Awakened (Vampire Awakenings) (29 page)

His heart contracted when he saw that Sera wasn’t in the living room. “You’re back!” Kathleen greeted brightly.

“Where’s Sera?” he demanded.

“In her room,” Kathleen replied. “Taking a nap.”

His gaze swung wildly to Mike. “You left her alone?” he snapped. The idea of it rattled his newly found composure.

“She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself!” Kathleen retorted.

Liam’s jaw clenched, but he refused to look at her. “She’s fine,” Mike said. “I’ve been checking on her, and don’t forget I can sense Beth’s presence too.”

“Who’s Beth?” Danielle asked.

“Oh crap,” Jack moaned in disgust. “Good going Mike. I’m not doing it this time!”

“Doing what?” Kathleen demanded haughtily.

David chuckled under his breath as he stepped into the room. “Be gentle,” he mumbled to Liam. “I’ll do it,” he volunteered.

“Do what?” Kathleen and Danielle asked in unison.

Liam couldn’t help but laugh as he turned on his heel and headed down the hall. He paused at the door, suddenly hesitant. He didn’t know what would happen when he saw her. Didn’t know what he would do. He only hoped that he could keep himself under control for as long as this took. He didn’t want to hurt her anymore than was necessary, anymore than he already had.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The room was dark, the blinds closed against the night. His eyes instantly adjusted to it. “Sera,” he said softly.

She was sitting on the bed, the blanket wrapped around her as she gazed at him with wide eyes. “I knew you were back,” she whispered. “I felt it.”

He frowned as he stepped into the room and closed the door. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Did you succeed?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” The word caused his entire body to tighten. “Does it hurt?”

He wanted to tell her that it didn’t, but he couldn’t. “Yes.”

“A lot?” she asked tremulously.

“Sera,” he breathed.

“I’m not changing my mind. I’m just scared.”

“I understand that.”

“I wanted to leave. I wanted to run. I don’t want to die. But I couldn’t leave you. I couldn’t make my legs go. I just couldn’t.”

Her words brought the beast surging forth. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm it as his hand tightened upon the door handle. “I’ll try to make it as easy as possible on you.”

She stood slowly and moved toward him. The shadows shifted and moved around her as she stepped from their embrace. “I know you will.”

His hands shook as he seized hold of her shoulders. She smiled softly as she released the blanket. It slipped smoothly down her body to puddle on the floor at her feet. The shadows hugged every inch of naked flesh as her hair cascaded freely down her back in thick, golden waves. Her full breasts heaved with her quick inhalations. The white bandage covered her delicate skin from her collarbone to mid breast plate. The sight of it was enough to nearly drive him mad. His hands tightened upon her. She was trembling, but she didn’t move away from him.

“Make love to me,” she whispered. “Do it then.”

He groaned as her soft words shoved the creature aside and brought the man forth. He scooped her into his arms and carried her easily across the room. Depositing her on the bed, he fell on top of her in a heedless rush as his mouth seized upon hers. She whimpered as her hands dug into his hair. She pulled him tighter against her as her tongue intertwined wildly with his.

His hands stroked her breasts until her nipples hardened. Now that he was here, with her, he suddenly wanted to go slow, to savor every moment, and to relish in the feel of her. He wanted to memorize every inch of her glorious, silken body.

He kissed her lovingly as he tasted the sweetness of her mouth. Somewhere along the way she managed to slip his sweater over his head. She ran her hands lightly along the hard muscles of his back. They shifted and bunched beneath her gentle touch as she kissed, explored, and tasted him. The hair on his chest was wiry against her cheek; the bristles on his chin rubbed her delicate skin. She teased his nipples, bringing them to life as he had brought hers.

He kissed and explored her as he made love to her slowly with his fingers and his mouth. There was no urgency, no rush as he moved gently over her. Although she was trembling with anticipation, wet with need, he didn’t take her, and she didn’t rush him to do so.

His jeans were somehow removed. He rubbed his hard head against her temptingly wet sheath, but still didn’t bury himself within her. He wanted to spend the whole night feeling her, tasting her, teasing her, but her body became too tempting to refuse.

