Chapter Five

 

Johanna strode across the room, barely feeling the chill from the stone floor beneath her feet. She came to a halt beside the magnificent bed and folded her arms under her breasts. If that pushed them up slightly, so be it. She wasn’t overly large in that department, so she figured it couldn’t hurt, and she knew Cris liked what he saw when his gaze went directly to the plumped mounds.

The heat from his gaze evaporated any water drops left on her skin, and her entire body softened as a lethargic warmth filled her. She shook her head to try and break away from his sensual snare. She had to keep her wits about her if they were going to talk. And Cris wasn’t making her task any easier.

He sprawled naked across the crisp white sheets with his hands tucked behind his head, his large body taking up most of the space. Even in repose, the muscles of his chest and arms were sleek and hard. The tufts of soft hair under his arms and across his chest should have made him look softer, more vulnerable. Instead, he appeared even more dangerous. He seemed to be totally relaxed, but she wasn’t buying it. She stared pointedly at his erect cock and it twitched slightly in response. “Well?”

He didn’t even pretend to misunderstand. “You know what I am.” He waited until she nodded before he continued. “But you need to know how it will affect you.” He patted the covers next to him, silently urging her to sit. Not bothering to close the robe, she climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged facing him and waited.

“I am a Dalakis.” His eyes glowed red and she knew he could see right into her very soul. There would be no hiding secrets from this man.

“We are different,” he continued. “My family has always been vampires and has lived here for thousands of years. I have heard of other families of vampires, but like us, they keep to themselves, struggling for their own survival. Now there is only myself and my two brothers, Stefan and Lucian.”

This was the first she’d ever heard about his brothers. It shamed her to think she’d never asked him about his life. He’d been nothing but a dream to her, a fantasy of her own creation instead of the flesh-and-blood man he truly was. She wanted to know all there was to know about him.

As if sensing her intent, he held up his hand to stop her before she could start asking questions. “Let me finish first, please. Then I will answer all your questions.” He waited until she nodded before carrying on.

“I am immortal. I need blood to sustain me. But,” he hurriedly reassured her, “I do not kill others to live. I take only what I need to survive. It is different from the old days. Centuries ago, we killed often to protect ourselves and our people.” His features hardened and she had no trouble picturing him swinging that large sword mounted over the fireplace. Right now, he appeared more warlord than modern businessman.

“I would kill again in a heartbeat if you were threatened.” It was more a vow than a statement and Johanna didn’t doubt him, not for a heartbeat. Cris was the kind of man who would protect what he considered his. He stared at her, his green eyes practically burning with determination. She nodded her understanding, and it was with an obvious effort he forced himself to relax.

“Today, we even store blood for emergencies, much like a blood bank.” He rolled to his side and propped himself up on one arm. He reached out his other hand and teased the flesh on the inside of her thigh. The up-and-down motion of his fingers made it extremely hard for her to pay attention to his words. But this was too important for her to allow herself to be distracted.

“Prolonged exposure to sunlight, a stake through the heart, or beheading will kill me. Nothing else. Well, nothing except perhaps love.”

That comment had her full attention. “What do you mean?”

“Dalakis men love only once in their long lifetime. It is their gift and their curse.” His smile was tender as he stroked his fingers over her cheek. “You were a gift from the heavens when I found you, but you were young. So very young. I could not ask you to join me then, could only come to you in your dreams. So, I existed but did not fully live. To find you and not have you here with me was a torture beyond what you can imagine. After six hundred years of living, to have you so close, to know you were out there—” He broke off and sighed deeply, shaking his head at the dark memories. “—but yet not be able to fully claim you.”

Johanna opened her mouth to speak, but Cris placed a finger over her lips, gently silencing her. “Over the centuries, many of my kind have given up in despair and faced the killing midday sun rather than live any longer without finding their true love. Others have done the same after being rejected. Now it is your turn to choose.”

He sat up in bed and took both her hands in his, lightly squeezing them. “Whatever your choice, I will honor it. I give you my word as a Dalakis.” The solemnity of his words settled over her like a warm blanket. Whatever her choice, he would abide by it.

He kissed her forehead, her cheeks and then her lips. She clung to his hands, half fearful now. She knew that his word was not something he gave lightly and that he would die before dishonoring it.

“You are right, little one.” He laughed, and it was a bitter sound. “I would choose death before dishonor, but that is not your concern. If you wish to stay with me, you can live out your normal life here at the castle and I will cherish and protect you for as long as you live. And when the time of your death is upon us, I will join you.”

“No!” she gasped, squeezing his hands so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her heart pounded with grief at the mere thought of his death. It was unbearable.

