He knew she was feeling the ache of her first fangs, and he had to guide her through this first small change. He moved deeper into her mind as well as her body, bringing rhythm to them both as he gave her a gentle, mental nudge toward the change of which she was so afraid. He witnessed the surprise in her mind as her canine teeth elongated into the sharp, piercing fangs that would allow her to feed from him.
"Marc?" She was uncertain, he knew, but willing to follow where he led. G.o.d, how he loved her.
"I"m with you, love. It"s okay." He lowered his head, nuzzling her. "Lick my neck just below the ear," he coached in an excited whisper, "find the pulse with your tongue."
He nearly came as she followed his instructions, but held himself ruthlessly in check. This first time they would come together as they fed together. As it was meant to be.
He licked her in return, showing her without words how to zero in on the pulsing throb that meant sustenance to their kind. He groaned as she teethed him, teasing him as only a vampire lover could. He hadn"t made love to many fanged women in his time, but he"d been with enough to think eagerly of the ways they could play together as she became more comfortable with her new strength and abilities.
They had a lot to look forward to.
"Bite me, Marc!"
Her plea rang through his heart, surprising him into action. She was ready.
He bit down, through her delectable skin and into her pulsing essence. Her taste flooded his mouth at the same moment he felt her first hard bite. His face buried in her throat as hers was in his, he could only groan against her skin as she took her first tentative sips from his body.
She moaned in pleasure, and he knew all would be well when she sucked harder at his pulse, demanding more. Her fears were still in the back of her mind, but the hunger for her mate was stronger at the moment. He pulsed within her, and she took all he could give and demanded more. He was nearly out of control. She was precious, his mate, and perfect for him.
He stroked into her as her essence flowed into his body, reviving his cells as his blood restored her in return. The psi energy of their mating was strong. It pulsed in them both, feeding their need for blood and l.u.s.t at the same time-the way only mates could do.
It couldn"t last forever. Marc neared his climax even as she began to shiver and shake around him. Her mouth stayed on his throat even as she screamed in their shared minds, her o.r.g.a.s.m overtaking her and dragging him over the edge into the blissful oblivion of her body.
He groaned, his body seizing as pleasure washed over him. He knew she was flying every bit as high as he was, deep as he was in her mind, her body, her soul. He rejoiced in the joining that was as complete as they could make it. Never would he be alone again.
After long moments of bliss, they slowly floated back to earth. She kissed his neck, sucking lightly as he licked her wounds closed with a few final, nuzzling nips. She followed his example, healing him with her tongue, using her new powers without really thinking about them, having learned from his mind how to wield a few of the lesser powers of her new form.
"Are you okay?" He knew she was dealing well from the merging of their minds, but he wanted to hear her say it.
She nodded, nuzzling his jaw. She was soft in his arms, and very distracting, but he wouldn "t be distracted. This was too important.
"Mon amour?"
She made a humming sound of satisfaction deep in her throat that threatened to make him hard again. He fought against it until he was sure she was okay with all that had transpired. He drew away, taking some of his weight off her and was slightly amused when she refused to let him go far. He took it as a good sign.
"Kelly? My heart?"
She lifted one sleepy eyelid to look at him. "Can"t you see I"m basking here?"
He grinned. "That good, eh?"
"Don"t get a swelled head. I"ll admit the opening round was fantastic, but I have yet to learn if that was just a fluke."
He chuckled at her words. It had been centuries since a lover had teased him so brazenly. Never had he been with a woman he"d taken into his heart and his very soul. She was so special to him, it hurt, but in the best possible way.
"I can a.s.sure you, that was no fluke."
"Oh, yeah?" She arched an eyebrow. "Prove it."
He growled and pushed his newly awakened c.o.c.k back into her. "Never dare me, ma pet.i.te. You"ll find I"m always up to a challenge."
"Mmm, sounds like a good quality in a man."
"Not just a man," he panted just a bit as he started to stroke his way inside her, "your mate."
