Carnal Knowledge (5 page)

shoving her towards the corner.

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Cool air tickled the thin line of hair on her pussy, brisk on her

saturated labia and the tops of her thighs. The musky scent of her arousal drifted to her nostrils, spurring her desire. He buried his face against her neck, breathing deeply. He halted suddenly--his muscles jumped. Kaeli

squirmed, wondering at the interruption. Navarre made an anguished sound

deep in his throat, muffled against her shoulder, his arms shaking as though he waged war himself.

“What is it? What are you doing?” she breathed hoarsely, tightening

her legs around his hips, needing him so badly.

“Making ... a ... mistake.”

He jerked as a shudder ran through him, and his cock pressed against

her pussy, so close to where she wanted it. Kaeli wiggled, trying to raise herself so he could impale her, biting her lip with the pain of need.

“Oh god. Oh god ... oh god. Don’t move, petite,” he ground out,

shaking hard, panting with the effort. His breath came harsh and fast

against her neck, fanning the flames that threatened to burn her alive.

Her pussy throbbed with his teasing nearness. She groaned in

frustration, arching against him.

He growled suddenly, sinking his teeth into her neck as he ground

against her swollen lips, sliding through her juices past her clit. Pleasure sliced through her, her throat closed on a soft sound of excitement,

whimpering as he drove up past that bright center of exquisite torture.

He sucked in a sharp breath, chest heaving, fingers bruising her ass as

he pulled back and thrust again. He rocked his hips, stroking the hard

underside of his cock against her clit, building her toward release with

excruciating slowness.

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“I want you inside me,” she gasped, digging her nails into his back,

urging him to take her.

He shook his head against her, breathing raggedly, faster and faster.

“No ... god ... no ... oh Jesus....” He kept repeating it again and again, driving against her, harder and harder, moving in a rough frantic motion.

He drew little twitches from her, sliding in her wetness, not giving

enough ... too much. Kaeli panted, her heart racing in her chest, climbing to that high that was so addictive, fighting for release. His scent engulfed her, his breath, his sweat dampened hair. Kaeli tightened her thighs around him, rolling her body with his, getting so close. And then the orgasm burst upon her with a shocking suddenness. Ecstasy rolled over her like a tidal wave, obliterating everything but the sweet agony traveling through her limbs.

Kaeli cried out, feeling as though her entire body whirled apart. His

breathing came faster, and he convulsed against her like he was dying,

jerking his hips in a maddening rhythm that kept the orgasm flooding her.

He made a hoarse, anguished cry as he shuddered, and a burst of hot liquid struck her pelvis as he came.

His chest pressed tight to her breast as he released her ass and her feet

dropped to the floor. She could feel the rapid flutter of his heart on her chest, his shaky, hot breath on her neck.

He’d only managed to contain the fire a brief moment. Already she

felt like she could go again--her body wasn’t nearly sated enough for him.

She wanted all of him.

Navarre pulled away from her, his hair falling over his face. Kaeli

itched to push it back, to run her fingers through it, but she restrained

herself, sensing he was torn.

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He faced away from her and left the elevator, his hand on the gate.

He did not look at her, as though he was ashamed of losing control, of what they’d done.

“Leave. Leave, ma petite, or you will die.”

The hairs stood up on the back of her neck. She ignored the warning.

“This attack of conscience is nice, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you

enjoyed that as much as I did.”

He faced her, his features impassive, but his gaze was blistering ...

and agonized. “You cannot stay. Now go.” He pulled the heavy gate

down, watching her through the metal slats. “I don’ want you hurt.”

Hell, what had she expected? He wasn’t as interested as she’d

thought, or maybe he just thought her a skank and not worthy of poking his cock into. Most guys would have. She didn’t understand him at all. Why

the hell did he think he had to save her? Why was he being so
noble
?

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Kaeli glared at him. “Fine, but the next time you think you’re going

to
save
me, don’t.”

“I’m sorry you don’ understand, petite.” He hit the button and the

elevator started down. “I’ll call you a cab.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled, and then he disappeared as the elevator

lowered beyond the floor level. Kaeli straightened her dress, trying to

ignore the sticky residue of their
almost
fucking between her legs. Of course, she’d never felt so thoroughly fucked in all her life, and it had

nothing to do with pleasure and everything to do with betrayal.

It was unreasonable to expect anything from him, after all, she didn’t

know him. What was the world coming to when you couldn’t expect a guy

to oblige when he so obviously wanted it too? Worst of all, she felt cheap, and she couldn’t quite figure out why. Maybe it had been the begging....

Kaeli cringed, remembering every little detail as she exited through

the dim lower level to the outer door. She might as well resign herself to the fact that she couldn’t have what she wanted. The knowledge stung, just as it always did when she reached this conclusion.

There was a taxi waiting for her at the curb, and she startled to see it

sitting there, the engine running exhaust out of the tailpipe. She hadn’t expected one to get here so soon, but they may have been in the area when

the call was received. There could be no other explanation.

She shivered and hugged herself as she stepped up to the taxi, then

opened the door, wanting to get back to the hotel as soon as possible. Light flooded the interior as the door swung open, and she leaned forward to get inside. A blond man grinned from the back seat, and the driver turned to

look at her, snatching her arm when she would have pulled away.

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It was the man who’d attacked Navarre in the alley. She gasped as he

smiled and flashed wickedly long canines at her. Thick red stained the sides of his mouth--blood.

“Fuck!” she screamed and snatched at her arm, pulling back with all

her weight. The blond lunged for her, catching her braids in his hands,

dragging her into the taxi.

