Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1)

by Sieverding, H. N.

  With his arm around Ashleigh’s waist, Caleb held her tightly as he motioned toward the girl in front of him. She began to move to the music, her long hair swaying around her head. "Or strip."

  The woman began to sway seductively to the music. Ashleigh’s bottom lip trembled as she watched the woman slowly peel off her tight, black skirt, letting it slide teasingly down her hips. It revealed her thong panties and a well-placed tattoo on her back above her panty line. She then began working on her shirt, so Ashleigh turned away and gazed at her knees.

  Caleb twirled his hand around gracefully, his voice soft and smooth like honey infecting her ears. His gentle touch made her calm down, even though she didn’t want to. His hand was resting between her knees, the long, silky fabric of her dress shoved between them.

  The woman’s stare was focused on Caleb. She regarded him like her god. "I can make her bleed."

  The woman picked up a bottle on the table near her, slamming it against the top and breaking the glass. The liquid inside splashed to the floor, and Ashleigh jumped at the sound. Taking the neck of the bottle, the woman held its now jagged edges to her chest. Ashleigh tightened her grip on Caleb, one of her hands going to his hand on her knee and holding it tightly in hers.

  Making a pained face as she dug the bottle down the flesh between her breasts, the woman never once took her eyes from Caleb. Thick blood pooled over the wound, the sharp glass shredding her skin. Caleb motioned for her to come closer, and the woman kneeled near them.

  "Try it." Caleb kissed Ashleigh’s neck. Her long hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, leaving the delicate skin of her neck exposed. The blood on his lips transferred onto her. Ashleigh felt the thick wetness of it on her skin. "I want to taste her blood on your lips and lick the drippings from your chin."

  His hand moved further up her leg, stopping inches from her hot spot, something he knew made her more excited than actually hitting it directly. His other hand motioned for the woman to lean forward, her hand with the bottle poised near her neck.

  "Don’t be afraid." A naughty chuckle escaped Caleb’s lips as they paused by her cheek. "You’ll like it." His next words rang in her ears, the hiss of them like poison. "I promise."

  The woman dug the broken bottle into her skin, a few whines escaping her lips as she pulled it from the back of her ear to the bottom of her chin.

  Ashleigh scanned the action across from her. Charlotte was making out with Sam on the couch, and Victoria appeared to be passed out next to Aiden. Aiden didn’t seem to care about her and was watching Ashleigh closely, a finger to his lips as their eyes met.

  He had a quiet, calm, evil energy, something that made him appear very dangerous. He was a true villain, a lot like her character of Nicolas. No, Nicolas is different. Aiden is close, but still—he isn’t Nicolas. Nicolas is strong, handsome, elegant…he—

  "Come on, baby." Caleb grabbed the sides of her head and pushed it toward the deep gash on the woman’s neck, pulling her from her thoughts. "Drink for me."

  He plunged her lips into the river of blood that was flowing from the wound. Caleb didn’t let go until he felt Ashleigh latch on and begin to drink. It was hard at first, but it wasn’t the taste that made her want to vomit, it was drinking from this woman who shook under her touch.

  As she drank, she wondered what this woman was thinking. Ashleigh knew she could feel, that was clear from the pained expression on her face and her quick, labored breathing.

  Ashleigh looked up, her eyes going to the pair of hazel ones across the room. The weight of Aiden’s stare was painful, but hard to break.

  Caleb’s hands went to her shoulders and guided her body to face him. Ashleigh closed her eyes, a strange but wonderful feeling pumping through her body with every beat of her heart. She could feel Caleb’s tongue slowly lick up her chest and her chin. His mouth went to hers, his deep, open mouthed kisses sucking off the blood that surrounded her lips. Then, Caleb pulled away from her, leaving her dreamy eyed and slightly dazed.

  "Are you tired?" He stroked her cheek lovingly.

  "Mmm hmm." She felt amazing, every inch of her skin tingling with delight. The feeling was so overpowering, it overloaded her senses, making her very sleepy.

