You Both (Vampire Assassin League Book 29) (6 page)

“Do you know why my brother attacked you?”

His breath touched the skin he’d tongued. The words iced, creating more shivers before sparking all kinds of tingles. They weren’t hitting in just one place. They were rocketing through her.

“Athle—?”

She licked at her lips. She couldn’t remember the last part of his name. And she didn’t care, either. A fluttery sensation was overtaking her core, while her thighs alternated between sleekly toned appendages, and limbs with the consistency of barely-set gelatin.

“Yeah. Him. Athlerod.”

“Maybe he’s a...psychopath? Um. Look. You...need to dress. Now.” She didn’t recognize her voice. She’d never heard it at that depth of tone before.

“My brother reacted...because he is still undead.”

“Undead?”

“Vampires are walking corpses. Cold. Heartless. Emotionless.”

“I don’t understand. Aren’t you a vampire?”

“Yes.”

“You are not cold. And...um. That is a definite hard-on.” She glanced down and back up as she said it. And then she blushed furiously.

He grinned again. Her heart did a flip.

“That’s because I am supremely lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“There is one thing that changes living death.”

“One?”

He nodded.

“What?”

“We find our other half. And mate with them.”

Mate?

Oh. Balls.

She had to have heard it wrong. The word conjured up all kinds of images. Primal. Bestial. Feral. Passionate. Harsh. And like nothing she’d ever put into an article for anyone to read.

“Ethel...stone? Please. Um. You need...to dress.” Great. Now, she not only didn’t sound like herself, she was shaking so much, her words stuttered.

“You are not in charge here, Stephanie.”

“And...you are?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t understand. Who is in charge, then?”

The words scraped her throat. She was going insane. Or something worse. She’d never been at this level of want. Felt this crazed with need. Been this desperate for sex, and lots of it. Hard. Heavy. Pounding. Gut-clenching. World-shaking.

“Not who. What.”

He was lunging against her, pushing his erection into the crotch of her jeans each time. And she was clenching as if he was already through the material. And sheathed. Deep.

“Okay. I give.
What
is in charge?”

“This.”

He bared his fangs, lowered his mouth to her throat. And bit her.

~ ~ ~

Pleasure flooded his mouth, bringing strength. Energy. Vitality. And something he’d never dealt with. Danger signals accompanied it. It was volatile. It contained elements that sent everything to fever-pitch level. His heart pounded. His pulse sang. His cock throbbed with a sensation nearing pain. It wasn’t just demanding succor. It required it. Ethelstone yanked his teeth from her, arched upward, and yelled. Loudly. At great length. The sound was harsh. Primal. Throat-tearing. He didn’t stop until his breath ran out and then he just stood there. Shaking.

The room had given him an accompaniment. Every light had flickered and then dimmed. The fake fire in each wall went brighter. Redder. The flames in the fireplace roared upward, shooting light and warmth up the chimney and into the room. The table he held onto warped beneath his hands and then cracked.

He brought his head back down. Met her gaze. Got snagged by the mirror-looking finish of her silver eyes. The tip of her tongue slid across her lower lip. He jerked in place. Caught a quick breath. And then he snarled.

“Oh. Holy hell,” she said.

“
Vif
.”

“What?”

“Woman,” he translated.

She tossed the fur cloak and launched herself into his arms. Her legs encircled his hips, her ankles hooked behind his buttocks. Her arms looped about his neck. She slammed her lips to his, joining their mouths as she kissed him.

He thought his head might fly off.

Ethelstone’s groan almost separated them. He choked the last of it back. He wasn’t allowing anything to stop this. Her lips sent liquid fire. Shards of lightning. An explosion of sensation that rocketed through every vein. He couldn’t believe it. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced.

Ethelstone tried desperately to collect himself. He was pure Viking. Through and through. He’d killed without compunction. Raided without conscience. Gone berserk with the lust for battle. He’d seen women taken, but he’d never had one. And he’d never been kissed. The scope of sensation he was experiencing altered everything. He was stunned. His thighs wavered before he subconsciously locked them. And this from just a kiss?