“Or,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I can change you so you become as I am. You would be vampire, but your life would be linked with mine. If I die, then you too will die. You would be susceptible to the other dangers as well. But I would be by your side for eternity, and no other man living or yet to be born will love you as I will. Your happiness and protection are my life’s work and my life’s joy.”

Johanna was speechless when he finished. Tears trailed down her cheeks, but she could not pull her gaze from his beloved face. His features were impassive as he sat there, a beautiful bronze nude statue, waiting for her to decide his future.

In the flickering glow from the fireplace, his harsh countenance and glistening muscles made it easy to picture him living in centuries past. She could imagine him astride a powerful warhorse in the fourteenth century, sword in hand while he defended his home against all enemies. He was a warrior without equal. Yet he had laid his heart bare before her and now stoically awaited her decision.

She came up onto her knees in front of him and slipped the robe from her shoulders. His eyes followed the path of the fabric before returning to her face. A muscle pulsed just below his left eye but he made no move toward her.

Johanna shifted closer, wrapped her arms around his neck and gently kissed his lips. The muscles stood out on his arms and chest with the effort it took to keep himself still. “I know there is still so much I have to learn and understand. But I know what is in my heart.” Taking one of his hands in hers, she placed it gently over her heart. “You’re a part of me and we belong together. Forever.”

Johanna paused for a moment and then uttered the words that would change her life eternally. “Make me like you.”

As if a tethered beast had been unleashed, he pounced. Before she could take a breath, she was flat on her back and his mouth covered hers in an all-consuming kiss. This was the Cris she’d known in her dreams for years, the man who knew her best.

She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and gave herself into his keeping. She didn’t know what was coming, what the future held, but she trusted him with her very life. She had to. Their lives were entwined in every way possible, and she didn’t want to lose him. No one in her normal life would miss her if she never returned. But Cris . . . he needed her, wanted her and loved her.

His hands were everywhere as he ran them up and down her entire body as if committing every inch of it to memory. They traveled up her arms, teasing the sensitive skin on the underside. The skin on his hands was slightly rough and made her shiver as she imagined them on other parts of her body. He didn’t linger, but traced the veins in her neck, leaned over and nipped at the fluttering pulse at its base.

From there, he continued down her torso, outlining her breasts and every single rib as he made his way to her hipbones. She was an ordinary woman, but he always made her feel special and beautiful.

She moaned and eagerly parted her legs, but he ignored the silent invitation and continued to trace a path down both legs to her feet. Her hips rolled on the bed. The ache inside her grew with each passing second until it threatened to consume her.

“Cris.” His name was both a command and a plea. Her whole body was liquid fire, raging out of control.

“Shhh,” he whispered as he sat up in bed and pulled her feet into his lap. She wasn’t sure what he was going to do until he leaned over and began to nibble on her toes. His large hand held her foot steady as he made his way from her little toe to her large one, first licking and then sucking on each one.

Johanna collapsed back against the pillows and let the pleasure take her. Never in her life would she have thought of her feet as an erogenous zone. Obviously, she still had a lot to learn.

“Oh my God,” she moaned. He moved up her ankle and calf. She clawed at the coverings on the bed and gasped for breath. She was more than ready for him, but he wasn’t done with his sensual torture. He kept working his way steadily upward, nibbling his way past her knee and up to her inner thigh.

She grabbed him by the hair and tugged him higher, trying to get him to where she needed his touch the most. His laughter was wicked, but he ignored her efforts and instead ran his tongue in the crease at the top of her leg. She almost shot off the bed.

Cris gripped her inner thighs in his hands and slowly widened them, opening her for his intimate inspection before he lowered his head and tasted her hot, wet flesh. Johanna twisted the covers in her hands, desperately trying to anchor herself as an intense wave of pleasure crashed through her. His sharp teeth carefully nipped her clitoris before his tongue flicked over the distending nub.

For a moment, every muscle in her body clenched tight and she was poised on the edge of desire. He knew it too. He looked straight at her before pressing his tongue hard against her clit and showing his fangs in a feral smile.

She went freefalling over the edge. Pure molten pleasure exploded in her veins. She screamed, her body jerking and heaving. Her orgasm consumed her, encompassing every cell in her body. When it finally subsided, she felt totally boneless and completely relaxed.

Cris shifted position until he was lying beside her and pulled her into his arms. She rubbed her nose against the crisp hair on his chest and snuggled tight in his embrace. Contented, she nuzzled one of his flat brown nipples before sucking it into her mouth and nibbling on it. He tightened his arms around her and one of his hands cradled the back of her head, drawing her closer.

