by R. Sullins
We had not yet spoken about love. I didn’t know if he loved me, even though he was adamant that we were mates. But over the last couple of months of training, sparring, late-night talks, and a battle, I had fallen for the vampire king.
“My Hunter is finally awake.” Crispin’s deep voice whispered a breath at my ear causing goosebumps to rise along my skin and the fine hairs at my nape to raise in awareness. His hand stroked over my belly before dipping down and cupping my pussy fully in his hand. He stroked me there a few times before running his palm over my thigh and lifting it up and back, opening myself to him. In the next instant he was pressing into me, his cock, once again, sliding sensually along my inner muscles as they gripped him tightly. His growl in my ear had me releasing more of my essence, my nipples pebbling into almost painful points.
Suddenly, I was on my hands and knees with my vampire gripping my hips and sliding back into me. New sensations bombarded me. I threw my head back on a scream as he slammed into me so deep I couldn’t form any more thoughts in my head, except for the need for, “More!”.
One of his hands slid from my hip to my rib cage up and over my breasts to rest around my throat with the slightest of pressure. “I will make the demands, baby.” He growled in my ear. He lifted my upper body to rest against his chest and took one of my hands in his, lacing our fingers together. He led our joined hands over my body and down past my clit to rest against where we were intimately joined. I felt him sliding in and out of me in a smooth rhythm. The feel of his cock, wet with my essence, was enough to send me spiraling into another amazing orgasm.
“You feel us together, Hunter?” He pressed the heel of my hand against my clit as he sped up his thrusts, his hips slapping into my ass with every thrust. I nodded my head weakly when he bit my ear, letting me know he expected an answer. “This will always be ours, yours and mine.” He pressed harder against my clit. “I have spent nearly two thousand years on this earth and never thought I’d find someone to hold my heart. I will never let you go. You are my mate.” With that, he bit deep into my neck again and as I felt him draw deep on my blood I felt my world fracture again. Lights flashed across my vision and my scream rang around the room. As I spiraled back to earth I felt him release deep inside me with a growl so animalistic I thought of his wolf.
I slumped against him, my entire body boneless, trusting him to carry my weight. Both his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight. We both sat motionless as our breathing and hearts steadied.
“It is after noon, my Hunter. I imagine you would like to get back to your sister.” For once he didn’t say ‘sister’ with a snarl, but he still sounded irritated. I gently extricated myself from his arms and turned around, conscious of the fact that I wouldn’t have been able to move if he didn’t allow it.
I placed my hand on his stubbly cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered, looking into the calm gray of his eyes.
He pressed his cheek further into my hand as he asked, “For what, baby?”
I pressed a soft kiss to his lips and whispered, “For you.”
Chapter 16
*****
Crispin stared out the window, seeing nothing but trees while his sentinels surrounded the table at his back. It was late in the day and he had called his sentinels to him early because he couldn’t wait any longer for information.
Ariel had explained that she was unable to get any useful information from the van that had been at the park the night before. It was obvious that the revenants all arrived in the van. The driver was a human that had been given a compulsion to drive the monsters there and was to drop them back off at a secondary location. No other information could be pulled from his mind and he seemed to be an innocent in the situation.
He clenched his fist tight and resisted the urge to punch a hole through the window. The only thing holding him back was the disaster it would be for the sentinels in the room since the treated windows prevent the harmful sun rays from entering. He, himself, was old enough to withstand several minutes of direct sunlight without damage worse than a sunburn.
Abruptly, he stalked back to the meeting table and braced his clenched fists against it, leaning forward. “We must find out who orchestrated this attack. We also need to find out how those revenants were able to work together.”
“It’s the craziest thing I have ever seen.” Dom shook his head in disbelief. “Have you ever seen them work as a pack like that, Boss?”
Crispin clenched his jaw. “No.” He turned back toward the window again while his sentinels gave each other wary glances.
“Rhys, contact Jared, tell him to bring the Hunter here. I want her back here before darkness falls. Rhys, you and Dom go to the drop off point where the van driver was supposed to go last night as soon as it gets dark. See if you can scent where they came from. I know it’s a long shot but we have to track them back to who is responsible. Alan, dig into the driver’s background, see if there is anything there we haven’t already learned.”
When he finished speaking everyone got up to leave. Rhys stayed behind to ask the Master vampire a question. “You believe they want her for her Hunter blood, don’t you?”
Crispin closed his glowing silver eyes. Yes. Yes, he believed the Hunter was being hunted.
*****
I knew I had a ridiculous, huge, smile stretched across my face when I walked into our little house. Each step reminded me of how it felt to have Crispin inside me. I went straight to my bedroom to dump out my overnight bag. I threw away the clothes I wore last night during the fight with the revenants, thankful that I didn’t have a leather jacket like Crispin’s after all. But I still needed to get some laundry done. I should probably take a shower too, but I wanted to hold on to Crispin’s scent just a little bit longer.
