Forever At Dawn: The Blood Keeper Series (The Blood Keeper Series, Novella Book 1)

by Larissa Emerald

  “Stay close to the fire,” he said, leading a horse away from camp. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “There’s a stream a couple yards off, down there.” He indicated his direction with a nod of his head. “The horses will need a drink.”

  “Yes, of course,” she said.

  He tuned into the sounds of his feet crunching over the pebbles and earth as he walked. Better that, than his escalating heartbeats as he tried to control his mounting desire. God, she was killing him.

  ~ ~ ~

  Connor vanished into the darkness. Stephanie wanted to run after him and stick beside him, but she forced herself to be brave. He’d return in a few minutes. She picked up the discarded sandwich cloth—it being the cleaner of the two napkins—and dampened the homespun material with water from the canteen. She dabbed at the blueberry stain. The purplish spot faded as it grew wetter and bigger. By the time she’d declared the cleaning task the best she could do, the shirt sported a dark, palm-sized circle over her left breast.

  Grasping the buttoned front, Stephanie fanned the shirt in and out several times, trying to dry the fabric and keep it from sticking to her skin. Just then, Connor materialized into the circle of light where he traded horses. She tracked his movements. “Okay. No more blueberry.” She glanced down. “Well, almost.”

  “Fine,” was all he said before disappearing into the darkness once more.

  Needing something to do, Stephanie stood, gathered the saddlebag, napkins, and canteen, and walked the items over to a large rock. It would have made a nice table, although perhaps a bit far away from the fire.

  She put her hands on her hips and glanced around. A visit to the bushes was imperative. And while Connor was gone seemed like the best time to relieve herself.

  She strolled in the opposite direction Connor had gone. In the dimness beyond the camp, she found she could still see reasonably well.

  As she made her way back to camp center, Connor was calling her name. “Stephanie,” he shouted again, concern building in his voice.

  “I’m here!” she called back. But before she arrived, Connor had come to her. “Of all the stupid, asinine things . . . I told you to stay near the fire,” he said from between clenched teeth.

  She stepped within the circle of firelight.

  “Well, I had to . . . well . . . It was necessary.”

  “You could have waited until I retur―” he said, breaking off when the horses started snorting and stamping.

  Recognizing the anxious initial sounds of panic, she glanced at the animals. Their ears were pricked forward and their eyes glistened, white and frightened.

  She scanned the area. “Snake?”

  He lifted his nose. “Don’t think so.” He reached for the rifle he’d propped against a slant of rock, then snapped his head sharply toward the dense woods.

  Their gazes met as a deep growling noise echoed into their little cove. One minute she was standing in front of him, and the next she was stumbling, trying to keep up as he hauled her by the wrist deeper into the shadows of the overhang. He pushed her behind him, making himself her shield. Her chest was pushed against his back where she could feel her heart pounding in time with his. His hand still clasped her wrist, keeping her arm wrapped around his waist almost as if he were telling her to hold on to him, that he would protect her.

  And for an instant, she liked being protected. She liked the warm masculine scent of him. Liked the feeling of his stomach muscles tensing. Liked his quick-thinking reaction to danger. If she died this minute, she’d have a smile on her face.

  The only problem was his powerfully built body blocked her view. Stephanie squirmed. “What is it?”

  “Shh. Be still. We’re likely to find out in just a minute.”

  The horses whinnied in fear and tried to rear and buck in place.

  “The ropes won’t hold them if they keep that up,” she said.

  Stephanie knew the moment Connor found the cause of the horse’s alarm. A ripple of tension flowed through him, and he released his grip on her and slapped the barrel of the rifle into his freed palm.

  “Hell.” The curse was exhaled in whoosh, as if he’d been punched in the gut. “We may not want them to hold.”

  Stephanie stepped from behind Connor in order to see. A bear. A huge, black bear paused, taking in the horses. But the danger the bear presented was too much for the animals and one, then the other, reared wildly, clipping each other with flailing hooves, breaking the tethers that held them. They fled.

