Only Vampires Cry Blood (4 page)

My heart froze when he pulled back long enough to whisper in my ear, “I promise that you will regret it if you make the mistake of testing me on this.”

I gaped at him, stunned silent. I knew Arys was touchy about the one who made him, but this was really freaking me out. He had never spoken to me like that. I would have been pissed right off if I hadn't been so damn scared.

Before I could make sense of my flustered thoughts, he brought his lips back to mine in a bruising kiss that could only be defined as possessive. He smelled like wolf, pine and fur. I reveled in it despite the confusion swirling within me. My beast was strong in him, and as he sought to dominate me, I responded to him against my will.

His touch was like molten lava as he swept my legs out from under me and picked me up in his arms. His kiss was urgent as his tongue thoroughly explored my mouth.

Even as I asked myself what the hell I was doing, I kissed him back with desire when I should have been nothing short of enraged.

I wanted to rant at him, to ask him who the hell he thought he was to dare threaten me like that, but the will to do so wasn't there. As the power crashed through us, I was overcome by it, and I clung to him as he carried me.

He didn't take me to the bedroom like I assumed he would. Instead, he went as far as the bare kitchen table where he sat me on top of it. I started to shake my head and tell him that he was out of his mind. I had good reason to be ticked at him right now. Besides, this was where I ate dinner.

As if he knew my protest was coming, he continued to kiss me hungrily, like he simply couldn't get enough. The last of my pathetic attempt at resistance vanished when he wasted no time in ridding me of my clothing. Without a care, he tossed each item I wore as he removed it.

My mind kept trying to form words, to say something, anything, after the last thing he'd said to me. Nothing sensible would come when he cupped my breasts and nipped his way down my neck. Drawing one of my nipples into his mouth, he sucked hard on it until it stood firm. I couldn't hold back the moan I'd been trying to deny. Like I knew it would, the sound fed his ego, and he moved to my other breast where he bit at it aggressively.

A low growl came from him when he stepped back and peeled his shirt off. His eyes never left me, and I felt the weight of them as he savored the sight of me sitting naked on the edge of the table.

Those crazy wolf eyes looked all wrong on Arys. They were my eyes. My eyes often turned his peculiar vampire blue when his power was riding me hard, but the reverse seemed much more unnatural. He wore this startling expression, one that made me feel hunted. I shifted nervously, my pulse racing when he shed his blue jeans.

Everything about this scenario was very controlled, yet I held none of the strings being pulled. This was about Arys enforcing his will on me through a physical act, yet knowing that, I still tensed with anticipation when he nudged my legs apart so he could stand between them.

His hand slid through my hair to stroke the back of my neck. Even though our groins matched up, he was taller than I was, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. I reached out to run my hands down his stomach, and he surprised me by jerking my head roughly to the side. Baring my neck, he was on me fast, sinking his fangs in one smooth and painful motion.

I yelped, absolutely shocked that he’d bit me. It was nothing new, but it didn't usually happen like this. I hadn't been ready or willing in any way. The defenses of the wolf inside me were instantaneous. Claws sprouted from my fingertips, and my fangs were suddenly there, long and razor sharp. A snarl erupted from me, and Arys chuckled low in his throat as my blood spilled.

This was what he wanted. To abandon any semblance of human play and go for the bloodshed and brutality. After the corner he'd backed me into during our conversation, I was more than ready to play a little rough. If I had more inner strength, I would have told him to please himself and leave me out of it. As it was, my body was reacting of its own accord.

The agonizing pain seemed to scorch a path from where his fangs were still embedded in my flesh all the way to the pit of my stomach. Arys slid a hand between my thighs and thrust two fingers inside me, forcing a small animal-like sound from me. I was relatively immobile, and he seemed to prefer it that way.

Gripping my hips, he pulled my ass closer to the edge of the table. The motion jerked me hard against him, and I reached out with a clawed hand to brace myself. Five bloody scratches marred his chest, but he paid them no attention.

I wasn't surprised when he skipped the traditional foreplay. Finding me wet enough, he quickly replaced his fingers with his shaft. I resisted, but only to make it a challenge for him. He pushed against my hot opening, hard and ready. I squirmed, teasing him, and he released his hold on my wounded neck.

The blood spilled down my neck and chest, trailing several crimson lines down my breast to my stomach. He held tight to my hair, as if he planned to control my movements by keeping a tight grip on my head, as if I were an angry snake. My blood was smeared on his fangs and lower lip. I watched as he slowly licked at the remnants.

