Sweeter Than Wine (12 page)

“Yes!” Her voice was whisper soft, but she knew he heard. She could feel the satisfaction in his mind as he teased her. Knowing that he drew pleasure from her excitement only made the yearning rise higher.

“Where do you wish me to touch you? Here?” He didn’t wait for an answer, stroking the feather over her waist, down one side and up to her arm. “Or do you prefer here?” He drew the feather down the outside of her arm, raising gooseflesh in the path of the soft tormentor. “Do you like that?”

“Yes, Sebastian. Yes.”

“Or how about here?” Suddenly the feather was at her ankle, rising up the inside of one thigh, sliding upward and leaving a wave of longing in its wake. He stopped just shy of the apex.

“Sebastian.” She panted as her stomach clenched. The feather followed the ripples of her abdominal muscles as the need rose and thrummed through her being. “Please, Sebastian.” The whispered plea moved him, she could tell from a hitch in his breathing.

She felt the eager satisfaction race through his mind a moment before he stepped between 92

her thighs and used the mechanism to lower the table, positioning her legs to his satisfaction.

A moment later, his cock filled her. He took her by storm, shoving home in one swift move. Then he stilled.

“Is that what you wanted, my lady?”

“Oh, yes.” She moaned as he filled her. He was hot and hard, long and perfectly formed. She loved the feel of him inside her, but she needed more. She needed him to move. “Sebastian, please!”

He withdrew and rocked home again. She could feel how close he was to losing all control. It would take very little to drive him over the edge. She needed to drive him to that point, but she was blindfolded and restrained, unable to move. Still, there was one set of muscles sure to drive him insane.

She clenched around him, pleased when he groaned deep in his throat. She released, then did it again, with even better results.

“Christina! Lord, what you do to me!” Sebastian exclaimed as he started to move faster and she knew he was ready to burst. So was she. All it would take would be a few hard thrusts and she’d be over the moon. Tightening on him as he thrust deep, she matched his rhythm somewhat, unable to concentrate at the last as sensation swamped her.

She cried out as the wave hit her, sweeping Sebastian along for the ride as he climaxed within her. He gripped her hips in his large hands, riding her deep and hard, pulsing hot in her depths as he came in spurts of creamy satisfaction.

Both of them were breathing hard as they crested the peak and started the lazy spiral back to earth. Sebastian stood over her, the wicked table cradling her still. Only then did she realize he hadn’t fed.

In the aftermath, she thought through some of the things she’d seen in his mind. The knowledge he shared was plentiful, but she could only process a bit at a time and he had the ability to close off certain areas of this thoughts, which she considered a good thing.

She followed his example and walled off the memories of violence at Jeff’s hands.

93

She suspected Sebastian limited her access to things that he’d prefer to keep private.

Past lovers, indiscretions, moments of violence, and the like. She didn’t mind at all. She knew the measure of this man and she wouldn’t change her mind about him no matter what he’d done in the distant past. She loved him for who he was now.

But the idea of other lovers still rolled through her mind.

“Sebastian,” she asked as they both came back to earth, “will you still need to feed from other people now that we’re…um…together?”

Sebastian pulled free from her body and began to undo the restraints on her feet.

“Not anymore. From what I understand, the passion and blood we share between us will be enough to sustain us both.”

“So I won’t have to bite anyone but you?”

“Not if you don’t want to. Now that we know for certain that we’re mates, our love and the mingling of our blood will be enough to feed our souls and our bodies for the rest of our lives, barring some unforeseen circumstance.” He removed the bindings from her wrists, hitting the controls to move her into a more comfortable position on the naughty table. “The only time I can foresee a need, possibly, to feed from another would be in case of emergency.” He removed the blindfold and smiled down at her, leaning in for a languid kiss. The satisfaction in his eyes melted her heart.

The relief she felt at his words calmed her fears. She didn’t want him biting other women any more than she suspected he wanted her to bite other men. What she’d learned of vampire feeding was both physical and psychic. At the moment of orgasm, energy flooded her system, renewing her life force with amazing power. The blood did the same, but in a different, more earthy way. With the psycho-sexual energy they generated between them—and Sebastian’s reassuring words
⎯
Christy believed they could sustain each other for all eternity.

He led her from the dungeon room back to their bedroom and they made love again, and fed from each other, just before the sun rose. They slept the day away locked in each other’s arms.

94

The days went by all too fast. Each night, the men gathered to discuss plans while Christy spent time with Hiro, learning the basics of self-defense with her new agility and strength. Sometimes Sebastian would join them, sometimes Matt, but each night after the training session and after the planners left, Christy would spend time with Sebastian.

They’d sit and talk, or take a walk over the grounds and he’d teach her things she needed to know about being a vampire.

On one such night a few days after that first strategy session, they walked through the woods surrounding Sebastian’s home. It was an estate, really, up in a secluded area of the hills. The place was a mansion, but not ostentatious at all. On the contrary, from the outside, the appearance of the house was very low-key, blending in nicely with the surrounding woodlands. Inside, of course, the house was a home. Comfy and lived in, she felt at ease there once she learned the layout of the many rooms in the vast space.

