I exhaled, but that did little to ease the anticipation growing in me. “Just get on with it.” I wasn’t afraid of his bite, not really, but I confess I wasn’t looking forward to it either.
Drake looked into my eyes. “Thea … thank you.”
I tilted my head. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You did. You saved me from myself. From them.”
I stood on tiptoes and stretched my neck so my lips were only half an inch from his. “I think you’re dizzy and mumbling nonsense.”
One corner of his lips curled up before he dipped into me and captured my lips. His tongue ravished my mouth and his hands snaked around my bare midriff. With deft fingers, he unclasped my bra. What the hell was he doing? He had to drink my blood before we did anything else.
I pulled back a little to voice my concerns, but gasped when Drake spun me around. He pressed his chest on my back, his hips on my ass—and I felt his erection. With a groan, he cupped my hips and made his way up, until his palms closed around my breasts. Despite myself, I wiggled my hips, brushing more of me against him. Finally, he pushed my long hair to the side, and I turned my head at an angle, giving him full access to my skin. His hands returned to my breasts and he leaned into my neck. He brushed his lips over my skin, drawing a shiver from me, and then bit down. I let out half a cry, half a moan.
Pure ecstasy flooded me, and when Drake pinched my nipples, I cried again. I was drowning. I was losing it. I was in damn heaven.
I moved my hips, drawing a growl from him. I clasped one of his hands and guided it down, from my breast, down to my belly, and inside my pants.
Knowing exactly what I wanted, Drake pushed his hand under my panties and brushed a finger over my clit. The mix of his touch, his bite, my feelings for him … it was too much. I melted. Needing some other support, I splayed my hands on the wall before me.
Slowly drinking from me, Drake slipped a finger inside me, while rubbing my clit with his thumb and pinching my nipple with his other hand.
“By all the sacred things,” I mumbled.
He thrust another finger inside me and pushed them deeper. Surprising me, he retreated his fangs and licked my neck. Then his mouth was over my ear. “Thank you, my love.”
My love …
His words resonated in me, and as if by magic, I climaxed, exploding in his arms.
Slowly, he slipped his fingers from me and turned me around. He leaned over me and pulled my pants all the way down. He made quick work of getting rid of his clothes, and without giving me a chance to stare at his incredible physique, he pressed against me again. He ran his hands down my hips, and on instinct, I wound my legs around his waist. He trapped me between the wall and his hard, hard body. His hands cupped my ass as he positioned my hips right on his, so I could feel how aroused he was. Heat spread through me, and I moaned from the pure bliss of knowing I made him like that.
Gently, he slid inside me.
His hands on my hips, Drake closed his eyes and growled. “Hell …” He leaned into me and mashed him mouth against mine, taking me for a deep and very, very slow kiss, matching the pace he was moving inside me.
It was too much, but still not enough. I needed more of him; I needed all of him. As much as I could, I lifted my hips and met him halfway, increasing the rhythm, taking him even deeper.
Drake bit down on my lower lip and groaned. “Thea…” It sounded like a warning, but I didn’t care, I had to keep moving. After almost losing him, I didn’t care about anything else. Just him and me. Us.
Nothing else mattered.
He placed a kiss on my neck, where he had bitten me, then his tongue trailed down, around the curve of my breast, before dipping down some more. A shiver ran up my spine when he closed his mouth around my nipple.
Crying out, I arched my back and my hands gripped his hair. He lapped his tongue around my nipple and sucked on my breasts, still pumping into me, each stroke faster and deeper than the last.
The fire took me over and I drowned in flames. I cried his name as I came. Drake sucked on my nipple one last time before pulling back and staring into my eyes. “I love you, Thea,” he groaned.
Surprised, I gasped, and before I could say anything, his mouth fell over mine. Our tongues dueled, asking, demanding everything. He thrust one, two, three times … and then he growled and clutched me to him, his body quivering against mine.
I wound my arms around him and held him tight. A deep, raw emotion filled my chest, and I whispered in his ear, “I love you too.”
30
Drake
I watched Thea while she slept in my arms, recovering from the ordeal of the last thirty hours. After spending the night in the dungeons, getting beaten up, fighting with my coven, running away, and making love to this beautiful woman, I was exhausted too. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t sleep.
My mind was too busy, my soul unrested.
As much as I would like to send everything to hell and run away with Thea, that wasn’t the solution. Thea had to at least stop by her coven and hand them the heart before leaving with me. But witches were greedy old things, most of them, and I was sure they wouldn’t let her go that easily. Sacrificing herself for the mission? Just fine. Running away with a vampire? It was a declaration of war.
No matter where we hid, my coven and her coven would come after us, and they would find us. We would never have any peace.
Unless … we did it right. Unless, we took it upon ourselves to avoid the incoming war and bring peace to all races from the inside. It would be hard, it would take time, but I believed we could do it.
Inhaling deeply, I ran a hand down Thea’s cheek. After tasting her blood, her scent had become even stronger to me, more potent. I had been crazy about her scent before. Now? I didn’t think there was a word to explain what I felt right now.
But I could push down the hunger for her sweet, sweet blood, because I had found out something else: I loved her. With all my soul and my dead heart, I loved her. I could endure being by her side as long as she let me love her.
