Bleed For Me

Author: Cynthia Eden

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to
real people, places, or events are not intentional and are the
result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events in this
story are fictional.

Published By Cynthia Eden at Smashwords.

Copyright ©2012 by Cynthia Eden

Once upon a time, the Greek gods were worshipped
and adored.

Once upon a time…

But now, they have been all but
forgotten.

And this really pisses them off.

Oh, how the mighty had fucking fallen.

Apollo drained his whiskey in a gulp and slammed the
empty glass back on the scarred bar top.

Humans buzzed around him. Laughing, talking, and
making themselves at home in the hovel that his brother Ares called
a bar.

Once, Apollo had lived in golden luxury, his every
single whim instantly met by the thousands who worshipped him.

Now, humans worshipped their technology. The gods
were gone. Their power just a myth…or so the humans thought.

The bar in New Olympus, Florida, seemed just like any
other along the small strip. At least, that was the way the place
dubbed Hades appeared to those who didn’t know how to look for the
truth. Humans were packed inside the place, yes, but there was
magic inside the bar as well.

Gods and goddesses often slipped inside Hades,
enjoying their chance to mix and mingle with humans. Humans might
have forgotten the ancient power of the gods, but that didn’t mean
that the gods had forgotten
them.

We do love to play with you.

And Apollo was in the mood to play. Unfortunately,
this night was proving to be as boring for him as the others that
had passed before it in the last century. So many days. So many
nights.

He sat there, gaze drifting toward the door, his body
was curiously tense. Energy hummed just beneath the surface of his
flesh.

And then
she
walked in the door of Hades.
Midnight black hair, glistening red lips. One look, and Apollo knew
that he wanted her.

What a god wanted, he took. Some rules didn’t change,
no matter how much time passed.

The woman sauntered across the room, moving slowly on
two inch black heels. She wore a skin-tight leather dress that
molded to her high breasts, clung to her slim hips, and barely
brushed the top of her thighs. The tempting expanse of her legs
drew his gaze. Pale, perfect legs. Legs that he couldn’t wait to
feel, wrapped around him and holding to him as he thrust deep into
her body.

Damn. She was a pretty thing. With wide, dark eyes,
high cheekbones, and a straight little nose. Her chin pointed just
enough to stop her from being
too
perfect. Apollo had
never liked perfection.

And her lips…so red. So full. Her lower lip was
slightly fuller than the top, and he had the strongest urge to
cross the room and kiss that pouting lip. To suck it. He wondered
what her lips would feel like beneath his mouth. Hmm…how would she
taste?

Perhaps he should go find out.

Apollo shoved away from the bar and began to stalk
his prey. Other men had noticed her, and they were already closing
in, but he didn’t really mind the competition. Once the lady in
black saw him, she’d forget the others.

Women wanted him, they always had. Hell, he wasn’t
the fucking sun god for nothing.

He strode through the crowd, waving his fingers and
shooing the others out of his path with merely a thought. Then he
was in front of her, less than a foot away, close enough to smell
the light scent of jasmine that clung to her skin.

He smiled, deliberately stretching his lips to
showcase his dimples. Several nymphs had told him that he had
fabulous dimples. “Hello, my love. Welcome to Hades.” Or, as close
to the underworld as he planned to get anytime soon.

The woman blinked at him but her expression remained
perfectly blank.

Ooohhh.
His cock tightened. A challenge.
It’d been far too long since he had a challenge.

She inclined her head slightly. “Hades…is this your
bar?” A slight southern drawl coated her husky words.

He liked her voice. It was a voice he could imagine
hearing in the darkness. “Ah…” What had she said? “It’s my
brother’s place.” Good thing he’d decided to wander in tonight.
Boredom could be such a bitch.

The woman nodded, a vague, polite gesture. And tried
to brush past him.

Uh,
no.

He caught her arm and took a moment to admire the
soft, silken feel of her skin beneath his fingers. “I’m
Apollo.”

Her eyes—at first he’d thought they were black, but
now he saw they were a deep, deep blue—fell to his hand. “I don’t
like to be touched, Apollo.”

He didn’t remove his hand. He planned to touch her a
whole lot, and he’d make absolutely sure she enjoyed the feel of
his hands. “What’s your name?”

Her head tilted to the side, and she studied him with
a raised brow. “Terese. Terese Lafitte.”

“Well, Terese…” His fingers skimmed down her arm.
“May I offer you a drink?”

Her eyes widened, and stark hunger flashed across her
face. Then, just as quickly as the hunger had appeared, it
vanished, and that blank expression slipped over her features once
again. “I don’t think you have what I need.”

She tried to walk away,
again
, but he just
tightened his fingers around her arm. “You’d be surprised.”

“No,” she told him flatly. “You would be.” This time,
she did walk away.

And Apollo laughed.

The hunt was on.

***

Terese Lafitte took a deep breath and tried to fight
the ravenous hunger pounding through her. The blond hunk was still
close by, watching her, and sending a shiver over her flesh.

The guy obviously wasn’t used to a woman telling him
no. Hell, when you looked as good as he did, you probably didn’t
get a lot of rejections. The guy was…gorgeous. No other word for
him. He had the kind of strong, chiseled features that probably
made women—
me—
quiver. Perfectly cut, square jaw. Sculpted
cheekbones. Wide set, light blue eyes. Firm, sensuous lips. He even
had thick, tousled blond hair. The kind of hair that she’d seen
once on a shampoo commercial.

And his body. She swallowed. Talk about a perfect
package. The guy was tall, with tight muscles and deeply tanned,
golden skin. The lucky jerk probably got to spend hours in the sun
each day.

