BittenandDefiant (6 page)

Perhaps she should rethink the entire thing. Maybe she
should just ask him to help ruin the dealer and then spend time with him
without becoming a vampire. But she’d age and die and leave him all alone
again. He’d never invited anyone into his home before so that could hurt him
just as much, if not even more so, as him needing to do away with her if things
went wrong.

“Do you miss daylight?” Frankie blurted out the first
thought that popped into her mind.

Kellen chuckled at her question. “I think I may have in the
beginning, but you adjust.”

“You said we’d travel.”

“Yes. We could. As much as you want. Our tours, however,
would be vastly different from the standard you’ve seen in brochures.”

“But how could we see things?” Frankie knew she was avoiding
the main issues but she needed a few minutes to collect her thoughts regarding
what he said. Kellen clearly understood since he allowed her ramble as she was.

“I’m over six hundred years old. I know of safe locations
for us to stay everywhere. As you already know I possess certain abilities that
could get us in places after hours. With our enhanced eyesight we could see the
scenery perfectly well outside at night. For instance botanical gardens in the
light of a full moon are gorgeous. Trust me, Frankie. You’d love it.”

When she looked at him Frankie could tell all the turmoil
she was feeling was visible in her eyes. Kellen seemed almost stunned, which
surprised her. He’d been around all those years and still she managed to affect
him. That on top of all she’d been through overwhelmed her.

“I do trust you, Kellen,” she whispered.

“Thank you. Now come on. You need to consider things and I
need to feed. And no, before you say it, not from you. I’m not sure I could
stop once I had my fangs in you and as I said, you have to think about all I
told you before we let that happen. We’ll go somewhere and you can see how I
choose someone. You haven’t been around for that part yet.”

Several hours later Frankie stood in the shadows, watching
as Kellen chatted with one of boys who was dealing drugs on the street. Yes,
boy
was the correct term. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen. It broke
Frankie’s heart to realize that it was more than likely the average age of
those working the corners. Even worse it made sense, using children for such
tasks. If arrested they stood the chance of being charged as juveniles and
could be back on the street in no time. Sadly they were also readily available
in such a depressed area. Finding legitimate jobs wasn’t always the easiest
thing to do so working for him was easy money for them.

Frankie shook her head when Kellen’s altered demeanor caused
the boy to run. He was more than capable of helping interfere with that level
of the organization. Quite effectively too.

“What are you thinking?” Kellen asked when he returned to
her side.

“Just what a shame it is that these kids seem to have little
alternative than to make money illegally.”

“Yes, it is. Perhaps you could do something about that,
should you opt to become a vampire.”

“What do you mean?” Frankie was curious as they began to
walk.

“Well, I write. You could become a counselor or a social
worker. Do something positive to help the situation if you wanted to.”

“But it would have to be at night.”

“So? Kids like unconventional. And what parent would object
if it worked?”

She found herself smiling. “That’s true.”

“Wait. I’m not trying to influence you here.”

“I know that,” she declared as they entered his house.

Again Kellen seemed to be at a loss for words. It fascinated
her since she’d just watched him tap into several different minds.

“Kellen?”

“Yes?”

“Why can’t you tell what I’m thinking?”

“I have no idea,” he stated. “It’s strange. I can when we’re
connected physically but the rest of the time, nothing. Oh I can pick up your
mood but that’s it. Perhaps it has to do with you being my potential mate. You
know, to give us privacy.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” She put her hand on his chest. “So you
don’t know what I want right now?”

Kellen laughed. “I have a pretty good idea even if I can’t
determine the specifics. You’ve been turned-on since you watched me feed
earlier.”

“Is it wrong? That making me hot, I mean?”

“Hell no!”

“Good. Then you don’t think I’m using you…” She ran her hand
over his distended cock through his jeans.

“Go for it,” he encouraged, leaning against the door.

“You make me want things,” she said, freeing him.

“What things?” He seemed enthralled.

“Before,” she clamped her hand around his rod, “before you I
was always afraid to try things, afraid that guys would think I was weird…” She
dug her nails in and twisted. “And that I would hurt them.” Her other hand
moved to his balls, squeezing and scratching relentlessly. His cock grew
impossibly harder, which turned her on even more. She was tingling from finally
being able to treat someone as she’d always dreamed of doing.

“You want to be rough?”

“Yes,” she admitted breathlessly, holding his gaze, which
reflected the same intensity she was feeling.

“You want rough in return.”

It was a statement, not a question but she answered anyway.
“Yes.”

