Vampire's Thirst (The Awakening Series) (5 page)

“I don’t know how you manage to do that so fast,” she said, and laughed.

“It’s a talent,” he bragged with a grin. He pushed her gently onto the bed and came down over her, his erection eager against her belly. He pressed slow kisses down the column of her throat, across one sloping collarbone before he took her nipple into his mouth and suckled. The motion shot straight to her clit, setting up an answering throb of desire.

The muscled width of his shoulders, speaking to the strength of this man,
her
man, called to her. She cupped her fingers around him, digging in her nails. He responded by sucking hard, drawing in as much flesh as he could. The rough silk of his tongue rasped over her swelling nipple, sending fiery shocks of exhilaration through her core. Her arousal flared and she cried out, tightening her grip on his shoulders. Duncan wrapped his arms around her and moved to her other breast with even more suction than before.

“Duncan!” Kimber struggled beneath him. It was too much; it wasn’t enough. She didn’t know if she could bear the excruciating torment he thrust upon her. But he wouldn’t relent. As he continued to lave and suck, he moved one hand between her thighs. He moaned to find her sex so wet that the bed linens beneath her were damp.

He lifted his head and stared at her breasts. She looked down, too, to see both nipples were hard, so hard, and a deep, dark red from his ministrations. His fingers probed her folds, his thumb rubbing her clit, making her shudder and writhe against him.

“You’re so responsive. I love you,” he moaned, and slid a long finger inside her. He stroked in and out, added a second finger, then a third. He curled them, rubbing against the bundle of nerves in her sheathe.

As heady delight sizzled through her, she nearly shot off the bed. “Oh!” Desire and dark need furled within her. She scored her fingernails down his upper arms. “Oh, God, do that again.”

He complied. She shoved her hips against his hand, rapture just out of her reach. Another thrust of his hand and she came, screaming his name. When she settled back down, he rubbed his cock through her slick folds and pressed the tip of his shaft inside her sheath. As he thrust forward, working his way into her swollen sex, he slid his forearms under her knees, lifting her butt off the bed, giving him all the control. With each downward stroke, his pelvis struck her puffy clit, sending intense slivers of pleasure through her groin.

Duncan kept moving, pulling out and slamming back in with increasing speed and force. The slap of his balls against the rounded curve of her buttocks, the feel of his hard cock shoving in and out of her, the way his lean body moved above her all made her want more.

“Harder!” she cried, trying to shove against him. But with her legs draped over his arms, leaving only her upper back and head on the mattress, she had no way to direct how this went.

Thankfully he moved faster, putting more power behind each thrust. His big body slammed against her, each lunge driving desperate moans from her. Another orgasm loomed, tantalizing her with its nearness. Need seethed. She tried to buck into his thrust and whimpered when the position he had her in made it impossible. If he didn’t give her what she wanted, and soon, she was going to hurt him. She was appalled to feel that way, but the desire twisted with the darkness inside her, making it difficult to tell which was which. “Please, Duncan,” she begged.

“All right, love.” He let one of her legs drop to the bed and brought his hand to her sex. His face hard with his own need, hips driving into her like a piston, he pinched her clit, then rubbed it in circles.

It was enough. Lightning shot through every cell. Every muscle tensed, her body heaved. Her insides twisted like a dishrag being rung dry. Then with a scream Kimber flew apart, spasms seizing her with such strength she bowed and shook. When she fell back to reality, it was to find Duncan in the midst of his own climax, jerking and groaning. His cock pulsed inside, filling her with his release. With the speed of a striking snake, he bent over her and sank his fangs into the side of her throat.

She cried out and strained up in another orgasm, her sex milking her lover of every last drop. After a final pump of his hips, he held still, then finally lifted his head and released her other leg. He collapsed onto her, his arms closing around her to hold her close. With a low groan, he rolled onto his back, keeping her imprisoned in his arms, his softening cock still snuggled in her sheath.

She gasped against him and fought to learn how to breathe again. Streaks of red caught her eye and she lifted up to look at his arms. Bloody furrows raked the entire length of his upper arms, from shoulder to elbow, four rows on each arm. She sat up and looked down at her hands. Blood and skin was crammed beneath her nails. “Oh my God.”

Her stomach roiled and bile rose in her throat. She really
had
hurt him. With a low grunt, she rolled off the bed and retrieved the first-aid kit from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Coming back to the bed, she motioned for him to sit up. “Let me take care of those.”

