A Taste for Blood (2 page)

It had taken time, but eventually she’d learned to hate the deerskin a little less. Some nights she even liked it. As for the scars, they were all that were left from an inexperienced Dom, but they couldn’t compare to the emotional damage her estranged family had left behind owing to his hold on her.

In a perfect world, I would’ve turned her the moment I saw her, but gaining her trust and trusting in myself to look after her forced me to hold back. Now, months later, I knew she was ready.

And so am I.

“Doing okay?” I squeezed her hand.

She shivered. “Yes, Master.”

“Are you scared?”

“No, Master.”

“Nervous?”

“Yes, Master.”

I leaned in and smiled against her ear. “As you should be. I have something very special planned for tonight.”

Another shiver. She swallowed. I did the same.

Damn it, Alex, it isn’t like you haven’t done this before!

I could be her Dom awake or asleep, but becoming her creator? That would take some getting used to.

In all honesty, I hadn’t turned someone in centuries. And while it wasn’t a skill I could forget, it
was
something I could potentially screw up if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Around Kassidy, that was close to ninety-nine point eight per cent of the time.

“Untie your robe and let it fall to the floor,” I ordered, trailing my fingertips along her neck. Her collarbone. Her shoulders. She let the cool fabric tumble in a pool around her knees and awaited my next order. “Good girl.”

Opening one of the cuffs, I fastened it around her wrist. My thumb brushed the vein that was there and it took every bit of willpower I had not to bite her.

Not yet.

Sex with a hungry vampire could be very erotic…so long as I let it get that far. Every touch, every smell was as much a temptation as her smooth skin. Her beating heart.

Her warm blood.

With the first cuff in place, I added the second one with a little less effort. I pulled back on her hair, forcing her to look at me. And she did. Good God, she did. Blue eyes vibrant enough to break glass pierced my skin. My heart. My mind.

For a brief moment, I forgot what I was doing. Something tingled at the front of my mind. Down my arms. Into my fingertips.

Against her skin…

Here, I had this attractive young woman, probably in her late twenties, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember why she was almost naked. In a private room. With me.

My gaze fell to the side of her neck—to the fountain of blood flowing beneath a few layers of skin. I drew in a lungful of air, paying close attention to her breasts that were easily capable of filling my hands with flesh. The perfect handful.

Kassidy moaned when I pinched her nipple between a thumb and forefinger. I applied a little more pressure. Twisted it. She squirmed but held my gaze. She might have been a sub, but damn if she didn’t have the control and determination any Dom in their right mind would want.

Releasing her hair, I placed my hand at the base of her neck, monitoring her heartbeat as I lost myself within her eyes. The reflection I saw wasn’t one I recognised. My cheeks were flushed and I was pretty sure my eyes were dilated. My body was fighting between control and lust, and I was about to lose my fucking mind.

Bowing my head, I kissed her on the lips, tasting her. Sweet—just as I remembered.

All the more reason to move a little faster.

Gently caressing her breasts, I trailed my fingers between them, down her abdomen to the landing strip just below her navel.

She tensed. She straightened her back, moaning into my mouth as I kissed her again, gently at first—there but not there all at once. I pulled away and she whimpered, but not because of what I was doing with my hands.

“Did you not have enough?” I smiled when she shuddered. “Tell me what you want.”

“I…” She looked up at me, her eyes uncertain. “I want to…” She paused, taking a breath before trying again. “Suck you, Master. Please, let me—”

“No.” My voice was hoarse.

She said nothing, but the need in her eyes told me all I needed to know.

I held her steady with one hand at her back as I drew circles around her clit with my fingertips. Her lips touched mine, but they didn’t part. She shuddered. Moaned. She thrust against my hand, and I pulled it away. After realising what she’d done, Kassidy fixed her posture and closed her eyes.

You see what I’m doing to you now, Kassy? You do it to me all the damned time!

She murmured something close to my ear. A silent whisper. Barely audible, but it had the same effect as if she’d yelled it from across the room.

