She locked her arms around him and twisted, sending them both rolling across the bed.
“What the—”
Terese was on top of him. Her legs straddled his hips, and his thick, wonderful cock was still buried inside of her. “My turn now,” she whispered, and began to move. Up and down. Harder. Faster.
Up.
Down.
He clenched his teeth. His fingers wrapped around her hips, and he pulled her down onto him, pushing up in a powerful thrust at the same time.
A moan of pleasure hummed in her throat.
She could feel him in so deep, so deep.
Her fingers splayed across his chest. Terese rolled her hips, then rode his cock.
Up.
Down.
Harder, faster.
Her head lowered over his throat. Her tongue snaked out and licked his flesh.
Harder, faster.
His cock pushed even deeper inside of her. His fingers slipped around her waist.
Up.
Her mouth opened on his neck. Her teeth pressed lightly against his pounding pulse.
Down. Harder—
Her teeth sank into him. She pierced his throat in one smooth bite.
“Terese!” he shuddered. His body tightened as he came inside of her, and his semen erupted in a hot blast.
The sweet warmth of his blood flowed over her tongue. Sweeter, richer than she’d ever imagined.
Power surged through her. Raw. Wild.
Her hips slammed down on his, and a second orgasm ripped through her.
And as she came, she drank, taking his warm, wet blood into her mouth. Taking it, taking it—
“Terese…” Her name was a whisper this time. A soft, weak whisper.
Weak?
She drew back as horror filled her. What had she done?
She couldn’t remember how long she’d been drinking from him. Couldn’t remember how much blood she’d taken.
She only knew she’d lost control.
The monster had taken over.
Chapter Two
What in the name of Zeus had she done to him?
Apollo lay in the bed, his eyes closed, and his body still shuddering with little aftershocks of pleasure.
Terese. Her name whispered through his mind. The woman was amazing. What had she done there at the end? Her mouth had been on his neck, sucking his flesh, and her tight little sex had milked his cock, then she’d—
“Apollo?” Her slightly cool palm stroked his cheek. “Are you all right? Oh, please, please be all right.” Her palm tapped him, once, twice. “Please.”
He smiled. “I’m fine.” Fine was definitely too tame of a word. He felt about twenty times better than fine.
And it was all because of the lovely, mysterious Terese.
Apparently the other gods had been right…choosing a mortal for a companion was the best way to go.
His lashes lifted, and he stared at Terese’s beautiful, but slightly worried face. “What did you do to me?”
She flinched and jumped from the bed.
“Terese…” What was happening? Why wasn’t she still in bed with him, her lush body pressed against him? He knew she’d enjoyed the sex as much as he had. He’d felt her climax—first against his mouth and then around his cock.
She yanked on the leather dress. “I-I have to go—” She stumbled back and nearly tripped over her discarded heels.
His hand waved toward the door. Not going anywhere. He’d just found her, and he wasn’t ready to let her out of his life yet.
Her hand clenched around the doorknob and she twisted it. Nothing happened.
Apollo rose from the bed and stretched slowly. He pulled his jeans on, but didn’t bother to button them. If he had his way, he’d be removing the jeans soon anyway.
Her knuckles whitened, and she jerked—
The doorknob popped off in her hand.
Apollo sauntered toward her. “Why are you trying to leave?” He asked, bending to inhale the sweet scent of her body.
Terese froze, then glanced back at him. “I-I just…need to go.” Her lips looked even fuller and redder than before.
There was something wet, something dark, glistening on the corner of her mouth. Something that looked almost like…blood.
He frowned as he remembered the feel of her mouth on his throat.
Her fist slammed against the wooden door. “Why won’t the damn thing open?”
He shrugged. “What’s the rush?” His fingers caressed her arm. “Stay with me. It’s almost dawn, we can—”
“Dawn?” Her eyes widened in horror and she glanced toward the small, square window in the makeshift kitchen. An orange- tinted glow spilled though the dusty glass. “I’ve got to get out of here,” she said. “Now.”
His shoulders stiffened. Apparently his little mortal was the kiss and run type.
Too bad. He wasn’t done with her, not by a long shot. He’d had a taste, but he wanted more, so much more and—
Terese turned back to the door, lifted her heel and rammed her foot into the wooden frame.
The door crumbled beneath the blow. Chunks of wood sagged inward and littered the floor.
His mouth fell open. Hera’s guard, how had a mortal done—
She jumped over the shattered remains and raced down the stairs.
“Terese? Terese!” She was leaving. Actually running from him. Women didn’t run from him. They ran to him.
The slam of the metallic door echoed up the stairs.
Oh, this wouldn’t do. It wouldn’t do at all.
An unfamiliar, hot rage filled him.
Apollo waved his hand and disappeared.
* * *
Shit. Terese rushed across the bar and shoved her way past the few stragglers who were still moving on the dance floor.
She was about to be seriously screwed. And not in the nice, fun way that she’d been with Apollo.
How could the hours have passed so quickly? She’d known that she’d pissed away too much time in the parking lot, but she’d had to work up her courage before she’d entered Hades. But she’d still thought she had plenty of time to find prey and then get safely back to her home.
