Lust Immortal (Immortal Series Book 1) (5 page)

William must
have felt the same. His fingers probed into her warmth, rubbing at the wetness
between her lips with a tender care she didn’t think him capable of at the
moment. One finger slid inside, then two, then three, and he pushed them in and
out with an almost painful care.

Isabel
moaned, pressing her hip onto his hand in an effort for him to move faster.

“You’re ripe
tonight, aren’t you, my love,” he whispered and pressed his hips between her
spread thighs.

“Yes.
Please, William. I beg of you.” She wanted to say more. To beg him to run away
with her- beg him not to marry Abigail, but she knew it was useless. He had to
do it in order to stay alive. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she
gripped into him, brought him close to her and held on as if he might slip away
at any moment.

He shoved
into her with a sudden thrust that brought a gasp of delight from her throat.
His mouth closed over her breasts as he throbbed inside, pushing his hardened
manhood into her heat with a force he’d never used before. Her fingers dug into
the skin on his back and she moaned as loudly as she cared to, each plunge
bringing stars laced with passion before her eyes.

William’s
teeth bit both breasts, but hardly drew a drip of blood, as if he just enjoyed
entering her flesh. Even when his fangs found her neck, he only took a sip
before he slammed into her again and again, the pool of their pleasure growing
with each well timed trust. Leaning back, he picked her up and took her onto
his lap. She wrapped her legs behind him, and moved her hips in time with his
as they worshiped each other’s bodies with lips and hands, each touch and kiss
an excitement for the senses.

“I love
you,” he whispered into her ear, placing his hand over the back of her head and
cradling it.

“I love you
too,” she said between gasps of breath, the pleasure overflowing.

He moaned
with her, his seed leaking into her warmth as she pulsed around him. The sweat
cooled on her skin in the early morning air, and she rested her trembling hands
on his back, pressing her forehead to his. He rubbed her back, his own
breathing ragged as his member slacked inside of her.

They sat
together like that until the first light of morning shone behind the heavy
velvet curtains. Pulling out, William opened the covers and pulled her beside
him. Isabel pressed her warmth into his coolness, enjoying the feeling of him
seeping between her thighs. At least he knew how much she loved him. She only
hoped he understood why she had to leave.

Before the
sunset, Isabel rose and took a quick bath. As she washed William’s scent from
her body, she wept a fresh set of tears, then pushed them away as she dressed.
This was the only way for them to be happy. If she stayed, they’d only be
miserable. Plus, the life of their child depended on it. She had no doubt if
the council knew about it they would kill her or the baby.

She packed
the few things she owned, and joined Charles and John in the yard.

Tabby stood
looking tired with a basket of food over her arm. “You’ll need this,” she said.
“It’s a long ride to Boston.”

Isabel
nodded without asking why they’d be traveling to Boston, and climbed onto a
horse behind John.

As they set
off into the night, she glanced back at the house, hoping William would run out
and stop her, call of his wedding and marry her on the spot. But the house
stayed dark and quiet as stars slowly lit up the sky.

Chapter
Four

William knew
something was amiss as soon as he woke. Isabel never got up without waking him.
Then he found the note on his dresser scrawled in Charles’ spindly writing. It
read:

“I’ve taken
Isabel west. She carries your baby, dear brother. Who will you choose? The
council or the woman you profess to love?”

William read
it three times. Charles had whisked Isabel out of harm’s way. He should be
grateful. Ever since his meeting the day before with Mr. and Mrs. Moorish he’d
feared for her safety if she remained. Now he had nothing to worry about. He’d
explain Charles absence and keep the council content while he wallowed in
misery for the rest of eternity with the pretty Ms. Perch.

No. He
couldn’t do it. Ever since the announcement he’d tried to think of a way out of
the marriage without upsetting the council, but he now understood there wasn’t
one. Charles had seen what he hadn’t and taken the initiative, the cunning
bastard! William had to choose between the council’s wrath and his love for
Isabel. And in her belly grew their child. She’d have to raise a dhampire on
her own- their child would never know its father if William was a coward and
stayed behind. He’d chosen to touch her, to love her, now he had to do what was
right to keep her.

He lit a
candle and burned the note to ash before he dressed and hurried out of his
room. Tabitha was lighting fires around the house when William found her.

“How long
ago did Charles leave?”

“About an
hour or two. He’s headed to Boston with John and Isabel for a wedding gift.”

William
nodded. That meant they’d have a good head start. “Listen to me, Tabitha. Pack
up your things and be on your way. You’re dismissed.”

The blonde
woman looked close to tears as she stood up. “I beg your pardon, Master, but
what have I done wrong?”

“Nothing!
You’ve been a wonderful servant, but I no longer need your services. I’ll give
you a severance and a good reference. You can find new work in no time, I’m
sure. But you’ll have to leave Philadelphia at once. Do you understand me?”

