Sweeter Than Wine (3 page)

friends to keep tabs on her soon-to-be ex-husband. He also placed a call to his lawyer and had her start looking into every facet of the couple’s relationship.

There had to be something more as to why Jeff had snapped and attacked Christina so brutally. From all accounts, the relationship had been going south for a while now. He had to have known divorce was the next logical step. Which led Sebastian to believe there was something Jeff feared would come out as a result of the divorce. Fear of discovery could have set him off on his murderous rampage. Sebastian would bet that money was at the root of Jeff’s unpredictable behavior, and Sebastian’s lawyer, Morgan, would sniff out whatever it was Jeff was trying to hide.

Jeff was in jail now, but he probably wouldn’t stay behind bars for long. The man was too slippery for that. Sebastian had never understood how someone like Christina could have married a snake like Jeff Kinsey in the first place. But knowing of the wealth she’d brought to the marriage from her family, Sebastian suspected Jeff was nothing more than a gold digger. Her friends said Jeff had been a handsome youth when he’d seduced Christina in college, but hadn’t worked a day in his life since hooking up with her.

Still, from what he’d heard from her friends, the marriage started well enough. It was only after Christina’s parents died, leaving her in control of a great deal of money, that Jeff had started acting like a real jerk. When he’d gone too far during an argument and knocked her down, Christina finally woke up and started talking about divorce—but only to her friends. Jeff had made her afraid of his reactions and it took a great deal of courage for her to speak of her desire for a divorce to him. Her anxieties had proven true when Jeff snapped and beat her within an inch of her life. The very thought of it set Sebastian’s teeth on edge. He could still read the horror in her lovely eyes.

Jeff had taught her to fear. Sebastian would teach her the opposite. He’d show her nothing but care and compassion, and give her confidence in her new abilities. He’d strive to help her overcome her anxiety and banish it for all time.

He’d find a way to neutralize Jeff and repair the damage he’d done to Christina’s self-esteem. She had a beautiful soul and it was a crime to see her so damaged—both 18

physically and emotionally. It was up to Sebastian to help her. He was her maker. He had to both keep her safe and figure out how to salvage the situation. She was changed, but would she be strong enough to overcome her past and start a new future, stronger than before? It was Sebastian’s job to make certain she was ready.

In a hotel room across town,
Altor Custodis
agent Benjamin Steel began filling out his latest series of reports. He’d been sent to check out Kelly LaTour’s friends. As the new wife of the Master Vampire of this region, she was most certainly changed now, but she’d been mortal until a few months ago.

Steel’s boss at the AC wanted her friends investigated to see if more than one conversion had taken place. This group of bloodletters was notoriously hard to trace.

Marc LaTour was an old one, and therefore cagey as hell. It was a tribute to Steel’s record that he’d been selected and sent on this particularly difficult mission, but he knew his skills and was comfortable with the idea he was the best investigator the AC had right now. Steel would accept no less from himself. He was a man driven to excel, and since he’d been violently awakened to the real nature of the world, he’d redirected his energies to scouting for the
Altor Custodis
.

It was a far cry from what he’d done in the SEAL Teams, but it was work. And keeping tabs on the freak show supernaturals was as good a job as any for a retired spec ops warrior.

Only he hated the paperwork. Resigned to his fate, Steel dug out his notes and began to compile them into some sort of order. He wouldn’t file the report until the mission was completed, but he might as well get started. The paperwork wouldn’t do itself.

19

Christina woke in slow increments, like a kitten just learning about the world around it. Sebastian watched her from the side of the large bed, waiting for the moment when she’d realize she wasn’t alone.

“I bet you’re hungry.” He was enchanted by the sleepy look in her eyes as she met his gaze. Rubbing her tummy, she looked like she was considering his words.

“I feel strange.”

He nodded and moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. “That’s to be expected when you’re newly turned.”

“Then it wasn’t a dream?”

“No, my dear. It was most certainly real.” He dipped his head closer, smiling so she could see his fangs. He was hungry too, it seemed. “You’ve been deep in healing sleep for more than two days. That’s longer than most of the newly turned, but you were gravely injured, so I encouraged your sleep.” He tugged at the sheet that covered her, inching it away. “I’ve decided on a course of action some might consider reckless.” He paused. “Do you trust me?”

She seemed to think that one over before answering. “I think so.”

“What I’m going to ask of you will seem strange, but I need you to believe it is for your own welfare that I’ve even considered this.” He pulled the sheet a little lower.

“Now you’re frightening me, Sebastian.”

“That’s not my intent. But I need you to know that what comes next is necessary for your future. I want you to be strong enough to deal with Jeff Kinsey on your own. I believe standing up to him—and winning—is the only way to face the rest of your years, now that you are immortal. If you let him win, even the smallest confrontation, it will set a tone for your new life that could prove disastrous.”

