Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (120 page)

He laughed seductively. “Then may I
come for you?”

Vincent’s question startled
me.

“
If it pleases you,” he
began.

I pressed my fingers to his
lips.

He grabbed one with his teeth and
sucked on it.

I moaned. “Of course, but I want to
watch.”

He nodded, lazily rubbing his cock as
I looked on. “It would please me greatly if you did,” he
replied.

“
May I?” I asked, offering
to blow Vincent.

He refused. “You can’t touch me with
your mouth, only your hands. It’ll keep me leveled. That way things
won’t get out of control. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Immediately I remembered I was talking
to a vampire. His teeth. He could bite me and drain me to the point
of death in minutes. “You’re right. I didn’t think of
that.”

As I put
some distance between us on the bed, he leaned against one of the
wooden bed posts. Again the shocking realization of my recent
actions invaded my mind as I watched this vampire pleasuring
himself before me. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. It
was so delicious, so exotic, so dangerous. I was still a virgin,
but I didn’t want to be. I wanted this vampire’s cock inside me. I
wanted to leave my innocence behind, drop it like a bag of
potatoes. I felt my wolf sense stir and an overwhelming sensation
of heat flooded my body. I sought refuge at the opposite side of
the bed away from Vincent until the feeling subsided.
What was happening to me?

Letting out a deep sigh, I quickly
acknowledged to myself that I was not participating in the events
unfolding in front of me. Just because Vincent didn’t want me to
please him with my mouth didn’t mean I had to simply watch. I had
to make a move. But what should I do?

Vincent’s moans radiated in my ears. A
vitality in the sound of his growing climax drew me in like a
magnet. I crawled across the bed on my all fours, hoping to claim
his lips in another kiss.

“
Not too close,” he
growled.

I paused in front of him, resting on
my bent knees. A million thoughts of what to say ran through my
mind. At this time as he resisted me, what was the best thing to
say? Then I just blurted out, “I’m not afraid of you, Vincent, just
because you’re a vampire.”

It may have not been the release
trigger, but my words seemed to have prompted his climax. His come
spilled out onto the sheets and I immediately swooped in for a
taste of his essence. The fever in me returned as I licked and
sucked on the sheets before him. I raised my ass high in the air
like a cat drinking her milk. A growl surfaced in the bottom of my
throat and my claws extended. I raked my fingertips down my arms,
ripping off the shirt I wore, his shirt. Shreds of the fabric fell
pass my face as I refused to be distracted from my task.

“
Emily, you’re
bleeding.”

Blood. In my excitement, I had
forgotten that I may be in any danger with my new lover. Hearing
his words jolted me. I sat up again, inches from Vincent. When he
gently touched the undersides of my arms, a shiver of raw power
roared through me. A stab of pain shot through my mind. “Your touch
is so forceful. I can feel everything,” I groaned. Again I sighed
and attempted to steady my thoughts. After all I was sitting naked
before a vampire. “Vincent?”

Catching Vincent’s expression as he
struggled not to touch me caught me off guard. I wanted to laugh
and giggle at his wide eyes, his glorious wide blue eyes. I didn’t.
His fangs had extended and he was looking at my arms in something
like almost sheer horror. He didn’t want to pounce on me. He was
fighting with every fiber in his being not to move.

I touched my arms, running my
fingertips down them. The wetness of the blood was indeed there,
but my wounds didn’t seem to be that extensive. “It’s okay,” I
said. “I’m okay.”

He nodded, pressing his right side
further into the bed post and keeping an eye on me the whole time.
He was mortified.

Getting as close as I could to him, I
offered him my blood smeared hand.

“
No,” he whispered. “I
can’t. What if…What if I…?”

“
Lick the blood from my
hand, Vincent,” I commanded. “I desire you to do so.”

He swallowed hard, his eyes blazing
with an icy fire of blue passion. I saw his Adam’s apple sink in
his throat as he swallowed deeply again. The concern was etched
across his face. He remained paralyzed.

