He had mercy on me and wrapped his lips around my clit, sucking hard before he gently bit down. I flew apart, screaming his name as my climax roared through my system. Just as the pleasure began to ebb, he sent me higher when he shifted to the right and sank his fangs into the top of my thigh. Exchanging blood during sex was one of my favorite things about being a daywalker. The intimate and sensual experience always sent me to new heights. When he finally lifted his head, I could still see some lingering wetness coating his chin, and his bright blue eyes burned with need. Rising to his knees, he wrapped my legs around his waist and notched the tip of his dick inside my entrance. “I need you, love.”
“Take what you want, Athan,” I offered, stretching my arms out to stroke his chest. “I’m yours.”
His hips slammed forward, and he filled me until his balls slapped against my butt. “Being inside you always feels so good, like heaven on earth.”
I lifted my hips to meet him thrust for thrust. “Because I was made just for you.”
“Mine,” he grunted as he hammered in and out of me. “Only ever mine.”
I moaned and swiveled my hips, gasping, “Yours.”
My admission spurred him on, and the pace of his thrusts became frantic. I writhed underneath him, already desperate for the next orgasm building inside me. He slid his hands under my butt and lifted me. The new position had his dick dragging against my G-spot with each thrust, and it only took a few thrusts before I flew over the edge again. My pussy clamped down around him, making him lose control too. His cock jerk inside me, and jets of come spurted against my inner walls.
“Fuck,” he bit out, dropping on the mattress beside me. He slid his arm under my back and rolled me onto his chest. “I meant to be gentler, but I have no self-control when it comes to you.”
I cuddled against him, rubbing my cheek against his chest before tilting my head back to look up at him. “I’m not breakable just because I’m pregnant.”
“I know, love.” He brushed a kiss against the top of my head. “But I’m still going to be careful with you while you’re carrying our baby.”
“You’re always careful with me.” I grinned at him. “Even when I make you lose control, you’re still aware of my limits.”
He gave me a tight squeeze. “Damn straight. No way in hell will I risk the greatest gift I’ve ever been given.”
Epilogue
Athan
Five years later
“I seem to remember receiving a whole lot of shit from you about the parties I held several years ago.” Silas was fake glaring at me, but he wasn’t quite able to hide his smirk.
“Get it over with,” I grumbled as I searched the ballroom for my wife.
“Does Stephan know you’ve been playing matchmaker, old woman?”
I shot him a droll stare. “What do you think?”
Stephan was a fucking workaholic these days. It was as though he’d simply given up on finding his consort. But having found my Selene, I couldn’t help wishing for the same happiness for my brother. So, I’d decided to take matters into my own hands. I’d thrown several parties this year and always contacted the council to ask them to invite plenty of unmated consorts. I also charged Selene with inviting human women. Plenty of undiscovered consorts existed in the world, and who knew where Stephan’s was hiding.
Apparently, Silas was only just now catching on to the purpose. Probably because I’d managed to make them seem like my wife’s idea. Since she wanted Stephan to find his mate too, she’d generously let me use her as my scapegoat.
“Where is he anyway?”
I shrugged, finally having spotted Selene standing by the refreshment table chatting with Thana and a young woman I didn’t recognize. She was nine months pregnant, and while her belly usually made me smile, my lips curled down at the sight of her on her feet. They were constantly swollen, and I didn’t like seeing her in pain.
“Give him a call and find out where he’s at, would you?” I requested before stalking toward my woman without a backward glance.
Selene smiled brightly when she noticed my approach, then rolled her eyes at the sight of my frown. She always accused me of being too protective, but I would do anything to keep my family safe, even if it annoyed my sweet consort.
“You shouldn’t be on your feet,” I groused.
She ignored me and gestured to the pretty, black-haired young woman. “This is Bronwyn O’Brien. She just moved here, and Thana and I have decided to keep her. Bronwyn, this grumpy stud is my husband, Athan.”
“I’m not grumpy,” I muttered while Bronwyn giggled, and crimson spots bloomed on her cheeks.
“Your wife and sister-in-law are too sweet. Unfortunately, I need to leave a little early. I’m sorry I won’t be able to meet Stephan or Kieran.” Kieran was home with Ronan and Elspeth because they were both sick.
Our son, Cassius, was spending the night with his grandparents, who were visiting. It had taken the birth of our son for Selene’s parents to accept they’d been wrong and seek Selene’s forgiveness. Once the fences had been mended, they’d thrown themselves into being the best grandparents.
Thana waved away her concern. “We’ll have you over for dinner in a few days. You can meet our little ones, too.”
“I look forward to it,” Bronwyn replied with a smile while blushing again.
My eyes drifted to the windows looking out over our grounds. It was nearly midnight. Practically morning for us, but as I’d immediately sensed she was human, it wasn’t safe for her to be roaming about. “Why don’t you use our driver? He can take you wherever you need to go safely.”
Selene slipped her arm through mine and snuggled into my side. “That’s a great idea, husband!”
