Master for Tonight (28 page)

He flew up to standing as she picked up a
large piece of cement, bringing it down over his head. He stumbled
back a few steps before launching himself at her again. Grabbing
her around her torso with one arm, he pinned her body to him and
bent her head to the right until it snapped. Her head listed down
to her front, and he pulled it back to rest on her shoulder.

His fangs elongated and he tore into her
flesh, ripping at her neck and spitting her blood, tendons and
veins out onto the ground. Blood poured into his mouth and covered
his face. She shook in his arms and her knees gave out. Her body
shifted lower at her weight no longer being supported.

Julian felt, rather than saw, the knife as
it pierced between his ribs and through his lungs and heart.

“No!” Kate screamed from the door and ran
into the yard. “Julian!”

Injured, yet still quicker than his Maker,
Julian reached Kate, first pushing her behind him as Evangeline
jumped from left to right, slashing her arms at his body as she
tried to get at Kate. Julian backhanded Evangeline, and her body
flew up into the air before he picked up Kate and quickly returned
her to inside the house.

“Stay here. No matter what.” He pulled the
knife out of his side and let it clatter to the floor. His blood
and other body matter splattered against the wood. “She cannot kill
me, but she can kill you.”

He ran out, searching for Evangeline.

*

“I searched the rest of the night and was
unable to locate her, Reese.” Julian said, leaning against the
outside column of the house. “And, now we’re unable to find her
anywhere. I should have ended her when I had the chance, but Kate
got in the way.”

“I’m sorry I was out of pocket when she
arrived. There was an emergency with Mazzie, and I must have left
my phone at my place in my rush to get to her.”

“Is she all right?”

“Yes, but I need to research a few things
before I come to a conclusion of what it was or who is behind
it.”

“Anything to share yet?”

“Not yet.” Reese paused and looked at
Julian.

“What is it?”

“Is Kate awake?”

“Yes, I am.” She stepped out the door,
shutting it behind her.

Reese said to Kate, “You and I need to
speak.” He glanced at Julian. “Alone.”

“Okay. Baby, can you give us some privacy?”
Kate asked.

Julian eyed them, but nodded and went
inside.

“What is it, Reese?”

“As you know, Julian and I have been hunting
Evangeline, and we aren’t getting anywhere. She’s covering all her
tracks extremely well. None of my sources have seen her,
either.”

He motioned for her to follow him, and they
walked out into the yard.

His voice fell to a whisper. “I think you
can help.” He nodded when she pointed to herself. “Do you remember
what we discussed?”

“You want to use me as bait?”

“No fucking way, Reese!” Julian stormed out
of the house and over to where they stood. “Kate, go back into the
house. Now.”

“But, if he’s right, Julian—”

“No!” he yelled with a set jaw.

“You can’t make this decision for me. I want
this to be over. More women have died.”

“And you won’t be one of them.”

“You’ve given me your blood. You even said
that was why you did it.”

“He did what?” Reese jumped back into the
conversation. “Julian, if you gave her your blood, she’s
practically death proof since you’ve had so much of mine.”

“It was only the one time.” Julian looked at
Reese pointedly. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before,
Reese?”

“Then, I’ll do it again before we do this,”
Kate said, pulling on Julian’s arm to get his attention to her.

“Or she can take mine,” Reese offered.
Julian’s head snapped up. “Before you protest, remember, it was you
who wanted me to turn her.”

“You’re taking my blood again,
regardless.”

“And then, I’ll be the bait.”

Julian’s eyes were hard as he looked at her.
“We’ll discuss this later.”

“It will work, and you know it,” Reese said,
and then moved in front of Kate. “You know I won’t let anything
happen to you.”

“Yes, I know. I’ll talk him into it. It
really is the best idea.”

“You’re not talking me into anything.”

“I’ll speak to Mazzie about it,” Reese
said.

“Oh, my God, no! Let me.” Kate grabbed
Reese’s hands in hers. “She’s going to come unglued. On second
thought, maybe we don’t tell her?”

