Eternal Temptation (17 page)

Her eyes flickered back to Darien and saw more blood coming out of his mouth and down the side of his lip. The bite wound at his neck was bleeding messily down to his chest, and his arm hung uselessly at his side.

Still he stalked to Daniel as he stood. That determination never wavered, not even for a second. Using his one free hand, he snatched Daniel by his hair and threw him. Daniel went flying through the air and landed in the bonfire. He roared a hideous sound and rolled out of the fire. His skin was charred black and burnt. He rolled on the ground to subdue the flames.

Darien stalked after him with brutal steps. “She’s my woman,” he growled. He stopped next to Daniel who was gasping and shivering in agony. Cassie watched as flesh became blistered and swollen before her eyes.

Darien shoved a booted foot into Daniel’s throat. Daniel gasped and choked under the pressure, and grabbed the foot to try to break the hold.

“You will die for touching her, for every time you hurt her.” Cassie watched slack jawed as Darien leaned close to Daniel’s face and growled garbled words. “She is
my
mate.” And then he struck. Cassie couldn’t watch. She heard the nasty wet sounds of meat and flesh and blood over a growl.

It seemed like a minute passed until the noise finally stopped.

“Open your eyes baby.” Sweeter words had never been said. Her eyes shot open.

“Darien,” she choked, emotion clogging her voice. He ripped the ropes from around her and only then did she look over to see the torn up throat and chest of Daniel. There was a whole in the cavity of his chest where his heart should be. Her gaze fell to Darien’s mouth, which was surprisingly devoid of blood, but then she saw the big red splotch at the bottom of his shirt that he must have used to wipe his mouth.

No one stopped him as he pulled the ropes off her and picked her up. He was so incredibly warm, she cuddled against him and let him block the nastiness of everything from around her.

“The Justicars will be here. I have won her fair. If you try to stop me, you’ll end up like him,” he said to the crowd. No one moved. No one spoke.

He left on a run. How he could manage to move at the blows he took, she had no idea.

When they got deep into the forest, she finally stopped squeezing him tight. Sobs left her and he stopped running.

He dropped to a seat against a tree and pulled her close. Even more sobs broke out of her.

“Ah, babe, you’re breaking my heart,” he said. His voice was still filled with the lykaen but not nearly so garbled. She half laughed, half cried against his shoulder and held him tighter.

He winced with pain and she pulled back quickly. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” Tilting his head to the side, she inspected his neck wound. “My saliva can heal it. It won’t be super fast, but it can help,” she said, her own voice husky. She went to lick it, but he stopped her.

“No, Cassie. I don’t want your mouth where he’s been.” Cassie looked at him with teary eyes. She couldn’t stop herself from wrapping his thick hair in her hands and kissing him.

He kissed her back. There was so much said in that kiss. Passion, words, and emotion passed between them, and she felt the love he had for her. When she pulled back, gasping for breath, she was smiling feeling more giddy than she ever had.

“You love me,” she said, pressing her forehead to his.

His hand stilled over her back, and for a second her heart stopped beating. She slowly lifted her eyes to his. His good arm came up and he swiped his thumb across her bottom lip. She watched his throat swallow hard and then the next words out of his mouth had her trembling.

“Cassie, I love you so damn much.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “You’re my
lumara.
” He kissed her harder. “My woman.” His tongue swiped across her bottom lip. “My mate.” His slanted and captured her mouth in a kiss that stole the breath from her and breathed it back into her. Giving her life even as he took it.

She didn’t know how long they stayed that way, but she knew that time passed as they merely sat with each other and kissed and kissed. She hesitantly, finally, pulled away uncaring how big she was smiling.

“Let’s go,
lumara.
We need to get you fixed up.” He grunted his agreement and slowly came to a stand.

She leaned against him, and he wrapped his good arm around her and they walked in silence together.

Chapter 16

Cassie woke up to a wonderful sensation. The man she loved was wrapped around her like he never wanted to let her go. One hand cupped her breast and his other arm was under her head for a pillow.

Slowly, so as not to wake him, she turned her head to see him. He still slept deeply. Testing the waters, she scooted her butt back against him and wasn’t surprised to find a hot erection waiting for her. Biting her lip and grinning, she wiggled against him, and still he didn’t wake up. The man was seriously a heavy sleeper.

Her body was growing a different kind of warm remembering how she’d once woken him before. She turned in his arms. If she was worried that he’d suddenly bolt awake, it was really unnecessary. The man slept like a rock. She was silently laughing by time she had him flat on his back, her panties wiggled off, and was sitting astride him.

Her lykaen was wonderfully naked under the covers. She grimaced as she saw the dark purple and blue bruises along his side and back. She made sure she didn’t touch them as she rested her hands on his chest. See, all the better with her on top. She wouldn’t want him to hurt himself. She chuckled again and he made some nonsense noises in his throat.

Reaching between them she grabbed his cock in a hand. He filled her fist, stretched her hand open with his girth. She softly trailed her hand up and down his shaft, feeling the baby soft skin over hard flesh. Her body was growing wetter, softer by the second. She needed him. Sitting forward, she put him at her wet entrance, then slowly lowering herself, stuffed his cock inside her.

A low, soft moan left her throat and didn’t stop until he was seated deep within her. She nibbled on her lip and rocked her hips around, just enjoying the feeling of him so strong and hard inside her.

When two hands grabbed her hips, her eyes shot open. Darien stared up at her with hooded, sexy eyes. “You sure do know how to wake a man up, baby.”

Laughing, she leaned down and kissed him softly before pulling away. The ache inside her was rising quickly. She braced her hands on his strong, hard chest and lifted herself up and down his cock. Her wet tissues pulled and dragged along his shaft as he rubbed her everywhere that mattered.

