Chains of Frost: The Bellum Sisters 1 (29 page)

Shaking his head he said, “Why
ever would you want that? Be realistic, Chloe. I’m a commander, a warlord. I’m
not husband material. I won’t rub your feet when they hurt. I don’t want
children. I don’t want you.” His words cut hard and deep. Deeper than they
probably should have. She heard the utter conviction in his voice and it nearly
sent her running from the room.

“You’re wrong. You’ve been those
things before and I think you have even more in you now. The pain from you past
hasn’t crippled you, though you act as if it has. It’s made you stronger, made
you realize how precious life is. If you’d stop looking at things in such a
bitter light, you might just learn something, Ty.” He shut the water off and
stalked to her, backing her into the door, dripping water over her dress and
stocking-clad legs. It completely turned her on.

“You know nothing. You are young
and naive as I once was. Life is death and pain.”

Chloe glared at him. “It’s only
like that for you because you’ve let it be like that. I am so, so sorry for
what happened to your family. I truly am, but it was such a long time ago. I
mean, do you still love her?”

He drew back as if she’d slapped
him. A look flashed across his face. Guilt? Shame? “No, I never loved Maria
like that. It wasn’t the way of things then. I was a vampire of means, being
the general of the Atal Warriors made me a status symbol. My marriage was
arranged by my father.”

Chloe digested that. She
faltered, unsure what to say. He sneered at her, his lips curling downward.

“I couldn’t protect her or my
son. Now you wish to take the seat next to me. So then when it happens again,
I’ll be left alone to—” he shook his head and left the bathroom. He threw open
drawers and started pulling clothes out with violent movements.

“Tyrian, I’m so sorry,” she said,
tears blanketing her eyes. “But that was such a long time ago. You won’t be
alone because I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here with you.” He pulled a pair
of black cargos over his legs.

“Even if I…” he paused, shaking
his head sadly. Chloe had had it. Her heart was threatening to break, her
emotions were living on a wire, and she didn’t know if she was about to break
down or throw something.

“I mean, what is wrong with me?
What is so terrible about me that you can’t even try to talk to me? To be with
me when what I feel toward you is more…powerful than anything I’ve ever felt
before.” He was quiet for so long that she found herself fighting back tears.
Shaking her head, she turned to leave. As her hand touched the metal doorknob,
he spoke.

“There is nothing wrong with you,
Chloe. That is the problem, in fact,” he said in an odd voice. She turned to
him, shocked to her core. Looking down he said, “I’ve spent the past thousand
years alone and since I’ve met you, you have done nothing but consume my
thoughts. Everywhere I go, whether I’m overseeing my men or strategizing to
kill your demon, you are always there.”

“You’re in mine, too,” she said
hoarsely. He shook his head slowly.

“The path we are headed in is
dangerous. I’ve been there before. I was naive then, so young. I learned the
hard way what happens when you let your emotions take over. When you allow
someone you care about to stay with you. To let yourself feel.”

“Wouldn’t it be worth a shot?
Worth the time together?” She had to blink back tears to keep them from
falling.

“Is the pain worth the pleasure?
I can’t honestly answer that, Chloe. Don’t ever think, for even a moment, that
I do not like you.” He tossed back his head and laughed, his hand rubbing over
the back of his neck. “Look already at what I’ve succumbed to. I cannot resist
you. I’m talking about
feelings.
My heart races every time you’re near
me and I experience emotions I haven’t felt in ages, if at all. Your scent
follows me and when it finally leaves me, I walk into the same room with you
and it bombards me all over again. I miss it when it’s gone. I crave it when
I’m around it. It makes me feel so old. Then I look at you and see how young
you are.”

“I won’t always be young,” Chloe
whispered. The corner of his mouth kicked up in a rueful smile.

“But I’ll always be ancient in
comparison. I’ll always be the jaded man. You don’t want that. I could never
bring you the kind of happiness you need, that you deserve. I know that with
certainty.”

