Not Another Vampire Book (23 page)

She
heard the desperation in his voice.  “Damien, Jesus, do I seem like I’m not
enjoying this?”

He
fondled her damp curls.  “No.”

“Then
what the hell are you worrying about?”  She licked her lower lip.  “Forget the
Vampires.  You’re not a creature.  I know that.  If you do something that
freaks me out, I’ll let you know.  Otherwise, hurry up!”  She rubbed against
him, impatiently.

She
heard him expel a shaky breath.  “We can’t mate here.  When I do take you, it
will be in a bed.  Civilized.  But, it will be like this.  You held before
me.”  Two fingers slipped inside of her in a kind of sneak preview.  “Will you
accept me fully?”

Kara
cried out as he pressed as deep as he could go.

And
then he just stilled.

She
couldn’t get any leverage, so she was still under Damien control.  Her back
arched in frustration needing relief, feeling vulnerable and wanton, full and
needy.

“Will
you accept me fully, Kara Lynn?”

Would
she sleep with him, he meant.  Kara hesitated, trying to think.  Fooling around
was one thing, but actually having sex with Damien was… more.  It seemed real. 
Like a commitment.  She didn’t just jump into bed with men on a whim.  Especially
not magical, non-human ones.

“We’ll
stay like this until you agree.”  He rubbed her sensitized flesh just enough to
make her brain start misfiring.  “The coachman will be surprised when he opens
the door.”

Her
gaze widened.  She’d forgotten about that guy.  What was it with carriage
drivers in this place?  “Can he hear us?”

“Not
with me cloaking the sounds.”  Damien’s fingers continued their slow massage. 
“I can stop touching you, if you’re concerned, though.”

Stretched
and held by him, Kara felt deliciously wicked.  He wasn’t going to stop.  The
bastard was teasing her, trying to get his own way.  Why did any girl ever try
to avoid the bad guy?  “If you stop touching me, you’d better be wearing
Kevlar, buddy.”

“Does
that mean you want me to continue?”  His erotic tone had her squeezing her eyes
shut.

She
bobbed her head.

“I’ll
give you this, Kara Lynn and later I’ll have you just the way I want.  Agreed?”

She
nodded, again, stupidly helpless to say no.

“Such
a good human.”  Satisfaction rang in his tone.  “Lean back,
cari
.”  He
shifted her against his chest, his lips grazing her temple, as his fingers
began a quick, relentless assault.  In and out.  In and out.  Faster and
faster, until all she knew was the rough, sinful invasion.

“Damien.” 
Kara turned so her mouth could find his, kissing him frantically, pleadingly. 
He could have anything he wanted if only he’d hurry.

His
kiss plundered her.  “You are mine.”  He ground out.  “Say it.”

“Yes,
yes, yes.”  It became a chant.  Kara instinctively tilted her head to the side,
exposing her neck in seduction and submission.  “Now,
please
.”

He
made a snarling sound, his head lowering to kiss the side of her throat.  Teeth
grazed lightly and Kara exploded.  “
Damien!
”  Pleasure tore through her
and she shrieked his name.

Damien
held her, his face buried against her neck as she shuddered.  It went on and
on, his fingers still moving, taking everything she had.  She finally quieted
with a contented sigh, cuddling even closer to him, more replete than she had
ever been.

God,
she was in trouble.

Damien’s
hand slipped from inside her, but he didn’t loosen his hold.  Instead, he
shifted them around so he was sitting on the seat, Kara resting in his lap.  He
was rock hard and apparently not going to do anything about it.

Instead,
he tugged the neckline of her dress down.  Just yanked it over her breasts so
they were exposed to his gaze.  Kara swallowed, at the proprietary move.  It
wasn’t even foreplay, now.  He just wanted to see her breasts, watch them
bounce slighting as the carriage rolled along.  He sat there, his eyes on her
erect nipples, and gave a contented purr.  “Mine.”  Large hands came up to
massage them and Kara’s eyes drifted closed in surrender.

