As long as she consumed blood, Jo retained a ballin' figure. Without it, she turned all sickly again.
"What do you want?" she demanded. Even this guy wasn't seeing her; he damn sure wasn't looking into her eyes.
He asked her tits: "I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to go get a cup of coffee with me?"
Coffee must be the theme of the night. She could drink java if she had to, but it tasted awful and made her pee. She liked never having to go to the bathroom.
Vampirism did have benefits. No running out of toilet tissue, no flu, no periods.
When she didn't answer, he finally met her gaze. She leaned in until they were nose to nose. The shadows around her eyes weirded people out; he was no exception. She told him, "Trying to drum up reasons not to kill you; comin' up short."
He swallowed thickly. "Oh." Axe would be an improvement on his smell.
She wrinkled her nose, her mind drifting to Rune's skin. So tempting. But even if Jo wanted to, she couldn't drink the poisonous dark fey.
The man cleared his throat. "Do you, uh, happen to have the money you owe me?"
Jo had tons of cash, piled up in the corner next to her comic books, and she could get more whenever.
"If not, maybe we could . . . work something out," the owner added.
Just for that crack he'd get nothing out of her. Lucky to be alive, little man.
She gave him her standard answer: "With your flayed skin, I'll be able to finish my man quilt." She slammed the door in his face.
One of these days she was going to have to start that quilt, or she'd just be a no good liar. . . .
She floated to the mini fridge to snag a bag of blood. It smelled dank and plastic-y. If Rune was toxic, then why had his flesh smelled so enticing? Even now her fangs were sharpening. Aching.
She'd sensed power in him, there for the taking. That pulse point had called to her as little else in her life ever had.
Just because he was poisonous to others didn't mean he would be to her.
When had rules ever applied to Jo?
Her gaze fell on his bone thingy again. Why did he keep it? For years to come, she would imagine scenarios for it.
Unless she met him for their date and simply asked him.
EIGHT
You're good, female, I'll give you that," Rune said as he entered the courtyard.
The voyeur was sitting on the edge of the fountain, skimming her delicate fingers across the water's surface, her black nails glinting. "Be specific. Good at lots."
The mere sight of her made heat rush through him, pooling in his groin. When he'd scented her a couple of blocks away, he'd had to force himself to slow his steps. "Where did you learn to steal like that?"
She quirked an eyebrow. "Practice."
"I never felt you near my . . . pocket. Are you a thief by trade?"
"I guess you could say I'm between jobs." Her lips curled, like that was an inside joke. "You showed; does this mean you'll join me for coffee?"
"Return my belonging," he said as he closed in on her, "and I might only spank you."
"And that's a hard no on java." She rose and squared her shoulders--as if they were about to spar.
How strange. Aside from Allixta, no females opposed him. They were too busy trying to land him. "What could you want with such a useless trinket?"
The voyeur reached into her skirt pocket, then held up the talisman. "I want it, because you obviously want it."
His gaze locked on the piece. "It's of no value." It meant everything. "I'll have it back simply because it's my belonging."
"See, here's the thing--this is now my belonging. I stole it fair and square. What's it for, anyway?"
"It's not for anything. As I said, it has no value." It's merely the thing I care most about in all the worlds. The nerve of this bitch!
"What do the symbols mean?"
"That's not your concern." He didn't know!
Captured and enslaved young, his dam had only remembered a limited number of runes to teach her son. That talisman had been the sole possession she'd had on her, yet even she couldn't read it.
Unless Orion could help him decipher the markings, Rune would never know--because his mother's breed of demon had gone extinct, their lore lost.
All Orion had told him was that the answer lay in Gaia.
The voyeur pocketed the talisman again. "I might consider returning it if you answer some of my questions."
His ire was at the ready. "You do not make the rules."
"I do if you want your 'trinket' back." She gave him a sardonic wink.
Her defiance was so unfamiliar, he felt his cock stirring. "Brazen little thing, aren't you?"
"Brazen is when you can't back it up."
