Dante (Blood Brothers Book 5) (11 page)

His gaze raked up and down her bare flesh. “You have a beautiful body, my dear. Though I’m sure
,
you’re probably tired of me telling you that.”

“Go to hell!
”

Adonis chuckled. “I’ve been there and back already, Nya.” He snapped his fingers, releasing her fr
om the spell. “You can move now.
”

Nya struggled against her bonds with gritted teeth. “What’s the matter with me?” she muttered more to herself than to him.

“Fight all you like, my beauty, but you’ll never get out
of them. Let’s just say those cuffs are special
.
Not even your magnificent strength can break them.
”

Comprehension dawned on her face, and a look of pure malice
crossed over her face
. “I hate you!”

Seeing Nya lose her cool fascinated him. She so rarely allowed her emotions to show. It told Adonis he had the upper hand and he loved it. “You’re beginning to sound like a broken record, but I don’t think you hate me at all and it burns you up inside, doesn’t it?”

She turned her head away from him, setting her jaw.

He raised his voice. “Doesn’t it?”

“No,” she bit out.

Adonis chuckled as he ran a fingertip over one blackberry-tipped breast.

Her body quivered in reaction.

“See? I barely touch you and
you start to shiver with desire
. Your mouth might say one thing, however
,
your body says another
. But make no mistake,
just because I want you
,
doesn’t mean you can dictate to me
. The Grimaldis will die, and if you t
ry to stop me again, you’ll regret it
.”

“Then go ahead and kill me,” she challenged. “Because as soon as I get out of these restraints, I’m
going to align myself
with
the Grimaldis and take you down
.”

He caught her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Who says I’m letting you out of them anytime soon? I actually prefer you like this, all naked and helpless. Ready to be fucked.” He threw back his head and released a throaty laugh before covering her body with his. “You’re already hot for me, despite your words; you can’t get enough of m
e, can you?” He covered her mouth
with his.

Nya clamped her lips firmly together. If she thought to deny him what he wanted, she had another think coming.
She belonged to him and he would have her
.
She looked so beautiful spread wide open for him. Ready for his cock. The scent of her arousal belied her protests.
Perhaps
,
he should have chained her to his bed sooner, although he did enjoy the way she clawed at his back and clamped
her
powerful thighs around his waist in the throes of sex.

No matter how he took her, she excited him.
Beatrice said Nya
was his weakness, but
Adonis didn’t give a damn. And there
was not a single thing either woman could do about it.

Adonis ran his tongue along the crease of her lips, gently teasing them apart.
Her resistance waned as she moaned and her nipples pebbled
. Clasping her head between his palms, he pressed his lips more firmly against hers, the need to possess her driving him.

With a sigh, her lips parted, granting him the access he sought. Thrusting his tongue inside her mouth to explore the sweet recesses inside gave him an indescribable thrill. The taste of her was like wild nectar. No matter how many times he had her, touching Nya was always a brand-new experience. It wasn’t long before Nya’s tongue shot forward to meet his. She pulled it back before boldly circling his.

Adonis wanted to laugh. He knew she would give in to him eventually, just as she always did. No matter how much she claimed to despise him, her body didn’t. It craved his, wanted
his
. Needed
his
. They were made for each other, and whether she cared to admit it was inconsequential to him. She belonged to him and he fully intended
to
brand her until she could think of no one else but him.

He broke their kiss to nibble on her full bottom lip, his teeth digging in deep enough to break skin. She gasped as the sweet, coppery taste of her blood filled his mouth. Damn, he ached for her. It had been weeks since he’d taken her, and Adonis didn’t want to rush because after tonight, he’d be far too busy to spare this time with Nya. Not that he planned on denying himself. No, he’d take her when and where he felt like, but this would be the last time in a while he’d be able to revel in hi
s mastery over his beautiful lover
.

He took his time tasting and licking the fleshy texture of her lips. His body burned for her
s
. His
dic
k was rock hard and though he wanted this to last,
Adonis
didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to hold out. Already the heady aroma of her cunt
intoxicated him
, and he desperately wanted to bury himself deep
inside of her slick folds.