Bronwyn shook her head. “Thank you, but the house where I’m temporarily renting a room is not far from here, and I could use the fresh air.”
I wanted to argue, but it really wasn’t my place. Besides, Selene and Thana did their best to convince her as well. Bronwyn, it seemed, was extremely stubborn. Something she had in common with my consort and sister-in-law.
Selene shot me a glare, obviously having been listening to my thoughts. I grinned and shrugged, receiving another adorable eye roll.
Thana offered to show our guest out, and I thanked her before sweeping Selene into my arms.
“You promised to stay off your feet if I let you come to the party, love,” I admonished her lightly.
She rubbed her belly and smiled sheepishly. “The twins were hungry.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I would have brought you food.”
“I didn’t know what I wanted.”
“You’re being awfully naughty, love. Are you trying to earn a spanking?”
She giggled, and that’s when I realized she’d been trying to rile me up on purpose.
I shook my head and changed direction, walking away from the tables and chairs and heading toward the hallway instead.
Since Selene was nine months pregnant, we’d become very creative with our lovemaking. And for some reason, it was unbelievably erotic for me to fuck my consort while she was round and swollen with our baby, or babies in this case. I’d also missed sucking on her milky nipples as her tits bounced in my face while she rode the fuck out of me. Honestly, it didn’t matter the situation, though; my desire for Selene only grew every day.
“Athan,” Selene laughed. “We have guests.”
“We won’t be long, love,” I told her as we left the party.
I was lying, and we both knew it.
Extra Epilogue
Selene
Five More Years Later
When I stepped onto Kieran’s private plane a decade ago to surprise Thana for her birthday, I had no idea how much my life was going to change. I’d been so lonely, but now I had almost more family than I knew what to do with. I had a loving husband and three adorable children who kept me very busy. Since nighttime was our day, I homeschooled Cassius, who was in fourth grade, while doing preschool activ
ities with our four-year-old twins, Lilith and Beatrice. But I loved every minute of it all.
Kieran, Thana, Stephan, and Bronwyn had all given me nieces and nephews to spoil. My parents, who had once been so distant, visited every month because they couldn’t get enough of their grandchildren. And then there were all of Athan’s cousins. The Bancrofts were a prolific bunch, and family get-togethers were huge affairs.
Our upcoming anniversary party was no exception. Everyone was planning to attend, and with only one day to go, I’d spent most of the day running around trying to make sure none of my plans fell through the cracks.
When familiar, strong arms wrapped around me from behind, I leaned against Athan’s chest and tilted my head back to grin up at him. “You have perfect timing. I just got off the phone with the caterer, and they’ll be here tomorrow at six to start setting everything up.”
“You’ve been working too hard, love.” He tugged my cell phone out of my hand and tucked it into his pocket. “It’s our anniversary, but I’ve barely seen you the past couple days.”
Remembering the multiple orgasms he’d given me only twelve hours ago, I winked at him. “You saw a whole lot of me when we woke up.”
“True,” he conceded, cupping the back of my head to hold me in place as he leaned forward to capture my mouth in an upside-down kiss that left me breathless. “But I can never get enough of you. Even an eternity together will leave me wanting more.”
“Aww.” I flashed him a watery smile, grateful to fate for pairing me with a man who never failed to make me feel appreciated and loved. “I adore you, too.”
Pulling my chair back, he tugged me on to my feet and cradled my hips with his hands. “The kids are at the hotel. They wanted to do a sleepover with grandma and grandpa.”
“So it’s just the two of us tonight?” I asked, twining my arms around his neck.
“It is.” He slipped one of his hands into his other pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “Which is why it’s the perfect time to give you this.”
“Oooh. An early present?” The tenth anniversary of when Athan claimed me wasn’t until tomorrow, but I was more than willing to celebrate early with just the two of us.
“I was thinking you could wear it tomorrow,” he explained as he flicked the lid up with his thumb. There was a gorgeous necklace nestled in the black velvet inside. A huge, oval amethyst dangled from a delicate gold chain. The deep purple of the stone was a perfect match for the ring Athan had given me ten years ago.
Tracing my finger over the gem, I asked, “Did you find this in an antique store, too?”
“Not this time.” Athan lifted my hand to brush a kiss across my finger directly above the ring that had originally belonged to my great-great-grandmother. “The odds of me stumbling across another piece of jewelry that was meant for you are astronomical, but I wanted to give you a necklace that also matched your beautiful eyes. So I searched high and low for the perfect amethyst and had this made for you.”
He really was too good to me. “It’s gorgeous.”
Satisfaction at my pleasure shone from his bright blue eyes. “It pales in comparison to you, love.”
I pulled the necklace out of the box and held it out to Athan. “Put it on me?”
“Of course.” After he took the necklace from me, I turned and lifted my hair. A shiver raced up my spine as his hot breath blew against the back of my neck, spreading to my entire body when he gently scraped his fang against my pulse point. I was so focused on how close his hard body was behind me that I barely noticed when he dropped the necklace into place. But it was impossible to miss him circling around my body and cupping my breasts as he stared down at the amethyst nestled between them. “Perfect.”
