Chapter Three
‡
Ginnie escaped to her bedroom and flipped the locks. All she had to do was hold out for another hour. Then she’d sleep, and the rumbling yearning in her belly would be silenced.
For the first time, she questioned her decision to remain here, among the wolves, instead of moving into the mansion with the rest of her kind. When making the arrangement, she hadn’t expected to be tempted—either by blood or a sexy male body. But she hadn’t counted on Calum.
Dammit, she wished she could erase the past hours. Forget she ever saw him entering The Cavern. What was it about him? Certainly, his tall, brawny frame had caught her eye, but she wasn’t into beards and normally didn’t appreciate quiet, intense stares. She liked her meals vapid and brainless. A quick bite—a fuck, if she needed it. Always fast and forgettable.
She kicked off her boots, sending them sailing toward her closet. Then she wrestled quickly out of her clothing, balling up each garment and flinging it toward her hamper. Nude, she found herself panting. Her body quivered. Dawn would come soon, but when she awoke, she’d have a murderous hunger. She needed something. Needed it—now.
Already, her nipples were tightly beaded. Her sex was swollen, something she could feel as she walked and her thighs scissored, the motions heightening her arousal. She paced her room, her steps hard. They’d hear her below, but she didn’t give a damn.
Footsteps sounded near her door then paused. She sniffed, dragging in scent.
Calum stood outside.
She walked softly toward the door, leaned her hot nipples against the cool wood then rubbed. Maybe if he stood there a minute or so, she could get off on her own, with just his scent to trick her brain.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice low, but not exactly a whisper.
Didn’t he care that his vamp-hating friends could hear him?
The intensity of his voice loosened her knees. She shivered again and pressed her belly against the wood, needing something hard to rest against.
“Dammit, I could smell your arousal all the way down the stairs,” he growled.
Ginnie struggled with her pride. Ever since losing everything she’d held dear, she’d been strong—single-minded. She was all about the mission. Viper trained her, along with his other new recruits. They’d patrolled, culling the damaged souls, the ones the Powells had turned. Every death hardened her but also filled her with satisfaction that she was righting wrongs. She’d fed her lusts only to keep strong, never indulging in excess.
What Calum stirred inside her frightened her. After overhearing his conversation with his friend, she was well aware he only considered their connection fucking. She was female and convenient. He didn’t have to like or respect her to slide his cock inside her body.
“Open the fucking door.”
Already hungry and vulnerable, she stifled a moan. His voice—so hard and biting—made her pussy clench. Liquid gushed from deep inside. Who am I kidding? I need him.
She moved back from the door and wrapped a hand around the knob. She should dress. Ask for blood. Nothing more. Only then could she retain a little of her self-respect. Instead, she turned the knob and opened the door. Standing in the opening, she felt a flush of elation as his feral gaze raked her body. “Not here,” she bit out.
Calum grabbed her arm and forced her from her doorway. With only a second to reach to close her door, she dragged her feet as he tugged her toward the master bedroom. Once inside, he slammed the door, released her arm, and stripped.
Yeah, I don’t need any petting or pretty words either. Ginnie glanced wildly toward the bed and noted the sheets pulled all the way back. Pillows sat stacked in the center. Without waiting for him to say what he wanted or to stand and stare as he finished undressing, she moved toward the bed and crawled onto the end, knowing he watched her swollen sex between her legs as she settled on the pillows and lowered to her elbows. With her ass high, she braced apart her knees and waited. She didn’t need foreplay. She craved service. Now.
The bed jolted behind her, and she knew he’d leapt onto the mattress. Braced, she lifted her ass another inch or so.
Fingers parted her folds. The thick round knob of his cock lodged at her entrance. Bending over her, he nosed aside her hair, clamped his teeth on the corner of her neck, and then drove sharply inside, burying his cock.
Throwing back her head, she howled, not caring who heard. From one second to the next, the change overtook her, and she felt the bony plates of her forehead and cheeks begin to move and to protrude. The muscles of her body hardened. Her teeth slid downward.
