The Progeny (The Progeny Series) (20 page)

“No
. I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life. I want this, and I want
you
.”

Ascher
gently twinned their hands, clasping their fingers together while burying his head in the pillow to escape the desire to bite her. With each thrust, she groaned and dug her nails into his palms. His body hyperaware of her every breath and heartbeat, he stroked her softly, gently, his hips moving in a slow circular motion. After several gentle thrusts, he finally broke through her virgin’s barrier. The urge to bite her resurfaced, as the need to be closer overwhelmed him.

He
couldn’t get close enough.

Pleasurable waves sped up his spine
, resulting in pleasurable grunts. After the desire to bite her passed, he lifted his head from the pillow. The love in her dark eyes flashed a blinding light back at him. He never would have imagined that he could love someone so much. Nor could he imagine that she would so easily adapt to his reddened glare. She stared into his eyes with the same blind love that she always had.

An internal
struggle began.

The
gratifying sensations filling his body felt too good, and a swift urge to bite her gripped him as he remembered the deliciousness of her blood. Rivulets of sweat saturated his forehead as the fangs burst through his gums, demanding a blood sacrifice for their efforts.
Be gentle. Be gentle. Don’t hurt her.
He threw his head back into the pillow to hide from the hypnotic pulse of her carotid. A low growl escaped his clenched teeth. He wouldn’t hurt her, and he didn’t care how much it pained him to abstain.

Shauna squeezed then gripped his hands tighter.
“Ascher.” He was hurting her.

He paused.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “Do you want me to stop?”

“I knew there would be pain
, but I don’t want you to stop.”

“Pai
n is not the same as pleasure.”

She gave his back a reassuring stroke. “I’m okay
. I promise.”

Resuming the soft stroking, he whispered,
“You feel so amazing.” It did. Nothing could have prepared him for the rush of sensations and emotions he felt. Fire burned at his spine while tingles pricked along his body.

Their bodies moved together as each thrust buried them deeper into one another. She tore at him, scratching his back with a wild frenzy that wound him even tighter. The powerful sensations he felt and the rough scratching on his back awakened primal urges in him.
Ascher fought for the control to hold back his wilder, less inhibited side. Fragile mortality made her too delicate. He could crush her without even trying.

Her eyes rolled
, as her head pressed into the pillow, her neck craning back. “Oh my...oh yes...oh God.” Grabbing at his hips, she pulled him closer to deepen the penetration.

Burying his face in her neck, he bestowed the soft skin with gentle kisses.
The warm prickling in his body became pulsing fireworks, flooding him with electricity. She gripped him tighter as an orgasm rocked her, the vibrating spasms heightening the fireworks inside him, sending electrically charged ice water rushing through his oversensitive body.

A gratified growl escaped his clenched teeth, as
climax drowned him in a violent pool of warm desire and exquisite release. The near blinding lust left his vision and he pierced her with his stare, holding her sweat-damp body until it ceased its shuddering.

Shauna
gazed up at him, her face breaking into a brilliant smile. “Your eyes are normal again.”

“Sorry about that. It wasn’t too scary for you, was it?”

She shook her head.

Ascher
gave her a suspicious stare and what he knew was a mischievous grin. “So, you scream at cheesy zombie make-up in low budget horror films, but you aren’t the least bit frightened of my beastly red eyes? I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“I’m not afraid of you. You’re beautiful to me no matter what your eyes look like.” She placed her hand over his heart. “The real you lives in here. Isn’t that what you told me?”

Just then, he remembered
why
he loved her so much. “I’ll love you for eternity.” Holding her sleeping body in his arms, he struggled to remember if he’d ever felt more human, and Ascher realized that he never had. With this experience no longer a mystery, a few things became abundantly clear.

The first
revelation, he was undeniably in love with her. The simple fact that he’d made love to her without ripping her to shreds, proved that.

The second, Ursula would never stop coming for her. He was sure that she blamed Shauna for their failed sea
ling. The attack at Laurel Pointe was only the beginning.

The third, he’d fight for her life even if it meant the loss of his own.

As he drifted off to sleep, he forgot about Romania, the darklings and the possibility that he might not come back alive. Tomorrow was another day, and he was content to live in this moment as long as he could.

The woman sleeping in his arms was all that mattered. Her heartbeat was now his
, and his heart would belong to her forever.

Eighteen ~
Goodbyes

Shauna shielded her disoriented face from the bright sun. Her sore joints felt like soft set gelatin, but her ecstatic heart overflowed with the joy and jubilation of knowing that
he
was the first.

Ascher
stroked the bend in her exposed back, encouraging her to rouse and greet the day. “Good morning,
lover
,” he murmured with a bright smile. “I can call you
that
now. I hope you slept well. How do you feel?”

She wiggled her fingers and toes. They felt fine. She moved her hips and felt a twinge of pain.
Ouch!
“I’m a little sore—other than that, I’m good.”

“
Last night was difficult for me, and I got a little carried away. I’m so sorry.” Glancing down at her naked body, he smirked then said, “I’m also sorry about your pajamas. I’ll take you shopping and buy you a new pair.”

