Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) (3 page)

He looked a little surprised, and
pleased. “Can you walk on your own, or would you like me to carry you?”

When she tried to stand, her legs gave
out, and before she knew it she was being cradled in Nathaniel’s arms. She just
didn’t have the energy to argue, so she rested her head against his chest.

He carried her down the hallway and up
the stairs. The noise from the party grew faint, so she knew they were moving
away from that end of the house. Hannah knew it was unwise to let a stranger
carry her off to some isolated place in his home, especially after his cousin
had just assaulted her. Even with that knowledge, she felt no anxiety about her
predicament. This, she decided, was proof that her mind was not fully
functioning that night. Maybe she had hit her head on the wall.

He brought her to a large bedroom suite,
and set her down on a chocolate colored sofa that she practically sank into.
Then he went into the sleeping area and returned with a plush blanket which he
wrapped around her. Sitting in the bedroom of a strange man really should have
made her nervous, but it didn’t. Clearly her sense of self-preservation
was malfunctioning.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?”
He looked around. “I can go down to the kitchen.”

She shook her head. “What happened out
there?” she asked without looking up at him.

“What do you mean?” he asked cautiously.

She started to tell him, but realized
how crazy it would sound. It had felt as if Aiden was trying to control her
thoughts, but that wasn’t possible. Then she had felt as though he was draining
the energy from her. All of it was crazy. Finally, she shook her head. “Never
mind, I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

He opened the bar fridge in the corner,
pulled out a small container of orange juice, and then found a package of
cookies in the little cupboard beside it. “Here, these will help you get your
strength back.”

After taking them, she offered him a
weak smile. “Did I just give blood?”

She expected him to laugh at her joke,
but he hesitated and examined her closer before he answered, “No, that’s one
thing I’m thankful for tonight.” Finally, he sat down in the armchair by the
sofa.

Hannah took a moment to study him
closer. His features were hard, and incredibly sexy. He had a square jaw, high
cheekbones, and blue eyes framed by long dark lashes. His nose was slightly too
big, but that imperfection only added somehow to his appeal. His dark hair was
short and neatly pushed back. The man must lift weights! It was the only
explanation for his broad shoulders and muscular arms. Her eyes wandered across
his powerful chest, noticing every detail from his smooth bronze skin lightly
dusted with dark hair, to his brown nipples. His stomach muscles were firm, and
well-defined.

Her face felt hot. Conversation seemed
like a lifeline. At the very least it would take her mind off of his bare chest.
“Are you okay without a shirt?” Very bad choice of topics! How could she find
him attractive after what had just happened? Okay, so she was traumatized, not
dead.

“You need it more than I do right now,”
he said, but then he noticed her discomfort. He looked a little sheepish, as he
went into the sleeping area.

While he was out of the room Hannah sent
a text message to Lydia and Trish to let them know she was okay.

Nathaniel returned wearing a black tank
top. It wasn’t a big improvement over his bare chest, but she supposed it would
be rude to ask him to wear a parka.

Hannah yawned. “I’m sorry. I don’t know
why I’m so tired. You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but it felt like he was
stealing my energy, draining it from my body.”

Nathaniel looked startled, but recovered
quickly. “It’s very common to feel drained after a traumatic experience. Should
I leave you alone so that you can rest?”

She shook her head. “Stay with me.”

There was an uncomfortable silence,
before he asked, “Are you a student?”

She nodded.

“Did you grow up around here?”

“I just recently moved here.” She was
silent for a moment then added. “I know this sounds stupid, but I kind of ran
away from home.”

He chuckled. “Aren’t you a little old to
run away from home?”

“I told you it sounds stupid,” she said
with a weak laugh. Her eyelids felt heavy. “Did you grow up in this area?”

“I’m not sure I grew up in one
particular place,” he said after some thought. “My father traveled a lot,
especially after my mother died.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” he assured
her, “but thank you,”

“Am I keeping you from something?”
Hannah remembered that he’d looked like he was heading somewhere when she’d
first run into him. This couldn’t be how he had planned to spend his evening.

