Arctic Bound (30 page)

Bending, he lifted her into his arms, and carried her the short distance to his sister's bed and breakfast. His father made sure that their town was as empty as it could be. Victor knew they wouldn't be disturbed. There was a need growing inside that walked a very fine line between pleasure and pain. A darkness, that if left unchecked would rise up and take control of his body, not allowing him to enjoy the benefits of lying with a soft woman. There were complaints from his father, and even his brother Theo, but he ignored them, shutting the door as he passed by. He made a straight path for one of the guest bedrooms. She was quiet in his arms as he fell to the bed cradling her from the fall.

“What are you doing?” Her voice a soft whisper caressed his soul as he tried to control his animal's urges.

“Quiet Neri, let me have you.”

She didn't respond, but Victor could see it in her eyes, feel it in her body as she shook beneath him. The fragrant smell of her arousal wafted up between them had his beast groaning. His eyes closed as he drew in a deep breath. Victor opened them to see her eyes were conflicted, as she starred up at him with contempt. He'd take that along with anything else she was willing to give him. She had every right to be angry with him. He wasn't going to fool himself into thinking he wasn't to blame for the strain they now had on their relationship.

Victor lifted Nerina's head, and with his eyes dared her to move. His claws lengthened and he divested her of her blood soaked sweater, before discarding her jeans and underwear. The clothes were ruined anyway so there was no reason to keep them intact. She was completely bare, save for her socks and boots. Kissing his way down her body, Victor made sure he got the reactions from her he wanted. Her flesh was cold to the touch, a sure sign that she needed to feed. He wondered if she even knew that was the reason for her body's chill. She was the enemy now, but Victor couldn't bring himself to care. To him, she was still his Neri. A fact that he knew would have to be made known throughout the Packs. They would be against it, but he didn't care. The moment he thought she was lost to him, was the moment he realized how much he needed her. He thanked the Goddess above that she was still in the living, and he thanked her further for altering her life span. They would now be able to spend their long lives together. Could in fact connect their essences through the Reaping. No matter that she wasn't of Werewolf blood. She would be of his heart. Always.

When he'd gotten down to taking off her socks and shoes, her knee came up, catching him in his face.

“That wasn't nice Neri.”

“It wasn't meant to be prick.”

Her feistiness wasn't a turn-off, it had the opposite effect. If she wanted to put up a fight, he'd gladly take her on. Victor watched her in the darkness as he removed his clothing. The beast within wanted its prey to know who was in charge. He would have pounced if she hadn't moved from the spot on the bed.

“Neri?”

“No,” shaking her head she backed herself into the corner of the room, arms folded across herself, as if she was trying to hold herself back. “This isn't going to happen Victor. No matter how bad my body craves yours.”

“Why the hell not? You want me, I can smell it.”

She's going to make a run for it.

He could see it in the way her eyes kept darting between him and the closed door.

“This thing that's between us is over.”

“I've already claimed you.”

“Well, un-claim me. I refuse to be your mistress.”

“You're not going to be my mistress.”

Nerina's head titled to the side, her eyes sparking with fire, and then they were ice cold again. Her Hunter's reflexes were on high alert. She was listening for the lie she thought he was telling and became confused when she didn't hear it.

“You're hooking up with that other chick. What's her name again?”

“Sasha.” He grinned. She hadn't forgotten the name. She had wanted him to say it. Make it real, not only to her, but also to him.

But he wasn't going to mate Sasha, he was going to be mated to Nerina and no other. It was her strength, and her beauty that he wanted in his life. Their first meeting wasn't a good one, and the ones following were no better. Though they'd gotten off on the wrong foot, she had been able to look past his ignorance. She'd help him and his brother Colin, when she could have left them to be dealt with by her friends. When he himself had been judgmental about her and her intentions for moving into his community. She had stuck to her guns. He'd criticized her for her weakness, when all the time it had been his own weakness blinding him to her amazing strength and beauty.