There was no descriptor vast enough. His entire being vibrated with something so intense, it neared pain. He blamed the
Vanir
, the fertility gods. They had to have a hand in this sensation. They’d created this feeling before sending the twins,
Freya
and
Freyr,
to orchestrate it into heights heretofore unknown
.
Made certain it was blessed by the war god,
Odin.
Before it got hammered into the consistency of steel by
Odin’s
son,
Thor
.

Her panting breaths ended the kiss and she shimmied about, her denim-clad core sliding along him, alternately connecting and then moving away from his abs. Lower belly. His cock. Ethelstone grabbed her buttocks and yanked her back into contact, so he could slide his rod along the cursed fabric, while she gyrated in his arms.

“I need...some room.”

She muttered it between gasps of air that he matched. Her breath was an unbelievable force. She must not realize the power she wielded. His skin responded instantly, lifting goose bumps.

“Ethelstone!”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

He shoved deeper between her legs and stopped, shuddering despite how he’d locked his muscles against this torment. She didn’t know? Was she immune to his suffering? The strain of holding back was beyond imagining. He might not be strong enough. He was already close to losing. Ripping his way through her clothing. So he could plunder. Pillage. Take.

So. Very. Close.

“I can’t get...this off!”

Ethelstone shifted, leveraging one arm to support her. The other hand grabbed the back of her shirt, his fingers sliced into the fabric, and he tore it apart. She was watching him with wide silver eyes when he’d finished. It was a mistake to know that much. The instant their gazes connected, his entire frame lurched. He stumbled, and heaved a step. Somehow he kept her from shifting. The room wasn’t helping, either. The walls appeared to be melting and the floor tilted. He rose from the tiles. And that took his concentration off what he’d been doing.

And that was really stupid.

His grasp on control slipped. Ethelstone looked away. Wrenched every muscle taut. Sucked in a gasp. Held it. Silently begged the gods for an assist. He clamped his jaw so tightly, his fangs sliced skin. He didn’t even feel it. His entire being was focused. Intent. Desperate. He somehow had to rein back something that didn’t just frighten him.

It terrified.

A sob escaped his lips.

“I hope...you have...a bed...close by. And I mean...
really
close.”

Ethelstone’s head snapped back to face her.
A bed? What in
Loki’s
name for?
He had a fireplace, a lot of floor, and a thick fur rug. He’d never make it to a bed. This need was consuming him.

“You know...a bed?”

She made a kissing motion. Ethelstone’s back slammed into the rug. It skidded several feet before his shoulder hit the hearthstone. He grunted at the impact and then ignored it. He didn’t know how they got there. He didn’t recall moving. He didn’t care, either. He grabbed the back pockets of her skinny jeans and used them to yank the seams apart. She didn’t help. Her top was hanging in shreds from her shoulders as she ran her fingers along his chest. Every inch of skin he could see was a lightly tanned shade. Glistening in the firelight. Her touch branded him. Up. Back down. She shoved against his pecs. Followed the muscles in his abdomen, creating friction he didn’t need, added to the need he fought to contain. Her fingers reached the edge of his towel. She fussed with the tie he’d knotted.

Ethelstone gritted his teeth harder. Blood pooled inside his lip. She pushed the cloth aside, gave a moan that sounded like it contained pleasure, and then she had him. Long fingers enwrapped him. Testing. Enveloping. Her hands slid down his shaft and Ethelstone arched upward, his mouth went wide as he howled. Blood sprayed from his fangs. His cry was lengthy. Loud. And completely bestial. It echoed about them while she gripped her thighs about his and continued her ministrations. Ethelstone began pumping, smacking into the floor, making heavy thumping noises. And if this kept up, he was going to reach
Valhalla
a lot sooner than he wanted to.

He grabbed for her hands. Pulled them from him. Gripped one in each of his and rolled. And oh! She was perfect! She moved in concert with him. Plastered in place. Her limbs lithe. Slender. Yet muscled.

And her thighs...

By
Odin!
She had thighs designed to delve between.

He ripped her pants open further. She wore a garment beneath them. Panties. Red. Silken. He shoved them to one side. His thumb touched her nub and she gasped. Jerked.

What was this?
Women could achieve satisfaction?

Ethelstone did it again and got almost the same exact sequence of reactions. So he did it a third time, only this time he began vibrating with his thumb. Faster. Harder. Her heartbeat grew loud enough to hear. Each beat more strident. Heavier. Her breaths came quicker. Small cries started accompanying each one. And then her thighs locked about him. Her body went rigid. She tossed her head back, and sent the sweetest cry into existence. She pulsed against him. The movements harsh, non-rhythmic. Strong.

