Immortal Born (An Argeneau Novel)

by Lynsay Sands

  Releasing the first nipple, he turned his head to claim the other and gave it the same treatment while fondling and teasing the first with his fingers. But it wasn’t enough and he released the now nearly empty bag so that he could urge her legs open and shift between them to get closer. He let his hands slide up the inside of her legs then, and sucked hard on her nipple as both her and, in accordance, his body grew feverish with need and anticipation. And then his fingers brushed over her heat and he nearly bit her nipple when a jolt of excitement shot through him.

  Letting her nipple slip from his mouth to keep from hurting her, he glanced up to see how much blood was left in the bag. There wasn’t much—another moment and they could remove it—so he slid his fingers over her more firmly and they both groaned at the pleasure that sent rolling over them.

  In the end, it was Allie who tore the bag away. She also lowered her head, and urged his head up toward her with the fingers tangled in his hair. Accepting the invitation, he kissed her, his mouth hungry and demanding as he continued to caress her. Allie kissed him back just as hungrily, her body shifting into his caresses, and her arms tightening to pull him closer.

  Growling into her mouth, Magnus reached down with his free hand to undo his pants. The expensive cloth slid off of him at once and he caught one of Allie’s arms and urged her to her feet even as he stood so that he wouldn’t have to stop kissing and caressing her. He felt her hands pushing at his boxer briefs, and then his erection burst free and he felt one delicate hand close around him. Magnus nearly lost it right there as their combined excitement exploded between them. He knew Allie was in the same place because they were sharing that pleasure.

  Determined to consummate the wedding before their excitement overwhelmed them, he stopped caressing her, but continued to kiss her as he urged her backward and onto the bed. Catching her around the waist then, he lifted her slightly and took her with him to the center of the bed before easing to rest on top of her.

  Magnus broke the kiss then and Allie moaned in protest. But he nuzzled her ear and growled, “Spread your legs.”

  Allie did, and then gasped and clutched at his arms when he rubbed himself against her. They were both so excited he didn’t dare do that a second time, however, but instead repositioned himself a little and thrust into her.

  Magnus half expected it would be more than either of them could take and they’d scream in pleasure, orgasm, and faint as life mates were said to do during life mate sex. Instead, his excitement was interrupted by a sudden sharp pain and shock. He froze at once, struggling briefly with disbelief and the sudden death of excitement, and then, still buried deep inside her, raised himself a little to peer down. “Allie? Were you a vir—?”

  She slapped her hand over his mouth, silencing him, and then groaned with what he could only guess was something like embarrassment, before mumbling, “Jeez, how many girls told me in college they didn’t even feel anything the first time? Liars,” she added bitterly.

  Sighing, Magnus started to withdraw, but Allie dug her nails into his arms in a panic. “Wait! What are you doing?”

  He hesitated, and then said uncertainly, “I thought you would wish to stop.”

  “Yes, but no,” she said at once.

  Magnus peered at her uncertainly. “Which is it? Yes, or no?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted unhappily, and then bit her lip briefly before blurting, “What if you pull out and it heals? Am I going to have this pain every time?”

  Magnus found it heartening that she was considering having sex with him again. He knew that she’d married him planning on avoiding the marital bed and he’d let her believe that was a possibility because he’d counted on the life mate thing to change her mind for her. But the pain he’d just experienced through her had rather killed the pleasure and he wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d shied away from the marital bed after it, at least for a while. But now she’d raised a new concern and asked a question he couldn’t answer. He’d never bedded an immortal virgin before. In fact, he hadn’t expected her to be one at her age. Not in this era of free love and whatnot. Or perhaps that was ancient history now, but he knew that women today didn’t have to marry and took lovers as they liked. He’d just assumed that she was experienced.

  “Magnus?” Allie asked impatiently when he was silent too long. “Will it heal?”

  “I do not know,” he admitted apologetically. “I have never taken a virgin to my bed before.”

