sanguineangels (33 page)

“Why are you doing this to me?” She leaned into the cradle of his arms almost involuntarily. “I don’t even know you,” she whispered, her cheek running against his.

“What does it matter?” he purred, brushing her hair away from her shoulders. “You said you wanted to die.” Leaning in, he kissed at the pearled white curve of her shoulder, wanting desperately to taste the thick, sanguine fluid that lurked beneath but holding back. To kill her would be an anticlimax that he couldn’t bear. He needed more time to figure her out.

“Dying is a peaceful repast,” she whispered, letting her idle fingers stroke through the messy piles of his hair. “A way to stop the pain.”

Seth chuckled darkly. “Are you willing to take that chance, love? Who knows what lies beyond this mortal cage?” Lifting his head, he brushed the smooth skin of his cheek against hers, relishing the sensation of skin against skin. He breathed against her, his scent and serpentine movement hypnotizing her almost immediately. “A cold, dreamless sleep from which you cannot wake.”

“Then you do fear death,” she rasped, moving her lips ever so gently against his skin.

“I only fear not living.” He pushed his long, lithe fingers through her hair, pulling her into a desperate kiss. She gasped for air, opening her mouth to take a breath only to be invaded by him. His tongue slipped along hers, tasting and teasing until all she could do was give herself up to it. He gripped the knot of her hair tightly in his fist, pulling her this way and that, exhausting her until she was drunk with the onslaught of his seduction. He felt her body relax, surrendering to him completely and he knew that if he was to taste of her blood that this was the opportune moment he’d been waiting for. She arched her back, letting her head fall limply to the side as if offering the bulging blue vein to him. He could feel his fangs, heavy and sore with the venom, lengthen in preparation to strike.

“I don’t remember how,” she whimpered.

“I can show you.” Sliding his arms around her, he pulled her into another embrace. This time she went willingly, melding her mouth to his and opening to him at once. Their tongues mingled and for a just a second, he could remember what it was like to be human. The rush of the blood that flooded to the extremities, the heart racing as if trying to keep up. Feeling like dying but wanting more and more. Gillian moaned softly, a small sound that only he could hear, as she squirmed, trying to get closer to him. With a strong grip around her wrist, he pulled her into his lap, guiding her thighs to rest against his hips. He could feel the moist heat of her sex radiating through the worn denim jeans that wrapped around her like a second skin. His hands slid down her back to cup the curve of her ass and pull her tighter against him. Looking up into her face he could see the tears glistening on her cheeks. “I promise you’ll never despair again,” he whispered, stroking his thumb across her cheekbone. When he pulled it back, he showed her the wetness collected on the pad of his thumb. She blushed, crying again even as he was giving her hope, but he offered a warm smile. She watched as he rubbed his fingers together. “Ashes to ashes,” he whispered. “Dust to dust.” Her breath caught when the glittery diamond dust began to fall from his fingertips and light on the dark background of her sweater.

“What…how…?” she gasped, her mouth hanging agape. “What are you?”

He didn’t answer, but tangled his hands in her hair, pulling her down for another kiss. She did not protest, but responded eagerly even as his hands slid under her sweater to rest, cool and still on her flesh. “The one who’s going to fuck Jackson Garrett right out of your pretty little head,” he growled, running his hands over each breast, then cupping them firmly.

“Mmm…” she whined, her hands guiding his to squeeze and paw at her. “Wait…what?”

Seth smiled, knowing what she was thinking. “Does it surprise you that I know his name?”

“Who are you?” she said, her voice tinged with anger. “What do you want?”

Seth chuckled. “I should think that would be obvious…”

Gillian was having none of it and pushed back from him, nearly tumbling to the floor before regaining her footing. “Is this some fucking joke?”

“I can assure you that I am no joke.” He reached for her, but she stepped backwards, putting some space between them. “Let me explain…”

“There’s nothing to explain,” she replied, rubbing her temples and shaking her head as if she had inhaled a poisonous fume. “I… I have to get out of here…” She turned to run but instantly he was there, blocking her path.