She loved being close to him, feeling him react to her touch. His erection pulsed against her leg, so she slid her hand down his muscled torso and wrapped her fingers around him. His shaft was thick and warm, pulsing with life. She stroked her hand from the base to the tip and back down again. His hips jerked forward in a reflex action. Johanna adjusted her position so she could slip her free hand between his legs and cup his testicles. They were drawn tight to his body, a sign he was close to coming.

“Are you sure?” His question amazed her. Even at this stage, he was still concerned only about her. Most men would be encouraging her to keep going, to do more. She knew Cris wanted her but he always put her first, and she knew he always would.

He might be a vampire, a creature much maligned in literature, but he was the finest man she’d ever known. And he was all hers.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She punctuated her statement by peppering kisses across the broad expanse of his chest. Leaning back, she met his hungry gaze and gave him the truth. “I love you.”

She’d loved him for years and always would. No other man would ever fill her thoughts and her heart. There was only room for Cris.

Even when she’d been frightened and run from him, she’d still loved him. It was why, even when she was afraid of what he was, she hadn’t been able to leave him.

His face was more somber than she’d ever seen it, a testament to the seriousness of what was about to happen. “It is time then.” Cris sat up in bed, forcing her to release her grip on him. Kneeling up on the bed, he pulled her toward him. “Mount me.”

Johanna licked her lips in anticipation at the sight of his hard, thick cock and gingerly threw one leg over his muscular thighs. She linked her hands around his neck and levered herself up so the head of his shaft brushed against her opening. Inch by slow inch, she lowered herself and took him into her. Her inner muscles squeezed him and the fires of need grew deep within her. Gripping his shoulders for support, she seated herself to the hilt, squirming around for a minute to get comfortable. He stretched her, filling her completely.

“Enough, woman.” He grabbed her hips and held them still. Firelight flickered over his face, making him appear dangerous and ferocious. He was both those things but he no longer frightened her. How could he when she knew he’d lay down his life for her? Because that’s what he’d done when he’d let her go. Johanna knew that if she’d really left him he would not have survived. That realization shook her to her core.

“My love?” He paused and his green eyes seemed to glow in the dark. “We can stop if you’re not ready.” He brushed her hair away from her eyes. “There is time.”

She didn’t need time. She knew what she wanted. It seemed as though she’d been waiting her entire life for this moment. She reached behind her, caught his testicles and gave them a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want to stop.”

Cris moaned and dropped his head forward. “Who am I to argue.”

Her laugh turned to a moan as he lowered his mouth to her breasts and feasted on them. His tongue was hot against her skin and his teeth sharp where they scraped across her skin. She felt the scorching caress between her legs as she grew wetter. The need to move grew too great to ignore. He was branding her both inside and out with his touch and the heat from his cock.

She rotated her hips, rubbing her pelvis against his and drawing moans of pleasure from both of them. The firelight danced over their bodies. The cooler air caressed her skin but it was no match for the heat Cris generated within her. Her nipples were hard and aching, her breasts swollen with need, and still he continued to play, to tease.

“Now,” she pleaded.

Cris licked a hot trail from her breasts to her neck. Her internal temperature escalated until it felt as though she was running a fever. He nuzzled the sensitive skin and scraped his fangs over it in a sensual caress. She moaned his name.

He struck hard and fast, sinking his razor-sharp fangs into the base of her neck where it met her shoulder. She gasped and clutched at him, digging her nails into his flesh. The sudden pain from his bite was momentary and was quickly drowned in the sensual heat that spiked through her.

Then he began to feed, each sucking motion like a caress between her legs. All her senses were magnified. Every touch, every sound and smell was more intense. It was as though she could feel each individual air molecule stroking her skin. The night was alive outside the window with the whoosh of an owl’s wings and the buzz of an insect. The warm scent of their skin mingled with the burning wood from the fire.

And she could feel Cris as though he was alive inside her. All his emotions, as well as her own, pummeled her. Every cell in her body sang for release. Her inner muscles spasmed and stars seemed to explode before her eyes. Her orgasm overwhelmed all her other senses, blanketing them until she couldn’t see anything but Cris, hear anyone but Cris. All she could do was feel the heat exploding between them.

Her pussy gripped his cock in a hot, wet embrace as she came. When she finally collapsed against him, she was sated, yet still pleasantly aroused. Cris was still rigid inside her, having not yet taken his own pleasure.

He continued to drink from her, taking her blood into his body, until her vision blurred and all consciousness began to fade. She was sleepy, drifting. She knew she should be afraid, but instead she was filled with a sense of rightness and completion.

Whatever happened, she wouldn’t change anything that had passed between them. If he needed every drop of blood in her body in order to survive, she would gladly surrender it. That was her last thought as darkness rose up to embrace her.