Embracing The Lion (Gray Bears 6) (7 page)

Tara raised her head and saw
Gareth staring down at her with raw, primal hunger. He pushed his
fingers through her hair and undid her braid. Her thick, red hair
tumbled around her shoulders, and she pushed her hair to one side as
she slid her lips around the swollen, glistening head of his cock.
She wanted to taste him and savor him, and enjoy the delicious
hardness of his body.

She bobbed her head slowly,
letting him slide in and out of her mouth. She could see his thigh
muscles clenching as he fought for control. Stretching out her arms,
she ran her hands down his ripped abdomen to his hips. She loved how
hard and strong his muscles felt. Tara increased her pace as she
took him deeper. She wanted to see a powerful, potent male like
Gareth Knight lose control and come completely undone for her.

“Tara...” Gareth
roared and grabbed her.

He flipped her onto her back
and pinned her wrists above her head. His mouth moved from her
throat to her breast, and she cried out when he bit down on her
sensitive nipple and suckled her.

She arched her back, begging
for more as he teased and tormented her with his teeth and tongue.
When he spread her legs and lapped furiously at her clit, she
shuddered and came suddenly. It felt as though every nerve ending in
her body had lit up and burst into flames. She let out a keening cry
and shivered violently.

Gareth laved down her
quivering pussy, and pushed his tongue into her slit. Tara panted at
the intense pleasure, and writhed against his mouth. She wanted
more. Her body craved for his, and a whimpered plea escaped her
lips.

Gareth thumbed her nipples
and kissed her on the mouth. As he slid his tongue into her mouth,
Tara could feel the tip of his cock press against her hot, wet folds.
She raised her hips instinctively, inviting him into her body.

Very slowly and carefully,
Gareth pushed into her body. Tara gasped as he stretched her virgin
walls and filled her.

“You're so tight,
Tara,” he gritted out.

He stilled when she let out a
small cry and squeezed her eyes shut. “Am I hurting you?”
he snarled, his breathing harsh and ragged.

She shook her head, and
blinked rapidly. He caressed her face and said, “Look at me.
I want you to look into my eyes when I take you.”

She took a deep breath and
stared into his glowing amber eyes. Gareth pushed her legs wider
apart and buried himself fully inside her with one smooth stroke.

He leaned his forehead
against hers and whispered, “You okay?”

“Y-yes, I feel...good.
And I want to feel more,” she panted, arching her back.

Gareth kissed her tenderly as
he began to move. Tara felt her fangs descending as she raised her
hips to meet his thrusts. He felt so good, so perfect inside her.
He surged deeply into her, driving her towards an explosive,
shattering climax.

Tara grabbed Gareth's
powerful shoulders as he skilfully maneuvered himself beneath her so
that she was straddling him.

He titled his head to one
side, exposing his neck for her.

As she rode him, Gareth
pressed her mouth to his neck and grated, “Drink.”

Tara plunged her fangs into
his neck. Gareth's rich, potent blood filled her mouth and she
swallowed convulsively. Her body shuddered with ecstasy and she
closed her eyes as the world exploded into a fiery vortex of
screaming, drowning pleasure.

Gareth roared as he gripped
her hard. He leaned forward and bit into her shoulder, holding her
in place as he emptied his seed into her quivering body.

Her head slumped against his
shoulder as her shudders subsided. Opening her eyes, she
instinctively kissed and licked at the small puncture marks on his
neck. The tiny fang marks disappeared as she swirled her tongue
along his neck.

Gareth kissed the top of her
head and whispered, “You're so amazing, Tara.”

She laid her head on his
chest and sighed. “I thought that sex involved violence and
pain,” she said at last. “Some of the servant girls
worked for other masters who raped them and tortured them. Some
worked in brothels before they came to Lord Hugo. They told me that
sex was a dirty, ugly business. They spoke from experience, and I
believed them.”

