Surrendering(25)

Today, though, he was a mess of emotions. Fierce possessiveness. Hot jealousy. Extreme frustration. Unimaginable fear. Unparalleled desire. All feelings he was unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. He had known her only a short time, yet she was already changing him in ways she didn’t even realize.

She was his. The fates had already determined that. But damn if he didn’t want more from her than just simply being his. With a yearning that took him by complete surprise, he realized what he really wanted from her was…love.

He wasn’t expecting to crave her love in return. Need it with every breath in his body. Now it was all he could think of. And he was pulling out all the stops to get it, which is another reason he hadn’t moved their physical relationship faster.

He never thought he’d find her, the one person on this earth made specifically for him and no other. He knew once he found her there would be an undeniable passion between the two of them. There was that, yet there was also so much more. He knew he wasn’t imagining it; she felt as strongly for him already as he did for her. But his sweet Kate was surely playing this off as just lust, nothing more, which was why he couldn’t take her tonight. He longed for her love and affection with a deep ache that was difficult for him to comprehend.

He was falling hard for her. He had no idea his woman would be so intelligent, sexy, passionate, and witty. She was all of those things and so much more. She was compassionate, loyal to her family, and passionate about many things in life, including her academia.

Ren strode through his office doors. “Damian and Romaric will be here tomorrow evening, but we’ve got a video conference with them in ten.”

He’d been completely remiss, putting off his business problems while following Kate all over Milwaukee and keeping a 24/7 protective watch over her and now he was very far behind. Now that Kate was in his life, finding Xavier was paramount. He posed an unacceptable threat to her.

“Good. We need to find Xavier and eliminate him once and for all.”

“True that. Were you able to get any more information from Kate?”

“No.”

“Work your charm, Dev. Just fuck her and she’ll tell you anything.”

In the next second, Ren was slammed up against the wall, a large hand holding him by his neck, one pissed off vampire in his face. “You will not talk about her like that again, understand?”

“Jesus, Dev,” he croaked. “Lighten up. I have nothin’ but respect for your Moira.”

Dev let him go and started pacing. “Fuck! I know I’m being completely irrational. But if anyone looks at her, touches her, or talks to her I want to rip out their throat. You included.”

“It will get easier when you bond with her, Dev. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“I don’t know, Ren. I hope so. I can’t go around slaughtering everyone in my Regent just for looking at my Moira.”

Ren slapped him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man. You deserve to be happy after the hell you’ve been through.”

He had been through hell. His entire family was slaughtered. Even after all these years, it was painful to think about. He idly wondered what his parents would have thought of Kate. There was no question—they would love her. It seemed like everyone was drawn to her. Well, except Giselle. But she hated pretty much everyone.

He let his thoughts drift back to a time long ago.





1559





He’d been due home hours ago, but the female companion he’d found tonight was just too delicious to tap once. He could tell she’d been thoroughly used, as her pussy wasn’t as snug as some he’d come across, but she blew him like no other and her blood was as sweet as the blackberry jam his meme made. He rarely used a woman more than once, but perhaps he’d return to her, while he kept up the search for his Moira. She’d been one of the few women he’d found that knew about vampires and was more than willing to give freely of her body and blood in return for the indescribable pleasure she’d receive. Dangerous that, but to each his own.

Vampires lived among humans, most humans never knowing they were anything other than what they pretended to be. They were peaceful and wanted to live and thrive as any human does. They were not to kill their prey and they were not to expose their race, for even as powerful as they were, they would be no match for thousands of humans gunning for their heads. There were some of his kind, however, like Xavier, who didn’t believe in their chosen lifestyle, desiring total power and killing indiscriminately.

Xavier was like the brother he’d never had. At four, Xavier had been left in the middle of their village, abandoned by his parents, and Dev’s parents had adopted him as their own. They’d had an idyllic childhood and were as close as blood brothers. Now both in their early twenties, they’d drifted apart and Xavier was around less and less. Xavier’s actions lately had become more and more erratic, more totalitarian and the distance that grew between them saddened Dev.