Dark Caress (The Fallen) (16 page)

“I can help.”

Relief eased the tension in the room. Amber could see that the vampire warriors were worried she wouldn’t survive.

White light made Amber’s hands shimmer. She reached out and soothed the light over the woman’s body. Her taut, twisted muscles began to ease. Hunger raged through her body. That was something Amber couldn’t ease.

“If she doesn’t feed, we’ll be forced to feed her. She must take from Dryden willingly.” Kane’s voice was a whisper in her ear.

“Give us a minute,” said Amber.

Everyone left the room, Vice, Kane, and Dryden. The Fallen’s gaze was glassy as it stared out across the room.

“I did it because I wanted to be free.”

“You were an angel?” Amber asked.

“Yes. I was a kept pet of the
gods.”

Amber knew what it was like to be someone else’s pet to use. “I’m sorry.”

Jade sat up drawing the sheet under her chin. A crystal blue tear slid down her cheek. “I’m not feeling it. I don’t know how to be vampire. I hunger, but it feels so wrong to take from someone I don’t know.”

“From Dryden?”

“Yes. He’s so different from Kane. His heart is hard. He’s dark.”

A slither of jealousy rippled under Amber’s skin
, but she knew she couldn’t be envious of what Kane had in his past.
She really isn’t in his past though, is she?
Jade was flesh and blood in his home. “You were Kane’s lover?”

A wistful smile twisted her lips. “Kane is his own man
, and I am my own woman. We are wrong for each other. Do not worry, Elemental. Kane is yours.”

“You must feed, Jade. It is your way.”

“Must I? I am free, am I not? Free not to feed from anyone I do not wish?”

Dryden came through the doorway. “There are rules to this world you must learn to obey first. I will teach you.”

They glared at each other. Dryden was the opposite of Kane in every way possible. He had long blonde hair that came past his shoulders. Tattoos crisscrossed his chest in an intricate design that resembled battle armor. The veins in his arms and neck were pumped up enticingly. Jade came up on her knees, dragging the sheet around her body.

“N. O.”

“Do you have a problem with my blood?” Dryden asked.

“Yes. I don’t want it.”

Dryden looked pleadingly at Amber, with the kind of look that said he didn’t know how to deal with difficult women. “Amber, you can go. Jade and I need some time to get to know each other. Alone.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yep. Go. You don’t want to be around for this.”

The door locked when Amber left the room. Dryden wouldn’t hurt Jade, she was sure of that. Amber heard Vice and Kane arguing. They moved from the library into another room. Amber stepped into the kitchen.

“You can’t keep cleaning up their messes. You need to let them go, Kane. They need to learn on their own. The same way we all did.”

“I ha
ve no choice. It is my duty.”

“They are Fallen. They must be punished first
,” Vice said.

“
I am the only one who can lead them.”

Vice circled around the room.
“I know. We just need more help.”

“Vice?”

“Yes?”

“You and
Dryden stay on this for me. Jade is special. I don’t want her hurt.”

“As you wish.”

A swirl of dark air consumed the woman, and she was gone. Kane paced through the dining room. He was a caged, wild animal. Each one of his muscles was coiled tight.

He was
obviously trying to cool down, but it wasn’t working. Tension radiated like sunlight from his skin. He went for a bottle of bourbon, but he cursed when he discovered it was empty.

She watched as Kane went for another cabinet and found another bottle of bourbon. He poured two fingers and stared at the tumbler on the marble counter. Pain slashed across his face.
Amber could see that he was hurting over this. Amber took a deep breath and stepped out of her hiding spot. Kane looked up surprised.

“How long have you been there?”
he asked.

“Long enough
.”

“
Your human partner was here a little while ago. We had a disagreement.”

Amber’s hand went to her mouth
, and it took her a moment to ask. “What happened to Chris?”

“He
’s in time out.”

Could she trust him? She didn’t feel as though she could trust herself.
She couldn’t be with someone without completely trusting them. Amber turned away. She loved Kane and trusted him completely. That scared the hell out of her. Her heart rate accelerated as his gray eyes stayed locked on her. He lifted the drink and swallowed it in one guzzle.

Amber
knew this wasn’t good. “Where is he?”

“He’s at a hotel to sleep it off.”

“What have you done?”

His gaze lifted. Guilt filtered through his eyes before he could lock it away. “
He’s fine.”

“
You can’t push all the men in my life out of the way.”

His lips quirked.
“It’d be nice if I could.”

“
Kane
.”

“I’m kidding.
He wouldn’t reason with me. He’d had a little too much to drink. And I might add, he shouldn’t have been driving.”

She couldn’t do this. How could she love someone who
messed with the people she cared about? “You have to make this right.”

“
Chris feels as though he has to protect you from me. I explained to him that it wasn’t necessary.”

Amber worried her lip.
“Obviously he didn’t go for it.”

“I just don’t want
this to complicate things for you at work.” Kane shook his head. “I’ll do what I can to like your partner. I can’t make any promises. I know I saved his ass from wrapping his car around a tree tonight.”

“Why didn’t you guys just take him home?” Amber asked.

“Would that make you happy?”

She nodded as she lifted her hand to Kane’s cheek. “
Yes. I only love you, Kane. My friends are only trying to protect me from getting hurt. Please understand.”

“I’m learning that love is more complicated than either one of us realized.”

Vice suddenly appeared in the kitchen. “Yes?”

“I would like you to return Chris to his home.”

Vice widened her eyes before she nodded quickly. “As you wish.”

Vice dematerialized
as quickly as she appeared. Amber frowned. “How did you do that?”

