“I didn’t come for that, either.”
“Then why are you here?” I demand.
“For your magic, my dear.”
I am sitting on a vampire’s lap after he punished me like his naughty school girl, and now we’re talking about magic. This has to be a dream. Or maybe Karen used pot butter in those brownies she gave me, and I’m on a bad trip. “I don’t have any magic.”
“Ah, but you do, and it is quite powerful. Your protection spell out there dazzled me, darling. I’ll need you to learn to use your skill because there’s a curse that needs undoing.”
A curse? “I can’t help you. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insist. Crap. What if he doesn’t believe me? How am I going to get out of this?
He strokes a wisp of hair from my face, tucks it behind my ear. “I need your power, my little Tinkerbell. You may not even realize you have it, but you do, and I’m not going to leave you alone until you’ve solved my dilemma.”
He’s going to kill me. I begin to blink rapidly, my chest moving wildly with shallow breaths.
“Ah.” His expression softens. “There are the tears.”
“I’m not crying!” I croak, but my insides crumple, and a choked sob erupts from my throat.
“Shhhh, easy now. I don’t want to break you.”
I cringe, but he pulls me against his chest. His delicious scent envelops me as he cradles my head against his neck and strokes my back like I’m a kitten. For a second, I’m almost comforted. Maybe this isn’t so bad.
“Sweet,” he murmurs. “You smell so sweet, little mortal. Like strawberries.”
Nope, he’s definitely a psycho who’s going to eat me. I wrestle against his embrace, but he holds me fast, not allowing me to pull away. I get the feeling he’s not even using a tenth of his strength to subdue my struggles.
So I give up.
“Ready to submit, Tinkerbell?” His handsome face is inches from mine. My thoughts fuzz over.
“You’re a little old for Disney movies,” I blurt.
“Pardon me?” he arches a brow but looks amused. Like I’m a kitten trying to tear him with tiny claws.
I lick my lips. “The Tinkerbell references.”
“Ah.” He doesn’t explain.
And suddenly I’m giggling like a crazy person. “I can’t believe you spanked me.” I want to put my fingers between my legs and rub out my sexual frustrations. He definitely left me needy. If that’s part of his domination bit, it worked.
He touches my lower lip, tracing it. “Yes, I’m a bit old-fashioned when it comes to ladies. I come from a different era.”
I crack up again. “No, I mean, I tried to kill you with a wooden stake, and all you did was spank me.”
“You were afraid when you went all vampire-slayer on me.” Now he’s thumbing the moisture from my cheeks. “I can’t really blame you for that, can I?”
“How did you know I was afraid?”
“I could scent it.” He leans in closer. “Just as I can scent the salt of your tears now and your need.”
Need? And just like that, my clit throbs like a second heartbeat, insistent between my thighs. I press my legs together. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me.” I try to be brave, but my voice comes out a quaver.
“I did. But if you cross me, I will punish you.” He strokes my cheek. He touches me like he has a right to. I’ve never been manhandled this way before, but something in his scent, his presence, his aura lulls me into complacency. I don’t just allow his touch, I crave it. “I do hope you’ll cooperate, my lovely mortal. It’d be a shame to truly frighten you.”
Chapter 3
Charles
My lovely prey shivers in my arms. Her pulse jumps, pounding in her throat. My fangs throb and sharpen enough to cut the inside of my mouth. I bite down, letting the taste of my own blood calm my inner predator. My cock throbs beneath her delectable ass.
She’s a vision, my captive mortal. Long, silky dark hair and golden skin. Dark eyes made unique by little flecks of gold. She’s terribly young and terribly beautiful. I noticed her even before she emitted the shining aura of a protection spell. My research told me the mortal I was looking for was here, in Tucson, but she drew me before I knew she was the one.
She’s drawn to me as well. Even though she’s frightened, the scent of her arousal rises like musk around us. She liked being manhandled by me.
I grip her jaw in one hand and bring her face to mine. “Just a taste,” I murmur, and she stiffens, hardening herself as if expecting me to bite. I brush my lips over her full, pouty ones, and she relaxes. “Your lips... not your blood,” I clarify, even though she’s already caught on. She tastes as sweet as I imagined. I slide my lips over hers again, and she moves hers against mine, giving me a hint of tongue.