She couldn't know he was a Morior, but she should still fear him as a much larger male. He stood well over a foot taller than she, and easily had a hundred and fifty pounds over her. "You dig your own grave. Unless . . ." His gaze fell to her lips. "Perhaps your mouth can yet convince me not to whip that pert ass of yours raw."
She laughed at him.
He leaned forward, feeling the overwhelming need to shut her up--with his mouth over hers. Kiss her quiet.
How quiet would she be screaming in agony? Frustration simmered.
In a drawling voice, she said, "I suppose retreating is another choice for you. Turn around and walk away. Perhaps the sight of your ass can yet convince me not to whip it raw."
He stalked closer. "Are you a mad one then?" Older immortals often fell prey to insanity.
"Sure." Again, she seemed amused. "Why not?"
"You're going to give me my belonging." He bared his fangs at her. "Or I will make you suffer."
"Suffer? Oh, sport"--she rolled her neck to pop a crick--"I love a good fight."
"Such defiance against a male--"
She swung a fist at his face.
He caught it effortlessly, but hadn't expected another immediate hit. She punched him in the stomach with surprising force.
When he squeezed her fist in his grip, she grabbed his arm with her free hand. Her black nails had lengthened and sharpened into claws. Was she a demoness? A succubus?
She sank her claws into his arm. She was strong for a female. Still, nothing he couldn't shake off.
"Careful, girl. If you break my skin, you'll draw my dirty blood." Baneblood. Old angers seethed. He shoved her against the wall, knocking the breath from her lungs.
He took the opportunity to reclaim the talisman from her pocket, his hand a blur as it dipped.
Shock registered on her face. "You're fast too!"
"Fast as the fey. You're no match for me."
She thrashed against his hold. "No?" Her head shot forward, her forehead connecting with his.
"The hells!" That hit should have cracked her skull like an egg. He felt blood--from an actual injury--trickling down his forehead. How long had it been since someone had landed a blow?
"You've loosed my poison, wench. Playtime is over."
Her gaze locked on the blood. "Look at it flowing." She began to pant, her breasts pressing against his chest. He could feel her nipples stiffening into tight points.
He swiped a sleeve over his face, clearing away the blood. It wasn't poisonous to the touch--wouldn't harm her unless it got into her system--but he'd take no chances.
She muttered, "Rules don't apply. . . ."
"What rules?" he absently asked. Her irises had wavered in color from hazel to onyx--as black as night. "Damn you, tell me what you are." He stared down at her finely boned face, and again that unfamiliar need to kiss rioted inside him.
"I'm thirsty." She clambered against him.
Pain in his neck. Fangs? Vampire! "The FUCK are you doing?" He fisted her hair to fling her away. "You want to die--"
She sucked at her bite.
Pleasure seared him like a lightning bolt, wrenching a yell from his lungs. "AHHHHH!" His cock shot harder, twitching to come. "Ah, gods!" A vampire was feeding from him--from him--and it was unima
ginable. "You drink your death."
"Ummm." Her ruby lips kissed his flesh. When her tongue darted for more of his taste, his eyes rolled back in his head.
Never . . . so much . . . pleasure . . .
Nigh mindless, he let her sink her claws into him, let her coil her limbs around him as she made him her prey. Poison should've hit her. Somehow she wasn't weakening; her body grew stronger and stronger, her moans louder.
She rocked her hips against his torso, grinding her sex. The scent of her arousal filled his senses.
Figure the rest out later. He used his grip on her hair to shove her against his neck. "Then suck me like you mean it, you little bitch."
She did, piercing him deeper, moaning into his flesh.
With her every draw, he grew more light-headed. Hold out. His balls tightened, his breaths heaving. Hold out! "You're going to make me come like this!" Inside her . . . need inside her. She'll be so wet.
He tore open his weapon belt. He struggled to remember power dynamics and control--only managed to attack his fly. Need inside!
He yelled when his engorged cock sprang free. Trews at his thighs, he bucked his hips, sending his shaft between their bodies. He'd threaded it into her lace panties. He felt her soft, bare mons against his rod--just as she gave a wanton suck.
