Harker's Journey (7 page)

“Bathe first. Then if you still want me, come to me.” He was gone before she could think to reply to his outrageous statement.

“If I still want him,” she muttered before she held her breath and sank beneath the water. Gasping as she surfaced, she grabbed a cloth and began to scrub. All thoughts of a leisurely bath were gone now as she quickly finished washing the dust from her body.

“What does the man want? A gilded invitation? I should have just pulled him into the tub with me.” She glanced at the small tub. “On second thought, maybe not.”

Standing, the water cascaded down her body. She grabbed one of the towels as her body shivered. Carefully, she stepped out of the tub, dried herself off, and grabbed the robe off the hook, stuffing her arms into the sleeves. She didn’t bother to belt it, so it flowed behind her as she stalked into the other room. 50

Harker’s Journey

Chapter Seven

Johanna strode across the room and stood beside the bed with her arms folded under her breasts, which pushed them up slightly. She wasn’t overly large in that department, so she figured it couldn’t hurt, and she knew Cris agreed when his eyes seemed to devour them.

The heat from his gaze evaporated any water drops left on her body, and her whole body softened as a lethargic heat filled her. She shook her head to try and break away from his sensual snare.

Cris was sprawled naked across the crisp white sheets with his hands crossed behind his head, his large body taking up most of the space. Even in repose, the muscles of his chest and arms were sleek and hard. The tufts of soft hair under his arms and across his chest should have made him look softer, more vulnerable. Instead, with the trappings of civilization removed, he appeared even more dangerous. He seemed to be totally relaxed, but she wasn’t buying it. She stared pointedly at his erect cock and it twitched slightly in response. “Well?”

He didn’t even pretend to misunderstand. “You know what I am.” He waited until she nodded before he continued. “But you need to know how it will affect you.” Patting the covers next to him, he urged her to sit. Not bothering to close the robe, she climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged facing him, waiting.

“I am a Dalakis.” His eyes glowed red as he stared right into her very soul. “We are different. My family have always been vampires and have lived here for thousands of years. I have heard of other families of vampires, but like us, they keep to themselves, struggling for their own survival. Now there is only myself and my two brothers, Stefan and Lucian.”

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He held up his hand to stop her before she could speak. “Let me finish first, then I will answer all your questions.” She nodded and he continued.

“I am immortal. I need blood to sustain me. But,” he hurriedly reassured her, “I do not kill others to live, but take only what I need to survive. It is different from the old days. Centuries ago, we killed often to protect ourselves and our people.” His features hardened, “And I would kill again in a heartbeat if you were threatened.” With an obvious effort he forced himself to relax. “Today, we even store blood for emergencies, much like a blood bank.”

He rolled to his side and propped himself up on one arm. His other hand reached out to tease the flesh on the inside of her thigh. The up and down motion of his fingers was making it extremely hard for her to pay attention to his words.

“Prolonged exposure to sunlight, a stake through the heart, or beheading will kill me. Nothing else. Well, nothing except perhaps love.”

That comment had her full attention. “What do you mean?”

“Dalakis men love only once in their lifetime. It is their gift and their curse.” His smile was tender as his hand caressed her cheek. “You were a gift from the heavens when I found you, but you were so young. I could not take you or ask you to join me then. So, I lived but did not fully live. To find you and not have you was a torture beyond what you can imagine. After six hundred years of living, to have you so close—

” he broke off and sighed deeply, shaking his head at the dark memories, “—but yet not to have you.”

Johanna opened her mouth to speak, but Cris placed a finger over her lips. “Many have given up in despair and faced the killing midday sun rather than live any longer without finding their true love. Others have done the same after being rejected. Now it is your turn to choose.”

He sat up in bed and took both her hands in his, squeezing them gently. “Whatever your choice, I will honor it. I give you my word as a Dalakis.”

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Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, her cheeks and then her lips. She clung to his hands, half-fearful now. She sensed that his word was not something he gave lightly and that he would die before dishonoring it.

