Authors: Trina M Lee
“Are you sure you want the answer to that question?” His lips lightly brushed my ear, and I trembled. “I want to explore what it is that draws me to you. I want to discover why it binds me, why everything in me longs to be yours. I want to be able to look at Arys and not die inside with envy. I want to bring you to your knees and make you scream. And, sometimes, I just want to be free of you altogether.”
So much for a simple answer. A storm of thoughts and emotions pummeled me. I was at a loss for words. A wall deep inside me began to crumble and with it, my own resolve.
He jerked away from me so fast I jumped, startled by the sudden motion. Kale paced a few feet away before whirling to fix me with a deadly stare.
“Perhaps the real question isn’t what I want from you, Alexa, but what do you want from me? You’re pretty back and forth on that. You beg me to bleed you one day but tell me to back off the next. I’m starting to think you’re trying to drive me mad.”
My heart raced. Kale’s energy was erratic, pained and tempting. It called to me, and I felt the wild vampire power rise up inside me with intrigue.
“I don’t know what I want from you! Is that what you want to hear? I don’t fucking know.” That was as close to the truth as I had for him. “Sometimes, I want to devour you, just take all you have to give until there’s nothing left. And sometimes, I want to fuck you senseless while doing it. Then there are the times I want to wrap myself in the comfort I find in you and just … be.”
My words hung between us, heavy and honest. It felt good to get it out, but I still didn’t know what it all meant. I’d never felt as confused over anyone as I did with Kale. Was it wrong? Or, was it just circumstance?
The silence was thick with tension. The power crackled around us, creating sparks in the rain. Rain had soaked my hair, and I pushed it out of my face. I waited for Kale’s response. The hard glint in his gaze was unnerving. I was afraid of him right then; I couldn’t judge his state of mind.
I sensed his inner turmoil, his struggle. He quickly closed the distance he had put between us, and I braced myself for anything. Sliding a hand into my wet hair, he vibrated with pent-up energy. His hand was even warm, despite the cold rain that poured down, and I caught myself leaning into his touch.
“I can’t go on like this much longer. One of us is going to end up killing the other. I fear that might be the only way you can set me free.”
“Shut up, Kale. Don’t talk like that.”
His hand tightened in my hair, just enough to become painful. “God, I want to hurt you right now. Anything to make you stop saying my name like that.”
The shock of fear that slammed through me was paired with excitement. Part of me was eager to see what he would do. It was ludicrous. We were both so far gone.
“Can you do it? Make me a victim? Kale?” I taunted as his sweet energy rolled over me. It would be so easy to give in, and I was so tired of resisting.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” With a sudden pressure, he pushed power into me. It burned just enough to blur the line between pain and pleasure.
The pain increased as Kale forced me back against the building. The stone was cold and wet against my back. I gazed up at him, and he reached to stroke a finger beneath my chin as he contemplated me. I wanted him to do it, to give in to whatever he was feeling. Something inside me was waiting for that second when he went too far.
I gasped, a smile tugging at my lips. Grasping his power, I drew it in to me, making it mine. Five centuries of undead energy was a heady intoxicant. The rush that spilled over me was enough to make me dizzy. Kale was like a fine wine, stronger and better with age.
“I’d like to see you try.” I was like a kid playing with matches. The very real possibility of how badly I could get burned didn’t seem like a good enough reason to play safe.
“I know what you’re doing. Taunting me isn’t the way to make me back off. You are just pouring gasoline on the flames. I can’t resist you, and I’m done trying.”
He claimed my lips in a kiss that was wild with untamed need. At the same time, he released his hold on the energy within him so that it sought to get to me. It crashed over me like a wave, and I was left struggling to stay afloat in a sea of power and desire.
I delighted in the taste of blood on his tongue as he delved into my mouth. I breathed him in like his kiss was air. The boundary line was suddenly so far away it couldn’t be seen for dust. I fell into Kale, and I fell hard. Kissing him back with total abandon was so liberating that it was dizzying.
When Kale realized I wasn’t fighting him off, a sense of urgency overcame him. He kissed me hungrily, as if he feared that at any moment I would come to my senses and throw him another punch. I was too far gone to climb up out of the abyss I’d fallen into. The scent of rain mixed with Kale’s leather kept me buried under a veil of desire that would no longer be denied.
I tasted blood as his fangs scraped my lower lip, just another sensation to add to the rest. The fading warmth of his body against mine contrasted with the cold rain pelting us, and I pressed closer to him. Slipping my arms around his neck, I clung to him with a desperation I hadn’t known that I possessed for him. It could shock me later. Right then, it was freedom.
Kale’s hands were on my waist, sliding up under my shirt to caress my bare flesh. I ached for more. It wasn’t enough. When his mouth came warm against my neck, I sighed. The scrape of his fangs on my skin held the promise of danger and bliss. I needed it.
When he peeled my wet t-shirt off, I didn’t stop him. He paused just long enough to gaze into my eyes. I saw myself reflected in the drowning black of his pupils. And more than that, I saw his agonizing need.
Pulling me close, Kale pressed his lips to the swell of my cleavage, and I melted against him. I grasped his wet hair in my fingers, amazed at how soft it was. His tongue was warm and moist on my chilled flesh. We’d come this far before. That’s where it had ended. Not this time. Lord, not this time.
Perhaps the back alley behind The Wicked Kiss wasn’t the most ideal setting for such an encounter. The lightning flashed overhead, followed by thunder, and I found it perfect. Impatience drove me to know more of him, all of him. I sensed magic in Kale’s touch. I guided him back up to my lips so I could taste him again.