“What are you talking about?”

He pointed towards a torn shirt and a pile of pink threads strewn across the floor.

“
Damn, Ash, was it really necessary to rip my clothes off me?” She sat up to stretch her arms. Pain radiated from her left shoulder to her side. Noticing the red claw marks along her left arm, she grimaced. Shaking her head, she mock teased him. “You’ve got to learn to control yourself better.”

“
I wouldn’t talk just yet, because you marked me up pretty good, too.” Ascher turned over, showing her a faint set of nail scrapes across his back. “They were much worse last night...even bled a little. They’ll be gone in a couple of hours. I’m more concerned about
your
scars. I’ll take you down to the infirmary and patch you up.” He bit his lower lip and grinned. “You seemed more immortal than human last night.”

“What time are you leaving tonight? I want to spend as much time as I can with you.” Her eyes glossed over with tears. “Before you
leave.”

“We
have loads of time to spend together, an eternity.”

She looked up at him with a doubtful glance
as her eyes welled with more tears. “
You
don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. Things are going to be okay. I’m sure of it
, and I don’t want you worrying about Romania or anything else. Let us Rousseaus worry about all of that.”

Though she was still doub
tful, Shauna took him at his word.

* * * *

Glancing at herself in the mirror, Shauna evaluated the scratches and bruising claw marks along her left arm and rib cage. Making two twirls in the mirror, she checked the rest of her body and it looked fine. She was surprised and grateful that he was able to control himself so well. As the night’s events replayed in her head, her body filled with the same desire and burning that she’d felt before. She stroked her skin, fantasizing it was his hands, remembering how his touch felt.

Busted!
She remembered he could channel her.
Think of something else.
It was too late. Her brain insisted on thinking about how sexy his body was and how every ripple of tight muscle led to another. She wanted to remember exactly how he’d felt inside of her.

Sh
e stepped into the shower, and the warm water loosened her sore hips and thighs. Soaping her tired muscles, Shauna rubbed at them, feeling twinges of pain that reminded her of
why
she was hurting. She thought of how she’d felt when he pushed inside her that first time—the agonizing pain mixing with unbelievable pleasure.

Her discomfort attested to his inhumanly proportioned shaft—or maybe her mind was exaggerating the size because
his
was the only one she’d ever felt. Whichever it was, it wouldn’t deter her from being with him again. She closed her eyes, letting the hot water soak into her.

The bathroom door creaked open
, startling her back to reality.

Ascher knocked on the shower door.
“Mind if I join you?”

Sh
auna opened it, moving over to make room for him. “Of course not.”

W
rapping her in a tight embrace while kneading her shoulders, he mouthed, “Thought I might like to share a shower with you,” against her ear then gave her an apologetic stare. “I’m so sorry that I hurt you last night.”

He’d been in her mind. Her eyes wandered until he drew them into his
, and she couldn’t look away. His stare was deep and entrancing, damn near hypnotic—a vampire mind control tactic, no doubt. His hands moved from her shoulders down to her breasts, continuing to massage her, only now her breasts were the beneficiaries of his hands’ undivided attention.

She soaped their bodies, creating a warm and slick friction between them. Their bodies slipped against one another, making the sensitive spots more susceptible to the other’s touch.

The feather soft touch of his fingertips caused her nipples to harden into stiff peaks. Groaning, he took the left breast into his mouth, teasing the nipple with his tongue. Her breathing became shallow as the warm, tingly sensations started. The soreness in her core mixed with a strange, prickly type heat.

He was making her burn.

The sensations deepened as he released the left breast and suckled at the right one, tweaking the other nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Her hand grasped the top of his head, raking her fingers through his shower damp hair. His tongue and fingertips continued teasing her, whipping her into a heated frenzy. Her breaths quickened as he pushed both breasts together, flicking his tongue across both rigid nipples.

Her heart
thumped with a stuttering rhythm then her pulse picked up, beating double time to make up for the pause. She tried to speak but the sensations took her voice, leaving only pants of pleasure behind. Warm drones of electricity spiked in her body, concentrating in her nipples then traveling lower to the pulsing between her thighs. Her head was light—too light to hold her body up.

His red eyes gleamed with lust and a wicked fire that stunned her, paralyzing her body.
Ascher lifted her, whirling her across the bathroom and landing her on the black marble countertop.

Excitement flooded her racing heart as she struggled to stay conscious. His hands explored her wet body—rubbing, caressing and stroking her all over. His tongue breached her lips, driving prickles of warmth throughout her overexcited
form and causing her to squirm. He trailed her body with his hands, probing her with a gentle finger, pulling her bottom to the edge of the counter.

Ascher
knelt on the floor in front of her, glancing up at her with sparkling eyes and a naughty grin.

“Ash,” she whispered
with a rough voice that was hoarse from a night full of pleasured screaming. “What are you doing?”

“I hurt you. Now I have to make it better. Just relax
and enjoy it.”

Sh
auna attempted to speak but his eyes burned her, his head shaking to discourage her protesting. His hand rested against her stomach, urging her back against the mirror.

