Authors: Cassandra Gannon
“Find
my woman before the Vampire does!” Fang continued ruthlessly. “I don’t want
that damn, dirty ape putting his paws on her.”
Jane
blinked as Slade smiled and very deliberately put his paws
alllll
over
her. He backed her up against the wall and tugged down the neckline of her
dress, so her breasts popped out over the top. They filled his hands, her
nipples beading against his palms. Slade lowered his mouth to lap at the tight
points. “
My
woman.” He breathed.
Jane’s
fingers tangling in his hair, unsure whether to hang on or push him away.
“Slade, we
can’t
.”
“Of
course we can. The Werewolf is practically daring me.” His lips traveled
along the valley between her breasts. Gods, he couldn’t wait to feed from that
spot. He was going to spend the next century or two drinking from every
millimeter of her perfect skin. “I love your body.”
“You’re
about to start loving it to itty-bitty pieces. There are armed men right
outside, hoping to find us and hack us apart.”
“I
told you, they cannot hear us. My magicks are surrounding us.” Nothing would
be able to sense them through the barrier Slade had constructed.
“But…”
She drew in a sharp breath as Slade’s hand left her breasts to explore under
her dress, again.
Slade
really needed to thank his grandmother for creating the outfit for her. It was
so much more convenient than Jane’s favorite, too-revealing pants. His palm
slipped beneath the edge of her underwear, gently parting the damp folds of her
body.
“You
see why I like skirts?” His thumb started a slow massage.
She
glowered at him, even as her cheeks flushed with arousal. “You cannot
possibly
be getting off on this.”
He
grinned at her outraged tone. “Actually, I’m wagering that
you
will be
the one who gets off first.” Jane’s mouth curved in reluctant amusement and
Slade knew he had her. It was never hard to convince the woman to follow him,
just as he was always eager to follow her. Their paths only led to each
other. “Have faith in me, my One. I won’t let you come to any harm.”
Jane
made a small sound of pleasure as he slipped a finger inside of her. “It’s
very kinky to be having sex with people two feet away.” She warned, but she
didn’t try to stop him. “It’s totally going to piss off parents’ groups and
movie censors.”
“They’re
just jealous.”
“Search
everywhere
.” Fang continued. “The Vampire probably has her pinned down
someplace, completely at his mercy.”
Slade
caught Jane around the waist, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall.
“Feel free to start begging for mercy.” He offered softly. “I don’t mind a
bit.”
The
anxiety had faded from her eyes, replaced with passion. “You’re a crazy, reckless
egomaniac.”
“But
so damn charming about it.”
She
beamed at that playful remark. “You really are my Prince Charming, Slade. I
knew it from the minute I saw you.”
“If
the Vampire gets inside of her, I will see all of you dead.” Fang thundered.
“I mean it. I will execute
every one of you
.”
Jane’s
gaze locked on Slade’s, already knowing what he was going to do. She silently
slipped off her underwear and dropped it to the floor. For a woman averse to
taking chances, she seemed very willing to bet on him. It was humbling. Slade
eased Jane’s legs apart and she opened herself to him. It was the most
breathtaking sight he’d ever seen.
“Now.”
She whispered.
Slade
surged into her, his teeth grinding together at her breathless cry. Jesus, it
was beautiful.
She
was beautiful. Jane was tight and hot and he would
die a thousand times over before he parted with her. He buried his face in her
hair. “Only think of me, my One. Only think of this.”
Jane
wrapped her legs around him. “I love you.” She gasped. “Slade, I love you so
much.”
Oh
fuck
yes.
More
Goblins stomped by outside, Fang still shouting orders. Slade braced his foot
against the door, so they wouldn’t be able to open in, even if they tried.
Which none of them did. Slade was making sure of it. His goal was to take
every threat that Fang leveled at her and turn it into something fun, and
beautiful, and loving. And it seemed to be working.
Jane
undulated against him, a blissfully look on her face. “
Slade.
”
“He’s
probably feeding on her!” Fang shrieked.
Slade
smirked. For half a second, he was almost grateful to the bastard. He bent
his head to bite the side of Jane’s neck, drinking deep.
His.
Jane’s
eyes drifted shut in pleasure, giving him everything he wanted. “Of course, I
don’t recall Prince Charming doing
this
in the fairytale.”
“Princes
are children. I am a
king
.” Considering the circumstances, Slade
couldn’t have been more pleased with how this had turned out. Jane arched into
his forceful thrusts, a seductive moan leaving her, and Slade almost exploded.
He would never get enough of her.
“Find
Jane Squire!” Fang was seething at his inability to recapture his quarry. “I
want that bitch back and tied to my bed within the hour! I will fuck every
hole in her body, and then gouge some new ones and fuck them, too!”
Jane
flinched, shocked out of her sensual haze.
Fang
was just outside their door now. It was taking most of Slade’s self-control
not to charge out there and pummel the Werewolf, even if he was killed in the
process. That bastard would die
today
… but Slade had to be smart about
it. Strategic. He didn’t have the Silver Sword and it would do no good to go
on a suicide mission, leaving Jane unprotected.
Besides,
soothing Jane was just as important as avenging her. Slade needed her to see
that she was safe. That he would
always
keep her safe. And if he was
dead and unable to reach her, she could protect
herself
. Because, Jane
Squire was the smartest, strongest, most extraordinary person he’d ever met.
“It’s
alright.” Slade cupped her cheek, meeting her eyes. Her fright twisted his
heart. “Fang’s been dead from the minute he targeted you, Jane. I’m going to
stab him through the heart before daybreak, so do not concern yourself with
him. I will never let anyone harm you and live.”