My cock strained beneath my slacks. Begging to get closer. To feel her, skin to skin. To thrust inside her.

I can wait.
It was always better when we waited. When I exchanged my lust for insanity. Until every fibre in my body liquefied—then I could lose myself in her hair. In her taste. Her smell.

I parted her pussy lips and inhaled her unmistakable scent—sweet with just a hint of spice. The same flavours that flowed through her bloodstream were now on my fingertips. I resisted the urge to lick them, to taste her on me. Doing so now would be the same as tasting her blood, and I wasn’t ready for that yet. I wasn’t ready to lose control—for this night to end.

We hadn’t even started yet, and she was already dripping wet.

“Are you ready for me?” I asked, gently sliding my finger from her clit down to her pussy and back again.

Her lips moved. She threw her head back. Screwed her eyes shut. I held the back of her neck and directed her to look at me.

“I asked a question.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Is this mine?”

“Y-yes, Master.”

“And who do you belong to?”

“You, Master.”

I removed my hand from her clit and reached behind her to disconnect the cuffs from one another. “Good girl. We’ll keep your cuffs on for the time being. For now”—I lifted her chin with a hand and ordered her to get up off the ground—“I want you to remove my pants.”

Chapter Two

Time stood still for a long moment.

Kassy’s attention jumped from my belt to my face, and she silently asked me for direction. By now, she knew I wouldn’t strike her for making the wrong choice, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t punish her in some other way. From mind games to bondage, and even ordering her not to touch me, I knew she’d always sided with a little more caution than most.

“Unbuckle the belt first,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Her hands shook as she struggled with the buckle. She exhaled, tightened her jaw and tried a second time. I sucked in a breath when her fingers grazed the fabric between her and my cock. She froze as her cheeks coloured.

Oh, yes, you remember what we did last time, don’t you?

After the third try, the buckle finally came undone. With a little more confidence than before, she pulled down the zipper and curved her fingers on the waist of my pants. The hiss of cloth against skin rang in my ears as they slid over my hips.

One painful article of clothing at a time, she disrobed me. And with every order I gave, her frustration—her impatience—showed through. She didn’t stop. Didn’t complain. She only obeyed. Her willingness—her desire to follow every word—put my fears for tonight to rest.

I’d offer her an immortal life, and I knew exactly how she was going to react.

She’s going to say yes.

Slacks, boxers, socks, shoes and even my shirt landed in a mess around our feet. With the last piece of fabric out of the way, Kassy crossed her arms behind her back and bowed her head.

She’d seen me naked now—my hardened cock and the way I thrust towards her when she was just a breath away. And if she was anything like me, seeing my body exposed without being able to touch it probably meant she wanted to taste me even more.

She trembled, and my eyes were drawn to the goosebumps on her skin and her nipples, which tightened when I blew at them. The couch was right behind me, but I didn’t move. Instead, I told her what she wanted to hear. What she needed to hear.

“Lick me.”

Her heart skipped a beat when she opened her eyes, likely devouring my cock mentally. She trailed her tongue beneath it, and I buried my fingers in her hair. Held on to her ponytail as she licked along one side, then the other. My cock twitched whenever she circled the head, licking at the slit for a small taste of what was to come.

I tightened my grip. Between her gentle licks and my mind replaying the last scene we’d shared, it was almost enough to make me come.
Almost.
I knew better than to think of her deep-throating—

Fuck.

She changed direction, transitioning between using just the tip of her tongue to the entire thing. She traced the vein on the underside of my cock, making a sound of approval every time it twitched from the sudden contact. I twisted her hair around my hand, holding it in my fist. My knees threatened to buckle as I closed my eyes.

There.
Her tongue went from the base to the halfway mark before going down again. I held back a sigh of frustration. I could’ve ordered her to suck me at any time, but these slow, languid licks were nearly as delicious as the real thing.

Fighting against my delirium, I followed her tongue as it moved again. Around the base. Up one side. Down another.
Just a little closer.
My hips bucked forward when she came up to lick the head. I didn’t need to push down on her for Kassidy to pick up on my body language. She knew what I wanted, and still she waited for an order.

