Chapter Four

Alaan came around the corner and stopped short, taken aback by the couple engaged in what looked like a sizzling, passionate embrace. Here were two Seekers in the hallway of the mansion they were using as their headquarters where anyone could walk up on them—not that it would have been strange in a house full of vampires to see them practically making love in the hallway. One of the woman’s legs was raised, exposing the firm flesh of her thigh as it wrapped around the man’s waist.

If it had been anyone other than Tameth and Kenoe, he wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. But that damned Hatsept’s hands were all over her perfect body. Stroking the bare skin of that thigh. Fingers buried in the thick hair at her nape as he plundered her lush mouth. It looked like they were on fire for each other.

His eyes involuntarily followed Kenoe’s fingers as they made a trail from Tameth’s firm round backside up under the itty bitty leather skirt painted onto her body. When the vamp’s hand disappeared under the scrap of black leather, Alaan felt his stomach clench as tightly as the fists at his sides.

He looked down as if he were watching someone else’s body. His large hands unfurled as he imagined Kenoe’s neck firmly grasped between them. After choking the life out of the white-haired punk, he’d pull Tameth into her room and lay her across his knee. How dare she share those thighs, those lips with another? Alaan didn’t care that he’d never actually claimed Tameth. All he had to do was reach for her…

Emotions fully engaged, his brain kicked into gear as Tameth’s odd curiosity slammed into him. Huh?

In spite of what his eyes told him, it didn’t feel like the two people humpin’ in the hall were on fire for each other. While he sensed nothing from Kenoe, Tameth was a jumble of questioning and turmoil, not wound up in passion for the man she was grinding against the door to her room.

Perhaps Kenoe had pressured her into…no, that wasn’t it. Tameth would have flattened him if this wasn’t what she wanted. Maybe she’d simply given in because she trusted Kenoe? Or because…because what?

What kind of game was being played here? Whatever it was didn’t add up and he didn’t care for it one bit.

But one thing was certain—the woman was his. Period. And Tameth would surrender to him of her own free will, and not because he snatched Kenoe up into the air by the throat.

Time to be real. With himself, and with Tameth. Even while he was with Sher, there’d always been a soft spot in his heart for Tameth. As well as the urge, the need, to protect her from any and every threat. Like a sister, right? Yeah, right. Alaan rolled his eyes upward in self-irritation. He had to come clean or he’d go bananas. In truth, he’d never seen Tameth as a sister. Ever. The feelings were simply too raw to decipher, even now, so he’d just buried them, pushed them away and tried his best to ignore her.

But now it was no longer possible to pretend he didn’t care for her, didn’t want her. If he saw her in Kenoe’s arms one more time he’d…hell, he didn’t know what he’d do.

It was clear as day. Tameth was his mate, damn it.

It was time to claim his woman. And he wouldn’t go another day without doing so.

Alaan pieced together his shredded patience, backed up without a sound and returned to his apartments. Planning his next move, he quickly changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a light gray sweatshirt.

With his trench coat tossed over his arm, he grabbed the keys to one of the vehicles off the rack near the front door and headed out.

 

 

 

“You know Alaan was boiling mad,” Kenoe whispered into her ear.

“You knew he was there, didn’t you?” Tameth queried, unable to suppress a soft chuckle at her friend’s smug nod. “Kenoe, you are such a sneaky dog.”

“Glad you think so, kitten.”

Practically squealing, Tameth tightened her arms around his neck and squeezed tight while he nuzzled her warmly, laughing quietly along with her.

They untangled their arms and legs from around each other’s bodies.

“We still on for the British Museum today?” Kenoe asked, moving towards his own room a few doors down.

“Yep. See you in half an hour?” At Kenoe’s nod, Tameth ducked into her own suite to get ready for the day.

After picking up her room, Tameth stepped out into the hallway. She had everything she needed except the gear bag she always carried. She spotted Kenoe locking his door before he strolled down the wide corridor to meet her.

“Ready?”

“Yep, I just need to run out to the truck and get my gear bag.”

“I was down in the dining room a few minutes ago and saw Alaan stomp by. He looked like he was headed that way.”

The unmistakable tease in his voice reminded her of a little brother who knew you were sneaking out the window in the middle of the night and demanded candy to keep quiet about it. For some reason it grated on her nerves at the same time it sent a tickle down her belly. He was so good at being bad.

“So is there some reason I should be concerned about Alaan being down in the parking area?” she said with a lazy smile.

Now it was Kenoe’s turn to smile. And as always, it was a breathtaking display of pure male sexiness. In spite of the trademark extremely pale skin of the Hatsepts, his features were the perfect mix of tough guy and rock star. Bright, perfect teeth and all that platinum white hair. God, a woman would die for a head of hair like his. She loved it when he wore it down his back. Now he wore the mass of waves and curls in neat locs so fine they looked like little silver braids.

