ETHAN’S MATE (Book One: The Vampire Coalition) (5 page)

He ripped his mouth from hers and began tonguing her
breasts. His mouth both bit and soothed, arousing her almost to
climax. His tongue licked every inch of her breasts as though he
didn’t want any part of her skin untouched, no area unclaimed.

His hands moved down the curves of her body until
they reached her hips. He reached out and ripped her panties down
the front, throwing them to the floor. His fingers invaded her
moist heat aggressively, and she moaned at his invasion, loving the
feel of his strong fingers running over her clit.

“You’re so wet. For me. Mine. Tell me it’s for me,”
he demanded in a graveled voice.

Brianna gazed at him, adoring his fierce look of
passion and desire. He was a ferocious, breathtaking man in spite
of all of his darkness and intensity.
Or maybe because of
it.
Her vampire. Her eternal mate.

“Yes, Ethan. Only for you,” she whispered, soothing
her savage beast.

Brianna whimpered as he buried his head between her
thighs. He was conquering and he proceeded in a “take no prisoners”
attack. His tongue invaded her wet folds in one long slide,
destroying her control. She bit back a moan as his tongue spiraled
around her clit. The bud was swollen and needy, begging for his
caress.

She arched her back, reaching for his mouth with her
hips. She needed his total possession, needed his tongue sending
her over the edge.

Brianna was consumed in erotic pleasure, mindless of
anything but Ethan. “Please, Ethan. Please,” she pleaded as her
hips rotated wildly, seeking the heat of his tongue.

When his fiery tongue landed on her begging nub, she
moaned. He laved and nipped until she was wild and lost, helpless
to do anything but let herself feel. He played her body like a
master musician, knowing exactly how to touch. How hard… how fast…
how long.

Brianna felt her climax approaching with a shudder.
It started deep in her belly and scorched her to her toes. She came
with a loud cry that burst from her lungs involuntarily. It was a
screech that extended into a moan as Ethan lapped at her, extending
the wild pleasure. He licked the cream that erupted from her in
frenzied abandon, as if it were his favorite dessert.

As Ethan slid up her body sensually, Brianna gasped.
Ethan’s body felt like it was on fire. He covered her, his skin
blazing and his eyes fierce. Those fiery eyes raked her as he
buried his head in her neck with a groan. She thought he was going
to bite her… but he didn’t.

She could feel Ethan panting, his breath hot, hitting
her neck sporadically as he gulped for air. “I love you,” he choked
out between his staccato breaths. “I love you so damn much I can’t
bear it.”

Brianna froze, stunned by his revelation. Her heart
was pounding so hard that she was breathless. He loved her. “Oh
Ethan, I love you, too. With all of my heart” She melted as she
felt him trembling against her. “Take me, Ethan.” He needed and she
wanted nothing more than to provide. “Please.”

He trailed his lips from her neck to her mouth,
kissing her with a ferocity that would be terrifying if she had any
reason to fear him. But she wasn’t afraid. She met his embrace,
their passionate movements clashing against each other and merging,
intensifying their desire.

His hot mouth left her defenseless, unable to think
of anything except her need for him. As he broke for air she
pleaded, “Fuck me, Ethan. I need you. I need you inside me.”

She could feel his member, hot, heavy and hard,
against her thigh. She squirmed, desperate for him to join them
together.

Ethan took her mouth again while he slid his hand
down to grasp his swollen cock. He brought the head between her
legs, sliding his engorged flesh against her liquid heat.

He was large, but she was ready. There wasn’t
anything he had that she wasn’t ready to accept. She removed her
mouth from Ethan’s, her breath leaving her body as he slid into her
burning channel, his member gripped tightly by her inner walls. She
felt herself stretch to accept him, lifting her hips to take him
completely inside her. The feel of him was extraordinary. Her
muscles clenched and relaxed on his cock, getting used to the feel
of the large phallus. They moaned together as he became completely
imbedded.

“You’re so tight. Have to fuck you. Make you mine,”
Ethan rasped as he began to move.

“I’m yours, Ethan. All yours” She breathed the words,
knowing it eased him.

