Hunger Untamed H3 (5 page)

“I can’t. Not yet... I just... I can’t.” She sounded so stricken, he backed down for the moment. A blood slave who didn’t want to be bitten, a woman with a vengeance against a man almost impossible to kill. When he finally got this story, it was going to be one doozy of a ride.

He wouldn’t stop until he’d heard it all.

Rain began to drum on the car, startling Victor. He’d scented the oncoming change of weather, but the clear skies had deceived him. The steady beat of noise reminded him strangely that he had no destination in mind for them. With the lycans gunning for him, even taking the ‘stang out for a ride made him trackable. “I need to come up with a place to do this. Someplace large and secluded with sleeping quarters and supplies for us both.”

“Why secluded?”

“Don’t need humans rushing up on a two-hundred-pound man whopping on a pixie of a woman. You want to learn, you’re gonna get hurt in the process. I’ll do my best not to do any permanent damage, but you
will
hurt.”

Goddamn if her eyes didn’t harden in resolution. Like she might enjoy this.

Lucy bit down on her lip before speaking. “If you don’t mind the drive, my grandparents left me a tract of land about two hours from here. Small country home with a kitchen full of canned goods. Some clothes. You think that would work?”

It wasn’t like they had much choice. She didn’t need to know about the lycans, not unless necessary, and he could use the time and distance to think. “Directions?”

Other than to tell him when he was coming up on a turn or the next steps of their trek, neither did much speaking during the rest of the trip. He had at least a dozen questions to pose to her, but the loudest of them wanted to ask her about her life as a blood slave.

Something primal in him bellowed at the understanding she’d been a sexual recipient for any number of vampires before him, both men and women. She’d been touched and fondled, caressed and pleasured by others. They’d shown her unrivaled passion and soaring heights.

What would it be like when he kissed her for the first time? When he slanted his imperfect mouth over hers, spittle drooling down his chin to drop onto her porcelain skin. When only one side of his mouth moved while the other side stayed flaccid and useless.

His gut tightened.

In the hundreds of years of being vampire, he hadn’t dared kiss a woman. Not even the ones he’d hired to slake his thirst for sensual contact. Even the most seasoned professional might not be able to disguise a flinch.

But this woman...he wanted to see if she could. If maybe she’d keep her composure if he kissed her. The generous curves of her lips were made for kissing, and he
would
try at least once.

She looked like if she responded to his clumsy attentions, she would be the kind of woman who moaned in her throat. Who would use her big, expressive eyes to beg for more. If she didn’t shudder in horror first.

He groaned, frustration threatening to make his skin burst.

“Are you okay?” Lucy murmured beside him.

Victor glanced at her, then shifted in his seat. Pretending he couldn’t see past the rain, he made a show of wiping the condensation on the window. “Wasn’t expecting this weather. We could have been there twenty minutes ago.”

“It’s peaceful. Probably the first time I’ve felt that way in a while.”

A flash of lightning illuminated the road ahead, the crack of thunder on its tail almost powerful enough to rock the vehicle. “You call this peaceful?”

She smiled, and Victor caught the edge of it. His heart tripped. “Not
this
, but this,” she said. “In here. I get that I don’t know you, but I feel safe here. I feel like I’m on the road to doing what I need to do for the first time. Yeah, I’d gotten close to Sage earlier, but inside I was shaking like a leaf. I had no idea how I was going to kill him. I was so afraid of chickening out at the last minute.”

“Then color me impressed. You looked like you were ready to handle yourself. To see it done. If I hadn’t seen the Councilman’s other guard, I might not have stopped you.” He would have. The lycans demanded Sage before them. But if they weren’t a factor, he could have let Lucy exact her revenge. Whatever Sage had done to her must have been a heinous enough crime.

Lucy looked like the type of woman designed for a life of luxury—which she’d been given—instead of the one where she’d literally bloody her hands by murdering Sage.

“How long have you been free?” he asked.

“A few weeks.”

“Weeks?
Jesus
. And this is how you spend the time. Plotting to get yourself killed.”

“You sound like you don’t believe I can do it.”

“You sound like you think you can,” he countered.

“No choice,” she muttered. “I have to. Make a right here and then about a quarter of a mile up, we’ll see the house. Warning, it’s small.”

The car rocked from side to side as they drove up the gravel path. Rocks crunched beneath the wheels, the rain no longer heavy enough to muffle the sound. He scrutinized the long driveway where boughs scraped over the car as they moved over the narrow pathway.

The headlights spotlighted a very tiny cabin, probably not much bigger than a one-bedroom. If it had indoor plumbing, he’d be surprised. Still, it looked sturdy enough. The wildflowers growing at its perimeter weren’t overgrown with weeds, suggesting that someone spent time maintaining the place.