As she unleashed her inner beast, she glanced downward, noted the fur sprouting, obscuring the full-sleeve tattoos on his arms. She felt the fur against her back and against her raw labia. This was what she’d wanted. What she’d really craved. And he only changed partway. His hands were still hands. The thighs pressing against hers were still a man’s, broad and muscled, although coated in luxurious fur.
As he began thrusting, she shoved backward, greeting each quickening, powerful thrust. Their bodies pounded together. Friction burned against her skin and inside her vagina.
Faster and harder, their howls and grunts echoed off the walls, until at last, he paused and released her neck. Now, his snout rested on her shoulder as his dick thickened, locking them together.
With the added pressure, Ginnie flew apart, screaming.
He raked his fangs across her shoulder, bit her hair, and pulled.
Her orgasm exploded, robbing her breath and her mind. She keened, letting him rock her body forward and back, his cock no longer able to thrust inside her. Still, the movements prolonged the torturous ecstasy. When, finally, her arms collapsed, she rested her face against the cool sheet and dragged in deep breaths, her face and body slowly softening.
Atop her, she felt the wolf continue to nuzzle and pant. His fur warmed her. His wolf-cock kept her from feeling empty after her elation faded. She dragged the pillows from beneath her hips and moved, encouraging him to lie on his side behind her.
She knew how they must look—woman and wolf. Bodies locked. And yet, she felt no revulsion. No insidious disgust. Just relief.
For Ginnie, the fact he wasn’t fully a man, and couldn’t formulate thoughts with a fully human brain, was freeing. She drew a shuddering breath and let tears stream from her eyes. Since the night her family was ravaged and she’d been turned, sex and blood had been exchanges. Made quickly, without emotion or fuss.
This encounter was different. Frightening. Exhilarating. No shame rose over her weakness. Slipping from his bed proved impossible. She was there until he turned again. Which would be well past dawn. She’d sleep beside him. Had to. His cock wouldn’t be dislodged from where it pulsed softly, crowding her vagina.
An arm slipped beneath her, and she rested her head on a thick, hard bicep. Feeling comforted and safe, like she hadn’t in more than a year, she slept.
As soon as Ginnie’s breaths grew scarily shallow, Calum knew she slept. His cock was relaxing at last, but a while would pass before he could withdraw, and he was loathe to pull free. Tying wasn’t something he’d done since his teen years, when he hadn’t been able to control himself. He found plenty of pleasure with his female partners without letting go.
Wolves only locked with mates—for the purpose of procreation. Or at least, that reason was what he’d been taught in order to save wear and tear on a female vagina. Both times now, he’d deliberately tied with Ginnie. The first time because she’d pissed him off, and he’d wanted to teach her a lesson. This time, because he didn’t want her thinking she could slink away the moment she had what she needed. When she awoke, she’d know he intended for her to return to his bed at the end of every night for as long as he was here. She wouldn’t have to seek sex or blood from anyone else. He’d happily provide for her needs.
A thought that had a smirk curving one side of his mouth. Never in a million years would he have thought he’d enjoy fucking a snarling, bad-tempered vampire. Yet, here he was, drawing in her musky scent, content as he hadn’t been in a long while.
And he liked the fact she slept as deeply as death. He was free to roam his hands over her silky-soft skin and gentle curves. His fingers closed around the key dangling from the chain around her neck…
A padlock hung on her bedroom door. No doubt, to keep out the wolves. Sighing, he realized he’d better lock it to keep any of his crew from sniffing around her private space. A courtesy he was happy to provide, but he hated pulling free of her lush warmth.
Dragging in a deep breath, he slowly withdrew. Warm fluid gushed the moment he did. He’d find a cloth and clean her pussy. She’d never know. He didn’t like the thought of her waking up and feeling sticky.
He left his bed after pulling the bedding from the floor and covering her to keep her warm. Not that she’d notice. When he slipped into the hallway, it was to find Ephraim standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the wall.
His friend’s glance raked his nude body. “How can you stand it?”
Calum’s lips tightened. “We’ve already had this conversation.”
“I know.” Ephraim sighed. “But I heard you two. Didn’t sound exactly…casual. Did you fucking tie with her?”
Calum’s cheeks heated.
Ephraim’s auburn brows nearly met in the middle when he frowned. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Then shaking his head, he turned on a heel and headed down the hallway to his room.
