She nodded, lips parted.
Because of their bond and who he was, he already thought of her as his woman, another effect of the chains. But that meant that his woman should have more pleasure than she’d ever known before.
He cupped the back of her neck, holding her steady as he thrust inside her, curling his hips each time. “How does that feel?”
Her lips moved as though she tried to find words, but couldn’t bring anything intelligible forward. He smiled. “Good answer.”
He kissed her again and moved faster this time. I want you to come at least once before I tap in. Blood has an exquisite taste when it’s full of passion.
That’s … I don’t know … wonderful … feels so good … so built.
Her disjointed thoughts pleased the hell out of him. Her body pulled on him low. He knew it wouldn’t take much so he drew back once more. “I’m going to do this fast for you, like last night.”
She gasped and nodded. Please, please, please.
He wanted to watch her come. As only a vampire could do, he moved lightning-fast. Her body arched, her chest swelled, then she cried out. He almost lost it because the sight of her caught in ecstasy, her face growing flushed, had his balls tightening, ready to release. What was it about this woman that got him going?
Having learned a thing or two in four hundred years, he forced himself to calm down. As her body began to relax, he slowed the pace, but kept driving into her steadily. She was breathing hard. “That was amazing.”
His gaze fell to her swollen lips, which he plundered all over again, always moving into her, thrusting deep.
The orgasm had caused her arms to grow limp as she slung them over his shoulders. He loved giving her pleasure, having her satisfied. But he’d soon have her ready for more.
His own need rose as he left her lips and kissed a line down her neck.
“God, yes,” she whispered.
He licked several swipes over her vein, forcing it to the surface. When he felt the pulse beating beneath his tongue, he gave her a quick warning. Ready?
Please, yes, now.
His fangs emerged fully and he struck in a swift bite then clamped his lips around the wound and began to drink. When the first savory drop hit his mouth, he groaned. He thought he’d imagined it before, but now he was sure that he’d never tasted anything like Shayna’s blood—and he’d sampled tens of thousands over the years, human and vampire.
She moaned and writhed against him and he kept driving into her as well, the motions so linked that he had no problem sustaining both at the same time.
He slid an arm around her waist, pinning her tightly to him.
The more he drank, the more his muscles responded, filling with added power.
Her fingers now gripped his shoulders. You feel so good, Marius. Bigger. Is that possible?
Yes. Your blood is this miracle, building me up. My God, who are you, Shayna? It’s never been like this.
This is a dream. Her voice in his head forced his hips to pump faster. She cried out. So good. You’ll make me come again.
That’s the plan, but I’m close, too. And I want to come while I’m feeding.
I want that, too. She cried out repeatedly, then, Faster.
The word forced his hips into hyperspeed again.
The time had come.
His body erupted, an exquisite streak of pleasure flowing through his cock and repeating in pulses that had him writhing against her and groaning. With his lips still sealed to her throat, he kept sucking, holding her undulating body in place while her cries of ecstasy filled the cavern.
He continued to pump, and pleasure flowed until finally her cries drifted away and his cock had released the last drop. He was breathing hard, Shayna as well.
She lay draped over him, making small sounds of contentment like a laugh and a groan combined. He stayed with her in this position, his lips still holding her throat, no longer sucking, just enjoying the connection.
He kept her pressed against the wall for a long time, releasing her throat in stages, wishing he didn’t have to. When the small wounds were sealed and had begun to heal, he let go completely.
She then settled her head against his neck and he petted her hair, stroking the length down her back. She had beautiful silky hair, very straight with a fine texture.
“Marius?”
His chest ached at the lovely sound of her voice. “Yes?”
“I’m glad I stayed.”
“Me, too.” More than he wanted to admit.
He still felt pumped all through his body and somewhere deep in the core of his being, a new kind of power rumbled, increasing little by little. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he loved the feel of it.
What mystified him, however, was why Shayna’s blood had brought these two things: that he became physically stronger as never before when he drank from her, and that being with her like this allowed him to experience a new level of power.
She sighed deeply. “But you know I’ll have to leave one day, when my job here is done.”
His chest ached a little more. “I know, which makes me all the more grateful that you’re here now.”
She ran her fingers over his back. “I don’t ever want to leave.”
He knew exactly what she meant. “Maybe I’ll just keep you pressed up against this wall for the next decade. How does that sound?”
She drew back to meet his gaze, laughing. “Perfect.” She slid her fingers through his hair. “Do you know, I keep getting this weird feeling that any minute I’m going to wake up in my Seattle apartment and realize this was all a dream.”
He searched her eyes, trying to picture himself in her shoes, trying to understand how weird and frightening so much of this must seem. “And I wish for your sake that was true.”
She smiled and nuzzled against his neck once more.
“How about I take us back to the bedroom right now?”
She lifted back slightly, her hands on his shoulders. “You mean like this? Still connected?” Her lips curved.
He dropped a hand to her bottom and held her firmly. “Why not?”