“Gods, do you have any idea what you do to me?”

“Show me,” she demanded as she continued her harsh fondling.

With her encouragement Kellen ripped the clothes from her.
Before Frankie had time to do more than gasp he carried her to the kitchen and
had her bent over the counter. The coolness of it contrasted with the heat
radiating from him. His body pinned her in place, hands almost cruelly working
her nipples as he pummeled her core from behind with his rock-hard cock. Every
stroke sent waves of pleasure coursing through her pussy. The more punishing
his thrusts became, the more she forced herself back against him, squeezing his
shaft with her pussy the entire time.

Kellen seemed to understand. Over and over he pounded into
her wetness, pushing her higher and higher. The whole time he kept his fingers
clamped on her stiff nipples, tormenting them as she just had done with his
cock and balls. It wasn’t long before she was screaming out her first climax.

“Fuck,” Kellen growled. “What I wouldn’t give to sink my
teeth into your pretty little neck right now.”

“Soon,” she panted. “But not yet. There’s still something I
want to do in the daylight before you do that.”

Kellen thrust even harder, moving his hands to her hips to
gain more control. He seemed as insatiable as she felt. “You mean it? You want
that even with what I told you, Frankie?”

“Yes. I’m willing if you are.” She threw herself back
against him. “More! Fuck me harder, Kellen. Do it! Come with me.”

At her encouragement Kellen let himself go, though she
sensed he was still holding back so as not to hurt her. The next time Frankie
came he joined her. When her mind returned Kellen was sprawled on top of her,
trapping her between his limp body and the hard counter. She couldn’t help but
smile. It made her ridiculously happy to know she wasn’t the only one feeling
weak-kneed at the intensity of the experience.

“We should go to your place,” Kellen stated a short time later.

“Now?” Frankie questioned.

“Yes. He must know who you are by now. It won’t take him
long to find you. If he hasn’t already.”

“Oh. Yeah. You think they’ll be waiting?”

“Possibly. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you if they are. May I
make a suggestion if they aren’t?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think we should bring everything here right away.
Only the things that are most important. Leave your place looking as if you’ll
return at any moment.”

Frankie considered it for a minute. “So they waste time
hanging around there, looking for me?”

“Exactly.”

“Good idea. There’s very little that would upset me to lose.
Some photos. A hard drive with things that Kate and Amber wrote for various
classes. A quilt Kate made from clothes we all loved so much we wore them until
they nearly fell apart. And Amber’s stuffed lion from when she was little. The
rest I really don’t care about. Some clothes too of course. You are thinking
they’ll eventually get tired of waiting and go in and trash the place, right?”

“Yes, I am. If it looks as if you’re there but they never
see you coming and going it will make him wonder. I can even slip in past them
to turn lights on and off, move some things around. That would really confuse
him.”

“Anything that preoccupies him is a good thing.”

“Any other plans on the horizon? Of how to get to him, I
mean.”

“Well…”

“What?”

“I considered hanging a banner with ‘murderer’ on it from
the building across the street so he’d see it first thing in the morning but I
doubt I could manage it, even at night.”

“Just to annoy him or for the world to see?”

“Mainly to annoy him.”

Kellen grinned. “How about you go one better? Spray-paint it
on the inside of the wall surrounding his place.”

Frankie laughed without humor. “I’d love to but how? It’s
not very likely they’d let me just stroll in there.”

“You could if I kept his men on the gate busy.”

The longer Frankie thought about it the bigger her grin
became. “You really think it would work?”

“I’m certain it could. I’ll even poke around in their minds
and plant the thought that it was an uneventful night with nothing out of the
ordinary happening.”

“You can do that?”

He nodded.

“Oh that would be so good!”

As they were leaving Frankie’s apartment with her few
treasured possessions Kellen wondered, “What is it that you said you needed
daylight to accomplish?”

Frankie waited until they were safely in his SUV to respond.
“I applied to the agency that does his cleaning. I thought I could write on his
bathroom mirror or something.”

Kellen whistled. “Wow do you have balls.”

“No. Not really. Before you I just didn’t care what happened
anymore.”

He looked at her expression in the dim light. “And you do
now?”

“Yes. I’m not numb now that I’ve met you. You’ve made me
feel things other than pain and emptiness.”

“That’s great, Frankie. It goes both ways, you know?”

“I do. I heard what you said before. All of it. I want this
behind me so we can get on with the things you talked about. I understand there
are risks but I just know it’ll be okay.” She paused. “I’m sorry but I can’t
just let this go. I have to do this first. I have to.”