Nya squeezed her eyes shut. Adonis refused to let her pretend she was anywhere other than in his bed. He
grasped her face. “Look at me! I want you to know who the victor is tonight. There will no pretense.” When she didn’t comply immediately, his grip tightened on her face. “Open them!”

She
popped
her eyes open then. They were
full of her normal defiance, but this time
it was
mixed with the unmistakable look of unadulterated lust. “Why do you have to torment me like this?”

A smile tugged the corners of his lips. “Because I can. Because you’re mine. Because we’re bloodmates.”

She cut her gaze away from
his. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not? Deny it if you must, but it’s true. Your mixed-up moral sensibilities tell you not to feel anything for me, yet your heart, body, and soul recognize
s
what you won’t admit. We belong together.”

“No! You
brought me over
. That’s the only reason why I remain with you.”

Adonis
released a hearty chuckle. “You can keep telling yourself that,
Nya but it won’t make it any less
true. Now
,
let me love you properly.”
He brushed his lips against her collarbone and placed kisses across her chest.”

Nya narrowed her eyes. “I could never love you.”

He raised a brow. “I see. So what would you do if I were to leave you in this high state of arousal? It wouldn’t matter, because you have no feeling
s
for me. Am I correct?”

Her nostrils flared and her breathing grew shallow, but Nya remained silent.

“I think we’ll put your statement to the test.”

Adonis rolled off
of
her and nearly made it off the bed when she growled. “Don’t you dare leave me like this! Finish what you started.”

It wasn’t an admission, but he knew it had taken a lot out of her. She was too damn proud for her own good. He’d enjoy taking her down a notch. “Oh? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me?”

“I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t love you,” she said through clenched teeth.

Adonis sighed with a shake of his head. “You beautiful liar, you. No matter. I can prove just how much you do indeed love me.”

He stood and undressed before rejoining her on the bed. Adonis trailed his finger down the center of her body between her small but well-formed breasts to her flat stomach. He halted when he reached the nest of tight curls between her quivering thighs. “Shall I stop?”

In answer, she bucked her hips against his hand, silently demanding his attention. Unable to resist, he slid his middle finger past her slick labia and into her sopping wet channel.
Dio
, she was so hot
,
she nearly scorched his flesh. Nya squirmed against his hand as he fingered her, slowly at first before adding a second finger and ramming into her harder and deeper.

“Oh!” she cried out, moving her hips as best as she could. Adonis was nearly tempted to remove her restraints and let her go wild as he knew she would, but he couldn’t chance it. Not tonight anyway.

It satisfied him to see how turned on she was for him, but finger fucking her wasn’t enough. He had to be inside her right now! Adonis slowly eased his fingers out of her cunt and brought them to his lips, making sure
he didn’t spill a single drop of her delicious
cream. “Mmm.”

Unable to wait another second, he positioned himself between her spread legs and
guided his cock against her entrance
. “Look at me, Nya,” he
commanded softly.

This time she obeyed without argument. Her body shook. “Hurry
.”

Needing no further encouragement, he
thrust
into
her tight
pussy, reveling in
her wet heat
.
The snugness of her cunt felt like coming home. It gripped
him in a sensual vise so strong Adonis didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold out. Bracing his arms on either side of her body, he moved into her until he was balls deep.

They
gasped simultaneously. It felt so right. So
fucking
good.
“
Nya.” He shut his eyes briefly to savor this moment. Right now, nothing else mattered. Not
Beatrice
. Not Giovanni. Not the Grimaldis or his quest for revenge.
They were the only two people in the world as far as he was concerned.

“Adonis,” she whispered so faintly he almost missed it.

“That’s right, Nya, tell me how much you want me. That you need me. That you can’t get enough of me.” With
each word he spoke, Adonis pounded
into her, harder and faster. “Tell me!”

