Michael stepped closer, his smile feral. "You were always feisty, Erin. Maybe I should have taken you first instead of your sister. But she was a good f.u.c.k, screaming for me to ram into her. Too bad it ended like it did."
Enraged, Erin swung out, but Leo pulled her back. She struggled, fighting his iron-like grip to the sound of Michael"s laughter. "I"ll get you, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You"ll pay for killing my family!" She managed to raise her machete.
Michael"s laughter subsided, and he backed away. Even Eva seemed less amused.
"Not now, mia amore," Leo whispered against her temple. "This isn"t the time. He"ll kill you in a moment. Wait."
Erin heard the words, but they didn"t completely sink in. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d not only mocked her with each breath he took, but she wanted desperately to exact revenge for the memories that haunted her. Images of her mother with her throat shredded. Her father lying in a pool of blood, his face drained of color, skin white as paste. Then Karen--poor Karen. The devil had screwed her before her parents" eyes as life drained from them. And Erin, conscious and aware of the entire night, yet immobilized by some sort of vampiric magic. Michael had been cruel in saving her for last. She remembered his words as he rose from Karen"s limp, lifeless body, his lips dripping red. "Sweet little girl, virginal blood is a delicacy to be savored.
And as I drink from you, I"m going to send you into ecstasy and you"ll give that precious hymen to me." His laughter echoed in her mind even now.
But Leo"s gentle hold rea.s.sured her. Perhaps he was right. Any attempt on her part right now would end her hunt in her own death.
"I"ll bide my time," she said in a low voice, venom tracing each syllable.
When Michael laughed again, she fought from lashing out. Within Leo"s arms, she felt protected, but at the same time, he gave her that feeling of equality. He stood with her toe-to-toe against her foe, silently promising to fight by her side.
At that moment, she realized this man--this vampire--was meant to be in her life. He had mentioned she was his life-mate. It must be true.
And she liked the idea.
Could a slayer and a vampire truly overcome their differences to love?
At that moment, she hoped so.
Leo glared at Michael and Eva as they faded into the night. The confrontation wasn"t over; they would soon meet again. If Leo knew his brother, Michael wouldn"t rest until Erin was dead.
What exactly was the reason for her hatred of vampires in connection to Michael? No doubt it was horrific. Perhaps Erin would open up to him her reasons.
"Would you like to go inside?" she asked, bringing his gaze back to her as they finished dressing. Lord, she was beautiful, and her auburn hair was wild and unruly, just like her spirit. He loved that untamable quality about her.
He knew she liked to take control, but in her deepest self, longed to relinquish that control to be loved. How fortunate Leo was to find his life-mate to long for the exact type of s.e.xual play he preferred. Just the remembrance of her toying with her c.l.i.t on his command made his body harden once again.
"Do you wish for me to go in?" He wanted to test her desires. As they proceeded in this relationship, her ultimate sacrifice would be required.
"Yes," she whispered, stepping closer. The s.e.xual heat poured off her body and called to his. She placed her hand on his chest. "I want you to make love to me."
His eyebrows shot up. Before she wanted to "be f.u.c.ked." Now she wanted to "make love." Had her feelings for him changed in a few pa.s.sing moments?
"Mia amore, you are my life-mate. I wish to love you for all eternity. Can you understand the commitment and price for me to love you?"
She stood in silence, then rested her head against his chest. "I understand."
He tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes. Within the blue depths, he saw a new light. Perhaps it was possible for a slayer to love a vampire.
"Which floor do you live on?" he asked, scooping her into his arms and walking to the edge of the roof. "Third floor, fourth window from the left."
He transformed into a mist, but still held her within his arms. Vampires could shift into any form at will, including that without physical barriers. She nestled and he flew through the air to her window. With a brush of his cloudy hand, it opened, and they drifted inside.
In her apartment, he transformed back into his natural form. She seemed unaffected by his transformations. "No surprising you, is there?"
Lying down upon the white comforter of her bed, she moaned, "I"ve seen more than you can know."
While working on stripping away her clothes again, he let his hands ease over her skin, ma.s.saging her muscles in small circles, relaxing her into his touch. "What did Michael do to make you want revenge so much?"
The muscles in her legs tensed, every inch beneath his fingers bunched. He had been reluctant to ask the question, but he needed to know the answer. It might help them in the coming battle with Michael. He caressed her body, starting from the arch of her feet and slowly working his way up.
"He killed my family right in front of me. The memories of that horrible night will live with me forever." She continued to tell him of the way Michael romanced her sister to get inside the home, only to make a feast upon all of them. She also told him of the man who saved her and later trained her to become a slayer.
Leo knew Casey all too well--a menace to the vampire community wherever he chose to hunt. He was ignorant in picking his prey, killing vampires that didn"t deserve to meet such cruel deaths. In doing so, he had marked himself, and was hunted down and killed. Leo remembered that night on the bayou, the leader of a band of vampires who had hunted the hunter. That Erin admitted to having feelings for Casey was indeed an unfortunate development.
