Page 75 of Vampire's Hearth

Iwoke up with a start, the unfamiliar room closing in on me until the memory of the previous night seized my mind. Rory lay in the bed next to me, her back toward me, the rhythmic sound of the air cascading from her sleeping lips. The gray comforter that matched the chairs gave her exposed breasts a porcelain quality. It differed from a vampire’s skin, soft with the slightest red hue. I eased her hair, which streamed across the pillow behind her, aside and pulled my naked front to her back. Heat shot through me, and my cock hardened as her skin touched mine.

She let out a small moan and pushed back into me. I propped my head on my hand and gazed down at her, the woman who had come to me like starlight, guiding me along a dark path.A faint whooshing sounded each time her heart beat and the blood rushed through her veins. My gums tingled as my fangs descended. I inhaled her wonderful scent, the roses and oranges mixed with the faint metallic pull of her blood.

I gave in to allowing the basest of my desires to show, even more than fucking her as I had last night. I ran my tongue lightly across my fangs, careful not to cut myself on the sharp edges, embracing the feeling of darkness, the tingle that called for me to sink them into her neck and drink her delicious sweet nectar until I had my fill. A similar tingle shot through my cock as I remembered the taste of her pussy on my tongue last night. I licked her through an orgasm until she whimpered for me to stop, her pleasure finally turning to pain. Someday, I would urge her on to one more orgasm after that.

As utterly enticing as that taste, I knew it would be nothing compared to the life-giving ambrosia flowing just inches below my elongated teeth. If it were anyone else, I would grant my shadowed points their desired release, but I had given her my word. With one last scent of the enticing bouquet, I closed my eyes and forced the beast within to abandon the bloodlust, at least for now. I wasn’t sure she would ever invite me to her body in that manner, but I would not violate her trust.

I drew my fingers down her neck, my nails grazing her skin. She crunched her neck smaller as goose bumps rose on her skin before she straightened, and the tiny muscles around her eyelids worked a moment harder to keep them closed. A serene smile crept to her lips as I continued along her shoulder and down the arm that crossed under her tantalizing breasts. I reached out with my thumb as I passed the mound, grazing across her nipple.

“Good morning,” she said without opening her eyes as my hand covered hers on the bed.

I kissed her temple. “Good morning, starlight,” I breathed.

She pushed her hips back into my hard cock that rested against her ass, drawing a slight guttural moan from my throat. She responded by repeating the action.

I leaned close to her ear, my voice a whisper. “Do you want me to fuck you again?”

Without opening her eyes, she nodded, maintaining the position she was in but separating her legs just enough that the scent of her wetness floated to me from under the covers, and I let out a small growl as I took my cock in my hand. I slid it along her slit, coating the tip with her desire before guiding it farther into her entrance, feeling her lips part to let me in. I cupped her front, my fingers running across her swollen clit as I pushed my length into her, eliciting a sensual purr from her throat.

“Your pussy is so tight around me,” I moaned. I laid my head on the pillow behind her, easing my now free hand under her head to wrap it around her body so I could palm her breast, feeling the soft flesh mold to my fingers. Her head fell back to my shoulder as she ground into me, her mouth falling open and a series of moans coming from her lips. I increased the speed of my thrusts and the tempo of my fingers on her clit. Her hands flew to my arm across her chest as she pushed her hips into me, forcing my cock as deep inside of her as it could be. She ground her hips against me as her pussy grasped and pulsed against my shaft, the warm wetness heightening my tension that called for release.

Her hands dropped to the bed, and she pushed against them, forcing her hips back just enough to increase the pressure and warmth, driving me to ecstasy. My balls spasmed, and my ass clenched as my seed filled her. I held her to me, savoring the feel of her wetness enveloping my cock, with her skin blanketing mine as I gasped for air. I would never get enough of this woman.

As I lay with her, falling in a sense of comfort, a pain shot through my gums. The simple desire for blood earlier became an overwhelming urge, the likes of which I hadn’t felt in some time. I thought back and realized the simple blood-laced cocktails I had been consuming had been enough at the time, but after the carnal night with her, the need for blood was overwhelming.

