Until the Sun Falls from the Sky(114)

“They wouldn’t be worried if they hated the person who was being carted off,” he pointed out logically but his voice was pure velvet and it seemed to glide across every inch of my skin.

Why oh why was I such a freaking loser!

Don’t read anything into that, Lucien, I warned.

He grinned and it was his arrogant grin. “Hard not to, pet.”

Well, try, I pushed.

His face got closer and his voice was still velvet. “I rather like what I’m reading.”

May I remind you that you spanked me last night. Spanked me! I snapped.

“Oh, I remember.” Still velvet, still gliding across my skin, now I was getting goose bumps. Then his eyelids slowly lowered to half-mast and he muttered, “I’m thinking I should have done that at your initial bloodletting. Saved time.”

My body went tight then it jerked against his hold. I knew this would have no effect but I felt better doing it.

It was high time to change the subject.

I need food, I declared.

“Me too,” he whispered.

Damn it all to hell, that got a response. I felt my nipples get hard and I went instantly wet.

He knew it. I knew he knew it because I saw the flash of a satisfied, smug smile before his face disappeared in my neck. His lips traveled down my chest and, with one arm locked around my waist, the other hand came up to my camisole and tugged it down sharply to expose one of my breasts.

I gasped.

Then I felt his tongue at the side of my breast, fire shot between my legs and I squirmed.

Let me speak, I whispered and the instant I did, his mind released mine and I felt the blood flow. “Oh my God,” I breathed.

Powerless to stop them, my hands went to his head, fisting in his hair, holding him to me as the sweet, familiar thrill from his feeding shot through me.

His hand came up, fingers wrapping around my wrist, he pulled it away and down. Taking my hand in his own, he guided it into my pajamas, my undies, straight to the heat of me. His fingers manipulating mine against my most sensitive part, he coaxed a deeper response. I took over and his hand moved, a finger sliding in me then two then he stroked, the rhythm sure and strong, practiced and powerful, building in intensity and quickness.

With the feeding, my own fingers and his thrusts, it took only moments for me to come.

“Lucien,” I whispered in my raspy voice and when I did, my fisted hand in his hair tightened at the same time holding him to me.

It was consuming. It was beautiful. I hadn’t had that in three weeks either. It nourished me too.

He imprisoned my hand cupped under his between my legs, lashed the wound at my breast with his tongue, pulled up and rolled into me.

With his weight pressed against my side, his face in my hair, he spoke.

“You’ve broken,” he declared, victory warm in his tone.

I suspected he wasn’t wrong.

I didn’t tell him that.

“Now, you’re mine,” he went on, the warmth of victory turning heated, brutal, savage and fierce.

I suspected he wasn’t wrong about that either.

Boy, was I so fucked.

His head came up, his hand pulling mine from between my legs, it lifted it, curling my arm around his waist. He tugged my camisole back over my breast, rolled deeper into me so he was almost on top of me and then he rested his hand against my neck, thumb stroking, head up, eyes locked to mine.

“Tonight, we join,” he decreed, his voice still fierce as were his eyes.

I felt something unsettling.

His eyes were blazing, the triumph blatant, searing into me, so hot, so fierce, I felt branded.

But it wasn’t the first time I felt that. I’d felt it before. Even though I knew I hadn’t. Just like earlier, when he’d closed his eyes in pain.

“Leah? Did you hear me?”

My mind was elsewhere but I still answered, “I heard you.”

“Leah,” he called, I shook off my troubling thoughts and focused on him.

“What we’ll have will be beautiful,” he told me, voice back to velvet.

I suspected he wasn’t wrong about that either.

The problem with that was, even though it would undoubtedly be beautiful, whatever it was, it would be temporary.

Tarnished beauty. Could I live with that?

“Sweetling,” velvet still but there was an odd throb to it like an ache, “whatever that is working in the backs of your eyes, let it go. You give this to me; I’ll take care of it.” His voice dipped lower before he finished, “That’s a vow.”

Of course, seeing as I was expelled from Vampire Studies, I had no idea how binding a vampire’s vow was. I had no idea they’d kill to protect it and die before they’d break it. I had no idea they’d quest to the ends of the earth for centuries to fulfill it or that they’d endure torture to keep it safe.