All kinds of chaos happened. The fireplace even shot sparks outward. Ethelstone was at her entrance. Her hand was the one guiding. Her hips lifted to meet him. She sucked him in, encasing him with wet fire. Surrounded him in coils of paradise. She was so tight. Unbelievably small. He was having trouble fitting. Every inch gave him another shot of pleasure that bordered on pain. He pulled out a bit. Shoved back in. Did it again. Her sheath stretched. Flexed. Each time sending all kinds of stimuli. Waves of it rippled through him as he moved, each time getting closer to filling her.

“Don’t stop, Ethelstone. Oh, baby! Don’t stop!”

Was she mad? Stopping anything would be impossible. He shoved up from her, lifting his chest. Gained leverage. So he could push again. Deeper. Harder.

“It’s been...so long. Oh! Ethelstone. I want! I need!”

Whatever she wanted, he was willing to give. He tightened his chest and arms. Pushed again. And her body finally accepted him. Fully. And, as he watched, she started pulsing against him again, alternately sucking him in and sliding him out of her sheath. Her skin grew ruddy in the firelight’s glow, and she gave another long cry of satiation.

What was this?
Women could achieve satisfaction more than once?

The smallest bit of his mind pondered it. The rest of him went berserk. He found himself upright. He didn’t know how. Stephanie was plastered to him, her legs wrapped about him, her arms about his shoulders. His hands gripped her buttocks, heaving her up and down as he pounded into her. Again and again.

The fire swelled. A chorus of warmth reached out and grabbed at him. Her cavern sucked and fondled and pleasured. Satisfaction grew closer. Sweeter. Nearer. He pumped harder.

Faster.

Deeper.

One final push...

And he exploded.

Ethelstone grabbed Stephanie to him and heaved backward, launching a massive groan of seeming agony as he did so. He shook as bliss erupted throughout his entire body. They rose off the floor. Hovered in mid-air. His body went through spasm after spasm of absolute euphoria. Ecstasy. Complete and total wonder.

For the barest fraction of time, he was touching the hallowed halls of
Valhalla
.

And he knew it.

“Oh Ethelstone...that was—. It was—. It just—. I can’t describe—. Wow. I can’t even finish a sentence here.”

The response was a rumbling noise through his throat where Stephanie had her ear pressed. She’d never felt so wondrously alive. Replete. Happy. Supremely satiated. The scope of it was beyond fathoming. If there was such a thing as an afterglow, she had it.

“I mean—oh. I don’t know what I mean.”

“It was good?” he asked, his voice faltering slightly.

Stephanie huffed. “Oh, please. You are probably one of the best lovers on the planet. I’m sure I’m not the only girl to tell you that. And that means—crap. We should have used protection.”

She lifted her head. Ethelstone’s face was lit by firelight on one side, shadowed on the other. He had his lips in a kissable pout. His eyes narrowed. The man was beyond gorgeous. He was beautiful. Comparing him to a fictional Norse god was probably inadequate. She put her hands beneath her chin in order to study him. The light was even burnishing his hair and scruff of whiskers to a light reddish tone. Stephanie looked him over critically.
Wow
. There wasn’t an imperfection anywhere. Not even a pock mark.

But then she noticed something really odd.

The firelight was on one side of them, but the flames weren’t in sight. Stephanie peeked over his shoulder. Caught a gasp that could easily have been a squeal. The flames were below them. So was the floor. They were hovering about six feet above the rug-strewn hearth area.

“Um. Ethelstone?” Her voice shook.

“
Ja
?”

“We’re...floating.”

His lips quirked. “I know.”

“We’re not touching a surface. Any surface.” Her voice got steadier as it rose. He didn’t seem to notice.

“I...lost my head for a bit there.”

“No. You don’t understand. We’re floating. As in...
floating
!”

“That bothers you?”

“Ethelstone!”

He regarded her for long moments while her heart stalled. Restarted. Gave a slight thump before it found a rhythm again. And there was a weird echo accompanying all of it.

“I am a vampire, Stephanie. I can do all kinds of things.”

