Charlie kept waiting for him to take his words back, but he didn’t. It took her a few minutes to recall what she’d been about to ask.
“So, ah… this whole mate thing”—she couldn’t call it a debacle again after what he said—“what would happen if we ever did get off this island?”
“Oh, we’re getting off this island,” he said. “Mike and Doug escaped, and they will come back for us.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because ever since we were kids, no one has fucked with one of us and gotten away with it. They will come back, and we will be leaving here.”
“What would that mean for us?” she asked.
“I hope you’ll come live with me at our compound. There’s plenty of room for us to build our own home there. We were looking for another property to buy when they took us, but I think we’ll be staying in Maine for a little while.”
Even after his friend, David, found his mate, Mia, he’d seen himself spending the rest of his life as a bachelor living with Mike and Doug. It was a future he’d accepted years ago. Now he saw a whole different future unfolding before him, and excitement stirred.
Maybe they would have children. Years ago, he stopped picturing kids of his own, but he could imagine his and Charlie’s children running around the compound with the Byrne kids and Dylan, getting into mischief as their laughter floated on the air. Would they have Charlie’s eyes? He hoped so.
“You’re talking about living together, and we barely know each other,” Charlie said.
“But I like what I know about you, and we’ll get to know each other better as time goes on. Besides, I think the way someone acts when their lives, and the lives of others, are on the line is a good way to judge their character. You’re a fighter, but more than that, you’re also caring. I mean, you’re ruthless and have no problem killing someone, but you’re also loyal, and you saved my ass when you could have left me behind in favor of saving yourself.”
She made him crazy, but he could have a mate who was a lot worse—one who would have left him behind to save herself or tucked tail and ran whenever things got difficult. Instead of adversity battering her down, it made Charlie stronger, and he admired that about her. Not to mention, she was sexy as hell.
His eyes dropped to the swell of her ass as she rested her chin on her knees. Oh, yes, he could have had a mate who was a lot worse than her. She would make him crazy for the rest of his days, and he was looking forward to it.
“I couldn’t have left you behind,” she murmured.
Maybe it was this whole mate bond, but there was something between them that she couldn’t deny.
“What about Dylan?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You claim I’m your mate, but men aren’t exactly lining up for stepchildren. Where do you see my son fitting into all of this?”
“In my home, if he’ll agree to it,” Jack said honestly. “There are a lot of children at the compound. They’re younger than Dylan, but they would all grow up together.”
“And all these children are vampires?”
“Yes. They sometimes can’t control their fangs and eyes, so they won’t go to school until they’re older, but they would never harm him.”
“I dreamt of a normal life for him—one filled with love, unlike mine. And I was succeeding until those bastards took us.”
“You’ve kept him alive for three years. That’s more than almost everyone brought to this island could have done.”
“I can never give him the normal life he deserves,” she whispered.
“No, with what you are now, you can’t give him normal, but you are giving him a life filled with love. I see the way you are with each other; there is nothing but love there.”
“After everything he’s endured, I hope it will be enough.”
Jack bit back a groan when he pushed himself further up the wall. Thanks to Charlie’s blood, he was healing faster than normal, but the bullet holes still felt like someone had taken a hot poker to his flesh.
“Enough for what?” Jack asked.
“To be happy. Dylan has to find happiness after this.”
“He will.”
When Charlie lifted her head to look at him, the tears in her eyes tore at his heart.
“I hope so,” she whispered.
Jack pushed himself off the wall and, flinching because of his soreness, he switched over to sit beside her.
“You shouldn’t move,” Charlie protested.
“Shh,” he said.
He draped his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side. He tried to ignore the feel of her skin burning against his, but her nearness caused his heartbeat to pick up as lust awakened in him.
“We’ll get back to Dylan tomorrow and start preparing for when the others return,” he said. “We’ll get him off this island, and I’ll make sure both of you get the happiness you deserve.”
Charlie rested her fingers against his chest as she leaned against his side. The solid, reassuring beat of his heart was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever heard. For years, she’d been determined not to let anyone else in, but Jack slipped inside her defenses, and Charlie didn’t want to let him go. Maybe she was an idiot, maybe she was only setting herself up for heartbreak with him, but she didn’t think so.
“I know you said that, without their mate, vampires go insane or die, but you have to promise me something,” she said.
“Anything.”
“If it ever comes between Dylan and me, you will pick Dylan and protect him no matter what.”
Everything inside him rebelled against her words. She was his mate. He did not doubt it, and his protective instincts screamed at him that she was the most important thing. That, above everyone else, he had to choose her.
“I’ll be as good as dead without him, Jack,” she said. “And I would gladly give my life for his. He’s far more important than me, and I have to know you’ll protect him.”
Jack despised the idea of putting anyone ahead of his mate, but he knew the truth of her words; she would be as good as dead without her child. And if he chose her over Dylan, she would hate him for the rest of her life.
“I’ll choose him over you.” The words were bitter on his tongue. “And I’ll protect his life with mine.”
