Kindred (39 page)

I was already feeling so much better, not healed but stronger, the aches had definitely lessened, the bruises still there but not as noticeable to me as before. Whatever the Bond was doing, being near Michel felt so damn right. But, I couldn't stop that small part of me wondering, is this thing making me feel something that I would normally not feel?

“
Is it forcing us to be close, against our wills I mean?”

“
No, not at all,
ma douce
. The Bond is slow to develop in some kindred joining because the connection between them is not as strong. Had you joined with Maximilian, for instance, your Bond may not have formed for many years, maybe even centuries. It is an acknowledgement of your connection and your connection is in direct response to your
emotional state of mind, your heart's desire, so to speak. The Bond can not make you come to me against your will, unless you wish it so.”

He reached his head down then and kissed me softly against the lips, so slow and warm and inviting. He paused allowing me time to protest and when I didn't move, he kissed me again.

Against my lips he murmured, “It tells me this is where you wish to be and nowhere else. It tells me you are mine as I am yours.”

His tongue slid through my teeth, his teeth grazing my bottom lip and suddenly my body no longer ached, but was on fire. A beautiful lazy heat of fire flickering across my skin. I gave a soft moan before I even realised what I was doing. Michel chuckled against my mouth.

“
You are always so responsive,
ma douce
, it is something I treasure.”

He shifted slightly to start layering kisses down my cheek and neck, across my jaw and then back to my mouth. His kiss deepening and promising more and more with every stroke of his tongue, every brush of his lips. One of his hands started stroking my side, up over my stomach and then finding my breast through the material, tweaking my nipple. I arched towards him at his touch and he gave a soft moan in response, his kiss becoming more possessive. I didn't fight it, my body, or Bond, or whatever the hell this was, just kept saying more.

I wasn't sure if this was at all real, but it felt real and part of me just thought, why not let this be real? Why not let myself have this wonderful, beautiful experience, allow myself to love this complicated but passionate man. With all my soul I wanted to be with Michel, I wanted him to win the battle against that dark side of him, I wanted him to come towards the light more than I had ever wanted anything in this world before. I knew that this was not going to be an easy relationship, being with a vampire couldn't ever possibly be called easy, but it was something that was so deep within me I could no longer deny it. I was meant to be here, by this man's side, with this man. I knew it with all my heart, body and soul.

His fingers were undoing the buttons on my shirt, reaching inside and stroking the naked flesh beneath. I hadn't bothered with a bra, unable to contemplate that difficulty and when his hand reached my naked breast he groaned, pushed aside the blouse and bent his head to take my nipple in his mouth, so wet and warm and delicious. His teeth teasing, followed by a tongue licking, only to be replaced again by a nip, a lick and the soft coolness of his breath. Little electric pulses had started radiating out from that spot, shooting down my body to more intimate areas, bringing with it heat and a wicked wetness. I rubbed against him in a natural movement, unaware of my actions and received a growl of appreciation in return.

Suddenly his hand replaced the thigh I had been pressing against, removing my underwear and returning to stroke the wet folds between my legs, dipping inside and moving back out to rub and tease and stroke. His eyes were shining a beautiful mix of blues and violets, flecks and swirls, lighting up his face and sending a shudder right through my body. He moved with that lightning speed he has and appeared between my legs, lifting my thighs and butt off the bed and burying his face in the soft curls at my crease. His tongue so sure and confident, lapping at me, teasing me, flicking that sensitive nub and sending shockwave after shockwave through my body.

I found myself groaning and calling out with each touch of that very clever tongue and then he started sucking, nipping and thrusting his tongue in as far as it could go and that was it, I was gone. On a wave of desire that had me clawing at his back, digging my nails into his flesh and scratching his shoulders as he devoured me, tasted me and pleased me. After what seemed like a lifetime of unadulterated bliss I broke the crest of all that delectable heat and screamed out in pleasure, letting the tidal wave of shudders rack my body and cover me with shivers.

Michel held me close, whispering to me, kissing me, comforting me and helping me come down from that impossible high and then before my breath could steady, or my heartbeat slow at all, he positioned himself above me, stroking the length of me with his hard sex and with a look of strained control pushed inside in a delicious thrust of desire.

His movements weren't steady, the rhythm a staccato of hard and short motions, he was so close to the edge it was obviously taking every effort to hold on. His eyes met mine and I didn't want to ever look away. The need to be here with him so strong it stole my breath, so different from anything I had ever felt before in my life, it consumed me, it ruled me, it warmed and welcomed me, but most of all it shouted that this was right, so very, very right.

I could see he was having a similar experience, the look in his eyes intense, the violet flecks now mixing with amethyst, his groans and whispers fervent demands for
more
,
yes
, and
mine
. He became more frantic, moaning in amongst a  ragged murmur of words. The sight of him sending me on another rising wave of delight, so much more intense than before, the fire building to a delicious roar, the shockwaves starting to come in such short succession I couldn't breathe.

I wanted to keep my eyes open and savour every second, every thrust, every feature of his fiercely hungry look and I even managed it for a while, but as Michel's rhythm faltered even further and he let a cry of pure joy out, I crushed myself to him and rode the wave of rapture he had created to the very end, savouring the white noise and bright light of our coupling.

We collapsed in a tangled pile of limbs on the bed. The look Michel gave me one of utter surprise and delight.

“
That
, was remarkable.”

I was still breathless, I couldn't answer him straight away, but I knew what he meant. Sex with him had always been good, hell,
way
better than good, but what we had just experienced then, was in a whole different league.

