Hearts Unleashed: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by C. D. Gorri

  A muscle ticked in his jaw before he spoke. “Why’d you think I wouldn’t be home?”

  “I wasn’t sure if you were fucking Celine,” she said with a shrug. “Aristocratic women are taught to guard their virginity, but you never know. It always seemed like an antiquated rule to me.”

  His nostrils flared as anger clouded his expression. “Not to be a dick, but it’s none of your business whether I’m fucking Celine or not.”

  Scoffing, she stood and ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, you’ve certainly made that clear—”

  “No!” he interrupted, ascending the first step and jabbing his finger at her. “You do not get to pin this on me.”

  “Pin what on you?”

  “The fact I escorted Celine to the fundraiser tonight. Not that you deserve an explanation, but my father blackmailed me into taking her. Otherwise, he was going to withdraw his donation for the new TECs.”

  Pursing her lips, she contemplated the words, wondering if they were true. “Well, you didn’t seem like you were suffering, so I’m sure it wasn’t a chore.”

  “There are things you don’t know, Siora,” he said, climbing another step. “Things I haven’t told you because you insisted you wanted to keep this casual.”

  “Of course I want to keep it casual,” she said, crossing her arms. “We have nothing but sex between us, and a romantic relationship would never work. Especially with our circumstances.”

  Cresting the last step, he towered over her as he gazed into her eyes. “Circumstances are what you make of them. I think it’s time we started truly communicating, Siora.” Glancing toward his father’s home, he scowled. “My father will be home any minute, and I don’t want him involved in this.”

  “Embarrassed he might see you with a poor farmer’s daughter?” she asked, tapping her foot.

  His eyes narrowed into angry slits. “You’re really pissing me off right now. You came here looking for a fight, so let’s have one. I think we should have it in private, in a language we’ll both understand.”

  It sounded like a challenge, and she was intrigued. “Meaning?”

  Stepping forward, he unlocked the door and gestured inside. “Come on.”

  She contemplated for several seconds before acknowledging his words held merit. In truth, she was looking for a fight and would rather have it without prying eyes so she could figure out why he didn’t tell her about escorting Celine. Giving him a glare, she stepped inside before he closed the door.

  Locking it, he began walking down the darkened hallway. “Follow me.”

  She complied, realizing she trusted him although she was mad as hell.

  He led her through the home until they arrived at a back room. He flipped the switch, flooding the room with light, and she noticed the workout room filled with tons of weights, exercise machines, and a large black mat in the corner.

  “You want a fight, so we’ll have a fight,” he said, stepping into the room and kicking off his dress shoes and socks. He tugged at his bow tie, pulling it off before he removed his jacket. After ditching the cummerbund, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

  “Whoa,” she said, stepping forward and holding up her hands. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m getting ready to spar with you,” he said, shrugging his shirt off his shoulders and tossing it aside. “At least combat is a language you understand.” Trailing to the black mat, he stood in the middle and beckoned to her. “Come on. Let’s fight, sweetheart. Tell me everything you came here to say. I can take it.”

  “I can’t fight in this jumpsuit,” she said, glancing down at the material. “It’s the only nice piece of clothing I have.”

  “Then take it off,” he said, arching an eyebrow. “It will certainly give you an advantage since I can barely think when you bare your skin to me, Siora.”

  “You want me to fight naked?” she almost shrieked. “Garridan—”

  “If you don’t think you can do it, I’ll take your concession.”

  Bastard. As if she’d ever concede in any battle. “Are you fucking serious?”

  His lips twitched. “Take off your clothes and fight me, Siora.”

  Huffing, she unclasped the button behind her neck, and the twin tufts of fabric that had been covering her breasts fell to her waist. Lust blazed in Garridan’s eyes as she shimmied out of the jumpsuit and kicked her sandals aside. She left her panties on and trailed over to where he’d thrown his shirt, shrugging it on and cinching a few of the buttons. It fell to her knees, and she padded over to stand before him on the mat.

  “This is ridiculous—”

  His hand jabbed at her face, and she maneuvered away, her body instinctively knowing what to do after all her training. Gritting her teeth, she punched back, frustrated when he blocked her jab, and she turned to land a kick in his side.

  Garridan muttered an “oomph” when she landed the kick before scuttling past her and grabbing her arm. Twisting it behind her back, he sandwiched it between them as his front pressed against her back.

  “For the last time,” he breathed in her ear, “I’m not fucking Celine. I don’t want Celine. There’s only one woman I want.”

  Grunting, she twisted out of his grasp and kneed him in the stomach before he doubled over. Grasping his thick hair, she jerked his head to stare into his eyes. “You were all over her tonight.”

  Quick as lightning, he jolted away, rotating to slide his arms around her waist and lift her before slamming her onto the ground. He was careful, as he always was when they sparred, but it knocked the breath from her lungs.

  “I think she’d be a good match for my brother. We came up with a stupid plan to make him see her in a more flattering light. Like I said, there are things you don’t know, Siora.”

  Placing her hands flat beside her head, she kicked her feet high and used the momentum to jump into a wide-legged stance. “You should’ve told me you were going with her.”