“Where you goin’, love?” he asked, laying on that buttery accent.

“Away from here…from you…” she stuttered and he could feel her fear streaking through her veins, cold as ice. He read her thoughts, staring pointedly into her eyes. Suddenly, her brain had begun to understand.

“You sure you want to do that?” He smiled, purposefully giving a glimpse of his teeth as he took a step toward her.

“Stay…stay back…” she cried, throwing her hands up in front of her as if she could hold him off.

“You wanted to die,” he drawled.

“Not like this.”

“What better way than this?” He backed her slowly against the wall behind her. “Imagine it…slipping into eternal slumber in the safety of my arms.”

“No!” she shrieked, making a dive for the hallway. He was faster and before she knew what was happening, he’d grabbed her around the waist and thrown her against the wall, pinning her between him and the rough stone. His hands gripped the corner of her jaw, holding her head in place as he sniffed her like the animal he was. He growled and hissed, burying his nose in the crook of her throat and inhaling her musky scent. “Please don’t hurt me…” she whimpered.

“You think I want to kill you,” he said, his voice taking on a gravelly tone.

“But you’re…” She stopped, her voice trailing into another whimper as he kissed her throat. She couldn’t say it. The trembling and disbelief wouldn’t let her. “This can’t be real.”

“I can assure you, love. I am quite real.”

“Then you are…”

“A vampire?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Are you?”

Seth smiled again, this time wide enough to confirm her suspicions. “Are you afraid?”

“No,” she lied, struggling to keep her breathing slow and even.

“Liar,” he replied, inhaling deeply as he nuzzled under her hair. “I can smell it on you like cheap perfume. It permeates every part of you and makes your blood a complicated ambrosia.” With that, he licked the outline of her jugular vein with the tip of his tongue then stopped, his lips lingering on the soft place just under the corner of her jawline and then sucking gently. “I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted and more. Answers to every question. Pleasure like you’ve never known.”

His words were the aphrodisiac she needed, and she melted into his embrace. “Yes.” She sighed, succumbing to his seduction and offering her mouth to his. He kissed her deeply, his tongue delving into the moist cavern and drawing the breath from her body. He could feel her move against him, her body shuddering involuntarily. “Please…”

Seth broke away, growling deep in his throat as he swept her drunken, limp body into his arms. He carried her swiftly through the labyrinth of corridors and up the stairs, moving with an impossible speed that took her breath away. When they arrived at the end of the hall, he kicked the double doors, breaking the latch so that they flew open. Gillian flinched at the sound of the wood splintering as the doors hit the wall behind with enough force to leave a dent in the plaster. He tossed her unceremoniously onto his bed and stood back, watching her with a predatory glare.

“Are you going to kill me?” she whispered, sitting back on her elbows.

“Yes.” He watched as her chin began to tremble and she started moving backward slowly. “I’m afraid you’ve been chosen.”

“Please don’t.”

“So, you do want to live?”

She inhaled to say something but the words died on her lips, looking into his eyes. “I… I suppose,” she replied.

He came upon her, kneeling over her in an instant and making her draw back with fear of him. “You suppose? You must be sure! I offer you death, yes. But also life. Eternal life and you cannot change your mind once it’s begun!” He pulled her to him in a furious embrace that nearly stopped her breath. She cried out. He held onto her tightly, his mind racing with wonder. Why had he attached himself to this one so much? What was it about her that made him feel so…human? It had been a hundred years since he’d taken a companion and the last one had ended so badly—why should she be any different? But the thought of leaving her was nearly painful. “Let me give you something to live for,” he whispered.