  “What?” she asked with disbelief. “You’re like a bazillion years old and have probably bedded a gazillion women, yet you’ve never slept with a virgin before?”

  He ignored the insult about his age, and said, “Not an immortal virgin. Besides, I have not bedded a gazillion women. In fact, I have not indulged in sexual activities since just before the Battle of Maldon in 991.”

  Allie stared at him blankly for a moment, and then asked, “Are you kidding?”

  “No,” Magnus assured her quietly. “Immortals often tire of food and sex at some time between the ages of one hundred and two hundred. I lost my interest in food twenty or thirty years before, but held on to my interest in sex until I was 212 . . . although it had waned quite a bit before it died out altogether,” he admitted.

  She narrowed her eyes, and said, “But I’ve seen you eat. And what was this, then? Because you seemed pretty interested when—”

  “Life mates change all that,” he explained patiently. “They reawaken an immortal’s passions, both for food and for lovemaking. They reawaken interest in everything. It is another reason why they are so valued and cherished.” He paused briefly, and then added, “The shared pleasure simply adds to it.”

  “Shared pleasure?” she asked uncertainly.

  Magnus hesitated, but then asked, “When you were sitting on the side of the bed and touched me, did you not experience my pleasure as your own?” He already knew the answer, but was still a little relieved when she nodded.

  Realization and amazement growing on her face, she asked, “So when you were touching me . . . ?”

  “I felt your pleasure,” he said quietly, his previously flagging passion reawakening and stretching within him at the memory. He’d begun to lose his erection the moment the pain had struck, but now he was hardening inside her again.

  “Something’s happening,” she said uncertainly. “Are you moving?”

  “No,” he said at once, but didn’t explain, and instead said, “Allie, we cannot remain like this indefinitely. And I cannot answer your question about the healing. Do you wish me to go fetch Katricia or Drina so that you may ask one of them?”

  “God, no!” she gasped at once, and then bit her lip briefly before saying, “Maybe if we just stay like this for a little bit the nanos will heal me around you and not completely rebuild my hymen.”

  He thought that was a ridiculous idea, and was becoming uncomfortable lying there, chatting as if at tea, so teased, “Or maybe they will heal you to my member.”

  “What?” she squawked with horror.

  Magnus was immediately sorry he’d said that and tried to reassure her. “I am sure that will not happen. I was just—”

  “Oh!”

  Both of them turned their heads to stare at Katricia, who had opened the door and started in, but was now backing out of the room.

  “Sorry. I didn’t know. I was just checking— I’ll go—”

  “No! Wait!” Allie cried, her fingers tightening around Magnus’s arms.

  Katricia paused midturn away from them, but kept her eyes pointed at the door and the side of her face to them as she waited.

  Allie hesitated, but then sighed and asked, “Will the nanos heal my hymen?”

  In her surprise, Katricia started to turn toward them, but caught herself at the last moment and asked carefully, “Allie, are you saying you were a virgin before . . . ?”

  “Yes,” she admitted with disgust. “And now I need to know if it’s going to heal and I’m going to have this pain every
time, or if there is something I can do to prevent that?”

  Katricia blew her breath out on a sigh, and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even consider . . . I should have talked to you first.”

  “Talked to me about what?” Allie asked, staring at the woman.

  “The nanos won’t repair a hymen on a mortal who is turned after it’s been ruptured and healed. But I’m afraid that, yes, they will repair it if it is ruptured while you are immortal unless the man remains inside you for an extended time. Then they will heal around him and not close the gap.”

  They were all silent for a moment, and then Allie asked, “Why do they not heal it on a mortal during the turn if it was ruptured before she turned?”

  “Good question,” Katricia said wryly. “We think that the original programming didn’t include the hymen. Or possibly labeled it as optional because some would have it but some would not, so the nanos only repair it when it originally exists in their host and is ruptured. They immediately set out to repair what they see as a wound. But that’s not necessary on a mortal who was turned after losing her hymen and it has already healed.”

