Passion Unleashed (14 page)

“What about your brothers?”

“Why?”

She blinked. “Why what?”

“Why do you want to know about them? About me?”

“Because I like you.”

Surprise and another emotion she couldn’t name flitted across his face before he closed his eyes, as though he couldn’t decide if he wanted her to like him or not. “Different mothers,” he said, his voice so gravelly she barely understood. “We had different mothers.”

“And where the hell was your father?”

A young couple walked past the table, and he waited for them to take seats on the far side of the car before saying, very quietly, “He’s the one who drove her to it. But her cla—ah, family, hunted him down and killed him a few months after I was born.”

She’d never been speechless before. Ever.

“Look,” he said. “I don’t usually—” He clutched his belly. “I… oh, damn.”

“Josh? What’s wrong?”

“Must be… something I ate.” He lurched to his feet, and she came to hers. “Need to get to my room.”

“Let me help you.”

“No,” he moaned. “I can do it.”

“You can barely stand. Now shut up and let me help.”

One corner of his mouth tipped up in the tiniest of smiles before he sucked in a pained breath and nearly fell over. “Shutting up, ma’am.”

“That must be a first for you.”

“Funny,” he gasped.

The rocking of the train didn’t help his balance as she guided him to the sleeping car. She nearly buckled under his weight a couple of times, and he would mutter, “Sorry,” and try to stand upright, which would send him careening into a wall.

“You’re not looking good, Josh. Maybe there’s a doctor on board.”

“No.” His voice was practically a shout, and when she flinched in surprise, he lowered his voice. “No. This has… happened before.”

She wanted to argue, but he seemed adamant, and besides, they’d arrived at his room. His hand was shaking so badly he couldn’t get his fingers into the handle slot in the door. When he cursed softly and gave up, just resting his head against the door, her heart nearly broke. He was powerful enough to break the thing down, but opening it normally was beyond his ability.

Wordlessly, she opened the door and helped him inside the tiny compartment.

The seats had been made into a bed already, and he collapsed onto it with a thud. A shudder wracked his body, followed by violent shivers. “C-cold.”

She palmed his forehead, which was on fire. How had he gone from merely warm to inferno in a matter of seconds? Something was seriously wrong. Quickly, she grabbed a blanket from the top bunk and covered him.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to my room to get another blanket.”

He didn’t seem to hear her, but the sound of his teeth chattering followed her all the way down the hall.

Wraith waited until Serena closed the door behind her to roll ungracefully off the bed and drag his duffel from beneath it. His stomach heaved and his muscles had locked up so hard he could barely move. Motherfucking poison was kicking his ass

It took forever to open his bag and find the medic kit. He spilled half of his pills but didn’t care. He finally swallowed the three he needed—one painkiller, one antibiotic, and one anti-seizure capsule. The painkiller wouldn’t actually work for the pain—for vampires, oral painkillers needed to be filtered through human blood and ingested to work—but it would reduce his fever.

There was a way to treat the pain—UG’s one human nurse had volunteered to take a high dose of Vicodin, and once it took effect, Shade had drawn as much blood as the human could stand losing. He’d then sealed the blood in small packets for Wraith to drink as needed.

Right now he needed—boy-howdy, he needed—but the effort involved in opening the insulated bag that held the medicated blood and the half-dozen units of food blood E’d packed was beyond his abilities. Instead, he shoved his duffel away and wondered how he was going to climb back onto the mattress.

The door opened, and he groaned as warm arms came around him. He felt himself being lifted, but Serena couldn’t get him onto the bed by herself, so he mustered the last of his strength to drag his sorry, freezing ass up. It was humiliating the way he couldn’t stop shivering, even after she covered him with three blankets.

Agony wracked his insides, and shooting pains stabbed his brain. The poison was eating away at him, killing his insides, just like E said it would. He heard Serena talking, but his hearing had dimmed, so he couldn’t understand. Her tone was enough to soothe him, though, and he just let himself listen to the gentle drone of her voice.

“Wraith?” His name floated down to him. Wraith? No, wishful thinking. She’d called him Josh. But what he wouldn’t give to hear his name on her lips.

