Vaewolf: Damn the Darkness: The Prophecy's Promise (Hearts of Darkness Book 3) (25 page)

“
Cher
, I wish I knew.”

“I want you to know, when I met Dylan my life became richer and fuller.” She glanced up. “But when I opened my eyes and saw you, met you, I felt completely fulfilled for the first time. Touching you felt as if I’d found the sum of my parts. It’s why now I believe my true destiny lies with both you and Dylan.”

“A true ménage bond?” The growl escaped unbidden. “It’s unlikely given the vampiric conditions. I hate to deny you anything, Caitlin, and won’t if I can help it. Unfortunately, I don’t think Dylan will agree.”

“Based on what he told me, he’s not ruling it completely out.” Not knowing where he was or what he was doing to get their answers didn’t fill her with complete confidence. “I asked him about researching those possibilities, and he agreed.”

“Why—” Jackson stopped and turned aside.

“What?”

“You…she, the fae, could have seduced him. Forced him into the final bond before he left.”

“At first, that’s exactly what I planned, because I couldn’t stand the idea of being left to…someone else. I even begged him,” she snapped, angry remembering how stubborn Dylan had been. “I wanted the bond more than I ever wanted anything in my life until Dylan told me I could never be with you once he
claimed
me. Something stopped me from insisting. The idea overwhelmed me. I was overcome, desperate, frantic. Before he left, I...well, it’s not like we made promises.”

“You warned him how it would be between us if he left?”

“Yes. I realized a bond with him meant never being with you. As much as I wanted him, a part of me knew I couldn’t risk it.
We
couldn’t risk losing you. I don’t understand why, but from the moment I saw you, being without you has never been an option.”

“I think I understand. Forever is a very long time for those like us. Not all mates go through the bonding ceremony for that very reason.”

“Isn’t this all because we’re meant to fulfill a prophecy? You are some Messiah. I’m a made vampire now. Didn’t that screw things up? Is it even possible for me to bear young now, and when the time comes, won’t I have to be formally bound to you?”

“He told you about the vampire infertility problem? He promised he wouldn’t use it as leverage—”

“Relax. It wouldn’t influence my feelings. And no, he didn’t tell me, not at first. He waited until after I told him how I felt. Saving the vampire nation has nothing to do with any decision. Our strange bond has everything to do with it, but I want more between us than just a bond or a prophecy. And Dylan gave me time with the herb.”

“You have to know I won’t bind you either, not if our being together hurts Dylan,” Jackson warned, “and I don’t care if it means no children. If this is all we can have, I’ll take it. There’s nothing more I can do.”

“It doesn’t change my needs.”

“At the moment, the council holds Dylan responsible for what happened—for changing you.”

“Politics sucks in every society. Even if we reject the social structure ruling our natures, fate has spoken. Neither the Lycans nor the vampires will listen unless Dylan returns with a reasonable explanation for why I imprinted on both of you. Or if we can find one on our own.”

“They can’t comprehend how to fit our unique relationship into the ancient traditional bonding rituals.” Jackson grunted. “Maybe our an immediate deflection is in the demons threat.”

“We need to work together to track them down, and take time to go through the genealogical archives I found in the mausoleum. And there’s something else.”

“What?” Jackson glanced up at her warily.

“Since the threat is real and Dylan isn’t here, I think you should take your rightful place as your father’s heir. Bring the forces together, now.”

“Maybe. Two months is not so premature.”

“But answer one question honestly for me? The pain burning deep inside me, the one making you ache, will it interfere with your decisions?”

“It might.”

“Is there a way to ease it without the mate bond?”

“Ease it? Yes. Orgasms. A lot of them.” He glanced hungrily at her breasts and allowed his gaze to travel down and back up again. “Alleviate it completely? No.”

“I hope I find a way to control the fae.”

“Only the bond—with him or me—can fix it permanently.” He sifted his fingers through her hair.

“Only with both of you, or no bond.” She uttered the decision, but the words cracked with the strain of vocalizing them. To prevent her from the danger a permanent bond with Jackson would mean to her relationship with Dylan, Caitlin would deal with the pain. The other reason Dylan left was because they were already two thirds of the way through the eternal bond when Jackson imprinted on Caitlin. Then they realized there was a problem.

Now Jackson and Caitlin couldn’t risk losing control, because one exchange could lead to more, and three would seal the deal.

“Right. No bond. But Caitlin, you need to feed.”

“Okay,” she said and raised a finger in warning. “But just feed me. Don’t let her seduce you.”

“I’m not so easy.” He smirked, and pulled her to her feet. After embracing her, he sliced a spot on his wrist and held it to her lips.

Watching him closely, she held his gaze as she fed.

Oh my, he tastes so good. Too good. And he smells so delicious.

The damn bonding scent surrounded them, and his body unintentionally responded to her fae need as she aligned herself to him. The dark fae opened her thoughts, admitting what she wanted him to do—mentally showing him.

“Ease my pain, Jackson.”

With a snarl, the man who wanted her so very badly, refused. “I would, willingly, but not yet, fae.”

His eyes narrowed and went all silver as the wolf neared the surface. She sensed the beast’s presence when the woodsy scent in the room grew stronger. After a few deep breaths, Jackson’s golden eye color returned. He’d pushed the beast back into submission.

“Sorry, I haven’t fed,” he groaned out the last words.

“Feed from me, Jackson. No more going off to hunt and take blood from…” She shut up.

“From…? You jealous,
cher
?” He leaned casually against the wall with his legs crossed, and his expression masked in shadows, revealing only that maddening sneer.

“Just concerned.” Caitlin tried to match his insouciance with her shrug, but somehow failed miserably.