Brianna’s body seized as he began to stroke; long,
hard thrusts that seemed to burn her to her core.

“Need you, Brianna.” His voice broke as he knelt,
pulling her legs up to his shoulders and grasping her hips
hard.

“Yes, Ethan, Yes!” She knew she was screaming now…
but she didn’t care. His increasingly hard and fast pumping was
making her crazy and she had to climax, taking Ethan along with
her. They needed to find release before they incinerated
together.

Finding that release was their driving force as they
strained together, her hips moving to meet his pummeling cock. His
strength was incredible, but he was a vampire and Brianna had
ingested his blood. It made her strong enough to take his rough
passion.
Strong enough to wallow happily in it.

Ethan threw his head back, releasing a sound
somewhere between a snarl and a grunt. Her leg was on his shoulder
and he turned his head and buried his fangs into her thigh. He
suckled hard against her skin as he pounded his cock into her
aching channel.

His erotic bite made her fly apart. Brianna’s climax
erupted with a power and intensity that rocked her body. She came
in a wild wave that had her crashing in a turbulent sea of erotic
bliss.

Her spasms grasped Ethan’s cock and caressed it with
a forceful grip-and- release. Over and over. Again and again. She
felt him release his teeth from her thigh to heave and plunge deep
inside of her. He released a deep, reverberating sound as he came,
his cock exploding in rhythmic contractions. His hot release
flooded deep inside her as he let out a tortured and relieved
groan.

Brianna felt her hands being released as he pulled
her tightly into his waiting embrace. They panted together, trying
to recover their senses.

He urged her mouth toward his chest where he had
opened a vein for her to drink. She took the nourishment along with
Ethan’s essence, ignoring the sexual rush. She couldn’t take any
more of that right at the moment. She fed, just enjoying the
intimacy. When she had finished, he reached up a hand and stopped
the bleeding with a swipe of his finger.

She wasn’t sure how long they laid like that, lost in
post-climactic bliss.

She lifted her head off of Ethan’s shoulder to look
at him. God… he was an incredible man. His looks took her breath
away. He was physically perfect, but she knew that the thing that
struck her right in the heart was the man himself. The way he
looked at her made her heart sing. His smile made her heart sing
and dance like a Broadway musical. He hadn’t said a word but he was
grinning at her.

Brianna pulled his head to hers, capturing the smile
with her mouth just because she couldn’t resist. Ethan was an
unholy temptation, especially when he smiled.

Brianna sighed into the long, leisurely kiss. She
hadn’t seen Ethan smile much because of the mating instinct, but
the man had a wicked sense of humor that popped up on occasion. She
could only imagine what he would be like after the mating. He would
settle down and lose some of the insanity once his soul had been
transferred to him and found its resting place.

Okay… half of her soul and half of his that would
become his permanent soul. The vampire mating thing brought a whole
new meaning to the term “soulmate.”

Her mouth left Ethan’s reluctantly and she rested her
head on his shoulder. She longed to give Ethan his soul and end his
torment. She didn’t fear the mating ceremony. If it would bring
Ethan peace, she embraced it.

Soon. I’ll make sure it happens soon.

Her eyes fluttered closed. She let herself fall into
sleep, knowing she would always be safe in Ethan’s arms.

Chapter 7

The following day, Ethan found himself in the male
preparation room for the mating ceremony, which would take place
that night.

The vampire headquarters was a centuries-old castle
in Europe. It was beautifully restored, opulent and luxurious, with
all of the modern conveniences. Vampires might get old, but they
loved every fancy new technology that came along. They probably
appreciated advances all the more because they were so old. Ethan
was old enough to remember what the sanitation and living
conditions had been like in the sixteenth century. He shuddered.
Maybe he’d rather not remember it and just be grateful that he was
now living in the twenty first century.

He had transported himself and Brianna here to the
headquarters in Europe from the U.S. soon after having dinner with
her mom last night, arriving just before sunrise because of the
time difference. He had fallen into his day sleep, and he hadn’t
seen his mate since then. The ritual for human mates was much more
complicated than for the vampire male. She would be involved with
the preparation until the ceremony began.

