Darkness Taunts (14 page)

“When was the last time someone touched you here, Melena?”

I tensed. How could he be asking this? “None of your business.”

“It’s been well over three years now. Perhaps closer to four. Why?”

 How did he always know so much about me? I dated enough no one else suspected my long dry spell. I grasped the hand between my thighs. His fingers were creating an ache with their smooth up and down motions pushing farther inside with each thrust. They felt better than anything I’d ever experienced before. “Don’t,” I whispered.

“Tell me why.” He was too strong. I couldn’t stop him from burrowing a third finger in deep. My legs didn’t bother to ask my permission before spreading to give him more access. Had I thought those tingles felt amazing in other places? It didn’t compare. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like if he replaced his fingers with the real thing.

“It doesn’t matter,” I managed to say.

His thumb rubbed the swollen nub on the outside. “You stopped sleeping with other men close to the time of a very specific event. It matters to me and I want to know why.”

Despite my mind losing itself to his touch, I knew what he meant. “The explosion,” I mumbled. “It left an ugly scar on my side. I didn’t want anyone to see it.”

“Bullshit, Melena,” he growled. “You’re a beautiful woman. No man would care about that scar—I sure as hell don’t. Now tell me the real reason.”

The tension was building. He knew how to work his fingers to drive a woman insane. It no longer mattered that more eyes than I cared to think about watched us. I clutched the seat and held on for dear life as the first wave got close. Just a little bit more.

He stopped and pulled away. I groaned.

“I won’t let you finish until you tell me,” he said.

I shook my head back and forth. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked.

“Answer the question.”

My body almost shook with need. If answering him would get me what I wanted, I’d deal with the consequences later.

“None of them compared,” I whispered.

He resumed working his fingers again, but kept them soft and teasing. Not enough to send me over. “None of them compared to what?”

I wanted to sob. His touch felt so good, but his words were forcing things from me I didn’t want to admit, especially to myself. “You protected me, Lucas. You took the force of that explosion onto yourself and kept it from killing me. Years of you saying how you wanted me dead, but that one day changed everything.”

“What does it have to do with your sex life?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

I whimpered when he stopped moving again.

“We have an agreement. Whatever is said or done here tonight, we won’t bring it up again if you don’t wish it. Now tell me.”

“I can’t.”

He kissed my shoulder gently. “Why?” 

I couldn’t help tilting my neck to give him better access. “Because it won’t change anything.”

“Let me be the judge of that.” Sharp teeth grazed my skin.

I drew a ragged breath. “Because of you, Lucas. I know it’s stupid, but I feel like I can face anything when I’m with you. No one else gives me that.”

He held me tighter. “I’m no hero, Melena.”

“You don’t think I don’t know that?” I squirmed in his lap. “You have no idea how much I hate you.”

“Oh, I know—more than you realize,” he said with a tinge of self-deprecation. “Thank you for answering my question.”

His hand moved back between my thighs and worked its magic in ways that had me writhing in his arms. The tingles became unending jolts of pleasure. They built higher and higher until the world around me disappeared. I stood at the edge and somehow knew if I jumped off I’d never be the same again.

“Let it go, Melena.”

I didn’t need any more encouragement. His words gave me the final push. Fangs sank into my neck. The brief pain heightened every other sensation. Unimaginable bliss overrode every thought as he slowly pulled blood from me. For reasons I couldn’t describe I wanted him to keep doing it, though the idea of it had always repulsed me before. It was Lucas, and somehow, that made it different. I wanted everything I could get from him. Needed to focus on that precise moment and forget everything else.

He gripped me tighter as he sucked harder. In a brief flash we were linked, mind and soul. I could feel how much he enjoyed doing all the things he did to me. It almost bordered on an obsession for him. As if he needed to bring me pleasure in order to redeem himself, though something told me he wasn’t aware of that—or willing to acknowledge it. I wanted to investigate that part of him further, but the height of my orgasm hit. Stars exploded behind my eyelids so that nothing but the pleasure of his touch remained.

