Sex and the Single Vampire

upward just so I could experience again the pleasure of him pushing into my body, joining with my flesh until there was no ending of him and beginning of me; there were only our two bodies and hearts and minds sharing every moment.

When his teeth pierced the flesh beneath my ear, I shouted his name, knowing this was right, it was meant to be, and that nothing would ever change that. He drank from me and my body contracted around him, pushing him into joining me as our bodies burned brighter than a supernova.

His hunger filled my mind as he continued to drink, but now there was another need in his mind, the need for me to take the same from him. His tongue was soft on my neck as he whispered the words in my mind.

Feed, Beloved. I know you wish to. Join with me. Take from me what only I can give you.

I trembled on the verge of another orgasm as he continued to move within me, the scent of him filling me, merging with the desire that he had recognized but which I refused to admit. My tongue swirled over the tendons in his neck, his pulse beating loud in my mind. The thought of tasting his blood teased me, aroused me further, claimed every thought in my head until all I wanted was the taste of him on my tongue.

Yes, Beloved. It is right. It is as it should be.

His finger traced a small line on his neck, blood welling up from it and beading along the scratch. I stared at the ruby drops gathering and felt my body ache in response. I lowered my head to his neck, wanting to lick, the wound, wanting to taste him in a way more intimate than anything I'd ever done, needing to take his life's blood into my body and complete the circle. Several drops gathered together and snaked a crimson trail down his neck.

More than anything else I wanted his blood.

A tiny voice in my mind screamed out its objection. If I did this, if I took the final step of Joining, there would be no going back. I would be trapped forever, without escape, without the power to leave him. If I let those tantalizing drops of red touch my tongue, I would never again be completely in control of my life; I would be governed by him.

Beloved—

'No.' I turned my head and nuzzled it into the other side of his neck, a profound sense of loss making me sob with frustration. 'I can't, Christian; I just can't.'

Do not distress yourself in this way. Take only what you want from me, no more. I will never force you, Beloved. I seek only your happiness.

He moved within me again, kissing my neck and urging me to move faster upon him, sharing with me how much pleasure he felt. I gave in to the demands of my body and whispered my need into his mouth. He kissed me, his tongue mimicking the movement of our bodies until I knew his hunger would claim me. I tore my mouth from his and arched my back, trembling as his teeth closed on my breast, the familiar flash of pain dissolving instantly into ecstasy as our bodies and minds celebrated our joining in the most elemental manner possible.

It was just a few minutes shy of dawn when Christian carried me back to the mammoth bed, both of us exhausted, my body still humming with the pleasure he had given me. He'd made me scream out his name four times, not three, but as he had done the same, I was happy. I lay limp in his arms and listened to his heart beat, too sated and contented to question whether making love with him had been the wrong thing to do.

It can never be wrong between us.

Do I have to put up a No Trespassing sign ? I smiled into his mind.

I cannot help sharing your thoughts. It is the way of things.

I let that go and just enjoyed snuggling against him, drowsily tracing protection wards on his hip. 'What are we going to do about finding the location of those two houses in town, Christian? You don't happen to know any clairvoyants, do you?'

'Yes, but not one you wish to consort with.'

I looked up to frown a question at him.

'She is a Guardian.'

'Oh. You're right. We don't need to bring a Guardian into this.' Guardians are powerful mages who shield those hot spots in the world that are open to the influence of the dark forces. You'd be surprised how many of those places there are. The city of Detroit alone has hundreds of them. 'How about hiring a really good private detective to look up the leasing and ownership records of likely houses?'

He stroked one of the sore spots on my back, his fingertips warm as they healed the bruise. 'I've already done that. The Trust has covered its tracks in a very clever manner; it was only through a lucky coincidence that I found out who leased the house in Greenwich.'

'Poop.' I thought about the problem, worrying it from a new angle. 'You can talk to your friend the way you can with me, right?'

'It's not quite the same, but yes, we do not need words to communicate. I have tried to reach him repeatedly, but either he is too weak to answer, or he is at too great a distance for me to find him.'

'How great a distance is too great?' I asked, wondering if perhaps I was wrong in my assumption that the Dark One was being held in London. Perhaps they had shipped him off to Scotland.

'For Sebastian? A few miles. Three or four, perhaps.'

I frowned again, propping myself up on my elbow to look at him. 'So little? I was all the way across town and you didn't have the slightest bit of trouble reaching me.'

'You are my Beloved. It is much easier to maintain contact with you.'

'Still, a couple of miles doesn't seem like a very big range.'

He touched a bruise on my shoulder. 'The distance can increase if I were to know the exact location of the person I'm trying to contact. The powers of a Dark One are great, malý váleèník, but they do have limitations. If I do not know where Sebastian is, when I send out a call, it goes out in all directions until it reaches him. Once he answers I can focus the call so it goes directly to him. Until I know where he is, however, I must blanket the area. That reduces the distance I can reach.'

'Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of being weak in the mental department.' I snuggled back into him, stroking his chest. 'I think our answer is going to have to be something illegal.'

'Breaking into the Trust offices and searching for information?'

I nodded and kissed the little dip at the base of his throat. Above my head, he sighed, tightening his arms around me. 'I fear that is the only solution I can see, as well.'

'We should do it tonight. It's less likely that anyone will be around in the offices. They'll be too busy trying to raise spirits elsewhere.'

Christian said nothing.

'Then again, they might expect us to do just that, although I don't think they know what it is I'm seeking. It's possible that if they really do know who and what you are, they will connect you to Sebastian, but we can't be certain of that.'

His chest moved slowly beneath my hand, one breath to every five of mine. 'Hmmm. You know, with your new tolerance of sunlight, it might be better if we waited until just before dawn. Then Guarda and Eduardo and Phillippa would likely to be heading off to their beds, never thinking that you would be able to get out and about then.'

His body lay tense beneath my cheek. I wondered briefly if he was worried about the sunlight. 'Of course, there's always the direct approach. I could hire myself a couple of really big bodyguards, and just march into the office during the day. Maybe I'd luck out and Guarda and the gang would be out to lunch or something.'

Not only had his fingers stopped stroking me, he didn't veto the last, asinine plan that even I recognized was pure folly. Brute strength was nothing to the power of the triumvirate, and if Guarda had any brains at all, she'd be sure to keep Eduardo and Phillippa close by just on the off chance I came calling.

'Christian?'

'Peste,' he swore, gently rolling me off him and getting to his feet, grabbing a pair of black jeans and pulling them on. Tension was visible in every line of his body.

'What's wrong?' I sat up and pulled the sheets up over my chest. 'Christian?'

He started for the door to the hallway. 'Don't you feel it?'

I stilled and opened myself up to the house. 'No, I just feel the gruesome fivesome. They're all in your study.