Her tears were now all dry. “So I’m a vampire, but not a vampire?”
He chuckled. “You carry vampire genes, but, no, you’re not a full-fledged vampire. And you never will or can be.” Quite frankly that made him very happy because if she was vampire, she couldn’t be his Moira.
“And I’m in danger?”
He nodded once. “Yes, I believe so. Last night after we left the club, a vampire came looking specifically for you. Asking for you by name. It’s highly likely he was able to find out where you live. You’re not safe to return to either that motel or your original home, I’m afraid.”
Her now dry eyes became wet again, this time not even attempting to hold in her sobs. Her hands flew to her mouth as she mumbled, “Oh God.”
Grabbing her by the shoulders, he repositioned her so she straddled him. “Analise, listen to me. You are safe with me. I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you. He will
never
touch you, do you understand? The other lords and I are doing everything in our power to find and destroy this sick son-of-a-bitch.” He left out the fact they’d been trying to do that for centuries. Not exactly a confidence inspirer.
“Nod if you believe me.” She instantly complied. He pulled her into his arms, pouring every ounce of comfort and love into her.
Love?
Yes, he loved her already. And it felt so fucking good. It was a high he’d never gotten from the strongest alcohol, the immense pleasure of killing an enemy or his most intense orgasm. He held her quietly until she was ready to continue. Content to simply have her in his arms.
“How will we find her? Beth?”
“We’re already doing everything we can to find Xavier, Analise. Beth’s not his only victim, I’m afraid.” He couldn’t bring himself to tell her all of the depraved things he thought Xavier was doing. It would unnecessarily scare her. He just had to hope they found her friend before the same fate befell her that had so many others.
“Devon already rescued several victims a few months ago and his mate set up the shelter where you stayed last night to re-acclimate them to society and provide counseling before they returned home, if they wished. Several are still there,” he added.
She thought on that for a few minutes, but her next question surprised him. “Why can we hear each other’s thoughts? I gotta tell you, it’s damn unnerving.”
She still lay with her head on his shoulder, arms tightly wound around his neck. She was hanging on for dear life and he couldn’t blame her. He’d sprung a hell of a lot on her and it was about to get deeper. He prayed she was ready for what he was about to tell her.
“Because, my sweet Analise, you’re my Moira and I am yours. In simpler terms, it means we are fated mates. You were made especially for me and me alone. I’ve told you before that you are mine and I’ll never let you go.” He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but that would be the stupidest thing to do at this point. She was about to find out she would spend the rest of her days with him and only him.
She drew slowly back and regarded him, her brows drawn together in confusion. “What does that mean exactly?”
“You know what it means, kitten,” he said softly. “We are destined to be together. I know you feel the magnetic pull between us just as much as I do. Our bodies, hearts and souls are drawn to each other. They recognize their kindred spirit, their soul mate, even if your mind refuses to accept it.”
Her face in his hands, he continued. “I knew it the moment I laid eyes on you, Analise. I knew you were mine. Vampires have only one Moira, one Destiny, and they recognize them immediately, and if you were honest with yourself, you would admit I am meant for you, as you are for me. You’re trying so hard to protect your heart even though it’s crying out for me, for my love. I’d know what you’re doing even if I couldn’t hear your thoughts. You’re trying to keep me at arm's length so you don’t get hurt. But, baby, what you don’t even realize is that I’ve held your heart close to mine, protecting it as violently as I would my own, since I laid eyes on you.” Holding back those three little words stung. He wanted to pour his entire heart out to her.
Water cascaded down her gorgeous face. “I’ve done more crying around you than I have in years, you know that? You must think I’m an absolute basket case.” He wiped them away, but they continued to flow.
“No, I don’t. Tell me what you’re thinking, kitten. I’m in emotional agony here.” His heart was on the table, hers for the crushing.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” His face must have dropped because she quickly continued, bringing her hands up to cup his face. “Damian, you’re right. I am scared. The feelings I have for you are so powerful, so overwhelming, I don’t know how to deal with them. I’ve never had them before for another living soul.”
