Dream Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 1) (18 page)

When her hand finally encircled what it could of his hard cock, he couldn’t stop the moan that escaped his throat. He brought her mouth back to his and nipped her lips with his fangs and prayed for the strength to stave off his imminent orgasm. How embarrassing would it be for him to come from a mere moment of her touch, but she undid him so completely.

He felt like a young lad who was about to tup for the first time. For him, these sensations were completely new. All of his previous sexual experiences had only been a physical release, and had never been accompanied by such intense emotions. He was overwhelmed by caring for her so deeply, needing this physical connection, and being scared it may end too soon. Nothing had ever felt as good as he did at that moment.

He thrust his hips as she gripped him firmly and pumped up and down his hard shaft. “My god, you’re gorgeous. And, huge! I don’t know if you’ll even fit.”

He smiled at her words and savored her gasp, his fingers working her clitoris, once again. Little did she know, he was made for her, and would fit perfectly.

He felt her slick syrup drip from her core to coat his hand, and had to hold back from sinking into her heat and losing himself. She wasn’t ready yet. He kept expecting her guilt to surface, and was grateful it hadn’t. He prayed to the Goddess that it would never surface again. He couldn’t stand if she regretted their interlude.

She thrust her hips against his hand and increased her grip on his cock in response to his deep, husky moan. She was nearing orgasm again. “That’s it, lass, take what you need. You are hot and dripping wet.”

“Holy crap, oh yes… like that…come on, baby.” She screamed out his name as she came. That was his undoing. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He groaned deeply before thick ropes of his hot seed jetted onto her hand and stomach.

“I canna believe it. It feels so good. So much better than in the dream. Elsie,” he cried out, continuing to stroke her, as his orgasm continued.

They were both gasping for breath and their hearts pounding after their shattering release. “Oh, my Lady E, you are truly incredible,” he murmured as he worshipped her breasts. She arched her back, forcing more of her breast into his mouth. He loved this side of his mate, she was downright wanton.

She began to squirm under his hand. “Stop, it’s too much. How are you still coming? Is that a vampire thing?”

He was afraid of answering because it had not been that long since her rejection of whom and what he was. He took the chance. “Aye, ’tis because of my vampire heritage,” he danced around the mating issue.

She pressed against his body. “Hey, I’m not complaining. Especially, given that you stay erect to satisfy my every desire. Mmmm,” she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and sinking her fingers into his hair. He had never felt closer to any female. He needed to be inside his mate, or he would lose his mind.

“I have been hard and aching for you from the moment I saw you in that restaurant all those months ago. And,
a ghra
, I will always be able to make love to you and feast on your flesh for hours. That is only one of the benefits of being with a vampire,” he smiled mischievously, revealing his fangs.

“You’re stunning,” she breathed.

“You undo me,” he said against her skin. He prowled up her torso and slid his cock through her nether lips, rubbing it against her clitoris, coating him in her juices. They both moaned as he positioned himself at her entrance. He locked eyes and held her gaze. “Keep your eyes open, I want to look at you as I enter you for the first time.”

Her eyes became dinner plates and he scented her fear. “No, you can’t. You have to stop, this was a mistake,” she choked out. If only that slap of cold water doused his raging cock. No such luck for him.

His mate was going to flog herself over this and it had been the best night of his life.

What had she done? The guilt and betrayal she felt was like a mass of tar in her hair. Warm, sticky, and impossible to remove. The more she fingered it, the more it gunked-up her insides. She needed a scalpel and acid to get rid of it. It was official. She was a terrible wife, not worthy of Dalton’s love. Where was her vaunted sense of integrity now? A few martinis and an undeniable attraction to a vampire, and she had gone against the vows she made to Dalton years ago. She jumped up and grabbed her robe off the door.

She hung her head in her hands, unable to acknowledge what kind of a person this made her. She wouldn’t allow herself to dream, or even think, about Zander, ever again.
Yeah right, you will so hit that again,
her innersex-fiend rebuked. She cursed that side of her. Tar coated her from head to toe, inside and out. And, she couldn’t look at the hurt she knew she would see in Zander’s eyes.

She had made a mess of everything. It shouldn’t surprise her. They had been heading in this direction for weeks.

She opened her mouth to apologize, but he cut her off. “Doona you dare apologize,” the anger in his tone snapped her head up. His eyes were blazing black and he was lying on her bed, naked and still erect. God, he was gorgeous.

“I told you, you will not berate yourself. You have to move on, Elsie. Dalton died almost two years ago. You are no’ betraying him by moving on. Canna you see that you deserve so much more than you are allowing yourself?”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “You don’t understand. I made a vow to him and I can’t do this. No matter how much I may want to. It goes against who I am,” she cried.

He stood up and reached down for his jeans. Her loins clenched and her core spasmed at the sight of his bared flesh. She couldn’t stop the blush that stained her cheeks as she remembered what they had done. For God’s sake, she had screamed his name. She had never had that kind of an experience before. She loved Dalton, but what she felt with him was no-where near what she did with Zander. Zander made her mindless with lust and desire. Wanting him with abandon like she did made her guilt so much worse.