He shrugged but shifted to put his back against the headboard. “I’ll heal. You don’t need to do that.” He gestured to the gauze and bottle of hydrogen peroxide in her hands.

“I’ll feel better.” She’d done this to him, used her nails to groove out his flesh. At the time she’d been aware of her movement, just not the end result. As she began to clean his wounds, she had the urge to press down harder, to cause even more pain.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Duncan watched Kimber tend to the wounds she inflicted and wondered at her attitude. This was the second time they’d made love in the last few days, and both times he’d seen her struggle to contain a new level of aggression. She wouldn’t talk to him about it, though, and it was making him crazy. How could he be an effective leader if he couldn’t even help his own lover?

He waited until she’d capped the bottle of peroxide and set the first-aid kit on the bedside table before he said, “Talk to me, Kimber. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

She heaved a sigh and got to her feet. Going over to his dresser, she pulled out one of his T-shirts and slipped it over her head. She usually wasn’t uncomfortable being nude around him, so her action told him what they were about to deal with wasn’t going to be pleasant. Was she tired of being with him? Had he been too dominant in their lovemaking?

“Kimber?” The waiting was hell on his nerves.

“The day before yesterday, when we went out for tampons?” She glanced at him. When he nodded, she went on. “You know on our way back we were attacked by zombies.”

“Yes, Atticus told me. I came up here to see how you were doing, but you were already asleep. I didn’t want to wake you. Then you were gone later that night when I woke up.” He watched her to gauge her reaction.

She gave a slight wince. “Yes, well, I had things to do.” She waved one hand in the air. “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that when we were fighting the zombies, I stumbled, and when I flung out my arm to try to keep my balance, I ended up grabbing hold of Atticus.” She looked at him. “Atticus didn’t tell you any of this?”

He frowned. “He told me you had to fight zombies, that you were successful, and everyone was all right. Was there more he should have told me?”

She shook her head. “No. I mean, there was more, but I asked him to let me tell you.” She blew out a breath. “When I grabbed him, I drew energy from him and it allowed me to push the Unseen out of the zombies. You should have seen them drop to the ground.”

“You did what?” He straightened from his slouched position against the headboard. He couldn’t have heard her right. She attacked his second-in-command?

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said. “He must have seen me stumble and reached out to help me at the same time I flung my hand out. Once I had hold of him and the power transfer started, I couldn’t let go. I tried, Duncan.” Her eyes went round and pleading, and her lower lip got a slight tremble to it. “It hurt, just like before, but it…” She clamped her jaw shut.

“It what?”

“It felt good, too. It was power, and it was mine.” She began to pace the room, her hands gesturing wildly. “This could be something big, Duncan. If all necromancers have this ability, we could end the apocalypse.”

He got off the bed and pulled on his jeans. “And just how many vampires do you propose we sacrifice?”

She came to a stop and stared at him. “It wouldn’t have to be a sacrifice. I didn’t kill Atticus.”

“But you came close, didn’t you? Or you could have,” he amended. At her stubborn expression, he said, “I know you, Kimber. I know the kind of power you have. Plus you have some of the Unseen in you. How did that affect what happened with Atticus? Or did it happen with Atticus
because
of the Unseen in you?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

He studied her for a minute, then left the bedroom. He strode through the living room and yanked open the door to the hallway. “Find Atticus and bring him here,” he said to the guards. Without waiting for a response, he closed the door. When he turned around, he saw Kimber standing in front of the sofa, twisting her fingers together. She’d pulled on her jeans but still wore his T-shirt.

Her auburn hair, tousled and silky-looking, cascaded around her shoulders. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Duncan,” she whispered. Her teeth dug into her lower lip. “I wouldn’t do something like that. You have to believe me.”

“I’d like to believe you, sweetheart. I would.” He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze. “But I’ve seen how you’ve changed. I’ve seen you fight whatever is rising in you. I think if a situation presented itself and you believed taking energy from a vampire was the only solution, I’m not sure you could stop yourself.”

A knock sounded on the door, and it swung open to reveal Atticus.

“Come in,” Duncan invited. When the door closed behind his second-in-command, Duncan said, “Kimber just told me what happened on your way back from the drugstore.”

Atticus shot a glance her way but said nothing.

“This is a serious development,” Duncan went on, “and poses a potential threat to all vampires. I want all necromancers under guard until further notice. Let everyone know they’re considered dangerous and should not be touched under any circumstances.”

