Chilled to the Bone (11 page)

“Don’t move your arms,” he told her. She heard the sound of a foil wrapper crinkling. He probably didn’t need the protection; vampires couldn’t get pregnant, and they couldn’t catch so much as a cold. But she appreciated him being careful for her, taking care of safety so she didn’t need to worry about it. She quit thinking on those lines as he entered her smoothly from behind. His hot
,
hard cock thrust all the way into her soaking pussy
. He didn’t need to check to see if I was ready. He knew.

She looked over her shoulder so she could see him. He’d taken his shirt off. His chest rippled with muscles. His biceps were taut as he gripped her hips. And when he caught sight of her look at him, he smiled like the devil.

“You don’t have to be gentle,” she told him.

The next thrust shook her to her core, but she hung on to the chair somehow. He had told her where to put her arms, and they were staying there. He took her hot and hard, fast and deep. Sweat rolled from his chest into the crack of her ass. His balls slapped against her clit with each thrust. His thick cock filled her and stretched her, the sensations building ever higher inside her until it felt like she couldn’t take any more.

Then she screamed. Her core tensed and fluttered as she came, shaking in his grip. For a moment
,
she felt the color rush into her cheeks, but she remembered what he had said about the house being isolated. No one could hear her, which was good, because he kept moving. She was climbing again, each thrust more intense than the one before. She held on to the chair hard, not wanting to break it but not willing to let go.

Another wave of pleasure washed over her, leaving her body quivering, contracting tight around his sweet cock.

She felt him swell inside her, stretching her even more. His breath tightened, as did his grip on her hips. She moved back against him as well as she could without disobeying, knowing he was close. He gasped, and his body tensed, and then he was coming, just where she wanted him. He held her, his cock buried deep inside her pussy.

He pulled out of her and moved to her side, pulling her into his arms. If it weren’t for the condom, and most importantly the fact she was a vampire, they might have made a baby. She cried over what she had lost, her rosy tears mingling with the sweat of his body, the red tint of her tears reminding her of what she was. He had done what he promised and reminded her she was a woman and not merely a vampire. She was both.

“Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t,” he told her. She felt small in his big strong arms. She’d never really enjoyed feeling small, but now it was a comfort. She’d doubted he could take care of her, but he’d saved her life twice.

“I can’t give you children.” The moment she said it she regretted it.
What a stupid thing to say. He’s already said he only wants you for a week.
But he brushed her hair with his fingers and held her close.

“I know. It’s all right.”

Am I falling in love?
But she knew the answer before she asked. She wiggled out of his grasp and ran to the window. She could see an owl sitting high in a tree, its eyes two little points in the darkness.
Creatures of the night, both of us. We have no claim on the day, except that its creatures provide us food.

As if in answer, the owl swopped down from its perch. There was a flicker of motion, and then the owl swooped up. She felt a touch of pity for the mouse it had found hiding unsuccessfully in the grass, and she bit it back.
I’m not the mouse. I’m the hunter.

She glanced back at Charles, still sitting there naked on the floor. Naked, he looked like a Greek god, but Greek gods never sat cross-legged on plush carpeted floors. He watched her. She knew he was waiting for her to come back to him.
Doesn’t he realize I can’t? We’re of two worlds, he and I. He has me for just one week, but even if he didn’t, he only has one lifetime, and I will go on forever, not quite living.

She turned back to the window, looking in vain for the owl. The night was so still. She heard his feet on the carpet, even though he made only a little sound. Then he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He slid his hand up her body, over her breasts and lightly along her neck, until his finger was on her lips.

“Taste me,” he said.

She bit him, her teeth cutting into his finger. The taste of iron and salt filled her mouth.

“We are one,” he told her. “My blood runs in your veins, and you can’t escape me.”

She shivered and took one last suck before speaking. “I don’t want to escape.”

“You can’t. I’ll always be a part of you.” He lowered his finger and took hold of her hand. “Come. Let’s go to the bedroom and make sure the curtains are securely closed. I like sunsets better than sunrises, and I do like a good sleep-in on Saturday.”

She nodded and followed him.

* * * * *

Her eyes opened the next evening to see him sitting next to her on the bed, watching her.

“Hello,” she said, wondering how long he had to wait before she woke up.

He tapped his watch. “Right on schedule. There’s no sleeping in with you, is there? Or waking up early. Is it always right at sunset?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I guess it is. I always stay in a few minutes to make sure.” She stretched, becoming aware of her nakedness. He was dressed, of course—a nice white shirt, open at the neck, and perfectly tailored slacks. He’d probably been up for hours. “I’ll get up and get my clothes on.”

“Not yet.”

She pouted. “But you’re dressed.”

“Yes.” He grinned. “But I want you naked for a few moments longer. It’s not exactly equal
,
is it?”

“No, it’s not.” She scrunched her nose at him.

He arched his eyebrows. “Do you want it to be?”

Well,
of course
, she was about to say. “No,” was what came out. And she realized she meant it. He could turn her insides liquid by looking at her, and she didn’t want that to change. There was something about having him in charge that turned her on. It wasn’t that she owed him for feeding her when she was starving or for rescuing her. But if a man would do that much for her, she could trust him not to take advantage of her—unless it was a deliciously sexy kind of advantage.

