Rapture (24 page)

“Just
a few days.”

He
dipped his head to kiss her, but she pulled back on his hair, meeting him eye
for eye. “How many?”

Ferox
swallowed and looked away with a shrug. “Over a week.”

“A
week? How often do you normally eat?”

“Food,
every day. Blood, every couple. Unless you’re mated, then it’s however often
she—”

“Ferox!
You need to drink! Why wouldn’t you … Why are you starving yourself?”

His
arms loosened, and she slid to her feet. He turned his back to her, so she
could barely see any of his face behind his long hair. “I can’t make myself
feed from another female. I won’t.”

So
that was what she felt these last few days? Not just lust for her body, but
also lust for her blood. Now it was her turn to swallow. She took a step toward
him, her bare feet brushing over the grass, and placed her hand on his arm.
“How is it any different than before?”

He
faced her, befuddled. “How is it different?
You
have made it different. From the
first time I saw....” He exhaled, his face and body visible relaxing. “From the
moment I saw you, I’ve wanted to taste you. Not just here,” he pointed to her
lips, “or here,” he brushed his hand over the junction of her thighs, “or
anywhere in between. I’ve ached to taste
you
. All of you.”

Raine
could scarcely hear anything over the sound of Ferox’s voice and the beat of
her heart. As if his own words had sprung his need to life, he lifted her wrist
to his mouth and grazed it with his fangs. “You ... ache?”

“More
than you could e’er know,
Caalia
.”

Her
heartbeat had grown so erratic she could feel it everywhere: her neck, her
ears, the tips of her fingers, her sex. “Will it hurt?”

“No.
It might sting a little, but it’s been known to be … pleasurable. Do you
remember when I gave you mine?”

She
did, indeed. It had felt so incredible that she considered the experience to be
akin to making love. If she could experience that again, all while sharing it
with Ferox, then she had no reason not to. “Of course I do,” she answered,
gazing down at where his thumb rested over the pulse in her wrist. “Do you
normally take from the wrist?”

He
shrugged again. “It depends. Some do.”

Raine
stepped toward him, peering up at Ferox from under her lashes. “Where do lovers
take from?”

He
ran the back of his fingers down the column of her neck. “Lovers take from
here.”

She
turned her head to the side in response, angling her head just so. “Where would
you have me, Ferox?” She pointed to her w
rist and then to
her neck. “Here, or here?” The brush of her own fingertips over her neck caused
goose bumps to spread. She couldn’t believe she was being so direct, nor that
she was even considering letting Ferox drink from her. Then again, when it came
to her vampire, any reservations she’d had previously vanished, and now all she
could do was think of all the things she’d enjoy sharing with her vampire.
Things Father had taught her to despise.

“What
are you doing?” he asked, his expression taking on an almost-horrified look.

“I’m
offering my blood to you.” And her heart pounded at the mere thought of it.

His
cock twitched and her eyes rooted to his pants for the briefest of seconds.
“You … You can’t mean.” He shook his head and gripped her shoulders. “You would
do that?”

She
straightened, admiring this vulnerability she’d never seen within him before.
How could he not know that her own desire for this was as stoked as his? “Of
course I would. I’ve shared my body with you. How can I let you go hungry?”

“But
we don’t even know that your blood could sate my thirst.”

“How
will we know if we don’t try?” She inched her head to the side again. “Take
me.”

Ferox
bent low, gripping her ass with his hands as he hefted her up. He sat down on a
boulder with her in his arms, and set to kissing her neck, sending tendrils of
fire-hot desire through her body. Just as she was about to tell him that he’d
better get to it before she decided to do some sucking of her own, he struck.

It
hurt for the first second, though by the third the pain had disappeared and
turned so pleasurable that they were both moaning as their bodies writhed
against one another. Her entire body had come alive so much she was certain she
could fly. She also wasn’t as stuck as she’d thought she’d be. It seemed with
every movement, Ferox was right there with her, moving as if the two of them
were one. His hands went up under her skirt, his warm palms cupping her chilled
skin. Her own hands were roaming, though she’d made no conscious thought on
where to touch him. And then he was in her, and his hands were latched on to
her hips, moving her up and down his shaft—

A
twig snapped, and faster than she could track, Ferox had pulled out, stood them
on their feet, and whirled toward the sound as she righted her skirt.

Four
demons loomed nearly ten feet away, expressions mixed from horror to lust, with
one appearing nonplussed at what they’d just witnessed.

“Thought
we’d find you out here,” one said. The leader, she guessed. “We’ve heard the
two of you frolic in this direction every night.”

“Is
that so?” she asked, stepping forward so she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with
Ferox. He tensed, but she ignored it.

“Now
we know why—”

“—That’s
disgusting,” another responded.

“Didn’t
I drop you from a cliff?” Ferox lowered his head, peering at the leader from
under his brows as her blood slowly dripped from his fangs. At the sight, she
clapped a hand to her neck, feeling the sting of his bite and the stickiness of
her blood.

“Yes,”
the demon replied. “Pussy move.”

“Not
from where I stand,” her vampire said. She couldn’t help noticing his hand
fisted by his side, as though he were ready for anything to happen. He probably
was. She’d have her Hjörr in hand if it weren’t somewhere in the brush. “What
is your business with us?”

The
three demons behind the leader peered at each other as he stepped toward Ferox
and Raine. “To kill you.”