Atticus inclined his head. “Understood and agreed.” With another glance at Kimber, he departed.

“Does that include me?” Kimber asked, her voice hard. “Am I to be kept under guard? Am I not to be touched?”

He clenched his teeth. “If you’re not with me, then, yes, you will have a guard. And anyone else will be advised not to touch you, but you and I will definitely be skin to skin, sweetheart. You can count on that.”

“Don’t be so sure,” she said. “I’m not just any other necromancer, Duncan. I’m the woman who loves you. The woman you claim to love.” Her fists clenched at her sides and he had the distinct impression she was fighting throwing a punch at him. After a few seconds she let out a little growl and headed back toward the bedroom. Over her shoulder she threw out, “You’re treating me like a monster. The way I’m feeling right now, that might be an accurate assessment. You might not be safe from me.”

T
he next week rolled by and tensions between the vampires and the necromancers grew. Kimber’s guilt over keeping the baby a secret from Duncan wore on her nerves, and her frustration over her inability to fix the situation increased. Over iced tea early one evening, she talked to Natalie about the latter.

“I just don’t know what you can do,” her friend told her. “I mean, ultimately Duncan’s the one in charge. Until he believes none of you are a threat to his people, the damned guards stay.” She gestured toward the tall, bulky vampire standing to one side of the door. “No offense, Leon,” she said.

“None taken,” came the calm reply.

Kimber folded her arms across her chest and glowered at the vampire before turning her gaze to Natalie. “Despite what Duncan says,” Kimber whispered, “he hasn’t touched me in a week. I think I’m in withdrawal.”

“Sex withdrawal?” At Kimber’s nod, Natalie barked a laugh. “Welcome to the majority of the world, hon. At least, welcome to my world.”

Before Kimber could respond to that or give Leon a hard time over his discomfort in listening to them talk about their sex lives, or lack thereof, someone knocked on the door. He opened it to the guards on the other side. “Duncan has asked that Kimber and Natalie join him in his office.”

Kimber stood. “Did he say why?”

“No.”

Motherfu…This was getting ridiculous. He wouldn’t touch her and now he was sending for her like she was one of his minions? This was so not going to be the way things went from now on. “Come on, Nat,” she ground out. “His Highness has summoned us.”

“Oh, boy.” Natalie got up from the sofa and followed Kimber to Duncan’s office.

When they walked in, Kimber saw a tall, willowy blonde standing by the bank of windows. Her posture and clothing reminded her of Aodhán. She looked toward the big mahogany desk. Duncan was seated behind it and Atticus stood to his side. And there just in front of Atticus was her fey friend. “Aodhán!” She gave a screech of welcome and threw herself at him.

His arms came around her in a tight hug. It was the first time in seven days she’d felt someone’s arms around her, and it brought the pain of the growing distance between her and Duncan that much closer to the surface.

“
Mo chara.
” Aodhán rested his cheek against the top of her head. “I am so happy you’re all right.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, too,” Natalie called out. “Just in case you were worried. Which you probably weren’t, since you’ve been gone so long.”

Kimber pulled away from Aodhán. “Go easy on her,” she whispered. She had no doubt Duncan could hear her, and maybe even the fey woman by the windows, but Natalie wouldn’t be able to. “She’s really missed you.”

“As I have her.” He looked at Natalie. In a louder tone, he said, “I am glad to know you’re fine, Natalie. I had no doubt that my friend Duncan would keep you safe.”

“Hmph.” She crossed her arms. “What’s all this about?”

Duncan motioned to the leather armchairs in front of his desk. “Please, sit.”

After Kimber and Natalie sat down, Aodhán said, “I come with dire news. The imbalance in the Unseen has spread to the fey realm. It’s in its early stages, but all signs indicate it will be as big as what you have here. Brigid”—he gestured toward the fey woman—“is able to focus supernatural power. Think of her as a collector that gathers your powers and then sends them back out in one concentrated beam. She is most successful when dealing with triangular sources. We believe she could do the same for you.” He looked at Kimber. “We need your help.”

There was silence while Kimber digested the news. Then Natalie said, “Oh, this is rich. When we asked you for help, you told us to go screw ourselves, that the problems of the human realm were no concern of the fey. Now you have the balls to ask us for help?”

“Natalie.” Duncan’s voice held a warning note. Even Atticus had stiffened.

