Secret of the Vampire

by L. E. Wilson

  I knew I shouldn’t be doing this. I knew I should be trying to get away, trying to let whoever was outside know I was there.

  But I couldn’t stop myself.

  He caught on right away and wasted no time undoing the fastening of my slacks and sliding his hand inside. His breath caught when he found me, slick and swollen for him.

  I drank from him as he touched me, my entire body trembling with need. His fingers teased my clit, then slid inside of me, his hips simulating the movement, only to come back to that bundle of nerve endings.

  The muscles low in my groin tightened and released with every surge of desire he pulled from me. His blood roared through my body, sensitizing my skin and igniting my cells. I felt alive. In tune with everything around me. I felt if I opened my eyes, I would hear colors and see sounds.

  His breathing quieted in my ear for a moment, and I heard the footsteps stop outside the door. The knob rattled and then stopped, before the steps continued on down off the porch and around the other side of the house.

  “Come for me.”

  His voice, husky and deep and raw with need, reverberated through me, raising goose bumps on my skin. I hovered on the edge of my orgasm, each wave stronger than the last…

  “Come for me, Kenya,” he ordered.

  I crashed over the edge, his wrist tight to my mouth, muting the sounds I made as my orgasm rocked through me, my head thrown back against his shoulder and my fingers digging into his thighs.

  “Jesus Christ.” This time the words were whispered in my ear. “I need to fuck you.” He left his hand cupping my cunt possessively as he drew his long legs in, trapping me between them. His hips rocked into me, and I could feel him, thick and hard, straining against his jeans. “Kenya.” My name was a plea on his lips.

  When my heartbeat slowed and I’d caught my breath enough to think somewhat clearly, I released his wrist, licking the wounds closed. I was exhausted, and yet at the same time I’d never felt more alive. More free. My senses were on high alert. I could hear insects crawling through the marsh outside. The flick of an alligator’s tail in the water a mile away. Footsteps growing farther and farther away, not making any effort to stay quiet now. I could see the smallest dust motes floating through the air, reflected in the moonlight coming through a tiny crack in the wall. I was completely satiated.

  And yet, I wanted more.

  Because all I could smell was Alex. His skin. His blood. His sex. All I could feel was his strength surrounding me. Could hear his blood rushing through his veins and his heart pounding in his chest.

  Leaning back against him, I lifted my ass off the floor and slid my slacks down over my hips and off of one leg. As I did that, Alex freed himself from his jeans, his breathing harsh.

  In the next second, I was back in his lap and he was sliding inside of me.

  He held me there for a second, his fingers digging into my hips. And then he drew his knees up on either side of me, bracing himself, and began to lift me up and down, fucking me as he said he wanted to do. There was nothing sweet about it, just pure animalistic need, and that was just fine with me.

  And when that wasn’t enough, he slid down the wall until he was flat on his back on the floor and I could get my knees under me. He was deeper now, filling me completely, guiding me with his hands on my hips, his heels digging into the floor. His breathing was loud, harsh, and interspersed with the sexiest sounds.

  I wished I could see his face.

  He quickened the pace, angling my body to get impossibly deeper. I cried out, all thoughts leaving my head as I found myself with my fingers.

  “Kenya…gods…”

  My head fell back on my shoulders as my inner muscles clenched tight, the pleasure nearly too much to stand, building up and sending me higher and higher until it was too much and I came crashing down the other side.

  With a hoarse cry, he pulled me down hard, and I felt him pulsing inside of me as he found his own release, his breath on the back of my neck as he sat up and pulled me hard against his chest.

  We sat this way for a long time. Neither one moving nor saying a word. Afraid to break the spell and go back to the reality of why we were here to begin with.

  “Was that Jamal?” I finally asked. “Or Killian?”

  “Jamal,” he said quietly. “I did a cloaking spell. He wouldn’t have seen us even if he’d walked in.”

  “But he would’ve heard me?”

