Wicked Road to Hel (League of Guardians 1)

Outside, the clatter of a bike chain echoed sharply and the methodical thwack of newspapers hitting pavement could be heard. Down the way the neighbor’s sprinkler system engaged and a dog barked as it was let outside.

The humans that dwelled in the Big Easy had no fucking clue what lived beyond their vision. No idea that the struggle between darkness and light was a constant battle and if he lost, the consequence would be deadly.

A sliver of energy rippled over his flesh and pulled Declan from his thoughts. He stilled, letting the quiet wash over him as he listened. Ana’s breathing had changed. She was awake.

She moved against him, slowly, sensually. The exquisite feel was torture and he hissed as she wiggled and pulled herself upward, along his torso. His eyes slid open and he stared up into her face.

The expression that graced her features was unlike any he’d seen before. Her eyes were round balls of navy and hung huge in her pale face. The skin of her cheeks was tight and her lips held the barest hint of pink to them. Slowly his gaze moved lower until they rested upon the fangs that glistened in the early gloom.

A groan escaped from between her lips.

He knew what she wanted. Ana was hungry.

What would it feel like? If he let her feed from him?

His hands crept around her shoulders and he pulled her to him, so close that he could see the tinge of red mirrored within the depths of her eyes. She licked her lips, and the thin veins that ran beneath her skin sharpened, like tiny spider legs.

“Do it,” he whispered.

Ana hesitated, shaking her head, her eyes never leaving the pulse that beat at his neck. She began to pant; her veins were more pronounced. “Don’t look at me.” Ana turned away. “I don’t want you to see me like this.” Her words ended on a sob, and a chunk of his heart broke away.

How could he make her understand? He wanted to see her in every way imaginable. Down to the dirty. The real Ana. Nothing less would do.

Declan was on fire with the need to connect to the woman on a level he’d never dreamed possible. Fuck the consequence. There would never be another time and place for this.

His right hand slid into the silky hair at her nape and he pulled her closer still, and though she resisted, he eventually forced her to look at him once more. She was magnificent, fangs and all.

“I want you, Ana.” He shuddered as she moved against him.

A groan escaped from her once more and then she bent toward him. “I’m so hungry for you. I’ve never been this hungry.” Her eyes were luminous as she looked down at him. “For anyone.”

The warmth of her breath caressed his neck and he tensed as she hovered above him. A strangled noise erupted from her chest as she flicked her tongue along his flesh, but it was nothing compared to the cry of need that rifled through his mind.

The world fell away until there was nothing but Ana.

“Do it,” he whispered once more, his tone urgent, his voice harsh. Commanding.

“I don’t . . .” she began, “I can’t . . .”

“You will.” He stared up into her eyes. They were now completely black. “I’ve waited years for this.” His hand circled the roundness of her ass and he pulled her into his erection. “You will not deny me.”

Ana stared down at him for several moments, her chest heaving, fangs fully extended. Something flickered in her eyes and she hissed, her breath escaping in a rush. She clasped his shoulders and sank her fangs deep into his neck.

Chapter 14

The rush of his blood across her tongue, the taste of his sweetness, and the feel of him beneath her were nearly too much for Ana. Bloodlust hit her hard, and it took everything inside her to pull back.

She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t strong enough. In her lifespan of nearly three hundred years she’d fed from all kinds of humans. Men, women, and yes, even children. None of them had taken her to the edge, to that point where she was in danger of losing herself—her mind, her soul.

Until Declan.

She’d known it would be like this. His essence was beyond what she’d even thought possible and she’d taken just a nibble. He would be the drug she’d forever be slave to.

Ana licked her lips, savoring his taste as she pulled away and stared down at him. She was straddling his body, his hardness firm between her legs.

His dark eyes gazed up at her. “That’s not enough,” he whispered hoarsely. “I want more.” He moved and she felt dampness between the folds of her sex as he did so. “I want to connect with you in the way of your people.”

She ground her center against him, the action a reflex, and hissed as her clitoris swelled with need. A whimper fell from her lips and for a moment she had no clue what to do.