Gods, if he wasn’t in so much pain he’d laugh. Clearly, he was delirious. Which was why, when he felt the bed sink and her warm body stretch out next to him, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. She was fire against his ice, a delicate furnace that eased his shivers almost immediately.

She stroked from his shoulder down to his hand and back up, lulling him, easing the chill and the pain. He didn’t know how long she petted him like that, but three hours later he woke up with her still curled against him, her light, delicate snores as comforting as anything.

She’d stayed with him. She barely knew him, and yet she’d taken care of him, held him, and was now sleeping next to him as if she belonged there.

He almost started shaking again. This time, though, he couldn’t blame the poison. With the exception of his brothers, no one had ever cared for him like that. And even with them, most of the time he suspected they cared more out of obligation than out of affection.

Carefully, so as not to wake her, he rolled over in the narrow bunk to face her. The darkness didn’t hinder his ability to admire the way her hair fanned out over the pillow, a silky curtain of gold. She was so peaceful in her sleep, her breathing soft and steady, her nose scrunching up every once in a while as though she were smelling something delicious in a dream.

He could get into her dreams and find out what she was thinking, like he had last night, but doing so now seemed wrong. An invasion of unforgivable proportions.

What. The. Hell.

He’d never given a shit about “wrong” before. Human morals did not apply to him. But suddenly, he was feeling squeamish about doing what he’d been born to do—get inside a female’s head and seduce the hell out of her.

Idiot.

He should get inside her right now. Get her so hot that when she woke up, she’d still be in a partial dream state, would willingly give herself to him. He was, after all, a predator, and it was time to take down his prey.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated, punched through the barrier between the conscious mind and the subconscious one.

He found her in a bedroom, and he got the impression it was hers, at Val’s guest house. Val. There might not be anything between Serena and the old guy, but he still wanted to rip the dude’s limbs off and beat him with them. Serena was hot, and no way was Val not noticing that.

“Josh?”

Wraith started. He hadn’t inserted himself into her dream yet, but she was asking for him? She was kneeling on the bed, naked except for a pair of fuck-me-baby high heels. A door near the foot of the bed opened, and… he walked out. Not his true self, but a dream Wraith she’d conjured.

Holy shit, she was dreaming about him. All on her own.

As Wraith watched, mouth open, his naked dream-self stalked across the room, fangs bared, body hard and primed for sex. And that naughty girl, she’d endowed him nicely.

Which, of course, was accurate.

Serena met him at the end of the bed, thighs spread, head thrown back, and the dream Wraith didn’t wait. He sank his teeth into her throat as he sank into her body.

The sex was raw and rough and when it was over, Serena held him.

And he held her.

Wraith’s gut wrenched. This was what she wanted. What she dreamed of on her own. What he could never give her.

Oh, he could give her the orgasms of her life, but the warm touchy-feely cuddles afterward? No, all he had for her was death’s cold embrace.

Guilt pricked at him like a needle, and shame tightened like a band around his chest. He pulled out of the dream and came back into the train compartment.

Fuck. Maybe the toxin was affecting more than just his body. Maybe it was fucking with his mind, too. And wouldn’t that just figure. Roag’s perfect revenge didn’t stop at killing him slowly. Oh, no. He had to saddle him with a conscience as well.

Serena stirred, gave a little yawn. She was so small against him, but she was strong. He could feel it in the taut firmness of her muscles, the hard lines of her body, all the way to the force of her will. And yet, there was a vulnerability to her that brought out a protective side he hadn’t known he possessed.

He ran his hand over her smooth cheek, tracing her jaw with his thumb, feathering a light touch down her long, graceful neck. Her pulse pounded beneath his fingers, and his own veins ran hot with lust. His fangs began to stretch in anticipation, but he couldn’t bite her, and he willed himself to calm down. She might have a vampire fetish, but he seriously doubted she would react well to the real thing.

Still, he couldn’t resist putting his lips to her throat. A sigh escaped her, and she arched into him, her breasts rubbing against his chest. Gods, she felt good against him. This was so wrong. So right.