He shrugged. “I was doing some work, but
the project isn’t due for several weeks.”

“What were you working on?” Then she
added. “I’m sorry if I’m being too intrusive.”

“You aren’t being intrusive,” he assured
her. “I’m translating a very old Gothic document,’ he explained and seemed a
little excited about the prospect. “That’s what I do. I know it sounds kind of
boring.”

“Boring? It sounds fascinating. You get
to read things that haven’t been read in centuries.”

Nathaniel seemed pleased with her
excitement.

They stared at each other in silence for
a long moment, his gaze dipped to her mouth.

He moved to sit on the coffee table in
front of her. “I want to kiss you.”

Her pulse quickened. She waited for him
to move, but he didn’t. He just stared at her. She nodded, and he leaned
forward slowly. Finally, his lips met hers. It was a soft, almost chaste kiss.
His lips barely brushed against hers, and then they were gone. It was just
enough to make her want more.

“Please,” she moaned.

That was all the invitation he needed.
He kissed her with a passion she had never experienced. His lips were hot, and
demanding. His tongue hesitantly probed her mouth, and she moaned. Finally,
with great effort, he tore his mouth away from hers.

“You look exhausted,” he said as he
stroked her cheek. “Try to get some rest.”

Her eyelids fluttered shut. It was
strange, she felt like he was still talking, but the words made no sense so she
was sure it was a dream.

“Sleep. When you wake up, you will
remember nothing of the attack. You will believe that you spilled red wine on
your shirt, and it was ruined. We spent a pleasant evening talking, and you
fell asleep here. Tomorrow you will go back to your life, and have no desire to
return to this house.”

“
I
think you’ve had too much to drink,” Dominic said as he moved Lydia’s hair to
the side so he could kiss the back of her neck.

Lydia flipped him off, and then giggled
as if he were tickling her.

Dominic took that opportunity to remove
the drink from her hand. He walked to the door of the study, pushed it shut,
and locked it. The music from the party was barely a hum at this end of the
house.

As he moved toward Lydia, she smiled
coyly at him. He lifted her onto the desk, and slipped her shirt over her head.
His hands actually shook a little as he undid her bra. Never had a woman seemed
so alive. He hadn’t experienced desire this strong in centuries, if ever. His
mouth covered her breast and he suckled it gently. The veins stood out beneath
her pale white skin, and he carefully pierced her flesh with his long fangs.
The sting caused her try to pull away, but he held her tightly, continuing to
suckle the puncture wound, until she relaxed against him again.

The taste of her blood aroused him even
more, and he pulled away slightly to watch the scarlet droplets trickle down
her milky white flesh. Many in his family had their retractable fangs
surgically removed now, but he scoffed at the idea. A pill could replace the
nutrients that the blood provided him, but it couldn’t replace the erotic
sensations elicited by taking blood.

Lydia’s eyes remained closed, as his
fingers slipped beneath her panties and into her hot moist flesh.

She tried to unbutton his shirt, but she
was too intoxicated, and her fingers were clumsy. Dominic smiled at her feeble
attempts with the buttons, then pulled her hands away, ripped open the front of
his shirt, and threw it across the room.

He wanted to take her now, but
anticipation was half the fun. The hunt was just as important as the kill, so
to speak. Hunger mounted as if he hadn’t fed in years, when it had only been a
few weeks.

She was like a drug and it was not long
before his patience ran out. He quickly undid his pants, shoved her skirt all
the way up and tore her panties off. Then he pushed into her, feeling her warm
flesh tighten around him as the vibrations of energy continued to radiate from
her body.

Lydia gasped as his mouth moved across
her neck.

The energy rushed into Dominic as he
thrust in and out of her. He felt her entire body shuddered with her release. Finally,
he came in a violent wave. He’d fed longer than normal, but how could he
resist?

