Vermilion Kiss (6 page)

I didn’t know what the hell to say so I just brought up what I’d been wondering for a while. “So when is Dr. Summers coming to evaluate Hira?”

“Tomorrow,” he answered curtly. The bed dipped and creaked as he crawled onto it and elevated himself with both arms on either side of my head so that his alluring amber eyes stared straight into mine, a sort of ravenous hunger stirring within them.

I stared wide-eyed as he wriggled my skirt down my legs with ease, pulled down my leggings, tore open the blouse, and peeled it from my body. The silky crimson sheets were cool and felt so wonderfully pleasant against my bare skin. He then proceeded to unbuckle his pants and throw them on the floor, then stripped out of his creamy beige shirt and let it join the pants. His pale skin was like glowing ivory in the silver light of the moon and his eyes flashed mischievously as he tugged at the string to my striped magenta panty with a claw-like finger. The string snapped in half and he slowly pulled the panty off me. I quickly crossed my legs and felt my breath hitch as he towered over me and clamped his teeth down on the very center of my bra. Upon retreating, the bra broke in half and my breasts bounced free of their imprisonment.

Darius was so charming, so unbelievably handsome as I examined the contours of his muscles, those toned abs and the square curve of his jaw. His hair was a wavy mess of rich chocolate mane that extended to his lower back and oh, how I wanted to comb my hands through it! His dark amber eyes were now swimming like golden amber pools and his fangs protruded to his lower lips.

He growled and cupped my ass with one hand while the other gingerly caressed my head. I shifted on the sheets as his fingers dug into my flesh and kneaded me gently, affectionately. I gasped and slackened my legs, fully prepared and excited of what was to come.

Soon. Very, very soon.

Wild anticipation roared inside me and I tentatively outstretched an arm and fisted a handful of his delectable waves of silky hair, combed my fingers through it and yanked it playfully.

Darius chuckled warmly. “Why does my hair entice you so?”

I replied in a breathy voice, “Because it’s so beautiful, so soft. Just like you.”

He rolled his eyes. “I am not soft, my dear. And certainly not as beautiful as you.”

“Yes you are,” I whispered.

His back became stiff and he slid off the bed. “Stay right where you are,” he commanded sternly. And it was in
that
voice. The voice I
had
to obey.

I watched intently as he rummaged through the middle drawer of his dresser. When he faced the bed, I saw that he was holding two handcuffs with long chains attached, a riding crop, and a lavender blindfold.

He padded to the bed and kneeled over me. “Give me your hands,” he ordered. I offered my hands to him and he brought them high above my head and cuffed each wrist to the ebony posts on both corners of the bed. He tightened the chains so that my arms were as stretched out as they could possibly be, and the metal lightly nipped at my skin.

His lips creased into a tiny grin and he cracked the crop onto his hand. It was a braided chestnut brown with intricate filigree carved along the edges, and the tip was a flat strip of leather shaped like a horse lead. He whacked it on his palm a few more times and a feral expression overcame his features as his fangs extended below his lips.

God was it sexy! But I didn’t know what to think about the crop. I certainly didn’t want to be smacked by the devilish device but something deep inside me secretly wished that would somehow happen. It was then I realized I
wanted
him to ravish me with that crop. I
wanted
to feel that quick bite of the leather upon my skin.

Darius held out the crop directly in front of him and rubbed his fingers along its length. “This is one of my favorite tools,” he began. “I usually use it on Sang but since he’s not present at the moment and I have you to accurately express my love to, I decided that it was time I try it on my dear, dear Lily.”

Half of me was performing enthusiastic jumping jacks while the other half cowered in the darkest corner of my mind.

He crept closer to my head, so close that I could feel his cool breath on my face. His hands caressed my temples and then he lifted the lavender cloth around my eyes and knotted it securely in the back. It was smooth and cold and blocked out all my vision.

Darius shifted his weight and I felt something solid and hard whip my breasts, a stinging pain blooming within them. Then the head of the crop circled my nipples in a feathery brush and I moaned as they hardened into tiny pebbles that longed, ached and begged for more of the delicious torture.

My thoughts were spinning, spinning, wondering what he was going to do next. The fine, cold leather of the crop then dragged down through the crevice between my breasts, over my navel, and then halted beside my inner right thigh.