“I’m able to communicate telepathically with my men,” Kane said.

He poured another drink and drank that one, too. The glass was on his way to his lips the third time when it stopped. He set it aside.

“
Please don’t be angry with me,” he said.

She
crossed her arms. “I’m freaking disappointed, Kane. You can’t mess with my friends this way.”

“I’m trying
, Amber.” He came in close, pulling her crossed arms apart. His body language was downright possessive. “Will you let me make it up to you?”

She looked up into his eyes and felt the love they shared. “How are you going to make this up to me?”

He put his forehead against hers. Amber sensed that Kane
was
trying to make things right. Waves of seduction crashed beneath her skin, but it was an intricate gypsy dance that she could play internally to keep the tsunami from coming.

“Amber, my love.”

Amber twisted her fingers into his shirt. “Kane.”

Outwardly, she was calm and
controlled, not the raging nymph her body wanted her to be. His unnatural gray eyes were deadly bright as he studied her face, as his fingers moved through her hair. The lines around his eyes hardened. Kane picked her up, kissing her hard.

They fell back against the island
, but his hands caught before her hips were bruised. Amber drank heavily of his kiss. His tongue swept inside, dueling with hers. Their passion was flicked on hard, igniting every part of her body. Her lips tingled. She pressed her breasts closer to his chest.

He pulled away to reposition his lips. This time his tongue took a slow exploration of her mouth. Amber sighed into the kiss and twined her arms behind his head. Her tongue flicked over one of his long fangs
, and she shuddered.

His hands crushed through her hair. Groans of encouragement sounded deep with his chest when her hands explored the hard lines of his chest. Amber felt her energy entangle with his. Kane growled as the warming sensation mingled between them.

Her kisses became soft, tentative. She knew what was happening, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Despite the fire of hunger burning between her thighs, she didn’t want to take from him. She relaxed into it and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Amber enjoyed the tender pull of his lips, the soft suckle of his tongue on her mouth. Kane closed his eyes and moved his hand up to the back of her neck.

Kane took his time removing her
dress, teasing each shoulder out. Kane’s hands teased lower over her belly, toying with the edge of her dress. The back of his fingers skimmed over her pussy as he lifted her dress above her head. He kissed his way over her breasts as he unsnapped the clasp of her bra. She shuddered as his thumbs moved over her nipples. He groaned as his hands worked their way over her ass.

“I like you in
a thong.”

She grinned
, wiggling her ass temptingly. “I wore it for you.”

He lifted her up, splitting her thighs as he set her on the edge of the island. He lifted up her arms above her head.

“Hold on.”

“What for?”

Amber held the empty brass pot rack above her head. Kane undressed. Her gaze turned seductive as she eye-fucked him. He leaned down, licking and kissing her pussy through her purple cotton thong. He slid the thong down her hips and dropped it to the floor.

“For this.”

Kane lifted her legs up, spreading her thighs wide. Amber’s pussy was angled up toward his mouth. She gasped as the heat of his mouth licked over her pussy. Kane’s tongue twisted in and out of her hot core, lapping at her cream. His thumb flicked over her clitoris, causing spasms to flutter down her pussy lips. Amber bucked her hips against his mouth as she held on to the swinging pot rack. Her orgasm stole her breath away as it shattered through her pussy. She arched up, offering more of her body. Kane’s hands slid upward over her breasts, tweaking her nipples as he licked her pussy. Amber was riding the high note of her orgasm as he pulled away. Her eyes were heavy with lust as she watched Kane stroke his hand over his thick cock.

The lights suddenly went out. Amber was certain he made it so.

“Let go,” he said. He helped her down off the island. “Do you trust me?”

“
I do.”

He grinned as he lifted her up, spreading her strong legs around his thighs. Amber groaned as Kane lowered her pussy onto his cock. Amber was lost in his touch as she felt the world turn on its axis. Her eyes flew open. Kane levitated above the ground. He was now parallel to the island as Amber rode him cowgirl. Her legs dangled in the air.

“Ride me. Ride me hard,” Kane said.

Amber pressed her hands against his chest as she lifted her pussy off Kane’s cock. She loved having so much control. She bounced her ass, taking his cock inside with quick short strokes. She rode him hard, circling her pussy in slow erotic moves that made him growl for more. Kane’s hands reached up to pinch her nipples. That was all it took for Amber. Her orgasm had her losing all control. Amber rode him wildly, bouncing up and down. Kane’s hands gripped her hips as he pushed up inside of her. He cried out as his cock flexed hard. Amber felt the searing heat of his cum fill her pussy. Satiated, Amber collapsed onto his chest. Kane held her gently in his arms.

“I never knew vampires had a beating heart, until I met you,” Amber said.

“We’re cursed to walk the ear
th as the undead, but we live and love.” He kissed her temple. “It’s late. I should get you to bed.”

She smiled, lifting her head to meet his eyes. Amber’s long hair cascaded over his chest. “I think I like the sound of that.”

Amber rolled over in bed. Where was Kane? She reached across the bed and felt the coolness of sheets. It was then she heard the sound of the shower running. It was time to go. Amber knew it. She couldn’t live in this dream world forever. This fantasy that it would be Kane and Amber happily ever after just wasn’t reality. Outside sunshine hit the opaque windows. Now would be a good time to go.

She knew he wouldn’t take her leaving well
, but it was something she needed to do. It was part of who she was as an Elemental. By nature, she was a free spirit not meant to be chained to any man for long. She’d given Kane her heart, but she couldn’t give him her aging body forever. Noise echoed from the bathroom.