Chapter Nineteen
It was still dark when Sophie opened her eyes, with just a hint of gray dawn peeping in the cabin’s smallish windows. She woke with the strange feeling that someone she loved wanted to talk to her very, very badly and was upset because they couldn’t reach her. It made her feel unsettled and anxious, like dropping a call in the middle of an important conversation. Only what were we talking about? What was she saying? But that didn’t make any sense. She hadn’t been talking to anyone—had she?
Sophie rubbed her eyes and stretched. What a weird dream. And where am I? As though her brain had been waiting for that question, the events of the night before came rushing back to her. The crash…all the misunderstandings with Sylvan…the urlich…the way he marked me… This last memory woke her completely and she sat up, shivering in the cool early morning air.
Is he still asleep? Sophie looked down past the foot of the bed. Sure enough, Sylvan was curled on his side, on the rug in front of the ashes of last night’s fire. Even in sleep his strong features looked troubled, as though he was wrestling with a problem that had no solution. Sophie felt a stab of pity. Poor guy! She wished she could lean down and stroke the worry lines off his high forehead, but that might wake him up. And after last night, he definitely needed all the sleep he could get.
I wonder if he’s dreaming of me, she thought, tracing the lines of his big body with her eyes. Dreaming of what happened between us. Or of what he said he wanted to happen. That thought sent a different kind of shiver down her spine which had nothing to do with the chilly air.
She still didn’t want him on top of her and biting her the way he’d described. But the memory of his mouth on her pussy, the long, slow, loving way he had tasted her, and the hunger in his voice when he talked about what he wanted to do to her was still fresh in her mind. Though she’d been avoiding alpha males for years now, she was beginning to think she understood what other women saw in them. If they were anything like Sylvan, that was.
Well, Liv is perfectly happy with Baird, she reminded herself. And he’s about as alpha as they come. Then again, he didn’t insist on biting Olivia every time they had sex. Sophie sighed. It really was too bad about the whole biting thing. She thought that with time and a lot of patience, she might overcome her fear of sex—though she was never going to want a big, male body on top of her while it happened. And she might even get used to Sylvan’s protective mode, as scary as it was. But the idea of being stabbed in the throat with what amounted to four huge needles every time her lover was feeling amorous… Huh-uh, no way. Just the thought made her vaguely ill.
And why are you even thinking about this, anyway? As soon as you get back to the Mother ship it’s all going to be over. So there’s no use getting attached in any way.
Sophie shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. So cold. What I need is a nice, hot shower. But would that wash Sylvan’s scent off? She bit her lip and looked longingly toward the closed bathroom door. She never felt quite right in the morning without a shower—even if she’d taken one the night before. Even more than her first cup of coffee, it woke her up and got her going.
A weak ray of sunshine slipped over the tree tops and through the window above the bed. It played over the worn patchwork comforter, catching Sophie’s eye. Funny how she hadn’t noticed the comforter much the night before—maybe because it had been so dim with only the small fire to illuminate the cabin. Looking at the bed covering now, she could see that someone had put a lot of time and effort into it. In the pale sunlight the faded red and blue patches were— wait a minute. Sunlight! Sylvan’s voice from the night before echoed in her head. “…the urlich are creatures of darkness. Sunlight incapacitates them.”
So we should be fine today, Sophie thought with relief. And I can have my shower after all.
Feeling much better, she slipped quietly out of bed and tiptoed across the floor to the bathroom. Her hurt ankle twinged a little but at least it didn’t feel like someone was stabbing her with knives anymore. In fact, with the exception of being ravenously hungry, Sophie thought she felt remarkably well considering the harrowing events of the night before.
How much of that had to do with a good night’s sleep…and how much of it had to do with Sylvan? Sophie didn’t know and she wasn’t about to wake him up and ask him. Sneaking into the bathroom she closed the door as noiselessly as possible.
The hot water felt wonderful sluicing down her back and shoulders—it woke her up and made her tingle all over. In fact, as she soaped herself, she felt especially tingly between her legs. Her thoughts turned again to the way Sylvan had spread her open, to the slow, patient way he’d explored her with his tongue. She had to admit, it had been the most erotic experience of her entire life. The pleasure of his touch had almost made up for all the fear and uncertainty she’d gone through.
Sylvan had seemed to really enjoy it too. At least from the way he talked about how good she tasted and smelled and how much he wanted her. Being desired so badly wasn’t something Sophie had experienced much in the past. Sure, the first guy she’d ever had sex with had told her he wanted her, but he was fumbling to get under her Camp Wakikee t-shirt at the time for a quick grope before lights out.
This was totally different. The way Sylvan looked at her, the hungry growl in his voice when he talked about what he wanted to do to her…it made her feel like a goddess. And no one had ever made her feel that way before.
