He stopped at a page, though didn’t look at it as he recited the spell. “In the darkest time of night, when no moon shines fully bright, I call on the forces that be, to grant my impassioned plea, this love that beats strongly in our hearts, cannot survive if we must part, and so with love I curse his soul, as through the ages has been told, take our souls and combine, so that he/she will be forever mine, and in the years those we sire, will forever be born of fire, it is done and will always be, a love that lasts through eternity.”
“What happened to your grandparents after the spell was cast?”
“Once he proved to my grandmother’s people that the spell had worked, they married to seal his commitment to her and her people. My grandfather insisted my grandmother leave, right afterwards since he knew the raid on the camp would come soon. He planned to join her after he spoke with his father. She refused to leave him and waited in a safe place in the woods. His father and he had a vicious fight and being my grandfather was so new at being a vampire, he couldn’t control the urge to show his fangs when threatened. His father ordered a stake to be driven through his heart and his body burnt. My grandmother could read my grandfather’s thoughts and sense his feelings, as I do yours, and she didn’t hesitate to save him. With constant wars in their homeland and changing times, they eventually came to the New World and made a new life for themselves and generations to come. But you will not see that story in the books on the Village of Mull and I know you will understand when I ask you to keep the story to yourself.”
“Of course,” Lara said, “though who would believe it? It sounds more a myth.”
“But somewhere in a myth is a basis of fact, something that gave birth to the myth.”
“Like the suggestion that this town was founded by a vampire. However did that myth, though actually fact, get started?” she asked.
“My grandfather credits my grandmother with that one. It seems Grandma wanted to honor her family or band of gypsies. They were known in their own circles as the band of mulla... band of corpses. Grandpa shortened it to Mull, and curiosity—which you are very familiar with—had a journalist putting two and two together and coming up with the idea that the Romanians who settled Mull were gypsies. He insists that the original town name was probably Mulla, which then of course had to mean that the founding family had to have been vampires. The story stuck, though the town has fought hard through the years to negate such a ridiculous claim.”
“Your grandfather’s love for your grandmother must really run deep for him to have given up so much for her. It’s never wavered through the long years?” Lara asked curious that such an everlasting love could possibly be real. It was a nice thought and of course poetry and books had been written on such undying love, but was it real or simply a myth?
“I asked my grandfather that once, and I recall how serious his expression had been when he told me that never once had he questioned his love for his wife. He insists that his love for her has never diminished, but rather has flourished through the years. And that life would not be worth living without her. My grandmother told me just about the same when I purposed the question to her.” Michael smiled. “Not that I’ve never seen them fight. Believe me, they can go at it good sometimes, though they never stay mad at each other.”
“Now that I know all your dark, deep secrets—”
He smiled and a hint of red shined in his eyes. “Sweetheart, you haven’t even touched on my dark, deep secrets yet.”
Her libido and curiosity went into overdrive at the same time. What more dark secrets could he harbor? She wanted to know or did she?
“What bothers you, Lara?”
“Where to begin?” she said with a quivering laugh. “All of this is so surreal that I sometimes wonder if it’s a dream and I’ll wake up.”
“And would you be disappointed if it was?”
His question startled her as did the answer she kept from slipping past her lips—yes. She would be extremely disappointed, just as she knew she would be when it came time to say good-bye to him. Barely two days knowing this man, and yet she felt more connected to him than some of her friends she had known for years.
She realized he was waiting for an answer and she quickly said, “It’s been memorable.”
“I can make it more memorable.”
She had to smile. “I’ve no doubt you could.” Before he could respond or the conversation went in a direction she preferred it didn’t, she stood. “I could use a cup of tea. Would you like one?” She shook her head. “You don’t drink tea,” she said more to herself than him.
Lara put the kettle on and tried to keep from looking at the section of the counter where only a few hours ago they had had quick, deliciously satisfying sex. She turned away and planned to busy herself looking through the wide selection of teabags kept in a beautifully carved mahogany box and found herself face to face with Michael.
“I would love to hike your skirt up, pull your panties off and have you here again on the counter, but I think we should try the library next. The couch is soft, though up against the ladder could prove interesting.”
“Damn it, Michael,” she said, stepping around him.
He grabbed her hand before she could get all the way passed him. “Aroused you, didn’t I?”
“Smart ass,” she said and yanked her hand out of his and turned around, opting for a regular teabag from the ceramic container on the counter rather than trying to get passed him.
He thought differently, snagging his arm around her waist and turning her around to face him. His lips caught hers in a kiss before she could say anything. And of course, she melted in his arms as always.
Always.
But it wasn’t always. They would have only this short time together and nothing more but... memories. Why did the thought disturb her so? Could she have actually fallen in love with him in such a short time?
His mouth left hers and he whispered in her ear, “Let me love you, Lara”
I’m not stopping you, she thought.
Aren’t you?
Now wasn’t the time to argue with herself or was she? She laid her hand to his chest and pushed him away, though he went only so far. “That was you in my head.”