Calum sighed and made his way to Ginnie’s bedroom. The door was closed, but he tried the knob, telling himself he would only peek inside to make sure no wolves had made themselves at home, but when he swung open the door, his breath caught. Unlike the rest of the house furnished in brand new sofas and beds, and completely devoid of personal touches, this room was cluttered with…life.
In an instant, he knew this house was the home where she’d been raised. This room had likely stood unchanged since she’d been turned. Decorated in blue and green with vinyl stickers of sea animals dancing on the wall beside her bed, this space was happy. His chest tightened. Pictures were everywhere of a younger Ginnie and her family. Her dad and mom were a good-looking pair, smiling for the Polaroid photos Ginnie had no doubt shot. And a boy was present, her younger brother, who stood looking at her with adoration in his eyes. All around hints of her former life abounded—trophies, cheap jewelry dangling from the corner of her dresser mirror, a cheerleader’s pom-poms hanging from a hook.
Calum closed the door and locked it. Then, he stood in place for a long time. He’d known she’d been turned. He hadn’t really known she’d been human. Not until the proof was there before his eyes. Feeling more sober, he returned to his room and crossed to the bathroom to wet a washcloth with warm water.
As he cleansed the sleeping vampire, he regretted the prejudice that had guided his actions from the moment he’d stepped inside that club where she worked. He’d been taught all vampires were their enemies. That they were unnatural demons, needful of purging, deserving of death by their mere existence.
Now, he wasn’t so sure. He’d glimpsed her compassion when she’d offered him that fateful choice. The fact she held onto her past was more proof of her being far from soulless.
He slipped into the bed and gathered her body against his. Only when he surrounded her with his arms, and filled his hands with her small breasts, did his thoughts calm. Ginnie was his. For now. And he wouldn’t look too deeply into that possessive sentiment. Sliding his nose into her hair, he slept.
*
Ginnie awoke to the most incredible sensations. A slick tongue slid through her folds, from the bottom to the top, pressing deeply as it passed her entrance then pausing at the top to swirl around her clit.
Her nipples were already erect. Keeping her eyes closed, she swept both hands over her breasts. Instantly, she knew they’d been toyed with, because the skin felt a little raw and the tips were highly sensitized. The skin surrounding them was reddened, likely from abrasion from Calum’s beard.
Her clit was similarly aroused, swelling past its hood. Each swipe of that wicked, long tongue caused her pussy to clench.
But then large hands pushed on her calves until she raised her knees and parted them, and then that devilish tongue dove into her body. She couldn’t continue the ruse. So, she reached downward and speared her fingers through thick, wavy hair.
The tongue withdrew. The rough pad of a finger circled on her clit, making her hiss a breath between her teeth. She opened her eyes to find Calum smirking from between her legs.
“I was beginning to wonder if you would orgasm in your sleep.”
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Night fall hadn’t arrived. “You woke me early,” she said, her throat feeling thick.
“I wanted to make sure we had time for this,” he said, arching a brow.
Although still fighting the drugging lethargy that would be with her until dusk, she forced herself up on her elbows. “I went to sleep hungry,” she said. “I need to feed. Just giving you fair warning. When I’m…clear…you’ll have to find me something…someone…”
She hated admitting her hunger, like the urge was a weakness. But she didn’t want to hurt him.
His gaze narrowed, and he moved backward off the bed.
She sank on the mattress, noting her breaths were coming faster. Her heart was stirring, beating harder. Soon, she’d be fully alert, ready to feed her bloodlust. She closed her eyes.
Moments later, she felt the mattress dip. Drawing a deep breath, she held it—surprised the scent wasn’t Calum’s. Or not his, alone.
She peeked beneath her lashes to spot a college-aged woman standing beside the bed, wearing a uniform of the service Viper hired to maintain her home. Her gaze whipped to Calum, whose eyebrows were lowered.
His gaze was hard as he stared back.
Surprised he’d been willing to find her a meal, she swallowed and her belly rumbled. “Girl,” she whispered. “Do you know what I want?”
The young woman gave a terse dip of her head. Then she quickly began unbuttoning her white shirt with shaking hands.
