Page 11 of The Vampire Always Rises
Exquisite.
So exquisite. I feel like I’m going to jump into something.
Jump, goddess, jump.
The sting on my neck did the job. My body tightened and seemed to explode into minute little pieces of sunlight as I gave way to the orgasm that had been hovering ever since he’d bitten me.
His breath was hot on my throat as he groaned and gave way to his own climax, the sense of it rocking me. And as I lay beneath him, panting, my mind reeling with the experience I’d just had, I realized something important.
I’d just had sex with a stranger.
OK, mind-blowingly fabulous sex, but still, sex with a man whose name I didn’t even know.
Oddly enough, I wasn’t bothered by the fact that he drank my blood—that seemed to be of lesser importance than the fact that I had given myself—really, demanded that he take me—to a man I’d known a total of fifteen minutes, and none of those minutes had he been conscious.
“Um,” I said, turning my face into the ebony strands of hair that caressed my cheek. He had collapsed on me, his breath hot on my shoulder, his breathing just as wild as mine. “Excuse me, but this might be a good opportunity for us to introduce ourselves. I’m Tempest. Did you call me a goddess?”
I hadn’t meant to ask that last question, but it had been trembling on the tip of my tongue ever since I’d recovered my wits. “I’ve been called Red before—just about everyone seems to think they have to point out that I have red hair, like that escaped my notice—but never goddess. So, what’s your name?” There was no answer, just the rapid, hot breath on my shoulder. I gave his shoulders a shove. “Hello?”
My word seemed to echo, and came from a distance. I froze, listening intently, holding my breath as if that would help me hear better.
“Hello? Tempest? She must be in bed. Jakob, you do not need to check on Mr. Pibbles. He’ll be asleep in his warm, comfy stall, and if you open the barn door, it’ll let the cold air in.”
“Someone is here,” a baritone Spanish voice declared in a dramatic manner. The voices were distant, but perfectly audible, probably something to do with the way the hall was shaped.
“Roxy’s niece is here, Antonio. I told you that. Christian, would you let Esme loose?”
Eeek! It was C. J. Dante and his wife! I struggled to get out from under the deadweight of my nameless lover, and managed to roll him over onto his back.
“No, no, it is a man. A foul one, like the one ’oo possesses you. I shall find ’ im and smite ’ im.”
“There is a Dark One here?” That was another man’s voice, but this man had a deep voice with a faintly Germanic accent, and a note of authority that fit perfectly with my idea of the owner of a castle. I pulled my nightie down, snatching up the tiny panties that came with it, and hurriedly pulled them on.
“Yes. I will find. You go to bed, old one.”
The voices sounded louder, filling me with a sense of panic. I glanced over to the vampire and was horrified to see that not only was his shirt open and pulled out of his pants in a way that laid bare an extremely attractive chest, but his naughty bits were lolling right there for everyone to see, and the wetness glistening thereupon made it pretty clear what we’d just been doing. I stuffed his penis back into his pants, and yanked up the zip.
“Goodness, thank you, dear Christian. Mr. Woogums and I were most tossed around in your pocket. It’s so nice to be back in my regular spirit form. Allegra, where is Antonio going? Mr. Woogums, no! You are not to follow him. You know he gets into all sorts of trouble.”
I ignored this new voice, which was that of an Englishwoman, instead working frantically to get the vampire’s belt buckled, and his shirt tucked back into his pants. He didn’t so much as twitch as I worked over him.
“Antonio says there’s a vampire here. Girls, go up to your room. Jakob, did you hear me when I said you were not to go out to the stable?”
That was the woman who had to be Allie speaking again. A door slammed in response to her demand. I turned my attention to buttoning up all the buttons on the shirt worn by the man next to me. There were three buttons missing, but I was hoping if I got the others together, it wouldn’t be so noticeable.
I’d just finished, and pulled the unoccupied bit of rug over the man, when I felt a sudden swirl of wind. A man in Elizabethan garb rushed into the room, a rapier in his hand.
“Stand! I ’ave you now, you ... oooh.” He looked taken aback for a second; then his expression changed from fierce to a leer. He swaggered forward, his eyebrows bobbling like mad, a smile on very red lips. “’Ello, my fiery one. You have very much beautiful breasts.”
I looked down, found my scant robe had come undone during my struggle to dress the prone vampire, and had just pulled it closed when several people entered the room, including two girls of about four—obviously twins—and a tall, gangly boy of about seven or eight. He had a shock of black hair and silver eyes that were almost identical to those of the man who seemed to dominate the room the second he entered it.
My skin prickled with more than cold, causing me to wrap my arms around myself, very aware that I was in the presence of a man who wasn’t going to stand any shenanigans. He stopped in front of me, his frowning eyes going from me to the man next to me.
“Hello. You must be Tempest. I’m Allie.” The woman who was on Christian Dante’s heels limped forward, greeting me with a warm smile. She had oddly mismatched eyes, but that just made me like her more. “I’m sorry we’re so late. There was an accident on the train line, and they didn’t get it cleared for hours. I hope Tilda has made you comfortable. Is this a friend of yours?”
She nodded toward the vamp next to me, who was still unconscious.
“No,” Christian said, giving me a suspicious look before striding forward to peer down at the man. A surprised look flashed in his eyes before a shutter seemed to come down, blocking out all visible emotions.