Deliciously sexy. When did I start thinking that way?
Sex had never been important to her
,
nice, but not important. Tonight it was the first thing she thought of when she woke up. She grinned at him. “What are you going to do with me, since I’m naked?”
Fuck me, please.

Charles sighed. “I know what I’d like to do, but we need to talk. Best to talk from a position of more equality.” He got up from the bed regretfully and went to a chest of drawers. He tossed a huge black T-shirt her way. “Get this on. I doubt anything I have really fits you, but at least it will cover you.”

For a moment
,
she wondered if she could seduce him out of the impending conversation. She didn’t imagine it was going to go horribly well. He was probably still mad at her for walking out on him at the club. And there were other, worse things. But he was right. They probably could have gotten through a week with just sex, if other things hadn’t interfered. But she wanted more than a week, even if he insisted a week was all there was.
I’ll always be part of you
. Isn’t that what he’d said last night?

“Don’t you have any clothes
,
like you had for me at the club?” she asked.

“No girl clothes here, I’m afraid. I don’t usually bring women home with me, Doreen.”

She blinked. Now that was a surprise.
Why not? Maybe I’m special. But no, he only took me here because he couldn’t send me home.
She put the shirt on. On him
,
it may have been a shirt, but it came to mid thigh on her. She looked down at it. It was a concert T-shirt for a group called The Damned.
How fitting for me.

“What sort of music is it?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Punk rock. They were one of the pioneers.”

“Interesting choice.”

“I had a youthful rebellion stage. Pretty much any kind of music is good as far as I’m concerned, if you know what sort of vibe you’re listening for. In this case, I got into the music from listening to my older brother’s collection of vinyl.”

“Vinyl. He must be ancient,” she said, her eyes dancing. Anything was better than a conversation about why she tried to help kill his friends.

“Twelve years older than me. Almost
,
but not quite
,
like having a third parent. The good news is he can’t take me one-on-one anymore.” He grinned.

Good. He’s still in a good mood.
Maybe there’s a chance—no, who am I kidding?
“You guys fought a lot?”

“I was talking basketball.”

“Oh.”

He sat down next to her. “So. What were you doing hanging out with Mario when he came to kill Kent?”

“You have your memories back?”
Oh, please God, no.

“No. But I’ve gotten a short rundown from his point of view.”

I don’t have to tell the truth, but he’ll find out in the end. And what’s the saying? Better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you aren’t?
She wasn’t fully convinced, but she’d give it a shot. “Let me start at the beginning.”

He nodded, and she forced her mind to travel back. It wasn’t long ago, a few months, but she’d worked so hard at blotting the memories out. “Here,” she said. “I can do better than tell you. I’ll show you, and you’ll know I’m telling the truth. Look into my eyes.”

After a moment of hesitation, he did.

She hadn’t expected to ever wake up again.

Some of her friends had warned her that the University of Southern California was in a horrible neighborhood, but as far as Doreen had been able to tell, it wasn’t really that bad right around campus—like the area around most colleges she’d visited. And Doreen was cautious; she never ventured far, didn’t go more than a block or two off campus at night, and never walked south on Figueroa.

Walking north, it was never deserted at eight-thirty in the evening. Heck, the evening was just getting started. But that evening, it had been. There had been only her, a smiling man in an Italian suit, and those amazing eyes. Once she looked into them, she couldn’t tear her gaze away.

She woke up in a basement somewhere. It was cool, and there was hint of moisture in the air generally absent in Southern California except when it had rained or by the beach. She didn’t open her eyes right away. She was sick; she knew that right away. The steady slither of warm liquid in the back of her throat told her it was probably some kind of cold. Her tongue touched something plastic inside her mouth. She opened her eyes.

The plastic tube leading to her mouth was full of blood. It took her a moment to realize it wasn’t coming out of her. Rather, it was coming into her, dripping into her mouth.
Yuck.
She tried to turn her head away, but it was held in place. The blood was gathering, pooling in the back of her throat, making her want to throw up. But she couldn’t. Finally, she swallowed. To her surprise, it settled in her stomach rather well.

“Ah, our patient is awake.” It was the man from the street. He walked over and peered at her. “Doing well, I see. Time for your draining.”

“Drang?” she asked. She tried to say draining
,
but the words were hard to say with a tube in her mouth.

“Yes,” he murmured. “I’m afraid you’re going to be a very special vampire. Usually we only have to do this once, to get all the humanity out of you before we bring you back from the grave. But you
,
you’re destined for something important.”

“Who are you?” she asked. Those words were easier to say.

“I’m Mario. I’m your master.”

“Doreen,” she said.
I’m no one’s slave, but I think I need to get on your good side.
She could say it clear enough if she pitched her voice lower.
I sound like Darth Vader.

Her mind refused to comprehend the full horror of what was happening to her.

Mario didn’t acknowledge that she’d spoken. Nor did he seem to notice another voice, sounding weak, saying, “Please.”

Doreen moved her eyes, since she couldn’t move her head at all. It was being held by something steel around her skull, she realized. In the corner was a pale looking man, his cheek sunken, his skin yellowish. He was naked, and he was secured to the chair he sat in with iron manacles. In his arm was a needle, and from the needle
,
the tube led in her direction. Blood dripped into the tube at the same rate it dropped into her throat. Doreen was no expert, but she suspected there was not much life left in him.