She allowed him to back her up against the door and plant his warm hands on either side of her head, caging her between his toned, muscular arms.

“You know, kitten,” Kenoe purred, “if I didn’t know better I’d think you’re having second thoughts about our agreement.”

Damn, he smelled so good. Dipping his head a scant half-inch, he eased his lips along hers, gently nipping her with a bit of bared fang.

“Nope, no second thoughts.” It took every bit of Tameth’s strength not to giggle as she thought about how Alaan had paused, growled and turned on his heel after seeing the two of them in the hallway a little while ago.

Hugging Kenoe again, she planted a quick peck on his cheek and took off towards the stairs with a giddy pep in her step. Once out the front door of the sprawling home, she headed for the row of big black SUVs lining the circle driveway. She made a beeline for the one her spare gear bag was in.

“Damn it,” she grumbled, half her body laid across the back seat as she reached for the big black duffel. “I don’t remember packing so much crap in this bag. Damned heavy.” With a huff, she hefted it up from the floor and set it back down with a clunk. She unzipped it and went completely still. A strange knowing in the back of her mind told her she was no longer alone.

Alaan was right behind her. In typical Seeker fashion, the man hadn’t made a single sound during his approach. But she knew he was there, could sense it clearly. The soft skin at the nape of her neck danced in step with a wild and quickly spreading heat. Her pussy joined in and pulsed in time with the beat.

And just like a prime male, the man had the ability to make all her soft gooey emotions go stone cold with just a few words.

“Come with me,” Alaan ordered harshly.

Okaayy? So who the hell did he think he was talking to? It was obviously not a request. And not a drop of tenderness. Not even a damned I’m-sorry-for-being-an-asshole-on-the-flight-over. One kiss on the plane and the man thought he could order her around? Puh-lease.

One dark brow cocked in question, Tameth looked over her shoulder and took him in slowly from his solid Doc Martin boots to the top of his gorgeous blond head. Her expression read, Yeah, right, and she knew it.

“Look, Alaan, this is my day off. So I’m not a Seeker nor your Second, but a Clan Serati female, which puts me a little higher on the food chain than you. So guess what that means—no ordering me around until I’m back on duty. Now go away. I have things to do.” With a snort and a roll of her eyes, she turned away. A hint of self-consciousness made her more than a little aware of how high her little black leather skirt rode, baring a good bit of thigh to the man standing behind her. Pushing the thoughts away, she wrapped her fingers around the handle of her grip bag and hauled it from the floor onto the seat.

Annoyed at Alaan’s intimidating and scrumptiously sexy presence, Tameth looked back over her shoulder. If she was going to be bad, may as well go for broke and ruffle his Seeker feathers.

“Besides, I have plans with Kenoe. Important and, uh, definitely delicious plans,” she murmurred with a deliberately sassy edge, letting her tongue slide over a lengthening incisor, then trail along her top lip. “So, maybe next time, stud.” Turning her back on him, she dug in her bag. She had no idea what she was looking for.

Her only warning was a quiet, menacing growl. Unable to hold back a yelp when she was propelled into the back seat of the SUV, Tameth found herself simply along for the ride as Alaan took over. And damn what a ride it was.

The vehicle door slammed behind her and she was suddenly and completely overwhelmed by the presence of the only man she’d ever really wanted. And he was pissed off.

“Kenoe will have to make other plans,” Alaan hissed. His voice was as hard and cold as arctic ice. But his eyes? They told an entirely different story. An interesting mix of iced blue and raging hot possessiveness sent a streak of sizzling anticipation down the backs of her legs.

Her gear bag went flying into the front seat just before her back slammed hard against Alaan’s wide, thickly muscled chest. Nothing about the man was small. His hard, chiseled pecs flexed against her shoulders as she sat with her ass flat against his groin. Large, strong hands settled on each knee, spread them wide and lifted them to settle over his until she was wide open like some offering to a pagan god.

She shivered, but not because her miniskirt bunched up around her waist. The little scrap of material that passed for today’s underwear barely covered her labial lips and the cool air evaporated as it came in contact with the suddenly too-warm skin between her legs.

Wait a minute. She was supposed to get her stuff and meet Kenoe in the breakfast room ten minutes ago. She was a Clan Serati female. There was no way a male, prime or otherwise, was supposed to affect her this way. Right?

He held both her hands in one of his and lifted the other to her hair. Unyielding fingers wrapped tightly around her ponytail, angled her head and tilted it backward.