He was currently biding his time with his three
brothers and Adare, whose wife, Kristin, having just gone through
this experience a few months ago, had opted to be one of the three
women who attended Brianna.

“Shit! Will this agony ever end?” Ethan whispered to
himself as his need to see Brianna ripped through him. His need to
possess her was getting excruciatingly painful and he couldn’t
stand to be without her even for a few hours.

Adare chuckled. “Soon, Ethan. Believe me… it gets
better.”

At the moment, Adare’s blissful happiness was
incredibly annoying. Ethan’s insides were so torn up that he
couldn’t imagine being as relaxed and contented as Adare seemed to
be. However, he did remember Adare’s courtship and pain when he was
suffering through the mating instincts. He wished he had been more
sympathetic.

“And the possessiveness, the insanity… do they really
go away?” Ethan asked him, agony showing in his eyes.

Adare shrugged. “It does. It won’t be as painful
afterwards. Separation will always hurt. The yearning never stops.
The possessiveness and a driving need to protect will always
remain. But the need to dominate does lighten up quite a bit.” He
gave Ethan an evil grin. “You’ll even let her be on top and in
control on occasion. And find it very enjoyable.”

“What? It isn’t enjoyable now?” Rory asked with
curiosity.

Ethan rolled his eyes and exchanged a knowing look
with Adare.

Adare laughed and commented, “He’s clueless.”

“Are you sure I won’t hurt her?” Ethan’s anxiety was
getting the better of him. He was the oldest vampire ever to go
through the mating ceremony and nothing was certain. Fuck! He hated
the unknown, especially when it came to the well-being of his
mate.

“I can guarantee she will be sore when she wakes, but
you won’t hurt her, Ethan. You’re mates. You’re connected. Kristin
told me that my needs were also her needs. She felt some of what I
felt. It will be okay.” Adare tried to reassure Ethan, giving him a
slap on the back.

Ethan wasn’t completely reassured. “But I’m older.
Damn it! I don’t want to be uncontrolled. And I don’t want this
witnessed. I don’t want anyone seeing my mate except me.”

Adare sighed. “You won’t care once that time comes.
You will be out of your mind to possess her. You’ll actually like
having people watch you making her yours. It’s hard to explain but
it’s like staking your claim. Warning everyone away”

Ethan sighed. The waiting was the worst. Time seemed
to creep by, each minute seeming like hours. “I just want her to be
mine.”

Rory looked at Ethan with a perplexed expression.
“She is yours. She’s your mate.”

Adare and Ethan exchanged another look. Rory truly
was clueless. All of his brothers were. It had been way too long
since they had experienced any physical desire, and none of them
would understand until they mated. If they mated.

If there is any fairness in this world… they will
find their mates.
Then Ethan could torment them as they had
tormented him. Although they weren’t torturing him at the moment,
they had made sure they added fuel to the fire whenever possible.
He was pretty sure they realized if they started anything today it
would be like pulling a tiger by the tail. He was edgy and even his
brothers weren’t willing to tangle with him at the moment.

“How was the dinner with her mom?” Adare asked,
trying to distract Ethan.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Brianna insisted on taking my
brothers along. They ate like it was an Olympic competitive event.
I’m not sure who won, but the table didn’t have a scrap of food
left.”

“Hey… she liked us. She said she loved feeding men
with healthy appetites,” Nathan protested. “She was charmed. How
could she not be?”
Ego is never a problem with Nathan. His is as
big as the solar system.
But it was true that his brothers
had
been charming and Brianna’s mother had nothing but nice
things to say about his brothers.

Ethan turned to address Adare. “She’s a very nice
woman. She put up with the four of us.”

Liam commented quietly. “Ethan’s rich, charming and
handsome. What’s not to like?”

Ethan scowled. “Maybe, the fact that I’m a vampire
and about to make her daughter my eternal mate. I’m not quite sure
how she would feel about that little fact.”

“I take it she wasn’t invited to the witness
ceremony.” Nathan raised a brow, throwing Ethan a wicked grin.

Ethan showed him his middle finger. Nathan knew
Brianna’s mom didn’t know. They were planning a human wedding
ceremony and they would be married in the human tradition.