The look he fixed on me was deadly. He leaned in close, forcing me backwards until I lay flat upon the table. Only then did he release my hair. With a hand hooked under each of my hips, he fiercely plunged inside me so that I was suddenly filled with him.

The sounds I made seemed to encourage him, and he withdrew slowly only to thrust deep into me again.

Every thrust was rougher than the last. No human woman would ever have been able to take this kind of aggressiveness, but for me, that pain was also pleasure. It spoke to the animal inside me, raw and hungry. Arys pounded into me faster until I was crying out his name.

I felt him twitch inside me, as if his climax was building steadily now. I hated that he had me pressed against the tabletop. I wanted to sit up and feel his body against mine.

And, he damn well knew it.

He held me down so that I could only lay there while he had his way with me. I reached for him, my claws digging into his forearms. The scent of blood and sex filled the room. The orgasm that built up inside me hit hard and fast, crashing down over me like a tidal wave. The intensity of it turned my moans to small cries mingled with howls.

I ached in so many places, but it was euphoric and left me feeling like I floated among the clouds.

Arys groaned and leaned down over me so that his face was pressed to my chest. He licked softly at the blood that stained my pale skin. My arms went around him, and I held him tightly to me as he filled me with his hot release.

It seemed like an eternity passed as I listened to the hum of energy around us. Arys leisurely licked at the punctures he'd left in my neck. When he'd had enough, he attempted to kiss me, despite the four fangs in my mouth that made it difficult.

“I love you,” he murmured against my lips.

He hadn't said that to me in over a month, as it just wasn't part of our day to day as it was with Shaz and me. It got my attention as the sexual haze began to wear off.

“Arys…” My voice trailed off as I tried to form the words. “I love-,”

Another kiss prevented me from returning the words of endearment. In the past six or seven months that we'd been involved, he had never let me finish that sentence. It was nothing short of aggravating.

“But Alexa, about Harley,” he nibbled and sucked on my lips and tongue before pinning me with his deadly serious gaze. “I meant what I said.”

The unmistakable sound of conflict floated through my office door. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, I paused in typing an email to listen. Lilah and Veryl were engaged in a heated discussion. This never happened.

Feeling like a kid spying on my parents, I quietly got up from my chair and crept to the open door. Murmurs carried down the hall from Veryl's office. His voice was low, barely audible compared to Lilah's angry hiss. Whatever was going on, she was pissed.

Despite my metaphysical shield, her angry energy was able to punch holes in it. I felt nothing from Veryl, but he was only a vampire. Lilah was a vampire, but she had been a demon first and still was. She scared the crap out of me when she was in a good mood. I didn't like the vibes rolling off her.

Slipping out of my office, I made my way to the small kitchen. The sound of Lilah's voice barely faded. Jez looked up at me from where she perused a copy of Cosmopolitan.

The look she gave me was curious. Her cat eyes looked especially brilliant green today. I shrugged and she frowned.

“Hey Lex?” She motioned me over with a finger topped with perfect red polish.

“What do you think of these shoes?”

As I drew closer, I noticed that the shoes on the page looked like punishment devices straight out of hell. The sound of disgust I made earned me a dirty look from the fashion friendly leopard.

“I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I don't know much about shoes other than price and comfort.” Bending down over her shoulder, I brought my lips close to her ear.

Her scent was a mixture of wild animal and Chanel number something or other. Fearing sensitive ears down the hall would hear me, I barely breathed the words. “What the hell is going on down the hall?”

She giggled and squirmed, batting at her ear. “That tickles, cut it out. It's also sending a fun tingle down my spine so you may want to back off. Or do you?” She smirked. I ignored her teasing come-on; she was full of them. When she gestured that she didn't have a clue what was up with Lilah and Veryl, I chewed a nail as the curiosity ate me alive.

Jez slapped my hand away from my face and shook a finger at me. “No wonder your nails are always bitten to shit. You seriously need a manicure, lady.”

I tried to glare at her, but I was too preoccupied by trying to hear the details of the commotion in Veryl's office. “A manicure would be wasted on me. I'd destroy it within hours.”

She huffed at me and turned back to her magazine. I perched on the edge of the table, straining to hear. Yeah, so it wasn't the most polite thing to do, but it sounded big, and I wanted to know.

“So, what are you doing here?” Jez asked after flipping a few more fashion pages. “I thought you weren't taking anymore private clients.”

“I'm not. My reputation has been drawing some pretty unsavory characters lately.

