Sweeter Than Wine (7 page)

“Don’t let him frighten you. It’s only Matt.”

49

“Matt?” Suddenly, it all made sense. She knew Matt was a
were
cougar, but before last night she’d never even suspected such things were possible. Soft, tawny fur covered Matt’s large body and tickled her hands as he rested his head in her lap and snuffled at her fingers. A long, wet tongue licked out to rasp over her hand, making her laugh.

Emboldened, she reached out and scratched behind the cougar’s pointed ears, luxuriating in the feel of his thick pelt under her fingers. It was one of the most sensual and exciting things she’d ever experienced.

Matt settled one big paw on the stone bench, right between her legs, forcing them wider. His nose fell unerringly to the juncture of her thighs, sniffing playfully. She pushed him away, but he would not be deterred, sending that long tongue out to press between her thighs, causing almost unbearable pressure as his purr grew louder.

“There are better places for this than outdoors on a hard stone bench, you creature of mischief.” Sebastian pushed at the cat with a good-natured shove, freeing Christy. She stood quickly, unwilling to be pinned by the cat again, though she wasn’t scared so much as excited.

Sebastian ushered her inside, the cat following close behind. Once indoors, Matt moved up next to her, putting his large body under her hand as he led her through the house to another room she hadn’t seen before. This room was as decadent as the
dojo
was austere. A giant sectional couch filled one wall and looked like the most comfortable nest she’d ever seen. The opposite wall was covered with what looked like a movie screen with all kinds of electronic gear set in built-in cabinets all around. This was obviously some kind of high-tech media room and it was built for comfort as well as style.

The colors were bold, but pleasing to the eye and the furniture looked both adaptable and functional. Of course, it would be useful for more than just watching movies. If the building rumble in the cat under her hand was anything to judge by, tonight the main attraction in this movie theater would be her.

50

Sebastian watched Matt, in his furry form, hop up on the leather sectional.

“Mind the claws, you mangy alley cat!”

Matt paused to send a disdainful look over his shoulder as he stretched out in a boneless heap. Relaxing on the couch, he let the change take him.

Christina’s gasp called Sebastian’s attention back to her. No matter how many times he saw the shift from
were
to human, it still amazed him. He could only imagine how Christina must feel, seeing it for the first time. When he looked back at the overstuffed couch, Matt lay there in all his naked human glory, staring back at Christina with lust clear in his eyes. For a moment, Sebastian had to work to hold his temper in check.

He had to remind himself, this was what he wanted. He’d asked Matt to help her.

More than that, he
needed
Matt to give Christina some of his speed, agility, and strength.

That he’d agreed to do so was unprecedented, but Sebastian had a very special relationship with this particular
were
cougar. Sebastian had been there for Matt and his brothers after their sister’s brutal death at the hands of her crazed mate. Sebastian had helped them hunt down the cougar and dispense justice for his crime. Because of his sister’s tragic death, Matt had a soft spot for any woman like Christina, who’d been abused and betrayed by a man who’d promised to love, honor and cherish her.

As a general rule, the various supernatural races
didn’t mix. Most vampires disdained the
were
and vice versa.
Were
blood was a delicacy to vampires, though Christina was too young to realize it. The consumption of
were
blood allowed them faster healing and much more energy than regular mortal blood, but it was damned near impossible to get. The
were
had ample means to protect themselves even from ancient vampires, and it just wasn’t worth the trouble for a momentary high.

Unless it was your first meal.

51

Few knew how crucial a newly turned vampire’s first meal was to the rest of their existence, but Sebastian knew the secret because of his own experience. Centuries ago, he’d been left alone in the forest after his maker turned him and left him the same night.

When he woke, Sebastian had followed the scent of blood to a wounded animal left for dead. Newly turned, he didn’t know much, but instinct kicked in and while he couldn’t bring himself to feed from a human, he acknowledged his need for blood. Sebastian drank from the injured wolf he found cowering in the undergrowth. The poor creature had two broken legs—one front and one hind—and would require months of rehabilitation if the wounds didn’t fester, which was likely in the murky forest.