“I’m not feeding from anyone.” The expression on his face softened when he looked at her. “The idea repulses me. Dylan left me a small blood supply. My wolf is satisfied with the boar I hunt in the bayou. He grinned unexpectedly, and her lip twitched. She almost smiled back. “And the cook staff makes a damn good shrimp jambalaya.”

“Feeding from you and sex, together? We agreed—” Jackson visibly trembled with the effort to hold back. “
Cher
, you know I can’t feed directly from you until after we have sex. Until I get that out of my system, you’re not safe around me.”

“You’ll deal with it. Make love to me while you feed.” Caitlin was tired of battling the dark sex fae. “No exchange. No bond. Just orgasms for you and her, and my blood.”

“I don’t know if I’d be able to keep my wolf from
claiming
you.” He glanced aside and shook his head. “I can’t handle both. If I feed from you the beast inside me will try to devour you. Trust me,
cher
, having my mate suck at my wrist had me hard and my wolf so desperate I almost didn’t hold him back. Let’s take one step at a time. My control won’t survive sex with you while taking your blood.”

“O-oh.”

Since his self-control was the only thing preventing them from being together, his admission sent a thrill of guilty pleasure straight to her sex fae. The pain in the ass wolf DNA wasn’t helping either. Their need pounded at her incessantly. Lately, the compound barely controlled her fae hunger.

“How do you...uh...handle...the frustration?” Jealousy crept into her thoughts.

“I don’t.” He grunted. “I go to the bayou and wrestle gators.”

“Wh-hat?” Incredulous, she asked, “You wrestle gators while you’re in human form?”

“See, that’s the mistake almost everyone makes.
Cher,
I’m never human.” His snarl proved that truth when his fangs protruded beyond his lips. “I’m as much if not more vampire than you, plus shape shifter and Werewolf. Psft, the gator was just a little fun.”

“Fun?” Caitlin didn’t hold back her giggle. She shook her head and took his hand. “Come on, I have to get my mind off ‘me’, if you know what I mean? Work might help. I feel like a sitting duck.”

“Where are we going?” Jackson didn’t move.

“Hunting. Go with me to the bayou near where they found the demons. I want to see if I can pick up any residual vibes.”

He was already shaking his head before he gripped both her wrists, lifted them above her head, and slammed her against the wall. “No,
cher
,” he snarled as his body trapped her, and his warm breath brushed feathered over her neck right below her ear. “While I live and breathe, you are not going to put yourself in harm’s way.”

“No?” Caitlin lifted her head from the wall, licked her lips with a long, slow movement, and her voice purred whisky soft, “Stop me.”

Why hadn’t she thought of this approach before?

You didn’t.
Drawled the sexy voice purring in her head.
I did.

He touched his head to hers, and she turned aside, exposing her throat. The scent of fear swirled around them. His not hers. She knew he’d never harm her, but apparently he didn’t.

Jackson’s fangs, which had almost completely receded, slid back down into place. He stared at her pulse before he looked up, and Caitlin saw worry in his eyes. With his mind locking her out, she couldn’t do anything to reassure him except grind her hips against him and wait.

He needn’t have worried. She bit her lip and pressed hers to his. When the first taste of blood hit him, Jackson lowered his guards. The inevitable happened. He shifted his mouth to her neck and bit deep into her throat.

Their minds entwined like tendrils of smoke, and he poured all his frustration and lust into his thoughts, overtaking her senses. After they both experienced the feeding orgasms, Jackson withdrew his fangs, licked the puncture wounds at her throat as a growl sounded, deep and low in his chest.

“You test my control at every juncture,
cher
.”

“There’ll be no need for gator wrestling tonight.” All Caitlin could do was grin, knowing the fae broke through Jackson’s restraint. “You maintained control. I survived.”

“Oh,
cher
, there you’re wrong. My control is stretched thin. I could be such a danger to you.”

“Really?” She slowly ran her tongue over her lips, allowing him to see the way her incisor gnawed at her lower lip. “You have met my inner fae? Now
she’s
someone your wolf should worry about.” Caitlin sent the vision of her wings and hair and all that erotic faery dust. Her voice changed. “Come on. I promise I’ll make you feel good. Sooo good. Replace that pressure with a pleasure we’ll both enjoy so much more.”

Before she could entice him to stay, he traced away.

“Coward,” the Caitlin with the whiskey voice called after him.

“You’ve got that right.”

Caitlin heard his laughter in her head and saw an image of a gator. He couldn’t fight his desire forever. Neither her wolf nor his would let him. Besides, he’d have to return to feed her.

“Next time,” she warned him. “I’ll need to feed again or go out…”

“You will not go out alone!”
His growl reverberated through the night air.

She wouldn’t have anyway. Not because he said so, but because this wasn’t some horror flick where the heroine goes down to the basement knowing the killer could be there waiting for her.

Nope, no basements in New Orleans. No normal, everyday, serial killers after her…just demons.

Chapter Thirty Three

Sensing Dylan

The wind blew the night breeze into the room and the curtains fluttered. Something was wrong. Damn! Jackson was back, and more uptight than he’d been earlier.

He usually only showed up when her hunger grew so desperate he couldn’t resist answering her call. He fed her earlier and satisfied his own hunger. He’d fulfilled her as was his duty—the virtual sex was also just that. His duty. His guilt never allowed him to make it more.

Caitlin didn’t have the strength to deal with him. Not now that she knew Dylan wasn’t coming back. That’s what she’d felt touch her mind. He’d been knocking on her mental door and left a calling card.
Gone.

“I sensed your distress,” Jackson said, accusing her and stayed in the shadows.

“Did the gator win?” She couldn’t add to his concern.

“No. But something’s bothering you,
cher
.”