She dropped her hands, leaving him bereft. She breathed deeply before continuing. “I have been through unimaginable pain in my life, Damian. Yes, I was in the foster system, but what you don’t know is that I was in and out of more than a dozen homes by the time I was fifteen. The one woman who loved me, the only real mother figure I ever had, died when I was ten and her husband, whom I called father for two years, couldn’t handle the grief and returned me to the system. To hell. I haven’t trusted anyone in a very long time, Damian, and it scares the shit out of me that I trust you. And I do…trust you. You’re also right that I don’t want to get my heart broken. I’m damaged goods and I’m not sure even you can glue me back together. You don’t even like witches and I obviously can’t help what I am. I don’t know if I can take a chance on love, to love you, only to be rejected again. I just wouldn’t survive it this time.”
His heart ached for her. If he could take away every ounce of pain she’d had in her life, he would. In a fucking heartbeat. He made a snap decision he hoped he wouldn’t regret.
He’d not talked about this with another living soul besides Rom. But Analise needed to know. Together their broken pieces snapped together perfectly. She needed to know he was just as broken as she, shards invisible to the naked eye long buried in the dirt so there was no way he could ever be whole again.
Or so he’d thought. Now he knew Analise was the key. He heard the click in his soul the minute he saw her and in retrospect he realized he’d felt profound relief. They only needed each other to be whole. Like a transplant, their hearts and souls would be new and the dying tissue surrounding the rotting organ would refresh and regenerate making the whole body even stronger than before.
“When I was a young vampire, I was tricked by a witch. I thought she was…well…turns out they were looking for a pet. Someone their coven could torture and experiment on. I hadn’t come fully into my powers yet, so with their sorcery, they were able to overpower me. I was held captive for seven long years, starved within an inch of my life, restrained on a cement floor, and repeatedly violated. Rom rescued me. Barely saved me in time. Those same witches killed my entire family as they searched for me. My parents and my brother wiped from existence for nothing other than trying to rescue me.”
She had gone ghost white, quietly sobbing. While the story was gut wrenching to tell, it was cathartic in a strange way too. Now there was nothing he held back from her. She knew all of him. He hoped she’d accept him, blackness and all.
“It changed me, Analise. I’m not gonna lie. I was emotionally vacant for more than a hundred years. It took me almost three hundred to truly recover, but it still lurks inside me. The darkness. The pain. The rage. But then I met you. And your light penetrates even the blackest recesses of my heart. It’s so bright, it’s blinding. I almost wept with joy when I saw you. I haven’t felt truly alive since I was rescued and you’ve changed that. While our pasts are not exactly the same, we’re both familiar with betrayal, anger and pain. So you see, kitten, we are both broken. But together, we can be whole. Only together can we be complete. Let me in, Analise. Let me love you.”
He had to pause a moment to regain his composure, clearing his throat. Then he murmured softly, “Love me back.”
C
hapter
24
Analise
Her lips crashed to his. Screw her fucked up past. Screw her fucked up view of people, of relationships, of love. If this beautiful creature before her could be brave enough to strip away every single protective layer and bear his soul to her, she could do the same. She felt his sincerity, his passion and his love swirling in the air around them like a living, breathing thing. She hadn’t known him long, but she knew she was falling hard. She should have asked more questions about the Moira thing, but she couldn’t think beyond this present moment. He made her feel worthy of his love and she was tired of fighting this pull between them. It was exhausting.
He stood, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist, their mouths working feverishly against each other’s. Her lips would be bruised, but she didn’t care. He moved with the speed of light to the bedroom across the massive penthouse, depositing her on an enormous king sized bed. She was so damned horny right now she didn’t look at her surroundings, not caring if the room was pink, purple or rainbow striped. She just needed to get him inside of her.
After giving her one last heated kiss, he stood and gazed down at her, his glowing eyes alight with lust. He took a few steps back and grabbed a soft plush cream covered chair, taking a seat. What the hell was he doing?
“Strip,” he commanded thickly.
