. "You're the one who suggested our arrangement. I thought that you already knew what it would entail."

  "Well. I guess I know now. And I mean it. You don't get this body unless you wipe out my father's debt."

  "Fine." His own hands clenched. For a wild moment he wanted to forbid her from being with any man other than him while she lived in the palace, but given her temperament, she'd probably go out and sleep with every man she could find just to spite him. "Like I said, I don't need sex from you. Now get cleaned up and dressed. I expect you downstairs in half an hour."

  "But you said—"

  "I changed my mind. I'm going to be meeting with a human police representative. Apparently, there have been an unusual amount of kidnappings this year. You will be there in case something happens and I need some fresh blood. In fact, you are to be with me at all times except for night. Now go get ready. You have clothes in the wardrobe."

  Aria bared her teeth at him but didn't say another word as she spun on her heel and marched back into her bedroom. Gavin turned away, carding his fingers through his hair. What was it about this woman that drove him so crazy?

  Chapter Three – Aria

  The rayon fabric clung to her curves with a breezy, airy feel that Aria loved. She never thought that she'd be a flashy dresser, but when she had a wardrobe of silk, satin, and diamonds, she couldn't help it. The bright yellow color went so well with her complexion. She'd paired it with a matching clutch and a simple crystal necklace for her lunch with Sonya.

  Her friend eyed her skeptically when they sat down at the outdoor café they often had lunch at. Several vampires hovered around the edges of the place, but Aria ignored them.

  "So two weeks at a palace and you come back dressed like that?" Sonya asked.

  Aria shrugged. "Life is different there. Actually, this is rather modest compared to most of the clothes Gavin gave me."

  "Are you happy? I've been reading the news. It seems like you're hardly ever from his side."

  Aria thought a moment. How could she confirm that without worrying her friend? Sonya was always the more compassionate of the two of them. She cared so deeply, and it was easy for other people to take advantage of her. Aria didn't want her any more worried than she already was.

  "I am, most of the time. I'm with him so much mostly so I can learn more about what vampire culture is like, but Gavin also needs to drink regularly."

  Sonya's gaze fell on the two visible marks on Aria's neck.

  "It doesn't hurt," the brunette was quick to say. "And he doesn't treat me badly. Actually, it's kind of exciting when we get into arguments. He gets this stunned look on his face like he never expects me to talk back to him. There are other perks, too. I'm not just working off Papa's debt. Gavin gives me bonuses as well. It's nice being able to actually see what—"

  "And what about sex?" Sonya interrupted. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "
I've been reading up on it. They say that getting your blood drunk by a vampire has a… drug-like effect. You lose control. Has the king taken advantage of you?"

  "No."

  "Good."

  Aria sighed. Having Gavin's fangs pierce her skin might as well be sex at times. She'd experimented with self-pleasuring at times, but she hadn't ever been able to make herself feel what Gavin did with just his mouth on her neck. It was unsettling, exciting, and confusing. And she wanted more. She looked forward to when he needed her blood, and dreamt of taking it further at night when she thought about the sensations he evoked inside her.

  Sonya put her hand over Aria's, biting her lip. "You can tell me whatever you're thinking."

  "Do you remember how I once told you that I wanted to have sex and didn't care who I had it with?"

  Sonya flinched and nodded.

  "Well… that feeling never fully went away. I mean, it's never been that I wanted to give my virginity to some random stranger. But Gavin..."

  "I remember you drooling over pictures of him on the TV."

  Aria grinned. "He's even hotter in person, and it's not like I have other prospects. When he drinks my blood, it's intense. And it does make me lose my mind sometimes, but he doesn't ever touch me more than necessary."

  Relief crossed Sonya's face. She sat back and smiled, apparently satisfied with that. Aria wasn't done, though. There was more she wanted to say. She just didn't know how to say it.

  "If we had come together under different circumstances, I would have slept with him already. And I'm not ruling it out in the future, even if it is just a one-time thing. I just… I just don't want to feel like he's buying me, you know?" Aria sighed unhappily, resting her elbows on the table. "But anyway. That's enough about me. How are you doing? How's Papa? He looked tired when I saw him earlier."

  "He's worried about you. We all are."

  "You don't have to be. I'm good. It's only been two weeks, but I'm already pretty well adjusted."

  "Good."

  Aria kept the conversations on safer subjects for the rest of their meal. By the time she was meant to return to the palace she wasn't ready to go, but her head was clearer for having talked to Sonya. She sighed as her vampire escort reminded her that the king would be waiting for her return. Gavin. He was as infuriating as he was attractive. It was a good thing she wasn't hoping for anything more with him, otherwise, she'd go crazy.

  "I suppose I have to go," she said as she hugged Sonya. "Take care of yourself."

  "You, too."

  Aria turned to go, but before they reached the sleek Jaguar she'd driven there, a familiar limo pulled up to the curb. Gavin rolled down the window and gestured her over to him. Aria narrowed her eyes as she marched to the limo. She still had some time before she was meant to be back. Why was he following her out here? It was inexcusable.

  "Get in," he said as soon as she was within earshot. "We're going to Paris."

  Paris? Aria's eyes widened. She stared, dumbfounded, before shaking herself and climbing into the limo. Paris. She didn't even know any French! "What are we going to Paris for?"

  "I have some business with Queen Monique." Gavin peered out the window, frowning in Sonya's direction as Aria settled in. "So you and that woman. You're close, aren't you? She looks very concerned."

  "She's my best friend." Aria waved to Sonya as their driver pulled away from the curb. "We also used to date a couple years ago."

  She glanced at Gavin for his reaction. The king looked slightly surprised, but not as much as she had expected. The surprise quickly smoothed off his face and he nodded. "Well, that explains it."

  "Explains what?"

  "Why you don't want to sleep with me."