The immense heat radiating from my body, from my scorching cheeks and flaming breasts encompassed me in a scolding cocoon of bliss and hurt. I yanked at the cuffs but they were so perfectly secured that I just let myself relax and pushed the thought of my throbbing wrists aside.

Darius’ voice had a tint of tease in it combined with a significant dose of heavy desire pouring out. He spread my legs apart and moved the crop between them, flicked it upward and started rubbing it against my clitoris. First very slow and then faster and faster, and the pleasure was so great that I tried to squeeze my thighs together but Darius held the one leg down hard and continued assaulting that craving down there. He slid the crop inside my vagina and shifted it, twisted it, stroked it inside me. I panted heavily, my cheeks burning; my body relaxing as I finally came.

Darius untied the blindfold for a brief few seconds to show me the crop smothered in my creamy juices. He smirked playfully, opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head of the crop as if it were some kind of amazing lollipop then popped it out and swiped his tongue across his lips.

God, it was so sexy!

He then crawled on top of me and tied the blindfold back on.

He uttered into my ear, his cold breath making me shudder. “You taste so lovely, my dear. I just want to devour all of you myself.”

His tongue grazed along my ear and he nipped at the lobe, his fangs lightly scraping against it. I moaned and my eyes fluttered wildly as he played with my ear as if it were an exotic candy. Then I felt him move his body downward and his fingers massaged both my breasts, his touch like tiny sparks of electricity, and his mouth molded onto my left nipple. He suckled and pulled at the stony bud, and his mouth wandered to my other nipple and did the same, swirling around the center, latching onto me. I cried out in ecstasy as his fangs plunged into my breast and he drew out my blood, my precious, precious blood. The blissful effects of his bite made me writhe and groan in complete and total satisfaction. Then his cock slipped into my opening and he thrust harshly inside me again and again, the bed swaying back and forth like a rocking horse. He still drank from me as he pounded me into the mattress, filled me up, and then came in a glorious rush. He slid himself out and wrenched his fangs from my breasts, blood dribbling down to my legs. I was in a daze of pleasure and legendary elation, breaths quick and shallow, my nether region pulsing with delight.

Darius unclasped the cuffs from my wrists and took the blindfold off. I immediately sat up and crushed my lips onto his, nibbled at his lower lip and pressed my tongue inside him, let it dance and curl around his tongue. I leaned back, relished the taste of him, and raked my fingers through his thick, wavy mane. He took me into his arms and lay down, spooning me, hands coiled around my stomach.

He combed his fingers through my hair slowly, gently and placed his mouth next to my ear.

I quivered as he whispered, “Did you enjoy my performance?”

I answered giddily, “Yes. Yes I did.”

Dr. Summers was definitely not what I expected. She had spiked, purple-dyed hair, numerous piercings on her ears and face and enough plum-colored lipstick to make her lips look almost succulent, juicy. She was dressed in a black corset with skulls on the sides, a matching pleated mini-skirt, ripped mesh stockings and knee-high laced combat boots. The most striking feature though, besides her crazy hair, were her penetrating eyes. The irises were like dark golden wells and the whites were a pure black. As I stared transfixed at this curious person, she pushed a pair of librarian style glasses up on her nose and smiled, revealing perfectly sharp pointed teeth.

Sang stepped near Hira’s bed and placed his hand on the shifter’s, rubbed it in tender circles. I turned to Dr. Summers and she was in the middle of shrugging on a milky white lab coat. Darius sat on the tiny leather stool and crossed his legs, his amber gems fixated on the strange woman in front of us.

“So, you wanted me to see what the problem is with the…shifter?” She raised a brow.

Sang cried, “Yeah! Please!” As he brought his head up, tears glistened in those crimson jewels.

Dr. Summers strode to where Hira lay and pressed a hand on his chest. The beeping and sighing of the machines made me shudder. A blue light emitted from the doctor’s hand and she wrenched it back with a hiss.

“So? What’s wrong? Why is he on life support?” Sang’s voice trembled.

