Taken by the Vampire King(10)

       
           



       

She knew that was true, felt it down into her very marrow. Part of it   was her own fascination with the man, the vampire, before her. And part   of it felt like an unseen force, as if a part of her psyche was being   drawn to him against her will.

Henrik's big body loomed over her, his muscles so taut they popped under   the tight shirt. The whole bed trembled under the strain of his   restraint. Trained on her mouth, his eyes glowed and threw off sparks   like a pair of spotlighted diamonds. His nostrils flared. He panted and   shuddered.

The dark promise of his words hung in the space between them. I'm going to be all over you.

Kaira had never been more aroused in her life, hadn't even known her   body was capable of feeling this way, nearly vibrating with life and   need and want.

His desire heated the entire room, beaded her nipples and dampened her   panties. She'd never felt so wanted, not surprising since her illness   did little to attract the opposite sex. But it was more than that. It   wasn't just that some man desired her, it was that this one did.

Immortal. Powerful. Royal.

And she possessed the ability to help him.

She pulled her thumb from her mouth.

The sound of cracking plastic exploded from under Henrik's right hand.

And then he was on her. Though not the way she expected.

He grasped her face and planted his mouth on hers. His hands dug into   her hair as his big body climbed over hers. He worshipped her with   devouring kisses, his hands fisting and opening with each kiss and   withdraw.

Sexual heat radiated off him and soaked into her depths. A soft growl   rumbled in his chest and she longed to feel it against her own. Yet, he   kept his weight off her, almost like he was afraid to fully yield to  the  chemistry pulling them together.

Kaira's heart broke into a gallop, making her gasp for oxygen around his   demanding, desperate kisses. His big hands tilted her head and tugged   at her hair, and she let herself be guided. When he pushed his tongue   into her mouth, dizziness swamped her. His incredible male spice was a   thousand times more potent on her tongue. Hunger erupted deep inside her   and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He groaned and shook, his muscles nearing full-out tremors. What would   it be like if he let loose that tremendous restraint? She wasn't sure   she wanted to know. Or that she could handle it if he did.

Her tongue brushed something hard and unyielding. His fang. She moaned   into the kiss and he growled and surged forward, pressing her back into   the pillows. His body overflowed the narrow bed and so completely   encompassed hers that he was all she knew, all she smelled, all she   tasted.

A warm tingling heat gathered low in her belly and her hips tilted and   rocked of their own accord. Her body yearned for friction, for contact,   for penetration. The fact that her experience was so limited made these   desires new and scary, but no less intense. She whined and whimpered  and  tugged at his broad shoulders.

With one strong arm, he shifted their bodies. Kaira didn't really notice   until the next thrust of her hips brought the aching place between her   legs up against something warm and hard. She unleashed a strangled   scream into the kiss and thrust again. Squeezing her thighs, she   realized he'd slid his leg between hers. She rubbed herself against his   thigh, alternating between holding her breath and gasping for air as  she  chased the maddening pressure growing within her core.

For just a second, her bottom lip pinched and stung. Until Henrik   unleashed an animalistic grunt and suction pulled at the small wound   made by the Soul Eater.

She was bleeding. And he was drinking it down.

Fear and arousal shot through her veins in equally shocking amounts, followed by the dragging heat of lust.

But now that she'd acknowledged her fear, it escalated, tearing her in   two between what her body wanted and what her head thought was   right...was safe.

His lips tugged hers and she caught a flash of brilliant light from his eyes.

And then blinding white light was all she saw. The orgasm ripped through   her in a wave of breath-stealing contractions. She wrenched her head   against the pillows, every muscle in her body taut.

On the way back down, her fear went volcanic. What did I just do?

Kaira beat on his chest and shoved at his shoulders and pushed with her feet. "Nei! Stoppe!" she cried. "Nei!"

On a growl, Henrik lurched away until he was on his knees above her. His   chest heaved. His fangs protruded. And his lips were coated in the  dark  red of her spilled blood.

Hunger rolled off him in waves of potent energy.

He was nowhere near sated.





Chapter 8

The taste of copper spilled onto her tongue as three men exploded into   the room. They grabbed Henrik's arms and dragged him backward off the   bed.                       
       
           



       

Henrik unleashed a feral growl. He flailed and fought. The men struggled   to contain him and in a coordinated move, slammed him to the floor.

Kaira gasped and scrabbled off the bed. "Stoppe! You're hurting him!   Stoppe!" Granted, she'd freaked out and wanted him off her, but that   didn't mean she wanted him roughed up like this. Wasn't he their king?   How could they treat him this way? They ignored her pleading as Henrik   continued to struggle. She grabbed at the closest vampire's arm.   "Please. He didn't do any-"

His elbow busted her in the cheek.

For a second, all she saw were silvery white stars. She groaned and   clutched her face, stumbling back from the melee. Warmth spilled against   her palm. Damnit. So stupid. She never should've approached them like   that.

Henrik's roar reverberated off the walls.

Kaira looked up to find bodies strewn around the king as he rose to his   feet. His breathing was a freight train, a growl rumbling out on each   exhale. Fangs extended and flashing eyes narrowed, he took one step   toward her, then another.

Jakob burst through the door. "Hva faen?" What the fuck? "Henrik, nei!" He lunged for his brother.

Not again. "Jakob, stoppe!" She held up the hand not busy covering the   new cut she now wore on her cheek. "Leave him alone. They jumped him. He   didn't do anything. Just...give him a minute."

Jakob reared back, hands in the air, just as Henrik whirled on him and gnashed his teeth.

The king's eyes flashed back to hers and zeroed in on the hand pressed   to her cheekbone, the one hopefully offering enough pressure to staunch   the bleeding. Kaira's heart pounded but her gut told her he would keep   his word. He wouldn't hurt her.

Though she'd never seen him like this before. Eyebrows an angry downward   slash, fangs so big they were almost animal-like, hair wildly   disheveled, shoulders bunched and arms at the ready. He shook his head   and mumbled unintelligibly like he was arguing with himself.

The other men slowly climbed to their feet.

Kaira's eyes made a sweep around the room. She thought back to the blood   on her thumb, how he'd barely been able to resist it. Her blood flowed   openly now, yet none of the others seemed to share his struggle. Was   this part of whatever was wrong with him? She didn't know, but she did   know if she didn't help calm him, the other four vampires were going   jump him again. Their bracing muscles, readied stances and silent   communications made that perfectly clear.

Before fear got the better of her, she pushed off the wall and stepped toward him. "Henrik?"

His gaze flashed to her and tracked her progress. A rumble rolled through his chest.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Keeping her voice   light, she said, "If one of you makes a move for him, I will kill you."   Not that she could. She knew it. They knew it. But she was satisfied to   see they'd listened. Henrik spun at them and growled. "Hey, now,  Henrik.  Look at me. It's okay."

As if in slow motion, he obeyed. She took another step. "Don't," he growled.

"It's okay. Come back to me now, you hear?" She forced the knot of fear   down her throat with a hard swallow. If she could just get to him, she   believed she could get through to him, too. But as she took another   step, his muscles jerked and his hands fisted, all around offering a   pretty good impression of a trapped, cornered animal.

"Kaira, don't," Jakob said in a low voice.

She waved him off. Why was she doing this? Why was she taking this   chance with her life? In truth, she didn't know the answer, she simply   felt she had to, that it was what she was supposed to do...because she   was the only one who could. Suddenly, she knew that was the truth. He'd   even said as much-without her, he had no chance at survival.