Bitten By Magic (9 page)

“It is a word from my past. It is used to refer to one’s wife. Do you mind me using it?”

“No, I like the way it sounds.” She bit her lip, quickly releasing it as his dark stare homed in on her mouth.

“Good. Now, tell me of your death. I wish to hear it.” He began to place small kisses on her cheek and neck that sent a pulse of need straight through her. Alexa sank her hands into his thick brown hair. The short hair felt cool to her feverish touch, as she closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the way his mouth slid over her flesh. “Tell me.” His command was soft as he grazed her shoulder with his fangs before licking the spot with his tongue.

“Um...” He wanted her to talk while he touched her with his warm mouth and hands? Was he out of his mind? “I was no longer little. I was tall and curvy, young and powerful. When I tried to see around me, there was only fog, thick and dark. No moon to light my way as I walked barefoot down a beach. Only it wasn’t the beach behind our little cottage. This sand was fine and free of shells and driftwood. It was so soft between my toes and the smell of the place was sweet. Flowers and ocean salt filled the air. It was hot and humid. My long hair stuck to my neck and shoulders as I moved along the shoreline.” She gasped as his moist mouth settled over her breast, his tongue sliding over her aching nipple. “Will...”

“Continue.” His hand cupped and kneaded her other breast. Alexa arched her back with a moan. If this was the form of revenge her Elder had chosen, she was definitely down with it.
Where was she? Oh, right.

“Out of the fog came a figure. He was taller than me and big. Bigger than my dad even. I wanted to run, but my feet wouldn’t move. He came for me. I knew him, knew what he intended, yet I didn’t scream, couldn’t run from him. No words were spoken between us. He simply reached for me and I went into his arms. At first I thought he meant only to hug me, but I was wrong. His strong fingers turned my head—” Alexa’s eyes flew open as Wilhelm rose over her from where he’d been paying homage to her breasts.

“I knew I would die by the bite of a Vampire once I was old enough to know of your kind.” There was an absence of accusation in her tone. She didn’t blame him, nor the one in her premonition. They were predators, just doing what they do. Wilhelm’s jaw clenched with some unknown emotion, his dark eyes blazing down at her as she held his gaze.

“Yet you have tied yourself to one.” His brows drew together as he seemed to consider the implications, not liking his conclusions. “Why do you want to die, Keeper?”

“I never said I wanted to die. You know my reasons for tying myself to you. I don’t feel it is prudent to fight one’s fate. We all die; just for most of us it’s permanent.”

“Hmm...I find it rather ironic to hear you speak of prudery while you’re stretched out like a beautiful buffet. One I fully intend to enjoy eating on for many years to come. So, don’t get your hopes up for this premonition to come true.”

Alexa became very aware of her state of undress as his eyes slid over her with a heated glance. He grinned as he moved to rest between her legs. When had he removed her shorts and his sweats? Her eyes rounded like saucers as his naked flesh came down on hers. Her body stiffened as she felt his hard erection pressing against her navel. Never having seen that member of the male persuasion, she was horrified to feel how solid and big it was.

“Relax, this won’t be a fast coupling where I’m the only one satisfied.” There was a gleam of mischief in his dark look. “I want to hear you scream,
felesage
.” His grin was meant to tease her, but it sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

“I’d prefer fast and painless, thanks. Just get it over with.” Her hands landed on his bare chest as if to hold him off her.

“What kind of men are you used to?” He chuckled as he cupped her chin. “We have all day to get this right.” Wilhelm held her gaze as he bent his head and took her lips in a gentle kiss. He meant to tease her, but the instant her mouth opened to taste him he forgot his plans and sank into her soft body.

Alexa forgot all her fears and hesitation as she was consumed by his dark kiss. He tasted of hot male and sweet brandy. A moan caught in her throat as her hands slid from his hard chest to his shoulders as she pulled him down to her tightly. All thoughts fled as his hands moved down her sides to cup her bare bottom. Alexa gasped as he rolled them over. She found herself lying atop his solid strength, her breasts crushed against his muscular chest, and her legs spread on either side of his. His strong arms held her still as she would have tried to move off him.