She
barely had time to grip a dagger before they attacked.

****

Millburn,
New Jersey

Present
Day

Draven
descended the stairs with Ally by his side. As short as his female was, she
always seemed to fit perfectly in his arms, no matter what position they were
in. They’d spent much of the day making love, and since she’d been sufficiently
healed—and so had he—since the attack on the mansion, neither of them had held
anything back. Even now her blood coursed through his veins, fortifying his
strength and spreading warmth throughout him. He never felt stronger than when
he was with his female.

They
reached the landing at the bottom and continued on through the foyer. With any
luck, Carla would be awake and ready to make some breakfast. They were both
starving, and honestly, quite tired. Draven glanced quickly into the sitting
room and stopped as he saw his father inside. “Why don’t you go find Carla?” he
said when Ally looked up at him with understanding. “I’ll go talk to Dad.”

“Okay,”
she said, rolling up on what she called her “tippy toes” as she pulled him down
for a kiss on the cheek. “Do you want French Toast?”

He
very nearly said “Of course,” but stopped just before he did. That was his
mother’s trademark breakfast, and with her missing, it just didn’t feel right
to have it without her. Which brought him back to why he wanted to talk to his
father. “No, let’s do crepes.”

Her
eyes lit up, and she grinned. “Crepes, oh, la, la. Keeping up with the French
theme, I see.” She laughed and twirled away from him, walking toward the
kitchen with a very sensual sway of her hips. Had Draven’s mind not been on
getting his mother back, he’d have taken his female back upstairs and had his
wicked way with her. Again. There were a lot more French-inspired things he
could show her.

With
a chuckle and shake of his head, he stepped into the sitting room, resting his
back against the wall just inside the opening. His father looked worn, and
though he stared at the tome, he didn’t read it. It sat on his lap, closed.
“How long have you been at it?”

Ferox
looked up, startled. “Oh. Draven.” He shook his head, almost as if to shake
himself awake, and yet still, he appeared dazed. “I read it all day. At first,
I was just going to skim through it and see if there was anything about the
Keymaster, but there was so much about Raine, and about the two of us.”

Draven
pushed off from the wall and took a seat on the couch across from his father.
Holding his hands out, he took the tome from Ferox and began flipping through
the pages.

“I
remember.”

Draven’s
eyes immediately flashed up to Ferox, the pages still fanning through his
fingers. “What do you mean?”

“I
remember things. Or, I think I do. Everything written in there about the
tournament, I remember it as though I just went through it yesterday.”

“Do
you remember anything besides the tournament?”

He
shook his head. “No, but I know now that I can remember
some
of the
past, and some is better than none.”

He
agreed wholeheartedly with that, though a major part of him wished that his
father could remember every day of his centuries-long life.

“I’m
going to find the Keymaster, and get Raine back.”

“Do
you know where he is? Or where
one
is?” Draven asked, latching on to the
only lead they had to finding his mother.

“I
think so. The book listed my meeting with him.”

“Alright,”
he said, standing to his feet and setting the tome on the couch. “I’m going
with you, and I know Ethan and Raider will too.”

“Don’t
count on that.”

“Why?”

“Demetrius
headed out with them over an hour ago to go on patrols.”

And
no one said anything? Draven scratched at the scruff on his chin. “I’m sure I
can get at least some of them back here.”

“Okay,”
Ferox said. “Get whoever you can so we can go get her back. I’m leaving within
the hour.”

Draven
left the room, intent on reaching every Guardian within the vicinity. If he
could get anyone back here in time, they’d decide who would go get Raine, who
would search for Riley, and who would stay behind for patrols.

Chapter Nineteen

Tournament of Legends

Day Twenty

Ferox released Raine’s hand after placing the tenderest of kisses
to her knuckles. They’d spent the last few hours enjoying each other’s
company—and each other’s bodies—as they had every night since their return from
the cliffs. They had grown stealthier in their escape from the makeshift
village, especially after they’d been jumped by the four demons a few nights
before. Luckily they hadn’t been able to carry out their plan of offing them,
but the fight that had taken place sure had been a long one.

She had no doubt that she and Ferox would be gunned-for in the
final battle. The demon Ferox dropped off the cliff had scaled the wall once
more and had become a finalist. It was he and his goonies that had decided to
attack them, and she wasn’t delusional enough to think they wouldn’t try again.

Ferox’s hands wound around her once more, and he pulled her to
him. “Leaving you gets harder and harder with each passing day.”

She smiled, inhaling the scent of him. “I know.” She had grown to
long for the male every minute they were apart; had longed to just lay in bed
and let him hold her until they were to wake the next day, readying for the
finale that had yet to come. As yet, they hadn’t actually shared a bed; only
the soft grasses of this realm’s meadows had welcomed their love.

And then Damion crept into her mind, though she’d tried to force
him back out. Her night hadn’t started under the best of circumstances. Ferox’s
twin had come to her as he had countless times before, flirting and trying to
get too close. She’d finally had enough and told him as much. Needless to say,
he’d gotten angry and stormed off. Raine shook those thoughts free and focused
on the vampire she did care about. The one she would choose above all others.

A female giggled on the other side of the tree line, and both
Ferox and Raine turned to see Raider and Caleen stumble from the shelter of the
trees. Raider was chasing her, snapping his fingers at her ass as she laughed
and swatted him away.