Yeah. 
This was definitely trouble.

“Darling
Melessa.”  Slade swept her around the human dance floor.  “Fear not.  I have
avenged you.”

“Oh, Slade.  Thank you for your heroic rescue.”  Her
gaze cut over to where To’kel’s body lay.  The human waiters had covered the
dreadful thing with a tablecloth, lest the ball be ruined by his dead, gaping
eyes staring at the dancers.  Still, it was a dark cloud against the shining
sun of their future.  “Shall we never know a moment of peace?  Will our enemies
always pursue us?”

“It is the price of being valiant and good, My Eternal
One.  Villains always seek you out.”  He regarded her tenderly.  “But, we shall
prevail.  It’s a town full losers and we’re pullin’ outta here to win.”

Eternal Passion at Sunset- Chapter Twelve

Karalynn
wasn’t meeting his gaze.

Since
they left the carriage, she’d been doing her best to look everywhere
but
him.

Her
chocolate brown eyes stayed fixed on the huge, neoclassical buildings of the
Court of Honor as they walked towards the ball.  Gigantic structures, covered
in windows and ornate decoration, they were the centerpiece of the
fairgrounds.  The guidebooks already dubbed the display the White City.

Surrounding
a wide reflecting pool, the main buildings were outlined in electric lights and
painted a uniform alabaster shade.  All the wonders of the age were exhibited
within them.  Trains and gadgets and Tiffany glass spread out for everyone to
admire.  But it was the White City itself that made the boldest statement.

The
Pyramid of Giza could have fit inside just one of the massive spaces and there
were over half a dozen.  The buildings were stunning, ostentatious displays of
American power.  Damien didn’t blame Kara for being stunned by their size.  But
he had the feeling she wasn’t even seeing them as she stared up at the plaster
façades.

She
just didn’t want to look at
him
.

Kara
liked to be in control.  Liked to act as if she knew exactly what she was doing,
but she was very, very innocent.  Compared to him, she hadn’t lived at all. 
She’d handed herself over to him in the carriage and she had no idea what to do
next.

Tenderness
welled inside of him.  “Kara Lynn, all will be well.”  Damien’s hand stayed at
the small of her back.  He hadn’t been able to stop touching her since she’d
come apart in his arms.  She was so soft.  He wanted to caress her everywhere. 
To hear her crying his name, again.  To mate with her and seal them together
before she changed her mind.

What
the hell were they doing, going to this stupid human party?

Even
killing To’kel suddenly seemed like a colossal waste of time.

“You
don’t understand.”  Kara stopped walking and cleared her throat.  “Okay, look, I
can’t just sleep with every handsome villain who tries to kidnap me.”

He
arched a brow and leaned closer to her ear.  “How about just one?”

“No! 
Especially not if he’s
you
.  Stop distracting me by being cute.  I can’t
let you... Um...”  She trailed off as he carefully nipped her earlobe.  “Damn
it, now I forgot my speech.”

Damien
smiled at that and kissed his way down the curve of her neck.  “You think me
handsome.”  He prompted, helpfully.  They were standing in the middle of the
pathway.  Humans were watching them as they passed, but he couldn’t care less. 
He had no problem with letting the world know Karalynn Donnelly was his.

“I
think you’re a jerk.”  But, she still tilted her head to give him better
access.  “Trying to seduce me won’t work, because I’m a strong and moral person
who knows that this will all end badly and... Oh, Damien,
yes
, right
there.”  His teeth grazed and Kara’s hand clenched on his arm.  Her breasts
slid against his chest as she arched upward.  “Holy cow.  How do you do that?”

“Magic.” 
Biological instinct
.  He was a Wizard Warlock and she was his mate.  What
she craved was part of that connection.  Gods, she smelled good.  He gently bit
down on the curve of her neck, just as she liked and nearly groaned when she
whimpered.  The need to mark her rode him hard.  “
You
are seducing
me
,
cari
.  Not the other way around.”