Either they want to kill me or they want me to kill someone that doesn't meet my criteria.

I'm tired of playing games with vampires too pussy to do their own dirty work.” It also put me in a very vulnerable position. I'd taken many private hits in the past, rarely second guessing my decision. “Veryl asked me to come in.”

The work I did for Veryl was for one purpose only: take out the supernaturals that threatened the rest of us with exposure. I wish I could say it was because they were evil and had to be disposed of. Truthfully, most of them were just stupid, unable to keep a low profile like those of us who value our anonymity. The work I had done on the side was merely for the money. After streams of clients seeking an easy solution to their problems or those looking to get their hands on me, I was done with it. Ever since Harley had shown up at the office when I was alone, I hadn't felt comfortable taking on a private kill.

Before either of us could speak again, a loud bang came from down the hall as Lilah flung Veryl's office door open. The intensity of her anger preceded her.

“I am tired of being manipulated like everyone else around you. Do your own goddamn dirty work from now on. Trust me; I have far greater concerns than any threat you can throw at me.” Lilah's voice echoed down the hall, and the black taint of her power reached out to stroke me like an uninvited hand. It hurt as it rolled over me.

I jumped when she suddenly appeared in the doorway. Her flame-colored eyes flashed with fury. Fixing them on me, she gave her copper locks a toss. “He's ready to speak with you, and he's in the mood to ask for favors. Consider yourself warned.”

Without waiting for me to reply, she spun on her heel and headed for the door. The sound of her combat boots on the hard tile floor seemed unnaturally loud. The woman was an enigma. Nobody fascinated me the way she did. I was dying to know more about her. I'd seen her destroy a demon with no more than a word, so I was, of course, intrigued by her.

Meeting Jez' expectant gaze, I mustered the best poker face I could possibly manage.

When she gave me the thumbs up, I headed for Veryl's office. Neutral expressions were not my forte, especially with Veryl. He’d known all along that Raoul had attacked me and slaughtered my family, and ever since I’d found that out, I had developed a distrust and wariness of him.

I'm not a complete moron. I mean, Veryl is a vampire, an old ass one at that, but I'd invested a level of trust in him that I'd learned he didn't deserve. I couldn't help but feel like a naïve fool; he'd taken advantage of my personal life, my entire existence. Veryl had arranged for Raoul to bring me into his pack, all the while planning to recruit me later and make use of the things that set me apart from other werewolves. Because I was metaphysically gifted before Raoul turned me, Veryl decided that he wanted to see for himself how it enhanced me as a Were. It scared me, especially now that I was bonded on so many levels to Arys. If Veryl thought he was ever going to have access to my power, he had another thing coming.

I'd done my best to see him as little as possible over the last six months, and surprisingly, he had seemed uncomfortable around me, too. I wasn't sure how much he really knew about me lately. If Harley was aware of how much power I now had, how could Veryl not know?

As I drew closer to his office, my heart began to beat faster. Maybe I should have called in sick. I felt like I was on my way to stand in front of the firing squad.

Pushing the door open, I took a deep breath and stepped inside. Even after avoiding his office for months, it looked just the way it always had. Gorgeous furniture filled the space around his desk, which was covered in papers and computer accessories. Veryl seemed to blend in with the surroundings. His dark gray suit looked just as expensive as anything else in the room.

He looked up at my entry, gesturing to the soft leather chair across from his desk. I didn't want to sit, but I did anyway, anything to play my part and get this little meeting over.

“How have you been, Alexa?” He beamed a friendly smile at me, but instead of feeling at ease, it put me on guard.

Fine lines around his eyes gave him a gentle, almost fatherly appearance. It was all an illusion. Even as he sat there smiling at me as if he really cared how I was, I could feel his evaluation of me. There was the slightest irritating tickle against my aura when his energy brushed mine. Did he think that I wasn't able to feel his rude and invasive analysis?

He frowned, and I wondered what it was that he was sensing. Banishing it as fast as it had come, he turned his previous smile on full blast.

“Great,” I said, more chipper than was authentic. “How about yourself?”

“Delightful. I hope you didn't pay any mind to Lilah. She hasn't been herself lately.”

I shrugged in response to that, choosing to say nothing about her at all. His eyes never left me, and I got the feeling that he was trying to unnerve me. It took an astounding amount of effort to resist rolling my eyes. I just wanted him to cut to the chase already.

“Alright,” he clapped his hands together and dug through some folders on his desk.

“I'll tell you why I asked you to come in. It seems that there's a new werewolf in town, a stranger. He's asking around about Raoul.” He pressed his fingertips together and leaned forward.