The Wolf
flashed a startling realization into my mind’s eye.
Despite his inward struggles, it was obvious that
this man’s allegiance was to a greater good, not the evil
permeating in the Dark Place. It was clear to see that he was above
that. Vincent was a good man, a vampire warrior I had only read
about in my aunt’s books, the existence of which was rarely heard
of anymore.

He licked the palm of my hand, shyly
at first, then with more confidence. Vincent sucked and licked,
making sure every drop of blood was gone.

“
Are you okay?” I asked as
I stared at him, amazed at his gently movements. His fangs had
retreated, carefully tucked away as he tasted my flesh.

“
Very much so. I had no
idea how delicious you’d taste.” His eyes flashed with
humor.

“
I agree.” I gazed into
Vincent’s eyes, forgetting who or what I was. Everything fell away
when I looked into this vampire’s eyes. After a few moments, I
finally asked, “What will they do to us if we are
caught?”

“
Don’t worry about me.”
Vincent’s voice drifted off, and his brilliant blue eyes glazed
over. He turned his attention to brushing the shredded shirt of his
I had torn apart from the bed. Then he examined my wounds. Gently
he rubbed his hands over my arms and shoulders. I marveled at how
warm his touch was, how satisfying and soothing. “I can handle it,”
he said. “But you. I’d rather not think about what they’d do to you
if they catch us.”

As Vincent’s hands paused on my
shoulders, I asked, “Catch us? Then you’ll help me get out of
here?”

He nodded.

Again our eyes locked.

“
Could you help me find
some clothes I can travel in, please?” I asked.

“
Of course. I apologize.
You can’t travel like that! I have to say my blue shirt looked
great on you.” He chuckled. Whisking me off the bed, he headed for
the closet, never once letting go of my hand. “Do as I say. Follow
my lead and you’ll be home before you know it. Agreed,
Emily?”

“
Agreed.” Hearing his
congenial, yet authoritative tone, I gritted my teeth.

***

Vincent led me through a secret door
in the closet of his bedroom I was surprised I had not found. We
followed a long staircase down along a cave made of dark stone that
was hot to the touch. I felt clumsy and awkward wearing his
oversized clothes, which consisted of a dark green jacket, a black
long-sleeve shirt I tied into a knot at my waist, matching jeans
and boots, and a knit cap he requested I stuff my hair under. As
the delight of smelling his masculine scent on the articles of
clothing washed over me, I tried my best to focus on the steps and
stay close behind him. I didn’t want to fall against the wall. Once
the staircase ended, we stood before a four-foot steel door that
didn’t seem to have a doorknob.

“
How are we going to get
through that?” I asked, motioning to him that both of us were
taller than four feet.

For some reason, he found my question
amusing. “Like this,” he replied.

Suddenly he vanished before my eyes.
All I could see was an immense cloud of blue smoke. Then I heard
Vincent’s voice. “I’ll open the door from the other
side.”

When the door flew open, he stood
there, fully clothed in his long black trench coat, T-shirt, jeans,
and leather boots like nothing had happened.

“
Now that’s some
trick.”

“
I’ve got a few up my
sleeve.” He locked the door, checking the hinges and making sure
all the corners of it remained secure. I admired his magnificent
stature in the dim light. As I glanced around to see where the
light source was coming from, I realized it was from the moon that
peeked out occasionally from behind dark clouds.

“
I’ve never seen a moon
like that before,” I commented, not really expecting a
reply.

“
I wouldn’t expect so.
We’re near the center of the Earth.” He paused for a moment and
studied me. “Have you been to the center of the Earth?”

“
No,” I replied, hoping I
sounded convincing.

He continued. “Have your eyes adjusted
yet?”

“
Almost. Why?” I
asked.

He nodded. “We have a long distance to
cover quickly. I want to make sure you can keep up.”