That word applied to more than the necklace. He’d handed me the ideal moment to share my gift with him as well. “I guess I could give you your anniversary present now, too.”
“You can wait until the party if you want.” I’d learned how much he liked surprises and gifts during our years together, and the boyish grin he flashed me contradicted his offer.
“No, it’s better this way, with just the two of us.” I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and moved his hand to cover my belly. “We can share the news with everyone else later.”
“The news?” he echoed softly, his eyes widening as he realized what I meant. “You’re pregnant?”
I nodded, my lips curving into a big smile. “Yes.”
“Another baby.” Athan lifted me off my feet and twirled me around. “You put my present to shame.”
“Only because you lent me a helping hand with mine and didn’t even know it,” I teased as he set me back down.
“There was much more than my hand involved.” He teleported us up to our bedroom, his body pressing mine against the mattress. “Feel free to scream my name as loud as you’d like while I remind you exactly how it was done since the kids are gone, love.”
It was a good thing I was a daywalker because I screamed myself hoarse. Without my advanced healing, I would’ve needed to whisper to all of our guests.
The Blackest Night
Stephan Bancroft was happy for his brothers, but seeing them blissfully settled made him feel the lack of his own consort even more. Taking on extra missions for the vampire council didn’t help. Nothing would except finding the woman who was destined to be his.
Bronwyn O’Brien had no idea vampires existed until she was attacked while walking home from a party. When Stephan rescued her, Bronwyn also discovered she would spend the rest of her life with the gorgeous daywalker.
But will Bronwyn ever feel as though she truly belongs in Stephan’s world?
Prologue
Stephan
Another nightwalker went up in flames before falling into a scattering of ashes on the ground. I turned around to see that my brothers had also taken down the remaining two from the nest we’d just flushed out.
I grabbed my stake and brushed away the ash before securing it into the loops that tied around my calf. Then I sauntered over to my brothers, Kieran and Athan, who were dusting themselves off.
“Sometimes, I feel like Cinderfella with all the dust I have to wash off,” grumbled Athan.
Kieran snorted. “Like you don’t use it as an excuse to get your consort in the shower with you.”
Athan grinned salaciously. “Can’t argue with that.”
I rolled my eyes and cuffed them both on the head, which was easy to do since I was taller than both of them by a half foot. But I still had to bob and weave to avoid shots to my stomach and kidneys.
At six foot five, I’d outgrown my older brothers, and our features differed vastly. However, we all shared the trademark bright blue eyes and black hair that came with being a Bancroft.
“I don’t need to hear about the things you do to your wives in the bedroom,” I told them drolly.
The subject matter wasn’t the issue. It wasn’t as though the conversation would arouse me since I couldn’t experience any kind of sexual feelings or sensations with anyone but my fated mate. The problem was discussing their mated, blissful lives.
I was overjoyed for my brothers to have each found the one person in the universe that had been created just for them. And I adored my sisters-in-law and the little ones. But I was envious of their soul-deep happiness. Sometimes, it was challenging to be the only one still alone, especially when I saw the connection between my brothers and their consorts. It shed a bright spotlight on the emptiness of my life. After so many years, it had become a painful void.
My brothers and I were daywalkers. Born vampires who could traipse around in the sun—though we preferred not to as we burned easily with our pale skin. Plus, our light eyes were made for seeing clearly in the dark, and sunlight hampered our vision. We were immune to everything people associated with vampires and could only be killed by removing our heads and burning our bodies. Besides all of that, we were born with one perfect person who would be our partner, the other half of our sou
ls.
Nightwalkers—the vampires people read about in books—were bitten, and most of them were evil, spending their nights hunting the consorts of daywalkers to dwindle our population.
Ridding the world of those parasites was our job, protecting and escorting consorts to their mates, or the council that would help unite them. Other than the “hobbies” I dabbled in—such as my billion-dollar tech company—there wasn’t much else to do with my endless amounts of time.
So, I’d thrown myself into the job. Kieran liked to tease me about being a workaholic, but we both knew he was only half-joking. Guilt crept in from time to time because I wasn’t spending as much time with my brothers and their families. We were immortal, though, so they understood my need for time.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I dug it out to glance at the screen. It was a text message with the information for another assignment if I wanted it. What else was there to do? I shot back a quick message to accept it and get more details.
“You should come by the house,” Kieran suggested. “Thana will have Ronan ready for bed, and you know how he loves when his uncle Stephan reads to him.”
Ignoring the spike of guilt, I shook my head and waved my phone. “Work.”
Athan’s brows drew down, and he frowned. “You work too much.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered. “I’ll stop by tomorrow. Give your better halves and little ones kisses from me.”
Athan put his hand on my arm, and I met his worried blue eyes. “Don’t forget the party the day after tomorrow. You promised Selene you’d be there.”
The Love Bitten Series: Volume 1 Page 13