“Stay.” His soft command preceded a tap to her bare bottom. Alexa’s eyes widened as the action made her melt into him. He leaned up and took possession of her mouth with a hunger she met with her own ardor. One kiss melted into another, a soft caress led to others as they fed their hungers.

“Will...” she sighed out his name as he rolled her beneath him. His hand moved from her breast, over her ribcage to her hipbone. “There’s something you should know—” Her eyes flew open as his hand moved lower still. “Oh...”

“All I need to know your body is telling me.” He grinned as he bent to kiss her hard. Need flared red hot below as his fingers parted her flesh. Pleasure had her moving convulsively as he stroked her with an expertise that had her sluggish mind thankful for the harem closet. She took his hard kiss with a fever of lust that had her lost to all things but the man playing her body like a fine tuned musical instrument. Below, his fingers stopped pressing into her as his hard erection moved against her feminine core. She was ready for him, she knew she was, yet she didn’t know what to expect from this joining of their bodies.

Pleasure from his touch became uncomfortable as he pushed into her, spreading sensitized tissue unused to the feel of a man’s possession. She pressed her face against his big shoulder as he broke the kiss with a hiss of surprise.

“Why...did you stop?” she asked as she hid her face in his shoulder. He was breathing roughly, his body tense, muscles tight beneath her hands. The Elder cursed in a dangerous growl of temper that made her wince.

“You didn’t warn me,” he accused her with a hiss.

“I tried...”

“Not hard enough,” he gritted out. Alexa smoothed her hands over his back, trying to placate him. Poor Elder, in all his years as a dark one, did he never come across a virgin? She found that very hard to believe.

“So, you’re my first.” She shrugged a shoulder, brushing her hardened nipples against his chest and pulling a hoarse groan from him. Her feminine spirit rose up in pleasure as she realized he was just as affected by her as she was by him. Power flared in her fingers as her palms heated over his back. His muscles eased as a soft sigh of resignation and reluctant acceptance left him.

“No, Keeper.” He pulled her head back until she was staring up at him. “I’m your only. You are mine now.” His mouth came down to claim her kiss with a sense of possession that made her dizzy as he began to move carefully within her.

There was no pain, only a sense of what was right and fated. She clung to him as pleasure and hunger mixed to fill her with a flood of needs she didn’t understand, but couldn’t control. Her nails dug into firm muscles as she tried to match his fierce rhythm. He was holding back; she could see the concentration on his sweat-dampened brow as he watched her closely.

“Say it,” he urged her softly.

“Say it?” Her brows drew together as she tried to make her brain work to figure out what she was supposed to say to him. How could he carry on a conversation when it was all she could do to think straight? All her senses were focused on what his hard body was doing to hers.

“You’re mine. Say it.” His silken voice made goose bumps break out on her arms as it wrapped around her. Alexa held back a small smile that wanted to break through her Keeper facade. Instead, she shook her head at him.

“You’re mine.” She saw a spark of humor light the dark depths of his chocolate gaze. A gasp escaped her as his hands gripped her legs and pulled them up around his hips. The new position allowed him to move deeper inside her, pulling a ragged moan of pleasure from her as she squeezed her eyes closed tightly.

“Say it,
felesage
.” He cupped her face with his hands, forcing her green eyes to open. “Admit you belong to me and I’ll reward you with the relief you’re striving to achieve. Give yourself to me and I’ll let you come.”

Alexa felt herself blush as his meaning became clear. So, he was moving with a relentless rhythm meant to keep her just on the brink of a release she had only heard of, but never known herself. He was a relentless monster! Her breath hitched as he slowed his thrusts within to make a point.

“Say it.”

“All right!” she hissed as her head came up off the pillow. Her eyes burned with power as they turned to black with her determination to make his possession a two-way street. “I belong to you as you belong to me. So long as you touch no other, then I won’t allow another’s touch.”

“You couldn’t just say it, could you?” Wilhelm grinned down at her before he gently turned her head to the side. “We have a deal, Alexa.” His breath against the sensitive shell of her ear made her shiver just before his mouth touched her neck over the puncture wounds he’d already marked her with.

