BloodlustandMetal (16 page)

I looked around the cottage. The sitting area where we were
had a fireplace and some books and magazines. Compared with the sparse
furnishings of his London flat, I could see why he called the cottage home. A
small kitchen with a dining area was on the opposite end of the room. And off
to the left was Devon’s bedroom and a loo.

If Gayle and Jon came after us, we didn’t have too many
places to hide. “Shouldn’t we prepare or something? Build up some defenses in
case they come?”

“What do you mean, like
Home Alone
kind of traps?”

“No!” Then I considered it. “Well, yeah. Something like
that.”

“I got it taken care of. Don’t worry about it.”

“How?”

“I just spoke to my family. I can’t always get a signal on
my mobile phone here. There’s a landline in the bedroom. They’re spreading the
word to other shifters in the forest. If Gayle or Jon enter these woods,
they’ll be taken care of before their filthy bodies contaminate these grounds.”

“Oh. I guess you do have it taken care of.” Then I thought
about what he said about all we’d gone through this week. And it was over.
Well, almost.

Not to mention, he’d taken his shirt off and he looked
delicious in just a pair of jeans. My eyes traveled over each indentation in
his abs. I’d run my tongue over them one by one…

“It’s what I do, Layla. And right now my primary concern is
keeping you safe.”

“Nobody’s paying you now. You could’ve just left me back
there and we would have gone our own ways.”

“I know.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Nope.”

“Can you give me more than one-word answers?”

He laughed and I couldn’t help but join in, even though it
distracted me from the sight of his abs now rippling with his laughter.

“What do you want to know?”

“Why you’re helping me.”

“I want to.”

“Because you want to sleep with me again?”

“Of course I want to sleep with you again. But that’s not
why I’m helping you. There’s something about you that makes me want to take
care of you.”

For some reason, this riled me up. “Why does every man I run
into want to take care of me? Am I that vulnerable that I can’t take care of
myself? Stefano, Joey and now you!”

“Sorry, Layla, that’s not what I meant. I’m not good with
expressing myself. I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself.
You’ve started a life over twice now, completely on your own. I admire that.
Deeply. You destroyed a very powerful vampire.”

I slowed my breathing down. “Thank you.”

“What I’m trying to say is that the thought of any harm
coming to you drives me crazy. I want to protect you from anything—or
anyone—who even thinks of it.”

This time, his words had the opposite effect. “Devon, you’re
right. We’ve done all we can. Gayle and Jon won’t attempt to come now this
close to dawn. Enough talking. I’m tired of talking about myself.”

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Sit down on the sofa and I’ll show you.”

Devon

Layla crawled over to me on hands and knees with such a
smoldering look in her eye, I forgot any coherent thought other than how much I
wanted her. All my focus now went to my mounting desire, which concentrated
right between my legs.

“Something that doesn’t involve talking,” she purred.

She reached me and knelt in front of me. Then she leaned
forward, rising in between my legs, until she reached my eye level. Seeing the
sensuality burning in her eyes, only inches from mine, made me dizzy.

“I can think of something else.” She ran her hands over my
chest. “Like this.” Then she caressed my thighs. “And this.” She pressed her
lips so lightly against mine, I wasn’t positive if she’d even touched them or
if I wanted her to so much that I imagined it. “And most of all, this.” She
kissed me deeper this time and I responded instantly. I captured her lips with
such passion and claimed her mouth with my own.

“Sometimes talking can be fun.”

“Oh yeah?” she teased. “When?”

“When it’s dirty.”

I kissed her again and pulled her up and toward me. She
straddled her legs on either side of me as she sat down. Her sweet spot
settling onto my lap elicited a low growl from deep within, not to mention a
raging erection.

“Do you like it dirty?” she whispered.

“I love it.”

“I can feel your excitement.” She giggled. “Do you like
this?” She kissed me again.

“Yesssss.”

She kissed from my lips down to my jawline and then over my
neck. I moaned involuntarily as her lips left a warm trail of pleasure against
my skin.

“How about this?”