  "You’re not a full vampire yet, so your body will react to blood this way for a while." Caleb helped her to her feet, Ashleigh finding it hard to stand on her own. He grabbed her purse and looped it over his arm. "It feels good though, doesn’t it?" He led her out of the living room and down the hallway to one of the bedrooms.

  "Really good." She smiled at him.

  Everything around her was blurry, and she couldn’t feel the burden of her own weight on her feet. Caleb unzipped her dress. Now she was only in her panties, but Ashleigh didn’t even notice her nakedness. He peeled back the soft covers then eased her into a sitting position in the bed, covering her legs up with the covers.

  Undressing himself as quickly as he could, Caleb kept a sharp eye on her. Ashleigh lay her head back on the massive headboard and closed her eyes. He took something out of his pocket and concealed it in his hand as he stripped down to his boxers. He set it on the floor near the bed then climbed in. He took her up in his arms, which she happily accepted.

  "I liked watching you perform tonight." Ashleigh lightly traced the black tattoo on his upper arm, her fingers barely kissing the surface of his skin. "I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you all night. Being around all these rich people makes me nervous." As she nuzzled her head into his bare chest, the top of her hair tickled the bottom of his nose, and Caleb pushed some of it away with his hand. "I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I don’t fit in with all this."

  "You’ll get used to it." A soft laugh escaped Caleb’s lips, his hand taking one of hers and holding it in his. "And I’m not mad that you waited so long to come over to me. Next time, I’ll remember to go and grab you. I’m not used to shy girls like you."

  "I’m not always shy." She turned her head toward them, both of their faces filled with happy smiles.

  "I like that you don’t have a big mouth." Caleb rubbed his nose against hers playfully as he turned her onto her back. "I’m tired of attention whores. Girls trying to steal my limelight." He climbed on top of her. "I like your real breasts." He grabbed one and squeezed.

  His voice softened as he stroked her cheek lovingly. "I like how you can be my greatest fan, and even if I wasn’t rich, you’d still love me and my music. I’ve never met anyone who fits me as well as you. You're the piece of me that I was looking for. The better half of Caleb Mason. Someone I can talk to about anything. I love you, Ashleigh. You're my perfect."

  "I love you, too." Ashleigh giggled with a love drunk expression. There were a few streaks of dried blood on her neck. Caleb glanced at them briefly and then back up at her face.

  "Will you marry me?" He sat on her hips and pulled out a small box, flipping open the lid to reveal a large diamond ring.

  Ashleigh’s jaw dropped, a hand going to her bare chest as she regarded him with shock. She hadn’t been expecting him to propose, and right now, her eyes couldn’t break away from the very expensive ring he was holding in front of her. It had a large, square diamond in the center, set off by two diamonds on either side, and black diamonds around their band as accents.

  "It’s pretty, right? So…umm…" He seemed very nervous, something Caleb normally wasn't. "What do you say? Will you marry me?"

  "I…umm…" Biting her lip, she looked at Caleb’s eager face then to the diamond in his hand.

  "Here, try it on." He grabbed her left hand. It was a perfect fit and as soon as it slid onto her finger, Ashleigh began to cry. She could feel the weight of the large diamond, but her eyes were watery so she couldn’t see it very well anymore. "So, will you marry me?"

  Shaking her head a few times quickly, Ashleigh’s voice was choppy and wet. "Yes." She wrapped her arms around his neck, her warm tears falling on his bare neck.

  Chapter Nine

  Ashleigh was fast asleep i
n Caleb’s arms, the curtains were drawn, which made the room very dark. It was silent until Ashleigh’s phone started to ring. She quickly jumped out of bed to answer it, Caleb letting out a grunt as he listened to her bang into things as she searched for her purse.

  She hadn’t turned the light on and neither did Caleb, who turned over in bed and covered his head with a pillow. He had always been a hard person to wake up, his night owl ways making it hard for him to be awake before noon.

  Ashleigh found the phone and used it as a nightlight to make her way to the bathroom. When she was inside, she answered it as she shut the door. "Hello?"