“Goddess!” Her entire body convulsed up against his as sharp fangs again bit into her neck. Pleasure exploded within and around her as his body thrust harder and faster inside her. Her legs tightened around his hips in an attempt to get as close to him as possible. “Will...” She found herself chanting his name in her head as the pleasure grew in an overwhelming intensity which he seemed to feel and sense. His hands clenched in her hair as her nails dug into his back.

The pleasure peaked suddenly without warning. Alexa cried out as her entire body erupted in ecstasy and her heart pounded so hard she half feared it would explode in her chest. Above her, she felt Wilhelm’s strong body tighten as a harsh groan of pleasure rumbled in his chest. His fangs released her and his wet tongue slowly licked the last drop of blood from her skin. Every sweep of his tongue against her sensitive neck made a wave of pleasure vibrate through her.

They lay entwined together, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Alexa looked down at the dark head resting on her chest. His hair was like silk to the touch and she was sorely tempted to brush it with her fingers. Unfortunately, she knew if she gave in to the urge, he would move away. So she stayed as still as she could and tried to memorize the feeling of his warm, hard body against her own. Her last coherent thought before she slipped into an exhausted sleep was that her cousin’s opinion of sex had been right. It was most definitely spectacular!

Chapter Six

Wilhelm Chambers found himself walking through the narrow corridors of the Hive’s underground tunnels. For close to a century his people had worked relentlessly to dig the tunnels deep beneath the city. Only his kind knew of them and very few knew every tunnel’s destination. This one was his favorite of all. It led up from the bowels of the dark earth to a rural area far from the smog and tall buildings of the city. Farms and fields with cattle gave one a relief from the harsh city lights. The stars were brighter, the full moon so big that it lit the fields as if it were day. To one who hadn’t looked upon the sun in over three centuries, it was a welcome haven.

Stopping at the iron door, his hand clutched the latch, and wrenched it free. Bright sunlight lit the tunnel in a blinding flash as the door slammed against the rock wall. A screech of alarm escaped him as he fell backwards in an attempt to save himself from burning to a pile of ashes. His arms covered his eyes as he lay upon the hard, cold dirt floor. His breath slowed as he felt no pain. Had he moved fast enough to escape the light? He flinched as he tried to look between his arms. It was too bright, too harsh, to eyes not able to take it.

Suddenly, he felt a heat upon his jeans-covered legs. He tried to look once more and gasped in horror as he saw the sunlight upon his legs and boots. He moved quickly, backing into the darkness of the tunnel. Though his legs were warm, there was no pain when he rubbed his calves and shins. Surprise and relief had him sitting up. He blinked rapidly as he tried to look toward the doorway; though his eyes watered from the unaccustomed glare of the sun, he felt no pain. What was going on here? He wiped a hand over his sweating face and huffed out a loud breath.

Alexa would know what was happening. She would calmly assess the situation and give him an explanation in that soft practical tone of the Keeper. He grinned as he pulled himself up from the hard dirt floor. He pulled a pair of thick sunglasses from the inside pocket of his jacket. Covering his eyes with the glasses, he drew near the doorway and closer to the dust swirling in the light. He blinked at the dancing motes of earth so tiny and light they reminded him of the lost tribes of fairies who lived among the forests of his homelands.

Tears ran from his eyes even behind the protection of the sunglasses as he raised his hand. This would not be the first time he exposed himself to the sun. He knew the pain to come from such a stupid move, yet held true to his resolve. He waited for the stinging pain, held his breath as he expected the blisters to form on his flesh.

Wonder forced his breath from his dry throat as nothing happened. He felt the soft heat on the tips of his fingers, but nothing more. His brows drew together, his mouth hanging open in shock as he reached deeper into the channel of light. His silver wedding ring glinted in the sunlight, bright and beautiful, as he stared at it in awe. He wasn’t burning? He wasn’t writhing in pain or sizzling like a piece of meat on a hot grill. Holy shit!

He wiggled his fingers slowly. This was so unreal! How many centuries had he dreamed of standing in the light? The sun warmed his face and body as he stepped from the tunnel and walked into the tall grass of the field. Cows, grazing lazily a few yards away, turned their big heads to stare at him with placid black eyes. They didn’t seem the least bit worried about sharing their field as they continued to chew their cud.