  “Possibly.”

  And because Jamal didn’t like being in other’s heads, he probably never even thought to reach out that way. Of course, I was kind of glad he didn’t, because of what he would’ve heard. “I need to go clean up,” I said. Not waiting for permission, I put one hand on the arm of the couch and lifted myself off of his lap, wincing as Alex slid out of me.

  His hands gripped my thighs and he dropped a kiss on my bare ass just before I yanked up my slacks and stepped over his legs, heading for the bathroom.

  I held it together until I got inside and shut the door behind me. A little bit numb, I kept my mind empty as I opened the door to the small linen closet and found a towel, then I turned on the shower, half expecting the water not to work. But it did. Even the hot water.

  With jerky movements, I set my glasses on the sink, removed my shoes and clothes, and left them on the floor as I stepped inside, not caring if my hair got wet.

  It was only then, as the warm water ran down my face and body, that I let the tears come. My thoughts too chaotic to release the myriad of emotions inside of me any other way.

  But one thing did break through and kept repeating itself over and over.

  Mine? How could he be mine?

  What gods would play such a cruel joke as to bind me forever to a male who, despite his attraction to me, couldn’t care less if I lived or died? And the worst part? I was bound to him now that I’d had his blood. I wouldn’t be able to survive without him. Drinking from other humans or from bagged blood, if I could choke it down, would only extend my suffering.

  I was already craving Alex again. For blood and for sex.

  I don’t know how long I’d been standing there when I heard the door open, then the rustling of clothes. The curtain pulled back and I stiffened as Alex got in behind me. With his hands on my arms, he turned me around, slid one hand up to cup my face and lifted my chin until I had no choice but to look at him.

  In his dark eyes, I saw none of the chaos I was feeling. “Don’t cry,” he told me. “Please don’t cry.”

  I made no effort to stem the tears still running down my cheeks. I even sniffed loudly for good measure. “What do you care?”

  He caught his bottom lip between his teeth, his eyes full of indecision as they roamed my face. I had to give him credit. He hadn’t looked at my boobs once yet.

  Finally, he settled, and I could tell by the set of his jaw a decision had been made. “I need to ask you to do something, Kenya.”

  I sniffed again, and waited.

  “I need to ask you to trust me.”

  I couldn’t help it. I laughed out loud through my tears. “Trust you? In what world would you ever think that was possible?”

  “I won’t hand you over to him.”

  “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”

  “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  “But you plan to go back with him, don’t you?” The djinn was his family. And family was what mattered above all else. This was something I understood, even if I didn’t agree with what he was doing. If I had the chance to build a relationship with my blood relatives, I would do it.

  He didn’t respond to my question, but he didn’t have to. I could see the answer in his eyes. And that meant only one thing. I would have to go with him, or I would die the true death.

  “Kenya…” He trailed off, for once at a loss for words, and dropped his arms down to his sides.

  The steam rose around us, trapping us in our own little reality far away from the cruelty of the real world.

/>   “Is it true?” His eyes roamed over me again, this time dropping down my body, lingering on my breasts and the tight curls between my legs. When they came back to mine, there was fire in his gaze. “That I’m yours?”

  Chapter 21

  Alex

  MINE.

  It had slammed through my head when Kenya was drinking from me. At first, I thought it was the djinn trying to claim my female. And then I realized it wasn’t his inner voice I heard, but Kenya’s.

  However, it was more than just a word. It was a feeling. An instinct. I felt her possessiveness, her hunger, and it drove me so mad with lust I didn’t give a fuck if Marcus was listening to us somehow. Didn’t care if Jamal had walked in while I was inside of her. I couldn’t have denied her if we’d been dead smack in the center of Bourbon Street in the middle of Mardi Gras.

  As she stood before me beneath the shower head, her dark skin wet and glistening, she could’ve been a goddess of old. Proud. Mesmerizing. Seductive…and dangerous. My blood roared through my veins and my cock stirred between my legs at the sight of her. “Is it true?”