  “Don’t. Move,” Connor whispered close to her ear.

  He needn’t have told her that, because she wasn’t going anywhere.

  For an instant, the bear seemed perplexed, sniffing the air. Slowly, the creature meandered about and lumbered in the direction of the food-filled saddlebags.

  Connor raised the rifle and took aim.

  “You’re not going to shoot him, are you? He’s leaving.”

  With a finger to his lips, he warned her to say nothing. Then he sighted in his target.

  Stephanie glanced between the gun and the bear. Just as he slowly squeezed the trigger, she whipped her hand up, catching the underside of the gun and sending the shot off course into the treetops. The blast startled the bear, and it cut into a high-tailed run back to the woods.

  “There, he’s gone,” she said.

  At first Connor didn’t move. No doubt he was shocked that she had foiled his kill. Then, deliberately, he eased the gun down until the tip faced the ground. He tilted his head back, looking up, almost as if he were offering a silent prayer. But he wasn’t praying, she realized. He was angry. Probably very angry given what she’d observed of some men.

  He waited, listening, scanning the forest, making sure the bear was truly gone. Then he clasped her upper arm and urged her forward until they reached the warmth of the bright fire.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “What in God’s name were you thinking? That bear is dangerous.” He slapped the rifle from his right to his left hand, the force of the gun hitting his palm making a distinct smacking sound. “Now, not only are the horses gone, but I’ll have to be on guard all night in case the bear returns.”

  “He was only after the food. There is no reason to kill him,” she stated.

  He stared angrily at her, silent. At last, she looked at him.

  “I can’t figure you out. A clap of thunder makes you shudder but a bear doesn’t faze you.”

  She shrugged and half yawned, rubbed both hands over her face and eyes, and stared into the flames. “It’s a mystery to me, too.”

  Suddenly, Connor didn’t want to be angry. He didn’t want to lecture Stephanie about how foolish she’d been or the seriousness of their situation. Instead, he snatched wood from the ground and set it on the fire, certain she didn’t get the threat that loomed out there somewhere.

  Or the one who sat right beside her.

  He threw back his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Did he leave her stranded with a bear at the back door? Did he hang tight and try to fight the mating thrall? Could he even combat the instincts woven into his being?

  They built the fire together without saying a word, and she watched him from beneath lowered lashes. He caught her silent stare a number of times; each look sent a jolt of desire through his body.

  Connor gathered the two saddlebags and placed them near the campfire. “Your pillow, my dear. Get some sleep.”

  She chuckled warmly. “Thank you.”

  He took up a guarded position near the fire, crisscrossing his legs and resting the gun over his knees. She curled onto her side, closing her eyes.

  To his frustration, his growing feelings for Stephanie made him relish the present, even if he had to forgo sleep to keep her safe. It had been far too long since he’d had such an intriguing woman in his life.

  ~ ~ ~

  Stephanie awoke with an insatiable feverish craving like nothing she’d experienced in her life. A curl of te
nsion settled low in her abdomen. Her breasts and nipples ached, and her skin sizzled. She was ablaze with sensation. Was she ill?

  She pushed to a sitting position and peered across the camp to find Connor. The fire burned brightly, revealing nothing but empty space. She scrambled to her feet.

  Where did he go?

  Immediately, a picture of him kneeling before her with his hair tousled and shirt half-unbuttoned flickered through her mind. She didn’t know why or from where such a wicked image materialized, but it caused something to coil inside her. She couldn’t help but conjure the hot image of what a man might do in that position—propose, beg, doctor an injured ankle, or hug her bottom while he pressed his cheek to the soft spot of her belly. She’d once stumbled upon a ranch hand in just that precarious pose . . .

  She blinked and rubbed her eyes. “Connor?”

  Only the night sounds answered. She wet her lips and called out again, her voice more desperate this time. Surely he hadn’t left her.