“I'm not going to mate Sasha, I want to mate with you, if you'll have me.”

“Why should I believe that? You said so yourself that I was trouble. That you would have preferred not to get involved with me. What's changed?” Nerina looked down at her nakedness before shaking her head and laughing. The laugh wasn't a real laugh but a cynical one. “Oh, I see. I'm healed. I'm no longer weak in your eyes because I'm a Hunter, is that it? I'm your ideal mate now?” She laughed again, shaking her head.

“No that's not it, I was blind. You've always been straight with me. You never once hid your personality from me. I know why you didn't want us to know about your family. I get it. You were in hiding. I hadn't earned your trust yet, but Nerina you gave me your submission. That in and of itself is one of the purest forms of trust out there. Trust me now when I say, there is so much more I see in you than I did before. You're perfect for me.”

Victor watched her for long moments in silence as she searched his eyes, looking for an answer to a question that he wasn't sure if he had the answer to.

“I'd rather just be alone.”

“But you don't have to be Nerina. I see you, there's such a beautiful fire inside of you.”

“I'm the enemy. They'll never accept me. Remember all your talk about purity of the Packs? I'd do more than dilute your bloodline. Our children will be something else altogether.”

“You're my Eros. All you need to do is trust that everything will be okay.”

“What the hell is an Eros? What about my baggage? Your words not mine, and I quote. ‘You should have never come here, fucking things up, making me want you, and now that I have you, you come with all this excess baggage. This shit!'”

She threw the last words out with a fierce breath. He had said those very words, verbatim. Damn, he'd deserved that. He'd answer the most important question first.

“Eros is an old word. It's a sexual intimacy between two people that cannot be broken. Neri, I was angry, men say stupid shit when they're angry. You haven't messed anything up, you've made everything better. Despite this mess with our families, I have faith everything will work out in the end.”

“Just because we're good in bed together doesn't mean I'm the one for you or that you're the one for me.”

It meant a lot more than that.

“In my culture it does. It means a lot more. You're it for me Neri. No one else will do.”

“Sure.” She said not believing a word he said.

“It's true. Eros is ten times that of Philos, we'd be able to share in the three stages of love after the Reaping.”

Her eyes widened. One arm crossed over her stomach while the other warded him off.

“Hold on. No one is dropping the L word.”

“Love isn't a word Neri, it's a series of actions, and emotions. It's when one soul recognizes the other in all things. You can't deny us that.”

Her body began to shiver uncontrollably and Victor knew she needed to feed before she went into a catatonic state. Newly made Hunters needed to be fed every few hours or they risked the chance of becoming the very thing that the myths talked about. Cold skin, soulless eyes, unable to walk in the daylight, but most important they'd have an insatiable appetite for blood only. Food wouldn't sustain them.

“You're hungry, and if you don't feed, you won't like the what you'll become. Let me feed you, Neri.”

Victor offered himself. Werewolf blood was something Hunters favored above all other's blood. It was one of the reasons they'd been feuding for so long. Their blood was an aphrodisiac with great healing qualities to Hunters.

Chapter 21

 

Cold seeped into her skin. Rolling waves of ice stabbed her repeatedly. Her body felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces. Her limbs were even getting stiff. Victor said she needed to feed, but the thought of taking his blood was abhorrent to her.

Except when it came to killing your best friend.

Something she still couldn't wrap her mind around. She hadn't hesitated a moment when it came to saving Teak's life. Her gums tingled as she watched Victor lay down on the bed, devoid of clothing. Everything he'd said were things she would have wanted him to say, but she wasn't sure if this was something she wanted. She wasn't lying when she said she wanted to be alone. That was the life she knew now.

Is it? You've never been alone. Even here.

True, Demon and Daar had been a very important part of her life here in Alaska. But having them as companions had been uncomplicated.

