Seared by Desire (25 page)

“
Then I’m going to die one day Lucian, you have to accept
that.”

Wrong,
Seraphina laughed.

Shut up,
Sara snapped in response.
She didn’t have time to deal with the childish whims of a vengeful
spirit.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong,
Seraphina chanted.

About what!
she snapped, annoyed
with the unrelenting voice of discord.

Fire never dies. Fire is eternal. We are eternal.

Seraphina this isn’t the time for jokes.

Sara and me will live forever and ever and ever. Only one
body for me so Sara will live so I can live!
The spirit laughed, her harsh tone suggesting that the gift
of life she was bestowing on Sara was not a pleasant one and that
their years together would be difficult.

Seraphina’s words swirled around in Sara’s mind, confusing
her as she tried to make sense of what the spirit had said. “What?”
she murmured aloud.

“
Sara, are you okay?” Lucian asked, gently stroking the
exposed skin of her neck and arms.

“
She…Seraphina…”

His grip tightened in preparation for Seraphina’s arrival.
“What has she done? Is she hurting you?”

A broad smile broke out on Sara’s face. “She said, she said,
she said I’m going to live. Seraphina is the spirit of fire Lucian;
she’s lived forever and will never die. As long as I have her, I
can stay with you.”

“
So she’s cursed you to death and given you life all in the
same action?”

“
If you knew her as I do then you’d understand that makes
complete sense for her.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and
moved closer to him, the distance between them so small she could
feel his chest brush against his when they breathed. “So what does
this mean for us?”

“
I would have thought my actions this morning said everything
loud and clear Sara. I told you you’re my bride and we’re you’re
never going to leave me. I’ve known what our future would be since
the moment I saw you.”

Lucian's words sunk slowly into Sara’s emotionally distraught
mind and as they did her sorrow was burned away by the red-hot
coals of anger. “What do you mean you’ve always known it was
me?”

“
Vampires always know who their bride is Sara. How they know
varies but the instant they meet, they’ll know.”

“
So you knew this morning when I was crying my eyes out!” Her
hands turned into fists and she pounded angrily against his chest.
“Why didn’t you just tell me then?!”

Sighing deeply, he gripped Sara’s hands and stopped her
frustrated venting. “The war has been my life for so long and I
didn’t want to jeopardise anything now when it seems that it could
be coming to an end.”

“
And how exactly would telling me jeopardise your chance to
win? You know I’m willing to help you.”

“
I also know that when it comes to you I lose all sense of
composure. I can barely think straight let alone strategise. It was
bad enough when you didn’t know the power you held over me but now
not only do you know William does as well. People know that you’re
my Achilles’ heel. They know how to make me mindless and that’s the
best time to attack me.”

“
I had nothing to do with William finding out, that was your
doing.”

“
A prime example of what you do to my control. Damn it, I’m a
vampire we normally have a better grip on our emotions that
this.”

“
And what does that mean exactly?”

He pulled her flush against him, the heavy weight of his
erection pressing against her. “It means you’re mine. I won’t let
anyone take you from me and I won’t let you leave me.”

“
Possessive aren’t you?” she purred, running her fingers
through the dark strands of his hair.

“
With you? Yes.”

He didn’t give her the chance to respond, pressing his lips
against hers in a demanding kiss. She moaned, the sound shooting
straight through Lucian, making him grow harder and longer in a
single beat of his quickening heart. Her hands tangled into his
hair, keeping him close though he couldn’t imagine ever trying to
pull away. The kiss this time was tender, unhurried, a slow build
to pleasure rather than the rushed race to completion that had
preceded their last encounter. He nipped gently at her lush bottom
lip, gently coaxing her to join him rather than demanding she
submit completely to his wishes. He groaned, his lips moving more
insistently over her own, deepening the kiss. His tongue slipped
into her mouth, tangling with hers and catching her breathy sighs.
His kiss was literally stealing her breath and when she eventually
pulled away she was panting, her warm breaths ghosting over his
face.

“
Lucian,” she breathed. Her face was flushed, her grip on his
chest tight and unrelenting.

His fingers moved over her own, extracting the fabric of his
shirt from her firm grip. “Turn around,” he purred, the soft words
against her ear making her shiver.

She turned slowly her mind racing. He hadn’t given her a
moment to think that morning when he’d taken her by the lake but
now, his measured attempts at seduction were giving her the chance
to think and she was nervous. As the pariah of her village, she’d
never interacted with men, had never kissed one before Lucian and
had most definitely not lain with one. Lucian was her first on so
many levels but she knew with the utmost certainty that she wasn’t
his. Would she be able to please him? Her knowledge of the
relationships between men and women was significantly hampered by
her mother’s unwillingness to even talk to her. All that she knew
she’d learned from secret conversations with Abigail and stolen
glimpses of the couples in her village. She was quickly feeling out
of her depth.

Lucian's nimble fingers worked quickly, untying the ribbon
that kept her bound in her dress. “You’re nervous,” he began,
lightly kissing the exposed skin of her neck. She moaned, the sound
sliding over him like a sensuous caress and making his fingers work
faster; he wanted to feel her bare skin again. He wanted to touch
her everywhere, to draw those unknowingly sexual sounds from her
lips. He wanted to make her call out his name in the heat of the
moment as ecstasy washed over her.

“
How can you tell?” she panted, her hands clenched tightly as
uncertainty washed over her.

“
I know you Sara, I can feel that you’re nervous.” The ribbons
fluttered uselessly by her sides and he pulled the dress from her
shoulders, gently skimming over her breasts as the dress pooled
around her ankles. He kissed along the column of her neck to reach
her ear, nibbling gently on the soft lobe. “Is it because you’ve
never had a man before? Is that why you’re nervous?”