I carried my laundry basket past my sister’s door, tiptoeing when I heard Sandy’s voice inside. I wasn’t sure how to answer questions. It was the first time I’d ever stayed away for so long. I left Iris alone all night. Sandy would have shown up this morning and seen Iris was all alone. And here it is past 1 pm. The guilt was threatening to choke me. I wasn’t gone having all fun and games, I was actually doing important work, work I had literally been born to do. But Crispin and I spent a long time with each other afterward. Time I should have spent with my sister.
I shoved my clothes in the wash and threw detergent in before slamming the door shut. When I turned around I jumped a mile when I spotted Sandy leaning against the door jamb.
“Get that look off your face right now little girl!”
I raised my eyebrow at the ‘little girl’ and felt my lips trying to raise in a smile. I shook my head. “Sandy, I need to apologize to both you and Iris. I never meant to stay out so late. I fell asleep and…”
“You hush your mouth right now!” Sandy’s stern voice jarred me out of my rambling apology. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. We have been over and over this. Your sister is more capable than either of you give her credit for. She owes you for years of servitude for her.”
I rolled my eyes going past her and into the kitchen. “Servitude is a little extreme, don’t you think?”
She grinned, “Maybe.” She hooked her elbow in mine, pulling me to the table. “Now, you are going to sit down and relax while I make us sandwiches and you will tell me all about your night. And morning.”
*
I paused outside my sister’s room. I needed to see if we could talk. I wanted to tell her a little about Crispin and get her used to the idea that I had a boyfriend. I knew she would be upset no matter what I said so I was a bit reluctant to start down that road.
I sighed, straightened my shoulders and pasted a bright smile on. I tapped on the door before twisting the knob. “Knock knock!” I walked in and bent to kiss my sister’s cheek. She didn’t acknowledge me until I sat on her bed where I sat the last time. When she did she looked at me over the screen of her laptop.
“You got laid.” Her voice was dry, unemotional. I had expected sc
reaming and cursing. Perhaps a threat or two. Definitely things being thrown. But not this.
“I’m happy, Iris,” I said softly. “He’s a great guy and I really like him. I’d like you to meet him.”
Iris shrugged her shoulders, “Yeah, sure. Whatever you think.” Her voice was detached, unemotional. “Do you mind if I get some alone time? I was talking to Jim before you came in.”
It took me a moment to place the name when I finally remembered that she had mentioned an online friend a few weeks ago. Sandy had mentioned that she was online with him all the time and seemed like a new person when she was talking to him. Good, I was glad she had a good friend to keep her company.
“Ok honey,” I said softly and squeezed her knee before I stood up. I knew she couldn’t feel it but I couldn’t help myself. She rarely allowed me to show her any kind of affection. “I’ll talk to Crispin and ask him when he could come by to meet you, is that ok?” She nodded her head jerkily without taking her eyes off the laptop screen.
I closed her door behind me softly and then jumped when I heard a glass smash.
*
I was standing on my front porch, looking around for Jared, after I spent the last 2 hours with a cold compress on my eyes. That was after I had spent a good hour crying my eyes out. I was hoping Crispin wouldn’t notice the puffiness but knowing him he would take one look at my face and want to strangle my sister.
Jared appeared like smoke to my right. “Princess?”
“I’m ok Jared.” I smiled to reassure him but by the look on his face I’m sure I failed miserably. “I got a text from Crispin a few minutes ago saying he wanted me at his place before dark and to come by whenever I was ready. I thought we could go now?” It was hitting 6 pm. There were still a couple of hours left before we really had to get on the road but I couldn’t stand the feeling in the house anymore. Sandy had left a short time ago with words of wisdom, including “give her time, sweetheart”.
Jared just nodded his head and took my overnight bag from me and led me to the car that was parked in front of my house.
“So where were you when I walked out?”
I swear to the sun and moon that Jared was blushing. I watched him duck his head and mumble something about getting a coffee. That was when I noticed the to-go cup in his hand. The same to-go cups that the diner had where I used to work. The same diner that had the worst burnt coffee in the county. The same diner that hired a cute little waitress a couple weeks ago. A slow smile spread across my lips.
“Princess…” Jared did a good imitation of Crispin’s growl.
I held up my hands in surrender and grinned at his reflection in the rearview mirror. Sometimes saying nothing at all was the best revenge. His eyes narrowed. I grinned harder. He huffed, and I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
“I was just checking on her, okay!”
I widened my eyes and just nodded my head. Jared really liked the new waitress. That was so adorable.
“Alright, Jared, let me know if you need anything from me, okay?”
He sighed with, what seemed like relief, and nodded.
“Are you going to tell me what your sister did this time?”
I responded quietly but I knew he could still hear me. “I told her about Crispin and asked if he could meet her.”
“I take it that didn’t go over well?”
I scoffed, “Understatement, Jared.”
His sympathetic eyes met mine, “I’m sorry baby girl. I know you are hurting because of your sister. Sometimes your true family are the ones you choose, just remember that.”
I blinked the moisture from my eyes and nodded my head.
Chapter 17
*****
Crispin paced the front hall, needing eyes on his Hunter. He sensed that she needed him, their bond seemingly had grown since they were together last. His rest was uneasy and disturbed. He prowled back and forth while his beast inside clawed at his chest.