“
I can keep up, fanger.” My
father’s blind arrogance immediately flared up in me, a trait I
instantly regretted showing off.

His pleasant disposition turned dark.
Momentarily, I took a step backwards, waiting to see what he’d do
next. Being low on energy, I’d be unable to summon the Wolf in a
moment’s notice if he attacked me.

“
Let’s get something
straight, Emily,” he said.

“
I meant
no offense,” I offered gently, hoping to derail a fight.
I needed this man on my side.

He sighed
loudly and gathered my hands up in his. The warmth of his touch
startled me and I felt that spark again.
Weren’t vampires ice cold to the touch?
I studied his hands enveloping mine for a moment. In the low
light, I couldn’t see the details of his wonderful large hands, but
I felt the strength, the raw energy charging through them. I was
helpless to move as he towered over me and held me in his clutches.
For a fleeting moment, fear surfaced in the back of my throat. I
wanted to scream, yank my hands away, even if I didn’t flee with
both of them. I wanted to tell this vampire I needed no one’s help,
especially his. And yet, I couldn’t move. His presence overwhelmed
me. His touch soothed me. His brooding stare mesmerized me. He was
the essence of the Legend of Vampyre I had read about, the stories
my aunt had shared with me as a child. She favored all supernatural
creatures that fought for the well-being of others, not the demons
who only understood pain, torture, and death. In the short time I
had known Vincent, I already understood that. Aunt Elizabeth’s
words filtered through my mind.
“We have a
lot to learn from them as well, Emily.”

“
I know we don’t have much
time, so I’d like to ask for your respect. I actually need your
help. If you want to get out of here, I would expect you’d want to
help me, right?”

“
I was rude. I shouldn’t
have…” Vincent cut me off, continuing his dialogue.

“
Yes, I’m a fanger, but
there is a difference between me and the demons here. The people
who will set you free are fangers too. They fight for good, not
evil. I fight for good. You must understand that now. Just because
you’re a princess of the Golden Kingdom doesn’t mean you are the
only one fighting for good. We’re here, in the trenches every day,
fighting for our salvation and yours, for the humanity of our
worlds. If the Dark Place ever infests the Golden Kingdom and
extinguishes the Light, it’ll be all over. Surely you can
understand that, Emily?”

Hearing
his declarations of justice astounded me. I had found an ally and I
understood his concerns only too well. He didn’t know it, but we
were on the same side.
He’s one of
us,
I told the Wolf. My heart exploded a
second time. Each time he addressed me by my name, it collapsed my
very soul. This vampire who I had known for as many hours as I
could count on one hand spoke to me as an equal. Me, the kidnapped
victim. Me, the werewolf seeking my relatives. Even though I was a
virgin, I wasn’t as innocent as I wanted Vincent to believe. And he
wasn’t as haughty as I wanted to presume him to be. Few joys
existed for me since my brother and aunt had gone missing. We were
all in trouble because of my father’s new wife. His heart grew
darker by the day because of her, and I knew I had to stop it. It
was true, what my aunt had said to me the last time I saw her. He’d
follow my stepmother to a very dark place if someone did not stop
them. And that would mean war. My world wasn’t so different from
his. Perhaps the Moon Goddess did have a plan for me after all, as
my aunt had said.

Deciding
to make a bold statement and seek his affection, I pushed my body
into his. At first, our clasped hands rested just above my breasts,
but I found my way into the side of his neck, letting my head rest
there. Vincent was several inches taller than me at my stature of
5’ 7”. Then just as quickly as he had gathered my hands in his
earlier, he wrapped his arms about mine. His moves were faster than
my vision could understand. I relied on feeling his touch
instead.
His embrace felt too right to be
wrong
, I told myself.

When he finally spoke, Vincent’s voice
was only a whisper, but crisp and clear. “If I can do this, if I
can get you out of here, I’ll have saved at least one person. I
couldn’t save the others, but maybe you, Emily, you will be my
salvation.”