She stiffened in his arms at the accusation. “How? How do you
know?” Had her inexperienced actions that morning given her away
for the novice she truly was.

“
I was inside you this morning Sara. I could feel that you’ve
never had a man before. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of that soon
enough. Relax,” he purred, pulling her back against her chest.
“Just do what comes naturally like this morning. You remember this
morning right?”

Cupping her breasts through the thin material of her shift,
he rubbed against her hardening nipples, twisting and tugging at
the small nubs. Pleasure shot straight through her and Sara arched
against him pushing her breasts further into his palms, her hands
lifting to wrap around his neck.

“
So I’m going to assume that you like that,” Lucian purred
into her ear, his clever fingers continuing to pull breathy moans
from her.

“
Lucian,” she gasped, her small fingers tightening their grip
on him. “Lucian…”

His fingers on her body were like magic, drawing her further
and further into a world of explosive pleasure. Her limbs felt
weak, trembling against him because each time he pulled against her
hard nipples, pleasure lanced through her, the sheer force of it
stunning her. Her body felt hot but it wasn’t the heat of her flame
that was coursing through her now, it was the heat of passion. Her
breasts felt heavy, her nipples tight, almost painful. Even though
she was a fire elemental she felt as though she were overheating.
Lucian's hand moved then, shifting from her breast and feathering
down the planes of her stomach to rest softly over the mound of her
sex. A wanton moan slipped from her lips as she remembered the feel
of his long fingers between her legs that morning. But she didn’t
want tonight to simply be a replay of that morning; she wanted to
touch him, to feel his body as he’d felt hers, to push him to the
brink.

She spun in his arms and gazed deep into his dark eyes before
doing exactly as he’d told her to. She gave herself over to
sensation and did what came naturally and right then she wanted him
naked. She wanted to feel her bare skin against his. Her fingers
shook slightly as she lifted them to the first button of his shirt
unfastening the small ties to reveal the pale, muscled skin of his
chest. Anticipation burnt away at any traces of hesitation and she
moved quickly, placing a lingering kiss against his skin for every
button that was undone. She smiled against his flesh, her movements
slowing as she felt him inhale sharply in response to her
ministrations. Her hands ran over his chest savouring the feel of
his hard muscles against her palms.

“
Sara,” Lucian groaned, fisting his hand into the soft strands
of her red curls.

The feel of his skin against her lips was changing as she
continued her downward journey, a trail of dark hair coming into
view as she approached the end of the buttons on Lucian's shirt.
The trail called to her, pleading with her to finish her journey.
She gently extracted Lucian's fingers from her hair and continued
moving. The last of the buttons out of the way, she flicked her
tongue experimentally over the nearest patch of skin. Her strokes
soon became surer as she realised that Lucian liked what she was
doing to him. His eyes were at half-mast, heavy lidded dark eyes
staring down at her with passionate longing and tortured moans
filled the air. Her hot mouth moved over the skin above the
waistband of his breeches, her hands gripping his hips tightly as
her tongue swirled over his cool skin, her small blunt teeth
nipping him occasionally before her tongue returned to soothe the
brief pain.

Wicked oaths spilled from his lips when her hands left his
hips, moving to cup the hard length of his erection. He moved
swiftly, pulling her up from her knees and crushing her against
him, grinding his hips hard against hers as he sought some kind of
relief. The almost painful pressure in his shaft didn’t abate and
groaning he thrust her away from him before falling on her
ravenous. He suckled her hard nipples through the thin material of
her shift, snarling in frustration at the lack of contact between
them before tearing the material from her body without a second
thought. The cool air ghosted over her skin before the warmth of
Lucian's mouth returned. Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his
head keeping him locked to her chest. His lips tugged insistently
at the rigid tips, his hands caressed her back, pulling her ever
closer as his tongue swirled over the sensitive skin.

His mouth still at her breast, he lifted her from the ground
and she wrapped her legs around his trim waist instinctively. He
rumbled his approval at her actions, the sound vibrating against
her tender breast, causing Sara to throw her head back as pleasure
mounted.

She pushed her hips against him, groaning as her moist folds
rubbed against the abrasive fabric of his breeches. “Lucian,” she
groaned, her short nails digging into his scalp.

His hands glided over her back, the feel of her soft skin
against him causing Lucian to harden further. His bride in his
arms, he moved towards the bed, laying her tenderly down against
the sheets. He pulled away then, creating enough distance between
them that he could see her beautifully flushed face.

“
Sara,” he purred, gently running a hand down her
cheek.

He kissed her then, leisurely, gently, slowing the pace of
their coupling. The heat coursing through her veins simmered down,
her death grip on him loosened.

His lips left hers on a soft sigh, “You’re so beautiful Sara.
The most beautiful woman I’ve met in all my years of life. There
aren’t words to describe just how badly I want you.”

His fingers wandered down her side, stroking her skin
carefully and drawing soft mewls of pleasure from her lips. “I want
to taste every inch of you.”

What he really wanted to do was to taste her intoxicating
blood, to feel her lifeblood on his tongue, to sink his fangs into
the tender skin of her neck, then her breast, then her thighs but
he was lucid enough to realise what a bad idea that would be. Her
skin would have to suffice for the moment. He proceeded to make
good on his words, his seductive mouth moving over every inch of
her body, drawing soft moans and desperate pleas from her luscious
lips.

His hands were everywhere, his lips following in steady
dedication the many trails they made over her body. She could
barely breathe, her breaths coming in short fast pants as she
struggled to gulp in enough air to stay lucid. Her mind was
splintering into a thousand pieces, her body was no longer her own.
“Lucian,” she gasped. The breathy call of his name sounded
desperate and he turned from his task of licking down her thigh to
look at her flushed face. “Please,” she begged, though he was well
aware that she had no idea what she was truly asking for. “Please
Lucian, please…”