“Damn it, Alaan! I told you I have…mmmmfffff!”

He laid a soul-searing kiss on her like a parched man and she was his own personal oasis. And she had no control whatsoever. Oh, Lord, yes!

She tried to hold back the moan bubbling up in her throat but couldn’t. Hell, she couldn’t even remember why she wanted to resist him in the first place.

The next moment found her bowed at the waist, breasts smashed against the cool leather of the front seat. The man had her bent over at a serious angle. Tameth's hands flew out and instinctively planted themselves as she sought to keep her balance. Slightly bent knees pressed into the firm panel of the seat in front of her. Alaan knelt on the big bench of the back seat between Tameth’s spread legs. His chest pressed tight against her back as if he couldn’t bear to lose the contact. The huge bulge pressed against her practically bare bottom told her what he hadn’t spoken aloud. He wanted her. Badly.

A hard grind had her breath puffing out of her lungs in shallow gasps. His fingers burned through the thin, supple leather of her jacket. One hand eased up her back, then crept around underneath her shoulder and wrapped around the swell of her breast with a firm but gentle squeeze. The other eased down the back of her thighs, massaging the sleek muscles as it went. Inch by inch, he eased those talented fingers upward to play at the creaming slit of her pussy.

All the while, he pressed decadent open-mouth kisses along her neck and shoulder. Oooh, with an occasional nip of his fangs.

Dear Lord, she was irrevocably and truly lost.

 

 

Watching Tameth lean into the SUV showing all that succulent skin had almost been too much for Alaan. He’d stood there shaking his head at himself. Hell, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

First he’d been insane enough to kiss her like an old lover while they were on the plane. Then he’d stood there out in front of the house with his eyes plastered on her endless thighs and contemplated walking up behind her, lifting what little bit of clothing covered her nice round ass. In the driveway? In front of the house? God, he was worse off today than he'd been last night. Alaan couldn’t remember feeling so strongly about a woman, not even Sher.

His balls had tied up in knots and his cock throbbed as if it were barking orders to a platoon of soldiers. And his little soldiers were suddenly anxious to find a home between Tameth’s legs. After round one, he would hold her, stroke her, then drive her back up the wall until she screamed for him.

His head had told him to turn around, go directly to the sparring room and beat the hell out of something. But his cock wrestled with his common sense. And damn it if his cock hadn’t won.

And he knew the moment he’d blown it—about a half a second after he’d opened his mouth and ordered her to come with him. What the hell was he thinking? She was a Clan Serati female. A warrior. And when he was not standing in his office as Head Seeker or Second, he was subordinate to her. Oh well, too late to take the words back. And too late to leave the woman alone.

How he’d managed to stuff himself into the back seat was of no consequence. All he knew was he needed the scent, the taste of her. Right now.

The fine little tendons that controlled his fangs throbbed painfully. Finally he let his incisors slip free of their sheaths just as he positioned her in his lap with her back to his front.

Alaan buried his fingers in her hair and turned her head just enough to make her lips available to his ravenous mouth. The curve of her tight, firm ass fit perfectly into the hollow of his groin. A hollow quickly filled with his aching cock. Tameth squirmed against the cement-filled ridge, driving him towards madness at a dizzying speed. With her legs looped over his, she opened to him freely. The dewy scent of her arousal spilled into the cab of the SUV even as her moist lips softened under his, releasing the sweet taste of apples and spice.

The most desperate, hungry growl he’d ever heard filled his ears. It was wild. It was urgent. It was his own.

The kiss quickly became far less than enough. His very blood was on fire for this woman. He could smell her need. Smell the faint musk of her sweat as it formed in a light sheen over her soft skin. Damn, he could even smell her blood as it thundered through her body, swelling her breasts, her cunt, her clit. He’d never smelled blood under skin before. Had never heard thoughts so clearly in his mind. Had never experienced someone else’s yearning. So, this is what Bix meant when tried to explain what it felt like to encounter his bondmate?

Alaan was a healthy vampire of breeding age. And while vamps were highly sexual people, indulging was something he’d not allowed himself to enjoy in years. It had taken an enormous amount of self-discipline and lots of hours in the sparring room pounding on fellow Seekers or whoever, whatever was available. But with Tameth’s enticing scent and soft cries filling the vehicle, the only thing that could have stopped him from stripping her bare on the spot was her request that he stop. And she was not asking him to leave her alone. If anything, she was begging him to move faster.

He wasn’t sure he could be gentle. Not right now. Alaan was so damned glad the woman wasn’t human because there was no way he’d be able to hold back with her.

