His Dark Embrace

“You are.”

Laughing softly, he rained kisses over her cheeks, the tip of her nose, along her collarbone, up the side of her neck. He ran his tongue ever so lightly over her shoulder. Her skin was soft, smooth, warm. He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to taste the warm red elixir he could smell flowing just beneath the surface of her skin.

He hadn’t yet fed.

It wasn’t safe for her to be here, in his bed, in his arms. Not now.

She wriggled against him, her body undulating against his groin.

He closed his eyes and prayed for patience. Things were moving too fast. For her sake, he needed to feed before this went any further. “Skylynn ... wait.”

“No.” She kissed him, her tongue sliding over his lips, dipping inside. “I’ve waited too long already.”

“You don’t understand. It isn’t ...”

She pressed her fingertips to his lips. “Stop talking. You’re not taking advantage of me. I’m not some innocent child. I know what I’m doing. I know what I want.”

He groaned softly, unable to resist the yearning in her voice, the taste of her lips, the touch of her breasts and belly against his skin as she rubbed herself against him in blatant invitation.

With a low growl, he rose over her. There would be no turning back now.

“Kaiden ...”

He heard the sudden doubt in her voice, knew his eyes had gone red.

“Too late,” he said, his voice gruff with desire. He caught both of her hands in his, holding them over her head as his mouth ravaged hers. “Too late,” he lamented again, and with a hoarse cry of regret, he cocooned her in his embrace.

Her nearness enflamed his hunger, the touch of her satin-smooth flesh ignited his desire. He kissed her again, and yet again, his only thought to satisfy his hunger, his raging need to take everything she had to offer—her love, her life.

“Kaiden! Stop! You’re hurting me.”

Her voice, filled with soft entreaty and edged with fear, splashed over him like ice water, bringing him back to his senses.

Overcome with self-disgust, he released her immediately. When he started to rise, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. “Don’t go.”

“Sky, I don’t want to hurt you.”

She gazed up at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

He brushed a few damp strands of hair away from her cheek. “It’s better this way.”

Sky shook her head, knowing if he left her now, she might lose him forever. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“No?”

“No.”

“You should be.”

Cupping his face in her palms, she kissed him, pouring all her love and affection into that one lingering kiss.

He surrendered with a groan, damning himself for his weakness even as he slowly aroused her. She smelled so good, tasted so sweet, it took every bit of his considerable self-control to keep from hurting her as he claimed her for his own.

Skylynn woke slowly, reluctantly. She’d had the most amazing dream and she hated to see it end. Stretching her arms over her head, she drew in a deep breath, held it a moment before exhaling. If only reality was as wonderful as the erotic night she had imagined. In her dreams, Kaiden had made slow, sweet love to her, satisfying her every desire, fulfilling every fantasy she’d ever had. She smiled, thinking that if ordinary men knew what being a vampire could do for their libido, men all over the world would be lining up to join the ranks of the Undead.

Uttering a little sigh of contentment, she rolled onto her side and opened her eyes. The room was dark save for a fat white candle burning on the nightstand.

Two things became clear very quickly. She wasn’t in her own bed. And fantasy and reality lay sleeping beside her.

With the realization that it hadn’t been a dream came another memory. While making love, Kaiden had asked if he could taste her. Caught up in the throes of passion, she had acquiesced. Now, she lifted a hand to her neck, to the tender place just beneath her left ear. She didn’t feel any bite marks, but the skin felt warm to her touch. Just a taste, he had said, but how much was a taste?

Thinking about it, she wondered why his drinking from her no longer seemed repulsive. Had he worked some sort of vampire mind meld to make her so agreeable? As much as she’d like to think he had forced her, she knew it wasn’t true. She had wanted to please him, to ease his pain, and if she was going to be totally honest, to satisfy her own curiosity. She didn’t know what it had been like for him, but, to her great surprise, she was eager to have him bite her again. It had been a remarkably sensual experience and had, to her astonishment, only made their lovemaking even more satisfying.

Propping herself up on her elbow, she studied the face of the man she loved. Funny, she had never noticed how long and thick his lashes were before. What was it like when he slept during the day? Was it like death? She glanced at his chest, startled to see that he wasn’t breathing. Was that natural for vampires? Did he breathe during the day? He must, she thought. Surely she would have noticed if he didn’t.

Curious, she touched his shoulder. His skin felt hard and cool. It hadn’t felt that way last night. Quite the opposite, she mused with a grin. There had been so much heat between them, she was surprised the mattress hadn’t gone up in flames.

If she called his name, would he hear her?

“Kaiden?”

Nothing.

She tried again, louder. “Kaiden?”

Still nothing.

She stared at him for several moments, then shouted, “Kaiden, help!”

The covers fell away from his chest as he jackknifed into a sitting position, his movement little more than a blur.

“Skylynn?” He frowned when he realized there was no danger. “What the hell?”

“I’m sorry. I was just, you know, curious to know ...” Feeling suddenly foolish, she looked away.

Cupping her jaw in his hand, he gently forced her to look at him. “To know what?”

“If you could hear me while you’re sleeping.”

“Ah.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Of course not. I don’t hear ordinary sounds, but after so many years, I have a keen sense of self-preservation. It’s not easy for anyone intent on destroying me to sneak up on me.”

She glanced at his chest, relieved to see that he was breathing.

He followed her gaze. There was no need to ask what she was thinking. “Anything else you want to know?” He smothered a yawn with his hand.

She shook her head.