“Mmmmmmm.”

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? I thought you liked to
talk dirty.”

“Yes. I like it!” I protested. “For the love of God, don’t
stop what you’re doing.”

“As you wish.”

She ran her fingers down my chest, following the trail of
her touch with soft kisses that burned right into my core. I inhaled as her
lips moved down my abs, yearning with anticipation as she paused at the top of
my pants.

She smiled like a vixen when she asked, “Want me to stop?”

“Good God, woman. No!”

“Then tell me what you like.”

She unbuttoned my pants.

“I love the feel of your fingers grazing my skin. They burn
me up inside just thinking of having more of you.”

She unzipped them.

“And the soft feel of your lips on me. It’s almost too
exquisite to bear.”

She yanked at my pants and I lifted my hips to help her ease
them down and off me. Then she followed with my boxers, and my cock sprang free
of the constraints.

She kissed the tip of it and then licked the rim.

“Oh Layla.”

She took me in her mouth and I almost lost all control. I
put one hand on her head, guiding her closer.

“Everything about you draws me in. Your silky hair. Your
scent. Your touch.”

She took her time, torturing me as she pulled away, then
running her tongue down and back up my shaft.

“If you stop, you’ll kill me.”

I reached down to feel her breasts.

“Take off your shirt.”

She removed her shirt and I reached behind her to remove her
bra.

My hands cupped her breasts, stroking her hardening nipples.
She covered me with her mouth again, taking in as much as she could. I leaned
my head back, my hands falling as I lost all speech, giving in to her magic.
Giving up all control, I let her work me as she wished. I closed my eyes to
savor the feel of her warm mouth on me, listening to her soft moans telling me
she enjoyed this as much as I did.

She brought me so close to the brink I had to stop her if I
wanted the night to continue. Reluctantly I pulled her head away.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll come. And I’m not done with
you yet.”

I pulled her to her feet and frantically helped her remove
the rest of her clothing. When she stood before me naked, every part of my body
fought for what I wanted to do to her next. Watch her, kiss her, taste her,
touch her, fuck her…

“My turn,” I said, throwing her down on the sofa to start
with her sweet breast.

“I can’t wait,” she begged. “Devon, I want you so bad. I’m
ready to explode.”

When I touched her crevice, I knew what she meant, she was
already oh so wet. I glided the head of my cock against her folds, teasing her.

“Now!” she demanded.

I eased the tip in slowly, but she grabbed at me so
frantically with both arms and legs, I entered her warm, tight chamber in one
smooth stroke.

“Fuck me hard.”

Although she was so small beneath me that I held back,
careful not to crush her, her fierce hold on me reminded me she wasn’t as
delicate as she appeared. I gave in to her demands as she clawed at me for
more. I pumped furiously, not holding anything back as I let the cravings of
the animal in me take over.

Wrapping her legs around me as I lifted her up, I flipped
her over as I put her on all fours the soft white bearskin rug on the floor. I
grabbed on to one shoulder as I entered her from behind. She clawed at the rug,
nails scraping lines through the fur as I held nothing back, unleashing my
passion into her.

I fisted a bunch of her hair in one hand and pulled it back.
“Do you like it rough, my dirty girl? Like this?”

“Yesss,” she seethed, arching her back.

Releasing her hair, I reached around to find her sensitive bud.
She called out as I touched the bundle of nerves and then rode against my
fingers, encouraging me to explore her further. Her panting increased the
harder and faster the friction rose until she cried out and fell forward onto
her arms. Her walls clenched my throbbing cock and her hot fluids spread over
me, sending me over the edge with her.

“Holy shit, Layla!” I wrapped an arm around her tiny waist
and rolled onto the rug beside her. I lay there silent for several moments as I
caught my breath. “Come on, let’s continue in the bedroom.”

“Continue?” She turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “You’re
not done for the night?”

“I’m not the average human, sweetheart.”

“I noticed,” she said and kissed my lips. “And I like it.
You’re a fucking animal.”