Sera trembled as he rubbed against her, and slid a little way in before pulling back out. She arched against him, moaning her dismay, and letting her urgency be known with her writhing movements. She needed him now. She wanted him to fill her, to stretch her, to be a part of her. He slid slowly in again, going a little further this time before pulling back out. She tightened her legs around his waist as she nipped at his shoulder to show her displeasure.

He chuckled softly as he slipped back into her. “I intend to drive you wild with want,” he whispered in her ear.

“You already are!” she gasped.

He slid back into her and buried himself to the hilt with a low groan of possession. Her legs tightened around him as she arched into him. He moved slowly within her, his mouth on hers as he made love to her with deliberate tenderness. His lips slid over her neck, her shoulders, her delicate collarbone and trembling breasts.

He moved his hand between their bodies and gently rubbed the hardened nub between her thighs. He watched as her eyes clouded with passion, her lip began to tremble, and her body bucked beneath him. She cried out as her hands tightened upon his back, and her muscles contracted deliciously around him.

His smile was pure satisfaction as her legs loosened, and she fell limp, and trembling, to the bed. She gazed dazedly at him as a content smile curved her full lips. “We’re not done love,” he murmured. Her eyes widened in surprise as she gazed at him. “Not by a long shot.”

He took possession of her mouth again as he began to move slowly within her again, leisurely sparking the fire of passion back to life. Sera was amazed to find her body responding to his again. She hadn’t known it was possible to feel so completely sated, and still want more. Yet as his hands stroked her, and his body moved within hers, she found herself swept up with him again.

He waited until he knew that she was close and he knew he could push her over the edge any time he wanted. He wished that he could go on like this all night, but his restraint was slipping further away with every soft moan and gasp of pleasure. She felt so good that it took all he had not to end his own torment and spill into her. But he intended to wait for her. This time, he would go with her.

He smoothed the hair back from her neck and his eyes latched onto the marks. The animal did not burst free, but came leisurely, and at his command. “It’s time Sera,” he whispered.

Her eyes were glazed as she nodded slowly. “Yes.”

He bent his head to her neck as she turned her head to allow him better access. He bit into her. Sera cried out softly as her hands dug into his back. He drove hard into her as her blood filled his mouth and flowed down his throat. She moaned as her body ground against his. As her blood flowed, he brought her to the brink of the abyss and with a final, deep thrust, he drove them both over.

She cried out as she fell back against the bed, her body trembling, weak, and very sedated. Liam held her shaking body as he felt the weakening within her. He also felt her utter trust, blissful contentment, and the unconditional, shocking amount of love that she possessed for him. Her hands on his back began to slacken, her grip on his waist eased. He was strengthened and calmed as he was filled with her.

Finally, he pulled away. She lay upon the bed, pale, and unmoving. Her lashes curled against her slender, delicate cheek. A sense of urgency enveloped him as he reached for the dagger he had left by the bed. He quickly made a cut against the base of his throat and scooped her up. He seized hold of her head and pulled her forward. Her head lolled back, a whimper escaped her as he lifted her to the blood on his neck.

“Drink Sera,” he ordered briskly.

For a moment she didn’t respond. Panic flared through him as his hand clenched tighter on her head. Had he taken too much? He had never done this before, but the demon inside had instinctively withdrawn from her when he had reached a certain point. He knew that he had taken enough to kill her, more than enough. He could hear the soft flutter of her heart as it beat weakly within her delicate ribcage. It was getting weaker with each passing second and slowed with every beat.

“Sera drink!”

The butterfly brush of her lips against his neck tightened his body. And then her mouth enclosed on him. He sighed with relief as his hands dug into her thick hair and cradled her skull. At first she simply lay and allowed the blood to drain into her. He could feel it slipping inside, drifting into her veins, and burning through her body.

Then, her hands clenched tightly upon his back, and she clamped down. Liam groaned with ecstasy as her mouth sucked at him. He was filling her in every way, making her his in every way. He grew hard inside of her, but didn’t move. Suddenly her mind filled his. Pleasure swamped him, followed by an urgent longing for more. There was no fear anymore as she bit harder. Liam’s hands clenched on her head as he ground his teeth against the urge to begin moving within her, to take her in every way again.