“There’s a spare key around back. I’ll go get it,” Lucy said after he’d killed the engine. She peered up at the sky as if trying to count the individual drops of rain still coming down. They’d gotten through the worst of the storm, but a couple of stragglers fell from time to time.

He watched her exit, managing to look like she belonged here despite the extravagant dress and updo hairstyle. Although he knew he should get out and do a cursory inspection of their surroundings, determine the place’s weaknesses and natural defenses, he couldn’t get himself to move. Not yet.

Victor needed to study the sway of her hips as she walked, the elegance of her motions. He was transfixed by the delicate lines of her profile when she gazed into the distance. She used the beam of the headlights to tiptoe her way around the side of the building, and Victor found himself tilting his head to monitor her careful progress.

He couldn’t believe that for the next few days, he’d somehow convinced her to give herself to him for his use. His fantasy. She would be his to touch and explore.

His cock thickened, his teeth elongating. He wasn’t hungry for food yet, but something about her incensed that appetite. He’d been a fool to agree not to bite her when every instinct would want him to. But blood could be easily gotten. The embrace of an alluring woman eluded him. She now stood only a few yards away from him, and he would not blow this opportunity.

Lucy returned to the front of the house only a minute later and with some difficulty, she inserted a key into the door. She angled her body to the side, just enough to grace him with a hesitant smile when the lock unlatched. After opening the door, she squinted in the direction of the car’s beam, held up her hands in a shrug, her face set in an
are you coming?
look and then went inside.

For some reason, it amused him, and Victor exited with his own new smile. It took him only a few minutes to circle the outside of the small cabin, inspecting it for accessibility and defense. While it wouldn’t hold up against an attack, it could be defended with minor adjustments that he’d work on tomorrow evening. The chances of the lycans having followed him here bordered on infinitesimal, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

It’d been one hell of a long night, and he was tired of seeing it. Time to think and rejuvenate. His plans for Lucy didn’t go much beyond getting into her panties. What he taught her and how, a new burden that hadn’t come to him yet.

With any luck, he’d convince the blood taking up permanent residence in his cock to return to his brain by sunset tomorrow.

He’d need all the help he could get.

Chapter Five

Victor explored the small cabin, his shrewd gaze assessing the adequacy of the blackout curtains and the latches on the windows. He tested the strength of the shower spray, peered in all of the cabinet drawers. The inspection took only minutes, but she couldn’t figure what he was looking for.

“Are you almost done? I’m dead on my feet,” Lucy said irritably. His form seemed to fill the room. The two of them in the same location would be a lesson in physics. If he exhaled while she yawned, or some other misfortune of ill timing, they’d need a crowbar to unwedge themselves.

Her eyes burned and her body felt heavy. It had to be almost seven in the morning, and she hadn’t seen sleep in over twenty-four hours. Nothing had gone to plan.

Not wanting to dwell on it, she stepped into the tiny bedroom and pushed the velvet overcoat from her shoulders. It slid to the floor with barely a whisper. The clingy dress took more effort. It meant inching the material up, pulling from the hips and then breathing a sigh of relief when the cool room air licked her skin.

Years of discipline had shaped her into wearing tall heels, skin-tight clothes that left no room for breathing and hairstyles that took hours of torture to bring into being, but at heart, she loved comfort. Fuzzy socks, yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt made Lucy a very happy woman, indeed.

“
Fuck.
”

Victor stood stock still in the doorway of the bedroom, his eyes gone dark and feral. He’d caught her with her hands behind her back, fingers on the clasp of the bra embellished with an intricate lace pattern. The huskily whispered word stilled her hand, the dangerous need in his eyes an intoxicating compliment.

“Is there a problem?” she asked when he didn’t move.

He dragged his gaze away from her breasts and to her face. “There’s only one bedroom.”

She dropped her hands. “I told you the place is small.”

“And there aren’t any doors. Why aren’t there any doors in here?” Victor seemed to struggle with himself. His gaze began to roam toward her cleavage every few seconds, but with what looked like a concerted effort, he’d snap his gaze back up to her face if he took in too much.

“Wait a minute,” Lucy said in a husky voice, a self-satisfied grin curving her lips upward. “You seem uncomfortable. Are you okay?”

“You said this place has provisions.” Another slip of his gaze. Another snap to attention. “Where are they?”

“Are you hungry?” She knew she played a dangerous game, but something wicked in her couldn’t resist the temptation. Lucy trailed her fingers down her neck in one slow, deliberate glide, twisting so that Victor was teased with the full view of her glyph and her carotid.

“No,” he said with a growl.

“Liar,” she replied softly. His teeth had elongated a fraction, his eyes dilating into pinpricks. She knew all the signs of an aroused male vampire too well.

She baited him with blood, a risky tantalization. But she did it to ruffle his feathers. Beneath the gruff exterior beat the heart of a man.