I don’t know where I thought vampires slept before now.
Coffins? I hadn’t really thought about it. But having Layla in my bed felt
natural, as if she belonged here. She was in a deep sleep, out cold while the
sun shone outside. So pale. But she was always pale. And so completely still.
Peaceful. I couldn’t help but watch her. Then panic jolted through me when I
noticed she wasn’t breathing.

She doesn’t need to breathe, remember?

So many things about her fascinated me, dispelling all my
preconceived notions about vampires. They weren’t as repulsive as I assumed.
Well, the others were, but not Layla. How could that be?

It’s the personality, not the species.

Perhaps.

I walked into the living room area and peeked out a window.
The sun was setting, a kaleidoscope of yellows, oranges and pink dancing near
the horizon. Was it natural for her to sleep until the sun completely
disappeared? I made coffee and then drank it outside, watching the sun set. It
saddened me that this was a moment we could never share. Her days were nights.
And since I’d been on this job working for a vampire, nights had become my days
as well.

After the last tendrils of pink faded away to welcome the
darkness, I finished the last few sips of coffee. I watched the stars come out,
wondering when Layla would awaken.

When Layla came out of the cottage, she was dressed in a
cinnamon-brown sweater, olive-green leggings and chocolate-brown furry boots
she picked up from the department store. Even her hair was brown and still wet;
she must have just dyed it.

“Nice outfit,” I said.

“Thanks. Better for camouflage.”

“What do you need camouflage for?”

“To hunt. You coming?” She raised her eyebrows in a
challenging invitation.

“Hell yeah, you sexy bitch. Let me get undressed.”

“Undressed,” she asked, furrowing her brow. “Don’t you mean
dressed?” Then the reasoning dawned on her—I’d transform. “Oh yes. Of course.
Can I watch?” she asked with an irresistible pout.

“If you look at me like that, we’ll never leave the
cottage.”

“Okay, I’ll wait out here.”

While I took off my clothes inside, I thought about what
animal to shift into. I grabbed a knife, just in case, and returned to Layla
outside.

Her eyes raked my naked body in a way that made me swell
with pride. Then she noticed the knife.

“What’s that for?”

“Protection. Just in case.”

“I thought you had it covered. That we had a bunch of
shifters covering our back.”

“Always have a backup plan,” I said and handed her the
silver knife in the sheath.

“Why are you giving it to me? I can’t use it, it’s silver.
It will render me almost powerless. You have to carry it.”

“I can’t carry it after I’ve shifted. How would I hold it
when I’m on four legs? Besides, I put a rubber grip on the handle for you. That
should diminish the effect if you need to use it.”

She looked unconvinced, but let me fasten the strap around
her thigh.

“You look unbelievably good out here right now. Naked in the
moonlight.”

“Maybe you should take off your clothes too.”

“You’re going to change into an animal though, aren’t you?
One with fur I hope.”

“I’m thinking mountain lion. Not as conspicuous as a lion. A
few have been spotted here. We suspect they’re shifters though. Let’s stay
close to my land to avoid being seen.”

“If a human sees us, I’d erase their memory,” she said with
confidence.

“Who would have thought?” I said with a grin. “There are
perks to hunting with a vampire.”

“You bet there are,” she said before her eyes widened with
anticipation. “Can I watch you change?”

Without another word, I visualized myself as a mountain lion
and my body went through the transformation almost instantly. If I hadn’t known
who she was, I would have pegged her as danger in this form, a species I should
be wary of. Back at Stefano’s when I’d changed into a lion, it all happened so
quickly and I had been focused on getting Stefano. Now all my focus was on
Layla. I knew her; she wasn’t a threat.

Through my feline eyes, I could still gauge she was
impressed by the excited expression on her face.

“It’s really marvelous how you can do that,” she said. “Go
on. I’ll follow you. This is your forest.”

I bounded into the forest and she followed me. I ran to see
if she could keep up. She stayed right on my heels—she was fast. I took off
again to outrun her. Then I heard her laugh as she passed me. How did she do
that on two legs?

