Dalton, Tymber - Love and Brimstone [Brimstone Vampires 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (45 page)

Whatever happened, they needed Caroline’s information for now, to investigate, discover who was behind the scheme.

By the next morning the men were concerned because Taz hadn’t regained consciousness. Her skin looked grey and pale, and while her pulse felt stronger than the day before, Matthias sensed her mind had weakened. They left for Gardiner and from there to Livingston, where the corporate jet awaited, fueled and ready to take off. Back home in Florida late that night, Robertson helped Matthias carry her upstairs to bed.

Matthias wrapped his body around her, cradled her, tried to get her to respond. She was full of guilt, pain, and shame over her actions. She was withdrawing, trying to die.

Trying to join Rafael.

Matthias closed his eyes and gently coaxed her thoughts to him. It took a while, but he found his way into her mental room where she based many of her images. He found her sitting in a rocking chair, her back to him. The walls were a dull grey instead of their usual colors, the windows dark.

Matthias thought he spied a shadowy figure in the corner, but when he looked again, it was gone.

“Anastazia, my love, you must return to me.”
In her mind, he knelt next to her, taking her hands in his.

Her eyes were sunken, bloodshot, devoid of life. “
I can’t. I killed him. I almost killed her. I’m a monster.”

“No, Anastazia, you’re not a monster. You’re my beautiful, sweet love. It will break my heart to lose you. I don’t want to go through that kind of loss twice in my life. We’ve had no time together. We should have centuries to love each other.”

She looked at him. “
You don’t understand.”

Even in her mind she worked Rafael’s ring on her hand.

“I do understand. Do you think Rafael would want you to let yourself die? He loved you, Taz. You know he did.”

She didn’t respond, worked the ring harder.

“He survived for many years after Cassandra died. He told you that. I survived after my wife died. You will, too. You can. You have to.”

“You two weren’t monsters. I shouldn’t live.”

“You are anything but a monster. You are my love, my only, my beautiful, sweet love.”

Robertson’s warnings chose that moment to haunt Matthias, that she would have him groveling on his knees. Tim had been correct, but wrong about the circumstances.

“I can’t risk hurting someone else, Matthias. I need to die.”

“I won’t let you die. I didn’t let you hurt her.”

“You almost couldn’t stop me.”

“But I did.”

“I can’t give you that responsibility.”

“I want it, Taz. Give it to me.”

On the bed, her body shuddered in his arms. He took that as a good sign.

“I want to take care of you, Taz. It’s my fault this happened. You weren’t ready, and it was my responsibility to teach you, to protect you, and I failed.”

On the bed he kissed her, gently, tasting, caressing her lips with his. In his mind he told her, “
You cannot die. I do not want to go through that again. All those centuries without love and now I have you. Please come back to me, and let me help you. Let me love you.”

He didn’t stop kissing her and eventually felt her respond a little.

“That’s it,” Matthias whispered, kissing her again. “Come back to me, please.”

Her eyes opened, but they were dull, flat, emotionless. She looked at him for a long moment then closed them again, trying to sink back into catatonia.

Matthias felt around in his pockets with one hand, found his pen knife, and opened it. If she was conscious, she would drink. She had to. He nicked the ends of his first and second fingers and squeezed. Small drops of blood oozed from the wounds. He dropped the knife to the table next to the bed.

Shifting position slightly, he pushed his fingers into her mouth, cradling her with his other arm. “You
have
to live for me. You cannot resist me. I cannot resist you.”

She tried pulling away, but she was too weak to struggle. She hadn’t eaten in nearly forty-eight hours, and with all the energy she expended, he was afraid she’d die if he didn’t do something soon.

Her tongue flicked at his fingers. She tasted then weakly sucked.

He kissed the top of her head. “I know you hurt. It’s okay. We’ll get through it together.”

As she weakly suckled, he tried to ignore how uncomfortably tight his jeans became. She was very weak. As fragile as she was, he was afraid to force her to drink more, wasn’t sure she’d take if it he did.

After twenty minutes she drifted into a deep sleep, his fingers still in her mouth. Her skin looked pinker. He risked searching her mind, saw she was stronger.

He didn’t remove his fingers, squeezing them occasionally to keep the blood moving. Every few minutes he stroked her cheek, and she involuntarily swallowed, like a baby. After a few hours he got up, feeling in her mind she was just deeply asleep and no longer catatonic.

Robertson stood as Matthias quietly closed the door behind him. He’d stationed himself in a chair just outside their bedroom door. “How is she?”

Matthias shook his head. “I wish I knew.”

Robertson watched her while Matthias ate dinner. Then Matthias returned to her, feeling a hundred years older over the past two days, and decided to take a bath to relax. He filled the large, deep spa tub with water and started to get in when he had a thought.