“Did I mention you’d already scared me enough?”

20

Sebastian was glad to see a spark of humor in her wary eyes. It made him feel a little better about what he was about to do, though other aspects of his plan still made him uneasy. There was jealousy for one thing. It was likely to eat him alive before long. Good thing the task could be accomplished quickly. He knew he couldn’t take too much of this.

“I’m sorry, Christina. What I propose will not hurt. On the contrary, it will bring you great pleasure, but it is somewhat…risqué. I know from your friends that you’ve never been very adventurous sexually. That will have to change.”

She looked wary, but receptive. “What exactly are you talking about?”

“Your body is fully healed now, and its chemistry forever altered. Now it’s time for your lessons to begin.”

“Lessons?”

“I promised to teach you everything you need to know to survive in your changed state. Those lessons begin now, with our most basic needs
⎯
blood and lust. You need to feed.” He dipped his head, kissing her savagely. He didn’t mean to do it, but her soft lips were so close, so inviting, he couldn’t resist.

Sebastian reveled in the sweet taste of her, delving deep with his tongue as her petite fangs began to emerge. He ran his tongue over them, encouraging their arrival. He’d forgotten how it felt to kiss one of his own kind. It was beyond erotic. It was nearly orgasmic in itself.

When she jumped, he pulled back, looking past her beautiful, bare body to see what had scared her. Sebastian understood her alarm when he saw Matt. He’d come in and prowled right up to the bed, taking a seat near the foot as if he belonged there, while Sebastian had been distracted. It was a shock to realize he’d been so lost in her kiss, he hadn’t even sensed Matt’s arrival. Matt’s knowing wink didn’t go a long way to soothe Sebastian’s self-recrimination, but it did make him smile. The lad was audacious, but Christina needed a little nudge to guide her on this path. Before the night was through, Sebastian knew she’d need to put all her inhibitions behind her and Matt Redstone was just the creature to help her do it.

21

“I invited a mortal friend to help you learn how to feed both bodily and psychically.”

He waved one hand toward Matt, releasing her slowly. “He is
were
. You might note the difference in his scent from ordinary mortals. He’ll make an excellent first feeding for you to grow strong and he’s agreed to let us use him as our guinea pig for this evening.

It’s a rare honor. You should be thankful.”

Christy looked at the gorgeous, muscular man who sat on the edge of her bed and began stroking her legs. “Um, thank you?”

She didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, she’d never slept around. On the other, she’d never been this horny in her life. It had to do with whatever Sebastian had done to save her life. She felt different in startling ways. Liquid fire raced through her veins and straight to her womb, making her yearn in a way she never had before.

Cunning topaz eyes smiled up at her. “You’re very welcome, sweet thing. It’s been a long time since I had vampire pussy.” He licked his lips, daring to smack them at her. She liked the sparkle in his gaze and could tell right away this handsome stranger was a bit of a tease. He drew her, but at the same time she was afraid of her own response. She didn’t know this man. Was Sebastian going to sit by and let him touch her—perhaps even take her
⎯
just like that?

“Sebastian?” Her voice rose along with her distress.

Reassuring hands stroked her back, helping her sit up. “Don’t fear anything that will happen here this night. A vampire’s first feeding is one of the most important of her existence. That Matt has agreed to let you feed from him tonight is no small thing. A portion of his inherent cunning, agility, and strength will forever be passed on to you.

Like I said, it’s a great honor.”

“But is he going to um…” she felt heat stain her cheeks, “…will he want to have sex with me?”

Matt shifted to sit between her legs. “I’m going to fuck your brains out, sweetheart, and eat this pretty pussy ’til you come in my mouth.”

“Sebastian!” The objection came out on a shocked gasp.

22

To be honest, though, she had to admit the new hunger wasn’t only for the blood she could actually hear coursing through this strange, savage man’s veins. He was handsome and muscular in a way she’d never seen in person. His golden hair practically invited her fingers to run through it, and he had the most gorgeous, bright, inquisitive eyes.

“It’s all right, Christina.” Sebastian’s hypnotic voice soothed her. “It’s only fair that Matt gain something from giving you his blood. By lapping your fluids, he will temporarily attain some of our healing and regenerative abilities to augment his own. It’s a fair exchange.”

“Who is he?” She was upset both at Sebastian’s cavalier attitude and his assumptions about her willingness to sleep with a complete stranger. But even more upsetting was her body’s response. She wanted to know how that muscular body would feel over her—

inside her—fucking her. The thought was deliciously forbidden and altogether shocking.

She shook her head, but clarity refused to come. So she appealed to Sebastian—her lifeline in this world gone wild. “How do you expect me to be intimate with someone I don’t even know? That may be normal for you, but it’s not for me. Not by a long shot!”