“You are right, little one.” He laughed, and it was a bitter sound. “I would choose death before dishonor, but that is not your concern. If you wish to stay with me, you can live out your normal life here at the castle and I will cherish and protect you for as long as you live. And when the time of your death is upon us, I will join you.”

“No!” she gasped, squeezing his hands so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her heart pounded with grief at the mere thought of his death.

“Or,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I can change you so you become as I am. You would be vampire, but your life would be linked with mine. If I die, then you too will die. You would be susceptible to the other dangers as well. But I would be by your side for eternity, and no other man living or yet to be born will love you as I will. Your happiness and protection are my life’s work and my life’s joy.”

Johanna was speechless when he finished. She could feel the tears tracking down her cheeks, but she could not tear her gaze from his beloved face. His features were impassive as he sat there, a beautiful bronze nude statue, waiting for her to decide his future.

In the light glowing from the fireplace, his harsh countenance and glistening muscles made it easy to picture him wielding the massive sword that hung over the mantle. She could easily imagine him astride a horse in the fourteenth century, defending his home against all enemies. He was a warrior without equal. Yet he had laid his heart bare before her and now stoically awaited her decision. Coming to her knees in front of him, she slipped the robe from her shoulders before wrapping her arms around his neck and gently kissing his lips. The muscles stood out on his arms and chest with the effort it took to keep himself still. “I know there is still so much I have to learn and understand. But I know what is in my heart.” Taking one of 53

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his hands in hers, she placed it gently over her heart. “You’re a part of me and we belong together. Forever.”

Johanna paused for a moment and then uttered the words that would change her life eternally. “Make me like you.”

As if unleashing a tethered beast, he pounced on her. Before she could take a breath, she was flat on her back and his mouth covered hers in an all-consuming kiss. Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, she gave herself into his keeping, not knowing what was coming, but trusting him with her very life. His hands were everywhere as he ran them up and down her entire body as if committing every inch of it to memory. They traveled up her arms, teasing the sensitive skin on the underside. The skin on his hands was slightly rough and made her shiver as she imagined them on other parts of her body. He didn’t linger, but traced the veins in her neck and leaned over and nipped at the fluttering pulse at its base. From there, he continued down her torso, outlining her breasts and every single rib as he made his way to her hipbones. She moaned and eagerly parted her legs when he grazed her pubic bone, but he ignored the invitation and continued to trace a path down both legs to her feet. Her hips rolled on the bed and she could feel the aching need for him inside her.

“Cris.” His name was both a command and a plea. Her whole body felt like liquid fire, raging out of control.

“Shhh,” he whispered as he sat up in bed and pulled her feet into his lap. She wasn’t sure what he was going to do until he leaned over and began to nibble on her toes. His large hand held her foot steady as he made his way from her little toe to her large one, first licking and then sucking on each one. Johanna collapsed back against the pillows and let the pleasure take her. Never in her life would she have thought of her feet as an erogenous zone. Obviously, she had a lot to learn.

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“Oh my god,” she panted as he moved up her ankle and calf. Her chest was heaving as she gasped for breath. Meanwhile, he was nibbling his way past her knee and up towards her inner thigh.

Reaching down, she grabbed him by the hair and tugged him towards her moist, eager pussy. His laughter was wicked as he ignored her efforts and instead ran his tongue in the crease at the top of her leg. She almost shot off the bed. Cris gripped her inner thighs in his hands and held her wide open for his inspection before lowering his head and tasting her hot, wet flesh. Johanna grabbed the covers in her hands, trying to anchor herself as pleasure washed over her in waves. His sharp teeth carefully nipped her clitoris as his tongue flicked over the distending nub. For a moment, every muscle in her body was clenched tight as she was poised on the edge. He knew it too, as he looked straight at her before pressing his tongue hard against her clit and showing his teeth in a feral smile. She shot over the edge and could hear herself screaming as pure fire shot through her entire body. Her body jerked and heaved as her orgasm consumed her. When it finally subsided, she felt as if she didn’t have a bone in her body, she was so relaxed. Cris shifted until he was lying beside her and pulled her into his arms. Rubbing her nose against the hair on his chest, she snuggled tight in his embrace. Contented, she nuzzled one of his flat brown nipples before sucking it into her mouth and nibbling on it. His arms tightened and one of his hands cradled her head closer to him. Pleased with her efforts, she could feel his erection pushing against her leg, so she wrapped her hand around him and began to pump. His hips jerked forward in a reflex action as her other hand reached beneath him to caress his testicles, which were drawn tight to his body.