  We really shouldn’t be having this conversation. Not here. Not now. But I needed to know, because if this was true, it would explain so much to me.

  Still, she wouldn’t answer. She just stared at me, her eyes full of remorse.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I pleaded.

  “How am I supposed to look at you?” she finally responded in a thick voice. As soon as she asked the question, she dropped her chin, and when she looked up again there were tears on her cheeks.

  Fuck.

  I reached for her, wanting to hold her in my arms and tell her it was all right, but she slapped my hands away. “Don’t touch me,” she spat. “I want nothing to do with you.”

  “Now we both know that’s not true,” I told her. And I didn’t need to see the way she averted her eyes to know I was right. I wasn’t trying to be cocky. I was just trying to be real. “I can feel you, Kenya. I feel your hunger for me. For my blood. And I want to give it to you.” My body was hard. Ready. “I want to give it all to you.” My life. My heart. My soul. Everything.

  She shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “Honey—”

  Her eyes threw daggers at me. “Don’t you fucking ‘honey’ me, Alex! Don’t you do it!”

  I threw my hands in the air, palms out. “Okay. All right.” I kept my voice low and calm.

  She turned her back to me and stuck her face in the water, wiping away her tears, and I gave her a minute to gather herself while I thought about this new situation. I knew what it meant to be mated to a vampire. She’d fed from me, and now she could only feed from me. But for the bond to be completed, I would need to have her blood as well. If not, I would continue to age, and eventually die.

  And so would she.

  I had to admit, the whole immortality thing was kind of crazy to think about. But I had more important things that needed my immediate attention. Like getting us both out of here alive. But first, I had to let her know I wasn’t the monster she thought I was. I was taking a huge chance, talking to her like this. Because if the djinn was dipping into my head, we were pretty much fucked anyway after what had just happened. “Kenya, talk to me. Please.”

  She turned her head so her stunning profile was visible, but she still wouldn’t look at me. “Talk to you?” She laughed, the sound harsh and cruel. “You’ve been playing me all this time, Alex. You practically handed me over to the djinn—”

  “That’s not true. I thought you were home. You told me you were home.” I reached out to touch her bare back, but pulled back at the last minute. “I swear to you, I had no idea he was anywhere in the area. I didn’t know you hadn’t gone right home like you’d told me.”

  “So, again, this is my fault?” She grabbed the soap from the little shelf and began to scrub herself, like she was trying to remove the memories of my touch. It hurt, watching her.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

  She spun around so fast she was nothing but a blur one second and facing me the next. “What exactly are you saying, Alex?” She practically spit my name at me.

  I clenched my jaw, momentarily forgetting where we were. My hands tightened into fists to keep myself from touching her. All I wanted to do was pull her against me and hold her until the tension left both our bodies, until she would hear what I was trying to say without tipping off the djinn. I couldn’t feel him probing around in my head, but I didn’t want to take the chance. I felt what I felt, and there wasn’t much I could do about that. But as long as I continued to play the part he’d cast me in, it should be okay.

  I put everything I was feeling into my eyes, hoping she could read what I was trying to tell her, even without her glasses. “I’m not a monster.” Taking a chance, I stepped in closer, lowering my mouth to her ear.

  She stiffened, but otherwise didn’t move.

  “I won’t let him harm you. I swear it. I’m asking you to trust me.” I straightened just enough that she could see my face, ignoring the spray of water. “I’m asking you,” I repeated.

  “But how would you stop him?” she asked in a small voice.

  My heart shattered into a thousand pieces hearing the fear in her voice. But she was right. My powers were nothing compared to his. Tentatively, I brushed her smooth cheek with the back of my fingers and took a chance. “I don’t know, but I will.”

  She studied me for long moments, and I could see the indecision on her face, the fleeting expressions of hope and anger and fear and longing.