She wiped her hand on her coat and sighed. “There’s an extremely tiny piece of his soul left inside—but the rest of it, the majority of the soul, is missing. Thus explaining his comatose state. The body is like an empty shell right now and that little sliver of a soul is keeping it alive, barely, and so the life support carries out the rest of the bodily functions for him. Basically, your friend is like a puppet without strings now. He has his ‘cell’ but lacks its ‘nucleus’. Get it?”

I chimed in. “What do you mean about his soul? How can some of it be missing? And what exactly
are
you?”

Her lips curled into a small grin. “I knew someone was going to ask that eventually. Except Darius, of course. He’s the one who summoned me to this world. And please, call me Sophie.”

Sang and I simultaneously turned to Darius. He was reading a leather bound book and didn’t respond in the least.

Sophie laughed and continued. “What you’re seeing now is my human form. I’m a demon and have a…less aesthetically pleasing appearance. Anyway, I can see into the souls of others and judging by how your friend over here is, I’d say either an incubus or a succubus snatched the pretty boy up late one night.”

Sang’s voice was barely above a whisper. “But why would they want Hira? They’ve never wanted him before, so why now?”

Sophie tilted her head to the side. “Beats me. Maybe they were starving and found his scent and then devoured him…almost. They must’ve gotten scared by something before eating the rest of the soul and took off.”

“But how will we cure him? How do you get back a soul?” I asked, my palms sweaty and balling into nervous fists.

“I don’t know. I’d leave my window open at night, sort of like inviting them voluntarily, and then kill it. These creatures hold all of the souls they eat inside them and when they die, the souls are released to either the previous owner—if they’re still alive—or into an unborn fetus for reincarnation.”

I said, “So, you’re basically telling us to use ourselves as bait?”

Her smile was wicked, revealing all her ivory white pointed teeth. “Exactly.”

Sang brought his palm to his face and whined, “But that’s scary! I’m not letting some crazy stranger into my room! No way! Nuh-uh!”

“Don’t you want to save your friend?” Sophie inquired with a stinging sarcasm.

Sang slumped his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “I do. I do want to help Hira…and if this is the only way, well then, I guess I’ll have to make do. Fortunately we have Darius to attract the succubus, incubus, whatever, with his charming physical appeal.”

I snickered. Sophie’s heels tap, tap, tapped on the tiled floor and she swung around to Darius, looped her arms around his neck, and whispered into his ear.

A creeping heat surfaced onto my cheeks as I watched Sophie gradually slide her hands lower and lower to Darius’ torso. I growled and began to raise a fist but Darius caught her lingering hands with his and shrugged her off like a gnat.

“Dr. Summers,” he brushed his shirt where her hands had been, “I am truly grateful for your expert advice but it seems that now we will be on our way. It was lovely seeing you again. Please make sure that all appropriate actions are taken to successfully monitor Hira’s condition. Thank you and contact me should any…inconveniences surface.” He turned on his heels and motioned for Sang and I to follow him as he exited the room.

When we got home Sang trudged upstairs to take a shower and Darius and I flopped onto the couch together. He let out a long, exasperated sigh and combed his slender fingers through the thick chocolate waves of his hair.

“Lawrence,” he called rather quietly. “Please bring us some aged Merlot, blueberries, angel cake, and whipped cream.”

My mouth watered with anticipation for what he’d just ordered. He gave me a smug look, amber eyes all half-lidded and playful, his lips set slightly apart so that the ivory gleam of his fangs were scarcely visible.

I returned his expression by pursing my lips and creasing my eyes. “So, Darius, I was wondering…what things do you like? ’Cause you know I like unicorns, clothes, sweet things, reading and writing and horses. I’d love to know what you like.”

He propped his chin on the back of a hand and replied coolly, “I like to collect vintage wines and rare books, paint, play the piano and violin and listen to classical music. Is that sufficient enough of an answer for you, my dear?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

Lawrence finally strolled into the living room and placed three trays and two glasses on the coffee table. He popped the cork off the Merlot and filled our glasses graciously before bowing and leaving on soundless feet.

Darius raised his cup and daintily sipped his drink. I reached for mine and took a tiny swallow. Before I knew it, Darius was already on his third glass while I was still nursing my first. He slid closer to me and pinched a blueberry within his fingers. I eyed it hungrily like a hawk would a rabbit. He rolled it between his fingertips in small circles, around and around; a teasing smile curving his mouth.