  “Yes,” he said, crouching and lifting his hands to protect his face from any future blows. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t think you wanted to know personal details about my life. I don’t know what the rules are here.”

  “There are no rules,” she said, although the words didn’t ring true. “We’re just fucking.”

  Amber eyes darted between hers before he whispered, “Liar.”

  “Don’t call me names,” she gritted as confusing emotions welled within. “And it’s time to end this, Garridan. No more training, and no more fucking. It’s over.”

  His features softened as he gazed at her. “Is that what you really want?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I want!” she yelled. “This can never happen.” She gestured back and forth between them.

  “Why?” he asked, slowly approaching her, palms held high as he assessed her. “You’ve made up some story in your head that isn’t true, Siora.”

  “Of course it’s true,” she said, mortified when a single tear slipped down her cheek. Swiping it away, she held out her hand. “Don’t come any closer.”

  “I’m beginning to think you say things you don’t mean, sweetheart,” he said, continuing to slowly approach her. “I think you’re dying for me to touch you.”

  Her chin trembled as she shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

  The corner of his lips curved, the smile both sexy and filled with compassion. “Man, you’re a really bad liar.”

  Eliciting a ragged cry, she lurched forward, aiming a punch at his jaw while attempting to swipe his leg. He anticipated the move, grabbing her wrist before swiping her legs instead and sending them both crashing to the floor. Tangled together, they struggled as he held her down with his large body, half-sprawled over hers.

  “Damn it,” he grunted, struggling to catch her wrists, one in each hand. Lifting them above her head, he held them there as they panted. Warm breaths mingled as their gazes remained locked, both too stubborn to look away.

  “Let me go,” she said, hating the sound of her voice,
so weak. So much like the simpering woman she never wished to be.

  His throat bobbed before he slowly shook his head. “I can’t,” he whispered, staring into her with such raw affection she felt her body melt beneath him. “Haven’t you realized I can’t let you go?”

  “You don’t want someone like me,” she whispered, shaking her head upon the mat. “I don’t fit in your world. We don’t fit.”

  Settling into the juncture of her thighs, he pressed his straining erection into her core, causing her to moan. “I think we fit just fine, Siora. In all the ways that count. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen, and I love that you fight as well as you fuck. What else do we need?”

  “I never wanted a mate,” she warbled, his face slightly blurred by the wetness in her eyes. “I don’t know how to do this. I’m…” She stopped before admitting she was scared. The words made her feel too vulnerable as he stared at her with such longing.

  “I know,” he whispered, lowering to nudge her nose with his. “I am too. I never wanted a mate either, but sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned.”

  “It will never work,” she whispered, pleading for him to understand they had no future.

  Forming a slow grin, he shook his head. “Thank the goddess I’ve always been an optimist, because you’ve definitely got the gloom and doom part down.”

  A breathy laugh escaped her throat. “I just don’t want to set us up for failure. There are so many reasons—”

  “Siora?” he interrupted, releasing one of her wrists and covering her lips with his fingers. “Will you do me a favor?”

  Feeling her eyes dart between his, she nodded.

  “Shut the fuck up and kiss me.”

  Lowering his head, he consumed her lips, drawing her against him as she surged her tongue inside his mouth. He groaned, low and raw, into the back of her throat, causing her arousal to rush between her thighs. Craving him more than her next breath, she tugged at his pants as he viciously kissed her, pulling them off his legs before he ripped her panties off. With his lips still cemented to hers, he plunged into her body, causing her hips to buck as his shaft claimed every inch of her wet, throbbing core.

  “Yesss…” he hissed, furiously pumping his thick, pulsing cock into her taut channel as she sucked his tongue for dear life. He speared it into her mouth, mimicking the frenzied juts of his shaft, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she gave into the delicious pounding.

  “Just like that,” he rasped, gripping her thigh and wrapping it around his waist. “I love it when you relax like that when I’m deep inside you, sweetheart. Do you know how good it feels to have you open up like this when I fuck you?”

  She wanted to tell him it was terrifying. That opening herself up to anyone was terribly disconcerting for the strong woman she’d always had to be. One who blazed her own path and never needed anyone. Never needed a partner. Of course, it was impossible to tell him that when her body had all but disintegrated into a pile of inflamed arousal as he consumed her with his words and his touch.

  “I’m not stupid enough to let you go, Siora.” Clenching his fingers in her short hair, he tugged, forcing her eyes to fly open. “It’s not happening, so stop making excuses for why it won’t work. Do you hear me?”

  Her mouth fell open as he hammered inside her trembling body, and she struggled to answer. The overwhelming sensations were just too damn much.

  Sliding his hand between their bodies, he ran his fingers through her slick essence, which now coated her folds and inner thighs, lubricating them before finding her clit. Stimulating the engorged nub with his fingers, he pressed his forehead to hers as they reached for the peak.

  “Oh, god, I’m going to come,” she wailed, his fingers maddening on the nerve-filled bud of her clit. “I can’t take it.”

  “You can take it,” he murmured, lips vibrating against hers as their faces pressed together. “Open that pretty pussy and come all over my cock, Siora. Now.”