"Is that the same as husband?"
He slowed, looking down into her eyes. He knew how important it was to her. He hadn"t wanted to push her, but yes, he did want her to accept him as her mate and her husband according to the traditions in which she"d been raised.
"If you want it to be. I was going to wait for you to get used to the idea of me before I sprang the question."
"Popped."
"What?"
"Popped the question. That"s the proper phrase."
"You can correct my English at a time like this?" He stroked deep to emphasize his point.
She nodded against his shoulder, kissing any skin she could reach. "I was a school teacher before I started working for Lissa and Atticus. Correct use of language is important."
"I had no idea I was joining my life to such a stickler." Satisfaction purred through his voice as he picked up the pace, moving deep within her, though still in a leisurely way. "You"ll be able to teach our young."
She pulled back, staring at him with hope burning in her eyes.
"We can have children? I mean, I thought-"
He sorted through the confusion of her thoughts. "Ah, I see. You thought our kind could not reproduce in the traditional way.
It is rare, I"ll admit, but possible between a truly mated pair. I suspect Atticus and Lissa may have the first announcement, but we will not be far behind. I want to have a child with you, Kelly, if you want it too."
She pushed at his shoulders again. "Then you d.a.m.n well better pop the question, buster. I will not have our baby without a ring on my finger."
He laughed with the pleasure. "You"re an old-fashioned woman, I see. That"s good, for I am an old-fashioned man. I"ve made you mine in the way of my kind, but you"re right, we should observe the traditions of humans. You will marry me."
"Stop."
Chapter Thirteen.
His smug tone grated on her nerves. She found the strength to push him off her, immediately missing the feel of his hardness inside her, but needing to set something straight. He seemed surprised that she would use her new strength against him. The hurt look on his face almost stopped her, but dammit, she was going to have a real proposal, not some half-a.s.sed order to marry him.
"What"s wrong?"
"I want a real proposal, Marc. I won"t be ordered to marry you like some faithful dog."
His tension eased, but he was puzzled, she could tell. She was getting better at reading his thoughts, though it still freaked her out a little bit.
"What do you wish of me, ma pet.i.te? I will do anything for you."
She liked the sound of that. She smiled as she sat up on the bed. "Get on your knees."
"Now that sounds interesting." His devilish smile lit the room, and she chuckled.
"Hold that thought. I want a traditional proposal."
"Ah, I see. And are most "traditional proposals" carried out in the nude?"
"Among nudists, I suppose they are, but this will do for us. I want a moment. A question and an answer. Is that too much to ask?"
He kissed her playfully on the nose before going down on one knee next to the bed. He took her hand in his, kissing it as he looked up into her shining eyes.
"You could never ask too much of me, my love. But now, I believe, I have something to ask of you."
She sighed as she watched him. He was a beautiful, powerful man. How did she get so lucky to have a man like this want her forever?
"Will you marry me, Kelly?"
Even though she knew it was coming-had demanded it, in fact-the question still took her breath away. Tears formed behind her eyes as she looked down at him, holding her hand so gently, with a hopeful light in his compelling dark eyes. She could feel the love shimmering in the air and in the s.p.a.ce that joined their two souls. He loved her. She knew it soul deep, as much as she loved him.
Nothing would ever tear them apart.
"Yes." Happy tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you so much, Marc."
Her whisper set him free and he rose, standing at the side of the bed before her, gloriously nude and fully aroused. He was so beautiful it made her eyes hurt. She loved him more than life, more than anything.
"Show me," he whispered, cupping her nape under her hair and drawing her head close to his straining erection. He must "ve been listening to her thoughts because all she could think of as he stood before her was tasting him.
She moved forward without further urging, though he kept his hand at the back of her neck to guide her exactly where he wanted her. She let him lead, since her experience in this area was minimal and she wanted to know exactly what he liked.
