Page 54 of Fangs and Family
‘Because I thought I lost your soul in the shadows, there is no coming back from that, and… in the darkness, I could pretend you were just asleep, safe in my arms.’ I felt a shudder run through his body, and his grip around me tightened again. It appeared our little escapade had traumatised my vampire much more than myself.
‘I’m alright, I promise. My face hurts where Sapieha backhanded me, but I think the cold eased the swelling. I can barely feel it. We need to go to the hospital. What those bastards did to you… oh Adam, your beautiful wings…’ I said when reality snapped back into place, and I recalled the torture he experienced, but he didn’t let me finish.
I felt his lips on mine. Adam nipped my bottom lip only to let the tip of his tongue soothe it soon after, and any words I wanted to say were quickly forgotten.
‘No. No hospitals, not for the moment, at least. I only need you, Nina. I will heal, my love. Shifting through shadows helps my wounds knit together as we move, but I can’t leave your side. To hear your breath, feel your touch and hold you in my arms as if nothing else exists; that’s what I need. Did you mean it? That you love me?’ He asked, placing soft, loving kisses all over my face.
‘Of course I do. It comes with the obligatory “I’m looking after your injuries” package. So, let’s get you fixed,’ I insisted, suddenly shy of my previous declaration.
‘Please… don’t. Let me hear it again.’ There was a yearning in Adam’s voice, not fitting his usual blaze attitude, making my heart soften.
‘I mean it. I love you. It’s still not easy for me, but… I said it, okay? So let’s focus on what I know and patch you up.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he replied.
I felt a smirk so sinful when he kissed my temple that I nearly purred. I did, however, close my eyes as his fingers slid through my short hair till they were stroking the back of my neck.
‘You’re such a bad boy, locking your girlfriend in a dark, windowless room for no apparent reason. Take me to the light, Master Vampire. I need to see you because after you chose to bleed on Leszek’s carpet instead of getting help, I have trust issues each time you say you will heal.’
‘Oh no, you will not stitch me up again. After last time, I have a scar on this perfect body of mine,’ Adam complained, and if I’d known where his shoulder was, he’d have a bruise to go with it.
‘Alright, but let’s take a shower. I can still taste the dirt on my tongue from my little flying lesson. I want to know what happened. Do you have any idea how worried I was when you disappeared? I thought I’d lost you. No one could contact you until everything started flashing red, and Sara phoned. What happened? If you could send a signal, why did you wait so long?’ I was frantic. Days of worry spilling over as I vented. I knew I was being unfair, but Adam didn’t seem to mind.
The weight of his wings disappeared when he lifted me from the floor, his foot kicking out and smashing the door open, making me squint as the room flooded with light.
‘I can walk, you know,’ I said, blinking to clear my blurred vision while feeling my body shake from Adam’s laughter.
‘Oh, I know, but I’m your bad boy vampire, and I couldn’t possibly give up my prize now that I have her,’ he replied with such smug arrogance that I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘See, that’s why I shouldn’t have said those words. You got cocky all over again,’ I said, meaning it as a light-hearted joke, but Adam paused, looking down at me.
‘I cannot change who I am. You’ve seen what I’m capable of, and I’m not ashamed of that. I can kill with ease, and I like to make my enemies suffer… a lot. I will never be one of the good guys doing what’s right, no matter the cost their loved ones have to pay…, but with you? I will always be someone you can trust. I waited so long to hear that you loved me, so please, never hide your feelings from me.’
‘Adam, I love you, just as you are, but I’m still in my leathers, sweaty, dirty and with more questions than I know what to do with. You are covered in blood and… whatever this crust is on your body. So I promise, if you take me to the shower, I will shout my love from the roof of the building, bouncing a tambourine off my naked arse….’
He roared with laughter before silencing me with a kiss.
‘You are impossible, woman. I never stood a chance, did I? So, my Obsidian Princess, what does my lady want to know? What information is worthy of the privilege of peeling these leathers off you?’ Adam teased, walking us into the bathroom.
‘Just tell me what happened and why you didn’t send a message earlier. I was going crazy here,’ I replied when Adam finally put my feet on the floor.
‘I couldn’t. Initially, I was so stunned to discover Sapieha was my Sire that he’d taken control over me before I could fight back. We are supposed to obey our Makers to prevent newly raised vampires from running rampant. It didn’t help that he’s a powerful psychic, so when I did finally fight back, he imposed his will using magic.’
Adam wouldn’t look me in the eye once he’d finished, but before I could do anything, his hands slid through my hair, and he leant down to kiss his way along the column of my neck. When his hands withdrew, only to capture my zipper and begin slowly drawing it downwards, I dragged in a deep, ragged breath before stopping him.
‘So how… damn it, Adam. Stop distracting me!’ I snapped, pushing him away when he nibbled at my earlobe.
‘Distract? I want to do so much more than just distract you, but I will stop if you want me to,’ he whispered, sliding the jacket off my shoulders. ‘Do you want me to stop?’
‘Yes… No… Just tell me what happened,’ I groaned, almost forgetting what we were talking about when he hooked his fingers under the hem of my tank top.
‘I gave up, well, I pretended to at least. I did what I was told and agreed with every idea the bastard had. Finally, he eased his relentless focus, and I was free to act. I sent the distress signal, but as I was readying to leave, one of Sapieha’s goons saw me. When the bastard tore into my mind, he found out what I did, and the next thing I knew, I wasn’t in control of my body. That’s why you found me helpless in the dirt.’ Adam’s voice sounded distant as he drew my top over my head, pausing as my lips were exposed, the kiss that followed so gentle that I almost didn’t feel it, and I pushed forward to increase the pressure, only for Adam to withdraw, chuckling.
It was a strange mood as Adam, with slow, deliberate movements, stripped away my clothing whilst sharing his traumatic experience. It was incredibly erotic that he felt so safe around me he could show his vulnerable side, my powerful leader of men and the supernatural, admitting to being helpless in the hands, or rather, the power of another vampire. He did all this whilst taking control of my body. I knew I should stop him, my medic’s brain shouting it was just trauma-related hypersexuality, but I didn’t care. Adam wasn’t bleeding anymore, and most of his cuts were healing, so I told myself to shut up and enjoy the fact we had survived the encounter in more or less one piece.
Adam’s growl, full of desire, had me throwing away my top, and the look in my vampire’s eyes sent me shivering and grabbing his shoulders. I’d forgotten I was wearing a thin scrap of a lace bra. I may have a boyish figure, but I was proud of how I looked, and my one feminine indulgence was now being scrutinised by a beast that wanted to rip it away with his teeth.
‘Nina, how do you feel? Can we…? I need you, sweetheart, so fucking so much, but we can wait.’ How he held back, I didn’t know, but he stopped undressing me, waiting for my answer.