Tabitha
nodded, her eyes wide. “I won’t ask what’s wrong, Master William. But I want to
know if I’ll be safe.”

“Yes. The
council won’t go after a servant I set loose. Pack your things, and I’ll get
the money and a letter.”

Tabitha
hurried out of the room, and William went back to his own. He threw his
sturdiest clothes into a pack, leaving behind the silk britches and waistcoats-
the badge of opulence he’d carried for years. He counted out twenty pieces of
eight for Tabitha and wrote a very flattering letter for her service.

Tabitha
waited for him in the kitchen, the look of worry evident on her face when he
walked in.

He handed
her the money and the letter. “Wait until the fires burn out before you leave.
Catch the first cart heading in whatever direction you desire and you should
have no problems. I’m only sorry John didn’t stay to travel with you.”

“I’ll be
fine, Master William. I’ve got a few friends who could do for a change in
scenery.”

William
nodded and saddled his horse. Of course, Charles had taken the mare and gelding
as they made a better traveling pair. He must have left the stallion on
purpose. It would give William the boost he needed to catch up to them.

He waved at
Tabitha as he rode out of the yard and down the dirt street. At this time of
night the only ones about were vampires and other foul creatures, plus the few
unlucky drunks who stayed at the tavern too late. He decided to walk the horse
out of the city to avoid suspicion from any on looking vampires that caught a
glimpse of him. He rode past opulent mansion after mansion, all the windows
aglow for the vampires who resided inside. Just as he neared the road to turn
off into farmland, he heard a familiar voice call his name.

“William?
What are you doing out here?”

William
pulled his horse to a halt and glanced down at Mr. Moorish. If the man weren’t
the head of the Vampire Council William would have ripped his heart out then
and there for the delay. “An errand, I’m afraid.”

“Very well.
Someone spotted Charles headed that direction earlier tonight.”

William
smiled, hoping it didn’t look as forced as it felt. “Yes. I’m actually meeting
him. We are working out the servant situation with one of the farms in the
valley. Shouldn’t take long.”

“Good. He’ll
need more servants if he wants to entertain.”

“Of course,”
William said and squeezed the horses’ reins. He rode away without looking back
at the ancient vampire, but his back prickled like someone spied on him.

Once out of
town, he urged the stallion into a gallop. Isabel’s scent was lost among that
of trees and dirt and the blood of forest animals and livestock, but he knew he
should be on them soon enough. As he rode he silently chastised himself for the
situation. It was his fault Isabel ran away. He’d done nothing to get out of
the arrangement and left her with no choice! How could he blame her for the
chance at a new life? If she’d had a man she was to marry, what would he do?
Stand by and watch her? No. It would be too painful.

It took
several hours to ride through the valley of farmland and out into the true
depths of the forest. By then the road was little more than a rutted track and
his horse was forced to walk else it might come up lame. The sky was lightening
ever so slightly, and William knew he had to find shelter before the brightness
of day left him as helpless as a newborn child. It wasn’t that vampires
couldn’t stand the sunlight, but it drained most of their powers away- their
strength and their speed were diminished to almost nothing. It also had a soporific
effect that made it difficult to stay awake. Some ancient vampires could handle
walking about during the day, but William was too young to risk it.

As he picked
his way down the path, he smelled the strong stink of wolf behind him. No doubt
they were shape changers- one of the only creatures with enough strength to
take down a lone vampire. He hoped none attacked Charles and Isabel. What had
that fool been thinking taking her out into the wild like that?

The beasts
kept their distance, and William pretended he hadn’t noticed them and journeyed
forward. He’d need to find Charles before the sun rose or the wolves would tear
him apart in his sleep!

Dawn
lightened the sky by the time Isabel’s scent overtook William. He urged the
horse into the woods and came upon a small hut made of timber. The mare and
gelding were tied to a tree by a little creek and both looked as weary as his
stallion.

Climbing
off, he led his horse to the water and secured it before running to the door.
It swung open as he reached for the handle, and Isabel stared at him- a leather
canteen hanging limp in her hands.

“William?”
she said as if she were seeing a ghost.

“Yes. A
million times yes,” he said and took her in his arms. He felt as if he hadn’t
seen her in a year when it had really been less than a day. She gripped onto
him like she had the night before, burying her face in his neck.

Charles and
John stepped out. The stable hand looked shocked, but Charles merely smiled at
him.

“However did
you find us so quickly, dear brother?”

“You know
how,” William said and smiled back.

After a moment,
Isabel slipped out of his arms and walked down to the stream to fill the
canteen and John followed her, removing the saddlebags from the horses.