“Yes, you could. I feel it. I
know it, Tyrian. Fate has put us together. Why don’t we give it a shot and see
what happens?” Her heart was tight. Even as he shook his head, she rushed on.
“There is no stopping the feelings I already have for you. I can’t make them go
away. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to. I know that when I’m not with you,
I want you. That when we’re together, they are some of the happiest moments
I’ve ever experienced.”

Anger slashed over his features.
“Impossible. What sort of miserable life did you lead before that the moments
spend fighting with me are good?”

“I’ve led a good life, Tyrian. A
happy one, as a matter of fact. Sure, I wish we had more conversations, that we
knew each other better, but even the fights we have don’t feel like fights to
me. I feel like I’m fighting to get you to open up. Not fighting because we
hate each other. I’m fighting for you,” she said the last raggedly, her voice
lower than a whisper.

His eyes flashed to hers for
long, endless moments. Her breath froze in her throat, heart skipping a beat.

He stood slowly. He stalked
toward her like a predator, eyes feral and bright. When he reached her, he
cupped her face in his big hands, and slammed his mouth down on hers. He took
her mouth again and again, kissing each of the corners, then each lip in turn.
His tongue feasted inside her mouth, licked her lips, biting and tugging,
claiming. He was claiming her. When he finally lifted his mouth from hers, he
pressed his forehead against hers.

“You have no idea what happens
when you let someone in, Chloe. How much it hurts…when they’re gone.”

Chloe swallowed back the tears
and hugged his waist fiercely to her. “I would rather know and experience it
than never at all. You said that all there was between us was sex. Well, I
think you’re wrong.” His arms surrounded her, pulled her close to the heat of
his body.

“What you ask of me…” he said
raggedly.

Chloe held him tighter. “I know.
But please, let’s at least try it. I care for you so much already.” She was
laying her heart out on the chopping block. All it would take was one hard
whack and she’d be done for, would never be able to put the pieces back
together.

His hand turned to cup the back
of her head, fingers twisting in her hair. His lips scorched a path up her jaw
to her lips where he kissed her with such devastating force that she didn’t
know where she began and he ended. The room spun and her mind blanked from all
thoughts but of him, his taste, his scent. His tongue slid past her lips and
took her, drowning her in his masculine taste until she was swimming in him,
pressed against him so tightly, air couldn’t pass between them.

However much time passed, she
didn’t know, but when he finally lifted his lips from hers, her lips tingled
close to numbness. His eyes were hazy, half-lidded and her body pulsed in
response. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

Her heart soared. He’d made his
choice. The vampire commander, Tyrian en Kulev, was hers.

* * *

Tyrian lay his succubus onto his
bed. The sight thrilled him more than it should. But seeing her spread out in
that sexy black dress, eyes burning with desire, Tyrian felt lost, hopeless.

He was in her small hands now. It
was complete stupidity, went against everything he’d striven for in all these
long, tireless years. Yet he could no sooner deny her request, deny his own
needs, than he could hurt her.

He was mad. Yet as he looked down
at her long hair spread wildly around her like a halo, her body warm and
welcoming, eyes accepting, there wasn’t any other place he’d rather be. She
wanted him. Even knowing what he did and who he was. She wanted him with a
fierce passion that rocked him on his feet, and for the first time in
centuries, made him feel fear.

“I think you’re the most
impressive man I’ve ever met,” she said. Tyrian’s heart felt heavy and bigger
than usual in his chest. She did that. From the first moment he saw her.

“More impressive than Telal
Demuzi? he asked. The infamous demon.” She laughed, the sound almost making him
smile.

“Way more. He doesn’t have the
aura around him like you do.” He picked up her ankle and started rubbing
muscles in gentle circles. She moaned and the sound sent his cock flying to
break out of his pants. Her eyes closed and a sensual smile played over her
lips. He liked that. Too much. But he didn’t stop. He moved to the other ankle
and knocked off her ridiculously sexy heel so he could rub the arch of her
foot.