I shot from the bed and across the room, forcing myself from her proximity, struggling against the need. She sat up in the bed with a start, pulling the covers to her chest as though some unknown creature had entered the room. In a sense, it had, as I struggled against the beast within me, calling to drain her dry.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes were wide with fright, her perfume changing as the fear flowed into her veins.

I shook my head as I struggled against losing myself, finally forcing my mouth to form the words. “I need blood.” My eyes pleaded with her as she pulled the blanket higher, waiting for any sort of response.

Her pain-filled gaze fell to the bed before she looked at me, her eyes shimmering. “Go,” she breathed. I could almost feel the pain in her words as she sent me away instead of offering me her own vein. My speed carried me through the connecting bathroom to my room, where I closed the door between us. I threw on a pair of joggers and a T-shirt, forgoing boxers. They would take too long, and the longer I stayed, the greater danger Rory and her family were in. I bounded out the French doors and over the railing, leaping to the grass as the dew sprayed beneath my feet, carrying the grassy scent to my nostrils, masking her beautiful aroma.

My heart clenched as I realized I could no longer smell her, but I knew it was for the best as I ran through the woods. I ran toward the outskirts of the city, set on finding a victim there. I was more likely to find a jogger or someone alone on the edge of town. A sense of betrayal fell over me, my soul nearly shatteringas I contemplated sinking my teeth into the vein of anyone but Rory. I couldn’t betray her in that manner. I wouldn’t. My body and soul were hers, regardless of what she chose to do with them, even if it meant starving.

The realization hit me with such force I stopped as though I had encountered one of the witch’s protective circles. I had to find Dani. She could prepare a drink for me. I didn’t care where she got the blood from, just that I would not draw it myself, would not allow my fangs inside another living being except Aurora. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and dialed Dani’s number.

Twenty minutes later, I sat in Dani’s luxurious one-bedroom suite, the warm, blood-laced coffee calming my muscles with each sip. I wasn’t sure if it was the blood or the heat, but one of them had pacified the beast within me screaming to be released. I inhaled the earthy scent of the brew as Dani looked on with concern, her long hair falling over her shoulders.

“How are you feeling, Cormac?” Her voice was laced with the concern she reserved for her days off, even opting to call me by name instead of calling me sir as was customary when she was on duty. After three hundred years of knowing each other, we had a complex relationship, but one filled with respect.

I nodded at her as I took another sip of coffee. “Very well, thank you. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to you for assisting me today.”

“What should I have done, Cormac? Allowed you to murder? My mentor would be very unhappy with that conclusion.” She gave me a faint, knowing smile.

Ten years after she had been turned, I had encountered her as I was traveling in Europe, the naked bodies of men surrounding her. After having fucked each one until her heart was content, she had drained them of their blood, leaving their corpses to rotin a heap. The scent of fresh sex and blood mixed with decaying flesh had piqued my curiosity and drawn me to investigate.

When I approached her, the blond vampire dropped a body onto the heap and turned to me, her irises ashen, her sclera glowing red. Her skirt had been hoisted and tied above her knees, a thin trail of drying semen dripping down the inside of her thigh. She pulled her lips back and hissed at me, blood dripping from her fangs onto her chin. I immediately saw that this woman needed a faction, someone to give her a sense of duty and purpose.

I taught her how to compel her victims and make them feel as though they had the most powerful sexual experience they could imagine while instead almost draining them dry. And Dani excelled at understanding the sound of a straining human heart. For a while, I had taken her as a lover, but the relationship was one of master and student instead of partners. It didn’t last long, and she instead started working closely with me, almost near enough to be the personal assistant I never wanted, handling my affairs from a distance.

“You’ve come quite a long way.” I smiled at her over the rim of my cup.

“Thank you,” she said simply. “Now, would you like to explain why I needed to save you? Why did you not feed on your own? What happened?”

Her questions were fair, but ones I did not wish to answer, so I shook my head, and her face fell in disappointment. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she understood I would not be baring my soul to her. Instead, I changed the subject. “I’ve met the current High Priestess Regent.”

She tilted her head, a faint smile creeping to her lips. “Is she anything like the last one you knew?” She was aware of the story from my last stay at Oak Leaf Hallow.

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