  The crunch of underbrush snapping beneath a heavy weight caused her to turn. And he was there, his intense stare reaching her over the flames. “Don’t scare me like that. I thought you’d left and―”

  As soon as their eyes met, the heat in her body intensified into a raw, throbbing need that had everything to do with this man. And whatever it was, he seemed to be afflicted also. His face and neck revealed a fine sheen of perspiration.

  Her feet moved with a will of their own, taking her straight to him.

  “Stop. Stay where you are,” he ordered gruffly.

  But she could not. She was driven to seek him out. She was craving his embrace, hungering for his touch.

  She skidded to a halt when, in a blink of an eye, he suddenly disappeared. Just as quickly he reappeared near the rock face.

  What?

  Her eyes widened and body tightened even more. She was shocked by his unexplainable ability to move like that, yes, but it didn’t diminish the rampant desire coursing through her body.

  His voice came to her in a husky whisper. “You must not come to me.”

  She clasped one hand to her breast and the other between her legs, arching backward in desperation. This wasn’t like her at all, yet she couldn’t control it. “Connor, I need you,” she whispered. “I need you so much it hurts.”

  “Fight it.”

  “I . . . I can’t.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Connor fisted his hands as he watched her twist and thrash in agony. It was like watching someone being tortured before his very eyes while knowing he had the power to put an end to her pain. But it would simply be trading one form of hurt for another. And he wanted her as much as she wanted him. In an instant, he made a decision.

  He whispered to her mind in the ancient way of his people, explaining what was happening to her. In a matter of seconds, he revealed his full story and shared the enlightenment of what was happening to them. It was the quickest and most comprehensive way for her to understand, initiating a connection that went far beyond mere human words. In knowing who he was, down to his mission in life, she would have a choice.

  Connor felt the veins in his neck pulse in time with his escalating heartbeats as he held himself in check. His balls ached. His cock throbbed. She had to choose.

  He remained where he was and spoke above the fire, not trusting himself to move closer. “Stephanie, do you accept our blood-mating?”

  She gazed at him through round, desire-filled eyes. He’d outlined all her choices, and she had the power to say no. If she did, he would remove himself from here and never see her again. In this there was no halfway. The mating required all or nothing.

  A growl escaped her throat, and she opened her arms to welcome him. “Yes.”

  He was in front of her in a flash, sweeping her into his embrace and crushing his mouth against hers. She met his kiss with equal fervor, matching his tongue thrust with her own.

  Lifting her into his arms, he traced them back to the bedroll. Hot, fierce, desperate lovemaking―that was the vampire way. And given she was a virgin human, he was surprised and pleased by how quickly she got on board with that.

  He threaded his hands into her hair and drew her to him in an even deeper kiss. Mmm, so delightful. He couldn’t believe the desire that coursed through him to possess her fully, to put his mark on her. He groaned, then moved his hands to undo the buttons of her shirt.

  She joined him in a fierce thrash of arms and legs and undressed, taking charge of peeling off her clothes as he shed his. When they were both naked, he took her down onto the makeshift bed as he cradled his arm beneath her head to give her some measure of comfort.

  Then his minx leaned in for another kiss as instinct and sexual drive overtook her. She moaned as their lips met and his sex jumped in anticipation. Their fierce tempo resumed as he ran his hand over her body in a desire to know every inch of her, then cupped her breast and brought his mouth to her nipple. She arched into him as he sucked. And when he slipped his hand between her legs to stroke her into readiness, she pressed her mound against his hand.

  God, she was so right for him. And as much as he was driven by the blood-mating thrall, he also wanted to make her first time a thrilling experience for her.

  He stoked her bud until it swelled beneath his fingers, and as she grew wet, he began easing his fingers inside her. First one, then two, taking care to stretch and ready her for his enormous size. Her hips gyrated with the escalation of her arousal. Her first orgasm would be magnificent, he decided, and he wanted her to enjoy it before he entered her. He continued to circle her bud and drove his fingers deep within her opening, sliding slowly then quickly then slowly, slowly, more slowly.