Suddenly, she started laughing, a
great belly laugh. He stopped rubbing and glared at her. “What?” She wiped a
tear away, breathing hard.

“I just remembered how you told
me that you’re not the husband type. The kind of man who’d rub his woman’s
feet.” She broke into another peel of laughter. He dropped her foot. Quickly
she sat up, trying hard to stifle her laughter. “No please, don’t be mad. I’m
not actually laughing at you. I just think it’s funny how things change
sometimes.”

Tyrian started to move away from
her. He knew this had been a bad idea, but her legs snaked around his and
pulled him against the bed. He fell forward and would have slammed into her if
he hadn’t braced his arms on either side of her head. She smiled up at him.
None of this could be good for him. But, he liked it when she smiled. It made
him feel good, like he’d done that.

“I’m sorry, Ty. Really, I wasn’t
laughing at you. I love it when you touch me.” He made a grunting sound of
disbelief and saw her white teeth flash in her smile. He started to lift off
her, but her soft hands cupped his cheeks, pushing gently up into his hair.

“I also like widow’s peak right
here. It makes you look so dark and angry all the time. I wish I had one, it
might help me to look more intimidating.”

“You don’t need to be
intimidating. I’ll protect you.”

She rolled her eyes and his
muscles loosened as her hands ran through his wet hair, tracing his scalp. “You
can’t always be around for every second. What if I go shopping and some lady
butts in line ahead of me? Maybe if I had a widow’s peak like you, she’d back
the hell up.”

Tyrian looked at her as if she were
crazy. “That’s nonsense.” Now she looked at him like he was crazy.

“Obviously, you’ve never been
shopping during Christmas rush. Things get nasty, quick.” He shook his head and
couldn’t keep from touching her anymore. His fingers trailed down her cheek to
her neck, feeling the thump of her pulse. Her cheeks flushed.

“What?” he asked. If anything,
her blush deepened.

“Nothing.” Tyrian’s lips pulled
into a smile.

“Tell me.”

Eyes twinkling she said, “Is that
an order, Commander?” He nodded as he would to one of his warriors and she
laughed.

“Well, I…” she looked away then
squeezed her eyes shut and said, “I was just remembering when you’d bitten me.
The way you touched my pulse reminded me. I liked it a lot.” Her eyes shot to
his, hungry and hot. Tyrian felt his fangs descend. His cock pulsed against
her.

“I did too.” For some reason,
talking to her felt natural, right. It completely disconcerted him. He watched
as pleasure left her face, turning into anger.

“No more
frimar.
Please, I
can’t stand the thought of you going and using her when I’m here.”

“No, impossible.” She wrapped her
legs around his thighs and brought him flush against her sex. He could feel the
heat of her through her barely there dress and it burned. If she was trying to
use sex to convince him, then he was afraid it might actually…work.

“Let her be Draven’s or someone
else’s. You are my Protector and my vampire boyfriend. That means I’ll serve
that need—happily, I might add,” she said huskily. Whether on purpose or not,
her hips rocked against his, catching his cock against her pussy lips and
stroking it. He took a steadying breath.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Say yes, please,” she whispered,
her hands stroking his shoulders, pulling his mouth down to hers. She slanted her
lips against his on a moan and kissed him with growing passion. Soon their
tongues were thrusting against each other, their breaths mingling like a dance.

Tyrian was lost. She could ask
for the world in that moment and he’d find a way to give it to her. “Yes.”

She smiled brilliantly at him
then pulled him down for another kiss. Her mouth was wet and soft, lips even
softer as they pressed against his. Something so wonderful had to lead to
devastation. Tyrian pulled back from her and stood once again at the edge of
the bed. She pouted at him and he couldn’t help but smile.

“I like it when you smile. You
actually look happy.” Tyrian immediately frowned. She laughed at him and poked
him in the stomach with her toes. He grabbed onto her foot and couldn’t keep
himself from rubbing the gentle arch of her foot, the slender bone of her
ankle. She was so much smaller than he was, so fragile in comparison.