She can't get enough of my baneblood.
At the realization, he shuddered against her, staggered. He was about to come--without deciding to.
NINE
Rune's black wine hit her veins, carrying fire throughout every inch of her. It drugged her, made her head spin, her flesh burn! Blood drunk. Lust drunk.
How had she gone so long without biting another? Her pierced nipples tightened. Her clitoris throbbed. Her thong was soaked.
Heat poured off his body as he thrust his dick over her. His groans vibrated her aching fangs. He was about to come! She wasn't far behind. She ground against him for more friction.
When her skirt bunched up at her waist, he gripped her ass, claws digging into her skin. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" His cock pulsed against her. "Can't hold on much longer!"
She moaned, pawing at his back to get closer.
"Drain me of it, then!" His heart thundered, pumping dark wine for her. "Take. More."
Before, she'd sampled him lightly, unsure how to drink. Now instinct ruled her. She drew from him. Hard.
"Uhhhnnn!" Every muscle in his body strained. "Yes, suck me! Feels like my cock'll explode!" He grunted, groaned, shoving his hips. "Fuckyessogoodsogood."
Crazed, he pinned her against the wall, thrusting in a frenzy, shoving his dick between their grinding bodies. On the brink, she writhed to meet him.
"Can't hold back . . . can't hold out!" Between his ragged breaths, words from a foreign language spilled from his tongue. He was finishing! No, too soon!
"Ahhh, gods!" His hips surged between her thighs. "I'm . . . I'm . . . COMING!" His big body jerked. He threw his head back to yell.
His throat muscles milked her fangs as he bellowed to the sky again and again. . . .
When his hips gradually slowed and he gave a low groan of satisfaction, the sound of his yells was still echoing through the night. The city.
She remained on fire, subtly rocking on him, wanting this bite never to end. She'd done it, had drunk from another! And his tanned skin had been the cherry on top of his luscious blood. The act had been like sex--except this had been good. Like the best sex she'd ever imagined.
With that bite, she'd known the connection she'd dreamed about.
He released her hair, so she reluctantly withdrew her fangs with a last greedy lick that made him moan.
Catching his breath, he pressed both hands against the wall. He didn't need to hold her; Jo's claws were sunk into his back, her limbs coiled around him. The side of her face rested against his.
Moments passed like this. What do I do? Say? She hoped they weren't fighting anymore. The trinket had been a good trade for his blood.
She wanted to get off with him, and then drink again. Or both at the same time!
He pulled his head back to stare down at her, astonishment in every line of his face. His magenta irises had darkened, and fissures of black forked out from them. Was that typical for a dark fey? Very cool.
In a hoarse voice, he said, "You made me come so hard I thought I would spill seed."
He hadn't? His dick still pulsed against her belly, but her skin was dry.
As if in a trance, he raised his hand to her mouth. He rubbed his ringed thumb along her bottom lip, collecting drops of blood she'd spilled. He offered them back to her.
She daubed her tongue to his thumb. Delectable.
Had he ruined her for other blood?
"Suck it," he commanded her.
When she drew his thumb into her mouth, his lids went heavy. "So damned beautiful. I don't know how this is possible, female. But the plans I have for you . . . I'm going to eat you alive."
Earlier, she'd considered him somewhat attractive. Now that she knew what he tasted like, his craggy features took on a whole new aspect. Not to mention that he was supernaturally strong and fast.
Like me.
Plus, he was digging her hard. She admitted to herself she was digging him back. Understandable, since his big dick was still in her panties and he was gazing down at her with an enthralled look.
After the wedding night she'd spent with the romantic groom, she'd had no interest in casual hookups. Now she felt changed again.
She couldn't live without the connection she'd just experienced with Rune. There was no going back for her.
"Did you pick my pocket to lure me here? So you could feed?"
She released his thumb. "No, I hadn't planned this. I just wanted something of yours."
"Why?"
"I guess to know you." She'd known him in unforeseen ways. Her gaze flitted from his eyes to her bite mark.
