Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga) (16 page)

“The city of London was spread before me like the finest
feast at the tables in the king’s castle. Some bloke’s horse
fell
victim to my cravings, but the taste of its blood only whetted my appetite. I
was prepared to take London by storm, but when I stepped out of the stall the
sisters were there, waiting for me. They were hags really, old and haggard, but
they commanded a power, a power that couldn’t be ignored. I initially had a
mind to devour them and set out for London, but they laughed when I fought
their invisible wall, and proceeded to tell me of their plans for me and what
my future held. They laid their hands on me and calmed my uncontrollable
bloodlust. Oh, I still craved blood, but I was now able to control the cravings
and only took what I needed to survive and thrive.

“For five years I was their tool of destruction. They
commanded me to convert my friend, Mica, and build an army, and so the vampire
wars began. The fighting took place in the black of night. Any human that was
unfortunate enough to be caught out in those late hours we either converted or
drained. Our armies inflicted mayhem on the unsuspecting city. The death tolls,
both vampire and human, mounted until the hags were satisfied. Then, as
suddenly as they began, the wars were over, and peace once again reigned over
London.

“It was now the year 1720. Had I remained human I would have
been thirty. At the time of my conversion I was twenty-five, and so I will
remain for eternity. The sisters took me aside, and as a reward for my loyalty
told me to set sail for the Americas. The country was young and our kind hadn’t
established a foothold there yet. I was to take my first progeny, Mica, with me
and reign as king over my territory. I was told to build an army and rule my
subjects with an iron fist and little leniency, because when my mate was sent
to me it would trigger a vampire war that would put London to shame, and I
would need every able body loyal to my command. I’ve had word that there is
unrest in the Texas clans and they seek my territory. That was the first sign
that I would find you. The hags also said that I would be betrayed by someone
close to me, and to hold those I considered dear closer to me. Am I protective
of you? Yes, love, I am, because I know what lies ahead. The future is set, but
not written in stone. My enemies would use you like a weapon against me.”

Chapter
Seventeen

He has
overcome so much
, she thought as a few more tears coursed down her cheeks.
She reached up and ran her fingertips down his face in a soft caress. “You’ve
waited almost three hundred years for me?”

He leaned his cheek into her hand,
then
kissed her palm. “Yes, and I would have waited three hundred more if necessary.”
He then kissed the tears from her cheeks. “I wanted you to understand why you
are so important to me.”

“I’m sorry if my episode in the diner hurt you. For what
it’s worth, I believe you. I can hear the sincerity in your voice.”

“But?”

She sighed heavily. “But…it’s just…I don’t know, Drake. It’s
like everything came down on top of me at once. Look at it from my perspective.
One minute I’m myself, living my boring everyday life, wishing something
exciting would happen. And in the blink of an eye the most gorgeous guy I’ve
ever laid my eyes on walks into my life and takes me hostage. After he steals
my innocence and introduces me to some of the most mind-blowing sex on this
side of the planet, he tells me he loves me and we are to spend eternity
together. I’m sorry, but that kind of stuff only happens in romance novels. It doesn’t
happen to me, and it just doesn’t seem real. It’s like I dreamed you up and now
I can’t wake up. I’m afraid when I do wake up you’ll be gone and I’ll never be
the same.”

Drake sat up on his
knees, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile as he positioned himself
between her legs.

From the soft glow of
the bed lamp she saw the muscles in his massive chest flex and ripple as he
positioned her legs over his shoulders. She watched him with fascination. His
body, so god-like, was perfection. And the way he looked at her—his eyes
smoldering and that sexy smile—sent a jolt of pure need through her body.
God, all he has to do is look at me and I
want to jump him
, she thought, then smiled back coyly. “Obviously you
aren’t even listening to me. What are you doing?”

His smile grew as he
slipped his hands beneath her hips, lifting her to his mouth. “I
heard
every word, vixen.” She realized
in that moment that he had evidently read her thoughts and felt the heat rise
to her cheeks. “I’m going to prove to you that I’m not a figment of your
imagination.”

“You’re wrong. You’re
the most elaborate dream I’ve ever h—” The words caught in her throat as his
tongue glided across her slit and his mouth descended on her sensitive nub. Her
inner walls clenched and her body jerked at the strong sensations his mouth
created as he suckled and teased. She felt a couple of his fingers glide easily
into her wetness and pump in and out to the rhythm of his mouth. Locking her
ankles around his neck, she clutched his hair between her fingers, pulling him
closer, panting and writhing beneath his lips. She whimpered his name as her
whole body tensed and the climax hit her hard.

“That’s it, love, cum
for me,” he said as he lowered her hips level with his cock. He placed his cock
at her opening and penetrated just enough to submerge the head. She was wet,
and her inner walls still pulsated from her recent climax. She opened her eyes
and his gaze leveled with hers. His muscles were tense with restraint. “Tell me
what you need.”

“Need?”

Her eyes widened as he
moved slightly, penetrating a little deeper,
then
pulling out again. “Tell me what you need from me.”

“I need….” She paused.
Her eyes left his to travel down his body, and stopped to stare where their
bodies were partially joined. His muscles were taut, and what she could see of
his cock was deep pink and swollen. She licked her lips and tried to move her
hips a little closer to take him in. The ache to have him fill her was almost
unbearable, but he remained unmovable. She looked back into his eyes.
“You, all of you.
Please, Drake, I need to feel you inside
me. Please, make love to me.”

Her eyes closed as she
felt his hips shift forward, his cock filling her, probing deep. He wrapped her
legs around his waist as he continued to plunge in and out of her tight sheath,
her juices coating them both. Her body welcomed his as her inner walls clenched
around his cock, milking him, pulling him deeper with each thrust. He
shifted,
slicing a small cut in his neck with the dagger,
then grabbed her hips and picked up the pace. Her breath caught as she felt her
body start to explode.

