Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers (40 page)

harder and harder. She arched as close as she could, taking each thrust. Her body was
on fire, her feminine muscles quivering. She opened her mouth to call out his name, but
nothing came out. She came on a soundless cry that was torn from her very soul.
Her body convulsed as pleasure unlike anything she'd ever experienced rocketed
through her. But she was getting weaker by the second. Her legs and arms fell to the
mattress. She opened her eyes, desperate for one final glimpse of Zane, but all she could
see was his bare shoulder as he continued to drink from her. His hips continued to
pump and then his body tensed. She could feel him pumping his seed, hot and deep
within her, flooding her with his essence. He shuddered but didn't stop feeding.
Reaching her hand up, she tried to touch him. She barely managed to stroke his
soft, dark hair before her hand flopped back to the bed. Darkness pulled at her and she
knew that this was the moment of truth. Closing her eyes, she embraced her death,
knowing it was the only way to be reborn into Zane's world.
Zane shuddered as he felt the last breath of life leave Sophia. His body was alive,
flooded with the aftermath of their explosive orgasms and with the overload of Sophia's
rich blood. He pulled out of her and hauled her into his arms. Sophia had become his
heart and soul. She
would
drink from him. He would allow no other outcome. One of his
fingernails elongated as he sat cross-legged on the bed, cradling her limp form against
him.
Dragging his sharp nail over his flesh just above his heart, he made a deep cut.
Blood immediately gushed forward. He tugged her close, placing her lips over the cut
and angling his body so that his blood pooled in her mouth.
It overflowed, seeping out of the corners of her mouth and ran down her cheeks
like a torrent of red tears. "Drink, Sophia," he demanded.
"Drink."
He rubbed his
fingers over her throat, desperately trying to get her to swallow. "No." In a panic now,
he shook her, dislodging her mouth from him. Blood flowed unchecked over his chest,
but he was blind to everything but the limp woman in his arms.
Gripping her closer, he prayed as he hadn't done in years. He pleaded and begged
with Sophia as he positioned her mouth against his chest once again. "You have to
drink, my love. You have to live for both of us."
When that didn't work, he changed tactics, yelling at her. "This is your fault. You
wanted this. You can't die." He searched desperately for any movement, a twitch of her
eyes,
a
jerk of her fingers.
Nothing.
Fear unlike anything he'd ever known filled him. Tears fell unheeded from his eyes
as he began to plead with her again. They dripped from his face and fell onto Sophia's
cheeks, mixing with the blood that stained her beautiful face.
Finally, he gave up.
"So be it." Leaning down, he brushed his lips against her pale, cool ones, wanting to
taste them one more time. He'd hold her in his arms until the sun rose and then he
would join her in death, allowing the deadly rays to destroy him.
"I love you, Sophia Daring York." He added his name to hers because, in his mind,
they were married, more than married. They were mates for life and beyond, and even
death would not change that.
As the last word left his lips, she gasped and began to choke. "Sophia!" he yelled as
he sat her up and rubbed her throat, her arms, her back. "Drink," he commanded,
infusing every ounce of power into his voice.
Her mouth latched onto his chest and she began to suck. This time his tears were
ones of joy as he cradled her close. Tilting back his head, he tried to stem their flow.
When he felt she'd had enough, he gently eased her away. "Enough." She whimpered,
but didn't protest as he commanded her to drag her tongue over the wound on his
chest, closing it.
Sophia's eyes fluttered open and she smiled weakly at him. Then her eyelids
drooped once again and she drifted off to sleep. Zane sat there beside her for more than
an hour, simply watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, almost afraid to stop
watching for fear it might stop.
Finally, he forced himself to get up and carry her to the living room where he laid
her gently on the sofa. Hurrying to the bathroom, he soaked a cloth in warm water and
returned to her side. She hadn't stirred. Taking his time, he began to clean the dried
blood from her face and neck. Over and over, he returned to the bathroom to rinse the
cloth, until all the blood was gone.
