Authors: Melissa Schroeder
"I just suggest that because I know a bit more about
society than anyone here."
"I doubt you know more than I," Gray said, smiling
again.
She sniffed. "But of course, Your Grace. I do know that
you like brunettes with green eyes, but then, I am sure most do. Oh, and
remember, I know that you are a member of the Cock and Bull."
Gray's mouth dropped open. "Bloody hell."
"I am assuming your mother is alive, even though they
say your father is dead?"
Gray nodded.
"She would probably not be happy to know that you play
such dangerous games." Cordelia’s expression never changed as she
threatened the duke.
Nico smiled. He couldn't help it. His mate was intelligent
and didn't mind letting people know it. It made him like her even more.
She turned to him again. “I want to know what I am getting
into when I go about in society. I don’t know who is one of our kind. I do not
want to make any mistakes.”
He was captured by the comment of being “their kind.” She
did not say “your.” The fact that she was already thinking that way was good.
“Mother will help you through society for that. You will be
recognized by many of them without telling them.”
She nodded.
“If you do not mind, I would like to talk to Nico alone.”
The request caught him unaware.
“We can go to your room.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think not. We won’t get any
discussion done there.”
His father chuckled again and stood. “Rightly so. We have
other matters to address, and we can do that in mother’s parlor.”
Within moments, they were alone.
“What is it you want to discuss?”
She sighed. “I need to know everything. I sense you are
holding things back from me.”
He was, but he could not let her know that. The baser side
of their kind was not pleasant. “I cannot tell you everything.”
“No, I need to know.”
“What?”
“My sister, she is a Carrier? My mother was one, too? But
what of my brother?”
“You did not have the same father. He was born of a human
father, but you were not.”
He thought she would be embarrassed about her mother, but
she was not. “I don’t know who my father was. But does that make Diana…”
He nodded. “If Diana doesn’t not mate with a Born, it does
not matter.”
She sighed and nodded. He hated that she looked so dejected.
“What is it, Cordelia?”
She shrugged. “It is just a lot to take in.”
“Your problem is that you think too much, my love.”
She shot him a narrowed look, her blue eyes sparking fire.
“I do not like you using that name for me.”
“You don’t?”
“I am not your love. I do much better living in reality. You
did not marry me because of love, and I do not love you.”
He rather doubted that, at least on her part. A woman like
her could not give herself as freely as she had the night before if she did not
care for him a little. She had not been able to hide her feelings when he was
touching her. So open, so generous. Need pounded through him as the memories of
their lovemaking washed over him.
She was still talking but he did not hear it. He saw her
mouth moving, but the words did not register. Instead, he rose from the couch,
walked to the door, and turned the lock. When he turned around, Cordelia was
staring at him as if he had lost his mind. He had. He couldn’t think straight.
Not here alone in the room with her. He could still taste her passion as if he
had just taken her moments before. His teeth descended. His body felt more
alive than it ever had. He needed her. Now.
“Nico?”
Her voice had deepened, and the sound of it danced over
every blasted nerve ending in his body. It was painful and arousing at the same
time. He said nothing, but pulled her up off the chair and into his arms.
Before she could say anything else, he tumbled them both to
the floor. He took the brunt of the fall, pulling her down on top of him. Then
he quickly rolled them over the thick Aubusson rug so that she lay beneath him.
Her eyes were wide, her face flushed, and her mouth parted.
Nico could not resist, even if he wanted to. And why would he want to? She was
his mate, his to take, to feed from.
“I know it is madness and at the moment, you are not that
happy with me. But, Cordelia, I want you.”
He held his breath, waiting for her to deny him. She was
aroused. The scent of her teased his senses. He closed his eyes and drew in a
deep breath, allowing it to fill him. His teeth were completely descended. When
he opened his eyes, he found her smiling at him.
“Cordelia?”
She slipped her hands up over his shoulders then wound her
fingers through his hair. She pulled his mouth down to hers. “If you want me,
then take me, Nico.”
Cordelia did not know if Nico was happy or not with her
brazenness. For mere seconds, she held her breath. She could not deny the
craving she had for him. It was insane, but the urge to mate, to have him take
her, took over every instinct she had. Then, his lips curved, and he dropped
his mouth on top of hers. There was a sense of urgency but not as frantic as
the time before.
At least not from him. Passion was already pounding through
her, and he had barely touched her. Was this what he spoke of? The primal need
to be his mate? It was consuming her every thought. Joining with him was all
that mattered. Her body hummed with the need to have him ravish her. If she
took time to think about it, she would be frightened, but he stopped all
thought when she felt his lips on her jawline.
He kissed his way down her neck then slid his mouth over her
pulse point.
He huffed against her skin. His breath feathered over her
hot flesh, and she swallowed a moan. She wanted nothing more than to be taken,
every nerve in her body sensitive to his every move. It hurt just to lie there
and feel his breath on her skin.
"Bloody hell, you drive me insane, Cordelia."
Every word was ground out as if the admission was hard for him to say. It was
even harder for her to hear. It called to everything she had suppressed for
years. So many times she had denied being like her mother, but at the moment,
she understood her mother’s predilections. If she ever felt like this with any
of her suitors, Cordelia understood her mother’s actions now.
He traced his tongue over the vein as if trying to sense
where it was, as if he could taste her blood through her flesh. She felt the
graze of teeth, and she could not help but stiffen.
He paused.
"I'm sorry. I am not accustomed to that."
He continued on.
She tried to relax but she could not. Even with her body
telling her this was right, that it was no different than the night before, she
had to ask, "Will it hurt?"
He shook his head and looked up at her. What she saw had her
heart almost stopping. This was the feral man of the darkened room their first
night together, the man who had taken her last night. He was speaking the truth
when he said he needed her. His eyes shown with need and were almost
otherworldly looking.