“I want you. Need you. Can’t get enough of you!”
Nya lifted
her pelvis to meet each of his thrusts
. Her cunt gripped him tighter still. “Oh, God, Adonis. I
shouldn’t feel this way but—
”

“You feel this way because we belong together. It’s time you finally accepted it.” As he continued to surge in and out of her, he rested his weight on his forearms. He let his incisors descend and sank them in the juncture of her neck and shoulder. The blood rush, coupled with the extraordinary feeling of being inside her, was so intense he reached his peak. Spasming against her, Adonis shot h
is seed deep inside her pussy
.

Nya screamed his name as she shuddered and squirmed uncontrollably, signaling her own orgasm.

Adonis remained inside of her
,
wishing this moment would
n
ever end
.
But it would. Nya would go back to pretending she didn’t care about him and he would proceed with his plan to destroy the Grimaldis.

<><><>

Nya’s body ached from exertion. Adonis had taken her three more times, exploring every inch of her body, and her most tender regions were sore. His mouth and hands had been everywhere, and to her utter shame, she had loved it.

But much worse, she finally admitted to something she’d been fighting for the last several decades. She did care for him, more than she wanted to. Whether or not they were bloodmates she didn’t know, but no one set her body on fire quite the way he did.
She felt conflicted caring for someone who was capable of such evil.

Nya wanted to believe
somewhere deep down there was good in him. She’d seen glimpses of it over the years, but it was a side of him he kept carefully hidden. Nya had told herself she stayed only because of the hold he had over her
and the threat that he’d take out her last link to her past
, but now
she wasn’t so sure
.

Bu
t none of that
mattered
anymore
because in his quest for revenge, he’d crossed the line.
Since becoming a vampire, she’d done her best to shut off her feelings not just for Adonis, but for everyone and everything around her.
Too wrapped up in her own private pain, she’d encased her heart in a cold, hard shell, letting only a few people in, but not all the way. Now he threatened to hurt one of the few people she called friend, and her conscience would not allow her to remain passive any longer.

If she could find a way to break free from her restraints,
there was only one thing left for her to do.

Kill Adonis.

Chapter Eight

Romeo slammed his fist through the wall, creating a gaping hole. “I’m going to strangle Christine for this
.”

Isis flinched at the palpable ire radiating from his every pore. She’d never been
happier
to be her. She certainly didn’t want to be in the shoes of the Grimaldi women at the moment. When she, Dante, and Paris had gotten back to the penthouse, they’d found three
very
furious vampires.

Niccolo paced the floor, practically we
aring a trail in the plush wine-colored
carpet. GianMarco muttered curses under his breath, and Romeo
proceeded to cause
major damage to the walls.

“
Watch it
, Romeo. I don’t think my poor walls can with
stand any more of your assaults.” Dante’s half-hearted scold sounded tired
. He’d been on the phone since he’d arrived, trying to get the whereabouts of the women.

Romeo turned on his brother with bared teeth. “What th
e hell do you expect me to do? Christine is a young vampire
. She has to feed. Not to mention she’s not strong enough to battle the rogues we’ve faced.”

Isis felt the need to offer comfort. “Maybe you’re underestimating her. A mother can be very fierce when protecting her young.”

Cobalt eyes narrowed to slits of blue fury. “And who the hell are you to say what I should feel?”

“Romeo!”
This time
Dante’s tone was
more forceful
, but Isis was used to defending herself.

She took no offense at Romeo’s outburst. Had their roles been reversed, she didn’t know how she’d handle the situation. She’d probably be as frantic as he, if not more so. “I know because if my mother hadn’t fought so valiantly to protect me from Hunters, I’d be dead. My mother gave her life so I could live. She
,
too
,
was young, but she took out four Hunters single-handedly. At least
,
Christine will have the assistance of Maggie and Sasha, who, if I understand correctly, is a powerful witch. My mother didn’t have that luxury.”

Romeo clenched his fists at his sides as his body trembled. He seemed to fight some internal battle before a heavy sigh whooshed past his lips. “
I’m sorry
. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

Isis
offered him a smile to show him no harm was done
. “It’s okay. You have every right to be concerned about the safety of your family. I think we’re all pretty tense over this situation.”

Romeo nodded and then hung his head. “I can’t lose them.”