“Drink, love,” he said.
“Complete the bond.”

As her body pulsated
around his cock, she opened her mouth and placed her lips over the wound at his
neck, letting his blood fill her mouth. He roared his approval as his own
climax gripped him. He bit down on the soft spot on her neck, letting her blood
fill his mouth and calm his soul.

Just as soon as she
tasted his blood, her world burst in a multitude of sensations. Never feeling
more alive, she felt his cock throbbing within her. She felt what he felt as
the cum
shot from his body and the first tastes of her blood
hit his tongue. Her heart swelled as all his emotions and feelings washed over
her.
My god
, she thought in wonder.
He does love me
.

Yes, I do
.

Did I just read your mind?

Yes, love.

How cool is that?

She felt his body shake
with laughter as he withdrew his fangs, sealing the small wounds with his
tongue. “I will never grow bored with your innocent take on life.”

***

Sherry sat up in the enormous
bed, straining her eyes to see past the dim light coming from the lamp on the
nightstand. The room was vast and appeared endless in the inky blackness just
out of reach of the meager light. She glanced over at Drake. He was propped up
against the headboard watching her reactions.

“There must be no moon
tonight. It is so dark in here.”

“There are no windows
in this room, love.” He nodded to her questioning look.
“Vampire.”

Her eyes widened at her
own stupidity. “Since I’ve seen you in the sunshine I forgot that you have a
problem with the sun.” She glanced around at the darkness again. “With no
windows or clocks of any kind that I can see, how do you tell what time it is?”

“Vampires sleep very
little and have an internal clock. We can generally sense the time quite
accurately. And since we’re nocturnal we can see very well in the dark as well.”
He felt her apprehension. “I can feel your unease, love. I don’t want you to
feel that way here, especially in our chambers. I can get you a clock if it would
make you feel more comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled. “A clock is
a small concession on my part. As for the time, you weren’t out long. I believe
it’s still afternoon.”

She nodded then looked
at him curiously. “Drake, something you said a few seconds ago doesn’t make
sense to me. You said that vampires sleep very little. I saw you sleep at my
house—quite soundly I might add.”

“That’s the first good
sleep I’ve had in ages. I believe I have you to thank for that.”

“
Me
? What did I have to do with it?”

“After bonding with you,
my soul was finally at peace. I’ve not really known peace in three hundred
years. ‘Lights,’” he said aloud and the room lit so brightly that Sherry had to
close her eyes for a second to adjust. “The lights are on voice command. Right
now they are programmed to my voice. We will have your voice commands added
when you’re ready.”

Sherry rubbed her eyes,
then
looked around again. The darkness had made the
room appear smaller than it actually was. In full light it carried the richness
of a palace. The bed, where they sat, was on the back side of the room in the
middle of the wall. To her right, the bathroom was incorporated into the room
with a large shower with stone walls on one side and an oversized jetted tub on
the other. The tub was surrounded by greenery and unlit candles. A doorway
stood between the shower and the tub. Through the lit doorway she saw a long
granite countertop adorned with custom double sinks and gold fixtures. She
assumed, from her vantage point, that the toilet was across from the sink, just
out of sight.

It is
,
he
answered in her mind.

She raised an eyebrow
as she looked over at him. “No walls?”

He shrugged. “I’ve
never had the need for them. No one enters our chambers unless I allow them. Even
then, few get this far back into the room unless it’s being cleaned.” He
pointed to the long colorful drapes that hung separating the sleeping area from
the rest of the room. They were tied back with golden cords. “Those curtains
can be released if you feel a need for more privacy.”

She nodded then looked
to her left. She saw sliding doors that covered nearly the entire space. “What’s
behind those doors?”

“Our
closet.”

She leaned over and
kissed his cheek, then snuggled against him. Her voice was laced with laughter.
“You put clothes behind a door, but don’t put walls around a bathroom?”

He smiled. “Yes…I’ve
never questioned that logic until now. We can make changes if you wish it.”

“No, love, what I’ve
seen of the room is beautiful. I wouldn’t want to change a thing…at least for
now.”

He hugged her tighter
and kissed her forehead.

She closed her eyes to
the feeling of his embrace. “I just felt your heart warm.”

He tilted her chin up
and kissed her lips gently, then looked into her eyes when the kiss broke. “You
called me love.”

“Yes.” She bit her lip,
waiting expectantly. “Do you mind?”

“No, not at all, vixen,
I rather enjoy hearing it.
Why the change of heart?”

“I felt what was in
your heart when I tasted your blood. I know that you’ve been telling me your
feelings all along, but I’ve had bad experiences with the male population. I
can trust now that you will never hurt me.”

“Are you trying to say
that you love me?”

She shrugged, smiling
sheepishly. “I know I’ve been obsessed with you from the beginning, which leads
me to believe that I probably always have loved you. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I
guess I put up a wall to keep from getting hurt, even denying my feelings to
myself. I can be a bit stubborn sometimes.”

He laughed as he hugged
her tighter. “I am stubborn as well, so I’m sure we’ll butt heads from time to
time. But always remember what is in my heart.”

She reached up and
kissed his check. Humor laced in her voice. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Chapter Eighteen

Sherry smoothed the
bottom of her sweater over her hips,
then
looked at
the closet again, shaking her head. She was a little miffed at Drake at the
moment. Every piece of clothing she owned was hung neatly on the rack. The
closet, her side, also held an assortment of very nice outfits in her size that
she’d never seen before. The questions when and how bothered her more than she
thought they should.