Moonlight Calls (Demon's Call Series Book 1) (12 page)

 I sucked in my
breath as he took one full aching breast into his hot mouth.  I moaned and
arched against him and he began to stroke me, the rhythm of his fingers
matching that of his tongue across my hard nipple.  I felt the warm ripples in
my stomach again, and shivered in pleasure.  I wanted to feel every massive
inch of him inside me.  He rose over me, sliding one hand under my butt to lift
my hips to him.  His glowing green eyes met mine and he plunged inside me in
one stroke.

I arched my back
and moaned, my hands sliding over his muscular back and to his ass, feeling the
muscles there ripple as he plunged into me again.  I was feeling the effects of
the wine, detached and dizzy.  He tangled his hand in my hair, pulling my head
backward to expose my throat.  He continued to stroke slow and hard inside me,
pulling almost all the way out before slowly driving every huge inch of himself
inside me again.  He trailed kisses across the corner of my mouth and down my
throat to my breasts.  He suckled me hard as the waves of pleasure continued to
ripple inside me. 

I let out an
incoherent sound when he leaned back slightly, drawing one of my legs up to
rest on his shoulder.  He lifted my hips again as he prepared to enter me even
more deeply. I ran my hand over his chest, gazing into those intense green eyes
that seemed to glow in the soft light. 

His hair had
come unbound at some point and it cascaded over his shoulders in dark
glistening waves.  God he was beautiful.  I closed my eyes and leaned my head
back in anticipation as I felt his weight shift.  His unbelievably deep voice
came out in a rumbling growl that made my skin tingle.  “Look at me Mya,” he
commanded.

My eyes flew
open to meet his as he plunged hard inside me, possessing, demanding.  I
gasped, feeling as though I might shatter.  He quickened his pace, slamming
into me again and again.  He was so huge I could barely take it all and each
stroke was unbelievable agony as the sensation of pleasure lingered just on the
edge of pain.  I was astounded at my own violent response, rising to meet him,
driving him on.

He leaned in
close to me, opening me even wider to him as he nuzzled my neck.  He bit me
sharply at the juncture of neck and shoulder as he quickened his pace.  I
called his name as orgasm washed over me.  The feeling went on forever, leaving
me gasping as he took me again and again.  Finally he moaned, and as his body
tensed I felt his release course into me. The strange rippling sensations that
I had been feeling all night increased.  The blinding red of his aura flared up
and I could feel it covering me, washing over me like flames, filling me.  I
suddenly orgasmed again, wave after wave of pleasure coursing over me, leaving
me boneless and spent.

His huge frame
covered me as he lay breathing quietly, his cock still pulsing inside me.  I
was still panting with exertion, but somehow buzzing with energy.  I lifted my
heavy arms and drew my fingers through the soft cascade of hair covering his
back and pooling around us as a tender spot pulsed at my neck, wondering what I
had just done.

*****

I woke sometime
in the night.  I was alone in the massive bed.  The lights had been turned off,
but a few embers still burned in the fireplace, casting a soft glow in the
room.  I sat up and looked around, my eyes finally lighting on Christian’s
tall, dark form.  He was seated in a leather wing-chair in the corner of the
room.  He leaned forward, setting a tumbler of amber liquor on a small table
next to him.

“What’s wrong?” 
I asked fuzzily.  He stood and came around to lean over me, and gently stroke
my hair.  He had donned a pair of flannel pajama pants and a robe, but his
long, glistening hair was still unbound, and it floated about his waist as he
moved.

 “Nothing is
wrong.  I simply could not sleep.”  He went to the hearth and picked up the fur
throw, left there at some point in the evening.  He brought it back to the bed
and covered me up.  “I saw you shiver.  It must have been the cold that woke
you.”

 I lay back
against the pillow and looked up at him.  I wanted to protest, to tell him to
come to bed, or that I would stay up with him, but I was so tired.  For the
first time in a long time, I was free from the constant headaches and anxiety,
my body boneless and completely at ease.  Try as I might, my eyes just wouldn’t
stay open.  A flutter of unease tried to break through my contentment.  This
wasn’t right.  What if he had drugged me?  I scoffed at myself.  As if a man
like Christian needed a date rape drug to get laid.  Smiling at the thought, I
relaxed.