He squeezed her hands clenched in her lap. “It’s okay. I get
it. You’ll never forget how you lost them. But we’ll talk often and through you
they’ll become my family too. For eternity.”

Kellen was glad they had just pulled into his garage. His
words affected Frankie and she was sitting there with tears rolling down her
cheeks. He slid his seat back and pulled her across the console onto his lap,
comforting her until she calmed.

“I’m not really crying,” she stated.

“Of course you’re not.”

“It’s just that’s about the nicest thing anyone ever said to
me.”

“I do understand, Frankie. So you know, I meant every word
of it. I want to know all about them, everything you remember about your
parents too.”

“You’ll tell me about your family as well?”

“Absolutely. I’ll tell you everything about my life. After
all, we will have unlimited time for it.”

His comment drew the chuckle he hoped for.

“Now come on. Let’s get you settled in and then we can come
up with a disguise for you when you go inside since I can’t be with you that
day. I need to make sure you’ll be safe until you get back to me.”

She hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Kellen. If I get hired I
promise I’ll be okay. And then, once that’s done, you can make me into a
vampire so I can confront him. Several times, even after he thinks he’s killed
me off.”

“Kellen!” Frankie called as she raced up the steps to the
third floor. “Kellen! Are you up?”

He caught her just inside the door to his sanctuary. “Of course
I am. I’ve been pacing since half an hour after you left this morning. I could
feel you but I couldn’t tell what was happening. First time ever I didn’t sleep
at all during the day.”

“I did it!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Gods, I was so nervous
walking in there. I thought they’d check closer after I wrote on his wall but
they barely looked at us.”

“Why would they? I’m sure you turning up as part of his
established cleaning crew is not a move he would ever anticipate. Tell me about
it.”

“Being the new girl, I was assigned bathrooms as expected.
The woman in charge of us only checked the first one, you know, to be sure I
cleaned it satisfactorily. Once I was sure she wouldn’t keep checking I wrote
on each mirror. I even went back and got the first one. I wish I could see his
face when he discovers it.”

“Me too.” Kellen grinned. Her exuberance was infectious.

She sobered. “Should I feel guilty that this may cost the
cleaning place an account?”

“I wouldn’t.” He hugged her. “They’ll fill in the time spent
at his place with somewhere else soon enough. Concentrate on him. Even though
he won’t replace the firm himself it’ll still be on his mind whenever the new
crew comes in.”

“True.” She giggled. “So…”

“Yes?”

“You going to bite me now?” she wondered, tilting her neck
toward him.

Kellen laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “You sure you’re
ready for this? Ready to give up daylight forever?”

“Absolutely. You know I spent the last month outside
thinking about it. Sure, the sun on my face is nice, but you and all we’ve discussed
are so much more appealing.”

“And what you’ll be able to do to him.”

“Of course, but that’s becoming such a minor part of things.
Oh I’ll do it. I’ll make life a living hell for him as long as it takes. But
you’ve made it possible for me to move on once I have. Thank you, Kellen.”

“You’re welcome.”

She angled her head again. “Ready?”

He chuckled. “Patience. Tonight. After I feed.”

“But it won’t be dark for another hour.”

“That’s okay. There’s something I want to do between now and
then.”

“What?” she asked, her eyes wide and curious.

“You’re so cute,” he teased lightly. When he tossed her on
the bed and landed beside her, he looked deeply into her eyes. All playfulness
evaporated. “Frankie,” he whispered before claiming her mouth.

By the time Kellen lifted his head Frankie was breathless.
He propped himself on his elbow, studying her. Very slowly, watching her
expression the whole time, he unbuttoned her shirt. Her pulse rate increased
with each button he opened. When he was finished she was practically vibrating
with anticipation. With great restraint he leaned down and licked her neck.

Frankie gasped. “Please.”

“Later,” he murmured against the paleness of her throat.

Kellen moved lower and kissed the mounds of flesh pushed up
by her bra. She arched her back in offering. Sitting up, he grasped the flimsy
lace and yanked, severing the cups to expose her breasts. Her nipples were
peaked and hard. When he scraped an areola with his fangs while tonguing the
bud she shivered.

“I will bite you here too.” He shifted to the other side.
“And here.”

“Now!” she pleaded.

“No.”

“But Kellen—”

“No. Not until I feed. I need the added blood for both of
us.” He drew a nipple into his mouth and sucked hard enough to bruise,
eliciting a moan. “Don’t worry, Frankie. Once I have I won’t deny either of
us.”

