Captiva Captive (20 page)

“Don’t worry about her.  I know you paid her well, and I appreciate that, but she’s more than fine now.”

“They’re moving away?”

“I don’t think so.  I’m sure he still has his place on Captiva.  They were going to live there years ago, and I doubt he sold it. It’s close enough to his downtown office.”

Sven had thrown another one down, stoking quite a buzz.  “Hey, earlier I thought the everglades were on fire again.  You know that burning stench when it’s ablaze?”

Ryan smiled cynically and said, “Probably just a local brushfire, Sven.  I went in the alleyway a few minutes ago, smoke’s all clear now.”

The buzz slammed Sven the moment he stood. 

Ryan stood with him and pushed in their chairs.   “I’ll call you a cab, man.”

“No need.  I’m going back to the spa with a chippie, nailing something easy. By the time I’m finished with her, I’ll be good to drive home.”  He shook his head, pushing through the couples that encircled the bar and heading out the side door that linked the club to INKS.  A small passage separated the two buildings, barely enough to get a bike through.  Sven reached around, and in his drunken haze, he realized he didn’t have a girl on his arm.

He rummaged in his pocket for his cell phone, found it and flipped it open.  Many numbers to choose from and any would come to his carnal rescue for a good bump and grind.  That is, if he could actually see the screen.

“Need a ride?”

Dimly, he realized someone was creeping forward, almost gliding.  “No.  Just a good lay.”  Oh, he shouldn’t have said that.

“Well,” he murmured, “you are quite pretty, but I’m in a hurry.”

Sven dragged his fingers through his hair, forgetting his cell phone was in that hand.  It crashed on the cobblestone, but the stranger had it in his palm before Sven tried to pick it up.  He stepped closer, closer, closer, until he had him against the jagged brick. His breath was intoxicating, more than the tequila.  It was warm, sweet, and dangerous, all with a touch of cardamom.  He slipped Sven’s phone inside his back pocket and suddenly gave his throat a hard squeeze. 

“You smell like Blythe Giarrusso.”  He sniffed his neck behind his ear.  

“Who are you?”

“Salk.”

“How can you smell her on me?”

“You were way too close to her.  That’s how.” He squeezed harder. “And she has a distinctive perfume.”

Sven swallowed thickly, frightened beyond anything he could remember, yet he couldn’t run.  “I don’t think,” he stalled out when Salk moved his hand and scraped his sharp teeth down his throat, “she wears perfume.” 

“Tell me everything you know about her.”  Salk moved in on him, handling him in a way one could only describe as predatory.

“Okay.” Sven closed his eyes.  Though Salk had produced no weapon, he knew he would save his life by opening his mouth. “Whatever you want to know, just don’t kill me.”

Rave followed their movements, transfixed.  “Poison, can you understand the way the human male succumbed so easily to the Lovec?  He was not entirely enthralled, though somewhat inebriated.”

“The human found his life was of more importance than the female’s, betraying her quite easily,” Poison replied, shaking his head in amusement.

“Ah, but what’s betrayal?  A breaking of a contract?  Or a treachery to pair evil with evil?  Should he feel shame to surrender under a highly skilled immortal?  We’ve all done that from time to time.”

“I doubt you have
ever
surrendered anything.”

“Not completely.” Rave swallowed hard.  “Did you scatter Blythe’s clothes around the Vojak’s sanctuary?”

“Of course,” Poison whispered and rolled a rock around under his foot.  The rooftop was still hot, baking his feet.  “I can’t believe you know its whereabouts.”

“Small island.” Rave exhaled slowly. “But it is protected.  Even I haven’t penetrated their walls.”

“You’re so sure he’ll take her there?”

“Our shifters said the werewolves threatened to take her – strike one.  Sixten conferred with the Coven Master and understands she’s a Donor – strike two.” He pointed to Salk. “So he understands that a Dynasty Vampyr and its hunter are hot on her trail – strike three.”

“Yeah, well, I’m ready to shift underground unless you need anything else tonight.”

“No.  Nothing else.”

“You’re sure you want to do this to your brother.  Spite him again.  Take away what is his… permanently?”

Rave stared at the city lights, scouting out areas for future battles.  “He made a choice, so did I.  At least, I’m not killing her.  And I’m sure her Vampyr will take good care of her.  In a way, Donors are sacred.”

