Sebastian put his lips above her bleeding hand and let the coopery smell of her blood seep into him. "Thinking of you should not be a problem." Working his tongue into her cut, he slid it around, sucking gently as he went. He could taste her power, magic, and most of all her desire for him. Visions of Tawni"s last words and of Gitana talking with her grandmother hit him. In his mind, he saw a pet.i.te older woman who looked a little like Gitana smiling as she told a tiny dark-haired child of her future.
"You will love a mullo, he will give you the gift of a child, and the two of you will raise a future ruler," the older woman said.
The little girl smiled up at the woman. "Yes, grandma."
Sebastian"s eyes flickered open, and he found that he was planting tiny kisses on Gitana"s healed hand. He looked up into her dark eyes and dreaded the fact that he had to clear something up for her. Lying to her was not an option.
"I am not the mullo that your grandmother told you about. I can"t be. Vampires cannot reproduce, at least not vampires that are as old as I am."
She put her finger to his lips. "Shh, don"t worry about things we can"t control. The attraction is here and it"s real. Forget about prophecies and make love to me."
His c.o.c.k instantly hardened. Of course, he would make love to her. He just didn"t want her to have false hopes about who he was. He wondered why Twani had told him that he was the one for Gitana when she knew he was a vampire and that vampires couldn"t reproduce. Gitana"s slid her hands into his shirt and he stopped caring about anything other than this moment.
Gitana worked his shirt open and ran her warm fingers over his hard chest. He managed to ease her blouse off her and stood back for a moment to soak in her beauty. She was perfect, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s perfectly proportioned to her frame, her nipples dark and calling to him. Bending his head down, he drew one into his mouth. He rolled it around in his mouth, taking pleasure in her sweet tasting berry. Her fingers laced in his hair and then moved down his back, taking his shirt with them.Gitana lingered over the scars on his back. Her tiny fingers worked their way over each section of raised skin. "Who did this to you?"
He didn"t want to answer her, wanting onlt to feel her smooth skin and be allowed to take pleasure in her warm body. Gitana leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his ear. "Who would do such a thing to you, and why?"
Sebastian moved his hands up, cupping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s gently. Running his thumbs over her erect nipples, he took in the scent of her cream. Knowing that he was what made her wet only served as encouragement. Caught up in the moment, he gave into her questions. "My old master had me whipped for disobeying him."
"What did you do?"
"I saved an infant"s life and tried to save her mother"s, too."
"I hardly think that deserves punishment."
He didn"t want to talk about this with her. If she had any idea what other horrible tortures he"d been subject to, she would never touch him again. The horrors in the months surrounding her birth were too painful for him to think about.
Gitana tugged at his earlobe and sent a wave of l.u.s.t running through his body. "Saving an infant"s life ent.i.tles you to a reward," she said in a sultry voice. Her fingers slid into the top of his pants, caressing the line of black hair that ran from his navel to his groin.
She freed him from the confines of his pants, letting them slide down his body. Her warm fingers wrapped around his cool c.o.c.k and he tipped his head back, savoring the moment he"d always dreamed of.
"Gitana."
"What would take the pain out of your eyes?"
Until Gitana had spoken, he"d never realized that he still carried the hurt of that night with him. The torture at the hands of his old master was secondary to the grief he felt for not staying with Tawni.
"You," he said, kissing her dark hair out of her face. "You could make it all go away." He moved her long skirt up her silky legs.
"What do you want?"
"Je veux faire l"amour avec toi."
He moved his hands up and found the center of her world. His fingers glided over the tiny patch of dark curls that hid the wonders of her body. He let his finger run over her swollen mound and felt her writhe under his delicate touch. He slid his middle finger into her wet entrance and found the hot paradise that he longed to be in. She contracted around his finger, almost virgin-like from not having s.e.x with a man in over two years. He eased her open more with a second finger. Hot juice flowed over his hand, and he used it to wet his thumb as he stimulated her c.l.i.t.
Gitana grabbed onto Sebastian"s upper arms to stay upright. Her stomach tightened as he brought her within inches of her climax.
As good as it felt, she wanted more. She wanted to feel what it was like to have the length of his pale rod deep within her. She tried to get Sebastian to stop, but his fingers started to swirl, working her to the point that she could stand it no longer. Her legs shook as the o.r.g.a.s.m swept over her. She pulled her body closer to his and watched dreamily as he pulled his finger from her p.u.s.s.y to his mouth, taking with him a string of her c.u.m.Sebastian licked his fingers clean, reached down, grasped his c.o.c.k, and brought it to her entrance. The mushroom-shaped head of his shaft pushed against her but did not enter. His lips met hers, and she savored the taste of her s.e.x on his mouth. She opened her mouth to him and, as his tongue dove in, so did he. She cried out as his girth spread her open. In one fluid movement he was sheathed deep inside her, tearing at her, pulling her to the point that pleasure and pain blurred, leaving only pa.s.sion.