Dante strode across the room and caught his brother in an embrace. “As long as there is breath in my body, I’ll protect this family. We’ll find them, Ro, and when we do, we’ll make every single person involved in this scheme pay.”

The touching scene before Isis pulled at her heartstrings and made her a little jealous. She missed being part of a family, having that support system from a group who’d have your back no matter what. Isis felt an affinity with the Grimaldi clan because even in these times of turmoil, the love they shared for one another was apparent.

“Where do we go from here?” Niccolo finally broke the silence. He hadn’t said much since they’d all gathered, but his expression remained bleak.

Dante released his younger bro
ther with a sigh. “Well, I’ve—
” He was interrupted by the loud, shrill ring of his mobile phone. Pulling the device out of his pocket, he pressed a button and put it to his ear. “Dante here.” He gave nothing away as he listened to what the caller on the other end of the line had to say. “Yes. Thank you. Would you tell them to stay where they are until we get there?” Another brief silence followed. His eyebrows shot up suddenly. “They’re with whom?”

“What is it?” GianMarco demanded.

Dante waved his brother off. “Yes. Just make sure they remain there until we arrive. We’ll deal with them
then
.” Dante clicked off without waiting for a reply.

“Well?” practically everyone in the room chorused.

“They’ve landed in Italy and are en route to Florence, and they’re traveling with the witch
,
Liliana
,
to see Giovanni,” Dante informed them. “That was Steel. He’s made contact with Sasha. He and the twins are on their way back here. They were having trouble reaching her for some reason. He mentioned something about outside interference.”

Isis frowned. “Was some kind of spell involved?”

“Probably. It’s the only reasonable explanation I can think of why Sasha’s brothers couldn’t get in touch with her through their powers. They
had to combine their abilities in order to accomplish that feat
.”

Niccolo looked at his older brother expectantly.
“And what of my son? Have they learned of his whereabouts?”

Dante shook his head. “I’m afraid not. They’ll be joining us shortly, so we’ll be able to ask them if they know anything else when they get here. In the meantime, I need to call some of my agents who are already in the area. They can at least keep a lookout for the women should they see them.”

Unable to keep still any longer, Isis stood. She wandered to the balcony’s sliding glass door and stared outside. She was as anxious to save the children as Dante was. She knew firsthand what it was like to lose a loved one.

It tugged at her heartstrings to see how Grimaldi brothers interacted with one another
.
Maybe it was selfish of her to
want
to be a
part of their inner circle but she was tired of being on her own. She wanted to be a part of a unit that took care of and loved each other. She wanted someone to hold her at night, maybe even have a few pups of her very own. And Isis wanted that with Dante. In her heart
,
she knew he was the one meant just for her.

The only obstacle standing in her path
,
however
,
was her past.
The secret
she guarded
was tearing her up inside. It was true she’d come here to help Dante and his family. But
,
there was another reason she hadn’t admitted
even
to herself.

Isis
sought redemption for her past transgressions, freedom from a pair of big brown eyes that haunted her dreams.

Wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the shiver that suddenly coursed through her, Isis tried to fight the memories she’d tried desperately to suppress over the years. Even before the Serpent Gang had aligned themselves with Adonis, Isis had misgivings about spending so much time with them. Her feelings had never been more apparent than the night she’d gone along with a few of the gang members who’d wanted to ”raise hell,” for lack of anything better to do.

That hell had been visited upon an unsuspecting young family of humans. The group attacked their victims maliciously, taking out every single one of them. As disturbing as that was, Isis had been most bothered by the little girl they’d found hiding in a corner, her huge, frightened brown eyes filled with horror.

In her shifted form, Isis had advanced on the child, yet didn’t have the heart to actually kill her. How could she, when she
,
too
,
had once been in a similar predicament? “
Run
,” she’d telepathically commanded the child, but the girl was too frightened to move.

Unfortunately, in the end, sparing the child hadn’t mattered. One of the members, a vampire called Cobra, had finished the little girl off mercilessly. It was the last time Isis had ever gone out with them to hunt. Soon after, she began to distance herself from them. Their alliance to Adonis and the witch had been the final straw.