“You are soft where she is concerned, yes?”

“No.  But I’m still soft-hearted where my brother is concerned.” He was shifting in and out with the river breeze. “Yes, since she is a Donor, I could easily take her for our vampires.  I thought about it for a while.  But I will spare her
that
life and wish her well.  And my brother will learn the hard way.  That he belongs with me and he picked the wrong side.  Again.”

“Perhaps, he still will not see it that way.”

“He will when he loses her and finds that I’m the only who can get her back.”

Chapter 17

S
ixten settled Blythe on the bed after explaining exactly what he was going to do to her in vivid details.  Dark words she’d never heard strung along in any imaginable sentence.  He held nothing back, and embarrassingly enough; Blythe grew wet before his first intriguing adjective left his panting mouth.  The very mouth he promised to do truly naughty things with all over her body. And she was having a hard time remembering why she refused him in the first place.

“…and then I’m going to shove it up that sweet ass of yours.”

She tried to huff indignantly, but it came out as a needy groan, “You’ve never done that…”

“That was then.  This is now.”

“Are those your fangs again?”

“Ignore...”
   
    “How?  Are you really a vampire? As in
blood
drinker?”

“I’ll be anything you want me to be.” He tossed his hair from his forehead, staring down at her with glittering, ice-green eyes.

    “Any…
thing
?”

    “I’ll show you my thing.” Metallic sparks flared within the ice-green, transforming them into a wild sea storm.  He placed his open mouth over her throat and moaned - a purely hedonistic sound that torched her straining nipples.

    “You’re doing something to me.” She writhed underneath him. “I recognize it now.  You did the same thing to me in the bathroom, making me horny.  How did you get my clothes off without me knowing it?” She demanded. 

    “Don’t worry.  I’m just taking away some of the shock and replacing it with some of the ‘feel good’.” He spoke against her throat, lightly scraping sharp tips down the front. “And yes, I can do things quickly, like take off your clothes without your knowing about it.  But I’ll go slowly…when I get to a point that’s worth going slow for.”  He rose up again, clearly enjoying the view he had of her body.  “You’re amazing.  You always were…but, my, how you’ve grown in all the right places.”  He curled his tongue around a stiff peak, tickling and licking until a raging brushfire of need burned her body to its bones. His strong fingers moved down, sliding around and around, never going inside, but gathering moisture and delivering it to her clitoris in deliberate circles. “What angel lies beneath me?”

    Flames liquefied between her legs. Blythe could be dying right now.  Vulnerable under his freaky fangs and she could not care less, as long as he kept touching her.  “Six, please.”  She thrust her hips forward, which only made him pull back, teasing her. 

    Sixten brought his fingers to her mouth, painting her full bottom lip with his slickened middle finger. “Please?  I’ll please you all right.” Small white lines strained his mouth as he held himself back. “You’re positively glowing, moja láska.”  A muscled arm slid up her back.  An experienced hand tunneled through her hair before firmly grasping her nape.  The other did some tunneling of its own as two strong fingers penetrated her instantly, spearing her to the top. She gasped at the intimate touch, feeling him so deep inside that her navel tingled strangely and her inner walls tightened and flexed under his expertise.

    He brought his head down slowly, never taking his otherworldly eyes from hers.  “You’re eyes are a burning like molten amber, Blythe, staring into mine as if I’m your entire world.” He licked his lips, wetting them purposely. “I’m going to stoke their fire.  I
am
your entire world.  No one else is mine.  No one else is yours.”

    “Wait.”

    “Just try to stop me now.”  For a moment, he held her eyes, and she knew she should be frightened, if only for his sexual pull alone.  But she held his gaze, instantly forgetting what her protests were all about.  And there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was playing her libido.  But the decision barreling through her psyche, the one that said to take him back once and for all, was all her own and not any freaky mind trick on his part.  It was such a relief to unbury those feelings, unburden her heart, knowing Sixten reciprocated each of her fragile emotions.

Even though she didn’t say the words he wanted to hear, his whole body jerked.  Somehow, he felt her surprising acquiescence, and that’s when he collapsed atop her, suddenly moving in unexpected liquid strokes only something other than human could.  Ones she couldn’t begin to keep up with.  His lips crushed hers and then he thrust his tongue inside.  He tasted like her everything.  Hot razor-edged strength and warm comfort coupled with thoughts of a true home.  She’d been cold without him for so long, she no longer wanted to walk away from this kind of heat, even though thoughts of what he
was
agonized her.