I ran at full speed and passed her. But then I saw something
ahead that made me stop. Deer drinking from a stream.

I hoped she wouldn’t keep running and scare them off, but
she must have figured it out some way because she stopped. When I turned to
her, she nodded. Then she pointed to herself and to the right, indicating how
she was going to flank them on the right. She pointed to me and to the left. I
walked softly into the weeds, using the trees as camouflage.

I lost sight of her as she disappeared into the woods. When
I was close enough to leap, I focused on the deer, watching each one to decide
which would be easiest to capture. Was she doing the same thing on the other
side of the trees? I’d never hunted with anyone other than my species before.
The excitement of the new experience with this woman combined with the
adrenaline of the hunt tested all my patience as I waited for the right moment.

One of the deer looked up, as if it somehow sensed danger.
Before it ran off warning the others to do so as well, I seized the moment to
attack. I leapt into the air and pounced on top of a smaller deer that had not
yet caught on to the danger. Layla moved too quickly for my eyes to see, but
she was right there beside me and sank her teeth into the deer’s neck.

The rest of the deer had dispersed into the forest, but we
had more than enough sustenance for the two of us. She took her fill of its
blood while I devoured some of the meatier flesh. This experience was one I
never could share with a human woman.

“That was—interesting,” Layla said.

Blood dripped down her chin and she wiped it with the back
of her hand. I walked over to her and rubbed my head against her leg. She
petted the top of my head and then under my chin.

“Isn’t this sweet?” a female voice said. I turned to see
Gayle and Jon approach.

Layla

“How did you find us here?” I asked.

Gayle took a couple of steps forward and Devon stepped in
front of me, shifting back to human form.

“Don’t get any closer,” he warned.

Gayle opened her mouth to answer. Before she could do so, a
male with shoulder-length blond hair ran to us and said, “Devon, I tried to
call and warn you they were in the forest. The signal is so bad out here. But I
told the others. They’re coming.”

“Thank you, Martin.” Devon focused on Gayle and Jon. “You
were foolish to follow us. We outnumber you. If you stayed away, we all could
have lived in peace.”

“Oh please. What good are
animals
against immortals?”
Jon spat.

“Let’s do this quickly and get out of here,” Gayle said.

Jon lunged at Devon, fangs extended, while Gayle spun around
him to get to me. I never knew exactly how old she was as her vanity kept both
her human and immortal age a secret, but I knew it was old enough to make her
older and more powerful than me. Still, I couldn’t let her take me without a
struggle.

She’d knocked me to the ground and extended her fangs,
readying for the kill. I tried to push against her, but it was like pushing a
concrete wall, even with the strength of my own. She was inching nearer, her
fangs dangerously close to my neck. I couldn’t reach the silver knife with her
on top of me. Knowing it was there but out of reach made me want to cry.

I reached around on the ground near me to grab anything I
could use against her, but I couldn’t even see what I was reaching for. A rock
would come in handy right now, but no such luck. But I felt a branch. It
wouldn’t even make a scratch on Gayle, let alone slow her down, but it was all
I could find. And then it dawned on me—
use it on her eyes.

I grabbed the branch and thrust it at one eye, scraping it
across her face so I could damage the other as well. She screamed an ungodly
sound I’d never heard from a human or animal before and she grabbed at her
eyes. She would recover quickly, but it gave me a moment to catch her off
guard.

I pulled my knees up and rolled us to the side, knocking her
off balance. In the split second she’d pulled away, I caught the scent of
blood, which diverted my attention. Devon and a wolf were both fighting Jon.
Whose blood was spilled, I couldn’t tell. Maybe all of them?

Where were the others? And why hadn’t Devon shifted into an
animal like his friend had? I could use some shifter help right now. And with
the other two focused on Jon, it looked like I was on my own with Gayle.

Gayle caught the scent of blood too. She clutched at her
eyes still, but she wasn’t screaming anymore and I thought the pain might
already be ebbing away. I didn’t have much time. She might even be able to see
me again in seconds.