Guess I thought wrong.
She was so not good at this whole vampire thing.
“Hey, babe, do you wanna—”
“Not now,” she snapped at the drunken idiot who’d stepped into her path. She shoved him, and he stumbled back. The guy hit the floor and took two other dancers down with him.
The bar’s entrance was only a few feet away. So close—
Apollo appeared in front of her, his face tight with anger.
Terese screamed. Where the hell had he come from? She’d left him upstairs. How’d he gotten—
“We are not done yet,” he told her. He reached for her arm.
She leapt into the air, clearing his head by a foot and landing behind him, blessedly close to the door. “Holy shit,” she whispered, her knees trembling. She’d never done that before!
But she didn’t have time to be thrilled with her new skill. Terese yanked open the door and ran outside. Her car was close by—her car with the lovely tinted windows. She could get to her vehicle, and then—
Apollo tackled her and she knocked into the ground. He flipped her over, forcing her onto her back, then pinned her there, trapping her beneath his body. “What are you?” His blue eyes were narrowed in fury.
This couldn’t be happening! She twisted, squirming and shoving against him.
But he didn’t move. Not an inch.
The dank scent of the earth surrounded her. And the faint orange light from the approaching dawn streaked overhead.
Sonofa—
“Answer me!” His fingers tightened around her wrists. “What are you, Terese?”
What are you…not who, but what. Pain lanced through her. They’d made love. He’d held her in his arms, and now—
Now he glared down at her with rage stamped on his face. “Let me go!”
She wasn’t going to tell him the truth. He wouldn’t be able to handle her truth. Her nightmare.
“Are you a fairy? A nymph?”
What was he talking about? Her eyes narrowed. Had he just called her a nympho? Sure, they’d had some really spectacular, oh-my-God-that’s-the-best-orgasm-of-my-life sex, but that didn’t mean she was a nympho.
“You aren’t a goddess.” His tone was definite.
Well, hell, he wasn’t exactly the prize of the century, either! Yeah, he was good-looking, and he’d had her nearly begging back at the bar, but now he was in a Neanderthal mode that was really pissing her off.
“Get off me,” she ordered.
“No.”
“Don’t make me hurt you.” She really, really didn’t want to hurt him. She’d enjoyed being with him. He’d made her feel alive, almost normal, if only for a short time.
But the sun was about to rise, and if he didn’t move, she wasn’t going to have a choice. She’d kick his ass.
“Hurt me? Hurt me?” He actually laughed at her.
She gritted her teeth. “Fine. Have it your way.” Her nails lengthened and turned into razor-sharp claws. She barred her teeth at him and knew that he’d see her canines lengthening as they stretched into perfect fangs.
“Hera’s guard…” He stared down at her in amazement. But the jerk still didn’t have the good sense to move off her.
Terese gathered her strength and lunged upward with a fierce yell.
Apollo slammed her back against the ground. He didn’t even appear to strain as he pinned her.
What the hell? A dark suspicion grew in her mind. “Apollo…what are you?”
A smile spread across his face. His dimples flashed, and some of his rage seemed to fade. “Ah, love…now, you know I asked first.”
He’d asked—
Terese screamed as agony ripped through her.
The sun had risen. The golden glow wasn’t a faint hue anymore. The beams of light were around her, on her. Burning her.
She could smell her charred flesh. Could feel the lick of flame on her fingers, her arms, her face.
Oh, God, it hurt—
“By the Fates!” Apollo scooped her up into his arms. “Hold on, love.”
But she couldn’t hold on. Couldn’t fight. The pain was too intense.
She knew that she was dying.
His hands tightened around her. She felt a curious rush of wind against her flesh, and then the world went dark.
* * *
“Don’t move.”
Terese cracked her eyes open, and it took all of her strength just for that small movement. She was on a soft, cushy surface, probably some kind of bed, and in a blessedly dark, windowless room. A man was with her. She could just make out the blurry outline of his body.
Apollo.
She’d been with him, out in the light. The sunlight. The fire—
A terror-filled cry trembled on her lips.
“Shh…” His arms caught her shoulders and she realized that she’d jerked upright. “Take it easy. You’re safe now.”
Safe. It’d been so long since she felt safe. Since she hadn’t known that every moment, she was being hunted.
“Relax, Terese. Nothing’s going to happen to you.” His voice was so soothing, and she didn’t have the power to fight then. Her body sagged back against the mattress.
“I’m going to heal you, okay? Just lie still and let me take care of you.”
“Y-you…don’t…have to.” A heavy lethargy filled her. She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to stay awake. When the sun rose, her strength fled. Since her change, she hadn’t been able to resist the powerful lure of the day sleep.
His fingers touched her arm in the lightest of caresses. “Love, you’re burned badly. I can help you. I can take the pain away.”
The pain was already fading. “Heal…myself.” She’d learned about that little talent the night she’d finally managed to escape from Eric. She’d jumped from a second story window and wound up with a broken leg and a shattered wrist. But after her day sleep, she’d awoken completely healed.
Her lashes were drooping, and no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t keep them open. There wasn’t much time left. Soon the need for sleep would overwhelm her.