“Strip?” She swallowed hard. Was he for real? She wanted
him
to rip
her
clothes off and ravage her aching body.
“Kitten…” he growled. “Stand and strip. Now.”
“A little bossy, aren’t you?” He looked like he was ready to snap, so pushing him this way wasn’t very smart, but this banter had quickly become their thing.
He stood and stalked toward her, pulling her by the heels until her butt was on the end of the bed. She felt like prey. He looked so fucking sexy, all she could think of was him using his powerful thighs to thrust into her from this position. His eyes looked like sunbeams, they were so bright.
“I told you I had darkness in me, kitten. And it extends to the bedroom. In here, yes, I am the boss. And if you’re a good little kitten I will reward you with unimaginable pleasures, I promise you. But I don’t like to ask for things twice, let alone three times. This is the third and final time I will tell you to strip. I will then dole out punishment if you do anything other than follow my command. Are we clear?”
Oh my
. Everything he said should’ve had her cowering in fear, but instead she felt her pussy ooze, liquid literally running between her butt cheeks. She had never been so aroused in her life. She could only nod her agreement.
“Good.” He turned and walked the short distance back to the chair and sat back down. She stood and was reaching for the hem of her blouse when he barked, “Stop. Just one moment.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out his iPhone. A few moments later, sultry music echoed from ceiling speakers throughout the colossal bedroom. She instantly recognized the sensual music of Enigma, but couldn’t place the specific song. No matter. It set the mood for her first striptease. Damian’s thoughtfulness would never cease to amaze her.
“Continue. Slowly,” he rasped.
She focused on the erotic man in front of her instead of the nerves threatening to turn her legs to jelly. The soft, sexual music flowed through her, relaxing her just a bit. The desire etched into his face, coiling his every muscle fueled her confidence. He wanted her and she reveled in her power to bring such a powerful man to his knees.
Swaying to the music, she again reached for her blouse, pulling it ever so slowly over her head. Oh, how she wished she’d worn a button-down shirt for she didn’t want to miss even a second of his eyes raking over her.
Next she unbuttoned and unzipped her denim jeans deciding to turn around so her back faced him. She shimmied out of the confining fabric, taking care to bend forward seductively as she completely stripped them off. Since she was barefoot before, she didn’t have socks or shoes to contend with. She slowly turned back around, now standing in front of Damian clad in only her black lacy bra and panties. Thank God she’d had the foresight to put on the best lingerie she owned this morning.
There was never a more nerve-wracking moment than when you stood before a man for the first time in your skivvies, bearing every single one of your flaws. Analise had curves, ample breasts, and a very flat stomach. But she thought her hips were a little too wide and her body was marred with several scars that Damian would question. However, watching how Damian eyed her with fascination and longing blasted every one of her negative thoughts to dust.
“All of it, Analise.” His hoarse voice was firm and laced with lust.
Her heart raced double time as she reached back to undo her bra, letting it fall to the ground once she straightened her arms. His eyes traveled to her breasts. Her nipples had become hard and they ached for his mouth, for his bite. Every nerve ending was on fire and only he could provide sweet relief.
She hooked her thumbs into her panties. His eyes snapped back to hers as she began slowly dragging them down her legs, the wetness from her desire smeared along her inner thighs. She watched him watching her as she dropped her panties to the floor, stepping out of them one foot at a time. His eyes burned with desire as his gaze scoured her nakedness.
“Turn around,” he croaked. Her only desire right now was to please him. If he told her to bend over and touch her toes, she would…shamelessly.
“Get on the bed. Lie in the middle with your hands above your head, wrists crossed.” Oh boy. Was he really going to tie her to his bed? She wanted to touch him. She wanted to map every inch of his honed body with her tongue.
When she was in position, only then did he move from the chair to the bed. And only then did she notice the black silk he held between his fingers. Her heart was now in her throat and breathing became more difficult. He was quiet as he crawled beside her, gently taking her wrists and tying them expertly to the headboard. She tested the bindings. Not too tight, but she wouldn’t be able to escape. How many other women had he brought here and done the same thing with? That thought made her frown.