I must have blacked out because when my awareness returned his arms were wrapped around my body holding me close.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Mmmm” was all I could get out.

He pressed a glass against my lips. “Drink.”

I took several sips before letting him take it away. How did I get so thirsty? Then I remembered. “You drank my blood.”

More memories came back. I twisted around in his arms trying to inspect his mouth. “You have fangs.”

His lips lifted, but none of his teeth looked out of the ordinary now. “Where do you think vampires get them from?”

He had the silencing spell up. “But you drank my blood. Won’t that weaken you?”

My senses were still too groggy to do a full check of him.

His fingers played against the skin of my arm. “I only took a few swallows. Not enough to do any real damage.”

“Why would you risk it, though?” His behavior tonight clashed with everything he’d said and done before. I was seeing an entirely different side of him.

He readjusted my body until I sat sideways in his lap.

“It was the only way I could feel what you were feeling,” he admitted. A little too much knowledge reflected in his eyes.

He must have picked up on some of my innermost thoughts as well. Things I didn’t want to admit to myself either. Something had happened between us. I felt closer to him in a way that went beyond anything I’d ever felt.

My fingers crept under his loosened shirt. I’d wanted to touch his chest since the other day when I’d gotten my first look at it. “You shouldn’t have been able to link us together like that.”

He sucked in his breath as I raked my nails down his rigid stomach.

“Never assume anything is impossible.”

That only sounded a little unnerving. I squirmed and realized he was still rock hard underneath me. He’d given me the greatest orgasm of my life and taken nothing in return. Despite my lingering issues with him, I couldn’t leave him hanging like that. Not after what he’d done for me. My hand reached for his belt. “You didn’t finish.”

Lucas stopped me. “Do you know what it means to give you pleasure in front of others and take nothing for myself?”

“No,” I said. I kept my focus on his fathomless eyes, not wanting to think about the “others” in the room. They’d seen enough to know what he’d done. That should have bothered me more than it did.

He leaned his head forward and kissed me so deeply I almost forgot what we were talking about. “It means I showed you my highest regard in front of everyone present.”

My brows knitted. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to, but others will get the message.”

I felt a vibration coming from his pocket. “Your cell phone is ringing.”

We adjusted our position so he could reach it. Once he pulled the phone out, I settled back into his arms knowing our time was almost up. No matter how I felt in this moment, it couldn’t last. We would always be at odds with each other. As he spoke into the phone I knew I was right. His body tensed the more he talked, even if nothing he said revealed the problem.

“We have to go,” he said after hanging up.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Dark emotions broiled under the surface of him and regret filled his eyes. He traced a finger along the side of my face. It lingered at my lips. I could tell he wanted to do more, but he held himself back.

“The demons attacked again.”

With every step toward Lucas’ car I built the barriers between us back up higher. I’d gotten more than I bargained for by giving in to my attraction to him—a whole lot more. The man was even more dangerous than I realized. He’d always been more than strong enough to kill me, but now I knew he had the power to destroy my heart and soul. I couldn’t let that happen.

To make matters worse, he’d used pleasure to get me to confess private things. Now that we weren’t touching each other, mortification set in. He’d meant his promise when he said he’d never bring it up, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t think about it. Lucas wouldn’t have asked questions like that without a reason.

I couldn’t look at him when he opened the passenger door for me. He shut it after I climbed in and got in on the other side. I pulled my overcoat tighter and stared out the side window.

“Melena, about tonight…” he said as he started the car.

“Don’t,” I said, still not looking at him. “We agreed not to talk about it ever again. You got what you wanted and so did I. It’s over.”

I could feel his eyes on me. Anger was building inside of him, but a thread of disappointment was there too. What had he expected?

“Very well, sensor.”

