Cursed: Brides of the Kindred 13 (40 page)

Somewhere in the cloudy mists of her mind where she could still think a little voice whispered that this probably wasn’t good for her—that her entire system was going to short out if she didn’t stop. But like an addictive drug, the feel of his fangs in her and his essence in her body made her want more and more even though it was getting hard to breathe, hard to think…

Suddenly, just when she was gasping for breath, the sharp fangs withdrew.

For a moment Charlie just lay there panting, black spots dancing before her eyes, and then she felt him on top of her.

“Stav?” She looked up at him uncertainly, her vision a little blurred from the intense pleasure. As he came into focus she felt a stab of fear sharper than his fangs.

The look on his face had gone past possessive and into animalistic. Bestial. His pupils were dilated to black and his mouth was pulled back in a lustful snarl, his blood-stained fangs prominent in his inhuman face.

“Stavros?” Charlie asked again, hearing the fear in her own voice. He didn’t respond…didn’t move at all until she tried to sit up. Then he pushed her back down and she felt something long and hard and hot rubbing against her slick pussy.

“Stav…what? This wasn’t part of the deal!”

At last he spoke, in a low animalistic growl.

“Need to breed you…bond you. Need to make you mine completely.”

“What? No! You can’t,” she whispered wildly. “You
can’t.”

“Have to.” The thick head of his cock was nudging her entrance now, preparing to enter her. At the same time his fangs were ready to sink deep into her neck. Charlie had never felt so vulnerable in her life. She knew somehow that if she let him do this—if she let him bite her and fuck her at the same time—an irrevocable bond would form.

She thought of Missy—of her fear of never being free. The Kindred bond was unbreakable—something you could never get away from. A chain and manacle around your very
soul
.

“Stavros, no!” She reached up to push against his broad chest but it was like pushing against iron. He loomed over her, the head of his cock still lodged in her entrance, and there was nothing human left in his face—nothing left but a snarling, lustful beast intent on claiming its mate.

“You’re mine,” he growled.
“Mine.”

“No!” She tried to kick out, to free herself, but the motion only pushed the head of his cock deeper into her. He growled appreciatively and tightened his grip on her, wrapping his long arms around her thighs.

“
Give yourself to me.”
It was a demand, not a plea and she had the feeling that soon he would be past asking—he would simply take what he wanted. What he needed from her. His eyes glowed as he waited for her answer. “Give yourself to me
now.”

Charlie gasped, fear overtaking her. But not just fear of the rutting beast her partner had become—fear of her own desire. Because part of her, no matter how small,
part
of her wanted to stop fighting. To open herself to his fangs and his cock and let him take her completely as he seemed so intent on doing. To give in to his demands and simple accept her fate.

But then you’ll never get away! Never be free!
a panicked little voice whispered in her head. It sounded like Missy.

The thought of her sister seemed to galvanize Charlie in some way. She looked up, catching those wild, animal eyes and holding them with her own.

“Stavros,” she said clearly, her voice trembling only a little. “You told me when I met you that you would never take a woman against her will. That you didn’t believe in rape.”

Was it her imagination or did the fierce hunger burning in his eyes cool just a little?

“I don’t want this,” she said, raising her voice.
“I don’t want this!”

He closed his eyes briefly and his entire body shuddered—she could feel it run through her like a minor earthquake in the place where they were joined. Then with a swift backward motion he pulled away, leaving her empty. He leaned down to her, putting his face close to her ear and snarled,

“
Run
!”

“Stav?” she whispered, looking up at him.

“Run now, before I take you.” His eyes flashed. “Run before I
fuck
you.
Run!”

With a little gasp, she rolled off the couch and made a dash for the bedroom, not daring to look behind her in case the beast was hot on her heels. She got through the bedroom and into the bathroom, slammed the door and locked it behind her.

Then she backed into a corner and held herself tight, shivering. God, what was she going to do?

Chapter Twenty-five

Stavros fought a brief, fierce battle within himself. Part of him—the possessive animal side, the side that had bitten her—claimed that he had to go after Charlotte. That he had to drag her down and breed her—that he had to finish the job he’d started on the couch.

“No,” he growled to that part of himself. “I can’t—she’s not mine to take. Not mine to breed or bond or love. She’s
not mine.”

She is!
insisted the voice of the beast.
You’ve marked her—injected your essence. Now you must finish the job. Make her yours, take her completely. Fill her with your seed and mark her with your scent! Be sure no other male will ever get near her again!

He was up and about to go after her when he remembered the look in her eyes.

“
I don’t want this,”
she’d said.
“I don’t want this.”

She didn’t want a permanent bond with him or any other Kindred. And even if she
did
want to bond he couldn’t. He was one of the Cursed—a Sin Eater. It wasn’t fair to tie any woman to him. He had to let her go. Had to calm down…calm down…breathe…

Hands balled into fists, Stav sank to the carpet on his knees. He drew ragged, sobbing breaths into his lungs, waiting for his blood to cool, for the unquenchable fire to go out. Gods he wanted her
so much.
And not just because of the way she looked or tasted—because she was who she was. Because she was
Charlotte
.