Tugging on her hips, he brought her body to the edge of the table, allowing him to dig even deeper. She cried out and reached for anything that would help her focus on the pleasure instead of the pain. Sebastian"s hands found hers and their fingers intertwined.
This simple act of holding hands was more intimate than any other level of s.e.x, and it was just what she needed to be able to focus on him.
Sebastian brought her hands up and put them behind his head. She laced her fingers together and held tight as he rode her body.
The table shook, plants tipped over and off the high countertop. Gitana didn"t care. She"d give up anything to have Sebastian with her, even if that meant giving up her destiny, her mullo. Sebastian felt right--to h.e.l.l with fate.
Looking up into his blue eyes, she watched as another flash of lightning illuminated his pale face. His rhythm slowed almost to a complete stop, and he glanced past her. She tried to follow his gaze but he caught her chin in his hand and brought her lips to his.
Sebastian kept Gitana"s mouth occupied while he looked out at the shadow that loomed in the distance, along the edge of the tree line. He could smell the scent of the wolf and sense the hatred coming from the figure. He had little doubt that the visitor was Aaron, Gitana"s ex-husband.
"Bastian?" Gitana said his name, or the shortened version of it, with so much love and concern that he almost forgot about their visitor.
Glancing back up, he sensed the alpha in the man, and wanted to show him who was truly the dominant male in this situation.
Sebastian concentrated on his thrusts, easing his c.o.c.k in and out of her tight silk binding. She felt so good, better than he could have ever dreamt. Each movement, each connection forged an even greater bond between them. Her channel fisted him, gripping his c.o.c.k tightly.
"Uhh...Se-bastian."
Gitana"s body prepared to climax again. The feel of her legs tightening around him and her increased moans threatened to make him explode. He knew that he should stop making love to her, but every fiber of his being wanted to stay in her, rooted deep. In addition to that, their late-night visitor needed to know that Gitana was not only under his protection, but was also his mate.
Gitana"s tossed her head back. "Do it," she said in a low sultry voice. He didn"t need to ask what she meant--he could read her thoughts. She wanted him to make her into a vampire too.
He kissed her neck softly and her p.u.s.s.y constricted around him, milking him. A sharp pain tore through his chest and lost his rhythm, his control. His b.a.l.l.s moved up, his c.o.c.k twitched, shooting forth his seed. Shaking, he filled her with his come, his essence, his love.
"Bastian."
He looked off into the distance and saw the shadowy figure receding into the night.
Aaron watched from the edge of the property as the vampire f.u.c.ked his wife. He didn"t care that the law said they were divorced.
Gitana would always be his. He couldn"t believe that she"d let that corpse have his way with her. His fists burned for the change, but if he let himself shift this close to the full moon, then he wouldn"t be able to return to human form for several days, and he needed to be able to function to do what needed to be done.
He wanted to leap on the vampire and tear his throat out, and he would when the time was right. It was bad enough that the vampire had threatened him through one of his people, but he had taken Gitana as well.
"You will pay, vampire, and so will you, Gitana."
Chapter 6.
Gitana picked up the last of the broken gla.s.s and placed it in the plastic trash bin. Glancing around her greenhouse, she smiled.
Sure, she needed to get a window replaced and had smashed four flats of caraway during the night"s festivities, but being with Sebastian had made it all worth it.
She scooped the tiny fern-like foliage up off the table and placed it in a small pile. She would use it in something, and at the rate she was going, she"d need it more than ever. Caraway worked great for soothing upset stomachs, and hers had been in a knot since she woke to find that Sebastian was gone. She"d been telling herself all morning that he probably had to go home before sunrise, but it seemed odd that he never said good-bye.
The bell to the shop rang. Gitana jumped to her feet and ran to the shop, expecting to find Sebastian there. She held her smile, even though it didn"t quite reach her eyes when she saw one of her most loyal customers, Mrs. Mills.
"Gitana, how are you dear?"
"Fine, and you?"
"Oh, I could be better. The doctor wants to put me on "happy pills." Have you ever heard of such a thing?"
Gitana laughed quietly to herself. She had indeed heard of happy pills. She"d entertained asking her doctor for antidepressants during her divorce, but had managed to find some herbal remedies that had worked to lift her spirits.
Walking over to the back shelf, she pulled a box of tea down for Mrs. Mills. "Here, have look at this and see if you"d like to give it a try. It might help."
