Poisonous Pleasure (29 page)

“You wouldn’t dare.” The resistance in his eyes left her no choice. There was no way she could let Dominic stay behind. If something happened and she ever needed to bring them all back again, he’d be lost.

Pulling Samael’s head back, she wrapped herself around him while he tried to pull her off. She jerked his hair and locked her mouth to his. With the pressure she felt, she knew it was Dom’s soul. Unlike Ambrose’s quick easy transaction, her mate’s made tears come to her eyes. She could literally feel her soul ripping his away from Samael. What she didn’t expect was to take the other demon’s soul, too. Fire engorged her insides until she felt sure the heat had reached a boiling point. The light nearly blinded her.

Their mouths broke apart and they gasped heavily. Slowly, Marcianna eased herself off of him. “If you ever deny me again, there
will
be a punishment. Is that understood?”

Samael’s eyes clouded with tears. “You really did it now. Fuck, Marcianna. You weren’t supposed to be able to do that. His, okay, but mine?”

His words hit her hard making reality dawn on her. Marcella broke through her other self feeling somewhat dazed. “I knew you had intense feeling for me, but love?” The words flowed out before she could stop them.

“I’ve always loved you. I think I already told you that. We used to be good friends.”

“Wait, you took both of their souls?” Jason walked up staring back and forth amazed. “How fucking awesome is that? Welcome to the family, Samael. Hell yeah! Can you imagine what kind of warrior a master demon will make?”

Samael raised his hand. “Jason, pipe down the enthusiasm until I can figure out how I’m going to pull this off. I’m over there, more than here. Do you know what will happen if I’m discovered? Collectors are extinct for a reason. If it was known that my soul was being harbored by one it would be considered betrayal, punished immediately in the worst ways imaginable. It’s eternal, not something I can work my way up from.”

“You know I’d never let that happen, Samael. Especially now. You may be my protector, but ultimately, I’m yours.”

Marcella was confused from expression. She was his ultimate protector, wasn’t she? From the look on his face, she wasn’t so sure. She hated not knowing the secrets he held. It was something she’d have to think about later. Turning to her other half, she motioned him forward.

“Jason, come to me.”

The smile radiating off his face was contagious. He’d always been able to do that. Just when she thought she’d lose her mind from something, he’d swoop in and make her forget.

“Let’s do this, babe.” He kneeled before her, growing serious.

“Collector, you are part of me, all of me. I had you once, and I ask to claim you again. Do you give your word to protect, honor, cherish, and love me, for the rest of your days?”

“You forgot the part where I pleasure you, but yes, yes I will.”

Marcella laughed and rolled her eyes. Noticing her wound already healed, she recut her arm. “With this blood, I will honor, cherish, and protect you forever, no matter what. You’re my other half. My everything. We shall never be separated again. I’ll always bring you back with me, as I will with all of you.”

He followed suit, not even looking down at the blood flowing from his arm. “And I bleed for you, my queen. Everything from this moment forth, I do for you. I’ll serve you for eternity. Nothing will ever force its way between us. I give you my soul freely, and everything else your heart shall ever desire.”

Lowering herself, Marcella met his waiting lips. Jason’s soul freely came into her body. Light exploded into the room and her collector jerked awkwardly inside of her as the power grew.

“And now, we are all one.” Marcella whispered the words against his lips while he shivered. Heat poured from his skin and she could almost feel his love for her radiating from his pores. Turning slowly, she smiled. “This is the way it should be, I can feel it. Now, as for Donavon, we start the search first thing in the morning.

“Samael, you said that you’re over there, more than here. Is there any way I can convince you to live in the fortress with us?”

Blue eyes grew big as he looked at her. “You want me to stay here with you?”

“Why, of course. I know we have a connection. We were close. I would like that again. Please, don’t hold the fact that I took your soul against me. I feel better knowing that you’re even closer to me now.”

“I don’t hold it against you, but you do understand that if this time you don’t succeed, there’s no one to bring you all back, right? If you die and they lock me away, no one will ever be reborn. The only thing I can come up with is that you must somehow be confident in your future plans or else you wouldn’t have condemned us all.”