She wanted a man that was going to be her champion. Not someone that was shallow one minute and deep the next. They barely knew each other. She'd given him her submission, that was true, but she wasn't sure if that was so much her experimenting or if that meant something more. Did she care deeply for Victor? Yes. Could she see herself growing old with him, sitting around talking to their grandchildren? What would their children be like, and were there such a thing as Vampire/Werewolf pairings? There were so many questions she had, and she felt pressed for time. She felt that it was a now or never kind of situation.

“Neri, you need to feed, baby.”

“How the hell do I do that?”

“Instinct will guide you.”

Slowly approaching the bed, Nerina watched Victor with a keen eye and did exactly what he said. She let her instinct guide her. The pulse in his neck was rich with blood. The smell decadent and dark, clung to her senses. It didn't smell like human blood, which held that coopery rich taste. Victor's blood was something altogether different. One moment she was in the corner, and the next she was sitting astride his body, staring down at his neck. His hands went to her waist, adjusting her so that their bodies were aligned. He didn't seek entrance into her heat, instead he massaged her back. His strong hands gliding over her skin, massaging her sore muscles as she bent forward and licked a path from his collarbone to his neck.

His hands tensed against her skin. Nerina's gums itched. Her tongue glided across her now extended fangs. The man beneath her was a man asking her for everything she would have gladly offered to him only mere hours ago. Now, she wasn't so sure. Victor's skin was hot to the touch and warmed her everywhere their bodies met. Was she as cold as she felt?

“Bite me.” The words were groaned as one hand went to the back of her neck, pulling her down to where he exposed his jugular to her.

“How do I know when to stop?”

“Drink until you're full. You can't harm me. Even if you drain me dry, my body will rejuvenate. Although I'm asking you not to do that. I'm trusting you not to do that.”

Nerina struck fast. Hot, delectable blood filled her mouth and warmed her from the inside out. Each pull on his neck was like falling into a comforted embrace. Her eyes closed as she groaned and rubbed her body along his like a cat in heat. The hand at her neck tightened and Nerina moaned when his other hand slid from her back, down to her ass where his fingers squeezed. Her legs opened to accommodate his hand. Victor's fingers moved till he was at the heart of her as she continued to drink from him. He tasted nothing like Raven. His blood was fueled with so much raw energy. It was stronger than anything she'd ever experienced in life. There were bursts of adrenal along with waves of ecstasy as she drank from him. She was still very aware of what his fingers were doing to the outer edges of her vaginal wall as he stroked the inside of her lip from base to the tip of her clit. Smooth strokes that gave her full body shivers. It was like her entire body was experiencing an orgasm that was on a continuous cycle never reaching an end. At the same time her taste buds were experiencing a symphony of flavors. She could taste the woods, the night air, and his arousal mixed with the potent, sinful flavor that was all Victor. It empowered her until she finally released him when her body shook uncontrollably from his stroking fingers.

Nerina cried out as wave after wave of pleasure overtook her body. Her eyes already closed, scrunched harder as she tried to focus the immense pleasure that rocked her core. She didn't know if it was a combination of his blood and his fingers, or if it was a separate experience. Either way it was intense. Exhausted she fell flat on Victor. Sweat dotting her over heated skin as she tried to come down from her high.

“Wow. I damn near lost my mind.”

Victor laughed.

“Really? That good huh?”

Yeah, and then some. Nerina thought to herself.

“That thing you did with your finger, that was amazing. I don't think I'm okay that other women have had your fingers stroking their cunts.”

Victor pulled Nerina into the crook of his arms and turned them so that they were lying sideways. His eyes darkening with lust as he watched her. She could smell it on him. Like a lingering cologne that would forever remind her of his need.

“Really, Neri?” He was laughing at her.

“Yeah, really, Vic. I feel like I should bottle you up and only open you when no one's watching.”

“Stingy much.”

She shrugged in his arms.

“So, um, about this mating thing.”

“What about it?”