"Erin, mia dolce, I hate to tell you this, but about Casey--"
"I know he"s dead. I heard about it through the hunting community."
"He was killing innocents."
She sat up after sliding away from him. "No, he wasn"t." She c.o.c.ked her head. "But how would you know?"
He sighed and sat on the bed, his back to her, another trial for them to confront. Opposite worlds shouldn"t fall in love. "Because I led the search for him. One of my duties is to protect the vampire community from slayers."
She gasped, then whispered, "Like me."
He turned and nodded.
"So what will you do to me?"
"For killing Ti, I"m supposed to destroy you." He paused. "Instead, I propose you come with us, join us, help us protect others from those who endanger our existence." He looked into her eyes, reading her confusion. "You know there are demons among us. As I told you, there are the good and the bad. You can help us hunt down the demons that threaten everything and everyone that crosses their paths."
Silence enveloped the room as she considered his suggestion. He knew it wouldn"t be easy for her to digest after spending much of her life hunting all vampires.
She sighed, then lifted a hand toward him. "I can"t explain the connection between us, Leo. I"ve never felt such emotions before, but I don"t want it to end. If you think I can help by hunting the evil of your kind while also giving us the chance to love forever, then it is all right by me."
He took her hand. "I promise, eternal love is what I"ll give you. There"s no other for me."
She tugged on his arm, urging him to cover her body. Lying upon her felt as intoxicating as any wine. Clad only in panties and a bra, she had on way too many clothes, but he had no time to pull away. She opened her legs and clamped her thighs about his hips, inviting his c.o.c.k to seek the warm moisture of her core. His chest rubbed against her silk-covered b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but nothing could hide the hard points. They seared into him like hot tips of desire, pulsating heat with each touch.
Her body fit perfectly to his, her softness meshed with his hard muscles, yet he could feel strength in her toned body. She was fit for her job, and just staying alive all these years in hunting vampires, she had the talent and the power to defeat any obstacle that would cross her path. He couldn"t love her any more than he did right now. She was the woman who could fight by his side, and he would have no worries about her abilities. Running his hands over her outer curves, from her hips up to her waist and to her chest, he wanted more than anything to worship her. He brushed a stray strand of auburn hair from her face and looked deep into her eyes, bright with newfound love. No, she may not have actually uttered that word, but he saw it in her eyes.
He covered her lips in a gentle kiss, wanting to show her his deepest devotion. Tenderness was called for. Earlier they had rutted to ease their carnal desires, but now, he needed to show her he could be a considerate lover, gentle and caring.
Her soft and inviting lips opened to him to receive his mouth. He deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into her sweet mouth, tasting her unique flavor and relishing it. She had a taste that could drug any man, but this was only for him. No other would ever know the intimacies of this woman.
Erin was his.
He broke the kiss and gazed down into her flushed face. Pa.s.sion suited her; she never looked more beautiful than with the pink blush of desire.
"Erin, are you sure I"m not forcing you into...becoming a vampire?"
The love that shone in her eyes made him lose his breath. "Bite me, Leo. I want to be yours forever."
Heat surged through his veins as his controlled desires surfaced. She had given permission for him to drink from her--the ultimate s.e.xual high for a vampire and his mate.
His c.o.c.k, hard and pulsing with eagerness to enter her, slipped around the crotch of her panties and into her wet folds. He gasped at the heat surrounding him. It felt as though liquid fire engulfed him in a velvet sheath made just for him. As he began to move within her, she moaned, making it difficult to hold back any control. When she screamed out in a quick o.r.g.a.s.m, it sent all reason flying into the night.
At her neck, he bit into her soft flesh through to her vein, drinking the precious fluid coursing through her body. By G.o.d, it tasted like the sweetest honey!
Erin was his life-mate for all eternity...
But first, they had to destroy her greatest enemy--his brother.
Erin had never felt such pain as when Leo started the process of her transformation. She must come close to death, then be returned, with him giving the fluid she needed to complete the change.
He sliced his wrist with his fang protruding from his mouth and offered the blood to her. She was hungry, and as she drank, the sensations that wracked her body became unbearable.
At some point, Erin pa.s.sed out from the pain.
When she awoke, she was unsure of her surroundings and how much time had pa.s.sed. The pain, however, had ebbed to a dull ache, and an unbelievable hunger.
"Erin, mia amore, wake up. The night awaits us."
She groaned as she moved, while her stomach growled. "What happened? Where am I?" Darkness surrounded them, but she could make out his silhouette next to her.
"After we exchanged blood last night, I brought you here to my resting place to wait out the daylight."
She sat straight up in shock. "I slept the entire day without knowing it?"