His gaze darkened even further. “I like the way you scream my name, lass, and I canna wait to make you scream while I’m inside you. Your screams were verra passionate.” Her blush deepened and she cringed in embarrassment.

She had hoped to avoid this conversation forever, but, apparently, he was having none of that. “So, is the ability to read minds one of your vampire powers? You didn’t go into details of what you can do. And, can you please put on some clothes? I find it impossible to have a conversation with so much of you on display.”

He chuckled and stepped into his pants. No, she liked it better when they were off. He’d better not read her mind and take them back off. She wasn’t going there again. She was driving herself bug-fuck crazy.

“Aye, I can read the minds of mortals, and I can communicate telepathically with supernaturals.” She followed him out of the bedroom. He had a gorgeous Celtic cross branded on his back, reminding her of the one on her phone. Something fluttered in her chest as she stared at the beautiful image. That must have been painful.

She sighed when he turned back to face her. “So, you can hear everything I think. I must say, that is disturbing. Can you not do that? There are thoughts I’d like to keep private.” She sat down on the couch, pulling her legs up under her.

He sat on the couch a few feet away from her. “I could stop reading your thoughts, but I doona want to. You are loyal, brave, and compassionate. And, you are no’ the no good, two-timer that you think you are. Dalton is gone and it’s ok to move on. Necessary, even.”

“You’re wrong about me. I’ve cheated on Dalton, and can barely stand to be in my own head, I’m so disgusted with myself. I appreciate that you care for me and want to have some type of a relationship, but I can’t. I can’t go there. I hope you understand.”

She was miserable. That familiar battle was raging and this vampire was pushing her for more than she could give him. Allowing this relationship that he wanted would only lead to heartache and loss. The worst part was she could not muster the appropriate regret for her wanton behavior. No, she wanted more.

“I have waited over seven hundred years to find you. I am no’ a verra patient male, but I will wait another millennia for you, if I must.”

She opened her mouth to respond, impersonating a fish out of water, instead. She had no idea how to respond to that.

“‘Tis getting close to dawn, lass, and I doona want to be caught in the sun. I
will
see you soon.” He leaned down and kissed her lips, softly. She was a deer caught in headlights, paralyzed by glowing, blue passion.

“Verra soon,” he breathed into her ear.

*****

Graduation day. Finally. It had been a long, extremely difficult road for Elsie. It was a bitter-sweet day for her. She had started this journey with Dalton four years earlier, but he would never see her finish it. She was a phoenix rising from the ashes of her grief. A new life awaited her, one that she hadn’t imagined, with new and exciting friends.

For weeks she had said that this new life would not include the love affair she knew Zander wanted with her. Yet, she had let down her guard, given into the demand that had been riding her and had ended up in bed with the vampire. Since their encounter, she had avoided him like the plague. She was ashamed of her behavior, and was weak where he was concerned. The vampire king had been in her thoughts more over the past week than Dalton had been, much to her chagrin.

Elsie refocused on her surroundings as they headed to Zeum to celebrate the end to her college career. She needed to close her jaw as Orlando drove through the iron gates to their compound. She craned her neck this way and that, taking in the twenty foot stone walls. They weren’t as garish as they could’ve been with the deciduous trees and shrubs surrounding everything. And, it was all perfectly manicured. They had to have several full-time gardeners. She couldn’t fathom having that kind of money.

When the enormous home came into view, it reminded her of the English countryside. It was a giant castle. The house was grey stone and stucco with enormous columns flanking the entrance and countless windows. She spotted several other buildings on the property. Each of which looked bigger than most houses. It was all so overwhelming. These people had more money than God. She guessed if you’d been alive for over seven hundred years, you’d have time to accumulate that kind of wealth.

“Why do you guys call this place Zeum?”

“Breslin battered us until we finally gave in and she named it after her favorite carousel in San Francisco,” Orlando replied and smiled as he met her gaze in the rear view mirror.

“This place is unreal and it goes on forever. You would never know this was back here.”

“That’s the idea. We don’t want anyone being able to see it. We have strong cloaking and protection spells. It appears to anyone, human or supernatural, like fifty heavily-wooded acres along Wolf Bay,” Orlando relayed as he parked next to beautiful, black, double-doors. Elsie’s gaze traveled over them and took in the intricate Celtic symbols carved into their wood surfaces.

They were greeted by what Orlando called their majordomo, who opened her door. She climbed out as the handsome, young-looking man, dressed in a tailored suit, bowed deeply. “Angus at your service, lass. Anything you need doona hesitate to ring me.” His black hair shone in the overhead lights and his pale-green eyes sparkled with humor. She liked him immediately.