Almost of its own volition, Sophie’s hand found its way between her thighs. She’d told Sylvan that she usually didn’t do this—didn’t touch herself—which was true. But it was also true that she didn’t usually have such vivid fantasy material. Only it wasn’t a fantasy. He really did that. Really spread me open and tasted me until I came so hard…
It wasn’t long before she was coming again. Sliding her fingers along the side of her clit, she moaned his name softly as the hot water rushed over her naked body. “Sylvan…oh God, Sylvan…”
* * * * *
Sylvan was having the most incredibly erotic dream. Sophia was naked in the shower and warm, soapy water was dripping from her tight pink nipples. God, he loved her ripe breasts, the curve of her hips, the round fullness of her ass. Just the sight of her had him hard and aching in an instant and his fangs wanted to come out too. Sylvan held them in grimly until she stopped washing herself and started… Gods, is she really doing what I think she’s doing?
Sure enough. As if the sight of her gorgeous bare body wasn’t enough, Sophia’s slim hand slid down the rounded curve of her abdomen and settled between her thighs. A long, slow sigh fell out of her as she parted her pussy lips and began to stroke her clit with one finger.
Sylvan could barely hold back a growl. He had the sudden urge to drop to his knees right there and let the water run over both of them while he lapped her cunt. He wanted to press her back against the wall of the tiny shower stall and lick her from top to bottom, to press his tongue deep inside her honey well and taste her juices until she came for him again and again. And then he would stand behind her and part her legs to fit his cock inside her.
Sylvan could almost see it in his mind’s eye…Sophia’s slender form bent over with her legs spread for him. She would be bracing herself against the tiled wall, trembling slightly. But he would take things slowly…so slowly. He could almost feel the wet heat of her pussy against the head of his cock as he rubbed it against her, making her hot, making her ready…His shaft would be coated in her honey and she would feel so tight and silky and perfect around him as he pressed up into her, filling her inch by inch.
She would be moaning his name as he took her, making those soft, helpless little sounds she made when she was hot and in need as he pressed up and up, searching for the end of her channel with the head of his cock. Sylvan would reach around in front of her and cup her breasts, tugging lightly at her nipples to heighten her pleasure and then he would let his hand slide down to slip between her thighs and stroke her soft, wet pussy just like she was stroking herself now.
He would fuck her slowly, sweetly, whispering in her ear how good she felt around him, how much he loved her, how he never wanted to let her go. And then, when her pleasure built until she couldn’t stand it anymore and he felt her coming around him, he would do it. He would blood her.
Piercing the tender skin of her throat with his fangs, he would fill her bloodstream with his essence as he filled her pussy with his cum, while she moaned and cried and gave herself to him completely and without reservation. And in doing so, he would make her his. His forever .
Sylvan could almost hear her calling his name as it happened.
“Sylvan…oh God, Sylvan…”
His eyes flew open. That’s no dream. She’s really calling me! What’s wrong? Jumping up he rushed to the bathroom and threw open the door. The small room was so filled with steam he couldn’t see a thing.
“Sophia? Are you all right?” Without waiting for a reply he plunged into the steam filled room, heading for the shower. One yank and the door to the small stall was hanging off its hinges, revealing a very wet, naked, and surprised Sophia.
“What…what are you doing here?” She tried unsuccessfully to cover her breasts and sex with her small hands.
“What am I doing here? You called for me.” Sylvan frowned. “You sounded…upset.”
“You heard that?” Her eyes were wide with disbelief. “Over the water and everything?”
He spread his hands. “I’m here, aren’t I? Are you all right?” He tried to keep his gaze impersonal as he scanned her for possible injuries but it simply wasn’t possible. Though he had spread her open and tasted her pussy the night before, he had never seen her completely naked except in his dreams. Her high full breasts and shapely hips, bare and slick with water, were almost too much for him. He wanted to climb in the shower with her, just as he had in his dream. Wanted to touch her and taste her everywhere and make her come over and over, her pussy honey flowing freely until he could smell her sweet, secret scent…
Her scent! Gods , Sylvan realized with a jolt, I can smell her scent again! It filled the small bathroom as completely as the cloud of steam, bathing him in its delicious fragrance, making his mouth water…and no doubt seeping out of every crack in the cabin on the warm air escaping from the bathroom. Calling the urlich to them.
“Sylvan,” she said, breaking into his grim thoughts. “Please, as you can see I’m fine. So if you could just shut the door and let me finish—”
“No.” Reaching into the shower he turned off the water and took her by the arm. “Get out and dry off. Now.”
“What? Why?” She looked at him, her eyes suddenly wide. “What are you going to do to me?”
I have no idea. What could he do to repair the damage? They didn’t have time
for a long, leisurely marking again, even if he thought he could resist going further than she wanted to go. And besides, as he’d told her earlier, the scent glands around his mouth weren’t nearly as strong as those around his groin. But there was no way he could mark her that way. Not without bringing back the memory of her attack.
“I don’t know,” he said shortly.
“Sylvan, please…” Her face was suddenly filled with fear. “You…you’re scaring me,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry.” He felt his heart twist. “That’s the last thing I want, truly, Sophia. But your scent is everywhere in here and it’s being carried outside by the warm, moist air.”
She turned suddenly pale and grabbed for a towel. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wash your scent off me but I thought it would be okay because you said the urlich were incapacitated by sunlight.”