  With his mouth on her breast, he lapped, and sucked, and his descended fangs grazed ever so lightly over her nipple. She arched and gave a deep, throaty moan, grinding her clit hard against his fingers. When her sweet body erupted, she clutched his shoulders and cried out. Her spasms around his fingers gripped and pulsed deliciously for what seemed like minutes.

  He longed to thrust into her. He inhaled a restraining breath, then shifted his body over hers, holding his weight on his elbows so he could feel the length of her soft flesh against his without crushing her. He allowed his passion to flow through his kiss, angling his mouth, driving his tongue deeper. Then he rained kisses down her neck to her delicate pulse point, allowing his lips to rest there.

  He positioned himself at her opening and instinctively, she spread her legs wider. He looked into her eyes as he feathered his fingers down her throat. “This won’t hurt. I’ll see to that.” As he entered her, moving slowly inch by inch, he sunk his fangs into her neck and fed on her delicious blood. Knowing his bite would bring her ecstasy and would make her body even more attuned to pleasure, he gave another slight suck before releasing her vein. And then he watched her as she slid against his shaft, matching the rhythm he introduced.

  She grabbed his hips, pulling him into her, making him feel pleasure he’d ever experienced before, and his cum exploded against her womb.

  After a moment, he rolled onto his side, taking her with him, and he cradled her to his chest, stroking her body from her shoulder to her lovely ass.

  “That was . . . incredible,” she whispered.

  He planted a soft kiss on her neck. “I thought so, too.”

  She smiled, her eyes growing heavy, opening and closing with sated exhaustion, and she fell asleep in his arms.

  He hugged her closer and kissed her brow.

  My blood mate―our time together is going to be too short.

  A fiery pain ripped through his chest at the thought, as if someone were slowly cutting his heart out one centimeter at a time. He scowled at the shadowed line of treetops. From the moment he’d kissed her, everything had changed. Now, his mind raced to thwart the dreadful scenario he envisioned. To return to his time meant leaving Stephanie behind. He swallowed hard, knowing it was what he had to do. But when he departed, he’d leave everything he had in t
his time frame to her.

  And once his mission for his people was complete, he’d return to her. He had to. She was his.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Two days later, Stephanie found herself back at Connor’s estate. Now she planned to make the place her home. She sighed raggedly. So much change. It had been a whirlwind trip, and she wasn’t sure about the reasoning her mate gave her for why he had to leave her to complete his duty in his time.

  Connor had retrieved his precious cobine, and they’d decided to forgo visiting his half-sister. When they had bonded, the mind link they’d shared allowed her to comprehend and accept his world and his word. So there was no real need to visit Sarah, given the urgency of his mission and the complicated state their union had created. She understood his obligations. She just didn’t like them.

  The problem was that, just like her father, he was leaving. And she believed there was even a greater chance he would never come back to her.

  She clutched her arms around her middle. Growing physically ill, she traveled to the basin and splashed her face with water.

  She could think clearer, but the coolness didn’t relieve her anxiety.

  After a soft knock, the door opened and Connor entered. He looked so handsome, except for the deep furrows in his brow. He pulled her to him in a strong embrace. “Are you all right, my love?”

  She shook her head against his chest. “I’m afraid.”

  “Don’t be,” he whispered. “I’ve done this many times.”

  Then she stepped back, looking into his eyes. “What if you don’t return?”

  “I will. Trust me. In the meantime, I’ve informed Monty and sent a message to your cousin explaining the change in your inheritance. Everything your father said was his is now yours. But you will remain in San Francisco until I return.”

  He kissed her then, his lips capturing hers with the same desperation she felt. She swept her tongue over a fang, wondering if she’d ever feel them again.

  She didn’t care a whit about the inheritance. Only him. “Take me with you.”