Ginnie watched her, doing her best to remain still, to hold herself back from pouncing. She didn’t want to frighten the maid and had no intention of killing her, but she was hungry. She’d barely tasted Calum’s blood the previous evening and had skipped the raw organ meat in the refrigerator that would have dulled her spiking need. Stupid. The last thing she wanted was to remind Calum why he shouldn’t trust her.
When the girl was nude, she crawled onto the mattress and knelt beside Ginnie, her hands clasped over her sex.
She smelled of pungent cleansers and fear.
Still, she pulled her long dark hair from her shoulder and neck and canted her head.
“Come over me,” Ginnie whispered, locking with the woman’s gaze while she mentally reached out. With her thoughts filling with lush, eroticism, her own breasts hardened.
The young woman’s eyelids fluttered, and her jaw dropped a little. A thin moan escaped as she cupped her large breasts with their pretty brown nipples.
“Come,” Ginnie whispered and lay her arms out to her sides to grip the bedding.
The woman moved slowly, straddling Ginnie’s thighs then laying her pendulous breasts against Ginnie’s much-smaller ones.
Warmth enveloped her skin. Ginnie released the bedding and slowly glided her hands over the maid’s hips, settling her grip on her fleshy ass. “This is nice,” she whispered. “Do you like this?”
Dark brown eyes widened. “I’ll feed you. I’ve done this before.”
Ginnie smiled. “Then give me your neck. I promise you only pleasure.”
The younger woman gave a low moan and moved upward, her breasts sliding higher. And then she turned her head, exposing her neck.
Ginnie slid a hand between their bodies and molded it around one large tit. She licked the side of the girl’s neck, saliva building as she noted the heavy, quickening pulse just beneath the surface. Her teeth slid downward, and she angled her head. When she pierced the skin, the woman gasped, but she only sank deeper against her, her hips undulating.
Ginnie reached with her free hand to grip the brunette’s hair and hold her still. Then she suctioned against her skin, drawing blood rapidly into her mouth and gulping it down. The fresh, copper-salt flavor exploded on her tongue. While she drank, she rocked her hips beneath the quivering woman, rubbing her pussy, every bit as excited as the woman, whose moans built.
Too quickly, the woman exploded in orgasm, needing no more coaxing than a rub and a bite.
Ginnie released her neck, swabbed the wounds with her tongue to close them, and then held the maid as her trembling ebbed.
Lips kissed her cheek. “I’ll do more. I’m willing.”
Her host wanted sex and would likely agree to a threesome. Anything to feel the deep pleasure Ginnie had offered her again. Ginnie gently forced back her head and bracketed her face. “Thank you, but you can go now.” She held her gaze a moment longer then pressed her mouth against the woman’s, drawing on her lips, while slowly removing the memory of their encounter.
When the woman lifted her head, her expression was blank.
“You can dress and go,” she said, keeping her voice even.
Without a word, the girl withdrew from the bed and silently dressed. When the door closed behind her, only then did Ginnie look at Calum.
His eyebrows were lowered, and he stood with arms crossed over his chest.
Feeling her cheeks warm, she cleared her throat. “Thank you for arranging that.”
“If I’d been human,” he said, his voice deep and a little hoarse, “would you have done the same to me? Sent me away like a little robot?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I still might.”
His gaze went to her body, which was warming. She touched a nipple and drew a deep breath. Crimping her fingers around the tip, she licked her lips. “Feeding…it turns me on.” Wanting to force a reaction, she raised her knees and let them fall open. With his gaze following her every movement, she slid a finger through her very juicy folds. “I’m still hungry.” Then she let him see the desire in her eyes as her gaze roamed his tall, thickly-built body.
Calum stripped off his tee and jeans. Completely nude, he joined her on the bed. His cock already turgid, he came over her, pressed the tip against her entrance, and then pushed inside, cramming his exquisite girth up her channel.
Ginnie dug her head into the pillow and opened her mouth around a loud, lusty cry. As he began to move, she raked her nails over his back and clutched his buttocks.