“You know what? Right now, I don’t care about the stupid assignment or what you say you are or aren’t. Okay? Just get us down.”

“You are totally safe.”

“Now, Ethelstone.”

He sighed heavily, reached behind him to unfasten her legs, placed them atop his, and then dropped. The landing was loud. The thud nearly drowned out his grunt. It sent a whoosh of air toward the fire that worked like a bellows. Flames immediately leapt up, highlighting the scene.

“Oh. Crap. I didn’t mean like that. Are you hurt?”

He shook his head, rolling it along the rug.

“Come on. That had to have hurt.”

He lifted his head and caught her gaze with his quasar blue one. “I am a vampire, Stephanie, but I was a Viking first.”

She swallowed. She didn’t move her gaze. “So?”

“Pain had no place in our world. It would not be
skoruligr.
”

“What does that mean?”

“Manly.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s a bit...primeval.”

“You refer to me?”

“Admit you felt pain.”

“But, I do not. Not anymore. I feel nothing but
elska.
”

“I’m almost afraid to ask. What does that mean?”

“Love.”

His voice dropped an octave as he said it. His quasar blue eyes watched her. Stephanie’s breath caught. That was odd. Uncalled for. And slightly unnerving. She decided to ignore it. The other choice was far too scary. She shifted, lifting onto her forearms atop his chest.

“Oh, boy. This is...not good. Um. Ethelstone? We really need to talk.”

“All right. Akron told me I could answer your questions.”

“All of them?”

“
Ja
.”

Wow. That sounded like a major gift. If her mind would function, she’d be able to fathom the scope of it. Right now, that felt like work. And she really didn’t want to work.

“You’re honestly going to answer every question I have?”

“You wish honesty,
elska
? Very well. I shall try. What I experienced was not pain, but it was more than I have dealt with for centuries. It probably should have hurt. Does that help?”

Stephanie smiled tightly. Without mirth. “I mean...about us. And...um.
This
.”

She glanced down at where they were still connected, and then back up. She blushed furiously and couldn’t meet his gaze.
Dang!
The view was unbelievable. She had toned abs, tight thighs, a really strong core...but he was champion body builder material. Joined, they looked like a really sexy ad for a porn flick.

“You mean
munuo
? Physical love?”

He punctuated his translation with a slight shove of his hips. Steph’s eyes widened. She sucked in her cheeks. Pretended the blush hadn’t gotten worse. Hotter. Probably a lot brighter, too.

“Um. Yes. That’s exactly what I mean. Oh. This is so unlike me.”

“What?”

“Meeting a male and within hours falling into the sack with him. I mean...I’ve never even had a one-night stand.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

“I don’t know what to say. How to act.” She glanced toward him. He was watching her intently. She had to look away again. Watching the fire was a lot safer.

“There is a correct way?”

“We just met, Ethelstone.”

“And I thank
Odin
for that.”

Stephanie took a deep breath. Looked back at him. Almost managed to meet his gaze again. “Oh, heck, it’s not getting any easier if I procrastinate. I’ll just say it. We didn’t discuss...um, sexual history. Or contraception methods.”

“Contra-what?”

“Pregnancy prevention.”

He grinned, revealing a lot of white teeth. And not one fang. He had such a killer grin. It couldn’t be her fault that her heart felt like it swelled. It probably happened to every girl he smiled at. That thought sobered her, while something did the same to him.

His smile faded.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve got an STD. Okay? That’s all I’m asking here.”

“What is an STD?”

“Oh, come on. Everyone knows—. Brother. Okay. Fine. I’ll explain. It stands for sexually transmitted disease.”

“I am certain I do not have that.”

“You’ve been tested?”

His cheeks went a little ruddy. As if he blushed. But that was impossible. It must be a trick of the light. And it made him even more handsome.

“I have never had
munuo.”

“You’ve never—?”

He shook his head. A huge dose of heat surged through Stephanie. It started in her chest and spread outward. Like a wash of absolute joy. She’d never felt anything like it. Tears stung her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them. And then the warmth receded to leave her shivering.

“You are cold?”

“I think...I’m in shock, Ethelstone.”

“Truly?”

“You were a virgin? That’s what you’re telling me?”

He nodded.