That done, he went back into the bedroom and stripped the sheets.
It took him a
few minutes to find another set, but he finally discovered them in an armoire at the end
of the hallway. When he'd remade the bed, he returned to the living room and lifted
Sophia into his arms. She made a soft snuffling sound and snuggled close to his
warmth.
He carried her into bed and tucked her beneath the covers, sitting next to her until
she settled. Then he grabbed the blanket he'd found in the armoire and tucked it over
the curtain rod to add a layer of protection against the sun that would rise within the
hour. One final walk through the apartment assured him that everything was as it
should be. He latched all the locks on her door before joining her back in the bedroom.
Crawling into bed beside her, he eased her into his arms, loving the way she
instinctively turned toward him and rested her head on his chest. She draped one of her
arms over his stomach and a leg across his thighs, blanketing him with her body.
Contentment filled him and he found himself smiling for no reason as he closed his
eyes and drifted off to sleep. Sophia was his.
Now and forever.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sophia came awake in a rush as her stomach threatened to spew its meager
contents. She gulped in air, rolling to her side, but it didn't help. A large male hand
gently rubbed the small of her back, but even that slight pressure was too much.
"I'm going to be sick," she gasped out as she threw back the covers. Zane grabbed
her, all but dragging her into the bathroom. Sweat broke out on her brow as she
concentrated on not tossing her cookies too soon. She scrambled out of his arms, falling
to the floor in front of the toilet. Then she got violently ill.
She was aware of Zane hovering behind her as her stomach cramped continuously,
forcing her to rid her body of God only knows what. She wasn't sure she wanted to
know. As if he'd heard her thoughts, he leaned close. "Your body has to rid itself of
human toxins."
She nodded, or she thought she did. Maybe she didn't. It was hard to concentrate in
her weakened state. She swayed against the porcelain and Zane knelt behind her so that
his chest was against her back. He wrapped his arms around her, encouraging her to
lean back against him in between times when she was sick. He wiped the sweat from
her face and neck and the cool cloth felt wonderful against her heated skin. She tilted
her head to one side, resting it on his shoulder as he drew the soft washcloth over her
brow.
"Sorry." This wasn't exactly the best way to start a...
well,
she wasn't quite sure
what to call what they had. They weren't exactly going steady, nor were they married.
What they had was more intense then either of those things.
Another wave of nausea rocked through her and she spent the next ten minutes
being sick again. She had no idea how much time passed as she was sick over and over
again. At one point, she thought she heard Zane on his cell phone, although when and
how he managed to get it, she had no idea. He was practically yelling at the person on
the other end, demanding to know how long she would be sick. He was probably
talking to his cousins.
She wanted to reassure him that she'd be all right, but she didn't have the strength.
Later.
She'd reassure him later. When she finally felt she was through being sick, she
raised her head and managed one word.
"Shower."
She felt sticky and dirty and wanted
to feel clean.
She was lifted off the floor and he sat her on the small bathroom counter, propping
her against the wall. "Will you be all right while I get the water going?" She nodded
and then regretted it when her temples began to throb. She raised her hand to her
forehead and groaned.
He was back in a flash and since they were both already naked, he picked her up
and walked straight into the shower with her. The heat from the water felt heavenly,
but the pulse from the spray was almost more than her over-sensitized skin could bear.
She tried to bat the water away with her hands, whimpering as it continued to pummel
her flesh.
Zane swore and then shifted, taking the brunt of the spray on his back. Sophia
sighed and
relaxed,
content to just be in his arms. Her stomach muscles ached. In fact,
her entire body was one large ache. She felt as if someone had taken a baseball bat to
her.
She smelled her soap and then felt the light brushing of Zane's hands over her face,
neck and chest. He held her easily with one arm as he awkwardly washed her with the
other. "Let me stand up." She wanted to be totally clean.