Unexpected tears burned Charlie’s eyes. He may not like it, but he would do as promised because he was Jack. “If something happens to me—”
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” he growled.
When she stroked his chest, she was amazed by how he relaxed against her. Whatever this was between them, it was strong, and she marveled at the effect she had over this powerful man.
“If it does,” she whispered, “please save him.”
Jack couldn’t think about anything happening to her. Turning his head into her hair, he kissed her temple. “I will,” he vowed, and though he would probably die without her, he would make sure Dylan was safe before that happened.
“Thank you.”
Jack’s fingers slid over her hair as she nestled against him. She’d spent most of the time he was passed out working the tangles from her hair. “And if something happens to you, is there somewhere you’d like me to take him?”
“There is nowhere to take him,” she said. “Miss Dodd is in Florida, and she would take him in, but she’s already given up so much of her life for us. She deserves the happiness she discovered.”
“Who’s Miss Dodd?”
“She was my ballet instructor,” she said, and Charlie told him everything about her parents and Chad.
Jack listened while she spoke about her family and the piece of shit who used her before tossing her and his child aside. He’d love to hunt this Chad down and beat him into a bloody pulp for what he’d done to her. Her parents had never allowed her to be a child, and Chad stole what little innocence she had from her.
When Charlie finished speaking, she bit her lip as she waited for Jack to speak. H
e bent his head and, nuzzling her hair, hugged her closer.
“I’m sorry, Charlie,” he said. “You didn’t deserve any of that.”
She absorbed the warmth of his body and the security of his arms. “My birth name was Charlene, and there were never any nicknames allowed for it.”
“It’s pretty.”
“I hated it, and I still do. The day they threw me out was the day Charlene ceased to exist. I am Charlie, I will always be Charlie, and if you ever call me Charlene, I’ll make you sing soprano for a week.”
Jack laughed. “I’ll forget I ever heard the name Charlene.”
“Good.”
“I think you’ll like my friends,” he said to her.
“Are they like you?”
“No, they’re a lot nicer.”
“Will they be okay with Dylan, a human, knowing about them?”
“There are a couple of other humans who know about us too. They’ll be fine with it, and they’ll protect him like he’s a member of the family, which he will be.”
Charlie shifted uncomfortably. “I need time before jumping into this whole mate life with you.”
Jack didn’t tell her that he probably didn’t have a whole lot of time now that they had sex and he tasted her blood. He’d waited this long to find her; he would wait longer before claiming her. She’d been through so much in her short life, and he wouldn’t make things more difficult for her.
Chapter Thirty-One
Charlie woke slowly and smiled when she felt Jack’s heat enveloping her. His spicy scent tickling her nose reminded her of home. His heart didn’t beat beneath her ear, but that was because she’d shifted until her head lay across his thighs. Still nude, the wiry hair on his calf tickled her palm.
Placing her hands on the rock floor, she pushed herself up to discover him watching her with the hooded eyes of a predator. Afraid any movement would cause him to pounce, she froze.
Her heart raced as she became entranced by the hunger in his gaze. That insatiable hunger was for her. The sight of it caused her nipples to pucker as her gaze fell on his mouth. An ache spread between her legs when she recalled the ecstasy his mouth could bring her.
“We… we should go,” she said.
“It’s still night,” he said as he skimmed his knuckles down her cheek. “I checked a little while ago.”
He’d shifted her to check the entrance and moved her again when he returned. She never slept soundly; it unnerved her to realize she was so comfortable around him.
Savoring the feel of her silken skin, Jack slid his knuckles down her throat. His fangs pricked when his fingers rested over her pulse in her throat. Her blood was a tantalizing beat, and his heart accelerated to match the rhythm of it.
“Beautiful,” he murmured as he trailed his fingers down the center column of her delicate neck.
Charlie didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her lungs started burning. “You’re hurt,” she whispered as his touch set her blood on fire.
“I’m much better,” he murmured. “Your blood did wonders.”
He ran his thumb around her nipple before cupping her breast and bending to suck her nipple into his mouth. He nipped it before running his tongue soothingly around it and biting again. The exquisite sensation of his tongue laving her while his fangs grazed her flesh caused Charlie to arch beneath his touch.
Given the look in his eyes when she first woke up, she’d expected him to come at her hard and fast, but his touch was leisurely and reverent as he worked his way lower over her body. Every caress left her aching for more.
Slipping her fingers into his hair, she held him as his mouth left a searing trail from her breasts to her belly button while his hand slid between her legs. His finger stroked her clit before he dipped it inside of her. Charlie’s head fell back, and she moaned as his finger worked her until all she could do was tremble while she clung to him.
With no control over his fangs, they throbbed as he ran his tongue back over her body and up to her mouth. He nipped at her lower lip, drawing blood and sucking on it. It was already too late for him, so he saw no reason not to taste her exquisite blood again.
Sliding her hands down his chest, Charlie relished the feel of his smooth muscles as they bunched and flexed beneath her palms while his kiss deepened. She moved her hips in rhythm with his hand as she rode him.