Sebastian sank his teeth into the creature’s neck, startled when it changed under his hands. He tasted the red copper of blood and the burn of what he’d come to know later as magic. Within a few seconds, a young girl lay on the ground where the wolf had been, clutching a broken arm to her chest, one of her legs twisted at an unnatural angle. Her eyes shone with desperate fear and Sebastian was aghast at what he’d almost done. This was no injured animal. Though he’d never seen one before, he realized the poor child was a
were
wolf.

After calming her fears, they’d struck an accord that night. Sebastian helped the girl get back to her family in exchange for a bit of her blood to keep him going. She was a long way from home and would have died without help, but he was newly turned and needed to feed. Small amounts of her blood fueled him as he carried her back to her pack.

There were tense moments as he returned the youngster, but she was quick to tell them how he’d helped her. After some convincing, her parents were grateful enough to let him live. They gave him a place to sleep for the day, since it had taken the rest of the night to carry her home. Thus was born a lasting friendship between Sebastian and the
were
. It also propelled him to greater power than any vampire of his age. That’s why, only three centuries into his immortal life, he was highly ranked among his kind and could hold his own among some rather powerful—and ancient—friends.

He wanted to give that strength to Christina and the only way to do it was with Matt’s help. Though the hunger to make love to her grew to nearly unbearable 52

proportions, tonight she would feed freely from the
were
cougar for the last time, and on the morrow she would be able to stand on her own against any man—supernatural or otherwise.

“Come over here, sweetheart.” Matt’s voice sounded from across the room. She stood between the two men, shifting her weight to one foot, indecision written all over her body.

Sebastian went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Kneading her tense muscles, he pulled her back against his chest.

“You need this, my dear, and I need to feed off the energies released when you climax. We both do. Let Matt give you this. Just one more night.”

She surprised him by turning in his arms. “Will you…?” She flushed under his scrutiny and in that moment he could deny her nothing.

“I’ll be here with you. I promise.” He gave in to his own desires and kissed her, allowing his hands to drop to her waist and slip under the hem of the baggy sweatshirt.

Her skin was so soft, so warm, as he skimmed a seductive path up her small ribcage, tugging the shirt up and out of the way. He had to break the kiss to pull the sweatshirt over her head, but she went right back to him, kissing him breathless as she pressed her soft, bare breasts against his chest, rubbing all over.

A warm presence came up behind her and Sebastian opened his eyes to find Matt grinning at him across the top of Christina’s petite head. With a few tugs, the
were
cougar relieved her of her pants and she was bare between them. She made a delicious whimpering sound against Sebastian’s lips as Matt’s hand settled between her thighs and began to rub.

It was almost too much for Sebastian. This night was for Christina and Matt. She had to feed from the cougar and fuck him several more times before Sebastian would be satisfied that all the benefits of Matt’s blood and lust had been realized in her transformed system.

With a suppressed groan, Sebastian stepped back, ducking out of her hold, though he couldn’t free himself of her pleading gaze. Matt turned her in his arms and Sebastian 53

gave a sigh of relief when she could no longer see him. That had been close. Sebastian had almost given in to the desire plaguing him since the moment he first saw her, but it wasn’t yet time. He would have her—repeatedly—but not just yet. No, he had to be absolutely certain she was as strong as she could be before he took her and discovered whether or not she was the woman he’d been searching for all these years.

Even if she wasn’t his One, he knew he’d keep her as his lover for many years to come. It would take at least a decade to sate the lust riding him for this petite woman.

And that was only the tip of the iceberg. He could see himself fucking her happily well into the next century.

But first things first.

He watched with forced detachment as Matt cupped her fleshy buttocks. He backed toward the couch, taking her with him as he kissed her. She was under his spell now, that magical
were
tongue doing its job on her senses, no doubt. Matt sat, pulling her over him, forcing her legs apart to straddle him on the couch. One hand teased a nipple, while the other settled in the folds of her pussy.

She squirmed on his lap, her heart-shaped ass lifting and rolling in a way that made even Sebastian’s loose karate pants too tight to bear. He shifted, adjusting himself, but couldn’t draw his eyes away from the arousing picture of Christina, naked and spread, on Matt’s thighs.

“She’s wet and ready for me, Sebastian.” Matt insisted on increasing Sebastian’s level of discomfort by giving him a play by play. But Sebastian was a strong man. He’d play along.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Sebastian could see three of Matt’s fingers pushing deep inside her body as she rose up on her knees and let out a keening cry. She was more than ready. And so was he, but he had to refrain this night. It was too important not to.