She dragged her hands up his back to knead the muscles that had begun to knot at his line of thinking. The intimacy of the innocent act was shocking; females touched him to get sex, not for the simple pleasure of comfort. The sensation ripped through him, leaving him stunned and warm… and really goddamned annoyed.

Enough of the touchy-feely crap. They needed to get down and dirty. Especially after the true-confessions session in the dining car, when he’d rattled on about his childhood trauma like a dumbass.

He dropped his hand to her ass and tugged her hard into his erection. Then he spread her thighs with one of his and curled his fingers into the seam between her butt cheeks. She stiffened, but she didn’t resist when he rocked his leg upward and began a slow, circular grind.

“Oh, God,” she breathed. “This is… you know I can’t—”

“Shh.” He captured her mouth with his and kissed her hungrily, careful, as always, to be the aggressor so her tongue didn’t catch on the sharp tips of his fangs. “Let me make you feel good.”

She arched beneath him. “Good… yes.”

He let his fingers stray lower, so they brushed her cleft through the thin fabric of her skirt. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I swear to you, nothing but my hands and mouth will touch you.” He reared back to peg her with another promise that came out in a low, harsh growl. “I also swear that there will be nothing gentlemanly about what I do with my hands and mouth.”

Her sharp intake of breath accompanied a blast of lust that made his head swim.

“Well,” she said, in a deep, seductive drawl, “I should hope not.” And then she kissed him.

Serena felt Josh’s surprise in the tautness of his body, but when she flicked her tongue over his bottom lip, he relaxed and drew her even harder against him

He made an erotic noise of approval when she tugged her skirt up so she could hook her leg over his, putting her core in contact with the large bulge behind the fly of his jeans. Her senses flamed, and she shivered with pleasure.

She’d made out with men before, experimenting, testing her will, each time going a little further. But she wanted so much more than she could have, and heavy petting only frustrated her.

This could end in orgasms for them both, but ultimately, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. It could never be enough with a man like Josh. With him, she knew she’d want it all.

As good as it felt to have Josh’s hand stroking her between her legs like this, so deftly that she was nearly panting, this was a dangerous game. One she couldn’t play.

“No,” she croaked. “No!” She shoved hard at his chest and scrambled away. Too close to the edge of the mattress, she fell over the side and dropped heavily to the floor. Panic weighed her down and she couldn’t get to her feet, so she crawled in a mad bid to get to the door, her skirt tangling in her legs.

“Serena.” Josh’s hand closed on her ankle, and she cried out in surprise and panic and fear. Not of him, but of what she might do with him.

“Leave me alone!” She kicked, clipped him in the chin with her heel. Her fingers brushed the door—

Josh’s heavy body came down on top of hers, pinning her to the floor. She forced herself to breathe at the realization that her charm hadn’t protected her from being caught… and it wasn’t because her charm had failed. She’d wanted to get caught.

She was in a lot of trouble.

“Serena,” he repeated, his voice a sensual purr that rumbled through the weakest parts of her. The parts that were aching for his touch. “You don’t need to fear me.”

She swallowed, going lax in his arms as he rolled so they were both on their sides, his chest to her back, his arms caging her sweetly against him. “It’s not you I’m afraid of.”

His lips skimmed her cheek, his hot breath leaving a pleasant tingle on her skin as he spoke. “Then what?” He slid one hand to her belly to twine his fingers with hers. “Tell me.”

Wetness stung her eyes. “I’m afraid of what I want.”

“And what do you want?” When she said nothing, because her throat had closed up, he squeezed her hand. “What do you want, Serena? Show me.”

Desire swirled, collided with caution and consumed it. Fighting against the force of Josh’s sensuality and her own hunger was a losing effort, and for now, just this once, she’d cede the battle. Slowly, she dragged his hand down. When she reached the juncture between her legs, she arched, involuntarily, into his palm.

“Good girl,” he whispered, and kissed her cheek even as he fisted her skirt and dragged it up her legs. His other arm was pinned beneath her ribs, but his hand was free enough to slip beneath her gauzy blouse. His fingertips tickled her skin as they pushed aside her bra. When he cupped her breast and circled her nipple with his thumb, she heaved a breath she hadn’t known she’d held.