“It’s grown more difficult not to respond to some of your thoughts since I hear them as if you spoke the words aloud to me.”
“Have you intruded on all my thoughts?” she asked, realizing what he would have heard. She didn’t wait for an answer, she moved away from him, shutting the whistling kettle off as she went.
“I don’t do it on purpose,” he said.
‘That’s not what I asked and that’s not an excuse.” She folded her arms tightly across her chest.
“Shielding yourself from me?” he asked with a nod to her folded arms.
“Is a shield possible?”
“Shall we see?”
She kept her arms tight against her, but he didn’t make a move. He didn’t have to. She gasped when she felt his fingers slide between her legs and enter her ever so slowly.
“You’re wet, but then my touch, even the lightest one turns you wet.”
She grabbed the edge of the counter. “Stop.”
“Are you sure?” he asked his fingers going deeper.
“Yes,” she shouted and gripped the counter even harder when his touch left her.
“Looks like shields don’t work.”
“So you cannot only read my mind at will, but you can also touch me without physically touching me. Do I have no way of defending myself against you at all?”
“Why would you need to?”
She threw her arms up in the air. “Oh, I don’t know. Could it be that you invade my thoughts and touch me at whim... no matter where you are? Is that why I always want you?”
“I don’t invade your thoughts. Your thoughts reach out to me. I’ve blocked them when you’ve asked me to, but as I’ve explained the more we connect the harder it is to block you.” He took a step toward her, though left a s
mall distance between them. “I never touch you at whim. I touch you because I can’t resist not touching you. You’re like an intoxicant to me, once tasted impossible not to taste again. My appetite for you is ravenous now.” He shook his head. “I cannot imagine what it would be like if I did bite you while making love. I fear that I would never get my fill of you.” He took another step closer, their bodies almost touching. “But then I think you feel the same, since your ache for me is of your own doing. Never would I touch you if you didn’t want me to and believe me, sweetheart, you have made it quite obvious that you want me.”
“So what you’re saying is that we’re simply two consenting adults that have fallen into—lust,” she said annoyed
He brought his face to rest so close to hers that their noses almost touched. “What else could it be?”
Her heart thundered in her chest, her stomach fluttered uncontrollably, and she fought to control her thoughts, fought to stop from silently shouting, love, you fool... love!
His arm went around her waist and he brought his body to rest against hers. “Let me love you, Lara.”
Yes, yes, love me, she thought and pushed away the thought that ached to follow, the one she didn’t want him to hear. Love me like your grandfather loved your grandmother... a forever mine kind of love.
Her eyes closed as he kissed her and she got lost in it, got lost in him.
She didn’t know how they had gotten to the library, but she knew they were there. She could smell the aged books and feel the rungs of the ladder against her back as he leaned into her.
Just the thought of him taking her there against the ladder, hiking her skirt and slipping her panties off to bury himself inside her had her growing so excited and wet that she feared she’d come before he could get inside her.
He was right. Her ache for him was of her own doing, and she didn’t want to think that there would come a time when they would make love for the last time.
She felt warm air brush her legs and knew he had lifted her skirt. Soon his hands would be at her panties pulling them down. Her hands hurried to push his sweatpants down, and when her hand slide over his penis, she took a moment to caress him. The feel of him so silky smooth, yet so thick and hard had her moaning with the anticipation of him slipping deep and sung inside her.
An incessant ring had her scrunching her brow, breaking her concentration, and then she heard Michael utter, damn, and step away from her.
She reached out to grab him.
“Only a moment, I promise,” he said and squeezed her hand before releasing it.
She sighed with frustration, wondering what could be more important than making love with her, and then she realized what had separated them—the phone was ringing.
It was like being doused with cold water. If the phone was working, then that meant—she turned to look out the window. It had stopped snowing.
Lara stepped away from the ladder, her skirt falling down to her ankles as she did. She caught clips of what Michael was saying and dread began to clench at her stomach.
After returning the phone to its cradle, he walked over to her. “That was the private contractor that handles my snow removal. He says that the main roads will be passable later today and that he will be here early tomorrow morning to dig me out and that he should be done by noon. He also had a message from Martha. The bed and breakfast will be open tomorrow and your room ready for as long as you need to wait for your car service to come and get you.”
Her stomach twisted tight. Today was her last day with Michael. Tomorrow it would all be over and they would part.
Chapter 13
Lara felt tears stir in her eyes and the next thing she knew she was wrapped in Michael’s arms.
“We’ll make the most of this day,” he whispered, “a memory to last forever.”
She didn’t want just a memory of him; she wanted him forever.
“I need tea,” she said and fled the room, fearing she’d burst into tears and make a fool of herself in front of him.
The phone rang again, preventing him from following to her relief. She needed time to get herself together. How the hell would she ever manage to get through the rest of this day, knowing tomorrow she would have to say good-bye to him?
She set the kettle to boil when a thought struck her.
Tell him you love him. What can it hurt? He could possibly feel the same. At least this way you’ll never regret not taking the chance.