After extended teasing of her nipples he moved lower,
popping the button on her jeans. He could scent her arousal. It was almost
enough for him to forget himself. Frankie may believe she was the one being
tormented, but he was torturing himself even more. If she affected him this
much as a human he could only image how much more intense it would be once she
was a vampire. A vampire and his mate for all eternity.

Kellen growled as he yanked her pants and panties from her.
“I’m going to sink my fangs in deep here too,” he declared, caressing her
mound. “And then here,” he added, licking one of her outer lips. “Both sides.”

“Oh my gods, please.” She gasped. Frankie struggled against
his arms which caged her legs, preventing her from opening herself to him.

“What do you want?”

“More!”

He teased the tip of his tongue into her slit. “How’s this?”

Kellen knew what he was doing to her. And he was thoroughly
enjoying himself. She might want a quick finish to this, but he didn’t. He wanted
her out of control with passion before he finally let her come. He wanted her
weak-kneed and wanting more when they went out to hunt. And then, after they
returned, he would give her what they both desired.

By the time Kellen scraped her clit with his fang Frankie’s
body was humming. He felt it reverberating through his mind. It only took one
thrust to trigger her climax. Once wasn’t enough for Kellen. He thrust his
pointed tongue deep into her pussy, demanding more. He was relentless, drawing
orgasm after orgasm from her willing body. The taste of her made him nearly
wild. He wanted more than anything to sink his fangs into her. His fangs and
his cock. But he did neither. Instead he filled her with his fingers, teasing
her with what was to come while he nipped and sucked her swollen clit. The rest
had to wait for later. First he needed to feed so he had the strength.

Kellen kept Frankie coming until he was sure it was full
dark. He then licked and nibbled his way back up her body, pausing to give
enough attention to her engorged nipples to evoke one last orgasm. He kissed
her deeply until she began to calm.

“Taste yourself on me.”

“Mmm.”

“Next time I kiss you, you will taste your blood.”

Frankie was breathless with anticipation. Throughout the
time she’d been with Kellen he often nipped her. She knew without a doubt that
this would be completely different. She hadn’t forgotten the risks but she’d
decided that everything would turn out just fine. It had to.

They had plans. For the first time in as long as she could
remember she had things to look forward to. Even before she learned of the
trouble with Amber there’d always been an element of sadness lurking in the
recesses of her mind. She was old enough when her parents died to have vivid
memories of them. Kate made sure she’d had a full life once her parents were
gone but it didn’t prevent moments when she missed them beyond belief. They
hadn’t discussed it often but she knew Kate felt the same way even after she’d
had Amber.

Now there was Kellen. He would never replace them but he
would add to her life exponentially. He already had. Well. Her un-life as it
were. She giggled. When she first came up with the idea of approaching a
vampire she never expected it to end as it had. No, that was wrong. Things as she
knew them were ending. This was the beginning of what she believed would be a
remarkable adventure that would last for all eternity.

She finally realized Kellen was watching her. He looked
fascinated. The intensity of his expression made her blush.

“I almost wish I could pick up more of your thoughts,” he
stated quietly.

“Just almost?”

“The emotions playing across your face amaze me. Some I’m
sure I can guess what’s behind them. The rest,” he shrugged, “I admit I’m
clueless.”

“It’s nothing bad.”

“Now that is one thing I do know. Nothing in your expression
suggested that.”

“Good.” Frankie grinned. She tilted her neck toward him.
“Bite me.”

Kellen laughed. “Patience, woman. We’re in for a rough
couple of days. Relax and enjoy this.”

“Oh I have every intention of enjoying it. But relaxing?
Somehow I doubt that.”

Again Kellen laughed but it was brief. He turned serious.
“You’re absolutely certain about this?”

“Yes! A billion times yes. Why won’t you believe me?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s a big step.
Irreversible.”

“I know. I want this. You know my life was over before we
met. It still will be if you don’t do this. I have to finish what I started and
he will kill me unless you do this.”

“I’ll be killing you too.”

“Yes and no. Yes, I will no longer be alive as I am now, but
I’ll be so much more so. Because I’m with you. I believe what you said about us
being mates.” She looked at him with all she was feeling showing openly on her
face. “I love you, Kellen. Now what must I do to convince you? Bite you first?”
She leaned forward and nipped his lower lip.

With that he chuckled. He spun her so she was trapped
against the wall. “Hold that thought. I promised you’d taste your own blood
next time we kissed.”