He chuckled as he brought her hand to his lips. "Mia dolce, that is normal for a fledgling. Right now you need to feed, and then we shall prepare for the battle tonight."
"Feed? Battle?" d.a.m.n, she had been out a long time!
His fangs grew before her eyes as he nibbled the pulse point in her wrist. The tips grazed across her skin, sending tiny shivers along her nerves.
"Feed from me first, then we"ll make plans to meet Michael."
She watched in wonder as he took his own wrist and ripped open the skin. Dark blood flowed forth. Bringing his wrist to her lips, she realized the extent of her hunger. She thought drinking blood would repulse her, but his blood tasted exquisite. She glanced into his face, where she saw ecstasy etched in each line.
"Drinking the blood of one"s mate is very s.e.xual, mia amore."
She couldn"t deny that. Her own body seemed to respond to the rich fluid she drank from him. Hot liquid tricked down her throat as her p.u.s.s.y flooded with a different kind of moist heat. Her c.l.i.t ached for his touch, and she wanted to shatter in his arms as she took in her nourishment.
It was then she realized she lay naked, her skin burning against him as he ripped away his wrist from her lips and closed down upon them in a possessive kiss. His body engulfed hers as he quickly entered her core. White-hot cream surrounded his c.o.c.k and the satiny walls milked him into her further.
Within a few brisk and urgent thrusts, he sunk his fangs into her neck and came. Shots of searing hot s.e.m.e.n flowed into her as he drank from her vein. She convulsed around him and joined him in the towering inferno of pa.s.sion.
The spoke no words in this quick coupling, a taking to answer the needs of each. She wanted to have him drink from her over and over. Paired with the steely length of his p.e.n.i.s within her channel, she prepared to o.r.g.a.s.m once again.
"Shhh...mia dolce. We have the rest of eternity to mate with each other."
"Can"t we just stay here and f.u.c.k all night long? I just need you inside me, Leo." She couldn"t believe she"d said this, the woman who had long denied her womanly needs. Now she wanted to just have Leo use her body for his pleasure...and hers.
He sighed as his c.o.c.k slipped from her sheath. "As much as that sounds like a dream, we have something to do first." He backed away and reached for a nearby shirt. "Michael will come again tonight. He will know you are now one of us. You"re not safe until he"s dead."
Michael! Suddenly serious, she sat up in bed. "When will he come? And where?"
Knowing my brother, he is already close. He"ll be bringing a few friends for this final battle. He knows it is either he or I who will come out of it alive."
"How many do you think he"ll bring?" she asked, scurrying around the small, dark room for her clothes. Her feet touched carpet. "Can we have a light on, please?"
"Oh yes, sorry." He flicked on a small lamp, giving off a dim illumination.
"Where is this?" she asked, stopping to look about the stony walls.
"My tomb."
I should have guessed.
"Your sight will improve as you feed more. Soon, the night will be as clear as day. You"ll pick up scents on the wind and increase in strength with time." He dressed and stepped to the door. It opened without any visible help, and he peered out.
"Will we get any help in this battle?" she asked, slipping on her overcoat and securing her machete in the inner pocket. She was ready, but how strong could a fledgling vampire be against an ancient?
Leo turned to her and took her by the shoulders. "I will be there to help you, Erin. Together with my friends, we will destroy the creature that murdered your family."
He caressed her with a new mental connection, and she felt the tension ebb from her muscles. They were about to complete her life-long quest-- together--she and her mate.
"Leo, we"re ready," a voice called from outside.
Leo planted a kiss on Erin"s forehead. "Are you ready?"
She nodded. "This is the night in which Michael pays."
The door to the tomb opened wider with a magical hand. Erin saw four males, one female, and a lone wolf waiting outside.
"Leo, we"re all here to help," said a handsome Italian man Leo introduced as Alonso. He kept a hand upon the pretty woman beside him, his mate, Jolie.
But the big blond male looked more menacing. Impeccably dressed, he carried a cane with a silver tip on the end. The large gray wolf leaned against his leg. "Michael dares to come into our town to hunt? I warned him about ever coming into my hunting grounds." He stepped forward and bowed to Erin. "Forgive me. My name is Lucius."
Leo went on to introduce Tala, Lucius"s wolfen mate, and the two other male vampires, Raife and Vincente.
The latter were both dressed like pirates, complete with rapiers fastened to their hips. At Erin"s questioning look, Raife explained in a clipped British accent, "We were going to do some fencing practice at Pirate"s Alley when we heard the word about Michael threatening Leo"s mate."
Vincente, a Spaniard with olive skin and long, black hair tied into a queue, offered his hand and swept down in an elegant bow. "You"re a beauty, senorita. It"s my pleasure to help destroy the enemies of my friends and their mates."
"All right, enough is enough, Vince. Don"t try and romance my mate away from me on her first night."