In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 (30 page)

“And you can’t leave this house during the day.”

“Fine.”

His broad shoulders and muscled chest made the fluttering in her stomach increase and it was difficult to not gaze longingly at his arms. She yearned for his embrace. His curls were messy, but it only added to his charm. The gold color of his eyes only made it difficult to breathe every time he looked at her. Vanora sat gazing at him wondering why he was making small talk when they both knew exactly why he was in her room.

Armando crossed his arms and observed her thoughtfully. “I expected more of a fuss out of you about being restricted to the house.”

“I don’t want to die,” Vanora answered honestly. “I’m not about to go running off on my own to try to save everyone. I don’t want to tangle with an incubus by myself.”

Striding over to the bed, Armando rested one hand on the bed post. His nearness only heightened her longing for his touch. “So no foolish heroics for you?”

She answered with the quick shake of her head. How could he ignore the fact that her nipples were hard beneath the fine fabric of her tank top and that she was clenching her thighs together to contain the painful arousal he sparked there with his mere presence?

The vampires finely shaped lips turned up at the corners in a satisfied smile. “Then I can sleep easier.”

“Roman always used to say that.” The thought of her brother was a damper on the moment. The ache in the core of her heart intensified at the thought of Roman being eternally at rest in the mausoleum on the grounds below. Yet, he was dead and she was alive.

“Vanora, I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t kill him. Lorelei did.” Briskly wiping a few tears away, Vanora pulled on her inner strength as she once more resolved herself to finding her brother’s killer and destroying Lorelei. Dwelling on the things she couldn’t change would only cause stagnation. She had to take hold of the situation and do her best to survive. “You have no reason to be sorry. You tried to save him.”

“Yes, I did,” Armando said in such a way it sounded like he needed to reassure himself of that fact.

“I know you’re trying to save me, too.” Vanora took a deep breath, not sure how he would take her next question. “But you’re also still holding back some things from me, aren’t you?”

Slanting his chin downward, Armando avoided her gaze. His discomfort was clear.

“I don’t know why you’re doing that, but I have to believe that because you love me you’re doing it for the right reason.”

Vanora watched the muscles around his mouth tighten and his eyes narrow, and knew she was witnessing his internal struggle. At last, he just merely gave her a brief nod.

“I trust you.”

Armando lifted his amber gaze to meet hers. The blazing intensity of his emotions filled them completely. “Thank you.”

“Which is why I let you in my window...yet again.”

“I’ll sleep under the bed like before,” Armando muttered.

“No, you won’t.”

“I won’t?” His dark eyebrows arched in surprise. “I thought you were over me?” The mocking tone was back and a playful spark illuminated his gaze.

“I’m over you like you’re over me,” she answered, using his earlier words.

“Which means not at all.”

“Exactly.”

Armando stared at her, still not making any attempt to approach her. “I see.”

“My brother and sister have been obsessed with our ages and that you’re a vampire, but I just can’t care about those things. Not anymore. I wasted too much time in Austin away from a brother who loved me and now he’s gone. I may lose my sister before all of this is over. I may lose you. I might lose my own life.” Vanora stretched out her hand toward Armando. “No more regrets. No more running away. Okay?”

“Okay.” Armando lingered with uncertainty at the end of her bed staring at her proffered hand. “What are you asking of me?”

Crawling to the end of her bed to the spot where he stood, Vanora rose onto her knees, and tangled her fingers in his silky black curls.  “For you to kiss me.”

With a grin, he said, “One kiss is never enough.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Catching his lips with her own, her tongue meeting his, Vanora savored the moment as he enfolded her in his arms. She deepened their kiss while cupping his beloved face between her palms. It had been so long since their last kiss, but it was forever burned in her mind, replaying in the darkest hours of the night in her dreams. To once again have him in her arms was bliss.

Fingers scrabbling at his jeans, she sucked provocatively on his tongue making him moan. “Hurry, Armando...before the sun rises. I need you.”

Grumbling in Spanish, Armando checked the time on his phone. Vanora made out a few of the words, which made her suspect he was cursing the coming sun. “I would like a bit more time to show you how much I’ve missed you, but the fucking sun...”

Vanora wiggled out of her tank top and tossed it over her shoulder. “Shut up. Get naked. Make love to me.”

“You’re very demanding.”

Sliding off her pajama bottoms she sank back onto the bed, resting on her elbows. From the stunned expression on Armando’s face and the seductive smile that promptly formed on his lips, it was clear he was enthralled with the sensuous display of her body. Whereas the first time they had made love, she’d felt vulnerable in her nudity, those reservations were now gone.  It wasn’t time to dwell on death and darkness, but to grasp firmly at life and abandon regrets.

Moving faster than any human, Armando tugged off the borrowed t-shirt while shucking off his boots, socks and jeans. The dim light cast by the lamp on the bed stand cast alluring shadows over his finely sculpted chest and arms before he met her on the bed once again. Sliding her fingertips over his back, she arched up to his hungry kiss.

As his mouth slid along her neck, the tip of his tongue teasing her skin, she trembled at the memory of the sharp teeth she had glimpsed years earlier. He bit her, not drawing blood, but teasingly. A brief stab of fear made her gasp, but she didn’t pull away.

“I missed you so much,” he breathed in her ear then sucked the lobe between his lips.

“Show me,” Vanora answered, tilting her head to catch his bottom lip between her teeth.

With a grin, Armando covered her mouth with his and rendered her nearly breathless.

For the last few years, she had tried to ignore the memory of his touch, but it had been impossible to forget their lone time together. In the quiet of the night, Vanora had vividly remembered how he had elicited the greatest of pleasure with his fingers, mouth, and cock. She craved to feel all those wonderful things again and guided him with gentle pushes of her hands. There wasn’t much time and she craved him.