She didn’t know where she was or how she’d gotten there. Terese only knew that Apollo had saved her. He’d taken her out of the deadly sunlight and carried her back to the safety of darkness.
“Apollo.” She swallowed, trying to force herself to stay focused just for a minute longer.
His fingers wrapped around hers. “Save your strength.”
“Th-thank you…for s-saving me.” No one had ever helped her before.
His grasp tightened.
And she sank into the drugging depths of the day sleep.
* * *
Terese slept during the day.
She burned in sunlight.
She had superhuman strength.
And she’d left a real unusual hickey on his neck.
Apollo leaned back in his chair and studied the woman who slept so peacefully in his bed. Terese Lafitte. He’d bet a load of ambrosia the woman was a vampire.
A vampire.
He’d met tons of nymphs, he’d chatted with gargoyles, and even been briefly smitten with a mermaid, but he’d never met a vampire before.
Terese had said that she could heal herself. He hadn’t waited around to see if she’d spoken the truth or not. The sight of her red, angry wounds had pained him, and he’d had to heal her with a little of his magic. Her injuries had been his fault. He’d held her down and let the sun burn her delicate flesh.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He’d never hurt her again.
She was perfect now. Her pale skin completely unblemished.
The sun was setting. Terese had slept all day. During those hours, her chest had barely appeared to move with her breaths. He’d checked four times to make sure her heart still beat.
If he was right, if she really were a vampire, she’d be waking soon.
And when she woke, Terese would be his.
Chapter Three
She slept long past sunset. Apollo watched her, he waited, and he wanted.
He’d never wanted another the way he longed for her. What had the vampiress done to him?
He didn’t really care—he just wanted more.
Her eyes opened slowly. She blinked and said, “Apollo?” in a husky whisper that stroked right over his groin.
He climbed onto the bed beside her. “I’ve been watching you for the last…” Damn, how long had it been? He’d left her just to check in with Zeus, then raced right back to her side. “Oh, I’d say at least ten hours.”
Her gaze drifted over him. Her eyes widened when she saw the heavy erection pressing against his fly.
“And I’ve been wanting to fuck you that whole time.”
Her lips parted. “After what you saw…you still want—”
“I want you.” Needed her. But a god never looked desperate, and there were other things he wanted… “But before I take you, I’m going to taste you.” Because once hadn’t been enough for him. He just might be growing addicted to her.
Dangerous.
She sat up quickly and the sheet dropped, revealing her tight little nipples. Ah, a perfect place to start that tasting.
But she tensed when he reached for her.
Apollo froze. “You don’t want me.” Had she just been feeding last night? Rage began to hum inside his body even as he prepared to withdraw.
But Terese shook her head and her hand reached for his. “I-I didn’t think you’d want me anymore.” Her confession was stark and the laugh that followed it was bitter as she said, “Apollo, I’m a monster.”
Now that rage did boil through. “The fuck you are.”
He caged her with his body. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.” And over the centuries, he’d certainly seen his share. “The fact that you
have fangs doesn’t make you a monster. It just makes you…different.”
He bent and pressed a kiss to her throat. A growl built in his throat. Like that. Like her. “I happen to believe different is very, very good.” He licked his way to her breast. Sucked the tight nipple.
Her hands rose and wrapped around his shoulders. “I thought you’d hate me.” Her confession. “I drank your blood. I-I took without asking.”
He glanced up at her. “Drink from me anytime you want.” Because he’d liked the feel of her teeth on his body. The pleasure from her bite had been electric.
And it had pulsed right from his throat to his cock.
The cock that was currently swollen and eager to sink into her tight flesh.
But, first, that taste…
He pushed the sheet away and stared down at her body. Creamy. Beautiful.
No blisters. No scars. Only smooth skin. His fingers slid over her stomach. Eased into the dark curls that guarded her sex. “Open for me,” he whispered.
Eyes on him, she did. Her legs parted and it was a sweet sight.
He licked his lips, already tasting her. But on this, he wanted her to be clear. “There’s no going back now.” She wasn’t like any other, and he wouldn’t lose her.
Not yet. Not until he’d learned all of her secrets…
“I can never go back.” Her whisper. He got the feeling they weren’t talking about the same thing, but he’d deal with that, later.
He’d ached for her all day. He’d take her now.
Apollo positioned his body between her legs. He stroked her sex. Opening her. Readying her. Then he bent and put his mouth on her flesh. He licked the center of her need. Once, twice, then he thrust his tongue deep inside her tight core.
“Apollo!” Her hands clamped onto his shoulders even as her hips arched against him.
He took his time. Licking. Kissing. Learning every inch of her…and wanting more. Addictive.
“Oh, God, Apollo…that’s…ah…” Her body stiffened. “So…good…”
And he was going to make it even better.
With one last swirl of his tongue, he pulled back. His hands jerked open his jeans. His cock sprang free. Dark red and fully erect.
He grabbed her knees and lifted them, forcing her legs over his shoulders and opening her sex completely to him.
He looked up at her, seeing her parted lips, seeing the briefest hint of her fangs.