So we were back to being impersonal. Good, just the way I wanted it. He shifted the car into gear and drove it at warp speed through the streets. In what couldn’t have been more than a few minutes we arrived at a bar near the docks. Salty air hit my face when I got out—unassisted this time. Lucas came up and walked beside me, but we might as well have been on opposite sides of the parking lot.

I sensed werewolves inside the place, along with Micah and Aeson. Everyone looked up when we entered. A big guy who had to be one of the strongest werewolves I’d run across, aside from Derrick, sat at the bar dabbing at some blood from what must have been a broken nose. It was already healing.

Everyone else had gathered next to a stage on the other side of the room. All the usual instruments were up there, but they sat abandoned. Aeson held the center of attention while he spoke with all the patrons. Micah stepped away from the group and met me and Lucas halfway.

His eyes widened on me. The shock coming from him said he knew we’d been up to something. I’d done my best to get myself together before leaving the club. What Lucas and I had done shouldn’t have been that obvious. My coat covered the bite mark and nephilim didn’t have an enhanced sense of smell to worry about. Yet he stared at me in a manner that said something gave me away.

He rounded on his brother. “What did you do?”

Lucas leaned toward me and whispered in my ear. “Didn’t you mention you needed to visit the ladies room? Now would be a good time.”

I crossed my arms. He knew damn well I’d already made a quick trip before we left the club. “Nope, I’m good. I’d love to hear your answer to Micah’s question, though.”

He glanced at his brother. “One moment.” He turned and grabbed my shoulders and directed me toward a hallway with a clearly labeled sign for the restrooms. “You can go on your own or I can escort you. I promise if I take you I will finish what we started earlier.”

Damn him. He was already threatening to break his promise.

“Fine.” I stepped away from him. “There is an awful scent I really need to go get washed off anyway.” All the werewolves turned toward me, flaring their nostrils more than normal. I had no doubt they could smell everything.

Lucas’ eyes flashed. Yeah, I knew I’d just insulted him in front of a room of people, but he’d asked for it.

“Go, now,” he growled out.

I took my time in the bathroom. My previous trip had been too quick to give myself a thorough washing. It took almost a half of a roll of paper towels, but I scrubbed every inch of my body using soap and water in an effort to get rid of Lucas’ scent.

One look at my dress and I knew I couldn’t put it back on. It had his smell all over it and would always be a reminder of what we’d done. The only way to keep my resolve against him was to get rid of it. I grabbed the dress and held it over the trash can. My fingers clenched into the fabric. It had cost me a lot and looked good. Someday it might not hold memories of Lucas.

No. I shook my head. It had to go. I dropped it inside and dumped all the used paper towels over it. Time to get my shit together and act like the strong, independent woman I knew myself to be. No sup would dictate how I ran my life.

After putting my overcoat back on and cinching it tight, I returned to the main room. Everyone still stood around talking, but they didn’t any attention to me this time. I walked up to the main group and cleared my throat. Time to assert my own dominance into this testosterone filled place.

“How about someone explains to me what happened,” I said loudly.

Every pair of eyes darted from me to Lucas. I held my hand up. “No, this is not medieval times. We aren’t playing this game from the old days where women are seen but not heard. I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself and don’t need anyone’s permission.”

I eyed the alpha male who’d moved from the bar to join the group. “You, tell me what happened,” I ordered.

The look on his face turned indignant. “Who are you to tell me…”

“Do as she says, Bryan,” Lucas interrupted.

I held back a sigh. Just once I wanted to do something without him having to step in. Lucas must have enjoyed throwing his power around.

The alpha rolled his shoulders. He gave me a stare that would make most people drop their gaze. That crap didn’t work on me. After a long minute he sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” I suggested.

He glanced at Lucas again before speaking. “Two men and a woman came into the bar together. At first we figured them for humans. They seemed fine for about half an hour, but then one of the men tried to grab Jake’s woman.”

The female werewolves were gathered on the other side of the group, but Jake’s woman must have been among them. “Okay, so what happened next?”