“Good question.” Matt removed his fingers, and positioned his cock in their place as he guided her down onto him with one hand on her shoulder. Christina was lost in 54

pleasure, her head thrown back, her mouth open as she panted, her eyes shut tight. She moved down onto Matt’s body, biting her lip as the pleasure seemed to overwhelm her.

The alluring sight was nearly his undoing. Sebastian couldn’t help himself. He moved closer.

“Ride him, sweet. Take him as far as he can go inside you.”

“Sebastian!” Something inside roared when she cried out
his
name as her body tensed around Matt’s. When she quieted, Matt lifted her and placed her on her back, positioning himself between her thighs and driving home again. He hadn’t come, though she’d certainly felt the first of many completions she’d experience that night. Sebastian moved closer to look down at her beautiful face. Her gaze held his as Matt pushed her to another high, this time going over himself, sending his potent
were
seed deep inside her.

Matt sat back after a few minutes and smiled. “Well, that took the edge off. How are you feeling, sweet thing?” He trailed his large, calloused fingers over her soft, damp skin.

That last orgasm had been a strong one and she quite obviously needed a little time to recover. Sebastian realized also that she hadn’t fed. That would have to be rectified sooner rather than later. Perhaps now was a good time to teach her to bite without fucking, for she certainly wouldn’t want to fuck every mortal she might feed from in the future, if she proved to not be his mate. Even if she was, it was his duty to prepare her for every eventuality, and there was always a possibility that she would have to feed off mortals in certain situations.

Sebastian lifted her shoulders and sat behind her, supporting her as she floated back to earth. He couldn’t resist reaching down to tease her pouting nipples. They bloomed under his touch and her eyes opened.

“You didn’t feed, little one.”

She looked up at him, a charming, embarrassed flush staining her cheeks. He realized she probably perceived his words as criticism and it hit him like a blow to the chest. He hated the look of self-conscious insecurity on her face. Dipping his head, he kissed her open mouth, wiping the fear away with his tongue as he turned her around to face him on the couch.

55

“That wasn’t a complaint about your performance.” He drew back to meet her gaze.

“Merely an observation. You need to feed.”

A smile broke over her lips and warmed his heart. “So what do you want me to do?”

“Go to Matt.” Those three words were harder than any he’d ever spoken, though she’d never know it. He didn’t have it in him to push her toward the other man, but she turned nonetheless, following his spoken orders.

Matt tipped his head to the side, guiding her with one hand on the nape of her neck.

Matt watched Sebastian, and Sebastian watched them both.

“Feel for the sweet spot with your tongue,” Sebastian coached. “Take your time.

Reach out and dampen his pain with your mind if you can.” Sebastian checked, extending his own power, glad to find she was already exerting her new power to protect Matt. She was a natural when it came to not causing another being pain, but he should have expected it. Her life to this point had been one of self-sacrifice to the point of foolishness.

“Have you found it?”

She nodded slightly as she dragged her luscious lips over Matt’s neck. Sebastian envied the younger man in that moment, more than he’d ever envied another being in his long life.

“When you’re ready, bite him. Do it fast to cause the least trauma.”

Sebastian felt the moment of her decision, saw the way her delicate jaw moved, clamping down on Matt’s corded throat as she sank her teeth in and sucked. Matt jumped too, but in a movement of pleasure, not pain. Sebastian could clearly see the
were
cougar’s cock hardening once more next to Christina’s hip.

She fed well this time, letting go just at the point where Sebastian would have told her to leave off.

“Very well done, my dear,” Sebastian complimented her as she smiled. Her new fangs were petite, just like her, and sexier than hell.

“You taste good, Matt. Have I thanked you yet for helping me this way?” Her eyes grew serious as she turned to the other man. “I’ll never be able to repay you,” her voice broke with emotion, “for this gift.” She held out her hand, taking Sebastian’s, surprising 56

him. “Either of you.” She squeezed Sebastian’s fingers. “You gave me a second chance, and you,” she looked at Matt, “have given me a strength I’d never otherwise have.

Sebastian told me, Matt, and all I can do is say thank you.” She shrugged with a soft smile. “It seems inadequate.”

Matt regarded her with a serious expression. “Just promise me you’ll use this power well. Help others when you can.”