Poking the Vamp (Knight Protectors #3) (8 page)

Joce circled her pussy with his tongue, teasing the outer flesh with soft flicks before delving deep once more. He fucked her with that nubile muscle, tormenting her desperate flesh.

And then he explored her clit. He licked a slow path from entrance to that small bundle of nerves. The small nub was swollen and sensitive, begging to be kissed, caressed, and laved until she came.

Joce seemed more than ready to help her with that. He circled the bundle, ’round and ’round, again and again until she lay gasping and panting beneath him.

Then he did more. Then he suckled on that small part of her, tugging on her clit with his lips until she twitched and panted with each new sensation. The rapid back and forth of the tip of his tongue on the concentration of nerves sent her pleasure spiraling, crawling higher and higher with each rapid touch.

Kate twitched and jerked in his hold, hips anxious to chase the sensations, to follow them until she came. Her pussy clenched, rippling around air and she wished he’d slip his fingers inside her, torture her doubly.

Of course, it didn’t matter when his tempo changed, when he settled into a rhythm that had her panting and moaning with each consistent repetition.

Flick. Circle. Tap, tap. Circle. Flick.

He teased her with that pace, the repeat of those actions, for what felt like hours. She panted and moaned, pussy growing wetter by the second as his ministrations continued and he drove her slowly mad. She was desperate to be filled, to be consumed, by him.

“Joce…” Her pussy clenched again. And again. And… The rhythmic tightening of her muscles picked up his pace, each spasm sending a wave of spine-tingling pleasure through her body. “Oh, God…”

She ran her fingers over his shaved head, fighting for something to hang on to while the sensations stole her thoughts. Her breasts ached, her clit throbbed and her pussy begged to be filled by his long, thick cock. She wanted, oh, how she wanted to be taken by him.

Possessed.

Owned.

Consumed.

Kate pulled her hands from his head and cupped her breasts, kneading her abundant flesh and plucking her nipples with delicious tugs. She rolled her hips, trying to take more than he offered in order to drive herself over the edge of release.

Orgasm lurked near, dancing in and out of reach and it was…

“So close,” she released the words with a breathy whisper. “So…”

Joce growled low and added a scrape of his fang against her clit, sending a spear of pain through her blood.

And it simply added to her pleasure. No, it magnified the sensations. The new feeling sent her careening toward the edge of climax, forcing her body to balance at the tip where she danced along the threshold of ultimate pleasure and pain of denial.

Kate sobbed, the sensations growing and blossoming inside her, but going nowhere. The bubble of pleasure grew and grew yet refused to pop, refused to give her that ultimate joy.

“Joce,” she sobbed.

She was there—
there
—but she couldn’t tip over the precipice.

Joce lifted his mouth from her sensitive flesh, dragging a denial from her lungs.

“No!” She released her breasts, desperate to pull him back to her.

“Katherine,” the hoarse rasp had her faltering and she met his red-eyed gaze, his vampire nature out in full force. “Come.”

Then he opened his mouth.

Then he bared his fangs.

Then he bit… and he drank.

That first piercing of her flesh rocketed her from simmering arousal to screaming ecstasy. She arched and shouted his name as pure, unadulterated pleasure consumed her in a seductive rush of bliss. It rolled through her veins and skated along her nerves, sliding up and down her spine as each new wave brought her more and more.

She lost control of her body, the muscles no longer responding to her brain, that part of her short-circuited by the joy of his bite. Each pull forced her to accept more and more pleasure, more and more of those beautiful sensations.

Her toes curled, back arched, and eyes squeezed shut while she fought to survive the pleasure he created inside her body.

Still he fed, still he devoured her blood, and still she rolled from one orgasm to the next. They continued, unending and deliciously painful.

She shuddered and trembled, reveling in his attentions until… suddenly she wasn’t.

Until suddenly his mouth was gone.

Until suddenly he was on the other side of the room.

Until suddenly he wiped at his mouth with frantic hands as if battling to rid himself of her taste.

“What have I done?”