“She doesn’t want to bond…doesn’t want to breed,” he growled to himself, trying to regain control. “I can’t have her—she doesn’t want me or any Kindred.” She had told him so in no uncertain terms. Just as she’d told him she didn’t want to have sex.

And instead of listening to her and respecting her wishes what had he done?

“I fucking raped her—or near enough.” Stavros groaned. As his blood cooled and the overwhelming urge to bond with her receded, the enormity of what had happened between them began to press on him.

Gods, what have I done? What have I
done?

And will she ever forgive me?

* * * * *

“
The dark one…he’s coming for me. He’s coming and I’ll never be free of him. Never be free!”

“
Don’t say that, Missy!” Charlie hugged her sister tight. “Please don’t say it. I won’t let them take you—I won’t!”

“
You can’t stop them—no one can.” The look in Missy’s eyes was desolate…desperate. “I so afraid to sleep…afraid I’ll see him and I won’t be able to wake up. And then I
do
wake up and it’s not a bad dream, not a nightmare—it’s real. He’s coming for me and no one can stop him—no one even
wants
to stop him. I
have
to go with him because it’s the law.”

“
Missy…” Charlie felt so helpless. What could she do? How could she deny or refute her sister’s claims when they were all true—absolutely true?

“
He’ll take me away and tie me to him permanently. You know how it is—the Kindred don’t do divorce. Once they’ve got you, you can never get free. I’ll lose everything. And, Charlie, we’ll lose each other…”

Charlie knew it was true. Tears squeezed from her eyes as she held her sister tight. To never see her again…to lose her to some strange, dark alien who could come for her anytime he wanted…was coming for her now…

“
I hate them,” she whispered passionately into Missy’s tangled hair. “I hate them all so much…”

“
I’m just afraid.” Missy looked at her with wide eyes. “Afraid that once they have me, I’ll never be free…never be free…”

“Never…be free,” Charlie muttered in her sleep.

“Charlotte?” The tentative knocking on the bathroom door startled her out of the doze she’d fallen into.

“Huh?” She looked up, feeling groggy and out of sorts. Where was Missy? And why was she sitting on the cold bathroom floor naked except for some towels she’d wrapped around herself? Stavros’s blood was starting to wear off and she shivered in the chilly air.

Stavros’s blood.

Her blood.

His bite.

Suddenly it all came back to her. Stavros giving her his blood…tasting her…biting her…and nearly bonding her to him forever…

“God!” She sat up suddenly, one of the towels falling from around her bare shoulders.

“Charlotte?” he murmured again. This time the soft knocking made her jump.

“Stavros?” she croaked. Then she felt stupid—of course it was him. Who else would it be?

“Are you well?” he asked. “I should not have…I am deeply shamed at the way I acted.”

Charlie shrank back for a moment shivering, her dream and the experience with the big Kindred fresh in her mind.

God, what we almost did—what
he
almost did. And part of me…I wanted to
let
him. To forget everything that Missy went through and betray her memory and just…
let him.
What the hell is wrong with me?

The realization of how close she’d come to bonding with him made her shake. The fear of being trapped gnawed at her mind like an animal caught in a trap gnaws at its own leg to be free.

“Go away,” she called, unwilling to face him. “Just…leave me alone.”

“I have been trying to leave you alone.” Stavros’s voice was muffled by the door. “But I grew worried about you. It has been hours and I thought the effects of my blood must have worn off.”

“Don’t worry about me—I’m just fine,” she snapped. “If I get cold I’ll take a hot bath.”

“Please…” The deep voice was pleading now. “At least come to the door. At least let me see that I haven’t harmed you.”

“You’d feel it if you had,” she pointed out. “Any physical pain…you’d feel it.”

“I know…” His voice was so low now she had to strain to hear it. “But there are other ways a person can be hurt. Please, Charlotte…”

Charlie got up unsteadily, and wrapped the towel more firmly around herself. Lifting her chin, she marched to the door on legs that felt as brittle as old sticks. She took a deep breath, braced herself, and unlocked the door.

“Fine, here I am.” She probably looked a mess with her hair all rumpled and her eyes bloodshot, not to mentions she was dressed only in towels. Not that she cared.

Stavros didn’t look much better himself. His hair was wild, as though he’d been running both hands through it and his eyes were more red than blue.

“Charlotte…” For a moment he didn’t seem to know what to say. Then he dropped gracefully to his knees and bowed his head. “Forgive me,” he said hoarsely. “I have no excuse for what I did.”

At the sight of him kneeling before her, looking so abjectly miserable, Charlie’s heart throbbed. For a moment she wanted to reach out to him. Her hand was actually outstretched to touch his hair...

Then her dream came back to her and she remembered the fear in Missy’s eyes…and her own fear on the couch when it had seemed that he would bond her to him whether she wanted him to or not.

“Charlotte…” he whispered again when she didn’t answer. “Please…”

“Please what—forgive you?” she demanded. “For nearly raping me or for almost trapping me in a relationship I could never get out of?”

“I am sorry.” He raised his eyes to hers. “I should not have bitten you. I should have known it would make me want…more.”

“Well you
can’t
have
more,” Charlie snapped. “You know how I feel about being bonded to you? To
any
Kindred? I’d as soon be turned into one of those freakish Joined Ones!”

He recoiled as though she’d slapped him.