“I will,” Julian said, pulling Kate back to
face him. “She’s your best friend and she loves you. She has a
right to know what you two are planning. And you,” he said, glaring
at Reese, “will have her bloody wrath to contend with this
time.”

“She’s going to blame you or Reese again
when neither of you have anything to do with this decision. In
fact, it was
her
idea! She doesn’t need to know anything
until after it’s done.”

Julian sighed. “What happened to the woman
riddled with panic attacks?”

“You took them away. Remember?” She smiled
up at him sweetly. “I’m not weak and never was. I just had issues.
We can and should do this.”

“Kate, I told you to go inside. I need to
speak to Reese alone.”

She blinked twice and looked up at him
again. “What did you just say to me?”

“You heard what I said. Now, are you going
to do it yourself, or do I need to do it for you? I need to
straighten out some things with Reese. He should have approached me
about this, instead of you.”

“I know you didn’t just speak to me like
that! Who do you think you are?” she said, poking him in the chest.
“Approached you? It’s
my
life we’re talking about,
Julian.”

“Goodnight to you both,” Reese said, and
quickly fled the scene.

“This is exactly what I mean about you
wanting to own me.” She stepped away from him and walked towards
the house.

He was quick on her heels, grabbing her by
her arm and making her stop.

“If you think for one minute, I’m going to
put you in danger or allow someone else to do it, even yourself,
you are sorely mistaken. If that means making you angry with me, I
can live with that.”

“This is my decision, not yours.” She jerked
her arm and he let her go, watching her stomp back towards the
house again.

He barked out a laugh. “Oh, you are so wrong
on that.”

She whirled around. “Wrong? Oh, so now you
make my decisions for me?”

“No, but when you’re making the wrong one,
I’m going to fucking stop you. On that, you have my word.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said, opening
the front door and slamming it behind her. Julian was in the house
and in front of her at the stairs in a blink.

“Remember what happened the last time you
threw down a gauntlet?”

“Julian.” Kate looked at the floor in front
of her.

He lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “You’d
do well to answer me.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“What happened?”

“You picked it up.”

“That, I did.” He picked her up and tossed
her over his shoulder. “And I am again.”

“I don’t want to make love right now.”

“Yeah? Me, either.”

He smacked her ass and went up the stairs,
taking them two at a time. Entering the bedroom, he tossed her on
the bed, and she bounced on the mattress, her hair flying around
her. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to her. It
landed on her head, and she pulled it off, setting it on the
nightstand.

“You’re going to learn who’s in fucking
charge, Kate. You seem to have forgotten. I understand why it would
be confusing for you lately. I intend to straighten it out for
you.”

His belt came out of the loops with a
crackling snap, and her eyes grew as wide and round as saucers. She
pulled her knees to her chest as she watched him advance on her
like an animal stalking its prey. Reaching the end of the bed, he
glanced at the belt and back at her dilated eyes, and then dropped
it to the floor. He grabbed her feet and pulled her down the bed,
and she lay still.

“What do you need?” He ripped her jeans legs
apart at the seams from the bottom to top, getting her out of them
and her panties. “I know what it is, but are you going tell me? Do
you even know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,
baby.”

“Oh, is it
baby
now? I don’t think
so. I think you know very well what you need.” He sat on the
mattress and pulled her over his knee, holding her legs between his
as she wiggled against him. “You need a reminder. Hold still.”

She stilled at his words and gripped his
ankle, anticipating his hand landing on her. He rubbed his hand
over her cheeks, making her shiver. His fingers strayed between her
legs and she cried out at their touch against her.

His palm landed on her ass and his fingers
entered her at the same time, giving her pain and pleasure
simultaneously. The stinging of her skin accentuated the popping of
her nerve endings in her pussy. Julian rubbed the reddening cheek
as he pumped his fingers into her hard, curving them against her
walls.

“Another, then?” He purred down to her, and
she moaned in response to him. “I can’t hear you. You need another,
don’t you?”