“That’s right
darling,” he said gently, compulsion lurking in his voice, “Sleep.  I will
watch over you.”  My last thought before I slipped into oblivion was to wonder
why Christian thought I needed watching over.

I woke bathed in
the warm, golden sunshine coming in around the suede drapes.  I luxuriated in
the feeling of soft silk caressing my naked body.  My instinctive morning
stretch was cut short as I was reminded of muscles that I hadn’t used in a
while.  I winced and gently massaged my inner thigh, hoping to ease the ache
there.

All of the
sudden, I remembered where I was and what I had done, and a hot blush washed
over my face.  I only now registered the fact that I was alone.  Slipping out
of the huge bed, I grabbed the black silk robe Christian had left draped over a
nearby chair.  His woodsy scent engulfed me, and I smiled to myself.  As I
rolled up the long sleeves of the robe, I noticed a note on the nightstand.

Mya-

I have to leave
briefly on a work related emergency.  I will be back soon.  Please make
yourself at home and I will drive you home when I return.  I am truly sorry for
leaving this way, but you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t stand to
wake you. 

Christian

Huh.
 Well, at least
I would have some time to decide how to proceed from here.  I didn’t know how I
felt about this whole strange situation.  Something about last night was still
niggling at the back of my mind, and without Christian’s overwhelming presence,
it was bothering me more and more.

 I grimaced as I
considered the note.  Crumpling it up, I threw it into the now cold fireplace. 
I needed to make some decisions.  My first decision was to decide not to decide
what to do until I had a nice hot shower.  I gathered my clothes from around
the room, and the memories that stirred up made me want to slap myself for
having any qualms about Christian. 

After half an
hour in the huge shower, I decided to be cavalier about the whole incident. 
I’d had my first one-night stand.  We didn’t really know each other and he had
left before things could get awkward.  Maybe he was giving me the opportunity
to do the same.

I made my way to
the kitchen and found coffee on a warmer and a plate of home-made waffles with
complete with written instructions for how to toast them in the little toaster
oven.  I pondered the morals of a guy who would spend the night with a woman he
didn’t know then abandon her in the morning, but leave her homemade waffles in
case she was hungry when she woke up.  I found a stalk of orchids next to my
purse.  Maybe there really was a good reason for him having to leave.  Maybe he
really did intend to come back and continue treating me like a goddess.  I
snorted.  Maybe pigs could fly.

I passed on the
waffles, but poured myself a big, steaming mug of coffee.  Taking the coffee
and my purse to the bathroom, I put on a little makeup and tried my best to
tame my hair.  Then I squared my shoulders and called Amanda for a ride.  She
grumbled about having to cart me around on her day off, but she finally
repeated the address back to me and promised to be there as soon as she could. 

I slipped into
the passenger side of Amanda’s tiny Dodge Neon without meeting her eyes.  She
pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the deserted dirt road before she
finally spoke.

“So,” she said
in an airy voice.  “Have a good night, did you?”

I fiddled with
the radio dial.  “It was fine,” I said in a noncommittal tone.

Amanda shook her
head.  “You might at least say thank you.”

I raised an
eyebrow and glanced at her.  “Oh, right,” I said sweetly.  “Thank you for
giving my name and life’s history to a complete stranger in the middle of the
hospital.”

She rolled her
eyes.  “You’re welcome for not telling him you were married with five kids and
a lesbian on the side.”

 I muttered
something rude under my breath, then leaned back and stared out the window for
the rest of the drive, my cheeks aflame, while Amanda cheerfully catalogued all
of Christian’s visible good points- and guessed at the ones that weren’t
visible.  I refused to comment.

“You know,” she
said in a reprimanding tone.  “I would have snapped him up for myself, if he
hadn’t been so completely set on you.  You’re lucky I was feeling generous.”  I
snorted and rolled my eyes at this display of sisterly love.