Still, what she did was cruel, especially because she would never allow him to drink from her. “But,” she added, “if you’ll give me a moment, I’ll grab a shirt to put on. I forget that not everyone is comfortable with nudity. I’ll endeavor not to insult your sensibilities going forward.”

Victor blinked as if coming out of a trance. He took a step forward. “My what?”

Laughing, she knew she toed a different dangerous line. “Go, Victor. I’ll change, then climb into bed and get out of your hair. I know the morning’s coming and I’m ready to collapse right here. You must be equally exhausted.” She figured he’d want her to stop moving so he could stretch out on the floor in peace, without fear of being stepped on. “But you know, you could sleep in the living room where there’s more room.”

After rifling through one of the drawers, she pulled out a worn, musty-smelling T-shirt and then pulled it over her head. Victor studied her as she unhooked her bra beneath it, withdrawing the undergarment through a sleeve a moment later. His brow knotted together, but then an amused glint lit his eyes before she was done. “Where do you plan on sleeping?” he asked.

She patted the bed. “Like I said, right here.”

He unfolded his crossed arms and stood upright. “Then so will I.”

“But—”

“Already backing out of our agreement?”

“But—”

“Use your body. Any way I want. Has that changed?”

Damn.
“Of course not,” she muttered. She simply didn’t think he’d want sex so soon. An insane thought when dealing with a dominant male, but the hope had remained.

There were no bedsheets to speak of, but Lucy rummaged in a closet jammed with an assortment of canned foods, cleaning supplies, one flat pillow and a rolled-up blanket. The latter items she withdrew and, with a final scathing look at Victor, settled onto the bed with them. With the folded pillow beneath her head and the thin blanket tucked around her body, she closed her eyes.

She’d agreed to sex, but he’d have to make the first move.

Every part of her was aware that Victor stood near the bed. She could hear him moving around, the rustle of his clothing. Curiosity begged her to open her eyes and watch him move, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he stoked her interest.

That didn’t stop her from peering through partially opened lids.

Victor removed his shirt, and Lucy almost gasped. She’d had a feeling he hid a muscled body beneath the casual clothing, but this was...
exquisite
.

She’d once taken a course in figure drawing, which utilized human models. The people had specifically been chosen to assist the students with identifying the various individual muscles of the human body, the teacher posing them to highlight the lean ridges and lines.

The vampire standing next to her didn’t need to be posed to display his definition. He’d been honed like a tool, his natural movements showing off the toned abs and sculpted chest. He wasn’t overly immense, individual ribs on display when he kneeled over his shoe to unlace it. But the smooth plane of his back suggested power, and Lucy had the sudden urge to lick the sharp blade beneath his shoulder. She wanted to run her hands over his skin and feel his bulk beneath her fingertips.

Then Victor stood, pushing down the black slacks over his hips. Her eyes almost shot open when she realized he’d gone commando beneath the pants. Some screaming instinctual part of her wanted her to pull up a seat, get out the popcorn and enjoy a slow perusal. The softer, feminine side of her encouraged her to slip her eyes closed and wait until the right time. Victor, for all his bravado, showed hints of vulnerability. Her respect for that side of him eased her thudding heart and she followed this latter instinct instead.

The bed shifted, soft sounds of protest emitting when Victor got in beside her. Her heart punched against her ribs as she waited for him to make the first move. To act on the bargain she’d agreed to.

Victor moved closer, his substantial weight causing a dip in the mattress. Despite the new contour, she willed herself to stay in place. She would do what was required, but sadness enveloped her, knowing she still had no other choice. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d given her body away. Like all the other times, she’d keep her eyes closed, murmur words of encouragement and sounds of approval. When enough time had passed, her back would arch, the vulnerable curve of her neck exposed. At least now, if Victor remained true to his word, he wouldn’t plunge his teeth into her skin. When it was all over, she’d clean up and hope he didn’t want more too soon.

Every part of her wanted to tense when his arm draped over her waist. She almost trembled in her frantic attempt to remain calm. Lucy held her breath.

Waiting.

Victor squeezed tighter. Her heart began to race.

He pushed his face into her hair, inhaling and sending anticipation shuttling through her veins. The thick bulk of his thigh slid in between hers, the fine hairs of his leg tickling her.

Lucy’s skin crawled with awareness...and it wasn’t a bad thing. Warmth infused her, and so did another sensation. For the first time in a long time, a sense of security grew, tentative but present.

He used his nose to nudge aside her hair, the strands falling in a gentle cascade against her cheek. His lips brushed her scalp, the nape of her neck. Lucy shivered despite herself, and a soft sound rose in the back of her throat. She wasn’t used to this tender teasing.

Yet, who was being teased? Victor could have done more, asked for more, demanded more. But he cuddled.

He seduced.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Getting comfortable.” His voice was whiskey rough, drowsy.