  “But they won’t heal me to Magnus, will they?”

  That startled a laugh out of Katricia. “No, of course not. Oh, God, wouldn’t that be a fix?”

  Allie turned to scowl at Magnus, and it was he who asked, “How long must we remain joined to ensure she heals around me?”

  “No one’s really sure,” Katricia admitted slowly. “I mean, it’s different for different women. We all have varying healing speeds depending on how much blood we have available in our system and what’s going on.” She paused briefly and then added, “I have heard of women who waited only ten minutes and were fine, and others who waited twenty and yet the healing wasn’t done and it grew back.” Smiling wryly, she confessed, “Breaching mine was so painful I waited half an hour my first time just to be sure I didn’t have to go through it again.”

  “I waited half an hour too,” Drina announced from somewhere beyond Katricia. “And I’d suggest that for you, Allie. The nanos will heal it right away because it is a bleeding wound, but might be slow about it because they are spread out so thin taking care of the other repairs they’re still tending.”

  Magnus felt Allie stiffen at the sound of Drina’s voice and wasn’t surprised. Neither of them had realized the other woman was in the hall as well.

  “I thought I was done turning?” she whispered now to him.

  Magnus shook his head. “The majority of it is done, the more painful stuff. But the nanos will be working to finish off less crucial fixes or changes for the next while, perhaps weeks. You’ll need to take in extra blood while that’s happening.”

  “Oh,” she said unhappily.

  “I agree with Drina,” Katricia said, reminding them of their presence. “I’d go with half an hour to be safe.”

  “Okay,” Allie said unhappily, and then added, “Thank you.”

  “Anytime,” Katricia said lightly, and then said more seriously, “Really, Allie. I’m sure you will have a lot of questions as you adjust to being immortal, and I’m happy to help. Just ask and I’ll do my best to answer.”

  “That goes for me too,” Drina called.

  “Thank you, guys,” Allie said sincerely. “I appreciate that.”

  “Okay, then. Have fun,” Katricia said as she closed the door.

  The last comment had been said in a wry tone that suggested it wasn’t likely. Magnus understood that thoroughly. He had to remain inside Allie for half an hour. Well, perhaps only twenty-five minutes now, but he wasn’t sure how long he’d been in her already so would say thirty rather than risk having to do this again. The point was, however, he needed to maintain his erection to remain in her. If it shrank too much it would slide out no matter what he did, so they had to keep him at least mildly excited. But if he got too excited and passion overwhelmed them . . . well, an orgasm would certainly put an end to the exercise. So, it was going to be a terrible balancing act.

  “Something’s happening again,” Allie said anxiously.

  Her words drew his attention from his thoughts to the realization that he was losing his erection again. Sighing, he laid his forehead on hers and said, “I am shrinking.”

  “Well, don’t do that!” she exclaimed with dismay. “You have to stay in me for half an hour.”

  Magnus released a helpless chuckle and raised his head. “I am aware of that, but ordering me not to lose my erection is not going to . . .” His words died as she suddenly shifted beneath him, thrusting her hips up to press herself tighter to him, probably in an effort to make sure he didn’t slip out. Fortunately, it had the added benefit of restirring some excitement in him and he felt himself hardening again.

  “What can we do to keep you . . . interested?” she asked now, and then added, “But not too excited.”

  She understood the situation and didn’t need it explained to her. That was good at least, Magnus decided, and was considering her question and the best way to approach the problem when she suddenly knocked his legs out from under him with one of her own and then turned him onto his back, coming up on top of him. She then sat up, only to raise an arm to cover her breasts from his view.

  “Don’t look,” Allie ordered, and he raised disbelieving eyes to her face.

  “You have gone shy?” he asked with surprise. “Now? After prancing around naked in front of me for—”

  “I wasn’t prancing,” she said with a roll of the eyes. “And I’m a virgin. Or I was,” she added with a grimace. “Of course I’m shy.”