She swallowed and went on,
“But you've shown me that sex, when shared with someone you
love, is a beautiful thing. You have shown me so much, Gareth. You
have shown me the true meaning of love, strength and family. You
found me and saved me. Thank you.”

“Thank you, for letting
me find you,” Gareth said, caressing her cheek lovingly. “And
no one can save you if you didn't want to be saved.”

He smiled and added, “Thank
you for making the wish, Tara.”

“Wish?”

“Yep. You wished for a
happily-ever-after, didn't you?”

“Yes, but...”
She frowned. “I don't understand...”

With a grin, Gareth
explained, “Gramma and Ne-ma cast a happily-ever-after spell
for me. If my true mate makes a wish to find her true love—”
He jerked a thumb smugly at himself. “The spell will be
triggered, and our paths will cross.”

“Wow.” Tara
blinked in amazement. “Wow! Gramma and Ne-ma must be very
powerful witches.”

Gareth barked out a laugh.
“Gramma and Ne-ma's spells don't always work, but—”
He hugged her tight. “This one did!”

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Tara laughed and chatted with
Kaylee and Olivia as they cleared the tables and cleaned up around
the pub. Gareth had just shooed the last customer out the door and
flipped the “Closed” sign behind the drunken vampire.
The guy'd had one too many bloody bourbons.

Tara glanced over her
shoulder to see Gareth watching her from behind the bar counter. He
smiled when their eyes met, and Tara's heart skipped a beat. Her
mate was just so handsome and suave, and when he smiled at her, her
world narrowed to just the two of them.

Olivia nudged her and
giggled. “Stop ogling my boss,” she teased.

“I'm not...”

“Oh yes you are,”
Kaylee joined in the teasing. “You and Gareth have been making
goo-goo eyes at each other the whole night!”

Tara blushed. “I...”

“Ah, to be young and
newly mated,” Kaylee sighed dramatically.

“Oh, why can't I find
myself a handsome, hunky mate?” Olivia lamented. “Some
girls have all the luck!”

Kaylee laughed. “I saw
you flirting with a big, sexy wolf shifter just now. He seems nice.”

Olivia shrugged. “He's
from out of town. He's just passing through.”

“Maybe he'll find a
reason to stay...”

Tara continued mopping the
floor, half listening to the gossip and banter between Olivia and
Kaylee. Olivia and Kaylee were fun to work with, and she was getting
to know quite a few of the regular customers.

Gareth had asked her if she
would like to work at The Round Table, and she had said yes
immediately. She found that she enjoyed working at the pub
tremendously. Kaylee, Olivia and even the customers were all so
sweet and helpful, and she found that once she stopped worrying about
not getting things right the first time, she actually learned faster
and worked better.

“Winston's here,”
Olivia announced. “You better go, Kaylee.”

“Hi!” Winston
poked his head through the door and smiled. “All ready to go?
Want a lift, Olivia?”

“Oh yes, thanks!”

Gareth waved them all off.
“Go! Tara and I will put everything away and lock up.”

“Okay, bye Tara! Bye,
boss!” Kaylee and Olivia called out cheekily as they ducked
out the door. “Be good now.”

Tara laughed. She was
getting used to the sound of her own laughter, and she was truly
amazed at how free and happy she felt. And to think that she'd
wanted to destroy herself. What a fool she was.

When the whole place was neat
and tidy, Gareth locked up the premises and took her hand. Together,
they strolled down the sleepy, peaceful street as they walked and
talked under the stars.

Even though Tara could walk
freely in the sun, she found that she preferred the moonlight to the
sunlight. Gareth realized that, and he would take slow walks with
her at night. He took the opportunity to show her different parts of
the town as he strolled home with her from the pub each night.

“I think I'm going to
have to change the rules for our Witchy Wednesdays,” Gareth
said solemnly.

“Why?”

“On Witchy Wednesdays,
the first twenty witches to give the bartender a kiss enjoy free beer
the whole night,” Gareth answered. “It used to be fun,
but now—” He pulled a face. “I don't think I can
bear to be kissed by any other female.”