She grasped the edge of the door, trying to get free, screaming as she

slashed at the hands holding her, biting at anything that neared her mouth.

The men laughed, their strength unbelievable. She realized they

wanted her to struggle and scream--they were enjoying it.

“Navarre!” she screamed, “Get the fuck down here! God dammit!”

Her nails snapped as the blond pulled her fully inside. The driver

reached past her flailing limbs to pull the door shut.

The blond pressed her into the seat, his elbow in her throat. She

gagged, trying to breathe, clawing at his throat. Her nails punctured and slashed his skin, but he didn’t flinch. Her eyes closed as the air choked from her lungs. He eased the pressure on her throat, giving her a shake,

forcing her eyelids to flutter open.

He grinned, flashing his predatory teeth, the wicked ivory nearly

glowing in the dark. “I smell his cum on your skin. Did he mark you? I

always wanted to know what a human tastes like after a wolf marks her.”

He lowered his face toward her, fangs extended, and Kaeli knew she

was a dead woman.

* * * *

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Her scream pierced his ears like needles, sending pain shooting

through his head and heart. Without hesitating, he raced down the stairs, through the empty lower level, cursing himself for his stupidity. He should have known one attack would never satisfy the blood thirsty bastards. He’d tried to keep her away. But he hadn’t tried hard enough.

He heard the torrent of her profanity, the laughter of the vampires

who’d attacked. Blood scented the air as he neared. He reached the door, threw it open just as the taxi’s wheels spun, rubber burning in the night as he ran outside.

The driver stuck his arm out the window, giving Navarre the finger

like in some bizarre satire of a horror movie. But this was his life--and he was one of the monsters.

He saw red--a haze of blood. He raced back inside to his viper,

jumping inside and slamming the key into the ignition. His worst fears had just been realized. The vamps ... they’d taken her ... because of him.

They were dead anyway, but if they hurt her ... he’d torture them for

each drop of blood she shed ... for each bruise on her flesh....

The viper barely scraped under the opening garage door, and it shot

out into the night like a silver bullet.

The streets were deserted on this end, empty as a ghost town. Within

seconds, he caught sight of the red glowing tail lights, disappearing around the corner onto a side street.

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They were headed out of town. Navarre increased his speed, pressing

the narrow pedal to the floor. The sleek viper easily caught up to the old taxi. He pulled alongside it, glancing in the dark windows, trying to see her.

Streetlight glanced off the glass, revealing nothing inside, but the car

shook on the road as if she struggled with her captors. His ears perked to the faint sound of her voice, but he couldn’t make out her words, couldn’t reach with his senses. His inner beast raged, pumping the tempo of his

blood to a furious pitch.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles gone white as he

raced ahead of the taxi, pulling in front of them, forcing them to slow down.

The taxi whipped around him in a sudden, maniacal swerve that caught him

by surprise, and he heard the howling, mocking laughter of the driver

through the window as he dragged ahead.

Navarre tensed, unwilling to ram them here, with the road narrowing

to a single lane. The dwindling street lamps disappeared entirely, going

dark as they continued on their suicidal course. Trees rose up from the

night like dark sentinels, obliterating the sky, closing around them like the ranks of an ancient army. He could not see the moon, but knew its full

shape would soon be rising--and that light would only help him.

The taxi fishtailed in front of him, taunting, forcing him back when he

tried to pass. He gritted his teeth, having no choice but to follow, watching as the speedometer climbed past 60, higher, inching past 70. Killing speeds.

Gravel spewed beneath the wheels in front of him, striking the windshield

with a barrage, cracking the glass.

The headlights bobbed as the taxi jumped a dip in the road. Navarre

followed, saw the deer dart out in front of the cab a split second before

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them. He slammed on the brakes, watching in horror as they struck the

startled doe.

Blood flashed in the headlights, spilling over the car like rain,

throwing the animal away into the dark. The cab whirled on the gravel,

flying at the shallow ditch. Mud sloshed as the wheels slammed through the soggy earth. The car flipped as the ground gave beneath it, rolling with a shatter of screaming metal and glass.

The hood peeled back, crushed into the ground as it continued to roll

and crash into an ancient oak before stopping, up-ended on the ground like an overturned beetle.

Navarre hydroplaned, his brakes locking as the car spun in a wide

circle as though the road were saturated with water. He gritted his teeth, compensating for the spin. The viper skidded to a halt, the high beams

flooding the crash site. Navarre leapt from the car just as the dark haired driver emerged from the broken car--unhurt.

Navarre stopped in the middle of the road, his chest heaving as he

stared the vamp down. Movement caught his eye as the blond crawled

through the windshield and stood beside his partner, facing him. He licked something off his fingers as he smiled. “Delicious,” he said loud enough his voice carried over the distance.

The headlights lit the night with broken light. He could not see her

stir in the car, smelled her blood in the air, and knew the vamp tasted her blood. Something broke inside him.

“Tonight, you die,” Navarre growled, extending his claws as he

lunged with death in his eyes.

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* * * *

her eyes and groaned in pain at even so little movement. Kaeli moved her

hands, felt the smooth lining of the car’s roof.

Her ears rang as she sat up, nausea washing over her until she

dropped back down. Her ribs hurt, she could barely breathe, could hardly

move, and couldn’t see anything.

Outside, the sounds of a fight finally registered in her tired brain. She could hear his voice, knew Navarre had somehow come for her.

But he was in trouble. They were going to kill him. He couldn’t fight