He let out a deep, rough groan that had her nipples pulling into little puckered points. His hands gentled on her and ran up her sides to cup her breasts and tug at those hard peaks.

“How’s your arm feel?” she groaned as she sank back onto him. She was no longer breathing, but panting. Each time he landed inside her, he bumped something that pushed her towards something intense and incredible.

“I can move it enough to do this,” he said and tugged on her nipples. “God you feel amazing.”

She hummed softly in her throat and quickened her pace. Soon her pussy was slapping down against him, making a sexy noise. Her skin tightened and fiery liquid boiled through her body. Her release was building and building. Her head fell back and her lips parted as ragged gasps burst from her throat.

“Christ, that’s it.” Darien’s hands gripped her hips again and slammed her down onto him over and over, faster and faster. Her breasts bobbed heavily and his cock swelled inside her. He hit that wonderful spot again, and then she was crying out, her fingers curling into his chest, as her body rippled and shivered her hot release.

She felt his cock swell even more and then he was shouting his release, fucking her milking muscles as his cum doused the liquid fire inside her. She collapsed against him, breathing hard.

“Wake me up like that anytime.” She laughed and kissed him. “So are you ready?” he asked.

She pulled back and traced a finger over his lips. Soft, warm lips. “For what?”

“To become my mate.” Her finger stilled and the breath she’d been taking whooshed from her.

Her eyes rose to his. “Really?”

He smiled, and she was pretty sure it was the first time she’d ever seen him smile. It was wide, beautiful smile that had her toes curling, her breath catching.

“Yes. Yes!” She dropped down on him and kissed him until his cock rose against her. She wiggled against said length and whispered huskily, “Do you wanna...?”

He laughed and spanked her ass. “Not yet. I want to mate with you first.”

“Oh, I don’t know how you guys mate...”

Darien kissed her again, his tongue scraping across her. “Don’t worry about that. The Kategans will take care of it.”

He was right. And they did.

Later that afternoon, the entire Kategan family and their pack waited in attendance for the mating ceremony of her and Darien.

Vera lent her a beautiful dress that was a creamy white and fell neatly to the ground. Earlier they took a lock of her hair and cut it off. Cassie wasn’t sure what it had to do with the ceremony, she was too excited to even ask. She had a big stupid smile on her face that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard she tried. So what the hell, she thought and grinned happily.

Yet, every time someone asked her if she needed something her fangs started to drop. She hadn’t eaten in days. She was starving. But just the thought that Darien was going to mate with her, sent her stomach rumbling.

Would he let her mate with him her way too? Would he become part vampire for her? Gah, she was anxious and excited and nail biting nervous all at the same time.

A man came in then wearing a goofy smile. “Are you ready Cassie?” She nodded and stood.

“I’m Alfonse, the Elder who performs the mating ceremony. I must say I’m excited to be mating another Kategan off to a vampire. We will have some interesting children running around here someday.” He smiled at her and held his elbow out to her. She took it and walked out with him towards a great, wide-open field.

Hundreds of people were there. They looked at her with excited eyes and smiles. Butterflies danced even more in her stomach and wouldn’t stop.

“Don’t be nervous. See that man over there. That’s all you need to think about.” Cassie looked across the clearing and there he stood. He wore a suit. And
damn
did he look good. No, delicious. Yummy. Extraordinary. Darien filled the black suit out like an exotic bodybuilder. Her eyes traveled down his pants and landed on his bare, tan feet. She couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing. His eyes lit up at hers even from across the distance. She had the urge to yell, “I’m not wearing shoes either!” but managed to stifle it. Later, I’ll tell him later.

The pack knelt as she approached. She walked arm and arm with the Elder Alfonse as Darien strode to meet her with the gait of a happy and cocky man. He practically swaggered. Alfonse took his position before them, but Cassie couldn’t look at him. She only had eyes for Darien.

“I can’t wait,” she heard him say, and then she was in his arms and he was kissing her. She heard the pack go wild with cheers. She smiled against Darien’s mouth and finally pushed against his shoulders. He let her go, but not all the way. He pulled her close and kept her touching his side as they went through the ceremony.

They each held out their wrists as Alfonse took a band about a foot long made of locks of their hair and pieces of their clothing. She recognized the sight of her worn blue jeans—the same ones she’d worn when she met Darien and a piece of one of his black t-shirts.

They recited vows to each other. Darien said his words quicker, huskier than hers. He looked down as he said his, and she swore her heart melted in her chest. She said hers back and her voice wobbled. As the cloth was wrapped around her wrist and then his, Alfonse announced the ceremony complete.

Darien pulled her close, leaned down, and kissed her the kiss of a lifetime. His mouth captured hers and devastated her senses. It was a kiss that said
my woman forever.

He pulled back, turned them to face the crowd, then held their entwined hands in the air. The pack came to a stand and cheered. Vera whistled loudly, Sarina had tears in her eyes, and Alison was jumping up and down clapping. Cassie shook her head at them and smiled.

Darien bent down low and whispered huskily in her ear, “It’s time to run,
lumara
.”

“Why?” she whispered back. Was this part of the ceremony?

“Because when I catch you, I’m going to claim my mate. I’m going to make you come until you can’t come anymore. And then you’re going to sink your little fangs into my neck.”

Shaking, Cassie looked around at the pack and then the open expanse of field that led to the forest beyond. “Okay,” she said on a trembling breath. “Give me a head start.” If he didn’t, she’d never make it and he’d mount her in front of all these people. He nodded at her, and then the corner of his lip turned up. Not in a grin, or a smile, but in a lecherous, devious smile that had her panties going wet. His look devoured.

Cassie waved her thanks to the crowd then stopped by the Kategan women. “Would someone mind holding this for me?” She cast a quick glance back at Darien to see him looking ready to pounce. “And hurrrry,” she sang.