  Tossing her head back, she succumbed to the pleasure, feeling her body snap as he continued to piston deep within. He was everywhere—inside her body…inside her brain…inside her heart. Something bloomed in the deep confines of her chest, and she understood that as her body was shooting over the precipice of pleasure, her heart was undeniably falling into the abyss for the magnificent Vampyre who was loving her so vehemently. Crying his name, she clutched her arms around his neck and buried her face in the juncture between his nape and shoulder.

  The vein that ran from his neck to his heart pulsed against her cheek, and she longed to plunge her fangs into the tender flesh; to drink from him as bonded mates often drank from each other when they shared bouts of pleasure.

  “One day, sweetheart,” he rasped, reading her thoughts as if she’d sent them to him in fucking bold text. “One day, we’ll drink from each other while we do this.”

  The words were serious, causing her to thrust her nails into his upper back. The action elicited a ragged moan from him before he snapped, freezing for a millisecond before plummeting into his own orgasm. Bucking above her, he shot his release into her body, spraying her with his essence so it mingled with her own. Every part of their bodies was connected as she lay below him trying to make sense of the earth-shattering experience. Small, visceral grunts escaped his throat as he lunged into her…once…twice…and one last time before he elicited a soft, sexy wail. Gathering her against his body, he slid his arms under her back and held her close, pressing his face into her neck.

  They lay there, sated and replete, silent as their labored breaths echoed against the walls. Eventually, their bodies cooled, and Siora melded into the mat, her eyelids heavy as the cadence of his breathing began to slow. Expelling a long breath, she closed her eyes, promising herself she’d only sleep for a moment.

  An indiscernible amount of time later, she awoke to feel Garridan lifting her into his arms before trailing to the doorway of the gym. Flicking off the light, he carried her to his bedroom, sliding her between the sheets before crawling in behind. Drawing her close, he spooned her, resting his face against the back of her neck before falling into slumber.

  She lay there terrified to clutch onto the happiness that wanted to envelop every cell of her frame. It was too overwhelming, and she panicked as his deep breaths warmed the sensitive skin of her neck.

  After he lay still for several minutes, she quietly eased from his embrace and donned her clothes in the gym. Heading out the front door, she ensured the lock on the knob was secure and scurried back to the four-wheeler parked at the castle. Jumbled thoughts rushed through her brain during the short, brisk walk before she hopped into the vehicle and drove back to Lynia as fast as the damn thing would take her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Garridan awoke as the first light of dawn glowed outside his bedroom window. Rolling onto his back, he placed his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling. Siora had run away, and that was…well, he realized it was a natural progression in their complex relationship. It meant she was scared, and if he’d learned anything in his long life, it was that the greatest joy always resided on the other side of fear, if one was willing to take the leap.

  Chewing on his inner lip, he contemplated the best path to take with Siora. After last night, there was no doubt he wanted to pursue her. Yes, the time for total honesty had arrived. Garridan had lived for ten centuries and never even come close to feeling about someone the way he felt about Siora. She was fierce and stubborn and so achingly beautiful. He didn’t know if she wanted to build a family and understood they’d need to make their way to having that very serious discussion, but there were other things he needed to tackle first.

  To begin with, he wanted to court her. Garridan saw the importance of spending time with her outside the army so she could get comfortable with him—and with the idea they were meant to be together. She swore they didn’t belong in each other’s world, but he saw that excuse for what it truly was: Siora wasn’t sure he would choose her. Somewhere
along the way, she’d decided an aristocrat didn’t belong with a farmer’s daughter, and the story had become her reality. Smiling, Garridan realized he couldn’t wait to relieve her of that notion. The great thing about immortals? Well, they had a lot of time, and he was a very patient man. He would take time to court her as she deserved to be courted, until his stubborn mate rewrote the tragic story.

  “You sound as sappy as Latimus, old man,” he chided, running his hands over his face. “But damn, if she isn’t your mate, then no one is.”

  The belief was embedded deep within, and he knew with a little time, Siora would see the light as well. In the meantime, he would let her pull back as she seemed determined to do. He’d give her some space and take the gamble she would eventually realize she wanted to build something with him too. Hopefully, she would recognize they were perfect for each other and overcome her fear. He’d waited centuries to find his mate. Waiting a few weeks longer surely wouldn’t kill him, although he certainly would miss her soft, silken skin and passionate kisses…and the way she moaned his name when he was deep inside her sweet body.

  Feeling himself harden, he emitted a groan before lowering his hand to his shaft to ease his burgeoning erection, anticipating the next time Siora’s firm grip would replace his own.

  *.*.*.*

  The next few days were chaotic for Siora as the final battle drew near. The timeline was established, and they would fight Bakari in a matter of days. As if that wasn’t enough to process, Garridan had reverted to treating her like one of the soldiers, which rankled her. Yes, she’d bolted after their passionate night together, but she didn’t expect him to act as if it didn’t matter. The morning after, when she’d shown up on the battlefield, his expression was polite and detached, which worried her more than any flares of anger she’d ever observed.

  “I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye,” she said as the morning sun shined on the training field. “I needed to get home and change before training today.”