His hand rubbed along her outer thigh. She shivered when his fingers traced the back of her thong. "You took my forbidden blood, and you drank it down. Instead of dying in pain, you're blooming. Did you use some kind of spell?"
She'd known his blood was poisonous but not lethal. At least to others. Just as she'd suspected--rules didn't apply to Jo. "Don't know any spells. I survived probably because I'm wicked strong and all."
"That you are." He tilted his head, and a black lock tumbled forward.
She wanted to fist his hair and kiss him till their lips hurt. "Nobody's ever bitten you before?"
"No other vampire would dare."
Other vampire. More existed. I'm one of them.
How had she become one? Did all ghosts become vampires? She was parting her lips to question him when he said, "I still can't believe this happened, and little should surprise an immortal my age."
Immortal? "How old are you?"
"Seven millennia."
Holy shit! Would she live to be that old? Her mind couldn't wrap around that number.
"You must be old as well to be this strong." Nope. "Strange you don't have a vampire's scent."
"What do you think vampires smell like?"
"Aggression and blood." He leaned his forehead to hers. "Were you very hungry, or did you enjoy my taste?" His tone was gruff, almost vulnerable. "How do I . . . how does my blood compare to others?"
"It's amazing."
The corners of his lips curled into that cocky, slanted grin. "What we just did is wicked. Loreans would consider it a taboo."
Loreans? "Okay. Whatever."
"Whatever," he repeated in a rasp. "You not only don't give a shit, you're looking at my neck like you want seconds."
"And thirds and fourths."
His brows drew together suspiciously. "Have you drunk another of my kind?"
"No, never."
"Then why did you do it? I warned you I was poisonous."
She shrugged. "You smelled . . . right."
"Right?" He said the word as though he were testing it, trying it on. "If you prick me with those
fangs again, I'll penetrate you with this." He thrust, rubbing his dick over her mound. "Just so we understand each other."
"Ah! S-seems fair." She wasn't the only one who likened her bite to sex.
His sigh-worthy grin deepened. "Tell me your name."
In a breathless tone, she said, "Josephine." She'd just given him her name? Her real name.
"The pleasure's mine, Josephine." He ripped her panties clean off her body. Then he pocketed them.
Something to remember her by? Because he was going to nail and bail her? As with those other females, he still hadn't taken off his bow. Ooh, wouldn't he still have nymph funk on him? And she didn't have protection. Not that she could get pregnant--no periods--but still . . .
"Now it's your turn to come," he informed her. "I'm going to demonstrate that I've got more than hints of game. In fact, I believe I promised you I'd make you see stars."
"I like stars," she murmured.
He leaned in. To kiss her? "My bag of tricks just got far more extensive. I'm eager to explore this with you."
Explore. That sounded less nail-and-bail-y. Maybe give him a shot. She eased closer to meet him--
Giggling sounded from the courtyard gate. Rune drew back.
Two women in skimpy party dresses whistled at them. A blonde and a redhead. Like the four she'd seen earlier, this pair appeared too flawless to be human.
"Ah, water nymphs," he said.
"We heard you across town, Rune!" the blonde said. "It sounded like you lost your ever-loving mind."
His wide jaw clenched. Well, he didn't like that comment at all. In a nonchalant tone, he said, "When it's good, it's good."
Good? Dick, please. Her ears were still ringing from his yells.
The redhead added, "If you're in such a desirous mood, we can tag out with her."
Hello? He was obviously taken. Clue one: she was panties-less, with her legs wrapped around him. Not a chance, freaks.
"Of course, doves. Later."
He did not just say "later."
"We'll find you after some trysts," the redhead called. "We've got something we know you'll like."
"Come back at sunrise," he told them.
Four nymphs at sunset. One vampire at midnight. A couple more nymphs at dawn?
They blew him kisses and sashayed away.
He returned his attention to Jo. "Nymphs: can't live with them . . ."
She'd just gotten this guy off--his dick was still wedged between them--and he was making a date with other women! With . . . with nymphs! Asshole!
Why would he do that? He'd reacted to her far more strongly than he had to those others.