“Yes,” she whispered up to him, and his hand
landed on the other cheek with a resounding smack. His fingers
smacked into her, as well, the wet sound and feel only increasing
her arousal.

“It isn’t so hard to ask me for what you
fucking need. Is it?” He ignored his hardened cock, but didn’t stop
her when she reached for it, holding it over his pants.

“Another. Please, Julian.”

He groaned as she squeezed him. “I’ll always
give you what you need.”

His hand landed on her again and again,
until her cheeks were a bright pink. She screamed out her release,
gushing over his fingers, droplets falling onto the floor as he
continued his assault on her, not stopping until she begged him
with tears streaming.

Releasing her legs, he held her to him. He
kissed her hair and placed his chin on her head. Her breath was
slow and steady again.

“You in there?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m here.”

She lifted her face to his and kissed him,
running her tongue over his lips before entering his mouth. He
pricked his tongue with his fang to make his blood flow and did the
same to hers. Their blood mingled, and they drank each other down.
Their passion for each other already heated, the connection of the
blood sealed them as one and worked to soothe her soreness.

At the headiness of their blood sharing, he
fell back onto the mattress, taking her with him. She broke away
from him, quickly removing her top and bra before going back to his
mouth, crushing her breasts against his chest. Her hands roamed
through his hair, and she pulled him at the back of his head to her
mouth harder.

She lifted and began grinding against his
cock.

“I know what I need right now, lover.” She
unbuttoned his trousers and pulled him out into her hands.

“Get your soaking pussy around my cock,
Kate.” Julian pushed his pants down, kicking them off his feet and
into the air. “Ride me.”

Climbing back on top of him, she eased
herself onto his rigidness until she felt his balls against her
ass. Slowly, she rose and lowered herself onto him, raising herself
to the tip before going back down. He put his hands on her hips and
helped support and guide her movements. Her walls were tightening
as fast as his restraint was leaving him. She placed her feet flat
on the mattress, using her leg strength to bounce on him
faster.

He rolled her nipples in his fingers,
pinching and pulling them to just the right level of pain, and she
threw her head back, pushing her breasts into his hands.

“Yes, baby! Please!” She moaned at the
pressure on her nipples and the burning of her cheeks.

“Mmmm….” He couldn’t speak anymore, as it
would take too much focus away from trying to control his engorged
cock. It thumped as his blood rushed, filling it with an aching
need.

She fell against his chest, exhausted, and
he rolled them over.

He nuzzled against her ear and said, “Get on
your knees.”

The vision of her face on the mattress and
still pink ass waving in the air was almost his undoing, and he
grabbed his cock in his fist at the base to calm it.

“What a sight you are, and all for me.”

“Hurry, baby,” she begged. “I need you.”

He slammed his length into her and took her
hair into his hands, pulling her head up as he rode her.

“Look in the mirror, beauty.”

She raised herself onto her hands and
watched as he took her. He was working her hard and deep, his
length driving into her as his hips popped back and forth.

“Who’s fucking you?”

“You! You’re fucking me!”

“Who do you belong to?”

“You! You!”

“Who owns you?”

“You!”

“Are you going to come for me like a good
girl?”

“God! Yes! Yes! I’ll come for you!”

“Now, Kate!” He released her hair and pumped
into her harder and faster as she worked her hips back and forth to
meet him. Her walls clenched and unclenched him as tight as his own
fist, working his shaft.

“Ahhhhhh!” She screamed and came for him as
he couldn’t hold his release back any longer. He held her hips
against his groin as he claimed her again as his.

When her trembling ceased, he lifted her
head to his. “Who’s in control?”

“You are, Julian.”

He kissed the tip of her nose and rolled off
her, to his side. He smacked her ass lightly.

“Try to remember it, love.”

She snuggled closer to him, placing her
hands on his chest, setting her chin on her hands. “I still think
it’s a good idea, baby,” she said with a smile.