“What? What's he asking?” I sat up straighter in my seat, astonished.

Veryl's eyes narrowed. “He's looking for him. Not many people outside those closest to him know what happened. I assume it's some old unsettled score or something of the such. That's what I want you to find out.”

My jaw dropped. “Say what?”

He smiled briefly as if my surprise was both expected and amusing. “I want you and your mate to find him and deal with it, before anything public occurs. I assume it would only be a matter of time until he brings trouble to your neck of the woods.”

I couldn't imagine who would be lurking around, trying to get dirt on Raoul. It could be anyone. I didn't know everything that he'd been up to before his death. He shared very little with me. His tendency to hide the important things was a lingering pain in the ass.

“It's Raoul's problem, dead or not. I don't want anything to do with it. If the guy is trouble, and you want him taken out, why not send Kale or Lilah?”

“You're an Alpha wolf with a lot of power, Alexa. You were Raoul's partner in leading those wolves of yours. Now, you and your mate are his successors as Alphas in your pack. Of course it has to be you.” Veryl spread his arms wide in a dramatic gesture.

“Both of you. This has nothing to do with my hired kills. This is your own personal pack business.”

I didn’t like the sound of this at all. “I don't want Shaz involved with this. It doesn't apply to him.”

“Don't be ridiculous. Of course it does. But, that's your argument with him, not with me.”

My mind was working overtime trying to think of someone, anyone who would have reason to be looking for Raoul right now. Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be good, and hearing it from Veryl first wasn't so awesome for my ego. How could someone be hunting around for my former Alpha while I was totally unaware? That wasn't acceptable.

Shaz would never think twice about investigating the situation. Since he kicked Julian's ass in a fight for Alpha, he was fueled by the need to enforce his status and step up to the plate to fulfill his role.

Veryl tossed a cream-colored folder within my reach. “This is the address and the information I have for the werewolf that's been asking for Raoul. It's not much. Show it to your mate if you wish, but please, don't ignore this, Alexa. It could be dangerous.”

“I don't see why Kale can't just kill him.”

“Not everything is kill first, ask questions later,” he scolded, receiving a dirty look from me. “Be careful, Alexa. That kind of mentality really doesn't get you very far. Kill as needed, and always get all of the information first, no matter what you're dealing with.”

I growled then in irritation. I hated being talked to like a student or a child.

I shoved my chair back and clutched the file folder in one hand. “Thank you, Veryl. I appreciate that you brought this to my attention.” With a nod and a few parting words, I made my way from his office, feeling as if I'd just been hauled down to see the principal for something I didn't do. It wasn't fair. Raoul's sordid past was still coming back to torment me.

I stopped in my office to shut down the computer and gather my things. I wanted to get home and enjoy the rest of my night. I also wanted to talk to Shaz about Harley, and my feeling that Harley was my source for answers. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell him about the pack related news. Something about it didn't feel quite right.

Jez' voice reached me from the kitchen. She was chattering on about the latest celebrity couple splashed on the cover of every tabloid and gossip magazine. I smirked to myself, glad that I wasn't the poor sucker she was forcing the wasted details on. When I heard the voice that responded to her, my heart raced just a little. Preoccupied with Veryl, I hadn't sensed Kale's arrival.

Ever since Kale and I had kissed after hunting down a rogue werewolf together, things had been different between us. He'd confessed a developing hunger for me, thanks to the serious vampire power I was packing, and I had been going out of my way to keep us from being alone together.

I was drawn to him for the same reason he had become drawn to me. Power. With vampires, it was always about power. I had more than my share, and naturally, he was enticed by that. Because he was a willing source that invited me to feed on his energy, I had a hard time resisting the urge. Kale's power may not be the strongest I'd ever encountered, but it had a way of coating me like honey. And, it was just as sweet.

Maybe if I bypassed the kitchen and went straight for the exit … not likely. With my purse slung on my shoulder and the folder from Veryl in hand, I headed back down the hall. Jez called my name before I'd even reached the doorway. I couldn't have snuck out if I wanted to.

“Please, don't torture me with words that are really just combinations of two celebrity names. I can't bear any more of that insanity.” I came around the corner and grinned when she flipped me off.

I winked at Kale who smiled and nodded. “I've seen more in the last five minutes than I ever needed to. There are some things that men are never supposed to know about women.”

“I'm sure all men could benefit greatly from this magazine,” Jez quipped. “You might actually learn something new.”