Elsie wasn’t sure what etiquette dictated in this situation. “Thank you,” she muttered with a slight bow of her head. She felt like she was at a five-star hotel and was in way over her head. She was slightly overwhelmed as Orlando led her through the door. She glanced back and saw that Santiago was leading a shocked Cailyn into the house. Their eyes met and she knew that Cailyn agreed that they were two ducks out of water here. The wealth these guys had was simply beyond her comprehension.

“This place is unreal,” Elsie murmured to Cailyn as they entered the home. The luxury was breath-taking with the brown, marble flooring in the entryway and rich wood covering the walls.

“Look at that crystal chandelier, Cai. I feel like I’m inside Buckingham Palace.”

Cailyn turned in circles, taking it all in and replied, “I know, right.” Elsie found that Zeum was warm and inviting, despite its opulence and grandeur.

She scanned everything around her and snagged on the gorgeous creature with his hand on the rich, mahogany balusters of the main staircase. Zander was scrumptious in his sweaty, white, tank top and navy-blue, track pants. She noticed he had a tattoo on his right forearm that matched the one she had seen on Orlando and Santiago. How had she missed that before? Probably because she spent all her time lusting after him.

She blushed at the bent of her thoughts. Needing a distraction, she glanced over and saw that Bhric and Kyran were dressed similar to Zander, and, they too, had the same tattoo on their right forearm. In fact, all of Zander’s Dark Warriors, including Breslin, had this tattoo. It was a tribal design merged with druid symbols. She made a mental note to ask what it meant later.

At the moment, she was fixated on Zander and the sweat running down his shoulders. She wanted to lick every bead of sweat from his chest and abdomen, following the trail below his pants. She recalled how big he was. What would he feel like when he took her? She did a mental head shake, reminding herself that she wasn’t going there.

“Och ‘tis good to see you. I have missed you,
a ghra
. And, I would love for you to lick the sweat from my body,” he said as he descended the stairs and embraced her, meshing with her lips in a tender kiss.

She flamed with embarrassment. “Stop reading my mind, Mr. Bossy Pants.” Helpless to resist touching him, she placed her hands on his chest. “It’s good to see you, too. Your home is beautiful,” she said as she craned her neck to look up to him.

“You call this a house? This is a hotel, for God’s sake. I can’t believe Orlando has stayed at your crappy apartment as much as he has the past couple months,” Cailyn observed. “If I were him, I would’ve made you stay here.”

“Who’s up for some champagne?” Rhys winked at Cailyn. “You haven’t had my
hey juice,
sweetcakes, but that’ll come later.”

As Rhys led her sister down a hall, Zander placed his hand at the small of Elsie’s back and followed suit. Her sister glanced back at her. Cailyn shook her head.

“Oh, my,” Elsie breathed, as she entered the gourmet-kitchen of her dreams. “The food I could make in here. I can’t wait to be let loose in here,” she sighed and walked around touching every surface with reverence. She didn’t need to see the rest. This was, hands down, her favorite room in the house.

Through the windows, over one of the long, granite countertops, she saw an enclosed patio. A circular, Celtic design was imbedded in the tile floor. A sense of home, of belonging, and of loyalty surged through her the moment she saw it. These guys took their Scottish heritage seriously. The pop of a cork had her turning around as Breslin shoved a crystal flute filled with bubbly in her hand.

“To Elsie,” she announced and held her glass in the air. Everyone followed suit and cheers resounded.

“Okay, ’tis time to get ready. C’mon, I want to be the first to give you your present,” Breslin told Elsie.

Gerrick grumbled, “What makes you so special that you get to give Elsie her present now? Shouldn’t Zander go first?”

“Because, I can. Stop pouting, and get ready. All of you need to be ready to celebrate as soon as we’re done,” Breslin retorted, herding Elsie and her sister to the main staircase. She had no time to consider Gerrick’s comment.

Her head swiveled this way and that as she absorbed each and every detail of the house on her way upstairs. Her jaw dropped when she walked into the lavish suite of rooms. Yeah, these people had money. Except, they weren’t people. They were supernatural creatures. And, she was in a home with her sister, completely vulnerable to them. The blade she had strapped to her thigh before leaving her apartment seemed paltry. She shook her head. If they were going to harm her or her sister they’d have done so already. She still struggled to trust in what she didn’t know.

“Breslin, I think your room is bigger than my apartment. How could you guys make me cook for you in my crappy, little apartment? It took me all day using the two working burners I have, but to cook in your kitchen would have been heaven.” Awestruck, Elsie envisioned herself in that remarkable kitchen. She sat down on one of the couches and sighed, “I can’t wait to be let loose in that place.” She was jolted as she realized she assumed she’d be cooking in that kitchen.

Breslin waved off her comments and picked up the large box from the antique, mahogany coffee-table in the living room of her suite. Clearly, she was no Betty Crocker. “A house is a house, no matter the size, or furnishings. What makes a home truly magnificent is the family that fills it. And, you are both members of this motley crew of ours. I expect many gourmet meals,” she winked at Elsie who couldn’t help but respond by grinning broadly.