He dove right in, his
lips nibbling her sensitive bud while a circling tongue fluttered across her clit. She quivered as he opened her wider, burying his face into her. Her loud moans synchronized with the wild thrusting of her hips.

His tongue twisted, twirled and did wicked things that no human’s tongue should be capable of. Her hazy and incoherent mind remembered that he wasn’t an ordinary h
uman—it was so easy to forget. Ascher was exceptional at pleasuring her. A rippling flush painted her thighs red with a love blush as her heart soared. She struggled to draw air into her heated body, the tingling and throbbing peaking inside of her. Her hips spiraled against his face as his tongue stirred her into convulsions.

Giving her a
smug smile, he continued lapping her until she pushed his head away. “I surrender!” She leaned back against the mirror, struggling to catch her breath while raking her fingers through his damp hair.

Ascher rose up and kissed her.
“Better?”

“You have no idea
!”

* * * *

After the episode in the shower, Shauna went out like a light. Ascher crept out of his room and down to the great hall. He’d asked his brothers to meet him to discuss the Romania trip.

Quinn, Tristan, and Zach
ary sat at the enormous wood table waiting for him.

Zachary was Tristan’s changeling—a child resulting from being turned. Zach’s motorcycle
had gone off the road. Near death and bleeding out, Tristan wasn’t sure if he’d be able to save him. After his father’s accident on Laurel Pointe, Zach came up from Atlanta to help and planned to stay as long as Tristan needed him.

The room f
ell silent when Ascher entered, and he smirked at Quinn and Tristan’s wide, teasing smiles. Zachary looked down, purposely avoiding his eyes.

Quinn was the first to comment. “Where is Shauna? From the sounds of it, I’m surprised she’s still breathing.”

Tristan chuckled. “Dude, she was pretty loud last night.”

“Stop it guys
. You won’t get me to talk about it,” Ascher growled.

Quinn laughed. “Then
, you guys went at it again this morning? Wow!”

“Let’s just hope that you are infertile. After what we heard, she’d be knocked up for sure
,” Tristan teased more.

Ascher mumbled
a few curses in French. “Enough! I didn’t call you here to discuss my sex life. We need to talk about our trip tonight and what we’re going to do.”

Quinn snickered at his frustration. “Man, you’re cranky for someone who’s been having sex for the last eighteen hours.”

Tristan opened a set of floor plans and spread them
out over the middle of the table. Everyone stared while flashing expressions full of shock.

“Where did you get those?” Ascher questioned Tristan.

“When you sent me to Romania to finalize the sealing that never happened.” Tristan glowered back. “I lifted them from Clive’s office. I also lifted
these.
” He tossed a set of rolled up papers across the table at him.

Ascher’s brow furrowed as he unrolled them. Shock
rolled over him when he realized what he was holding. He glanced back at Tristan. “They had these? But how did they get these?”

Tristan shrugged.

Confusion blanketed Quinn’s face. “I wonder how long they’ve had blueprints to Bonheur. What did they plan to do with these?”

“An insurance policy,” Zachary speculated. “Maybe they suspected you’d chicken out
. If you want my opinion, you dodged a bullet, Ascher.”

Ascher turned to Tristan. “Does Father know about this?”

“Of course not,” Tristan and Quinn answered simultaneously.

“He would attack them on principle alone. These blueprints prove that they didn’t trust us
,” Tristan reminded everyone.

“I say we kick their
asses and take names later.” Quinn did an impromptu hand chop on Zachary’s shoulder.

Zach laughed
and gave Quinn a fist bump. “Awesome!”

Ascher huffed, “Do I always have to be the responsible one in the group?” He stood and paced the floor. “You know what the darklings are capable of. I’m also fairly sure that they have Katy.”

Zachary ceased his play fighting to ask, “Who’s Katy?”

“Shauna’s sister,” Tristan answered.

Ascher attempted to clarify the situation. “Ursula took her because she’s upset about the sealing.”

Quinn opened the vampire covenants and shouted, “This infraction alone is reason for us to retaliate.” He read from Section one thirty-seven. “No vampire shall knowingly take an innocent into captivity to settle a grievance with another clan.” Quinn slammed the book closed. “There
’s our reason in black and white for all to read!”

Ascher flushed with anxiety as he quoted a section of his own. “Section fifty-two says that anyone agreeing, either verbally or contractually
, to a sealing can be granted excusal to make it null and void. It further states that if the transgression goes unresolved, the remedies can include death of the guilty party.”

“But Clive ended the war. He called a truce
,” Tristan interjected.

Ascher’s eyes flashed red. “Do you honestly believe it’s that easy? If it’s over, where is Katy? Gabe sealed to Ursula weeks ago. Yet, Ursula con
tinues to hold Katy prisoner!”

Quinn smirked. “You still have a grievance. The darklings attacked us after the truce. Even if they hadn’t, Zachary
is Tristan’s changeling. Where is
his
justice? Katy is an innocent. She doesn’t even know what we are.” Flexing his huge bicep, he punched the air and growled, “An eye for an eye, brother.”

Ascher saddened
. “That goes both ways. Ursula can’t get her virginity back, because I took it.”