"I drank from you last night. There is a serum that is
injected first that will help with the pain. But I can wait if you need me
to."
Of course he would. Nico might have lost his head around her
once or twice, but he was first and foremost a gentleman. He was her husband,
and she wanted the full treatment.
"No, do it."
He shuddered as if he had been released from a bond and bent
his head. He licked her skin again, and she felt it go slightly numb. But
instead of drinking from her he worked his way down her body and shoved her
skirts up. He tugged her drawers off and tossed them behind him. Without a
word, he pressed her thighs wide and put his mouth on her sex.
Cordelia jolted at the touch of his mouth against her. She
was wet, so wet she was embarrassed by it, but she easily forgot about it when
he slipped his tongue between her folds. Pleasure spiraled through her as she
shivered against his mouth. Each time his tongue thrust into her core, her
hunger deepened. Again and again, he took her to the edge, but before she could
experience her release, he would pull back, teasing her with his teeth and
mouth.
She was barely able to think by the time he rose to his
knees. She wanted—no needed—release so badly, she physically hurt. Every fiber
of her being ached. He undid his britches and lifted her hips.
“Cordelia, love.”
She raised her gaze to his and in his eyes saw the need that
filled her reflected back. Then, with one hard thrust, he was inside of her.
She came apart right then, unable to hold back, not wanting to. She convulsed
as her release burst through her. Nico continued to move within her and bent
his head to feed.
He licked her flesh, then she felt the tiniest of pricks
against her neck. The moment he began drinking from her, she exploded again.
She screamed his name, bucking up against him so hard he growled against her
neck. Ecstasy flooded her body, claimed her senses. The feel of her blood being
drawn into him was at first strange. Then, in the next instant, she felt the
connection to him, the pleasure of giving him nourishment, and another level of
arousal shifted through her. Before she could prepare herself, a second release
was upon her. It left her gasping, her body rearing up against his, and she lost
herself in the pleasure he gave her. Nico thrust into her one more time and
moaned her name as he poured himself into her.
He pulled his fangs out of her neck, and she winced at the
feel. It wasn’t so much that it hurt, but just the odd feel of teeth beneath
her skin. He licked her neck again and the flesh there numbed. With a sigh, he
pulled out of her, then collapsed beside her on the rug. He slipped a hand over
her waist and tugged her closer to him. His body felt as if he were on fire.
"I do not think I can keep up with you," he said,
his words muffled against the carpet. She looked around. The drapes were
closed, but there was a bit of light peeking through. Just beyond the door, she
heard people walking down the hall and the murmur of voices.
"Bloody hell, what am I doing?" she asked.
He chuckled. "Making love with your husband in the
middle of the day."
He pulled himself up to look down at her. The feral look had
faded, but there was something else there, something that left her oddly
confused.
"I think that everyone will allow us time for fun like
this in the middle of the day. We are newly wed."
He said it with such sincerity, she almost laughed.
"I guess so. I don't think they know what we were doing
in here."
He chuckled. "My sweet, you are exceedingly loud when
you make love. I have no doubt everyone heard you in the house...possibly all
of London."
She felt her face heat. “I was not that loud.”
“You were. I am convinced you are a temptress, weaving some
kind of spell on me. ’Tis as if I am not five centuries old. Like I said, you
might be too much for my old heart.”
“And you do have hearts?” she asked before she could stop
herself.
He nodded as he pulled one of her hands into his then kissed
her knuckles. “Yes, we have everything you do.”
“I felt it beat before, and I wondered.” Then she hesitated.
Her family had never been happy with her endless questions. In fact, she
remembered spending most of the afternoon locked in a closet after asking Alex
too many.
“No, ask.”
She glanced up. “What?”
“Ask me what you want to.”
“I am not sure where to start.”
“We are built like humans. We all are born the same way,
live the same way.”
“But you never die unless you are killed.”
“That is not entirely true. There is a time when we can
choose to go into the afterlife, but the timing depends on the couple.”
“According to the gothic novels, vampires cannot be out
during the day.”
He rolled his eyes. “Please, do not believe that nonsense.
We can be out in sunlight, although too much of it might leave us with a rash
and it does drain our energy.”
“Will I…” she paused. How could she put into words what she
wanted to say?
“I told you to ask me anything.”
The sincerity in his eyes had her looking away. A lump had
formed in her throat, and for the barest of moments, she wanted to believe her
fantasies. Cordelia was always a woman who dealt better with reality. She knew
this was a marriage forced by conditions they had no control over, and falling
for a man like Nico Blackburn was a mistake. She barely knew the man…and even
an eternity would teach her little.
She pushed away those thoughts and looked at him.
“Cordelia, ask.” There was an edge to his voice now, even as
he tried to keep his tone mild.
“I feel like I am in the dark, and I do not like it. It is
one of the reasons I read when I was a child. After Father fired my tutor—”
“Your father fired your tutor?”
She nodded. “After that, I had to teach myself. So I read
anything I could get my hands on.”
He was frowning at her.
“This is a little disturbing.”
“There is so much to learn and usually people learn from
birth. Since your mother did not know apparently, she told you nothing.”
“My mother died in childbirth.”
“Ah. Do you have any idea who your father was?”
She shook her head. “Father used to call me his Scottish
bastard, so I am assuming he was from Scotland.”
His eyes sparked with anger but before he could respond, a
knock at the door interrupted him.
“I am sorry, my lord, but Malik has told me to interrupt.
There has been another attack.”
Nico glanced toward the drapes and saw what she did. It was
still light out. If someone was this brazen, it was not a good sign. Still, he
hesitated. It made her feel better that he thought twice about leaving her.
They may not have married for love, but respect and passion were good enough
for her.