  "Hello, dear." Hannah’s voice came from the other end, a calmness in it that Ashleigh found slightly odd.

  "Hey, Hannah." Looking at her naked image in the mirror, Ashleigh made a sour face at it. Her hair was all messed up, and she could now see the streaks of dried blood on her neck. "Have you heard anything about the whole lawsuit thing yet?"

  "Apparently, this woman’s name is Nikki Astar, and she has done ten interviews claiming to be you."

  "Great, so now what?" Ashleigh took some of bobby pins out of her hair that were hanging onto a few strands.

  "We're working out a settlement but until then, all of us are on damage control. I'd like you to write a statement to your fans about the incident."

  "I can do that." Ashleigh turned toward the bathroom door when it opened, her gaze falling upon Caleb. He was shuffling his feet and rubbing his face. Walking past her, he went to the toilet and started peeing. Ashleigh shook her head as she smiled and turned from him.

  "I do need you to come to Markston, though. We have some potential investors that are coming to the main branch to speak to Mr. Castle and the board. We’ve decided to hold our yearly workshops on that day as well. You know, as a way to show off our talented writers, so they will invest."

  "Sounds boring." Ashleigh continued to pick at her hair, Caleb coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her middle. He took hold of her bare hips, his lips kissing her neck as he gently rocked his body against hers. This was very distracting, but Ashleigh was trying not to let her arousal show in her voice. "When is it?"

  "Two weeks. I’d need you here on Friday, the fifth. We will take care of your lodging and travel costs, so just book your flight and room, and we will reimburse you."

  "Just for the weekend?" Ashleigh turned around in Caleb’s arms, her mind no longer on her conversation with Hannah.

  "Yes."

  "Okay. I’ll be there, Hannah." Ashleigh hung up, her hand going limp as Caleb began to kiss her. She then set her phone on the bathroom sink, her arms going up to hang from his neck. This flirtation led to the bedroom, where the pair stayed until late into the afternoon.

  Robert had brought them new clothes, and when they left Aiden’s apartment, it looked as perfect and clean as it did the moment they entered. Nothing was out of place, and there were no traces of blood anywhere. Ashleigh found this a little odd, but didn’t dwell much on the thought.

  Caleb had a little over a week free until he had to resume his heavy touring schedule, so the pair got to spend it together. It was hard to say goodbye, but it was easier knowing they soon would be together again.

  She hadn’t told anyone yet, but she was going to move to his home in Kingston when he was done with his tour. It was something that would be hard for her to break to Natalie, who she decided not to tell until she had come back from Markston. She did tell her about her engagement though, that she couldn’t keep secret.

  Sitting in a writing workshop for romance authors, Ashleigh was listening to a woman reading a passage from her book, Hot in Verona. All the people in the room seemed very interested in what she was saying.

  Because Ashleigh’s books were both in the romance and horror categories, she got the choice to go with whichever category she wished. For some reason, she wasn’t in the horror mood this weekend.

  The new investors were walking around the supposedly normal yearly gathering, which wasn’t anything like it usually was. This year they had begun these discussion groups like Ashleigh was a part of, most likely in an attempt to impress the investors.

  Discussing how to write a graphic sex scene with taste seemed pointless to her, and all this talk about sex made her miss Caleb. The woman reading used the words “throbbing cock” for the seventh time in the past few minutes. Right now, Ashleigh was regretting not joining the horror group and listening to them talk about killing all day. About blood.

  It had been on her mind lately, and after spending a week dining with her fiancé, she had grown to like drinking it. The thought of it made her smile, her mind wandering back to memories of Caleb. Memories of his “throbbing cock.”

  Ashleigh tried not to laugh as she turned to her laptop, opening up a program to send text messages. It was easier typing what she wanted to say. She sent Caleb a text that quoted something the woman at the podium was reading aloud

  Your throbbing cock pulsed against my bare thigh, making me wet and sending a wave of hunger through me. It was impressive at its full length, a dangerous weapon I wanted to take into my flesh willingly. This is what I learned in the romance workshop today.