She did not answer, but nodded lazily as if under some spell and lay back against the pillows. Her heart raced, pumping her blood in a furious river through her veins. He could hear it, already feel it pouring into him, filling him with warmth. It made him want to tear into her flesh, draining her quickly to quench the intense craving, but he would have to be patient. If he was to keep this one for his own, he’d have to take it slowly, savoring each drop, lest he kill her. She took his hand, placing it on her hip as she traced each bone and tendon with her fingertips, then sliding it over her body, guiding him to touch her. His hands were cold and she gasped when they made contact with her skin, but soon she was arching into his touch, hungry for more.

Sliding his hands under the bottom of her sweater, he pulled it over her head easily, laying her body bare before him. He paused, looking over her body and taking in each line and shadow. Seth enjoyed the thought that he would be able to keep her like this forever. Never would her pearlescent skin grow dull and wrinkled with age. Her fiery red hair would never yellow and turn brass. Forever she would be the perfect companion—a wonder to all that saw her. There was a certain godlike feeling that came with that knowledge and it only made him want her more.

Seth crawled over her, stalking like an elegant predator. Still the fear was there, rolling in waves over her body and she shuddered. He closed his eyes, reading her thoughts.
Will it hurt? Will I still have my soul tomorrow? Does this mean I’m evil? Will I ever see another sunrise?
He wished for a moment he could explain all that she needed to know, but he knew it was of little use. If someone had tried to tell him all the wonders of being a vampire, he wouldn’t have believed them on that first night.

****

Gillian lay back against the tangled sheets beneath her. She had the absurd thought that she never expected a vampire to sleep in a bed with sheets from their local IKEA. Seth stalked her like a hungry animal ready to strike, his body serpentine and slithering as he crawled into bed with her. His tattered sweater came off with a flourish so fast that it was almost undetectable. Her mouth watered when she saw him. His skin was pale, but not the deathly pallor that she would expect. He was dark save for the green eyes that glimmered in the firelight. The shadows danced over the lines and contours of his musculature and it made her want to touch him. It was a bit like wanting to crawl into the cage with the lions at the zoo. She knew that he had every intention of devouring her, but right now she didn’t care. All she wanted was to surrender. Her brain screamed for her not to trust him, but she just couldn’t stop herself. She reached out and ran her fingertips along his arm until she came to a worn scar just above the inside of his elbow.

“This cut was deep,” she said, shuddering as he ran his hands across her belly.

“It wasn’t a cut,” he replied, leaning over to kiss the valley between her breasts. “The killing bite must be deep. Otherwise the venom is too slow.”

She examined the raised flesh, the color of coffee against his skin. There were two cuts, side by side that seemed to drag a couple of inches down his arm. “I thought vampires were invincible.”

He flicked his tongue over the curve of her breast, watching as her skin prickled. “The scar marks us for what we are. You will have one too.” Gillian tensed at his words and he pulled her to him. “The pain lasts only a moment,” he whispered, his lips moving softly against the puckered skin of her nipple before drawing it into his mouth. He suckled gently at first, worrying it to a swollen bud until she gasped. Only then did he prick the edge of the areola with his teeth. The wound was miniscule and she barely noticed the sting until the tiny pearl of blood appeared. Pulling back from her, he purred deep in his throat upon seeing the deep red rivulets that ran down the side of her breast, following the curving silhouette of her body. Before it could reach the sheets below, he swooped down and captured the drops with his tongue, then lapped at the precious fluid.

Gillian moaned, her heart beating faster. She knew she should be afraid, but she was lost in the sensations he created. He kissed his way back up her torso, alighting on her other breast and biting down hard. She cried out, instinctively trying to push him away. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the pillow behind her head. She groaned and struggled, but he was much too strong for her. Closing his mouth over the breast fully, he sucked at the wound until it was bleeding heavily down her front. She watched with eyes blurry with tears, as the thickening sanguine fluid stained her skin. He drank deeply for a few moments, then tore himself away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Strangely, she didn’t feel drained as she’d thought she would. Only this heaviness that had settled into her extremities, keeping her still as he slid away from her. “Is that it?” she croaked sleepily, thinking that perhaps she’d been afraid for nothing.