Aodhán waved them off. “No, no, it’s all right. I understand how she feels. If the situation were reversed, I’d most likely feel the same way.”

Kimber shot to her feet. “We really need to take care of this, Duncan. Now. I’m not sure how, but I think I need to start with Maggie and Jason. And Brigid, of course, if she can do what’s claimed.”

Duncan narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“What’s the matter, you afraid we’re going to take over the world?” She scowled. “The only ones who’ll be able to push the Unseen out of the zombies and back into itself are necromancers. Manipulating the Unseen is what we do. Maybe Brigid can keep us focused so we don’t accidentally yank any Unseen out of your people while we’re fixing humanity’s problem.”

He didn’t like her attitude, she could tell. Tough. He shouldn’t have been treating her like a leper for the last seven days.

“Fine. But you’ll still have guards.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t expect anything less. And I’ll make sure to remind them they’re not to touch us. Save you the trouble.” With a deeper glower, she turned on her heel. “Come on, Leon,” she said to her guard. She looked at the fey woman. “You coming?”

When the woman walked toward her, Kimber nodded and headed to the door, her vampire guard on her heels.

Natalie watched them go. Feeling suddenly shy and unsure, she got to her feet. “Um, I guess I’ll go, too.”

“Wait, please.” Aodhán walked over to her and looked down into her face. “We need to talk.”

Yes, they did. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he had to say. He’d walked away and only returned because their little zombie problem had bled over into the fey realm. She rubbed at the pain in her chest. He hadn’t come back for her.

That wasn’t the behavior of a man in love, not in any book she’d ever read.

She glanced at Atticus. He hadn’t fed in several days and she knew he had to be hungry. He shook his head and jerked it toward the door, giving her permission to leave. “Come to my room,” she murmured to Aodhán, and led the way.

When the door to her room one floor down closed behind them, she motioned him toward the plush teal-colored sofa in the living room. The floor plan to her room was like a loft. It was large and open, with the living room flowing into her bedroom area, the two rooms separated only by a half wall. The other side of the living room led into the kitchen, with a small dining room off to the side. The bathroom was the only self-contained room, and it was just large enough for a toilet, sink, and tub with a shower. It had suited her needs, but with Aodhán taking up so much space, it seemed too small now.

She sat down on one end of the sofa and watched him lower himself to the opposite end. God, he was gorgeous. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail with those ever-present small braided sections at his temples, also caught in the tie holding his hair back. He wore leather pants and a supple ice-blue shirt that buttoned partway down. The neck was open, allowing some of his dark chest hair to show. His sword in its scabbard hung from his left hip. His bright blue eyes focused on her, making her fight the urge to squirm.

“You said you wanted to talk,” she prodded him. God, she’d missed him so much, but she’d thrown herself into her new responsibilities here at the enclave, making herself so tired she hadn’t had much time to think. Besides, he’d been the one to walk away, not her. As a matter of fact, she’d chased him down and pretty much begged him to stay only to be shot down. She was under no obligation to make this easy on him, especially if he was going to break her heart again.

He leaned toward her and cupped her face. His thumb ran across the fading bruise on her cheek. “What happened here?”

His light touch sent shivers through her, weakened her resolve to remain stoic. Unmoved. She drew away, and he dropped his hand and leaned back into the sofa. “I had a difference of opinion with someone,” she murmured. “His face looks worse than mine.”

Aodhán stayed silent for a moment. “I don’t like the sound of this. Who was it?”

“It’s okay. I’m fine. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” An awkward silence spread between them.

“I never meant to hurt you, Natalie,” he finally said, his voice soft and husky. It rasped across her senses and made goose bumps pop up along her arms.

Damn him. What kind of fey magic did he have to make her respond so easily? She scowled at him.

“I hadn’t planned on being gone as long as I was.” He brought one leg up and twisted to face her, leaning forward to brace one forearm across his thigh. “Time moves differently in the fey realm than it does here. For me, only a little over a week has passed.”

“But you knew more time was passing out here, didn’t you? You knew it had been a month and a half? I know it doesn’t seem like a long time, but when there was no word from you, I thought—”

He sighed. “Yes, I knew. And I worried about you.”

She wanted to believe him, she did. She just didn’t want to get hurt.

He went on. “But I couldn’t get away before now. It has taken me several days to convince our rulers that we’d need humans’ help to battle back the Unseen and the effects it has had on our realm.”