She giggled. “Then take me straight to the shower.”
“You got it.”
* * *
As the water from so many showerheads beat on her body, Shayna thought she’d one day have to have a setup like this. She felt like she was being massaged as she slowly turned in a circle, lifting her arms now and then.
She washed her hair and only as she was rinsing off did she wonder how the cave even had hot running water.
She glanced up at the ceiling carvings and tried to picture the routing of pipes.
She had so many questions.
Marius waited for her near the sink. She hadn’t felt the chain tug at her neck, but he was sticking close.
Once she was done, Marius took her place and she set about blow-drying her hair, brushing her teeth, just like a normal woman except that she was deep underground in New Zealand of all places.
With her hair dry, she opened up the makeup Rumy had brought for her, which included, of all things, several sets of false eyelashes, something she’d never wear. She laughed. She liked Rumy a lot, but the most she ever put on was a little lip gloss and mascara. Occasionally she’d add eye shadow for a night out.
When Marius emerged, he wrapped a towel around his waist, which of course left the breadth of his massive chest exposed. Just looking at him, her heart rate increased.
He caught her gaze in the mirror, brows raised.
Busted. Warmth climbed her cheeks. He seemed to understand, because he smiled.
“Sorry,” she said, laughing at herself. “But you’re so incredibly gorgeous. I can’t help looking and appreciating.”
He turned toward her, his lids lowering. “Don’t say stuff like that to me unless you want me to haul you back to bed.”
She was so tempted and remained staring at him for a long moment.
Aware, however, that she had a job
to do, she took a long shuddering breath. “I think we should focus on the extinction weapon. I mean, if I have this tracking ability, then a little practice might help.”
“You’re right.”
She gestured toward the doorway. “I should probably get dressed.”
“Uh-huh.” His gaze drifted over her shoulders and the line of cleavage that the towel had created.
She made the hard decision to look away from him, desire swirling through her abdomen once more as though she hadn’t just made love with the man. She hurried past him, sure that if she kept staring into his eyes, she’d probably grab him.
She was still stunned by how quickly she’d entered into a sexual relationship with him. A new host of questions arrived within her mind. Did vampires have the power to seduce women? Had he employed those powers on her? Were vampires more likely to engage in a sexual relationship quickly or was he just like a human male and if the opportunity presented itself, he dove in?
Yes, so many questions, best not asked, at least not at this time and in this context. She should at least get dressed.
He followed her into the bedroom.
She turned her attention instead toward working this weird, latent ability of hers. How would a tracking ability work in the first place?
Just as she reached the bed, she decided to experiment. She stood very still, closed her eyes, and turned inward. She held the thought in her mind that she needed to find the extinction weapon.
And just like that, a vision hurtled toward her in a fast-flowing stream.
Marius, a vision? She reached for him and felt his arm surround her.
The relief she felt at his touch allowed her to keep going. The same annoying wavy lines, however, that had been there from the first prevented a good portion of the images from becoming distinct, just like before.
She even squinted trying to see better, but all she could detect was what seemed to be that same massive space, with rows of stone seats. People moved about, bent over as though doing menial chores like cleanup of some kind—or at least that’s what it looked like. The waves made it impossible to see clearly.
When she heard Daniel’s voice, she panned around and he came into view, though the dark, disruptive lines gave her only partial glimpses. But she could hear him really well. That’s when she understood she was seeing this in real time, not in the future.
Two other men stood near Daniel, each as big as Marius.
“Quill, what do you have for me?” Daniel had a deep voice and he was speaking with one of Marius’s brothers, one of two that had aligned with Daniel.
“Our best lead yet on the weapon.” He handed Daniel a sheet of paper.
Daniel scanned the contents, one brow lifting slowly. “What do you think, Lev?”
The other brother spoke up, though the lines obscured his face. Still, she heard him well enough. “There’s mention of the red hood on this one, which is why we believe the tip is solid. We’ve had at least twenty mentions of a weapon with a red hood and shiny black base. This has to be it.”
Before she’d fallen asleep, Marius had shared more bits of information about his world. In this case, Daniel had set up a tip line about the weapon just as Rumy had.
“So it looks like you’re going to Sweden. And Lev, I want you both to go.”
Lev smiled, as if he didn’t often get to go on missions like this one.
Through the difficult wavy lines she watched Daniel smile and clap first Quill’s shoulder, then Lev’s. These were the sons loyal to Daniel, dedicated to his ambitions. They were just a few years older than Marius and his brothers.
Shayna’s heart thumped. If this was her tracking ability at work, she felt encouraged that both Marius and Rumy were right and that she truly could help in this situation.
But as she stared at Daniel, he turned in what felt like her direction, his brow pinched, but he didn’t make eye contact so she knew he couldn’t actually see her. When he spoke, however, a jolt of fear went through her. At that exact same moment, Marius tightened his arm around her, perhaps sensing her disquiet.
“Are you there, Shayna? Is that you spying on me?” Daniel smiled. “And do I detect lovemaking? Have you already seduced my son? Clever girl. But I’ll be waiting for you.”