What had he done? He’d…

Joce’s cock throbbed and pulsed, the ache telling exactly what he
hadn’t
done. That wasn’t the issue though.

He’d tasted his
fire
and she’d been sensual and sweet, her juices like the finest wine. Then, when she’d been prepared to come, he’d tasted her blood. Even now the liquid still remained on his lips.

But it wasn’t
just
the blood. It was that added flavor that brought forward emotions that…

Emotions he couldn’t afford.

There was possessiveness and then there were the emotions invoked by the feeding, the taking of Kate’s blood as she came.

In that moment, that purity of pleasure, everything inside his partner became clear. Her feelings, her worries, her joys, her sadness. Anything that plagued her was known to him. Above all, he experienced her feelings for him.

And then his heart responded. It beat for her, reached for her, stretched to connect with hers as only a
fire
and her mate could.

But he’d walked that emotional path before, hadn’t he? He’d tiptoed along the edge and it’d cost him so, so much.

A price he couldn’t ever pay again.

Because he didn’t want to claim her as his because she belonged to him. He wanted to claim her because he cared for her. Already.

And perhaps it was more than simply caring.

How stupid was he to think he could have a
fire
, but not feel for her.

He was deluded.

His cock told him he didn’t give a fuck about his emotional state, it was still unsated.

“Joce?” Confusion marred her features, her brow lowered and pinched. “What’s wrong?”

How could he explain when he wasn’t sure himself? He just knew these feelings were wrong. He shouldn’t have them. They led to heartache and pain and he refused to lose himself once more.

“Joce?” Kate pushed to her elbows and then eased farther until she sat upright in the middle of the bed. She crawled to the edge, wincing once she threw her legs over the side. When she glanced at the juncture of her thighs, he saw the still-bleeding puncture marks.

They would continue bleeding until…

“You,” he rasped and cleared his throat. “You need to lick your palm and rub it on the wound. Otherwise it won’t stop bleeding. We have a natural coagulant in our—”

She shot him a glare, reminding him she probably knew that. “And you can’t help me because?”

Because he was a coward?

Because he couldn’t trust himself with her?

Because he couldn’t afford to trust
anyone
?

Because it hurt too much to care?

Yes. All of the above.

“Katherine, I…” he sighed and ran a hand over his skull. His hair had grown a little, the short strands pricking his palm. “I’m sorry.” He looked to her, hoping she could see his regret. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this life. I’m sorry I Changed you. I’m sorry… I’m just sorry.”

He quieted, not saying another word, waiting for her response.

“You’re sorry? I don’t know what that means to us, to me. You act like you don’t… want…” The knowledge finally showed in her expression and her shattering heart was like a physical blow to his soul. “I see.”

“I’m—”

“Sorry. I know.” Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper. “I heard you.” She shook her head. “But I’m your
fire
. What does
sorry
mean for us?”

He ignored the way her breath hitched at the word fire. “I’ll still be available to feed you and I hope that you will still,” he swallowed hard and pulled his attention from her. “I hope that you will still feed me.”

And he hoped he wouldn’t be drowned in his feelings for her each time.

Love was dangerous.

Trust was dangerous.

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head for the millionth time and it tore at his heart.

“You do understand. This was a mistake and it’s one we’ll both have to live with. For now, while the bond is new, we’ll feed from each other. We can explore alternative food sources later.” He took a deep breath, savoring the scent of her blood and sex permeating the air. He’d miss those flavors, the taste and smell of her desire. “You can stay here and I’ll find different rooms in the mansion or Carac can set you up in one of the vacant suites.”

“That’s it.” Her voice sounded hollow to his ears.

“That’s it.” It had to be. He couldn’t handle destroying the woman he loved twice in a lifetime. “That’s it.”

“You bastard,” she hissed, seething rage filling her eyes. “You fucking
asshole
.”

He couldn’t stomach the weight of her rage and diverted his attention from her eyes. “You’re still bleeding.”

She sucked in a harsh breath and a moment later her palm smacked against her inner thigh and she roughly rubbed the bite. He hated that she was so harsh with her own body, but he didn’t get to say anything any longer, did he? Which meant he swallowed his admonishing words.