This night, Christy knew Matt prowled the woods. He’d stayed nearby more often since the news broke about just who might be gunning for them. Matt took the
Venifucus
threat very seriously and more
were
became involved in the case—at least those who would work with bloodletters. That was a term she’d heard them call Sebastian from time to time. It didn’t sound very nice, but Sebastian seemed to prefer it to the word vampire.

She didn’t much care what word was used. Though “vampire” brought to mind Bella Lugosi and late night horror flicks, it was the word that sounded most modern to her.

Something the men had said the night before caught at her memory. She turned to Sebastian, gazing up at him in the dappled moonlight. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

“I’m glad you think so.” He’d undoubtedly read the thought in her mind before she had a chance to speak.

95

“I know we’re sharing a brain and all, but would you at least let me get a word out from time to time?” She shook her head in mock indignation as he tucked his arm around her shoulder, drawing her close as they walked along.

“I’m sorry, my love. I’ll endeavor to do better from now on.”

“You’re not sorry at all. This mind reading thing goes both ways, you know.”

Sebastian stopped and pulled her into his arms for a quick kiss. “You can read my mind anytime.”

“Honestly.” She sighed. “What I was going to ask, was if you knew how to shapeshift.”

Sebastian let go of her arms and faced her. “It’s something most of our kind take centuries to master. I became proficient early on, but only truly mastered the technique in the last century or so. Atticus and the others are older than me though, and have been shifting form for a long time.”

“Really?” She grew excited by the idea. She’d seen Matt shift a few times and each time, she wondered what it would be like to walk on four paws instead of two feet. “What form can you take?”

Sebastian leaned against a tree, watching her with amusement clear on his handsome face. “I prefer the form of a wolf, but I can shift into almost anything. I can even be fog.”

“Fog? Really?” The very thought of it amazed her. “I didn’t know anyone could do that. So, it took you a while to learn, huh?”

“Actually, it wasn’t the learning that took time, so much as the building of power. It takes a great deal of a certain kind of magic to be able to shift form. The
were
are born with it, but our kind must earn it and learn it over the centuries. Each new form takes a while to learn.”

“Do you think I’ll ever be able to do it?” She hated to get her hopes up, but it was something she’d thought about more and more since her conversion.

Sebastian straightened and put his hands on her shoulders, his expression quite serious. “I think you could probably do it right now, my love. It’s one of the reasons I asked Matt to feed you in those first days. I was able to shift much sooner than most 96

newly turned because my own first meal was from a wolf shifter. I knew feeding from Matt would give you the same advantage.”

“Is that why you prefer the wolf form? Because your first meal was from a
were
wolf?”

“You know, I never quite thought of it that way, but perhaps you’re right. I like the speed, agility and cunning of the wolf, not to mention the strength and deadly acuity. But my first blood might’ve had something to do with that preference, now you mention it.”

“How do you do it? How do you shift?”

“You want to try?”

Her heart leapt with excitement. “Oh, yes. But what will I turn into?”

“It’s very important to have a clear idea of what you’ll become. You must hold the image of your new form in your mind’s eye while you release the magic to change shape.

Since you’ve seen Matt change and have a taste of his magic, why don’t you try for a cat this first time?”

“All right.” She closed her eyes picturing the form as clearly as she could in her mind.

Sebastian talked her through the process, coaching her to keep the image of the cat foremost in her mind as she gathered and released the energy that would cause the change.

He felt her focusing her will and was awed by the strength she already had for one so young. She shimmered and her form shifted, a moment later he was looking at a small, fluffy, white cat, no bigger than the common house cat.

Sebastian burst out laughing.

“What is it?”

“Oh, my love,”
he couldn’t contain the laughter,
“I was expecting a cougar and you
give me a kitten. Only you.”

She stumbled on her uncoordinated paws. Sebastian chuckled as he bent to pick her up and stroked her soft fur.

97

“Of course,” he mused aloud as she scratched her head along his sleeve, “it is rather
a propos
. You being a pussy cat, I mean.” He chuckled as he walked back to the house, greeting the cougar that waited for them like a carved statue on the steps to the small stone terrace.

“Who’s your little friend?”
Matt asked in the back of their minds.

“Meet your creation.” He dumped the fluffy white kitty onto the stone patio. She teetered to one side, unused to having four legs under her as the cougar bent down to sniff at her. “I give you, Lady Christina, the pussy cat.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Matt’s reply was both shocked and amused.
“She’s not
much more than a mouthful, is she?”

“Back off, big guy.”
Christy groused as she tried to steady herself on dainty paws.

Matt sat back, just looking at her.
“You’re a vampire, sweetheart. You can take
almost any form you want, and you choose this?”
The cougar shook his head from side to side, making a coughing noise that sounded a bit like rough laughter.

“He said to try for a cat. I’m a cat, aren’t I?”
She jerked her furry little head in Sebastian’s direction. He couldn’t help his amusement at her feline indignation.