“Just what effects are you talking about?”

“We don’t have zombies, thank the Makers, but we are losing magic. It’s as if the Unseen is sucking it up like a sponge. Our best philosophers have determined it is using our magic to continue to fuel the apocalypse here. If we can stop the zombies in the human realm, our realm will also be saved. That’s our greatest hope, anyway.” He reached out and took her hands in his. “I would have come back sooner if my people hadn’t been in such danger, Natalie. You must believe me.”

At his words, much of her anger retreated. She swallowed. “Why?” she asked in a whisper. “Why would you have come back? To help protect Kimber?” As far as she knew, that was the only reason he’d stayed to begin with. Other than tease her with sexual innuendos, especially about his mighty sword, he’d never really showed a lot of interest in her until right before he’d left. And then he’d left anyway. Oh, she realized it was necessary. He had to help his people. It just wasn’t fair.

“For you,
grá mo chroí.
I would have come back for you. Kimber is merely my friend.”

She stared down at their joined hands, then looked into his face. Sincerity blazed from his eyes. Her pulse skittered. “What does that mean,
grá mo chroí
?”

“Love of my heart.” He let go of her hands and cupped her face. “You are my heart, Natalie. The reason it beats, the reason I draw breath.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” She drew away from him and stood, putting distance between them. She couldn’t think when he touched her. “You kissed me like you thought you’d never see me again. You can’t sit there and tell me you planned on coming back when you left the last time and expect me to believe it. If it weren’t for the problem with the Unseen in your realm, you wouldn’t be here now. At least admit that much.”

Or was she just being a selfish, frustrated bitch?

He stood, too, but didn’t come any nearer. “I won’t lie to you. At the time I was leaving, I thought I would never leave the fey realm again. I thought I would go home and be able to forget about you. Get on with my life. Find a nice fey girl to fall in love with.”

She narrowed her eyes. This she didn’t want to hear. At all. “You’re such a jackass.”

He ignored that. “But as time went by, I realized I wasn’t forgetting you. You had worked your way under my skin, into my heart, and you weren’t budging. I had no life if you weren’t in it. There weren’t any fey girls to fall in love with, because I had no more love to give. It’s all yours.”

Her heart thumped a staccato beat against her ribs and thrummed wildly in her throat. Dare she believe him? “Those are some awfully pretty words, Aodhán.” From an awfully pretty man. She shook her head. “I’m afraid to believe you,” she finally whispered what was in her heart.

“I know,
mo chroí.
I’m sorry for that, and I mean to prove you can believe what I say. That you can believe
in me.
” He came closer then and drew her into his arms. “There is a human saying that actions speak louder than words. If you have trouble with what I say, then believe this.”

He slanted his mouth over hers, lips coaxing her to open. When she parted on a gasp, his tongue surged in. One big hand wrapped around her nape, holding her head where he wanted it, and the other grasped her hip to pull her lower body closer. The hard ridge of his erection pressed against her belly with only a few layers of clothing separating them. It was just like that last kiss all over again.

With a low moan, Natalie twisted away from him. She blinked back tears. “No! You can’t just waltz in here and kiss me, then expect me to fall into your arms. You hurt me,” she yelled. “You kissed me, like you just did, and then you left.”

He held himself stiffly. “I had an obligation to my people,” he said.

“I understand that.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “So what’s to keep those obligations from making you leave me again?”

His expression softened. “I’ve explained my…situation to the rulers, and they have accepted it. If I leave the human realm to return to the fey, you will go with me.”

She blinked. And frowned. “I can’t just up and go to the fey realm.”

“Why not?” He glanced around her apartment. “This is nice, but you live among vampires, surrounded by zombies. Once the zombie threat is eliminated, why would you continue to live here? We could still come back to visit your friends, if that’s what’s worrying you.” His dark brows drew down. “Unless it’s Atticus? That’s it, isn’t it? I saw the way you exchanged looks with him. What does he mean to you?”

She almost told a fib, that she and Atticus were lovers, just to see how he’d react, but it would be done only out of pure cussed meanness, and she wasn’t going to sink that low. “We’re friends, like you and Kimber.”

“I think he’d like to be more than that.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.” She knew she had to tell him the rest. Even if she and Atticus had never had sex, sharing her blood with him lent an intimacy to their relationship she knew Aodhán didn’t have with Kimber. “I’m his personal donor.”