Oh, yes. He was absolutely gorgeous. A feast for the
eyes. But she’d never been the type to fall for pretty boys. Not
while she was alive, and certainly not while she was…well,
dead
wasn’t the right word. Because she wasn’t technically
dead.

But she was a vampire.

Her heart still beat. Her lungs still worked. She got
tired, she got hungry—well, for blood, anyway. Her body was pretty
much as it’d been before, except for the addition of the fangs.

No, she wasn’t dead. Not yet, anyway. But if she
didn’t find something to drink soon, she might be.

Her gaze drifted around the bar. So many men. She’d
need to find a weak link. A man she should be able to control. If
things got rough, she’d need to be able to escape easily.

So many men.
She could hear their
heartbeats. Almost feel the rush of their blood and—

And he was touching her again.

Her head whipped to the left and her gaze immediately
locked on Mr. Perfect’s. Then, slowly, helplessly, her stare
dropped to his throat. She could see his pulse beating and could
even hear the soft swoosh of his blood.

He wouldn’t be the kind of man that she could
control.

“Looking for someone?” His voice was like a stroke
over her flesh.

She managed to nod.

“Forget him.” He brought her hand to his lips.
Pressed a kiss to her knuckles, and his tongue slid against her
skin. “I can give you a night you’ll never forget.”

She’d give him that, too. It was hard to forget some
nightmares.

Her heart raced like mad, and her knees trembled.
Okay, he wasn’t weak prey, but maybe that would be a good thing. He
was so big and strong that she shouldn’t have to worry about her
bite hurting him too much. And a big guy like him…surely he’d be
fine with losing a few pints of blood?

“Why don’t you come with me?” He leaned in close, and
his fingers feathered down her cheek. My, he was
warm.
“I’ll take care of all your…needs.”

Her teeth began to ache. He was so close to her now.
So close.

Oh, damn, if she didn’t drink soon, she was going to
break down.The hard, driving hunger lanced through her. Her hands
curled into fists, and her nails bit into her palms.

The hunk would have to do because she didn’t know how
much longer she’d be able to hold it together. Terese turned and
carefully fit her body against his. “I want you,” she whispered,
deliberately pitching her voice low in what she hoped was a
seductive tone. She didn’t know how to use compulsions, didn’t know
how to do hardly any of the damn things that vampires were
supposed
to do. So she was just going to have to wing it
and rely on her skills as a woman.

Apollo gazed down at her. “Do you?” He didn’t seem
surprised. Cocky bastard. One golden brow lifted. “Well, what are
we going to do about that?” He smiled again, his dimples
flashing.

My turn.
She lifted his hand, raised it to
her lips, and licked his index finger.

His jaw clenched.

“Do you…know a place we can go…to be alone?” Hades
was packed with people, filled with hazy smoke and blaring music.
Now that she’d found her prey, she wanted to go someplace else,
someplace quiet—someplace where no one would disturb them.

Where no one would hear him scream.

Just in case he was the screaming kind
.

“Upstairs.” He turned on his heel pulled her behind
him. “Come on.” The good-natured humor was gone from his voice.
Only dark need remained.

The people around them parted as if by magic, and
Apollo led her past the bar and its black counter top, to a heavy,
metal door. He shoved open the door and ushered her inside.

“What—”

An old, twisting staircase led to the next floor.
Apollo slammed the metal door behind her and instantly muted the
thunderous music and the voices of the crowd.

Terese inched forward as hunger, anticipation, and
ice-cold fear filled her. Would she be able to do it?

“Not changing your mind, are you?” he asked, voice
rumbling.

She could feel his cock pressing against her. Apollo
was definitely game up for the seduction, and honestly, so was she.
It was what came
after
the seduction that scared her.

“I promise,” he told her, “you won’t regret going
with me.”

No, but he might regret going with
her.

His fingers slipped beneath the plunging neckline of
her dress and eased down to fondle her breasts.

A moan trembled on her lips.

“Oh, that’s good.” His fingers stroked her, plucking
the tender flesh, and teasing her nipples. “But I want you naked. I
want to see you. Taste you.”

She definitely wanted to taste him.

His cock pulsed against her, and she wondered what it
would feel like inside of her. Plunging into her.

It had been so long. Too long
.

With a final soft stroke, his hands fell away. She
edged forward, placing her foot on the bottom step. Once she went
upstairs with him, there would be no going back.

The stair creaked beneath her weight.

The rasp of Apollo’s deep breathing filled the
air.

She could still hear the soft, echoing
swoosh
of his pounding blood, calling to her, tempting
her.

She took another step.

No going back.

Her teeth were burning now, already stretching in
preparation for the bite. She’d have to get him ready and make
certain he was so far gone that he didn’t feel her teeth when they
sank into his flesh, that he—
hopefully
—wouldn’t feel any
pain.

She climbed up the stairs, moving faster with each
step. Her body shook with hunger. A new, yearning need filled her.
A need for him.
Apollo.

Terese wanted him to touch her. She wanted those
strong, warm hands on her flesh. She wanted him to put his mouth on
her breasts.

They were at the top of the stairs now. A wooden door
waited in front of her.

Her hand lifted, and her fingers curled around the
silver knob.

“Go on,” Apollo urged. “Unless you’ve changed your
mind…”

No. Haven’t done that.
She opened the door.
Stepped inside. Saw the couch. The king-sized bed. The small
kitchen.

He kicked the door closed behind her. Then he caught
her arms, spun her around and pushed her up against the rough wood.
His hands clenched around the straps of her dress, and he yanked
them down, baring her breasts.