“A penny for them.” Dante’s soft voice broke through her thoughts.

With a slight shrug, she kept her gaze averted. “Nothing really.” How easily that lie had tumbled from her lips. Yet another sin to add to her other misdeeds.

“Oh? That was a pretty ferocious frown you were sporting
just now
.”

She stiffened. There wasn’t much she could get past him. “I guess I’m worried about the children. The Serpent Gang doesn’t care if they kill little ones.”

Dante placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m worried about them as well, but we can’t give in to those worries. Otherwise
,
we’ll lose hope. The good news is the women have been located and will wait for our arrival before they make a move.
We probably should have included them from the start, in a lesser capacity of course
.
But t
hey have just as much of a vested interest as their mates.”

Isis nodded in agreement. “I think they’re very brave, if not a bit foolish.”

Dante snorted. “Foolish isn’t the word for it.
Insane
comes to mind, but I suppose I can’t fault them for what they’ve done. If the roles were reversed, I probably would have done the exact same thing. Even though the women have put themselves in harm’s way, I’m proud of them. My brothers are lucky to have such worthy partners, willing to fight by their sides.”

“
My meeting with them was brief but from what I can t
e
ll, they’re
amazing women. But I guess
,
one would have to be extraordinary to win the heart of one of the famous Grimaldi brothers.”

Dante
chuckled softly. “You make us sound like deities.”

Isis stole a look over her shoulder. She noticed a few sets of eyes trained on them with more than a little curiosity. “Can we go out to the balcony for a minute? I need air.”

“Sure.”

Once outside, she finally turned to face him.
Her breath caught in her
throat
. He was so
handsome. Was it only a short while ago when they’d shared that passion
ate interlude on the plane
? His cock had been buried so deep inside her cunt
,
it had felt like they were one entity. “I know this might sound strange, but to me you guys are.”

His brows flew together in bemusement. “We’re what?”

“Deities. You said I spoke of yo
u and your brothers as though—
”

“Ah. But
,
we’re not.”

“You’re legends in the immortal community.”

His lips twisted into an ironic smile. “The legend has probably become bigger than all of us. Sometimes our reputation has benefited us, but most other times, it’s a burden. You have no idea how many enemies come after us simply to say they tangled with the Grimaldis and lived to tell the tale. Honestly, even aft
er we get through this ordeal—
if we get th
r
ough this ordeal, we’ll never completely be in peace.”

“I didn’t realize.”

“Our lives are complicated, but you take the good with the bad. I’m pleased my brothers have at least found mates to ease their paths through eternity.”

“They’re very fortunate.” Isis took a deep breath before continuing. “I need to clarify my statement. I don’t want you to think I’m some sycophant. I’ve always admired you and your brothers because of the work you’ve done to take out rogues. My entire pack was wiped out by Hunters and I know your Underground has been instrumental in rid
d
ing the immortal community from that threat. You might not think what you do is a big deal, but your work means a lot to people like me. It helps to know my parents didn’t die in vain.”

“Thank you. That actually means a lot. Like I explained before, I got into this line of business for my own selfish reasons but if what I’ve done helped to keep other immortals and other innocents safe, then it’s worth it.” He smiled making her want to melt.

“I’m sure I’m not the only one who admires your work.”

A comfortable silence fell between them as they stared at the stars. Isis was finally the one to break the quiet. “I notice how family oriented you are. Do you see yourself eventually settling down…with a mate?”

“Of course.”

“And what kind of woman are you looking for, Dante?”

He took a step closer and lowered his head until his lips were mere inches from hers. “I never knew the answer to that question until recently. But I’m beginning to have a pretty good idea.” Dante cupped her face between his palms and brushed her lips with his. “And you,
bellissima
? What kind of man are you looking for?”

Isis hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until a
whoosh
of air pushed its way out of her lungs. She moistened her suddenly dry lips. “I think you already know.”

He cocked one dark brow. “How would I, if you’ve never said anything?”

“There really hasn’t been much time. As a matter of fact, I feel guilty having this discussion with you right now when so much is going on.”