Angled over the front seat as she was, her barely-there underwear didn’t stand a chance. One good yank and they were done for, dropping uselessly to the floor of the vehicle. His fingers explored the silky skin of her thighs. But her breasts called to him, too. He could hear them screaming for attention. Easing her jacket off, he pushed up her blouse and gave in to their demands to be kneaded. The stiff nipples plumped further under his fingers and he suddenly knew what she liked. Call it instinct, but the knowledge just jumped right into his brain.

The harder he tugged them, pinched them, the more urgency poured into the grinding swivel of her hips. Soft cries and needy moans wrapped around his cock and pulled. Hard. His hips pumped in tandem with the undulating movement of her body, seeking, wanting.

Sitting on the edge of the bench seat, he lifted her clean off her feet into the air and smashed his face into her bare, sopping pussy. The tangy dew of her cunt hit his tongue. The unique flavor slammed through his system. Imprinted her on him, in him for all time. As long as he lived, he would never forget it. It was enticing and addictive, holding him suspended in awe for long moments as he feasted on her quivering flesh. His fangs dragged across her fully erect clit and she went completely rigid.

Then he suckled the little bundle of nerves standing so erect for him. Tameth screamed. The sweet honey of her orgasm creamed his face as he wrung a fast and furious climax out of her. But he didn’t stop the torment.

Tameth’s hands scratched and dug into the leather of the front seat, seeking something, anything on which to anchor herself.

“Oh, baby! Alaan! Just like that,” she howled and gasped as he pushed her on and ever upward, not letting her descend from the high. His tongue extended to lash, lick and torment the slick folds of her pussy until she was a quivering mass of flesh and bone. Then she drew in a raspy breath and yelled at him. He couldn’t help smiling into her pussy.

“Oh God, fuck me, Alaan. Hard. Now.”

“Really?” he asked, lifting his mouth away, drawling with just a hint of sarcasm. “Determined to remain in charge, Tameth? Not going to happen, baby. Not with me.”

She lifted her dark head and tried to turn around to face him. He kept her pressed down over the front seat with one hand instead.

“What? I’m a Clan Serati female! How dare you…oooh!”

He’d unbuttoned his jeans, freed his cock and settled one knee on the seat and a booted foot on the floor. Leveraging his greater height in such a confined space, Alaan leaned over her and slammed home in one smooth, solid stroke.

“Oh, yes!” Tameth cried.

He stopped moving and she groaned out her frustration. But he had to begin as he meant to go on. She would yield to him. End of story.

She was so pretty with her golden skin flushed a beautiful caramel. Something soft and welcoming reached out to him, embraced and accepted him. But her mouth was a different story.

“Alaan, move your ass, damn it!” she snapped. Dark eyes flashed with a volatile mix of impatience and need.

“Not quite what I was looking for, Tam.”

She stiffened with indignation. He slid out of her suctioning heat until only the head of his dick remained inside. God, he was killing himself—the need to bury himself inside her and stay there rode him hard. But his nature wouldn’t let him give in. Couldn’t allow his woman to see him as anything less than a real man. Her man.

With short shallow strokes, Alaan teased her with the meaty flared head, gritting his teeth all the while. Damn he was glad she couldn’t see the strain on his face.

“Alaan, stop teasing me!” She was panting, writhing, trembling.

“Then tell me what you want in a way that’ll make me want to give it to you.”

“You want me to what?” she gasped as he slid in deeper then pulled away. Her body shook and quivered, stomach muscles bunched along with the clenching walls of her sex. “Oh, God. Alaan, I-I…”

“Come on, baby, you can do it,” he crooned against her ear.

“I want you to fuck me,” she growled.

Gripping her hips, he slid home and said, “Again.”

“I want you to fuck me!”

Yep, he was definitely going to die. But he’d die happy as hell.

“Again, but sweeter,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Please,” she whispered. “I need you. Deep and hard.”

“Ah, baby, I’m more than happy to give it to you.”

His heart melted even as his lust flared wildly. Then he rode her from behind like a madman. Gripped her hips firmly and slammed his girth into her tight hole until the fluttering of her walls told him she was on the edge.

“Is this what you need, Tameth?” he ground out, feeding her juicy slit more of his cock.

“Yes! Yes! That’s it!”

Their combined scent filled the cab of the SUV as the sleek walls of her sex caressed him on all sides. The sound of his balls slapping against her bare skin filled his ears and he could swear he felt her body temperature rise to just under a boil, right along with his.

“Alaan!” she screamed as she flew apart underneath him. She fell forward over the seat and thrust her ass backward, trying to get more of him. Nothing could have prepared him for the fist-like grip of her creaming channel when she came. So tight. So strong. And oh so good.

In fact, the woman was good enough to eat. Literally.