I reached for the knife attached to my thigh just as she
dropped her hands from her eyes and focused on me. Fangs extended, she flew
through the air, coming for me. She moved so quickly a human would never have
been able to register it. But a vampire could.

I pointed my knife up in her direction just as she landed on
me. My knife sank into her ribs but since she grabbed me and sank her teeth
into my neck, I knew it wasn’t a fatal wound.

Fuck, she bit me. She’s drinking my blood, even with my
bloody knife stuck in her torso.

She had knocked my grasp off the knife when we landed and
with her draped across me, I felt her reaching for it.

This was it. If she got hold of the knife, she’d finish me
off one way or another. Drain me dry or impale me. I would have screamed
help
me
to get some shifter help if there was time, but there wasn’t. The only
chance I had was in my own hands. Unfortunately I couldn’t see what was going
on with her on my neck.

She pulled away to look down at her wound. Just as she got a
grip on the handle to pull it out, I slammed down on her hand. The blade slid
diagonally into her chest, slicing deeper, rather than coming out. She screamed
in agony and then punched me so hard in the face that blood spurted from my
mouth and eyes.

There was no time to let the pain register; I dove at her,
reaching for the knife as I landed. Why wouldn’t this bitch die? Where the fuck
was her heart? Did she not have one and was that why I had trouble finding it?

I grabbed the knife and pulled it out, stabbing her higher
where I thought her bloody heart would be. Then I pulled it out again and
plunged the knife in twice more on either side.

Finally this demon bitch from hell lay still on the ground,
smoke curling up from her chest wounds. I watched her for a few more seconds to
make sure she didn’t spring back to life and attack me like I’d seen in one too
many movies. As her body smoldered and the smoke rose, I turned my attention to
Devon and his friend. Jon had his teeth sunk deep into the wolf’s neck. Where
was Devon? This didn’t bode well.

My heart sank as I looked around for his body.

The wolf was still fighting Jon. With Devon’s abilities and
his finesse at taking out all the vampires at Stefano’s, I wouldn’t have
thought Jon would be more of a challenge than the others. What happened? Was he
taken off guard? And if Jon had already killed Devon, this guy was next. And
then it was me.

I had to do something. He had come to warn us; I couldn’t
just let him die.

I leapt on Jon from one side, wrapping my legs around his
torso as he was so much bigger than me. Then I sank my teeth deep into his
neck, which distracted him enough so he released his hold on the wolf. He
swatted at me and screamed, “Bitch!” and then slammed me into the trunk of a
tree, which made me relinquish my hold on his neck.

Then a tremendous blow knocked us both to the ground. An
enormous lion pounced on Jon and he screamed, “No!” but the sound died out as
the lion ripped his throat out.

For a long moment, I stared in shock at the lion and what
I’d just seen. “Devon?” I whispered.

He nodded his massive head over at where Gayle lay. I turned
and saw her body had half disintegrated, starting from the chest wound outward.
A pile of ashes lay around her and the knife had fallen flat as her chest had
become an ashy cavern.

Smoke emanated from Gayle’s body as she disintegrated. Blood
oozed out the torn flesh where Jon’s neck used to be, but was he really dead?
Nothing smoked. I ran and fetched the knife from Gayle’s decaying corpse and
sprinted back to Jon’s body. I plunged the knife into his chest three times the
way I had with Gayle, impatiently waiting to see some sign to indicate he was
really dead.

Time wasn’t even a concept at this point so I don’t know if
seconds had passed or minutes. How long had that entire encounter just taken?
It felt like hours, but in actually may have been only a couple of minutes.

I used the knife cut off Jon’s head. There was no way this
asshole was piecing himself back to his evil immortal self. This time I was
rewarded with the telltale sign of smoke billowing from Jon’s wounds. I watched
with a sick sense of satisfaction as his body disintegrated in front of me.
This was it. I didn’t have to hide from anyone anymore. They were all dead.

I was free.

When I felt a disturbance in the air next to me, I saw Devon
shifting back to his human form. His delicious human male physique captivating
me as it always did.

“You still have a little blood on your face,” I said.