“Sorry, ma’am.” Matt grinned and held out one hand for her to shake, still sitting between her thighs. “I’m Matt Redstone. Like Sebastian said, I’m
were
, and the youngest brother of the leader of the cougar clan.”

She shook his hand as if in a trance. This was probably the strangest situation she’d ever been in. Bar none.

“What is
were
? What does that mean?”

Matt Redstone shot an amused look up at Sebastian. “She doesn’t know anything yet, does she?”

Sebastian shrugged. “She didn’t know about us until she woke after being turned.

She’s got a lot to learn.”

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here.”

That earned her a little slap on her pussy from Matt. She yelped in surprise, but it felt so startlingly good, her fangs dropped even further. She began to understand there was some correlation between her new fangs and her level of sexual excitement. If having two 23

sexy men like these staring with palpable hunger at your bare body didn’t flip your switch, she didn’t know what would.

“To answer your question, I’m a
were
cougar.” She had no clue what he was talking about and it must’ve shown on her face. “You’ve heard of
were
wolves, right?”

She heard the words, but their meaning seemed preposterous. “You’re not trying to tell me you turn into a hairy beast every full moon, are you?”

“Not at all. I can change at will, full moon or no. And I turn into a cougar. We have very soft pelts, if I do say so myself.”

He didn’t look like a lunatic. And Sebastian seemed to take his words in stride. Then again, Sebastian was an honest-to-goodness vampire! So maybe there were
were
wolves in the world too. Both men seemed to believe it.

“There are other shapeshifter tribes,” Matt went on, “that share their souls with different animals. Sebastian has a few friends among them, so you may meet one now and again, though historically the
were
usually don’t have much to do with your kind.

Just like humans, there are few of your kind we trust, but I’ve known Sebastian a while.

He’s okay.”

“Glad you think so, cub.” Sebastian chuckled, though his eyes followed every movement of Matt’s roving fingers playing through the neatly trimmed curls covering her mound.

Christy was glad she’d groomed shortly before Jeff had gone nuts on her. She liked to keep herself tidy, with a little thatch of curls at the top of her thighs. She liked the way it looked and felt, and if she was any judge, the
were
cougar sitting between her legs liked it too. She could smell his arousal. When she inhaled noticeably, Sebastian smiled.

“You are learning his scent differences already, aren’t you? Can you differentiate the subtleties? Can you smell your excitement separate from his…and mine? Concentrate, little one. Work out the scent trails in your head. Learning to control and use your newly enhanced senses will help you in the future. Eventually, you’ll be able to actually smell a lie, with practice. If nothing else, learning the scent differences of
were
will help you know when you’re in the presence of one of Matt’s brethren. They’re not always easy to 24

spot, since they blend among humans so well, but their subtle scent differences are unmistakable.”

She was fascinated as the wafting fragrances filtered through her nose. It felt like she’d never really smelled anything before and only now, her senses were coming to life.

She tried to listen to Sebastian’s rich voice as he coached her, but it was hard to focus as Matt’s shaggy head lowered and his long tongue darted out to lick her clit. Her thighs widened even further, seemingly of their own accord. She’d never felt sensations like this. Matt’s skilled tongue rasped along her folds, driving her so high, she felt as if she might take flight. And she wanted more.

“Concentrate now,
cara
mia
,” Sebastian whispered, nuzzling at her neck. “Listen to the pulse of his blood, the way it flows through his veins. He’s got a healthy circulatory system. All
were
do. Sometimes that alone can identify them as
were
and not human to my ears. Do you hear it?”

She thought she understood. If she listened closely, her ears were telling her things they never had before. She could hear the swish of Matt’s blood, so different from the gentle gurgle of Sebastian’s. She could almost taste the wild scent of Matt’s skin, subtle and musky, and altogether inflammatory, so different from Sebastian’s enticing male fragrance. If she had to give it a name, she’d say Matt smelled like carnal lust while Sebastian was outright sin.

And she wanted them both. She shocked herself with the thought and with the knowledge that she could have them both. Tonight.

She’d fantasized about such things, but her sex life up ’til now had been rather tame.

A late bloomer, she hadn’t experimented much in college and married soon after graduating. Things had been good with Jeff at first, though he wasn’t very inventive in bed. That had been a disappointment, but one she was willing to live with when she still believed the marriage could be saved. Then the real troubles had begun with Jeff, and they’d stopped having sex altogether over a year ago.

But Jeff was in jail for the moment, and she was…well, she was different. Just how different, she had yet to discover, but she was going to enjoy this freedom from reality 25

while she could. Soon enough she’d have to deal with the fallout of her life and her embattled marriage.

She could never go back to Jeff. It was the one bright thing in this whole sorry mess.

Well, that and Sebastian. If she were being honest with herself, she’d admit Sebastian had captivated her from the moment she’d first seen him at Lissa’s wedding. He was so tall, dark and mysterious. What woman wouldn’t dream of him?