Panting with eagerness when he slid down her body, his cool skin brushing over hers Vanora bit her bottom lip. The gentle nips of his teeth on her pale pink nipples enticed breathy whimpers out of her.  As his mouth continued to trail down her belly, it held the promise of an even more explosive gratification.

Vanora fought away trepidation, fear, and guilt at defying her sibling’s admonitions. There was no denying she loved and wanted Armando. She could no longer live in the shadow of her darkest emotions.

All thoughts were lost when he settled between her thighs. Intertwining his arms with her legs, he held her captive while his tongue lashed her sensitive clit and made her cry out so loud she clapped one hand over her mouth. Vampires didn’t have to breathe and Armando used that reality to his utmost advantage. When the pleasure became too much to endure, she tried to squirm away but he held her firmly. His tongue was relentless. Even tugging on his hair didn’t dissuade him.

“You’re trying to kill me,” she gasped.

Vanora felt his sharp fangs as he tugged one more time on her inner lips and bud and she spiraled into a vortex of pleasure that left her shaking. Climbing over her body, Armando checked the time again. Sprawled beneath the vampire, Vanora’s hands fluttered against the hard lines of his waist. The tip of his erect cock dragged over her thigh as his weight shifted. Somehow his casual nudity and familiarity seemed even more provocative than him going down on her. It made Vanora feel like he was truly hers.

Curls falling into his face, he growled with aggravation. “Only a few more minutes.”

Draping her legs around his body, she pulled herself upward, impaling herself on his dick. “Then hurry.”

The years apart had changed her and she had never realized how much until that moment. Their first time together, she had been afraid, naive, and terribly nervous. Though he was the only man she’d ever had sex with, the years had peeled way much of her insecurities. Tonight, she’d made the choice to cling to what bits of her life remained and not be encumbered by the past. That included letting herself be loved by Armando and loving him in return. She met his kisses with amorous ferocity, matched his thrusts with equal need, and gave herself completely to him.

When Armando finally came inside her and buried his face in her neck and hair, she locked her arms and legs around him, unwilling to relinquish her hold him. Gentle, elegant fingers stroking her arm, Armando held her against his still chest. Though she was breathing hard and sweating, he wasn’t winded in the least and chill as marble.

“If the fuckin’ sun wasn’t coming up...” he groused.

Combing her fingers through his hair, she lightly kissed his forehead.

Armando lifted his head and nibbled her lips tenderly. “I love you.”

Tracing his chin with her fingertips, she stared into his amber eyes. His thick lashes made them even more beautiful. “I love you, too.”

Sighing with what appeared to be relief, he rested his head next to hers. Reluctantly, she let him slip free of her body so he could lie beside her.

“You’re my moon goddess,” Armando said, awe and love filling his voice. His fingers lightly plucked at one pale nipple.

“You’re my moody, pain in the ass vampire.” Vanora rolled into his arms and rested her head against shoulder.

Armando sighed with contentment. “I was afraid you’d marry that asshole, you know.”

“That asshole wouldn’t have married me. I’m not pure.”

Armando made a scoffing noise. “And he was?”

“Of course not. Double standards and all that stuff.” Vanora pulled the covers over them and fidgeted until she found a perfectly comfortable spot that maximized how much of her body was pressed against his. The frown lines between Armando’s eyebrows amused her and she lightly brushed her fingers over them. “We both know he didn’t have a chance in hell.”

“Because you weren’t over me,” Armando said, smiling with his usual arrogance.

“Not one bit.” Vanora dotted his jawline with kisses. His eyes were drooping and she could see the exhaustion settling into his face and body. The sun was close to rising.

“Vanora...” His smile faded away. “I will do everything I can to protect you, but I don’t know that I can.”

“Let’s not worry about it right now, okay?” Tucking her head under his chin, she concentrated on the lingering ripples of pleasure that still coursed through her body. “I don’t want to think about anything else other than us.”

“When I fall asleep, I won’t rouse if something happens. If we’re attacked in the daylight hours and somehow they get in, leave me. Escape.”

“Armando...”

“Just agree to that.”

“Okay.”

With a sigh, Armando held her closer. “I won’t waken until sunset.”

“It’s all right. I’m tired. I’ll probably sleep all day.” Vanora dreaded seeing him fall asleep. She wondered if he would look dead. Yet, she didn’t want to leave his side. It felt strangely right to have him in her bed.

Armando showered her head with kisses, his fingers intertwined in her hair. “I love you,” he said, then his body abruptly went still and his limbs slumped.

Reaching behind her, Vanora gripped his wrist and dragged his arm over her waist. Holding his hand, she closed her eyes and wished for a deep, dreamless sleep.

The warm waters of the gulf lapped around her feet as the sand squelched between Vanora’s toes. Standing on the shore, she watched the dark shape of a ship in the distance as it sluiced across the moon dappled waves. The long white nightgown she wore did little to keep out the cold and the hem was soaked with salt water.

"He's almost here."

Vanora glanced over her shoulder to see Lorelei standing a few feet away. Though encompassed by the gloom of the night, the moon shed enough light to illuminate her cold blue eyes and taunting smile.

"Boo," Lorelei said mockingly.

"Who is he, Lorelei? Who is the albino vampire?"

"Your future, of course."

"His name, Lorelei. What is his name?" Vanora demanded.

Lorelei exhaled slowly. "I can't tell you that. Edicts can't be defied."

“Edicts?”

"Run away while you still have the chance," Carys urged as her form took shape beneath the water. She floated just below the crests a few feet from where Vanora stood. "He'll destroy you," her mother said, her lips not moving under the veil of waves.