“Yeah,
right.”  She snorted like that was the stupidest thing he’d ever said.  “‘Cause
I’m rocking the femme fatale.  It’s probably the hair.”

“Possibly.” 
The curls did draw his eyes over and over.  He could have drowned in them. 
Damien pulled back, ducking his head and forcing her to meet his gaze.  “
Cari
,
I understand that you’re apprehensive about mating with me.  But, you needn’t
worry.  I will not harm you.”

Her
eyes stayed locked on his.  “Not intentionally, no.”

Damien
was insulted.  “Not in
any
way.”  He would die before he hurt this
woman.  Anything left in his soul belonged to her.  “How can you think I’d
injure you, Kara Lynn?”

“There
are different ways to harm someone.”

What
did that mean?  “You’ve already given consent for the mating.  Do you wish to
revoke that?”  If she did, he had no idea what he’d do.  Weeping might be an
option.  Or destroying the planet in pure sexual frustration.

“No,
I don’t want to revoke anything.”  The words were almost soundless.  “Not
exactly.”

For
a man who only felt vengeance, the relief that washed through him was
staggering.

Of
course, then she bit her lower lip and kept talking.  The woman loved to
complicate things.  “I’ve wanted to sleep with you from the very beginning, Damien. 
You’ve probably picked up on that fact.  You’re incredibly gorgeous, and you’re
funny and strange in all the best ways, and you make me feel things that I
shouldn’t, and...”  She shook her head.  “But, it’s just a really bad idea to
take this any further.  It is.”

His
mouth curved into a smile at her earnest tone.  “You say I am the villain.  Villains
like bad ideas.”

“Except
you keep saying you’re
not
the villain.  That’s the whole problem.  You
don’t believe this is a book and, when we get to the end, I’m scared of what
will happen to you.”

“I
will kill Slade and then I’ll... uh...” Actually he had no plans beyond that. 
He’d never once thought of what would happen the day
after
he destroyed
the Vampire.  Damien paused, confused by the sudden blankness of his future.

Kara
stared up at him, looking close to tears.  “No.  You won’t kill Slade.”  She
said, quietly.  “That’s why you have no idea what happens next.  You won’t get out
of this book alive.  Meanwhile, I keep caring more and more about someone who
plans to kill himself.”

Damien’s
heart gave a jolt.  “You care for me?”

“Yes!” 
She gave his chest an agitated thump with her hand.  “That’s why I’m asking you
to stop this.  Stop trying to kill Slade before it’s too late.  Please.”

Give
up his revenge?  Damien was stunned.  How could she ask that of him?  “Kara Lynn,
I can’t.  This means
everything
to me.  My vengeance is all that I have. 
Can’t you see that?”

Apparently
not.

“I
see that you’ll be gone before the epilogue.”  She jerked away from him.  “I
see that no matter what happens, I’m going to be alone.  I see that you’re a
selfish jackass and I’m…Damn it!”  She took off down the pathway, swiping at
her cheeks.

Damien
closed his eyes.  The woman was right.

He
was being selfish.

A
Wizard Warlock always placed his
cari
first.  Her needs were always
paramount.  What kind of sorcerer cared more for his own revenge than for his
mate’s happiness?  Was this the type of creature he’d become?

So
far, he’d drugged Kara, allowed dragons and Vampires to menace her, he’d kidnapped
her, and forgotten to feed her, he’d locked her in his home and made her cry.  Now,
he wanted her to mate with him, when he might very well die and abandon her to
a hostile, unfamiliar world.

He
hadn’t even explained what being his
cari
really meant.  He told Kara it
was an endearment, hiding the truth because he knew it would make it easier to
gain her consent.  Consent that really wasn’t consent at all, since he’d stolen
her choices.  He’d wanted her and he took her.  He dragged a small, innocent
human into his war.

And
still she said she cared for him.