Frankie shivered. She couldn’t believe how the thought of
that excited her. “Then get to it! Please,” she added softly.

“Strip,” Kellen ordered, stepping back to give her room when
she complied. He needed to separate himself for a moment or he would devour her
on the spot. Oh who was he kidding? He was going to devour her no matter how
much restraint he tried to show. She was still human and he could hurt her. But
once she was transformed he’d never need to hold back again.

“You too,” Frankie demanded when he remained motionless. “I
don’t want anything in our way once we get started.”

She was incredible! Passionate beyond his wildest dreams.
And once she was a vampire he was certain that would be magnified. Though he
would always hate the circumstances that sent her looking for him he would be
eternally grateful that she had. He hadn’t ever considered his existence to be
lacking but now that he’d found Frankie he realized just how empty his time
was. No more! Never again. It was time.

Once he was naked Kellen led her to the bed. He motioned for
her to stretch out but then, instead of joining her instantly, he stood looking
at her.

“Kellen?”

“Shh. Indulge me.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

“So beautiful. Open your legs for me.” Once she had, Kellen
nearly drooled. Unbelievable. This gorgeous-in-all-ways woman was about to
become his mate for the rest of their existences. She lay spread before him,
offering herself to him, shivering in anticipation of his first bite. The only
question was where to do it.

Kellen crawled onto the bed between her thighs. He wanted to
take his time and savor her but he knew better. Once he tasted her for real his
thirst would be unquenchable. He’d teased himself, nipping her from time to
time. By doing so he had a tiny sample of her essence. Still, he was sure
nothing would compare to the full force of her blood once he opened her vein.

Holding her gaze, Kellen worked his way up her body. He
licked her everywhere, but just barely.

“Stop teasing,” Frankie pleaded, trying to capture him.

“No,” Kellen replied, silencing her with a finger to her lips.
When she caught it with her teeth he couldn’t help but grin. “You’re going to
make quite a vamp, aren’t you, Frankie?”

“I sure hope so.” Her grin matched his. “I know you’ve been
holding back, protecting me from myself. I can’t wait until you stop doing that
and let me do what I want.”

“Don’t worry. Soon as you wake up the first time you’ll be
able to have your way with me however you desire.”

“Really? I’m going to want sex? I thought you said I’d need
to feed.”

“You will. But I strongly suspect the two will go hand in
hand for you. At the beginning at least.”

“Is that wrong?”

“Hell no!”

“Good.” She arched, pressing her distended nipples against
his chest. “Kellen, please.”

He growled. No matter how much he wanted to extend this he
couldn’t resist her a second longer. He lowered his head and fastened his mouth
on her breast. Prolonging the moment as long as possible, he toyed with her
peak. Her moan when he scraped it with his fang was too much. He sank his teeth
into her flesh. Instantly his mouth flooded with the rich tanginess of her
blood. It was beyond compare. The slightly metallic taste of her had him
intoxicated.

“Holy fuck,” Kellen muttered, forcing himself to release
her. “So good.”

“Don’t stop,” she gasped before he had a chance to shift to
the other side.

“Not a chance.”

Kellen feasted on her, amazed he wasn’t too out of it to
monitor her reactions. He didn’t want to take too much all at once. After all,
he had promised to bite her everywhere and he would. Breasts first then her
pussy and finally her silky neck. Yes, he’d finish up there the same time he
rammed his already burgeoning cock deep inside her. He’d fuck her nonstop,
adding pleasure to the feel of her life draining away. And he would keep right
on fucking her as she fed from him.

Frankie was out of control. The sensations flooding her were
almost too much. The feel of Kellen drinking from her was unlike anything she’d
ever imagined. The sting was sharp when his fangs punctured her, but the way he
soothed it with his tongue had her wild. He’d told her that her strength and
speed would be magnified once she was transformed and she couldn’t wait.

Once again Kellen teased his way up her body. She knew this
time he’d kiss her as she wanted. She’d taste her blood on his tongue. Her
blood and her cum. And then, once he’d drained enough from her, he’d open his
vein and share his back with her.

Kellen kissed her just as he slid his cock home. Gods, it
was incredible! He kissed her and kissed her, his tongue mimicking the long,
slow strokes of his rock-hard shaft. He kept her right on the edge of coming so
long she didn’t think she could stand it another second. Finally he changed the
angle of his thrusts so his cock brushed her still-sensitized clit. When her
pussy began to clench around him Kellen lifted his head. His eyes were dark and
hooded as he stared at her.