“Oh. Holy hell. How is that even possible? I mean, you are the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. You are as masculine as men come. Your libido is off the charts. And you’ve been around...what? A thousand years? Plus? Were women blind? Or just crazy?”

“No. They were scarce.”

“All those years?”

“We were born and raised here in Iceland. Trust me. Women were scarce. And very few were pretty.”

“Oh. I see. You were picky.”

“Yes and no. We were young. We had time.”

“How young?”

“Twenty-three.”

“You’re twenty-three?”

“
Ja.
”

“Wow. I suddenly feel very old.”

“Stephanie, I was turned in the year 992
.
”

“992? Holy hell, yet again. So...you’re telling me you’re a thousand and forty-ish?”

“Something like that.”

“For some reason, I actually feel much better. Go on. Please. It’s fascinating. Really.”

“If a man wanted a
kona,
he had to find one from elsewhere. He also needed land to raise a family. Above all, he needed gold. So...we sailed with whatever clan we could in order to gain that.”

“I’m going to guess that a
kona
is a wife. Yes?”

“Very good. We went on many raids. Attacked and ransacked many villages. Did many bad things. Saw very few women I would consider for a
kona.
But we thought we had time. We had years of freedom before shackling ourselves.”

“And then what? You took a hit in a battle, maybe?”

“Nothing so
skoruligr
. Our death would not even allow us into
Valhalla
. Nor could we fight in the
Ragnorok.
”

“
Ragnorok?
”

“The day of destruction that faces us all. That is the day
Odin
will gather the great Vikings gathered in
Valhalla
and fight.”

“Wow. You’re getting a crash course on Norse gods with this story, too, Steph. Bonus!” She rested her forehead on him for a moment.

“You talk to yourself?”

She lifted her head again. “Yeah. All the time. Mainly because I am the only one who listens.”

“Not anymore, my
elska
. Now, you have me. I will listen.”

A weird lump formed in her throat. And her eyes blurred. This was going beyond complicated. The last thing she needed was to have feelings for Ethelstone.

The
very
last thing.

“Um. So. What happened? I mean...what is an unmanly death? To an Icelandic Viking?”

“We hit an iceberg. The ship sank. It was very foggy. Cold. Athlerod and I climbed atop a bit of the deck and floated. That was probably stupid, but we didn’t want to die.”

“Why was it stupid?”

“Drowning is a quick death. Freezing...is not.”

“What happened?”

“We begged Thor to save us. And he did. He sent Akron.”

“No. Wait. Akron just appeared? In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?”

“We didn’t see him at first. It was dark. We were shaking. Athlerod was turning bluish to my eyes. I suppose I looked the same to him. Akron appeared out of the mist, almost like a part of it. He’s a large man and he wears a large cape, which makes him look even bigger. We thought it was
Odin
at first.”

“Are you saying he teleports?”

“I do not know his methods. He can appear wherever he wants to. Anytime he needs to. I do not know how.”

“And he offered you guys eternal life?”

“No. He offered us immortality.”

“What’s the difference?”

“A vampire is a walking corpse. Cold to the touch. They have no pulse. No heartbeat. No need to breathe. They possess very few emotions. Even less conscience. All they really desire is blood.”

“That does not remotely describe you.”

“I know. Because I have been favored by the gods! And found you.”

“This...mating thing...you spoke of earlier...um. You weren’t just talking about making love, were you?” Her voice sounded as unsure as she felt.

“A vampire has one chance to regenerate. Gain back all that life means. Akron told us of it. If we were supremely lucky, one day the being slated as our companion would come into our sphere. And we would be mated.”

“Oh. Hell. Are you saying I was
slated
– that is the word you used –to be a vampire’s mate? It was like...my destiny? From birth? Wow. Don’t you think there should have been something in my horoscope about that? I mean...some warning? Anything?”

He studied her for a long moment. Shivers accompanied his regard, and they just kept coming. And then he smiled. Her heart did another flip. She had to look away again.

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” she asked the fire.

“
Ja.
”

“Oh. Ethelstone. That is—. I can’t—. This is—. It’s just—. Scary. All right. It’s downright
scary
.”

“You are safe with me,
elska
.”

“Please don’t call me that. Okay? It’s too soon, and...well. I’m supposed to be on an assignment. Gathering evidence for a story. Not making love to...um.”