“Are you sure?” His question amazed her. Even at this stage, he was still concerned only about her.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She punctuated her statement by peppering kisses across the broad expanse of his chest. Leaning back, she met his hungry gaze. “I love you.”

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“It is time then.” Cris sat up in bed, forcing her to release her grip on him. Kneeling up on the bed, he pulled her to him. “Mount me.”

Johanna licked her lips in anticipation at the sight of his hard, thick cock and gingerly threw one leg over his knees and began to lower herself. Inch by inch, she took him into her. Her inner muscles squeezed him, and she could feel the fire growing deep within her again. Gripping his shoulders for support, she seated herself to the hilt, squirming around for a minute to get comfortable.

“Enough, woman.” He grabbed her hips and held them tight as he gave her a ferocious glare. She responded by reaching behind her and squeezing his balls. Cris moaned and lowered his mouth to her breasts, feasting on them. His tongue was hot against her skin and she could feel his teeth scraping across the skin. She felt the scorching caress between her legs as she got wetter and the need to move grew too great to ignore.

Rotating her hips, she pleasured them both. Her nipples were hard and aching and her breasts felt heavy and needy as he continued to play with them. “Now,” she pleaded.

As if he had only been waiting for her signal, Cris licked a hot trail from her breasts to her neck before allowing his teeth to sink into her. As he fed from her, she could feel each sucking motion between her legs. All his emotions, as well as her own, pummeled her, and the overwhelming desire engulfed her as she came long and hard. Her body gripped his cock tight as she came, but he was still rigid inside her when she finally collapsed against him. She lolled against him, feeling sated, yet still pleasantly aroused. He continued to drink from her until her vision blurred and all consciousness began to fade. She knew she should be afraid, but instead she was filled with a feeling of rightness and completion. If he needed all her blood to survive, she would gladly surrender every drop to him. That was her last thought as darkness greeted her. 56

Harker’s Journey

Chapter Eight

Cris felt her heart beat grow slower and slower. It pulsed one final time and then stopped. Forcing himself away from her neck, he used his tongue to close the small wound. His fingernails tore at the skin of his chest, slicing the flesh and opening up a large gash. As the blood flowed, he pushed her mouth towards the life-giving liquid. Reaching deep into her mind, he willed her to drink from him. If she did not, if some natural instinct kicked in and prevented her from doing so, then they were both dead.

“Drink my love,” he urged her, with words as well as with mental commands. Rubbing her lips back and forth against his bloody chest, he felt his hope slowly dying as she just lay limply against him. Fighting for both their lives, he bent all his concentration and skills towards getting her to drink from him. Long minutes passed as his blood trickled slowly but steadily down his chest, and still she did not move. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to face the inevitable—he had pushed her too hard. She was still so young, and he had wanted her too much. Her death was on his hands. “So be it.” His acceptance echoed throughout the room. She would not face it alone. His life was linked to hers now and he would join her in death rather than live without her.

At the very moment of his thought, he felt a tentative movement against his chest. Hope renewed, he begged, pleaded and commanded her to drink. It was slow at first, but within a moment, she was sucking slowly, but steadily. He raised his eyes to the heavens in thanks even as he felt a lone tear streak down his face. She drank steadily until he sensed she’d had enough. Gently, he eased her away from him. As she stared at him with her lips coated in his blood, he could feel his desire rising to a feverish pitch within him.