  “Forgive me,” he murmured with amusement, raising his hands to her upper arms and running them lightly up and down her skin. “But you did not appear shy in the bathroom.”

  “No.” She shivered slightly at his light caress, but then wrinkled her nose. “I don’t even know who that woman was. I was just desperate to . . .”

  When she paused, looking confused, he said gently, “It was blood lust.”

  Allie’s eyes widened slightly, and she peered at him with surprise. “Really? Because it felt like . . .”

  “Desire?” he suggested gently. “Blood lust can be easily mistaken for desire at first, I am told.”

  “Oh. So, I was actually hungry for blood not sex.” She considered that briefly and then nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense. I mean, you smelled like a big juicy steak when you came into the bathroom. But after that bag of blood . . .” She inhaled briefly and then nodded. “Not as hungry. You still smell good, but more like meat loaf than a steak. Steak I’d crawl around naked for. Meat loaf.” She shrugged. “Not so much.”

  “Meat loaf?” he asked with dismay. Magnus had heard the mated men he worked with complain about meat loaf meals. According to his comrades, they were all right, but simply couldn’t compare to steak.

  Allie leaned down to pat his arm sympathetically, leaving only the one arm to cover her breasts, and then straightened again and contemplated him with a frown and again asked, “So, how do we keep you excited, but not too excited?”

  Magnus was considering the question when she said, “In porns, the men seem to get turned on when the women play with their breasts and stuff.”

  “You watch porn?” he asked with disbelief.

  “I’m a thirty-four-year-old virgin who works on the computer. What do you think?” she asked dryly, and then raised her eyebrows. “So, do you want me to caress my breasts or something?”

  The question the first time had startled him. This time he imagined her doing that and immediately began to swell inside her again.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Allie said dryly and, after a hesitation, moved her arms to the sides until her hands covered her breasts. He didn’t even get a peek of nipple, but it didn’t seem to matter and he watched, fascinated, as she began to knead and squeeze her own flesh. But it was when she squeezed her breasts close together and let her head tip back, her mouth opening and her tongue running across her upper lip, that he
felt his cock jump in her.

  Growling softly, Magnus sat up at once to cover her mouth with his own and thrust his tongue out to rasp over hers. The change of position shifted her slightly in his lap, moving her on top of him and sending another jolt of excitement shooting through them both, and Allie kissed him eagerly back. She released her breasts then and slid her arms around his shoulders to hold him close as his tongue thrust into her. It pressed her breasts closer to his chest, and he felt her excitement as his chest hairs fanned over the sensitive nipples. In the next moment, he slid his hands between them to urge her back a bit so that he could cover her breasts and squeeze and knead them as she had been doing.

  They both groaned at the excitement that sent through them, and then Magnus began to pluck at her hard nipples with his thumbs and fingers, tugging and twisting lightly as he thrust his tongue into her mouth with increasing demand. When she then raised and lowered herself on his shaft, he gasped with pleasure and released her breasts to catch her hips and urge her on before he realized what they were doing and how close to the fire they were dancing.

  Tightening his hold on her hips then, Magnus made her stop and muttered, “Too much.”

  “Yes,” she gasped, but couldn’t seem to help herself and tried to move again. The hell of it was, he wanted her to. But he also didn’t want to hurt her again the next time they made love. Cursing, Magnus wrapped his arms around her and dropped back on the bed, taking her with him. Then he tightened his hold on her, preventing her from moving again.

  They lay like that for a moment, both breathing heavily until the throbbing in his erection eased a bit, and then he asked the first question to pop into his head. “Why are you still a virgin?”

  Allie stiffened in his arms and he was guessing the question washed away a lot of her desire, because his own quite suddenly receded like a wave pulling back from the shore. Finally, she shrugged against him, and muttered, “I don’t know. I guess I never met anyone I was interested in sleeping with.”