He pulled out of her, and she bit harder as her displeasure radiated through him. He didn’t have to tell her that this was the easy part, he was certain that she already knew; that she could feel it in him. She was growing sated on him as she neared the end. Her heart fluttered and skipped a beat. A fierce stab of pain ripped through her and tore into his mind. He groaned as she whimpered and trembled.

She was gasping as she fell back. “Sera it’s going to hurt, but it doesn’t last long.”

Her eyes were clouded and hazy as they met his. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, and covered with his blood. His finger lingered upon her luscious mouth as he wiped the blood away. Her body arched off the bed as a cry of agony tore from her. He buried his face in her hair as she bucked and kicked beneath him. He wished that he could take all of her pain away, absorb it into himself, but he couldn’t.

They all had to go through the agony of dying, and being reborn.

A scream tore from her throat as she twisted away from him and drew her legs up against her chest. He allowed her to twist to the side, but kept his arms wrapped tightly around her. She buried her head in his chest as shivers wracked her body. Sweat began to pour from her as she moaned and whimpered in agony.

He tried to soothe her, but there was nothing that he could do. She screamed again as her body jackknifed off the bed. He seized hold of her shoulders and pinned her back down. A wail erupted from her, her fingernails ripped into his forearms as she attempted to jerk free. Her head whipped wildly back and forth as she arched and bucked and withered.

A soft cry escaped from her as she curled back into a ball. Tears streaked her face as she lay sweating and shivering. Liam grabbed the blanket and wrapped her securely within it before drawing her tight against his chest. He knew from experience that the worst of it was over, but it would be a long time before the spasms and shooting pains subsided.

He soothed her damp hair from her face and lay beside her as he encircled her protectively. “It will be all right,” he promised. “The worst is over.”

She whimpered in response as another shudder wracked through her and she trembled within his grasp. “Hold on Sera. It will be all right.”

He continued to soothe her with his words and gentle touch. It was after two in the morning before she finally drifted to sleep. He lay awake long after, fighting against waves of self hatred and exultation. He had hurt her deeply. Even now, in her sleep, she whimpered and moaned every once in awhile. But no matter how much he hated himself for it, she was his, she was finally all his. No one would ever take her from him. Ever.

CHAPTER 19

Sera’s lids fluttered open and then closed again. She felt so weak, so drained and exhausted. She inhaled deeply as she tried to gather the energy to move. A million different scents assailed her at once. Apple, vanilla, cinnamon, wood, sex, and blood permeated the room. Beyond the door she could smell eggs, bacon, waffles, syrup, and butter. The smell of snow, and something feral and wild drifted in from outside.

She could hear the pots and pans in the kitchen, catch bits and pieces of the conversation being held there. Outside, a squirrel yelled angrily as it fled from its tree and crashed into another branch. Her eyes opened slowly. She could make out every grain of wood on the door, and see the scratches upon the brass handle.

She blinked in surprise and closed her eyes again. She was too tired to assimilate everything now. Liam lay beside her; his strong arms wrapped tightly around her as his hard body spooned against hers. She could smell herself on him, in him. She could hear the soft thumping of his heart, and the blood that pulsed through his veins.

“The world is different.”

She didn’t have to look at him to know that he was awake. “Yes, it is. It will take a little while to get used to, but eventually you’ll adapt.”

She nodded slowly. “It’s so loud.”

“That’s the worst part. I’ll teach you how to tune it out.”

“Soon?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes. How do you feel?”

He gently pushed back strands of her hair. She turned slightly to look at him. His face was as magnificent as she recalled, but suddenly she could see every bristly hair on his cheek, and jaw. She had thought his eyes a pure green, but there were soft flecks of gold within their depths. She frowned and closed her eyes again.

“I’m tired,” she whispered as she stifled a yawn.

He sighed softly and dropped his head to her shoulder. “You need to feed.”