He kissed her on the cheek, and murmured.
“You are wonderful.”

Lydia tried to smile, but she couldn’t.
Her limp body sagged against Dominic’s chest and he knew she was on the verge
of unconsciousness.

The sound of a fist pounding on the door
startled her. She tried to lift her head, but she was too weak.

Dominic balanced her weight against him
as he pulled his pants back up and buttoned them. He lifted her from the desk,
placed her on the leather sofa, and then gathered up his shirt to wrap around
her almost lifeless body.

Once again there was a loud pounding on
the door. “Dominic, are you in there?”

“Give me just a moment!” Dominic
shouted. He kissed Lydia gently on the cheek, and brushed her hair back from
her face. “It’s my cousin, Nathaniel, but don’t worry I will send him away
quickly.”

When Dominic opened the door Nathaniel
was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He
looked irritated.

“What do you want?” Dominic asked
tersely.

Nathaniel leaned in closer and spoke
softly so he wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you have a girl named Lydia in there
with you?”

“What do you want?” Dominic asked again
with growing agitation. He didn’t want to share her. All of that energy was
his
.

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed. “I asked a
question, and I want an answer.”

“She’s here,” Dominic admitted
reluctantly. “Why does that matter to you?”

Without responding, he shoved Dominic
against the wall, and walked into the study wondering if all of his cousins
planned to give him grief that night. His gaze took in the scene quickly. Lydia
lay sprawled on the leather sofa wrapped in Dominic’s shirt, her eyes were
barely open. Dry blood stained her pale cheek. He felt another surge of
irritation which he quickly stifled. Agreeing to this party had been a mistake.
He was going to talk to all of his cousins in the morning and make sure no one
brought humans back to his house to feed on again.

Nathaniel knelt beside her. “Hello,
Lydia. My name is Nathaniel,” he said gently.

Lydia didn’t respond, or couldn’t
respond in his opinion.

“Your cousin, Hannah, was feeling a bit
under the weather, and she’s fallen asleep. I think she had too much to drink.
She spilled red wine and had to borrow a shirt. I’m going to have a room
prepared for you to stay the night as well.”

Dominic moved to stand closer to her. “I
will take care of her.”

Nathaniel stood and looked around the
room once again. Then he looked at Lydia who was almost unconscious. “It
appears that you already have. For your sake, I hope that there are no marks
left for her cousin to see. I don’t want to have to alter her memory anymore
tonight.”

Dominic looked amused. “So you’ve
altered her memory?”

Nathaniel nodded. “Aiden attacked her so
it seemed like a good idea. Tomorrow they leave here, and don’t come back.”

“Of course,” Dominic agreed in the same
amused tone. “I’m sure she won’t remember a thing. Now I must care for my
Lydia.”

Nathaniel stepped closer to him, his
voice just above a whisper. “You are not to feed on her again.” Without another
word he turned and walked out of the room.

Dominic grabbed Lydia's blouse, and then
scooped her up into his arms. There was only a faint hum of energy now. It was
still impressive considering how much he’d drained from her.

“Where are we going?” she asked weakly.

“I’m taking you to my bed.”

She managed to smile, but it obviously
took a lot of effort. “You want more already?”

He carried her the short distance to his
room, and laid her on his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her.
She tried to sit up and pull him toward her, but couldn’t.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked.

It amazed him that she asked this so
calmly, not at all discomforted by her own helplessness.

“I’m enjoying myself.” It was the truth.
Normally his hosts were unconscious after a feeding, but Lydia was strong.

“I can think of an activity that you
might enjoy more,” she purred and to his amazement managed to sit up.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, and then
he noticed that they weren't the only part of his body that had risen. He
pushed her back down onto the bed roughly.

“Let’s see if you can sit up after
this,” he murmured.

His lips pressed against hers, as she
unfastened his pants. The low hum of energy had increased in just those few
minutes, tempting him to feed again.