He went to Anastazia and looked in her mind. She was still sleeping but not as deeply. He took the knife into the bath and laid it on the edge of the tub then carefully undressed her and carried her into the bathroom, climbing into the tub with her, cradling her in his arms.

They floated in the warm, deep water. He took the knife and sliced into his fingers again, getting more blood.

With her resting against his chest he held her, murmuring her name over and over as he gently pushed his fingers into her mouth. This time she didn’t pull away, and he felt her latch on, stronger. He took one of her hands and placed it over his, encouraging her to hold on to him. Finally, she did.

He touched her mind, but she was still so frail he was afraid to push her. Over an hour later they were still there, but she was, at least, still feeding and responding.

When he felt her teeth on his fingers as the blood slowed, he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“Anastazia,” he commanded, “you
must
come back to me. Now.” Like that she was there, gasping, shuddering.

He turned her to face him and held her tightly against him as a low-pitched cry escaped her. Her eyes wide as the events flooded back, she took a deep shuddering breath and moaned in despair and shame.

“Oh, Matthias—”

“It’s okay. Let it out.”

She clutched him, wailing, her pain so deep he knew it felt, to her, like it had no bottom.

The bathroom door opened, and Robertson stuck his head in. Matthias shook his head, and Robertson disappeared, knowing Matthias was the only one who could help her now.

She cried herself hoarse, resting her head against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” she moaned. “How can you ever forgive me?”

“I forgive you because I love you. I just hope you can forgive me for not protecting you.”

She sobbed against his shoulder, and he knew she would eventually be okay, even if she didn’t think so. He reached over and ran more warm water, not letting go of her. After a while she quieted, her eyes open and staring at the ring on her hand.

“I couldn’t stop,” she whispered. “I wanted to kill Caroline. And then you almost…because of me.”

He kissed her forehead. “No. It’s not your fault.”

With the water supporting them, he gathered her to him, trailed kisses down her neck and over her breasts. His lips settled first on one breast, teasing her, eventually drawing content sighs from her, and then the other. She relaxed against him, her breath quickening.

“It’s not your fault,” he repeated, one hand sliding between her legs. He kissed her, his tongue exploring her lips and relief flooding his heart when she responded, moaning into his mouth while his fingers stroked her clit and pussy.

He rolled onto his back, pulling her to him. His cock easily slipped inside her. He held still, her legs wrapped around his waist, both of them weightless in the water. He kissed her, touching her mind again.

“I am yours, forever, Anastazia. I will never leave you unless you tell me to go.”

She kissed him back then rolled her hips against him, impaling herself even more deeply on his cock.

“Please take me, Matthias.”

He did. He grabbed her hips and fucked her, hard, fast, furiously, wanting to show her how much he loved her. Wanting to come deep inside her pussy, to become a part of her.

She met every thrust, her swollen clit rubbing against him and making her come first. He held back despite his aching cock and balls wanting to explode. He wanted more from her.

Taz came again, moaning his name as her head dropped to his shoulder.

“One more, love,” he whispered. “Give it to me.”

Her nails raked down his back, adding a delicious hint of pain to his building release.

Then he felt her climax again, her pussy squeezing him. “That’s it, baby.” He finally let go, and together they moaned, trembling, eventually falling still and sinking deeper into the water.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. “I’ve got you, love,” he whispered. “I promise, I’ll never let you go.”

* * * *

It took Matthias a couple of days to fully coax Taz out of her shell. She didn’t want to see anyone, not even Robertson. Matthias brought all her meals to her, held her, talked with her. Three days later, he woke to find her sitting by the bedroom window and staring out at the rose garden.

He went to her, kneeling at her feet and taking her hands. “Are you okay?”

She smiled, careworn and full of regret. “Not yet, but I think I will be. One day.”

“I’m sorry, Taz. I’m so sorry it happened like this.”

“I know, Matthias. I’m sorry, too.”

He kissed her right hand, where Rafe’s ring was warm against her skin. He knew she would never take it off, a constant reminder of her need to control who she was becoming. “Stay here.”

Matthias went to the dresser, took something out, and then returned and knelt beside her.

He held her left hand and slipped the ring on her finger. It was a gold band with diamonds and amethyst channel set and twined around a diamond solitaire. Around the band were tiny engraved symbols in a language she couldn’t read.

“I loved Rafe,” Matthias said with a playful smile, “but I admit I’m jealous his ring was on your hand before mine.”

She smiled, looking at it. “What does it say?”

“‘I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine.’”

“That’s beautiful.”

“Song of Solomon.” He smiled, and the symbolic irony wasn’t lost on her. Vampires quoting the Bible. “Will you marry me?”