“Well, you’re cute, I’ll give you that.”
Matt bent his head and touched her with one massive paw.
“But not very functional, are you? And not well camouflaged for night
work either.”

“He’s got a point. Can you change color, my love?” Sebastian thought it would be a good exercise of her new powers to try.

“How?”
A plaintive meow accompanied her question.

“You must’ve had the image of this white puss in your mind when you shifted, right?

Now imagine a black cat instead. Same cat, just color her black in your mind. It should only take a touch of magic this time. Not as much as you needed to shift fully, just a little zap to change color. Can you manage it?” He bent to stroke her soft fur, offering comfort as he monitored the struggle to control this intricate little detail in her mind.

98

As his hand brushed down her flank, the soft fur beneath his palm turned from snow white to purest black. Her glistening green eyes stared up at him with triumph.
“Did it
work? It feels like it did.”

Sebastian scooped her into his arms. “It worked my love. My talented little mate.

You’re a natural.” He held her close in his embrace, petting her silky coat.

“That is so cool.”
Matt sounded impressed.
“Wish I could do that.”

“You can’t?”
The black cat held out a little paw toward the cougar, her tail swishing lazily back and forth.

“No, sweetheart. That takes a different kind of magic than what I’ve got. What you
see is what you get.”

The black cat yawned, showing off her tiny, sharp teeth. Sebastian petted her, enjoying the slight purr of satisfaction under his fingers.

“I know you’re tired. Shifting can be draining when you’re new to it. What say you shift back and we’ll rest up a bit?”

“Only a few hours to dawn, my friends,”
Matt observed as he stood and loped down the steps leading to the woods beyond the terrace.
“My advice to you…make the most of
it.”

“Oh, we plan to.”
Sebastian didn’t bother watching the big cat go, already heading indoors with the purring black pussy cat in his arms.

“If she needs any help shifting back, call me. I coached my little sister through it her
first time.”

“Thanks, Matt.”
Christy spoke in all their minds.
“You’re a good friend.”

“I’ll call if we need any help,”
Sebastian added with a chuckle, heading for their private getaway beneath the house.

Seeing the world through cat’s eyes was a new and disorienting experience for Christy, but even stranger was the sensation of walking on four paws. She loved the way Sebastian’s big hands could wrap completely around her furry body and each stroke of his fingers down her length sent shivers of delight through her from head to toe.

99

Having a tail was different too, and Christy knew she’d need to practice a bit in this form if she wanted to be able to walk straight. It made her think about other forms she could take. She honestly hadn’t thought of herself as a cougar, but realized now it probably would have been a better alternative. Still, when Sebastian had talked about imagining a cat, she hadn’t thought of Matt’s beautiful, fierce and very masculine cougar.

No, she’d thought of her neighbor’s housecat. Silly her.

She’d always wanted a cat, but Jeff had been against it. He didn’t want pets or children for that matter. At least not until
he
was ready.

Christy would have loved a baby, but was willing to wait to start a family. They’d married right out of college, so it made sense back then. Later, when Jeff started getting unpredictable, she realized it might be dangerous to bring a child into a home with his increasingly violent nature. Still, she’d dreamed about a baby, but that dream had been denied her. Hell, the selfish bastard she’d married wouldn’t even agree to a pet.

“It’s all behind you now, my love.” Sebastian kissed the top of her feline head as he cradled her close. She knew he was sharing her thoughts. She wasn’t used to that yet, but it was getting easier. It was comforting in a way, to know she was never alone, and she learned incredible things from looking into his memories. Still, she figured it could take a lifetime—maybe several—before she knew everything about the new man in her life.

And just having a new man in her life was a huge adjustment. The idea was intensely liberating. She almost didn’t believe it, but for the new freedoms living with Sebastian brought her. Not to mention the magic.

Sebastian was the purest form of magic to her. He was love. He was hope. He represented everything she’d dreamed of but never had before…and so much more she couldn’t even have begun to imagine.

“Are you about ready to try changing back?” He placed her in the center of the large bed, stroking her fur as he lay down next to her.

Her tail moved of its own accord, a sensuous sway behind her body.
“I’ll try.”

100

Using images in their shared minds as well as coaxing, coaching words, he talked her through the energy build-up and the change that came with dispersal of the magic. When she blinked, she was looking at his beloved face once again through her own eyes.

And she was naked.

“What happened to my clothes?”

“Who cares?” Sebastian laughed and drew her into his arms. She slapped at his arm to get his attention and he drew back, sighing. “You have to think them back with you when you change back. That’s another thing
were
can’t do, but we can. It takes practice, my sweet, but you’ll get there. For now though…” he swooped down and nibbled on her neck, “…I like you just the way you are.”

“Mmm. Me too.”

About a week after their first encounter with Cameron, Christy was asked to forego training with Hiro one night and sit with Sebastian and his guests. That was new. She’d been sent to the
dojo
with Hiro to train every night while the men gathered to plot and plan. She’d used her time well with the vampire
sensei
, and had skills now she never would have dreamed of before.