The waves in front of the vision grew more severe so that she saw less and less, and now her head hurt again. Was Daniel creating this interference or was the problem hers?
The fact that he must have sensed her presence caused her to pull away from the vision completely. She kept pulling until she felt the connection actually break.
How did Daniel know what she’d been doing? How had he been able to detect she was there? And yet Marius had already told her he was one of the most powerful vampires on the planet.
“Shayna, I can feel your distress. What is it? What happened? What did you see?”
She drew out of Marius’s arms to face him, holding his gaze. “Daniel. I just saw him in the vision, but he somehow knew I was there. I don’t think he could see me, but he could tell I was there. He even called me by name.” She didn’t reveal that somehow Daniel had known they’d been making love. It was just too creepy.
“Shit,” Marius murmured. “My father has tremendous power, more I think than anyone knows. Did he threaten you in any way?”
She shook her head. “Not really, but he said he was waiting for me. What did he mean by that?”
“Don’t pay any attention to that. My father is a master at manipulation and inciting fear.”
“But do you think he really knew I was there?”
“He seems to have some kind of sixth sense, maybe even his own ability to see the future, I’m not sure. So was that it? Was the vision just about Daniel?”
“No, in fact I think it’s good news.” She then related everything she’d seen and heard, first about the large space then about the final extinction weapon, and that Quill and Lev were there, ready to serve.
“They were the first of Daniel’s spawn and he broke them. This is good to know. My brothers are both powerful in their own right, so I’ll know what I’m up against.”
Marius dipped his chin, eyes squinted slightly. Shayna watched his gaze shift back and forth in quick flashes. She could almost see him formulate a strategy. When he was finished, his gaze snapped back to hers. “We need to start accessing the more mobile part of your tracking abilities, the part that can detect location. So what I want you to do is to focus on the weapon as it was described in the vision and on the location in Sweden. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try and we’ll see what happens.” She drew a deep breath and settled her shoulders, trying to relax while she did as Marius suggested.
She took a series of deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Images began to drift in her direction, of a snowy landscape and low light, of the geography of the Nordic lands. She felt as though she were already in motion and began flying at a fantastic speed toward a vast snowy outcrop. Then suddenly she flew through the snow in altered flight, landing in a vast cavern space half filled with what looked like a flow of water that had frozen solid.
Leaning up against the cavern wall, well away from the glacier-like ice, was a red piece of metal about four feet square. She glanced around. No one else was there.
But the image, so clear in her mind, started filling up with the dark, wavy lines once more, then finally winked out.
She drew back and stared at Marius. “I was there. I saw the red portion of the weapon.”
He nodded, smiling. “That’s it. Now let me gather my weapons.”
She’d almost forgotten. He’d probably be battling again, something she’d pressed way back into her recent memories. “Right.”
He moved across the room quickly. She was so caught up in the recent vision that she didn’t follow him. The chain vibrated softly, gave a slight tug, then the pressure ended as Marius reached his dresser.
She stared at him, fully aware that twenty feet separated them now, well beyo
nd the original proximity distance.
Slowly, while his back was to her, she moved away from him, returning to the bathroom. She kept waiting for another tug on the chains, but none followed.
“Marius?” she called out.
“What? Where did you go?” He sounded so normal, but she heard the doors to his dresser opening and closing, so he wasn’t really paying attention.
“I’m in the bathroom. Notice anything strange about that?”
Everything grew very quiet, until she heard him moving back in her direction.
When he arrived in the doorway, he held his chain up. “What the fuck?”
She shrugged. “Something happened. I got this funny feeling, sort of like a vibration while you were moving away from me, then a small snap. You might have been too fixed on gathering your weapons to have been aware of it.”
He shook his head, clearly perplexed. “I don’t know what this means.” He started backing up, clearly wanting to test the issue for himself. She moved to the doorway to watch how far he could go.
He kept moving well beyond the earlier ten-foot boundary, then stepped through to the hallway beyond. I’m going to levitate from one end of the cave to the other.
Sounds like a plan. This issue needed to be tested now.
She could sense he was in motion and moving faster.
I’m down by the waterfall and still no tug.
This is incredible. I still feel bonded to you. I can sense that you’re stunned.
I am that.
He returned suddenly in altered flight to stand in front of her. He put his hands on her arms. “I knew that your blood had done something to me, but dammit, I think it’s given me a bit of Ancestral power, the kind Daniel has.”
“Really?” This was good news. “That’s fantastic.”
“I know. Okay, let’s get dressed. We need to find out what else I’ve got going on, and we need to get to Sweden.”
She followed him into the bedroom and stood back as he drew a pair of what he called battle leathers from the dresser.
She stood back, watching him lose the towel and plant a foot into the pants. Marius went commando, which warmed up her cheeks all over again at the sight of his ass, as well as his movements that had his muscles rippling all over again. He was like an amazing wild animal.