Marcella took in his words feeling butterflies swamp her stomach. “Samael, I don’t know what Marcianna has planned. She comes and goes, as you can see. I can’t control her if she decides to take over.”

“She doesn’t exist, Marcella. She is you. You’re the one doing this. Don’t separate the two of you. It’s only going to make things harder to accept. Now, I should go. I’ll think about your offer on living here.”

“Take care.” She pushed his words away and kissed his cheek. The depth of his emotions brushed against her skin, but she ignored his worry. He vanished before Marcella’s eyes, before she could thank him.

Turning around, she faced her men. In the reflection of candlelight their beauty almost took her breath away. Could this really be happening? It felt like just yesterday she’d been talking to Jason about the baseball draft. Now, he looked like he’d aged from twenty-one to twenty-four. Before, he’d been well built, but she could swear his arms were now almost twice as thick. No wonder he told his mother he was going out of town again, but this time with Dom. The moment she saw him, she was going to freak out.

Thoughts raced through her mind and she knew it was Marcianna going over everything. No matter what Samael said, she couldn’t think of them as the same person. How could she when she could feel the different presence inside of her? They weren’t one, not really. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, she walked forward until she approached them.

“You’re exhausted.” Dominic’s hand cupped her cheek, making her meet his eyes.

“It’s irrelevant. We’re going to celebrate. Tonight is a night I don’t ever want to forget. I think we should go out. What you do all think? Do you want to go somewhere and have some fun?”

Marcella dressed herself in a white and red silk dress. It looked much like the one she’d worn before, just a different color. It felt like home, which put her at ease.

Looking up, she noticed they tensed around her. The silence set off internal alarms. “Answer me. Do you all want to go out or not? If you don’t, that’s fine. I just thought maybe you all needed a change of environment, an abundance of people. Don’t you want to have fun instead of being held up here?”

“Just the thought of having you around that many people nearly makes me sick,” Jason said, holding his stomach.

Ambrose nodded. “I agree. We’d constantly be on guard. I vote we stay here.”

She looked at Ambrose, then to Jason, and back to Dominic, who remained quiet. “Things changed, didn’t they?”

Dominic nodded his head, yes.

“So, you’re saying… if I thought you all were protective before, basically, it’s nothing compared to now, right?”

“Exactly,” Dominic whispered.

“But I wanted you all to have fun. I wanted to see everyone laugh and have a good time. How am I going to do that now?”

“Just being with you makes us happy,” Jason said.

“It’s not the same and you know it. Somehow I’m going to figure out a way for us to go places and have a good time without you all having to worry.”

“Until you do, let’s get some rest. I’m eager to find Donavon. And tomorrow will be a long day. I’ll take my regular room and Jason can take his, we’ll keep an ear out for anyone. Ambrose will stay with you in yours, tonight. If that’s all right with you?”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Marcella looked toward the vampire. Her body instantly began to respond to the new closeness she felt to him. They’d yet to be completely intimate and she decided tonight would be perfect to correct that.

Dominic and Jason came to her side while Ambrose followed behind them. She walked up stair after stair until they finally reached the two rooms that rested at the entrance of her tower.

“We’ll see you in the morning.” Dominic opened his door, as did Jason. “If you need anything let us know.”

“We will.” Marcella kissed them goodnight, and took Ambrose’s arm. They walked up the stairs and she turned on the light. At the familiar environment calmness enveloped her. She could do this. Her body sure wanted to. But just the thought of making love to someone new frightened her a bit. Dominic, from the beginning, felt so familiar due to their mate status. Jason, she had known forever. But Ambrose, he was new. Even though she knew they had done this dozens of times in their past life, it just wasn’t the same.

As he stared at her, she walked to the side of the bed and slowly begun taking off her clothes. A part of her knew he didn’t expect this, but she wanted to complete their joining. It was time to reestablish their bond.

Chapter 16

“Marcella, if you’re not ready…” Ambrose’s thick voice caused her nipples to tighten painfully against the white lace bra. Silk whooshed to the floor when her dress came to rest at her bare feet.