Nothing was gentle about this joining. They rushed together and apart. She tilted her pussy to take him deeper, relishing the fullness as he slid inside her channel, which already rippled around him. She leaned up and licked his neck. “Do you want to know…?” she asked, hoping he understood this act would be more, that she’d use her power to bring them both to a more deeply intense pleasure.
“Dammit, Ginnie,” he whispered, and then bent to kiss her shoulder, his beard tickling her skin.
His throat exposed, she opened her jaws and sank into his skin. Blood burbled into her mouth, and she drew on him. She felt him stiffen, felt his cock jerk inside her, and then thicken more. As she drank, he ground into her, his hips burrowing his cock deep. She raised her legs and hugged the sides of his torso. He thrust his arms beneath her knees and stroked and stroked. His heart beat fast and loud. His body shuddered. When she closed the bite, she turned her head. His angled toward her, his beard rasping her cheek, and she kissed his mouth. His tongue thrust inside, and he deepened his motions below, fucking desperately toward her center.
She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, tugged it, and scratched his shoulders. All the while, she whimpered and groaned as tension built inside her, winding tightly. She was close, but she wanted more. Letting her head fall back, she looked up into his dark eyes. “Harder.”
He scooped his mouth against hers then went to his knees. With her legs still hooked, he lifted her ass off the bed and hammered against her.
Ginnie arched her back off the bed and pinched her nipples. She thrashed her head, loving the sounds they made as their bodies slapped together.
Calum lifted one leg and placed her calf on his shoulder. Then with his free hand, he grasped her clit and squeezed it, pulling it in tiny motions, in time with his thrusting hips.
“Too much!” she screamed. “Too much.” The intensity made her sob.
“Baby, come,” he whispered hoarsely. “Come with me, now!”
Ginnie arched and screamed, shattering into a million pieces. Blinded for a moment, she stared unseeing as pleasure radiated from her pussy and vibrated through her thighs and belly. When she lay limp against the mattress, she fought hard to breathe.
Calum stroked twice more then shouted, his body going rigid. When he fell against her, he moved his arms upward and braced his weight on his elbows. He smoothed back her hair and bent to kiss her.
This time, the kiss was different. Softer. Soothing. Again, she reached with her mind. Let him see how she’d viewed him the previous evening when they’d met. Let him see the turmoil she’d felt, attracted by his sturdy frame and afraid of her unsettling desire, which had fed her surliness. When she pulled back, his eyes studied her face.
His gaze slid away. “You shouldn’t do that.”
Disappointment sent a sharp pain inside her chest. She’d shared something personal with him. Something she’d never attempted, because she’d never wanted to be so exposed. Humiliation burned her cheeks. Stupid, she berated herself, again. Well, she could take care of that. She leaned up and touched her lips to his, but for some reason, she couldn’t concentrate enough to take back the memories.
He gripped her shoulder and shook her. “Stop.”
She shoved hard at his chest. “Get off.
“Stop,” he said, lowering his body to trap her beneath his weight.
Quivering now with rage, she lay still.
“The sensation was startling,” he whispered harshly. “That’s all… What you shared…”
She hated that her lips trembled. More that she didn’t dare meet his gaze to let him see her pain.
“And I felt what you felt…”
She raised her head, not understanding.
“When you brought me up the stairs at the club… I only saw anger and bitterness last night… But you were feeling…something else.”
She raised her chin and glared into his eyes. “I didn’t feel a thing other than hunger and lust.”
“Liar.” He stroked a finger over her cheek. “You felt…relief, maybe elation. You felt those things because you were thinking…you wouldn’t be alone…”
She couldn’t bear the raspy note in his voice. “We should bathe. The others will be gathering. I wouldn’t want to give them any more reasons to despise me.”
His sigh blew across her cheek. Slowly, he pulled free. She closed her eyes as he left the bed and his feet padded toward the bathroom. When she was alone, she blinked away tears. What had she expected? What did she really want? The situation wasn’t like they’d be boyfriend and girlfriend or that they’d have a future past this mission.
She pushed up and groaned. Her pussy was sore, and her labia, once again, were hot and swollen. All night long, she’d be reminded of how she’d been awakened. How much she’d loved it. Without caring she was nude, she left the room and headed toward the hallway bath.