A tremor of revulsion and delight racked through her. Suddenly, she was very hungry, but she knew that food would not satisfy her. “Come here.”

She opened her eyes as he pulled her into his arms and rolled her over. She looked down at him as her hair fell across his chest. He smiled softly as he pushed her hair gently over her shoulder. The marks on her neck were dark and vivid against her creamy skin. Gently he eased the bandage from her chest off. His eyes narrowed on the dark scratches that marred her delicate skin, but they appeared to be healing well, and quickly. Her gaze followed his and she gasped sharply.

“You’ll heal faster now.”

“I can see that!”

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. She turned into it, nuzzling him softly as her eyes drifted closed. “Are you hungry?”

Her eyes sprang open. Surprise, revulsion, and obvious hunger radiated from their depths. “It’s all right,” he said softly. “You only need to feed off of me, remember?”

Her gaze traveled down to his neck. A spark of something shot through her, something that she didn’t understand, but it rocked her body. She looked quickly away, ashamed, and frightened. “It will be just like last night,” he soothed.

He could feel the tension in her, the desire to fight against him and what she was feeling. He remembered that feeling. He had fought so very hard in the beginning, but in the end the demon had given in to Beth’s demands, and its own urgent needs. He had been repulsed and frightened, but it was a feeling that had faded.

“I know how you feel, it will fade Sera, I promise. But you must. The change isn’t complete yet, not until you feed. You need the blood.” That spark shot through her again and a fierce shudder ripped her. “I fed for the both of us yesterday.”

Her body was trembling with the fierce struggle she was waging, and her eyes were flashing wildly from blue to violet, to a bright red. Her elongated teeth caused blood to flow forward as she bit into her bottom lip. She whimpered softly as she instantly released her lip.

Liam’s eyes were locked on that trickle of blood. He pulled her down to him, lightly licking her lip as he used his saliva to close the wound. Her teeth pressed against his lip as he stroked her mouth with his tongue. He pulled her slowly away from him and guided her head down to his neck.

“Sera you must,” he urged.

She shuddered again. Her mouth was warm and wet as her teeth pressed against his neck. He shuddered in anticipation as his hand dug into her skull. He wanted this so bad that his entire body was tensed with anticipation and his breath was frozen in his lungs.

“Sera,” he breathed.

Her teeth sank deep. Liam’s hands convulsed on her as a wave of pure ecstasy shot through him. Her mind opened to his. Her hunger beat against him in waves, and at first it was the only thing he could sense but it slowly began to ease as she filled herself on him. Then, other emotions began to come through. He could sense her fear and revulsion, but beneath that was pure pleasure. He could feel the possessiveness that radiated from her, the desire to mark him as hers and he smiled as he recognized the feeling.

A sense of completeness began to steal through him as he lightly stroked her hair and her back. She whimpered as she squirmed against him and her hands tightened on his neck. Her desire slammed into him with a force so fierce that it hardened him instantly. Her thighs parted as her hands dug into his neck and she bit deeper to convey her urgency to him.

He rubbed his hard cock against her, pleased to find her wet with longing. He slipped into her, stretching her tight muscles as he filled her completely. She sighed in contentment as her hard bite eased and he filled her in every way.

***

Sera sighed with pleasure as she woke again sometime later. She felt sated, still a little tired, but utterly complete, and blissful. Her head was nestled into Liam’s steel shoulder. She snuggled closer as she dropped a light kiss on him. He murmured in his sleep and turned to envelop her in his tight embrace.

“Go back to sleep,” he mumbled.

“I think we’ve slept enough. It’s already afternoon.”

“I know.”

Of course he knew, she had known without having to look too. “I’m surprised Kathleen hasn’t come in to drag us out of bed.”

“So am I,” he admitted ruefully.

“Liam.”

“Hmm,” he replied sleepily.

“What can kill us?”

His arms tightened around her. She knew that he was instantly wide awake. “Why?”

“Well, I am one of you, and I think that I should know. I know what I’ve heard about vampires, but you can go out in the sunlight, so what else isn’t true?”

He sighed as his hand lightly stroked her hair. “Sunlight can kill us.”