"Thank you, dear. You never did tell me why a girl with a degree in herbology and enough courses in holistic healing to qualify her as a doctor sticks around this tiny town. You could be making good money out in California, you know."
"Yes," Gitana said, laughing softly. "I suppose so, but I like it here. This place called to me and I answered. What more can I say?" She turned to head back out toward the greenhouse.
"Gitana, wait, I drink this and what will happen?"Gitana smiled and took the tiny box of tea bags from Mrs. Mills" hands. Turning it over, she put her fingers on the ingredients.
"See here, it contains Albizzia bark, it"ll help improve your mood, trust me."
"Oh, I don"t think a tea is going to cut it. The doctor thinks the pills will help, but I"m not too sure."
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "You should do what your doctor recommends and what you"re comfortable with. I can"t make your decision for you. I do know that within fifteen minutes of having a cup of that your mood will improve. Talk to your doctor first to be sure that this won"t counteract with your medication and get his opinion on it. If he gives it a thumbs up then I say go for it."
"I will, and thanks, Gitana. You"re a life saver."
She placed the box of tea in a brown bag and bid Mrs. Mills good-bye. She generally enjoyed seeing her, but today her thoughts were on Sebastian. Last night had been both amazing and terrifying. She"d given herself over to a vampire and expected him to love her back. She was a fool--she realized that now.
It was true, what they said about hindsight. Looking back, after they"d made love, Sebastian had seemed preoccupied, distant.
He had followed her back to her room and held her in his arms. Once he thought she"d fallen asleep, he began pacing the room and watching the windows. She coaxed him back into bed with her, but knew it wasn"t where he wanted to be.
It would serve me right if I never saw him again. What was I thinking, sleeping with a man I"d just met?
"Gitana?" She cringed as she heard her grandmother call out to her from the greenhouse.
Chapter 7.
"You should come in and eat. Your food is getting cold. Always playing with those plants...I tell you, in my day we did not spend all our time with our nose in a book or hand in a pot, now in my day we...."
Gitana waved at her grandmother. She meant well and Gitana knew that, but it didn"t change how annoying she sometimes came across. She was tired of hearing about dead customs and ways of life, and most of all she was tired of hearing about being the chosen one. Lately, that was all her grandmother seemed to want to discuss. Gitana"s thirtieth birthday was fast approaching and with it came the superst.i.tions of old.
"You should call, Aaron. He should have dinner with us. He should come and celebrate with us."
Gitana dug down deep and cut through the mint rhizomes she"d been trying to root. "s.h.i.t!"
"Such a mouth on you. It"s no wonder you don"t have a husband."
"I"m not feeling very hungry." Please don"t bring up having dinner with Aaron again, please.
"Of course you"re not hungry. It"s not popular for you young women to eat now. No, now you all starve yourselves trying to look like fifteen-year-old."
Turning, Gitana gave her grandmother a stern look. "I don"t starve myself, and I can"t help it if I"m pet.i.te. Besides, you"re shorter than me, in case you haven"t noticed."
"Gitana, your mother would not be pleased to know you"re speaking to me this way."
She turned, wiped the mint rhizomes onto the floor, and glared at her grandmother. "I wouldn"t know what my mother would think. I"ve never met her. I don"t have the luxury of being able to communicate with the dead, Grandma...Tell me what she thinks of me now? How does she feel about me divorcing my mullo? Huh? Does she care? Does she even know?"
Her grandmother pulled back into the doorway slowly and clasped her hands together. "I shall ask the G.o.ddess for forgiveness for you. You"re upset about the vampire."
Gitana froze and stared at her grandmother. "What did you just say?"
The old woman shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "He came to me while I was walking home the other day in a vision. I looked down into a puddle of water and saw you in the arms of a vampire. I don"t think it"s wise to fall in love with a man so soon, especially not a vampire. You should be careful with him."
"Have no fear. He"s gone, and I don"t think that he"ll be coming back."
"Hmm, that is a shame. I did want to meet him. Your mother wanted me to ask him something. It seemed important to her, but I wasn"t clear on what it was." She lifted her hands in the air and dismissed the whole thing. "Oh well, I"ll contact her later and find out."
Rolling her eyes, she watched as her grandmother made her way back into the house. Grandmother had been communicating with spirits ever since Gitana could remember. It used to bother her when her grandmother would pull out a pocket watch to communicate with the dead and ask it questions, waiting for it to swing to and fro signifying the answer. Over time, Gitana grew accustomed to her grandmother"s theatrics and learned to ignore her. She"d even secretly practiced some of the old ways.