  Aria bit back a surge of annoyance. She crossed her arms. "Um, no. It doesn't. I'm not a lesbian. I'm bisexual. That means that I'm attracted to both men and women. I just don't think that being an arrogant, self-centered jerk is attractive."

  Gavin straightened his tie and flipped the tail back and forth for a moment. It was the first sign of any sort of vulnerability that Aria had seen in him, and she was surprised by the desire to take back what she had just said. She pressed her lips tightly together to keep her apology on the inside. She hadn't said anything that bad. Had she?

  "So when you say you're a virgin," Gavin looked up at her, his eyes capturing her at once, "is it because you've never had sex, or because you've never had sex with a man?"

  "The first." Aria became aware that she was fiddling with the hem of her skirt, making it ride up her thigh. She smoothed it back down. "That's why Sonya and I broke up, actually. I wanted sex, and Sonya's more traditional. She wants to be married first. We decided that it was going to ruin our relationship, so we took a step back and became best friends again, rather than girlfriends."

  Gavin grunted. He pressed a button in the roof, and the two side windows rolled up. The glass all around them was tinted and the inside became dim. When the king moved closer, putting his hand on her thigh, Aria's heart rate spiked. She swallowed hard, trying not to let her dirty thoughts show.

  "So you're a virgin who doesn't want to be a virgin?" he growled, the husky quality of his voice making something tighten inside her. "I can help you with that."

  Aria stared back into his eyes, heart thumping and pounding all over the place. This wasn't how she wanted it, was it? She wanted someone who actually cared. Or did she? She had never thought that virginity was something all that special. Never cared one whit about hers, other than to wish she had the full experience. She swallowed hard.

  "I, uh, I don't…" Her cheeks warmed, embarrassed at the way she floundered. "Didn't you hear what I said? I don't think arrogant, self-centered jerks are attractive."

  "Good thing I'm not an arrogant, self-centered jerk." Gavin wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap. His lips caressed her neck, making her moan. "I'm a vampire king that will show you what it's like to have a lover treat you right."

  Aria moaned again. Her body screamed at her to say yes. And so what if this was a business relationship? He was hot. He was there. He was looking at her like nobody had ever looked at her. And the tingles of pleasure were already bursting inside of her…

  "Yes," she whispered. "I want you."

  Gavin chuckled into her skin as he kissed it. His hands roamed her body, tracing every curve delicately as if she was made of finely spun glass. Her mind flitted around, wondering what she was doing until she grabbed all her thoughts and forcibly shoved them away. She had decided what she wanted, and she wasn't going to second-guess herself.

  This had been a long time coming.

  Both of the king's hands reached under her dress. With a sharp tug, he tore her underwear. The cool air smacking her made Aria gasp. Gavin kissed her again, this time letting his fangs scrape her skin.

  "Undo my pants," he ordered.

  "Can't undress yourself?" Aria gasped back, hardly able to hold onto her mind as his huge fingers played between her thighs, never hitting her target, always teasing.

  Gavin nipped her collarbone, grinding up against her, hands moving up her body under the dress to grasp her breasts and press her back against his chest. "Do as I say."

  Aria obeyed. It was difficult to reach his zipper when she was sitting on his lap, but somehow she managed to find it and do as he wanted. She pushed his pants to his knees. The length of him pressed against her; fires flared, but her stomach twisted.

  "You won't fit," she blurted.

  "Yes, I will. Your body was designed to relax and swell to take in somebody like me. That tightening you feel? It's your womb lengthening, getting ready for me."

  "Oh."

  His hands were back on her thighs, pulling her tight against him. The heat of their skin together sizzled, making her whole body feel like it was about to burst into flame. She reached behind herself to grasp his neck, tugging at his hair as his mouth continued to do its work on her bare shoulder, his fingers finally reaching their target.

/>   A shock went through her, making her cry out. She writhed under his touch, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Blurs of buildings and trees passed by outside. The tinted windows grew steamy, further hiding what they were doing inside their sanctuary. Gavin continued to do his work; when she was breathless with pleasure and desire, he pressed himself against her. The sensation was better than she could have imagined. Her nails dug into the leather seat, holding her breath as he entered slowly.

  "Relax," Gavin whispered in her ear, stroking her in languid movements. "I won't hurt you."

  Aria both believed him and didn't – the first time was supposed to hurt, wasn't it? And yet, as Gavin inched deeper and deeper inside of her, it didn't. The sensations spread through her body, making her feel full and stretched, but there was no pain to mar her pleasure.

  Once he was fully inside, Gavin kissed her neck and moved his hands to her hips. "Move with me."

  Aria obeyed, swiveling her hips in small circles as Gavin's guiding hands encouraged her. Her skin seemed to shrink around her, tingles forming in the base of her skull. Her eyes slid shut, blood rushing to her chest and neck as she let Gavin move her. His hand slid between her thighs again; he began rocking his hips upwards and she was soon gasping and crying out with every motion. It was all too much, too deep… This was going to kill her…

  She wasn't sure what happened when she reached her climax. Darkness drew over her eyes, her head spun, and the next thing she knew, Gavin was helping her back onto the bench, handing her a bottle of water.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, eyes worried.

  "What happened?" she croaked.

  "You screamed and collapsed. I thought I'd killed you."

  Aria rolled her eyes with an effort. "It wasn't that good."

  "You still blacked out."

  "Um…" she shook her head. "Probably because I'm low on blood. Not because of…"

  The most mind-blowing experience she'd ever had.

  Gavin frowned. He shrugged and pulled his pants back up. "If you say so. Try to rest. It's a long way to Paris."

  Aria stared at him as he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. Her body was still tight and aching, trembles running up and down her legs. Swallowing, she moved to the opposite window and smoothed her skirt over her knees and looked out of the window.