She took him into her mouth, relishing the salty, primal taste of him. He groaned, and she felt her female power, daring to look up at him from under heavy eyelids. His taste was like a drug, his mesmerizing eyes focused on her, hot, smoldering and intense.
She felt empowered that she could give him such pleasure. She felt it through their connection and reveled in her ability to please him as he"d pleased her.
"Suck harder, ma pet.i.te. Use your teeth." His words hissed out between his own lengthening fangs and the thought of it enticed her.
Vampires seemed to enjoy the slight rasp of their lover "s fangs in a way that she imagined would frighten off most human males. With an inner smile, she felt her teeth grow just enough to make her oral explorations of his hard c.o.c.k...interesting. She sc.r.a.ped gently downward and licked his tight b.a.l.l.s.
"Merde! I"m going to come in your mouth if you don"t stop."
She didn"t heed the warning. She wanted to taste him fully, to know she"d given him pleasure. She focused on that thought so he could read it through their linked minds. His b.a.l.l.s drew up and his c.o.c.k tightened before he spurted down her throat.
She loved the flavor of him, so unlike the few mortal males she"d been with in this way. The feel of his emotions washing over her heightened the experience, his l.u.s.t driving her own higher and feeding her senses. She swallowed every bit, licking her lips as he trembled in the aftermath.
When he calmed enough, he sank to the floor and drew her close. He was on level with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and he paused a moment to salute them with his tongue before dragging her head down to his for a salty, wondrous kiss.
"You amaze me, mon coeur."
"I amaze myself sometimes." She tilted her head, smiling at him. "I"m glad you liked it."
"Liked it? Such terms are too insipid to describe how it felt, but it"s your turn. Get on your knees, ma pet.i.te." She eyed him suspiciously, but did as he asked, moving to balance on all fours in the middle of the huge bed. He positioned himself behind her, entering her aching channel in one deep lunge that stole her breath. He began to move, driving her higher and higher with each impossibly deep stroke. One devious hand reached beneath her to tease her folds and the nub hidden within, and while she was gasping, he brought his other hand down in a hard smack against her fleshy a.s.s.
She jumped and squealed, totally unprepared for the loud sound or sharp feel of his hand. None of her prior lovers had ever spanked her, but that didn"t mean she hadn"t thought about it. That Marc would pick that particular fantasy out of her mind thrilled her. She could tell from the pure male satisfaction purring through their linked minds that he had enjoyed it every bit as much as she did.
"Have you been a bad girl?"
She smiled devilishly as she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. He was so magnificent, he made her want things she"d never dared dream of before.
"I think I"ve been a very bad girl."
He slapped her a.s.s with a reproving look. "How do you address me?"
She drew a blank, so he tried a different tack after giving her another swat.
"What is my t.i.tle?"
Understanding dawned as she smiled again. "I"ve been a very bad girl...Master."
He growled in satisfaction as he moved more forcefully within her. He pounded into her deep, hard and fast, while raining hard, exciting smacks down on her delectable a.s.s. She wouldn"t last long, he knew from their linked minds, and he planned to come with her when she exploded, but he needed one more affirmation first.
"You once said you call no man "master". Did you lie to me?"
She gasped as she neared her peak. "Only you, my love. Only you, my Master."
He let go then, jetting hard into her as she came around him with a scream of delight. Her a.s.s was a lovely shade of pink he would remember always.
Long moments later, they drifted in the afterglow. He stroked her hair as she snuggled at his side.
"You"ve never been spanked before, have you, ma pet.i.te?"
She shook her head. "I thought you"d lifted that fantasy from my mind. You mean you didn"t know?"
He shrugged. "It was a lucky guess. So far you"ve been my perfect match in every way. No doubt you will like all the things I choose to do with, and to you."
"I can"t wait." Her voice was teasing, but her eyes were shy as she tucked her head into the curve of his neck.
"We have lifetimes of discovery ahead of us. First, we"ll get married and make our relationship legal in the eyes of your friends.
Then we can work on the rest...for eternity."