When I finally recovered, my heart slowing from its desperate tattoo inside my chest and my breath had settled to a slightly more healthy rasp, I managed, “OK. You win. You can heal me now.”

It was met with a low chuckle and warm arms pulling me close.

“
Ma douce
, I am already lost. I have the feeling I shall never win a battle with you, ever again.”

It was still only about midday when we finally emerged from the confines of our arms, Michel had healed me immediately, my heart rate only rising slightly at the moment of lowering my shields. All I felt now was bliss and an afterglow of warmth and comfort and hunger. I hadn't eaten since lunch time yesterday, so Michel picked up the phone beside the bed and asked for a tray of food to be brought to his chambers. His vampires would all be out for the count, so mind-talking his request was not possible, he had to resort to the old
human
standby and actually talk to his servants. I'd said I would be happy to go out and grab something for myself, I felt so alive and healthy, like I could have run a million miles and swum right across the Pacific Ocean, but he wouldn't let me out of his embrace.

“
You are
not
going anywhere today, or for a long time, my dear. I am not letting you out of my sight.” He said it in a low growl, but it held a lightness to it, a challenge.

I could have bristled at what had sounded very much like a
fait accompli
, but something in me just seemed to purr, to acknowledge that I too had absolutely no desire to be anywhere else other than with him. My tray of food arrived and Michel sat back on the bed with a lazy smile and watched me nibble on a bit of this and that from the assortment his staff had provided.
Sensations
has a small kitchen, not a full restaurant, but providing a nice selection of nibble-style foods for its patrons. The chefs had provided a selection across the menu, there was more here than I could have possibly managed to consume, but I was loving tasting a little of everything.

I glanced up with the realisation that Michel had not slept, being daylight most vampires do need to rest, only venturing out on sunless days and only if absolutely necessary, but I wasn't sure if rest meant sleep and if he was weakening himself or not.

“
Do you need to sleep? Am I keeping you awake?”

He gave me one of his sensual smiles, full lips and knowing eyes. “You can keep me awake whenever you like, my dear, as long as it involves such sweet activities like this morning's.”

I flashed him a look that said,
whatever.
He laughed. “I do not need to sleep, Lucinda, I am a level one
Sanguis Vitam
Master, but resting is good for the soul, is it not? And this,” he indicated the bed and then me, “is resting.”

“
What about feeding?”

He sobered slightly, recognising the tone of my question. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to this, but I needed to. He sat forward and took one of my hands in both of his.

“
I shall need to feed,
ma douce
, when the sun sets. A vampyre does not do well to pass a night without sustenance.”

I bit my lip and let a breath out. OK. I could accept this, it hadn't really been something I had thought about too much before. Well, I had kind of pushed it to the back of mind and ignored the issue altogether actually, but it wasn't like I hadn't expected it. I've been around vampires a lot now, they don't hide their feeding when it's just them and willing donors, no uninformed Norms about, and lately I had been at
Sensations
quite a bit out of public hours.

Michel had been watching me intently, finally he said, “We have two options available to us,
ma douce
. I could feed whenever you are not here, or out of your sight and not advise you, if you so wish to remain in the dark. Or, I could feed from you. I do not require much at my age and with our Bond it would not weaken you should I feed daily.” When I didn't say anything, he went on. “If it's any reassurance to you,
ma belle
, my choice is unequivocal. I could never desire to taste of another again.”

Well, this was an interesting sensation, wasn't it? I was a little disconcerted, scared of having a vampire, even Michel whom I was only now realising I loved, feed from me. So long now I have hunted vampires who have fed indiscriminately on humans, without consent, without care. I have associated vampire feeding with the evil that lurks in my city.

But, then part of me was excited, excited by the prospect of being so close to Michel on a regular basis. Vampire feeding is very personal, very intimate. Of course it can be horrible, torture, should the vampire choose, but for Michel I could only imagine it would be the bliss of emotions he had instilled in me when he fed from me at our joining. The intensity of closeness thrumming right through to my soul.

And then, finally, there was the jealousy, unable to accept that another human could possibly feel any of that delicious closeness with
my
vampire, with my Michel. The jealousy was a living thing inside me, rearing up and shouting through my mind,
no!

I realised belatedly, that I hadn't tried to hide these emotions at all and that Michel had sat absorbing them all quietly, waiting for me to come to the end of the roller coaster I had created. I looked up at him, he smiled ruefully at me, a little paler than normal, but hiding it well.

I licked my lips, his eyes homing in on that movement with a sudden look of desire. Which made me feel yet another emotion, one equally as heated as that now evident in his gaze.

“
Would feeding from me daily result in us jumping each other's bones?” His eyebrows raised at that, I went on hurriedly, “I mean, not that I'm complaining, but, you know daily, that's like
every
day and I'm not exactly built like you, I mean, I know I'm stronger and all than a regular human, but I'm still human and every day is quite a lot and well...” I kind of ran out of steam then and felt a heated flush rise up my face.

Michel was fighting it, but I could see his chest rise in delicate chuckles until he could contain it no longer and burst out into delicious peals of laughter. He stopped when he saw the mortified look on my face, or maybe it was the emotion hitting him, in any case he tried to school his features into a much more sober expression and said, “I would be delighted if it did, my dear, but it does not have to. I am not able to influence your mind, but I am able to control the endorphins that are secreted when I feed. To a certain extent in any case. It would be impossible for me not to relay the joy I would be feeling in being so close to you, but it would be your choice whether you should take that further and reciprocate. The experience however, will always be enjoyable to us both, on more than one level”