Her fangs lengthened as their tongues entangled, and she wrapped her hand around his shaft. Hard and hot, it throbbed as she ran her fingers over it and circled his head. She couldn’t stop her mouth from watering as she recalled the exquisite pleasure of having him inside her.
Keeping hold of his shaft, she straddled his lap. Jack broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes as she ran her hand up and down the length of him. Red was seeping into her eyes, and the tips of her fangs poked enticingly over her bottom lip. He clasped the back of her head to draw her closer before giving her clit one more stroke and pulling his finger out of her.
She rubbed the head of his dick teasingly against her wet entrance before pulling it away. A playful smile curved the corners of her mouth when she teased him again. He resisted grasping her hips and thrusting into her, but though he wanted this torture to end, he enjoyed watching her and seeing what she would do.
Sliding back a little, Charlie bent forward. She met and held Jack’s eyes as she licked the head of his cock. He stiffened beneath her as the muscles in his neck stood out. She couldn’t help but smile as she licked him again before sliding her mouth over his head and swirling her tongue around it.
Jack’s breath hissed out as her hand slid down his shaft while her tongue tasted him. Then her fangs retracted, and her mouth slid completely over him. The sight of her fucking him with her mouth was one he’d never forget. Jack rested his head against the wall, but he didn’t dare blink as he couldn’t miss a millisecond of this.
When he felt the pressure building in his cock, he gripped her upper arms. “I’m going to come.”
He expected her to pull away, but instead, she closed her eyes and continued to work him with her hand and mouth. Jack gave himself over to her and came with a low groan.
Charlie pulled away from Jack and smiled at him when he gazed at her from heavy-lidded, red eyes. She’d just given him some release, but he continued to stare at her like she was the prey he planned to devour, and she was more than willing to let it happen.
Her gaze fell to his neck. The beat of his heart sounded like a drumbeat in her ears, and before she could stop them, her fangs extended again. Saliva filled her mouth as the compulsion to taste him hit her.
Gripping her arms, Jack pulled her into his lap until she was straddling him. He grasped his erection and guided it to her entrance. He resisted the impulse to shout as her tight sheath enveloped him.
Settled fully onto him, Charlie held Jack’s eyes while she remained unmoving on top of him. Having him inside her not only sent shivers down her spine, but it also felt so right that she couldn’t move as she gazed into his reddened eyes. She barely knew this man who had literally fallen into her life, yet he’d somehow become a part of her.
Wrapping his hand around the back of her head, he pulled her toward him and kissed her as she rose and fell against him. The sensation of his shaft sliding in and out of her made her tremble as a feeling of rightness built within her.
When Jack bit her lip again and drew her blood into him, she pushed her hips against his. As he consumed more of her blood, the strength of it flooding his system healed him faster. When he released his bite on her lip, Charlie broke the kiss and leaned back. Jack slid his arms around her waist and flattened his palms in the small of her back as she rode him. He savored the beauty of her lithe body before bending his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth.
Charlie gasped when his fangs scraped her breast. Anticipation stole through her as she waited for him to bite, but he didn’t. She gripped the back of his head, pulling him closer.
“Please,” she whimpered. She
needed to feel his fangs sinking into her flesh as they had earlier. “Please.”
Jack instinctively knew what she was pleading for, and unable to resist the allure of her blood, he sank his fangs into her. Her blood flooded his mouth as she cried out and her sheath clenched around him before he pulled out of her to come.
Small tremors continued to shake her as Jack released his bite on her. Feeling boneless, Charlie slumped against him and rested her head on his shoulder. She was still in his arms, still covered in the scent of him, but something was missing.
She craved something more.
Then the tempting rush of his blood pumping through his veins filled her ears. Saliva filled her mouth. She couldn’t recall the last time she fed; after everything they’d been through and giving her blood to Jack, she was famished.
She wanted his blood with a desperation she’d never experienced before. But she realized it was more than hunger propelling her compulsion to feed on him; it was also a primal urge to be closer to him, to bind with him, and to… claim her mate.
The realization knocked the breath from her, and for a second, she couldn’t think beyond her compulsion to drink his blood. She was desperate to claim this man as hers, but how could she when they barely knew each other?
According to Jack, she would be binding herself to him for an eternity if they exchanged blood. They hadn’t been on a date, but killing together was probably a better way of getting to know a person than dinner and a movie.
After what Jack told her about the mate bond and the intensity of her yearning for him, she suspected it might already be too late for them. They’d stumbled into this with each other, and now she was fumbling for some control, but there was none.
The first few days after her change, she had some difficulty controlling her vampire nature, but nothing like this. How could she bind herself to someone she didn’t love and who didn’t love her?
Jack hadn’t mentioned love once throughout all of this, but he’d stood by her side and proven time and again she could rely on him. Chad would have tossed her aside and run screaming at the first hint of danger; Jack had been shot three times and still refused to release her as he swam to shore.
Unforeseen: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 9 Page 18