As soon as he heard the car coming up the drive he flung open the doors, heedless of the waning sunlight. Soon, the car appeared and came to a stop at the base of the front entry. Crispin threw open the backdoor where his Ivy awaited him. He didn’t wait for her to unbuckle, simply knocked her fingers away and hit the button himself. He tugged her out of the seat and up the stairs. There, he left the doors wide open while he picked up his Hunter, wrapped his hand around her ponytail, tugging her head back.
He met her eyes and declared, “Never again are we spending the day apart.”
Her voice was a soft, distressed, “Crispin.”
“Hush, we will talk about it later.”
His mouth met hers and her legs wrapped around his lean waist. As he carried her up the stairs to his room, he and his Hunter never parted from the kiss.
*****
“Come, we need to eat.” Crispin stopped his fingers from where they had been trailing my back up and down. We had finally caught our breath and were just enjoying each other’s company, laying on his large bed.
“Crispin?”
“Yes, my Hunter?”
“When do you drink blood?”
“I usually drink about once a week. I drank from you last night and this morning if you remember. It was the most fulfilling I’d ever had. I may be able to go an entire month from that meal alone.”
I rolled over, taking the sheet with me to preserve my dignity when I asked incredulously, “Really?”
He smiled at me, humor dancing in his soft gray eyes. “Yes, really. I had heard a very long time ago that Hunter's blood was special, but I didn’t pay attention or I just forgot over the long years.”
“Hmmm.” I lost my train of thought when he nuzzled the back of my ear. He nipped my earlobe making me squeak and smacked my ass.
“Up. We’ll take a shower later, I want you smelling like me. For now, I want to feed you and then get inside you again.”
My face felt hot at that comment. He laughed at me and tossed me my bra and panties that somehow ended up on his dresser.
“We also need to go to a place in the city tonight after dinner.”
I cocked an eyebrow, an outing to the city, after the issues with the revenants?
He kissed me lightly on the lips. “I will explain on the way. First, let’s have a quiet dinner together.”
“Okay, Crispin.” I kissed him back, looking forward to another meal with him.
After we finished dressing we walked down the stairs hand in hand. I was admiring the way he looked in a tight pair of jeans and t-shirt as we descended the stairs. I needed to ask him to wear denim more often. We were heading to the dining room for dinner when we heard James call out to Crispin.
“Crispin!”
He and Katerina were strolling in through the front doors. Katerina was in a knee-length dress in a delicate material the exact blue of her eyes. It was soft and feminine, showing off her slight curves and emphasizing her fragility. James was in a suit without a tie and the top button undone. They were walking together with Katerina’s hand on his arm in a formal manner that spoke of long ago etiquette.
“Are you off to dinner then?” James walked up to Crispin and slapped him on the shoulder before sending me a wink. He turned back to Crispin and said “We’d love to join you if you’ll have us. We haven’t spent much time with you at all and we have been here for months!”
Before Crispin could do anything more than stiffen, Katerina spoke up in her soft, melodious voice.
“Please, Crispy? It’s been so long since we had a meal together. I miss the special times we had.” Her eyes were huge, the sapphire blue sparkling under a layer of moisture. Seriously, this girl could pull off guilt better than anyone I have ever known. I would be almost impressed. If I wasn’t irritated about Crispin being blindsided and guilt-tripped. And cringing inside over the nickname. Also, either I was being an overly jealous girlfriend or this angel look-alike just insinuated more about their friendship right in front of me. I studied her more quizzically. Wh
at was her game?
Crispin squeezed my hand.
I am sorry, my hunter. I would feel bad about not having dinner with them. Do you mind if they join us?
I looked up at him and responded,
It’s ok, I understand. I would love to get to know your friends better.
Crispin gestured with his free hand towards the dining room. “We’d love to have you join us for dinner.”
We led the way into the amazing dining room where Crispin and I first declared our relationship status. When I looked at the chair he had sat in I fought a blush I felt crawling up my neck. I glanced at Crispin under my eyelashes, remembering what he had done to my body just a short time ago. His wicked grin told me he knew exactly what I was thinking about and he ran his hand over the back of the chair in a sensual caress. I rolled my eyes and turned away, fighting a grin of my own.
In the chair to Crispin’s right, Katerina was already seated. I stared down at her with a frown. I didn’t know why I expected that to be my seat, but seeing her there heightened the jealousy that had started to simmer from the time they caught us at the stairs. I quickly glanced at the other side of the table but James was seated at the left next to Crispin. I was the only one left standing and suddenly felt awkward. I quickly walked to the seat next to Katerina but before I sat down Crispin cleared his throat.
“Katerina, do you mind? That seat is for my Hunter.” Oh, he just made it even more awkward.
“Crispin, no, it’s okay.” I pulled out the chair and sat down quickly before he could object. “I’m fine here.” I smiled at him to show that everything was fine even though it felt tight and forced.
Crispin frowned but didn’t say any more. He waved at the staff who began bringing in the meal. I thanked the older gentleman that poured me a glass of wine, thankful for the drink I knew I’d need to get through the meal. I could feel Crispin’s stare and knew through the bond we had that he felt my unease. I took a large sip and cleared my throat as I placed my crystal glass back down.