Victor shifted, and his stiff erection bumped the top of her thigh. Lucy swallowed hard, because
wow
, her glimpse of him before hadn’t been an illusion.

Still, she waited, scarcely breathing now, poised for that moment when he reached for her breast and twisted a nipple. Or maybe Victor was the type of man who went straight for the kill, plunging his fingers between her legs without waiting for her readiness.

Any minute now...

Nothing but silence. No movement. Nothing.

“V—” Lucy cut herself off, despite having barely whispered. She opened her eyes and caught sight of his arm holding her tight. He’d tucked her in close to him, the hold of a lover.

She’d told him she was used to being treated a certain way. It wasn’t a complete lie, but in her years as a blood slave, she couldn’t recall any of them ever putting her in a position like this. One that suggested intimacy. It made her feel...

Like someone who was cherished.

Her heart tattooed, and Lucy forced herself not to wriggle from beneath his grasp. The small cabin didn’t need air conditioning, and the evening was temperate. Victor’s warmth coddled her, a disconcerting feeling.

It didn’t matter if she couldn’t reconcile his actions with her confusing emotions. She could close her eyes, drift off to sleep and awaken completely refreshed and unmolested. By evening fall, she’d be ready to start their training lessons and maybe have gathered her fortitude for fucking.

Fucking. That was all it would be. His body inside hers as he brought himself off. It wouldn’t mean a thing. A means to Sage’s end.

Before, when she’d had sex with them, it’d been about survival. It still was.

Victor shifted, and even in his sleep, he stroked her cheek with his lips. Lucy waited, breath held and heart pounding, but he stopped almost as quickly as he’d begun.

Two or three hours must have passed before she finally
believed.
Victor wouldn’t be straddling her, forcing himself between her legs and shoving his way to release. She could relax, if only a fraction, and wait for him to awaken. She would come to unaccosted.

Lucy couldn’t understand why. Not when she felt his lust for her down through her soul. She’d sold that same soul to him for the next few days, a price she would have paid over and over again.

For some reason, he wasn’t ready to take it.

That thought intruding into the next one and the next one after it, another hour and a half passed before she finally drifted into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Victor had no idea what he might have done or said to her while they slept, but it must have been one hell of an insult. Lucy kept her eyes on him at all times, the beginning of a scowl set on her face. Might have had something to do with the way he’d tucked in behind her on the tiniest cot he’d ever had the displeasure of using. The glare didn’t let up while she opened a can of peaches and made a meager breakfast of them.

“Will that hold you?” he asked.

Lucy’s lips compressed, but she nodded. “What are you going to do?”

In another two days—three, tops—he’d have to seek sustenance, but for now while not expending a lot of excess energy, he could afford to go lean. Lucy wouldn’t be persuaded to assist. Did Sage have something to do with that aversion too?

He wanted to throttle the man.

“I ain’t gonna starve for a while yet. Probably head into town tonight or tomorrow. See who’s willing. Pick up some more stuff for you.”

She went still, a muddy-yellow hunk of peach between her fingers, juice dribbling down her arm. “I’m not a delicate flower. I can survive on what’s here.”

“I’m going to push you possibly harder than you’ve ever been pushed before. You’ll need energy. Fuel. The most those things are going to do for you is give you a bad case of the runs.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, but she put down the fruit she’d been holding. “I’m full anyway. Ready to get started?”

He nodded and moved toward the front door. The heat of her gaze followed him to the entrance, and Victor gave a small word of thanks that they’d come here unprepared. While he’d been able to scavenge the shorts, the shirts they’d found belonged to someone half his size. Being forced to go bare-chested wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. His gun remained tucked into the too tight waistband and with a muttered prayer of hope, he figured he shouldn’t shoot his ass off.

A small part of him enjoyed the way her gaze wandered over him, hazel green eyes growing bright. He went about his tasks with a deliberate linger, a flush of mixed pride and embarrassment almost overtaking him. From the corner of his eye, he assessed whether she’d notice the unusual coloring, but no—Lucy was engrossed in the view of him.

He could have fucking touched the moon.

If he didn’t move her thoughts—and heated gaze—toward more objective matters though, his plans for training would be discarded immediately. Truth be told, he was halfway there. “The first task is to figure out what I’m working with,” he said as he crossed the threshold. “Using whatever method works best for you, I want you to come at me.”

“Yeah, but with Sage, I had the element of surprise.”

He conceded her point. “That would have given you an extra three, maybe four seconds before he reacted. I’m not looking for a full-blown fight. Just show me how you would have done it.”

Behind the small cabin lay a field of mostly grass, surrounded by the occasional tree. There was a breeze this evening, signaling the oncoming change of the season. Victor lifted his nose into the air, no longer smelling the rain. With his heightened vision, he avoided the mud puddles created by last night’s storm, but based on the small cursing coming from behind him, Lucy wasn’t so lucky.