“There, now I won’t bleed to death while I leave you,” she snarled and pushed to her feet. Her gaze swept the ground, probably searching for her clothing.

The clothing he’d destroyed.

Joce walked into his closet and grabbed a robe. “Here, you can cover up with this.”

“Thanks,” she snapped. “So nice of you to give me a way to get the fuck away from you.”

There was no missing the sarcasm. Or the hurt underneath it.

“Katherine…”

“Don’t.” She held up a hand. “Save it. Whatever else there is. Just save it.”

Tears filled her eyes and his gut clenched at the sight of them. Because he was the cause.

“I didn’t expect a declaration of undying love, Joce. But when I heard the word
fire
and it felt so right all the way into my soul. I thought you felt the same way. I thought we were in whatever this is, together. But obviously I was wrong.”

She didn’t realize how right she was.

Kate shook her head. “You know, usually the guy kicks the girl out
after
he comes, not before.”

He didn’t want to think of her with anyone else. She should only ever be with
him
.

She snatched the robe from his fingers and slipped her arms through the holes, tying it tightly around her waist. The hem dragged on the ground, but she didn’t seem to care. No, she was still telling him that he was an idiot and an asshole.

No disputing that.

Kate stomped to the door and paused just as she placed her hand on the knob. “I don’t know what the future holds for anyone, Joce, but after I was Changed, when I woke up and heard you claim me. When the word
fire
resonated in my heart, I never imagined my future without you. My whole world changed in that moment and here you are changing it again.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fuck your ‘sorry’ and fuck you. If this is what you want, some arrangement where we live our own lives, then fine. We’ll meet, we’ll feed, and then we’ll part. Because this,” she waved her hand and gestured at the room. “I can’t do this again anytime soon. You should have let me die.” She turned the knob and pulled open the door.

When she stepped through the portal, leaving his domain, he couldn’t help but speak to her once more.

“Katherine…” she glared at him with dark chocolate eyes and he wished they were red and hungry for him once more. “I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry.

Two words, three syllables and then she’d been alone. Oh, Kate had been the one to walk out of his room, unable to be locked in a confined space with Joce, but she was the one alone.

She still didn’t understand how they’d gone from passion to pain, but they did. And it was pain. No, agony. It struck her heart and had her body slowly freezing from inside out, the sensations growing with every day they remained apart.

They were up to seven now.

Seven days since they’d nearly solidified their bonding, shared their passion, and he’d kept his distance ever since. Mostly. She was able to sense his growing, gnawing hunger and assumed he could do the same with her. So that’s when he approached, stilted conversation followed by a blood exchange and then he had to rush off, emotional turmoil covering his features.

Each day ending with a whispered,
I’m sorry.

She wasn’t sorry. Not really. She didn’t care for the way her life had been partially destroyed with her new vampiric status, but she still got to practice medicine, albeit on vamps. She didn’t like the fact that she’d been forced to move into Carac’s mansion, though she understood it was for her own protection. Things were happening in the Other underworld of the city. Vamps and Broken along with Others battled and prepared for… something.

Tory was still trying to hunt up any warnings in the books in the protector library.

The protectors were busy, Wren played homemaker for the males, and Tory sought answers. Kate only had something to do when one of the protectors came stumbling in injured once more. She stitched them up, pumped them full of blood, and sent them on their way.

All with supplies from the medical clinic no one knew existed until recently. The place where she’d been both destroyed and saved. The place she avoided.

Having servants was wonderful.

So, she’d avoided the room. Until today. Was she allowed to go back there?

Well, no one said she couldn’t return, so she did. She remembered the gleaming surfaces, the smooth floors, the way the walls sparkled, so crisp and white.

She traversed the hallways, turning this way and that, passing the room where she watched over Joce, and on until she came to the familiar—yet not—double doors. They swung both ways, allowing easy entrance and exit with a single push and without the bother of dealing with doorknobs. The hinges were smooth, no screeches or rough squeaks when she nudged one. It slipped aside easily, exposing the clinic’s interior.