    He moved down in a blur, licking the line between her breasts and pushing his tongue flat against the solid bone, before he brought his mouth back to hers.   She pulled his head against her, thrusting her fingers through his golden hair while kissing him as if she never wanted to leave his bed.

    Because she didn’t.

    She felt him glide down, putting his head between her legs, scraping those tantalizing fangs all over her.  She made all the room she could, nearly bringing her knees to her chin and he hissed roughly.  Lick, tug, scrape, pull, suck. He stared up between her thighs and grinned wickedly.

    “You’re as beautiful here as you are everywhere.”  He opened his mouth wide, flashing his crazy teeth.  “Where do you want my mouth to be, moja láska?”

    “I hate the teasing, Six.”

    “Do you now?” 

He pushed his tongue deep inside, and she thrashed on the slippery duvet.  Six caught her before she hit the floor.  Her head was upside down, hanging over the side, when he unzipped himself and thrust inside.  “Feel it, baby?”

“Not from here, but it looks like it feels good.”

She saw inverted, leather-encased legs and screamed, trying to right her body, but Six was still inside her. 

“Out, Kash,” he thundered.

“Man, you’re the one that has to get out. Of her.  Qudir’s picking up new chatter.  Not the good kind.  And do you smell anything?”

“Could you stop looking at her?”

“Why ask the impossible?”

The next thing Blythe knew, she was sitting and dressed in Sixten’s lap.  “Oh, I can’t get used to that.”  She rubbed her temples.

“Smell what?”

“Uh, your wife.”

“Wife?”

“Settle down, he’s referring to you,” he shushed her.  “Again, smell what?”

Kash flushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  “Her cycle, maybe.”

“We aren’t werewolves.  Menses does nothing to
call
vampires.  Or are you telling me werewolves are circling and I’ve missed it in my… preoccupation.”

“Exactly.  I’m telling you she’s stirred some pointed interest from the, uh, locals.”  Kash was rock hard behind his zipper.  “Shit, Six.  Maybe you can’t smell it since you’re -”

“A Halfling?” He nodded.

“Oh, I cannot believe you’re talking about me in
this
way.” She buried her face in her hands. “You’re saying…I stink?”

“In a very good way,” Sixten said. “Yes, you’re attracting attention because of your womanly fragrance.” He ran his thumb over her cheekbone.  “When you wanted all the chocolate in the store and Ryan was refusing you.  We’re you craving it?”

“Yeah, I do that when I’m,” she stopped, glancing at Kash, “what he said…I’m premenstrual.”

Sixten licked his chin, tasting her essence from before.  “Yeah, Kash. It’s nearing.”

“Sick and gross,” she groaned.

“Humans.” Kash rolled his lavender eyes. 

“It’s natural, Blythe,” Sixten refuted. “Bad part is, you’re calling out dangerous creatures.”

“Let’s get her underground,” Kash said. “I’ve already summoned Dru to the sanctuary.”

“I’m not going underground…with vampires.” She made to leave, but Sixten held fast. 

“A home Blythe, it’s a home. And you
are
going.”

“Is this what it’s going to be like every day…if I were to stay with you?”

“Don’t.  No negative speak, Blythe.”

 “For now,” she said, watching him elongate his fangs again. 

“We travel by misting.  Remember when you said Qudir poofed like a Jeanie?  We can do that together. I have to bite you, swallow some blood, and only relinquish the hold when we arrive at our destination.”

He allowed her to pull away from him that time.  During the sex, she enjoyed the funky burn his fangs stirred on her sensitive flesh.  But the thought of being bitten?  She wasn’t too keen on that. “Uh, why can’t we drive?”

“We could.  However, right now, we’d be tailed,” Sixten explained.  “Our sanctuary is private for a reason.  Only certain members of our race can mist inside those sacred walls. And you would be safe misting with me, or I wouldn’t consider it.”

“I don’t want you to bite me.”

“I lubricated my fangs with endorphins.  The bite will be pleasurable, Blythe.  It’s so intimate when shared between those who love one another.”

“Yeah,” Kash interrupted, “you’ll have one hell of an orgasm.”