Into the Darkness (15 page)

very nice of you.”

“At the time, I thought you deserved it.”

He relaxed, sensing no imminent threat to his manhood,

and gave Natalie a reassuring smile. “Don’t be shy now. It’s

not like you haven’t touched everything I have already.”

She blinked. “I can think of a couple of places . . .”

His lips stretched wider into a rueful grin. “Don’t go there.”

Her cheeks bloomed with color. “I won’t. I promise.”

He liked the light teasing and relaxed a little further against

the mattress. “My arms are killin’ me. Is that water as hot as

it looks?”

She nodded and waited for his response.

“Start with my arms and shoulders then, before it cools.

Wring out the cloth and just lay it on the muscle.”

She did precisely that, following his direction, letting

him take the lead. In a way, giving him back a measure of

control.

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As heat penetrated his sore muscles, he studied Natalie.

Her pose was non-threatening, submissive even, but there

were clues her body wasn’t truly subdued.

As she reached over him to lay another cloth on the opposite shoulder, he noted her nipples had spiked, the areolas a

bright, hectic pink—a sure sign of sexual excitement.

She swallowed, the sound audible as she stretched the fabric to cover as much of his shoulder and upper chest as possible. When she sat back again, her breaths were shallow. A

pink blush flooded her forehead and cheeks.

Her smell was the clearest indication of her growing

arousal. Beneath the fresh soap and water scent that clung

to her skin, the faint, lush smell of her musk rose to tease his

nostrils.

His groin tightened, his balls drawing up hard as hockey

pucks, his cock jerked in time with his heartbeat—filling so

rapidly his teeth ground against the urge to rut upward.

Natalie swallowed, holding his gaze for a long moment.

“Remind me . . .
often .
. . why we shouldn’t do this. I’m starting to shake.”

“Because I want to live, Natalie.”

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. “It’s not

working.”

“Put a cloth between your legs.”

She blinked again and reached for one of the cloths draped

across his skin and plunged it into the water. She didn’t even

wring it dry before she balled it up and stuck it between her

legs. Her breath hissed and as her lips drew back, he saw her

teeth glide into place.

When she opened her eyes, the feral hunger was back.

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Rene made a quick choice, knowing things were going to

get out of hand in a heartbeat. “Put the cloth in your mouth

and straddle me, baby. Fuck me—but bite the cloth.”

Natalie pulled it from her crotch and opened wide, biting

down so hard water gushed onto his belly. She swept away the

basin to the floor with a splash and climbed over him.

Her fist closed around his cock and pointed it right at her

entrance. Emitting a strange, breathless wail, she sank, circling her hips to work him quickly all the way inside.

Surrounded by heat and her strong, clasping muscles, his

cock felt moments from explosion. He wished he could grip

her hips and force her hard against him. He wanted to fuck

her deep and hard, pound away at her pussy. Natural or not,

he’d never been so far gone. He didn’t care about the why—he

needed release. Now. “I’m gonna come fast, baby. Move!”

He didn’t wait for her to adjust, he arched his back, seeking

as much leverage as he could manage, pressing shoulders and

feet into the mattress. He pulsed against her, driving shallow

thrusts to aid her movements.

She planted her hands on either side of his shoulders and

worked her hips, pumping up and down, grinding hard when

their pubic bones met, clamping her inner muscles so tight

that when his orgasm did begin to jet cum inside, she milked

him, dragging her pussy along his dick, squeezing so hard he

gritted his teeth against the need to shout.

“Fuck!” he gasped, almost blinded by the strength of his

orgasm. His whole body convulsed, shuddering as he spurted

inside her again and again.

She spat out the cloth and rubbed her tongue across the

tips of her teeth. Red tinged her teeth, and he realized she’d

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cut herself rather than feed off him. She swallowed hard and

closed her eyes as she circled her hips, grinding down. At last,

finding her own release.

When she slumped against his chest, he wished he could

have folded his arms around her and hugged her close.

“Thanks.”

She nodded, dragging deep breaths into her lungs. “You

were there, too, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, I get it now.”

“It’s not that I want to hurt you,” she said, a hint of tears

in her voice.

“I get it.” He really did. This time their furious coupling

had been mutual—evenly desperate. “We have to try to fight

it. We’re in this together.”

She nodded and her hands slid along his chest and side to

hug him.

Rene knew their fates were somehow bound to one another

now. That knowledge scared the shit out of him.

chapter

9

atalie finished bathing him and pulled the

Nsheet up over his body—less tempting that

way.

Rene had dozed while she quietly tended to him,

and she’d been careful not linger over parts that

would have aroused them both.

At the last, he’d confessed he needed to relieve

himself.

Deciding to find out whether the woman had told

her the truth, she wrapped the lacy throw around

herself and approached the door. She knocked softly.

It swung inward almost immediately. The young

man on the opposite side smiled politely. His gaze

remained on her face rather than trailing down her

scantily clad body. She appreciated his manners.

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“I’d like someone to unlock Rene’s handcuffs. He needs to

go to the bathroom.”

He nodded, the sides of his eyes crinkling in the beginning

of a smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Seeing as he looked far from intimidating, she stuck her

head out the door and peered to the left and right, curious

about the rest of her prison. Just like her bedroom, soft colors—decidedly feminine ones—made up the décor. It looked

like any other well-heeled Southern home. Hardly the kind of

place to have a prison cell.

“Someone will be sent to help you,” the young man said, a

polite way to tell her to get back inside.