Instead of calling for him to come to her, she walked until they were inches apart. His body was shaking at her nearness. Waves of lust poured from his skin. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the erotic aroma deeply.

“You want me, don’t you?” Marcella whispered.

His tongue ran over his lips while he continued to take in her body. “Yes, more than anything.”

“I’m yours, forever, now. Kiss me, Ambrose.”

Instead, he swept her in his arms, and carried her to the bed. She watched as his weight settled over her body. Dark hair fell forward while he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. A flavor all his own swept over her, igniting his soul that rested deep within.

Ambrose rubbed his cheek against hers. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to touch you and to taste you. Your blood calls to me, begs me to sample its sweetness.”

“I want you to taste me.”

Marcella slid her hands under his shirt, feeling the muscle tighten as she made her way up to his chest. He ripped the shirt off, tearing it in his dismissal. Everything else quickly followed until his nude skin pressed against hers.

Lips trailed down her chest until he reached the clasp between her breasts. Sliding his finger underneath, he pushed up, freeing her generous mounds from the confines of the lace. Seeing him so close made her nipples ache even more.

“No words could describe your beauty. I feel the need to express myself, but I truly can’t even think of the right thing to say. You’re so much more than a description.”

Hair tickled her skin as he lowered himself and sucked her tight tip into his mouth. A gasp escaped her at how cool his tongue felt. Against the heat of her skin, he wasn’t far from the temperature of ice. She moaned underneath him, arching her back against the pleasurable contrast.

Pressure from his hands gripped the sides of her ribs while he began to work his way to her other breast. The tips of his fangs drug across her skin making her hands tighten on the comforter beneath her body.

“My God, you smell so good. The flavor of your skin…I can’t wait to taste you.”

Ambrose shifted slightly and his fingers traced her folds, massaging the wetness into her smooth skin. A cry escaped her lips as his fang punctured her skin. Ecstasy exploded immediately throughout her body. She looked down to see a tiny crimson drop surface on the curve of her breast. Ambrose groaned deeply as he collected it with the tip of his tongue.

“Fuck, your blood is downright sinful. A vampire would do anything for the zest and power of your taste.” He growled and rolled her on her stomach. Softness kissed down her back. When he reached the lowest part Marcella tensed and nearly screamed when he continued farther.

“Marcella, calm.” Peace instantly filled her, and she didn’t have to see his hand hovering above her to know he was the cause.

Wetness from his tongue swirled around the fullness of her ass. The sensitive skin picked up the softest touch. Pressure pushed against the opening of her pussy. Two fingers slid inside of her.

“How much do you like that?”

Swallowing past her dry throat, she searched for her voice. “A lot. I don’t want you to stop.”

“Oh, I won’t stop.”

Ambrose’s other arm wrapped beneath her hips, pulling her closer to him. When his tongue circled her back entrance and continuously probed, she buried her face in the mattress and screamed her orgasm through. Her hips jerked, but he held them firmly in place.

The words brought another orgasm bursting from her body the moment the first one stopped. She tried breathing past the scream, but couldn’t do anything but feel the tingling that swept over every inch of her.

“So you like it? I wasn’t sure if you would. You see, the gift wouldn’t have worked if you didn’t find pleasure from what I was doing.”

Panting, she lifted her head and looked back at him. “That was amazing.” Letting her head fall back to the covers she tried to focus her eyes. There wasn’t an area on her body that wasn’t vibrating from the high she felt. This, she could get used to.

* * * *

Looking down at Marcella’s body, Ambrose could feel his cock throb painfully. The way she affected him went beyond lust. “Oh no, we’re not done. There’s plenty to make up for. We’ve been separated for too long.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her back against his chest. Her heat seared him deliciously and he couldn’t help but want more. Ambrose reached around her waist, brushing his fingers across her clit. She jumped, moaning low in her throat.

The fact that she was enjoying his touch to the extent that she was excited him more than he thought possible. He’d always been able to sense when a woman pretended pleasure or only wanted to have sex with him due to what he could give them. Gwendolyn just enjoyed his bite. Marcella basked in the fact that he, himself, touched her.