  About an hour passed by before she got a reply.

  Make it personal ;)

  Ashleigh held her lips together firmly as she read it and tried not to laugh. She was sitting near the window, and no one was behind her to read over her shoulder.

  Your throbbing cock nudged its way between my legs, its full length making teasing passes up and down my thigh, but not yet shoving itself into my depths. I could taste the blood that lingered on the insides of your mouth, my tongue exploring inside, chasing a taste.

  She was going to write more, but she heard someone call her name, her eyes quickly looking forward as she clicked “send.”

  "Miss Brown?" The woman leading the workshop was smiling at Ashleigh. "Would you like to share an example of your work with the group? You are the only person who hasn’t shared yet."

  Ashleigh was taken off guard, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Mr. Castle standing near the doorway with a group of people, but she couldn’t see their faces.

  She had only met Mr. Castle a few times, even though she was one of his best-selling authors. She had always gone through Hannah because Mr. Castle was usually found at the main office in Corinth. He had loved the idea of having a mystery author, and Victoria had gained a lot of publicity because of that, which made him money.

  She hated speaking in front of people and sharing a racy passage she had written was enough to make her want to vomit. "I don’t really have anything good to share." There was a great nervousness in her voice, Ashleigh taking in the eager faces staring at her.

  There were only two men in the group, and they were not the picture of a perfect lover, but the women were dressed to thrill. Ashleigh, on the other hand, was not dressed up or even wearing a skirt. She had on jeans and a tight black dress coat, a flirty, neon pink tank underneath. Her trendy style and grungy dress showed her rocker girl personality, something that was quite different from the other people there.

  "This is a learning experience, my dear." The woman spoke dramatically with her hands, a light happiness to her voice that sounded very fake. "If you do not share, we cannot help you get better." She motioned for Ashleigh to read something, "Come and share with us. No one here is judging. There are only positive, helpful minds in this room."

  "Okay." Making a sour face, Ashleigh opened a document on her laptop that she had prepared in case she was called to share.

  "Do you wish to share anything about yourself before beginning?" The woman was looking at Ashleigh as she spoke, but her eyes kept wandering over to the men with Mr. Castle. "Are you promoting a book?"

  Ashleigh forced a smile. "I don’t have anything to share about me personally, so I'll just move onto sharing my passage." She glanced at the passage she was about to read aloud, a slight fear in her voice. "This is from a new bo
ok I’m working on."

  Taking a deep breath, Ashleigh scanned the faces around her. Then, she saw him.

  He was staring straight at her, his arms folded over his bulky chest, a cocky smile on his tanned features. He recognized her right away, and that was probably the only reason he hadn’t bypassed listening in on this workshop. His stare was commanding, the piercing of his eyes painful. It was as if he wanted to make her squirm, just like he did that night in his apartment.

  Ashleigh quickly turned from his eyes, looking down at the laptop in front of her. Her fingers moved on the surface of her mouse as she opened another file. It seemed more fitting a passage for someone like Aiden.

  "You can begin, Miss Brown." The woman waved her hand.

  "Okay." Taking another deep breath, Ashleigh smiled nervously as she began to read.

  "She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as his hands slid over her hips teasingly, the silk of the fabric aiding his smooth action. He wanted her, she could tell by the husky hunger in his voice and the tenseness in his hands that he was trying to mask with a light touch. His thick fingers slowly inched the fabric up her leg, revealing the crisp whiteness of her skin.

  “He chuckled at the sight of it, unveiling this protected princess of his enemy the greatest trophy of the hunt he could ever gain. He would soon be able to delve inside her, into the shadowy depths that only one had traveled. He had seen Drake take her, seen his hands explore every inch of her skin as he made love to her, that look of ecstasy on her face when he tasted her.

  “He wanted to make her smile for him like that, let her feel the tantalizing kiss of his bite. He knew his was better. He licked his lips as he thought of her taste, a taste his tongue couldn't forget. He had tasted it once, and since that day, his craving for another grew.