Page 39 of Unhallowed Murder
Josef rose at nearly four thirty and leapt to his feet. The light over his door was orange, which meant there was asecurity issue. Green meant everything was as it should be, yellow meant something was amiss with no specific threat, and red meant the coterie was under attack. Orange meant the threat was real but an attack wasn’t underway.
He telepathed the daytime security chief — a trusted werewolf.
Sitrep. Now.
Sir. Lieutenant Woods arrived at four-twenty and demanded we take her to you. We told her we had no orders to do so, and we’d check with you upon rising. I’m afraid…He sighed.We knew you wouldn’t want her harmed, but our first priority is your safety while the sun has you in its grip.
Josef could see what had happened in the man’s memories, and he suppressed a grin. All three wolves at this location had stood in front of the door, so she’d have needed to physically move them in order to get to him. They’d telepathed to the wolves at the coterie house, and now five wolves stood between him and the Lieutenant.
Thank you for managing the situation without having to handle her. Hold your pattern another couple of minutes I’ll let you know when to stand down.
He reached out with his mind and found hers.
If I’d known you’d arrive before I awakened, I’d have altered instructions for my security team. They’re under orders to subdue and detain anyone who attempts contact with me while I’m unconscious, but wisely decided upon another course of action with you.
I wanted to surprise you. They ruined the surprise.
He chuckled, and let her feel it through the mental connection.I’ll change their instructions so you’re allowed downstairs, but my security at this time doesn’t allow anyone into my room. I must open the final door from inside.
He connected with the wolf again.Please bring her to me.
As you wish, Sir.
Ronnie was mastering the art of shielding, so he had no idea why she’d come so early. He’d undressed before lying down to let the sun take him, and he only had time to put a robe on before he needed to open the door and let her in.
“Is everything okay?” She smelled aggravated, but that likely had more to do with his security team thwarting her than anything else.
“I wanted to get here before you’d fed, so you couldn’t keep putting me off.”
Josef crossed his arms, remembered that’s a no-no in modern society, but decided he didn’t give a rat’s ass.
“You aren’t ready to feed me yet.”
“You don’t know what I’m ready for! Is there something wrong with my blood? Why don’t you…” She crossed her arms and turned away from him.
“You’re right — I don’t know what’s in your head. So long as you keep your shields up to keep me from seeing your reasons for wanting to feed me, I’ll continue to believe you aren’t ready.” He sighed. “You’re too important to me,Bellula. I won’t risk screwing everything up by feeding from you when you truly aren’t ready for it.”
She took a breath, let it out, and dropped her shields. She still faced away from him, but she let him see everything — the confusion around the time she’d been bitten before was still there, but it wasn’t the problem he’d assumed it would be. Her reasons all had to do with the present, with wanting to feed and nourish him, but even more so, wanting him to smell like her. Ronnie and her inner tiger seemed to be in agreement — they didn’t like him smelling so much like his wolves, but smelling like a different cat wascompletelyout of the question.
And because the cat wanted it, too, he knew exactly how the first bite had to happen.
Two steps and he was to her, vampire fast. He turned her to him and expected her to fight him, but she shifted towards him and let him bend her backwards and take her mouth. He could almost taste her already, but it wasn’t time yet. She needed to be naked and under him. He needed to be inside her the first time he fully tasted his feisty little tiger.
Need slammed into him like a fist in the gut, and he ripped her shirt off, pushed her bra aside, and sucked at her nipple. More torture, because he wanted to bite in theworstsort of way — and he would, but not yet.
He lifted her, carried her to his bed, dropped her on it, and finished demolishing her clothes. His cop thought about protesting, but her arrow-sharp gaze softened, and she spread her legs. Inviting him.
Okay, so the cat could be dealt with later — the woman needed something different.
Josef let his robe fall from his shoulders and tossed it onto a nearby bench before climbing between her legs. He drove into her without warning. No more foreplay, no finesse — she wasn’t going to relax until he’d fed from her, and heneededher blood.
She gasped at his unexpected invasion, and he closed his eyes because she was so damned tight around him. Tight, hot, wet, and delicious.
Delicious.
If he let his hunger dictate, the bite would be hard and fast, but that wasn’t how this first time needed to go, so he controlled his own urges, directed as much pain killer to his fangs as he could ahead of time, and then licked and kissed the side of her neck. With so much painkiller aimed at his fangs, his saliva would also have a large concentration.
Some humans and shapeshifters preferred to feel the fangs entering, but he didn’t want to hurt hisBellula.