He touched my breasts through the restrictive, damp bra, but I didn’t want that. It wasn’t enough. The insistence in my kiss drove him, and he ran his hands low down my body to relieve me of the clingy, wet jeans. Anticipation had me growling. I was eager and ravenous for Kale.
I barely noticed when he stripped me of my skimpy underwear. Cloaking my body with his, Kale sheltered my nakedness with his long duster, providing me with warmth and cover. I reached blindly for him, seeking his skin on mine. He was already moving to free himself from the restraints of his pants. I gasped when he lifted me in his arms so that my weight was divided between the wall at my back and his embrace.
The warmth of his hard shaft against my entrance was sudden and startling. I peered into his eyes, finding him watching me intently. He gave me one last split second to stop him. I never did.
Kale slipped inside me with a slow, steady motion that knocked the breath from me. Our gazes were locked, and I felt vulnerable as every wall I’d built between us crumbled into dust. Buried deep within me, Kale gave a sigh that echoed what I felt. I watched as some semblance of sanity crept back into his mismatched eyes, but we weren’t turning back now.
“Alexa.” My name was a whisper as he kissed and bit at my neck.
With firm but unhurried strokes, he filled me again and again. A swell of emotion rose up to shatter what remained of my denial about my feelings for Kale. I wasn’t going to attempt to define them, but I could no longer refute their existence.
He shared with me weaknesses and vulnerabilities that nobody else did, like the constant battle with the bloodlust and the reasons not to give in. I felt safe with him. Kindred.
The crackle of energy sounded loud despite the storm. A silver and gold sphere of power encircled us. The colors of ours auras rolled together like the colors in a candy cane, never joining but twisting and turning together just the same. It was mesmerizing.
We moved together, hidden in the shadows, two souls united in passion and longing. Kale’s every touch was intimate. His every movement burned with the flames of sensuality. I’d never dreamed he could make me feel this way. He forced throaty cries from me with each thrust. I was lost in the spellbinding sensations of having him inside me. It felt like a dream.
Kale sucked at the vein in my throat, and I bared my neck to him in invitation. I wanted it as badly as he did. His fangs were sharp against my sensitive flesh. He bit deep, and I gasped. My heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears. Rather than withdraw his fangs right away, he left them buried. It burned until I wanted to scream, but the pain was bliss. I didn’t want it to stop. Kale was making me his in every way, and I wanted it.
When at last he released his hold on me, my blood rushed over his tongue. I felt myself hurtling toward climax as he sucked at the wound. Kale’s pace increased, and he groaned when I tensed. His body responded to mine, and I felt him fighting the release. Our release was stronger than we were, though, and it smashed into us with a head-spinning impact.
He held me for what felt like a long time after. I clung to him, unwilling to let go yet. He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, and a frown creased his brow. I realized then that hot tears rolled down my face. I shook my head, trying to calm his concern but unable to form words.
Unwilling to break the spell by speaking, he settled for holding me close and pressing soft kisses to my face. It did little to quell the ridiculous flow of tears. I felt betrayed by them.
We stayed there in the rain, each of us unwilling to break apart. Nothing would ever be the same between us again. I had felt the love that burned inside Kale for me, and I’d been forever changed because of it.
I reached out to stroke a hand down his jaw. I had always adored Kale. Now, I knew just how deep it went. Maybe I’d always known.
At long last, Kale pulled away, and I was left standing nearly naked in the rain. I felt no chill though. I was numb to everything except what I now felt inside. Kale slipped out of his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.
“I’m sorry.” He kissed me, gentle but deep. “Don’t hate me for this. I have to go. I can’t stay. Not right now.”
He disappeared into the night before I could reply. I struggled into my soaking wet clothes, and then I stood there, clutching his jacket to me while the rain slapped my face. The remnants of our power hummed around me.
I waited for the numbness to creep in, to wipe away the raw, agonized emotion that racked me now. It never came.
Chapter Thirteen
Leaving the dark confines of the alley meant returning to everything I thought I knew. I refused to think about what had just happened. I couldn’t for fear I might break. Turning the corner into the parking lot, I gasped as the part of me that was all Arys was awakened. He was here.
Dread washed over me, and I felt faint. I headed for Kale’s car, easily manipulating the door lock with slight focus. I held my breath, hoping the alarm wouldn’t go off. I pulled the door open. Silence. I tossed Kale’s jacket into the backseat, relocked the door and slowly made my way to the front door of the club. I didn’t want to go in there.
The sudden warmth of the club was stifling. I felt torn from the natural beauty of the rain, thrust into this artificial world. My wolf hated it. Ignoring the questioning look from Shawn, I made my way inside, leaving a wet trail behind me. I likely looked like something spawned in a B-rate horror movie.
Arys was leaning on the bar, engrossed in conversation with Josh. He looked up at my arrival, and I swallowed hard. Would the rain have washed away Kale’s scent? Did the truth shine in my eyes like a beacon?
“What in the hell happened to you? You look like something the cat dragged in.” Arys scanned me from head to toe, his gaze narrowing. “You’ve been crying.”
I kept my distance, afraid to touch him. “No. Why? Is there blood on my face? There was an incident at the office. Jez has been hurt. I can’t stay. I need to check on her.”
“Where’s Kale?”
Arys’ tone was sharp, and I cringed inwardly. I fumbled to form a response. I was tongue-tied, knowing the truth was clear in my eyes.
“I don’t know. He attacked Jez.” I could offer nothing more. I wouldn’t directly lie to Arys.
He reached out to shove the mess of wet hair off my neck, exposing Kale’s bite. “Let me rephrase that. Where in the fuck is Kale?”