Good. He
needed to speak with Charles in private. “They followed me here. We need to get
rid of them before the sun comes up lest we’ll be helpless.”

Charles
frowned and looked into the shadows of the woods. “Perhaps they’ll go now that
I’ve joined you.”

William
stared at him. “You know these beasts will not back down once they spot a meal.
I’m not putting Isabel’s life in danger on a whim!” he snarled.

The snap of
a branch drew William’s attention to the horses. He moved, but not before the
wolf, twice the size of a normal beast, leapt from the bushes and launched
straight at Isabel’s crouched form. He watched as her head moved toward the
sound and caught sight of the animal, jaws opened wide, lounging for her.

A moment
later, Isabel was sprawled on the ground, her dress wet and muddy, with John on
top. The wolf clung to his arm. Without thought, William jumped forward, pulled
the creature off John and threw it against a tree. It made a satisfying snap of
bones, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough to kill it.

The horses
neighed, pulling at their tethers, but William only had eyes for the wolf that
tried to attack Isabel. “You will pay for what you did,” he whispered as the
animal got to its feet.

The sky was
lighter now, the last stars fading in the predawn blue.

“Stop this!”
Charles cried.

William paid
no attention. All he saw were the beast’s glowing yellow eyes and the sharp
teeth. The scent of John’s blood filled his nose, reminding William he had yet
to eat that day.

Suddenly,
claws dug into his back, ripping through his shirt to the flesh beneath.
William leaned forward and flipped the animal off him- this one was smaller and
slighter, probably an omega. He sunk his teeth into its neck and sucked the
blood through an unpleasant mouthful of fur.

Hands
gripped his shoulders and pulled him back, ripping his fangs from the wolf in
front of him. The animal limped away, its tail between its legs as it crouched
next to the larger animal.

“What the
hell are you doing, Charles?” William said, the warmth of the blood dripping
down his chin. His whole body shook and the only thing he wanted was to kill
the wolves that almost stole his future from him.

“Let them
go,” Charles said calmly, his hands digging into William’s shoulders. “We’re
safe now. They won’t come after us again.”

As if they
understood him, both wolves disappeared into the brush just as the first rays
of sunlight lit up the sky.

William
wiped his chin and willed himself to calm down. Glancing at the stream, he saw
Isabel was safe. She rinsed off John’s arm as if a wolf hadn’t just tried to
eat her. Then she wrapped a cloth around it, and John winced.

“What are we
going to do with him? You know what’s going to happen,” William whispered to
his brother. In the depth of his heart he thanked John for jumping in the way-
if he hadn’t the same fate might have befallen Isabel.

“I’ll take
him somewhere. Don’t worry,” Charles said and picked up the saddlebags John had
dropped. “Let’s get inside.”

Isabel
didn’t say much as they filed in, though her eyes looked weary as she climbed
next to William on the dirty straw pallet. It was nothing compared to the comfort
of his feather mattress and silk quilt- but Isabel was worth more than any
material possession he could imagine.

“You came
for me,” she whispered into his hair.

“Of course.
I’m never going to let you go again. I promise,” he said and kissed her passionately
before they both fell to sleep.

When they
woke the next evening, John had the telltale signs of fever. Without so much as
a word, Charles helped him outside and onto the mare.

“Are you
taking him to a doctor?” Isabel asked, concern rich in her voice as she packed
their saddlebags.

“Something
like that,” Charles said and climbed onto the gelding. “Until we meet again,”
he said and road away.

Isabel’s
eyes filled with worry, but William kissed her head and helped her on the
stallion. “We need to keep moving, my love,” he said and climbed behind her.

They came
upon a fort a few days later and the men there offered them a room just as dawn
broke over the low mountains. Isabel had been quiet through most of their
journey, and William didn’t know what to make of it. She was happy he’d
followed her, wasn’t she?

When he
awoke the next evening, Isabel stood naked in the room, a cloth in her hand as
she washed off dirt and sweat from her skin in a small basin of water. Her hair
was piled on top of her head, and the bulge in her belly had started to show,
just slightly when she turned to the side.

Blood rushed
between William’s legs as he watched her rub the cloth over her breasts and
stomach, hardening his manhood. “I want to marry you, Isabel.”

She looked up
at him, the dim light of the candle sent shadows crawling across her face.
“When we reach Baton Rouge?”

He nodded.
They’d chosen the town in the Louisiana territory because it was too small to
house a vampire council.

She picked
up a small towel and wiped the dampness from her skin before crawling onto the
bed. William reached up and pulled at the pin holding her hair in place and
smiled as the waves of chestnut fell over her shoulders. It had only been a few
days since they’d last made love, but it felt an eternity.

“If we’re to
be married, I want to be a vampire like you, William,” she said and ran a
slender finger down his cheek.