As we pulled
into the driveway, my stomach dropped and alarm bells went off in my head.  The
lawn had been ripped up, and long tire tracks torn through the grass.  The
mailbox was missing, and several saplings that had been growing in the front
yard were lying on the ground, pulled out by the roots or snapped off at the
base.  I pulled my phone from my purse again, hitting the message button.  I
had fifteen new messages from Ailis, which I had refused to read on the grounds
that she was a nosey, controlling, annoyance.  In hindsight, maybe I should
have answered.

I slid from the
car, trying to hide my worry.  “Thanks for the ride, Amanda,” I said calmly. 
She didn’t buy my bland smile.

“Do you want me
to stay here until you call the police or something?”

 I shook my
head, not looking at her.  “You have a baby shower to go to, right?  I don’t
want you to be late.”  My voice didn’t come out as breezy as I had hoped.  I
met her eyes and gave her a wry smile.  “It was probably just a bunch of
teenagers out on a bender.  Ailis is home.  I’m sure she’s already called the
police.”

Amanda didn’t
look convinced.  “Are you sure?”

“I’ll be fine,”
I said cheerily.  She frowned at me, but she finally shifted into reverse.

“Call me later
and let me know you’re still alive.”  I nodded assent and waved to her as she
backed out of the driveway. 

I made my way up
the drive, cataloging the damage and wondering just what the heck was going
on.  I found the mailbox.  It was resting in the backseat of a shiny new BMW,
where it had apparently landed after being thrown through the back window. 
Safety glass crunched under my boots as I made my way to the door.  When I got
closer, I could see that the shades were hanging sideways in the front window.

I gingerly tried
the front door and was surprised when it opened easily, revealing the
splintered wood where the lock used to be.  Well, Ailis didn’t forget to lock
up last night.  A chill walked up my spine.

I opened the
door and walked into total chaos.  The living room was torn apart, and there
were several ugly rust colored stains on the wall.  I made my way through the
house looking for Ailis.  I finally found her on the back porch.  At least, I
thought it was her.  I had never seen her like this.

 She was sitting
on the back step with her arms braced on her bent knees and her head bowed
forward.  The bright copper curtain of her hair was hiding her face.  She had
light scars on the pale skin of her forearm, and her hair was rumpled.  She was
also covered in what appeared to be dried blood.  Her body tensed as she sensed
me there.  She stood and turned to me, and I gasped.  The whole left side of
her face was an ugly yellowish bruise and there was dried blood along her
hairline on that side.  She was wearing dark makeup and there were streaks of
it smeared around her eyes. 

 She took a
quick step toward me, and I instinctively stepped back.  She looked like a
stranger to me, dressed in black leather pants, ankle boots, and a corset.  She
seemed to radiate danger.  I had never seen Ailis
look
like a vampire
before. 
What the hell was going on?

She stepped
toward me, letting out a huge sigh of relief.  “Oh my God, Mya,” she said,
wrapping her arms around herself.  “You’re okay?  I’ve been trying to find
you.  I was so worried.  I thought they had you.”  The concern in her voice
snapped me out of my shock.  Her dove gray eyes were ranging over my body as if
she was checking for damage.

“What the hell
happened?”  I crossed my arms over my chest, unconsciously aping Ailis’s
posture as fear rippled over me.  Her expression changed from relief to anger
in an instant.

“A clutch of
young vampires came here looking for you.  They were going to kidnap you.”  She
shook her head in disbelief.  “They were looking for you specifically, but they
weren’t acting under orders from a major camarilla.”  She frowned.  I don’t
know how they found you.  They were so young, it must have been pure
coincidence… anyway, they knew there was something different about you, and
they were hoping it would help them increase their standing.”

I stared at her,
thinking of the short, dark-haired vampire I had met in the mall.  I hadn’t
liked the possessive gleam in his eyes when he asked what I was.  He had known
I was different.  Yeah.  Pure coincidence.