I brushed my fingers over her neck, right where I had bitten her, and she squirmed in my arms, pressing more of her long legs on mine.
This woman, this beautiful woman, had freely offered her blood to save a vampire. Witches hated vampires, just as vampires hated witches, but this beautiful woman hadn’t hesitated. She let me have her blood, and her body, and then she handed me her heart too.
When she had said she loved me too, I was sure I had gone to heaven.
Though, I didn’t deserve heaven. I didn’t deserve this woman.
But maybe, if I went back and fixed things, if I went back and reformed my coven, I could try to be worthy of her.
I sucked in a sharp breath when a new thought came to mind: Thomas was still there, alone in the castle with many hungry and angry vampires.
Hell.
Thea moved again. “Why are you awake?” she whispered, her eyes closed.
“How do you know I’m awake?”
“I can hear the wheels inside your head turning.”
I snorted. “Right. As far as I know, witches don’t have acute hearing.”
“Nope, but some of us have a pretty good sixth sense.” Her eyes fluttered open. She shifted some more, resting her chin on my chest and starting me with those two gray marbles. “The heart is giving me too much power right now. I can sense everything from miles away.”
I ran my hands down her naked back. “Really? What are you sensing right now?”
“Two miles west, I sense two deer who are unaware of the wolf watching them, waiting for the right to attack. I sense a flock of birds that keep jumping from tree to tree. I sense a handful of rabbits in their burrows, a few snakes slithering by, some spiders, and a lot of nasty bugs.” She wrinkled her nose. “But no humans. Though, I sense a vampire whose body is too tense after having a relaxing night.”
Chuckling, I kissed the top of her head. “It was a good night indeed.”
“But …”
How could this woman, this wonderful woman, know me so well? I sighed. “But … I think we have to go back.” Her body tightened under my touch. “You to your coven, and me to mine.”
Thea withdrew from me, a question in her eyes, so I sat up and held her arms and kept her close while I explained all that had been on my mind the past couple of hours. She didn’t say a single word, while I went on and on, hoping she would understand my logic.
After a long moment of silence, she nodded. “I know you’re right, but I still don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either.” I squeezed her hands in mine. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“But you will.” She sighed. “Even if I disagree with your plan, I can see your mind is already made up.”
I pulled her even closer, until she sat on my lap, and I looked deeply into her eyes. “There’s nothing I want more than to be with you. Hell, I had never wanted anything until you came into my life. Now, I want you and I won’t let go. Never. But before we can be together and in peace, we have a big mess to clean up.” I rested my forehead to yours, trying to memorize it all. Her scent, her warm, soft skin, her shiny gray eyes, her plump lips, and her wonderful body. I wanted to engrave them into my memory—how she felt against me, how we fit together, how powerful he made me feel. “Do you trust me?”
She wound her arms around me, and even though she tried to hide it, I could hear her rapid heartbeat and how her breathing hitched, as if she were fighting back tears. “I do,” she whispered.
Taken aback by her emotions, I leaned into her and captured her mouth with mine. I couldn’t stop myself, and soon we were back in each other’s arms, our bodies tangled together as we made love one more time.
After, we got dressed and Thea had a quick breakfast. She insisted I drink more of her blood before I passed out, but I assured her that once I was back at DuMoir Castle, I would drink a handful of bottles of blood to make sure I would be okay.
Holding hands, we walked out of the cottage and to the edge of Thea’s invisible shield.
I snaked my arms around her, pressed her body against mine, and claimed her lips once more. After savoring her taste, after I was sure I wouldn’t forget it, I pulled back, enough to look into her eyes. “I promise you that we’ll be together again.”
Her nails sank into my shoulders. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Be well, my love.”
Thea sniffed. “And you be careful.”
Leaving her was harder than I thought it would be, especially when she was so shaken by it. If I didn’t leave now, I wasn’t so sure I would.
Channeling my courage, I brushed my lips on hers once more, then spun around and ran.
For the first two miles, I could hear Thea’s soft sobs. It was hard to keep going when all I wanted was to go back and embrace her one more time. And then I wasn’t so sure I could ever leave her again.
So I kept going, kept running, while the promise I made to her echoed in my mind.
We’ll be together again.
Thank You
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About the Author
While USA Today Bestselling Author Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life as a wife, a mother, and an author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
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Also by Juliana Haygert
www.julianahaygert.com/books/
Free
Into the Darkest Fire
Tested
Secret Santa
Rite of the Vampire Saga
The Vampire Heir (Book 1)
The Witch Queen (Book 2)
The Immortal Vow (Book 3)
The Everlast Series
Destiny Gift (Book 1)
Soul Oath (Book 2)
Cup of Life (Book 3)
The Everlasting Circle (Book 4)
The Fire Heart Chronicles
Heart Seeker (Book 1)
Flame Caster (Book 2)
Willow Harbor Series
Hunter’s Revenge (Book 3)
Siren’s Song (Book 5)
The Breaking Series
Breaking Free (Book 1)
Breaking Away (Book 2)
Breaking Through (Book 3)
Standalones
Playing Pretend
Captured Love
Dazzle Me
The Vampire Heir Page 16