  Gods, I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and feel all of that smooth, wet skin against mine. And yes, I wanted to fuck her again. It was torture standing so close to her and feeling like she was still so far away.

  Finally, she spoke. “You want me to trust you.”

  I nodded. Gently, I took her face between my hands, giving her plenty of time to pull away.

  She didn’t.

  The kiss was just a brush of my lips to hers, and I felt her bottom lip tremble. “Don’t cry,” I whispered against her mouth. “Please don’t cry. It’ll be okay.” I wanted to tell her straight out that I was only playing a role. That he would never get us out of this city if I could help it, but that I had to be so careful. There were other lives at stake beside our own.

  Kenya wrapped her hands around my wrists, holding my hands to her face as she met my eyes. “It is true,” she whispered. “Gods help me, but it is.”

  Touching my forehead to hers, I closed my eyes and exhaled. “I knew you were mine the moment I saw you dying on that bed weeks ago,” I admitted. “I felt it all the way to my bones, and I had to save you. I had to. Because if I didn’t, my life would be over.” I kissed her head, her nose, her mouth. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” she asked. “I still think you’re a bastard.”

  “I probably am,” I said. “But not in the way you think.”

  There were questions in her eyes. Things I couldn’t answer. At least, not right now. But I could show her how I felt and how much she meant to me. “Let me take care of you,” I told her quietly.

  “I don’t know how to be with someone like you,” she whispered.

  “I know.” Sliding one hand over her shoulder and down her arm, I lifted her hand to my chest. “Touch me,” I whispered. “It’s okay.” I kissed her. Once. Twice. Again. Groaning when I felt the tip of her tongue tasting me. One hand around the back of her neck, I wrapped my other arm around her waist, pulling her against me. My knees went weak when I felt her bare curves against me, and my body hardened even more.

  Steam from the hot water rose around us, encompassing us in our own little world as I worshiped her with my hands and mouth until all of the stiffness left her and she was trembling in my arms. Then I lifted her, her legs wrapping around my hips as I pressed her up against the cool tiles and found her entrance with the tip of my cock.

  Kenya moaned and rolled her hips agains
t me, her parted lips showing the white tips of her fangs, long and sharp.

  I kissed her as I slid inside, feeling her body stretch to accommodate me. She was so tight like this. I gave her a few seconds to make sure she was okay, but when I felt her thighs tighten around me as she tried to lift herself, I cupped her ass and began to move.

  Her fingers dug into my back, and she cried out as I thrust into her, fast and hard. It wasn’t long before I felt my balls tighten, my orgasm sliding down my spine and up the length of my cock. I slowed down and tilted my head away, exposing my throat. “Feed, Kenya,” I rasped.

  The sharp tips of her fangs scraped the skin above my jugular and I groaned. “Yes, honey,” I told her. “It’s okay. Do it.”

  Fast as a viper, she struck, her fangs sliding through my skin to sink into my vein. I cried out, the feel of her fangs in me and my cock in her pussy too much. My orgasm hit me like a truck, roaring through me as I thrust into her even deeper, my hips jerking uncontrollably.

  Kenya moaned against my throat, her body tightening on my sex momentarily before she convulsed around me, taking everything I had.

  And when it was done and she’d pulled her fangs from my throat, I sank to my knees with her still on my lap, too lightheaded to stay upright. The water hitting my back was cooling off. I guess we’d hit our limit on shower time.

  “Alex?” Kenya’s hands were on me, pulling my head from her shoulder so she could look at me. “Alex, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I smiled at her.

  But she shook her head. “No. No. Shit. I took too much.”

  Wrapping my fingers around her wrists, I pulled her hands away, kissing the inside of each wrist before I held them between us. “Seriously, I’m okay. I just…” There were no words to describe what I’d just gone through. “If I’d only known how that felt, I would’ve insisted on feeding you that first night we kissed.”

  I’d meant it to be a joke, but she didn’t laugh. Didn’t even crack a smile. “Are you sure you’re okay?”