After
everything he’d done to her, she still worried for him and their future. 
Karalynn was so good.  She deserved her mate to care for her in return, but
that emotion had been burned out of Damien long ago.  He wouldn’t even know how
to find it, again.  He could feel nothing but his vengeance and she deserved so
much more.  So much better.

He
should let her go.

The
thought drifted through Damien’s mind and he nearly doubled over at the
horrible truth of it.  Helpless rage filled him.  He wanted to block out the
moment of clarity and go back to thinking as he used to, before Kara confused
things for him.  Back to the comforting fog of his hatred.  Only he couldn’t
put the blinders back on, now that she’d ripped them off.

He
should let her go.

It
was the only honorable choice.

Let
her go with Slade.  Let her go free.  Kara could be the queen of the Vampires,
living in her golden palace.  Damien saw his own death drawing closer, all the
time.  What the hell did he have to offer her?  He was the last of his people,
so there were no other Wizard Warlocks to care for her after he was gone.  If
he mated with her, Karalynn would be alone in the world, facing a very long
life in a foreign time and powers he hadn’t prepared her for.

In
the end, he would destroy her.

Damien’s
eyes focused on the back of her head, watching the seductive bounce of her
coffee colored curls.  She was so alive.  So bright and special.  She was the
only thing he’d ever wanted just for himself.  The only being who’d ever
offered him a chance at peace.

A
good man –one of her storybook heroes-- would let Kara go before he doomed her,
too.

What
kind of mate was he?

He
thought only of his desperate, wild need for the woman.  How long he’d waited
and how much he wanted to keep her with him.  He
should
think of
Karalynn’s future.  He should ensure that she would be protected.  He should be
the man his parents had raised and do one unselfish thing in his long,
miserable existence.

Damien
swallowed hard, some unidentifiable weight lodging inside of him and making it
hard to breathe.

He
should let her go.

*****

Kara
wasn’t a world’s fair scholar, but she was pretty damn sure there hadn’t been a
frigging “Ballroom Building” in the Court of Honor.  No way.  And even if there
was
it probably wasn’t shaped like the White House and decorated exactly
like that scene from
Beauty and the Beast
.  And she’d bet her life that
the orchestra there wouldn’t have actually played a slow, waltz-y version of
Springsteen’s
Thunder Road
.

God,
she hated this book.

The
Boss should sue Tanya for every penny she had.

Kara
stalked passed the doorman, ignoring his prompting, “Do you have an invitation,
Miss?” and shoved her way through the crowd.  She wasn’t in the mood to be
polite.  In fact, thanks to Damien, she was pissed at this whole make-believe
world.  Even more so than usual.

Damn
sorcerer.

She
alternated between wanting to hit him with blunt objects and wanting to ravish
him.

It
was crazy to let him affect her this way.  None of this was real.  Damien was
just a character and she wasn’t part of his story.  At the end of the book,
Kara would be out of there.  She’d fix Slade and Melessa’s happily ever after
and she’d never see Damien’s infuriating face again.

Or
his really nice body.

Or
the way he sort of smiled when he said her name.

Or
the way his hair fell over his brow when he titled his head...

Shit
.

Kara
expelled a frustrated breath, knowing the truth.

The
book wasn’t real... but Damien
was
.

The
more she considered it, the more sure she was that he actually existed.  He had
thoughts and ideas and emotions that were all his own.  Damien had a heart and
soul, dreams and memories.  He had
life
.  He was so much more than just words
on a page.  So much more than just a character controlled by Tanya.

Damien
was very, very real.

Kara
felt that right down to her bones and it scared her.

She
should be running away from him as fast as she could.  Damien fully intended to
kamikaze himself into the USS Vampire.  Nothing Kara said would dissuade him,
not even telling him that he’d lose, and die, and not even get a mention in the
sequel.  If she got any closer to that lunatic, she’d end up with a broken
heart.  She
knew
that and still she figured it was pretty much a
foregone conclusion that she’d strip his clothes off anyway.  Kara was
discovering that her IQ dropped like a stone around the jerk.