Don’t you think he already knows? He hears your thoughts and he’s said nothing. What does that tell you?
Her heart felt like it plummeted off a steep cliff.
How did one stop from thinking? It wasn’t possible. Her mind was always going, though she could keep it busy with nonsensical thoughts. The kettle whistled and Lara made herself a cup of chamomile tea.
Michael entered the room.
“I should get in touch with my car service and see when they can pick me up,” she said with what she hoped was a passable smile.
“I’ve already taken care of it,” he said without a trace of a smile.
Her heart plummeted again. He had already made plans for her to leave. “Thank you,” she said, trying to stretch her smile, though she had no desire to smile, and kept her thoughts from going where she didn’t want them to go.
He looked ready to step toward her, and she couldn’t let him kiss her. She just couldn’t. She quickly switched her thought to packing her suitcase, thinking of item by item that needed to be folded and packed. She kept the image steady in her mind, fighting back the one that tried to break through... her sobbing uncontrollably in his arms.
“I should pack and make sure I’m ready for tomorrow,” she said, stopping him in his tracks.
“You have plenty of time,” he said and inched closer to her.
No, not near enough time, she thought, though said, “Tomorrow will be here before you know it.”
His arm hurried around her waist, snagging her before she could slip out of his reach. “Then let’s not waste a minute.”
He kissed her and she was soon lost in a haze of delectable sensations. One thought and one thought alone penetrated her foggy brain and she couldn’t stop it no matter how hard she tried.
You’re forever mine. I love you.
The next thing she knew she was once again up against the library ladder and just as wet and throbbing for him to be inside her as she had been before.
“Don’t answer the phone if it rings,” she said while shoving his sweatpants down.
“No worries,” he whispered, “I have no intentions of answering it for the rest of the day.”
She grabbed hold of him and he was just as silky and hard, perhaps harder, than before. “I don’t want to wait,” she said and stepped up on the bottom rung of the ladder so that she could fit him to her perfectly.
A satisfying groan ran from her lips as he slid into her with ease.
He dropped his forehead against hers and struggled, as if in sweet agony to say, “Damn, you’re so snug and warm, your scent so strong. I can almost taste your...” He raised his head and his eyes glowed red, much too red.
“Michael?”
His lips curled back and his fangs began to appear. “I want so badly to taste you, to show you how making love can truly feel. One taste and—”
She shoved at his chest. “No!” She couldn’t, wouldn’t surrender completely to him. She had already surrendered her heart to him, if she allowed this—she knew he would have her soul.
“No,” she said again, shaking her head. “No, Michael.”
He plunged deeper inside her, and she fell back against the ladder rungs. He grabbed the ladder by either side of her head and shoved into her again, his eyes red, though not glowing as brightly, but his fangs still shiny and sharp.
“I’m going to make you come hard.”
“You always do.”
“Not like this,” he said and lowered his mouth to her neck.
She knew he wouldn�
�t bite her without permission, but it didn’t stop him from tormenting her. And good Lord could his fangs torment. He stilled his penis inside her while he ran the sharp points along her neck. It was as if he caressed her all over at once. Her nipples tingled, her clitoris throbbed unmercifully and her hips began to gyrate trying to get him to move inside her.
And not once did he touch her, his fangs did it all and she knew he was showing her only a tiny portion of how it would feel if he bit her. She feared she would soon surrender and beg him to bite her, and so she reached down and toyed with his testicles as she moved against him, stirring his penis.
He grabbed her hand, stopping her, his forehead coming to rest against hers, his breathing labored. “Soon, Lara, soon,” he whispered as his fangs disappeared. He then lifted his head, planted his hands on her hips and held her tight as he drove in and out of her.
She came in a blinding explosion of senses that had her grabbing onto to his arms tight and screaming aloud. She squeezed his muscles even tighter when he made her come again, along with him this time.
He would have collapsed on top of her if he hadn’t planted his hands against the ladder, his muscles taught with tension as he kept himself braced a mere inch away from her. She tried to calm her breathing, but it wasn’t easy since little bursts of pleasure continued to tickle her senseless.
His breathing was as labored as hers, his chest rising and falling rapidly. It took a few minutes for both of them to regain their senses. Then Michael stirred, stepping back, though not before brushing his lips over hers, and quickly pulled up his sweatpants. He then took hold of her waist and gently lifted her off the ladder, her skirt falling to her ankles as he eased her to her feet.
“You’ve yet to have your tea,” he said with a smile. “Sit. I’ll go get it for you.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond. He left her standing there, and she wondered if he needed a bit of distance from her as she did from him. No, not from each other—from the situation. She braced her hand on one of the ladder rungs and took a deep breath.
A mistake.
His scent was heavy on her as was the scent of sex and damn if her body didn’t quiver at the memory. She chased thoughts of him from her head and hurried to scoop up her panties off the floor and slip them on. She then went over to the couch, but chose one of the single chairs, snatching up the throw and wrapped it snugly around her as she sat.
Sexual Appetites of Vampires Page 11