She
relaxed against him, gray eyes meeting his. “I know. You’re my hero.”
“No.
I am
in love with
the hero.”
She
looked startled. “Me? Hang on, you think
I’m
the hero of this story?”
“I
know you are. You have saved me in every possible way. Inside of you beats
the bravest, softest heart I’ve ever encountered.” He dropped his head to kiss
her, coaxing a response from her body. “You can do
anything
, Jane.”
Her
arms circled his neck, dismissing Fang from her mind. The woman who had faith
in no one, put all of her faith in him. Slade smiled against her lips, adoring
her.
The
troops were moving away. Slade had known they would. The doorway was small
and they weren’t very bright. More importantly, he was camouflaging the
entrance with his powers, so it became invisible. None of them could even see
the door, let alone open it. If there had been a chance this would endanger
Jane, he would have stopped long ago. He would never risk her safety. The
woman meant more to him than anything else in the universe.
“You
are my soul, Jane Squire.” He whispered.
“And
you’re mine.” Her hand came up to touch his face. “You are the very best part
of my life, Slade.” She bit her lower lip as he began moving faster.
“Please. I need…” She shook her head, not finishing that request.
She
didn’t have to.
He
knew exactly what she wanted, even if she didn’t. Sexual hunger and the hunger
for blood were inextricably linked in Vampires. Newly transitioned Vampires
would be starved for both. Slade’s desire spiked to almost unbearable levels
at the idea of her drinking from him.
“It’s
alright.” He pressed her face into his neck. “You need and I provide. That
is the way it should be.”
She
made a small sound of denial. “No. Wait. Ew. I can’t drink
blood
.”
“You
can,
my One. You
want
to.”
Jane
swallowed. “But, I’m…”
“A
Vampire.” He finished for her. “It’s perfectly natural. Believe me, I
want
you to feed from me. I certainly love feeding from you.” Gods, he could still
taste her sweetness. “Take what you need and I’ll let you finish.” He thrust
into her wet depths and she gasped, right on the edge. “There’s no risk,
Jane. Not with me.”
She
looked towards the door. She hadn’t been shy about making love to him with
others nearby, but drinking his blood so close to them seemed to worry her.
Slade
found her modesty adorable. “I will keep you safe.” He promised again. “You
know that. Give me what we both want.”
Jane
took a deep breath and stopped fighting. Her teeth grazed his neck, trusting
him, and there was no way to hang on. Slade’s mouth opened in a silent roar as
she bit deep, his body erupting into hers. His orgasm triggered her own. Jane
convulsed around him, crying out against his skin. Her mouth stayed at his
throat, her tight sheath milked him dry, and it was the greatest moment of his
life.
Slade
struggled to remember how to breathe, as the last of the footsteps faded away.
“The feelings I have for you cannot even be described in your language.” He
gripped the back of her head, urging her to drink more. “Do not
ever
risk yourself for me, again. I could not bear it, Jane. I nearly lost my mind
when Fang took you away.”
She
lifted her face to kiss him. “In my language, the feelings I have for you are
crazy, incurable, do-
anything
-for-him
love
. There’s nothing
either of us can do to change that, so get used to me protecting you.”
He
sighed. “I preferred it when you avoided risk.”
“I
didn’t.” Jane pulled back to frown at him. “Did I hurt you?” She examined
his neck, but the wound was already closing. Vampire bites healed quickly. “I
didn’t mean to do that.”
“I
meant to do
everything
we did.” Slade stopped her panicked inspection,
catching hold of her hands. “I am
fine
. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Are
you kidding? I’ve never felt better in my life. We finally had sex without me
passing out afterwards. Being a Vampire just might be the best health plan
ever.” She tilted her head, like something new occurred to her. “Hey, am I
going to be able to fly?”
“Yes,
but only if you keep your strength up by feeding from me.”
She
swallowed at his provocative tone. “Well, the drinking-blood thing wasn’t
quite as terrible as I’d imagined. I could probably manage it, every now and
then.” He leaned down to nuzzle her temple and she drew in a shaky breath.
“Or maybe even more often than that. For now, though, I just want to get out
of here. If Fang finds you, he’s going to be pissed. Especially, if he
figures out what we just did, right under his nose.”
“He
will not find me. I will find
him
.”
“Slade,
I don’t want you to…”
He
interrupted her protest, setting her on her feet. “I warned Fang what would
happen if he touched you. I will see him
dead
and the threat to you
removed. Then, we will leave this kingdom, go back to your world, and…” He
trailed off, because he didn’t have the next part quite figured out yet. It
didn’t matter. Just so he was with Jane, Slade was happy.
She
blinked up at him as he adjusted her clothes and smoothed back her curls. “You
want to leave Infinia? Why?”
It
seemed fairly obvious. “Where you go, I will follow. You said you wished to
return to Chicago, so I will be at your side.”
“Yeah,
but what about the people here? They need you.”
“I
need
you
. With Fang dead, someone else can rule. Allandrina, perhaps.
You said yourself it should be her kingdom.”
“And
you said yourself that she’s a lousy leader. Why isn’t she the one fighting
Fang? Why are her citizens being murdered and starved, while she does nothing
to stop it?” Jane shook her head. “That witch has superpowers, but she’s been
hiding out this whole movie, letting other people suffer. How can she rule
Infinia, if she expects us to do all the heavy lifting?”
“Roland,
then.” Slade offered. “I have discovered that the boy isn’t totally useless,
after all.” He paused, realizing she hadn’t heard the news. “Oh, he is also
my younger brother.”
Jane
stared at him. “You’ve
got
to be kidding me.”
“No.
It’s true. My grandmother appeared to explain it all.”