He was hesitant, but did as she asked. "Let me know if it's too much for you," he
murmured as he helped her lean against the wall. When he was sure she was steady, he
quickly and efficiently washed and rinsed her, cupping water in his hands to trickle
over her soapy body. There was nothing even remotely sexual in his touch, but still her
body responded to him, tightening in some places and softening in others. What she did
feel flowing from him was love and caring and something even deeper. It was as if they
were now two halves of a whole, finally joined together.
The water stopped and, the next thing she knew, a large towel was wrapped
around her.
"So tired."
She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was next to impossible.
Her eyelids felt as if they had weights attached to them. All she wanted to do was sleep.
"I know, my love." She felt the deep rumble of his voice all the way to her toes. She
honestly decided that she would have to be dead not to want this man. Even as horrible
as she felt, she was still drawn to him in a way that defied definition.
The softness of her pillow met her face and she realized that he'd dried her body
and was putting her back to bed. He crawled in behind her, carefully lifting her so that
she was tucked into the protective curve of his large body.
Content, she snuggled closer. The hard ridge of his erection pressed against her
behind. Sophia was smiling when she drifted off to sleep.
The next time she woke, it was night again. She realized that she knew that without
even opening her eyes. It was if she was in tune with the night in a way she'd never
been before.
Made sense when she thought about it.
It was a handy skill for a vampire
to be able to tell how much time was left before the dawn without having to depend on
a watch.
Very carefully, she opened her eyes, blinking to help them adjust. It took her a
second to realize that she was seeing everything perfectly even though the lights
weren't on. "This is cool."
A male chuckle came from close to her ear. "What's cool?"
She rolled over and faced Zane, who was watching her with an indulgent
expression. "I can see in the dark."
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Of course you can, my
love. I can see the red of your hair, the pale green of your inquisitive eyes and the
creaminess of your pale skin."
His words lured her closer. "What else can I do?"
"All your senses will be more acute. Listen." As she did so, she rapidly became
aware of the myriad sounds surrounding them. The plunk of the water dripping from
the bathroom taps, the roar of the traffic on the street, the snores of the people in the
apartment below. She covered her ears with her hands. It was too much. Zane was right
there, locking her in his embrace. "Concentrate, Sophia. You can block it all out. Just
pretend your mind is a radio and you're turning down the sound." It sounded like a
silly thing to do, but she did it anyway and damned if it didn't work.
As the cacophony of sound died away, she tilted her head up so she could see him.
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome. There will be much for you to learn over the next few
months."
"Can we change into bats like in the movies?" She wasn't so sure that she wanted to
know.
Zane laughed and she stared, struck by how much younger he appeared. The lines
of strain that usually bracketed his mouth and eyes seemed less pronounced. "No," he
chuckled. "We cannot become bats." Before she could heave a sigh of relief, he
continued. "But we can shift into wolves and the rare vampire can even become an
owl."
She thought about that for a second. "That's okay."
"I'm glad you approve." She could sense that he was suppressing more laughter,
but she didn't mind. It was so unusual to see him this happy. If she was the cause of it,
then she was glad.
Sophia stared at Zane, becoming more aware of him by the second. His big body
exuded heat and the most intoxicating scent. Leaning forward, she sniffed his neck,
letting her lips graze down his jugular vein. Her tongue snaked out to taste him and she
savored his salty flavor.
He groaned but did nothing to stop her. Her body was quickly heating up as well.
Her skin felt flushed and her sex creamed with growing need. Her pussy began to
throb, clenching and unclenching as her desire heightened. She wanted this man and
she wanted him now.
Pushing him onto his back, she crawled on top of his stomach. His brilliant
emerald-green eyes were glowing in the dark and there was no mistaking the lust that
filled them to overflowing. She licked her lips and laughed when his gaze followed the
track of her tongue.
Reaching up, he cupped her breasts in his palms, dragging his thumbs over her
puckered nipples. She whimpered as they tightened even further. She rubbed her pussy
against the hard planes of his belly, trying to ease the growing ache within her. Cream
from her body slid down to coat his skin, making her slide more easily.
Her fingernails dug into his chest as she arched into his hands. She