Natalie wrinkled her nose, but he just grinned. He was

kind of cute—lean, tall, broad shoulders almost too wide for

his slender hips. His hair was light brown, straight, curling

at the ends where it met the top of his shoulders. Almost

feminine. His nose helped tremendously to dispel any effeminacy—it was a little wide, with a bump at the top.

She wondered why she’d even noticed. Or why his scent, so

different from Rene’s, appealed.

“I’m not one of them,” he said, “if you’re wondering.”

A blush heated her cheeks when she realized she’d been

staring. “One of them?”

“A
Revenant
. I haven’t been turned. The others like to nap

during the afternoon.”

“A
Revenant
? That’s a kind of vampire?” She had so much to

learn, but already her stomach burbled, distracting her again.

“Yeah.” His head canted and his gaze sharpened. “If you’re

hungry,” he said, his voice lowering to just above a whisper, “I

can feed you. I haven’t been tapped in a while.”

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“Tapped? You mean, like . . . bitten? You’d do that

willingly?”

“Sure.” He flashed a quick smile. His teeth were a little

large and very white. “It’s pleasurable . . . for both of us.”

It dawned on her that he was so comfortable flirting because no one was likely to check on him. Could she somehow

catch him unaware and arrange an escape? Excitement kicked

up her pulse rate speeding warmth south. She pushed her hair

behind her ear and leaned indolently against the doorframe.

“Are you supposed to do that?” she asked, giving him a slow

smile.

“Uh . . . actually, no.” His hand braced against the wall

next to her, and he crowded closer. “I’m not supposed to even

talk to you,” he whispered.

Perhaps, she could kill two birds with one stone. After all

she’d be less tempted by Rene if she did have a little snack.

“But you’ll let me feed?” At his nod, she touched her upper

lip with her tongue. “Um, how?”

“You just suck,” he said, his voice purring.

She almost laughed and didn’t bother hiding a grin.

He pulled aside the neck of his black T-shirt. “We’d better

get out of the hallway. However, I keep the key to the door.

No funny stuff.”

“Sure. Nothing funny about it,” she murmured. She opened

her door wider and let him step inside, her pulse pounding at

the delicious thought she could have him and escape, too. She

hoped like hell Rene didn’t waken before she’d had her fill,

because she didn’t know how she’d explain her compulsion.

She latched onto the young man’s arm and pulled him into

the room.

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He turned to lock them inside and deposited the key into

his pocket. When he straightened, he flashed a quick glance at

Rene still sleeping on the bed and lifted an eyebrow.

She pressed her finger to her lips to tell him they’d have to

keep quiet. She clasped his hand and pulled him deeper into

the room. “You’re too tall,” she whispered. “Would you kneel

down?”

He shrugged and knelt in front of her, just the right height

for her to snuggle close to his neck. An eager supplicant.

Nervous about what came next, she lifted a shining strand

of his hair to give her something else to concentrate on rather

than his warm, male musk and sweet breath. “What’s your

name?” she whispered. “I think I should know since I’m about

to eat you.”

His white teeth flashed again. “Gerard.”

“I like that.” With her hands resting on his shoulders, she

leaned over him and licked his neck, feeling with her tongue for

just the right spot. When she found his strong, thudding pulse,

she let her fangs descend and quickly punctured his skin.

His breath gasped, and then a low groan followed.

Thick, hot blood spilled into her mouth, almost too fast for

her to swallow.

His hands reached for her hips, and she realized he was

turned on by her bite—and that she was also becoming

aroused. As he sank on his haunches, she let him guide her

down onto his lap, spreading her legs wide to straddle him as

she continued to drink.

His groans grew louder, harsher. His hands tightened and

he pushed her forward and back on his lap, dragging her over

the ridge growing at the front of his trousers.

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129

With his clothed cock grinding into her sex, and his rich,

delicious blood filling her belly, she let herself enjoy the moment. She pressed closer, tugging down the edge of the throw

to rub her bare breasts against his chest. She couldn’t get

close enough, couldn’t get her fill of him.

When his hands slipped away from her hips, she barely

noticed.

The door slammed against the wall behind her, but she

continued to feast and rut. Only when strong arms encircled

her belly and squeezed the breath from her, did she open her

mouth to gasp.

The red haze subsided. In its place rushed a dawning horror. The insistent throbbing between her legs dulled as she

stared at the blood sluggishly streaming down the young

man’s neck to soak his T-shirt.

A hand gripped her jaw and forced her head to turn.

Chessa leaned close, disapproval drawing her brows down.

“Lesson number one—you don’t kill your meals!”

“He’s dead?” Natalie asked weakly.

“He will have to be turned,” said the man holding her

against his chest—the Frenchman. “Lesson number two?”

Rene had rolled to his side as far as his chains would allow

when he’d been woken by groans and gurgling sounds within

the room.

Silent throughout, he’d watched Natalie astride a young

man, dry-humping while she’d fed until he passed out. Hot

fury at her betrayal seared through him. He didn’t know why

he hadn’t let them know he was awake, maybe he’d been curious to see how far she’d take the other man.

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When the door burst open and Chessa and a dark-haired

man rushed inside, he lay back and pretended to sleep, curious to see what would unfold next.

He felt like he was watching his own fate play out. That

might be him the next time Natalie lost herself in bloodlust.

Chessa knelt on the floor and propped the young man against

her chest. “Natalie.
Natalie!
” she called again when Natalie continued to stare at the blood soaking his clothes. “Pay attention,

we haven’t time, his internal organs are shutting down. You bit

him—you save him! Those are the rules.”