“Hmph.”

“What?”

“I'll beat them off
with a broomstick if I have to. I'll make damn sure no female
touches you with her lips!” Tara said hotly.

Gareth laughed and leaned in
to kiss her. “I only want your lips on me,” he murmured.

She pretended to swat him
away at first, then kissed him back ardently.

Gareth grinned. “All
right. It's settled then,” he declared. “From now on,
free beer will be given to the first twenty witches who can sing in
tune on Witchy Wednesdays.”

“Oh.” Tara
gulped. “I guess that puts Gramma and Ne-ma out of the
running.”

Gareth guffawed. “Those
two love to sing, but they're tone-deaf! But—Gramma and Ne-ma
can come to The Round Table any day of the week and have anything
they want. On the house!” He pulled her close and kissed her.
“They helped me find my mate,” he smiled against her
lips.

Gareth jerked his head up
suddenly, his eyes flashing.

Tara gasped as Gareth pushed
her forcefully behind him and shielded her with his body.

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

Gareth tensed as he sniffed
the air. He could scent their presence, but the street was empty.
It was past midnight and all the shops were closed. Most people were
cozily ensconced in their homes. Some had already turned out all
their lights and snuggled down under their bed covers.

Gareth scowled and glanced
down. He saw mist snaking along the ground, creeping closer and
closer to them.

“What is it?”
Tara asked in a frightened whisper.

“Vampires. They're
here,” he said tersely.

The mist rose and began to
spin around them, wrapping them in a cocoon of swirling mist. How
many vampires were there? Twenty? Thirty? From their scent, Gareth
knew that they were surrounded by a horde of ancient vampires.

A tendril of mist detached
itself from the spinning web around them and took shape. A tall,
blond vampire with red eyes materialized in front of Gareth and
smiled.

Tara gasped. “Phillip
Lancastle...”

Phillip's smile widened but
didn't reach his eyes. “Tara, I've been looking for you. Come
with me now. Come on.” He stretched out a pale, manicured
hand to her.

“Don't touch her,”
Gareth snarled. “She's not yours.”

“Of course she is.
She's my property.” Phillip gave a derisive laugh. “You
can mark her all you want.” He pointed at Tara's neck. “But
I am her new master. I own her, body and soul.”

“Is he for real?”
Gareth rolled his eyes and mock whispered to Tara.

She gave him a brave smile.
“He's a phony. That's what he is,” she said loudly.

“That's what I
thought.” Gareth smirked. “And he even brought all his
phony friends along.” He jerked his thumb at the mist around
them.

Phillip narrowed his eyes.
“My friends are all respectable, noble vampires. They have
been around for a long, long time, and they value and uphold the old
traditions. Property law must be upheld and honored. I'm sure you
know that you should not covet the goods of another. You must not
covet another man's male or female servant,” Phillip said,
looking down his hooked nose at Gareth.

“Goods? Servant?”
Gareth shrugged. “You've come to the wrong place, man. There
are no servants here in Shadow Point.” Gareth's tone was
flippant and dismissive, but there was no hiding the rage in his
eyes. His claws were slicing out silently from his fingertips and
his lion was hungry for blood. This piece of shit had hurt Tara, and
he would make him pay.

Phillip snapped his fingers
and one by one, the vampires stepped out from the swirling mist.

Tara sucked in a breath and
hissed, “I've seen them...they're Lord Hugo's guests...”

Phillip heard her and smiled
thinly. “Lord Hugo? Your old master? He's dead.” At
Tara's horrified gasp, Phillip pretended to inspect his nails and
buff them against his long jacket.

“I killed him. He
promised me a female servant, but when I went down to the kitchen to
collect the said servant after dinner, I found that he had let her
go. He had unlocked the gates for her and allowed her to escape. As
he failed to deliver on his promise, I was well within my rights to
dismember and kill him.”