“Huh?”

He chuckled softly at the confusion in her voice. “Some of us,” he amended. “We can all still go into the sunlight because we haven’t become cold blooded killers. The more you kill, the stronger you become, but the more limitations are placed on you. Vampires that kill lose the ability to be in direct sunlight, they will die from it. Beth can’t be in it.”

Anger rippled through her at the mention of Beth’s name. Her hands dug tighter into his back as a fierce surge of possessiveness shook her. He was hers, and that was final. Liam’s chuckle only served to infuriate her more. His hands lightly stroked the anger from her. “I met Beth during the daytime.” The name was bitter on her tongue.

“You met her during a snow storm. There was no direct sunlight.”

“Oh,” she mumbled. “You’ve killed.”

His hands tightened on her as the memory flashed through his mind. “Yes, I have,” he grated, and he would do it again if anyone attempted to harm her. “And the sun has become harder on me. It hurts my eyes more, burns my skin more. It also tires me out faster.”

“I’m sorry.”

He pulled back to look down at her. “For what?”

She shrugged as she lightly stroked his hard chest. “It’s my fault that the sun bothers you now. If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have killed Jacob.”

An involuntary growl escaped him at the name. She smiled softly as she lifted her lashes to gaze at him. It was good to know that she wasn’t the only one that became angry and possessive. “It’s not your fault,” he grated. “And I will kill anyone else that tries to harm you. No one will take you from me.”

“No, they won’t,” she soothed as she lightly rubbed his chest. “No one will take you from me either, right?”

“Right.”

She feared that they would though. She feared that he would meet someone else, someone better. He would grow tired of her and move on. He could have any woman that he wanted, and he already had. Eternity was a long time; there were a lot of women out there. Prettier women, smarter, sexier, better.

“Would you ever leave me?” he asked softly.

“No!” she cried in horror. The mere thought of it ripped her heart to shreds and brought instant tears to her eyes. To lose him would destroy her, kill her. 

“That’s the way that I feel Sera.” She blinked at him in surprise. “I can sense your thoughts, and you’re wrong. There is no one better, no one else for me. You are it.”

“But...”

He placed a finger over her trembling lower lip. “No buts. Don’t you remember what David said? Together forever. The passion only grows.”

“What if he was wrong?”

“He was right about everything else.”

“What if you don’t want me in a hundred years? What if you grow tired of me? Or you meet someone else?”

“Sera stop it. I will never leave you, never find anyone better. There is no one better. Look in me and feel it for yourself if you don’t believe me.” She searched his intent gaze. “Open yourself to me.”

She allowed herself to open to his thoughts. She couldn’t exactly read them, not like she could when she was feeding off him, or he off her, but she could sense them. She knew that he loved her, knew that he cherished her, but she suddenly sensed the full depth of it. It shook her to the core as she recognized in him the same emotions that lived within her.

She pulled slowly out of him as she searched his intense gaze with awe. He stared back at her, his face hard, and his jaw set. He would never leave her, never grow tired of her, she felt it; she knew it. She stroked a strand of black hair off his forehead. “Eternity is a long time.”

He pulled her closer. “Not long enough.”

“No, it’s not,” she agreed. “So what else can hurt us?”

“Crucifixes and holy water are like the sunlight. The more you kill, the less you can tolerate them. Otherwise, a standard stake through the heart, beheading, and fire are the other ways.”

“Oh. I’ve seen you eat regular food, does it do anything for us?”

“No. We can eat it, but it doesn’t fill us, eventually you even lose a taste for it. Alcohol still affects us.”

Sera frowned as she nodded. There were so many foods that she enjoyed, she especially didn’t want to lose a taste for cheesecake. She winced as Kathleen’s shriek suddenly pierced through her ears and into her skull. “Ow!” she cried as her hands flew to her ears.

He grabbed her hands and pulled them gently away from her head. Her face scrunched with pain as Danielle and Kathleen both screamed. “Look at me Sera; listen to me, not them.”

She focused herself upon him as he gently explained how to control all of her new senses, and her new world.