“Suck me,” I breathed, guiding her head down around my cock.

Resting a hand on her shoulder, I used the other to caress her breasts. Her pace was slow. Deliberate. As her mouth watered around my cock, her tongue pressed against the underside of it. Always following that one vein, as if she couldn’t get enough of my heartbeat just below the skin.

You’re going to make a lovely vampire one day.

That day was fast approaching.

I let my head fall back, squeezing one of her breasts until she moaned. The vibrations from her throat up to my cock forced a whimper out of me. I did it again, harder this time. So much so that if her mouth hadn’t been full she probably would’ve screamed.

Just as I’d hoped, her reaction was a little stronger. My cock twitched, aching for release. And if we’d had all night, I would’ve come just then. Instead, I kept my orgasm at bay. I couldn’t afford to lose myself. Not until after she’d released and I’d turned her.

“Good girl,” I murmured, resting a hand on the nape of her neck. “Like that… A little faster. There. Just like that.”

I was more than capable of keeping myself on the edge, but holy fuck, when she deep-throated me, I nearly lost whatever was left of my control. She swallowed and doubled her efforts. When she took me as far as she could the second time around, white sparks clouded my vision.

“Stop,” I panted, pressing on her forehead. “You’re going to make me come if you don’t—”

She smiled, her lips moving against my skin, and bless her, if she’d decided to be merciless just then, I would’ve lost a lot more than just the orgasm I was fighting.

She lifted her gaze and rocked back on her heels.
Fuck it.
I couldn’t wait anymore. Cradling her face between my hands, I leaned over to kiss her on the lips. The heady scent of my cock and her lips intermingled, becoming a drug to my heightened senses.

My mind tingled, almost as if I were lightheaded purely from the intoxication of her scent. I brushed her cheek with my fingers as I deepened our kiss, seeking out her tongue with my own. My gentle caress pushed a moan from her lips, and we both gasped when I touched her clit.

Correcting my posture, I pulled her with me, setting her on the couch while holding on to that kiss. She opened her legs, digging her heels into the edge of the couch. Her kiss was accompanied by a sweeter scent as I parted her pussy lips, slipping a finger inside.

Her body was snug. Tight. Just the way I always liked it. Hooking my finger, I joined it with another, gently rubbing against her G-spot. Kassy’s back arched away from the couch as she sucked in a breath that might have originally been my own.

I couldn’t touch her or taste her enough. It was almost as if the hunger inside me wasn’t for blood but for all things Kassy. And with every kiss, every taste she willingly gave, I stole a little more.

She jumped beneath me as I kept a steady rhythm, alternating between her G-spot and circling her clit. She tensed. Quivered. I kissed down to her neck.

“M-master,” Kassy breathed as she fought against her building orgasm. “Please, Master…”

Her head fell back, and I bit down. It was a vampire’s peck, enough to draw blood, but not enough to drink.

As I licked at the little bit of blood the punctures left behind, I whispered, “Come for me.”

She cried out. In any other language, her words might have been inappropriate, but to me, it was pure, innocent bliss. For a brief moment, she lost all control, her body convulsing around my fingers. She drew in a lungful of air as if it were her first, and as she slowly came back down to Earth, I sat down beside her.

“Feel good?” I asked, smiling when her body shook from an aftershock.

She nodded and rested her head on my shoulder.

“Up for some more?”

Her eyes widened and she got up to get the condom from the table before sitting back down.
Quick recovery as always.
How I envied her and any other woman who could climax and be ready to go again in under two minutes. But she’d earned it
.
Through all my teasing and every order she obeyed, I owed her a lot more than just one orgasm for the night.

She handed the condom to me when I asked for it, and after tearing the foil with my teeth, I put it on. Repositioning myself on the couch so I wasn’t in a full sitting position, I patted my lap, inviting her to join me. Kassy set a hand on either of my shoulders and straddled my legs, but she didn’t sit. I might have ordered her on top, but I was still in charge.