“ Bright, direct sunlight,” he said, pulling her out of the bathroom. “I know you probably didn’t notice last night but this cabin is completely surrounded by dense vegetation. We may have to go miles to reach open ground. Not that that’s an issue right now—there’s no way we can leave here with your scent so strong in the air. And if the urlich catch it…” He shook his head.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” Sophia was knotting the too-short towel around her chest as she spoke. “I’m sorry I misunderstood you but I thought it would be safe to take a shower. I…I guess I should have asked first but you looked so tired, I wanted to let you sleep.”
Sylvan sighed and ran a hand though his hair. “You taking a shower isn’t the problem. That would wash off some of my scent but not completely eradicate it.”
“Well then I don’t understand how—”
“It could only be caused by you coming,” Sylvan said, more roughly than he’d intended. “An orgasm floods your body with hormones causing it to put out pheromones. Not to mention the fact that your pussy gets wet, washing away any scent but your own. And you know how wet you get… numala.”
Sophia lifted her chin, embarrassment and anger warring in her gaze. “You never told me that. Never told me I couldn’t…couldn’t… You know .”
Sylvan blew out a breath. “I was trying to last night when I asked how often you touched yourself. You acted like you never did. If you’d been a little more forthright I could have warned you not to.”
“I can’t believe this.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, glaring at him. “How was I supposed to answer? I mean that’s private .”
“Well, it’s about to be very public once the wind carries your scent back to the urlich.” Sylvan could hear the snarl in his voice but he couldn’t quite help it. Her delicious scent was affecting him too—calling to him as surely as it would the urlich that would come running to it. And he couldn’t get the image of her wet and naked out of his mind! It was enough to drive a male crazy .
I’m not acting like myself. Need to calm down, take control… But this time he couldn’t. Turning abruptly, he stalked away from Sophia, trying to put some distance between them. He took a deep calming breath…and felt her small hand on his bare shoulder.
“Sylvan?” When he turned to look at her, all the defiance in her face had melted away, leaving only fear and regret. “Sylvan, I really am so sorry,” she said softly. “I never imagined I would put us in danger again just by, uh, indulging in a fantasy.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said hoarsely, trying to keep his eyes on her face. “I should have told you instead of—what’s that human expression? Beating up the bush?”
She smiled. “It’s beating around the bush. But, Sylvan…” She let her hand slide down his arm and he swore he could feel the soft touch on his cock. “Can’t we…can’t we just solve this the way we did last night? I mean couldn’t you just, uh, mark me again?” Her cheeks were pink and her voice was breathy as she asked the question. For a moment her scent got even stronger.
She wants it. Wants me to taste her, to bury my face between her thighs and lick her pussy until she comes and comes… Sylvan wanted it as well. Too damn much. So much he felt like he was going to explode. “I—” he started to say.
“Oh!” Sophia jumped back from him, a hand to her mouth. “Your fangs…”
“I’m sorry, Sophia. I can’t always hold them back—even for you.” Sylvan tested the point of one jagged, double fang with his tongue, drawing blood. The sharp pain was nothing to the ache in his cock…in his entire body. Gods, he wanted her so damned badly. “I can’t mark you with my mouth this time,” he told her. “I want you too much and I’m right on the edge.”
“You…you think you’d cut me by accident?” She gestured timidly at his fangs.
“No, I know I wouldn’t do that. I could go down on you for hours, even with my fangs fully extended, and not leave a scratch on you. ” He gave her a level look. “But I don’t know if I could stop myself from biting you when I felt you coming.”
“Oh,” she whispered again, her eyes wide. “You…you don’t?”
“It’s the way of the Blood Kindred. To inject our essence at the moment our female reaches her peak. An instinct so ancient it’s nearly impossible to overcome. I was able to repress it last night, before I tasted you for the first time. Now…” Sylvan shook his head. “The flavor of your honey, the taste of your hot, wet pussy under my tongue…you lit a fire in me, Talana. And nothing but sinking my cock and fangs to the hilt in your sweet, soft body will put it out.”
Sophia was backing away from him now. “You wouldn’t,” she said in a shaking voice. “You promised…”
“A promise I have every intention of keeping,” Sylvan said roughly. “Don’t worry, you have nothing to fear from me. But I can’t mark you again—not with my mouth.”
She went pale and sat down on the bed. “But Sylvan I don’t…don’t think I can handle the other way either. Not…especially not when you’re like…like this. So close to the edge, like you said. Your eyes…your fangs… I’m sorry but you scare the hell out of me right now.”
Sylvan ran a hand over his face, as though he could change what she saw there by touch. The rage was on him again but it wasn’t just because he might have to fight the urlich. It was a claiming, possessive blood rage . An extremity of emotion brought on by his intense longing for her.
His blood was boiling in his veins and a red veil had drifted over his vision. The urge to make her his permanently , to mark her and bond her until he never had to worry about losing her was so strong he had to turn away again. “I’m sorry, Sophia,” he growled, hating the animalistic tone of his voice and not being able to change it. “I don’t know what to do, how else to mark you. And I don’t want you to fear me. Although maybe…maybe you should.”
There was a long silence and he half-thought she must have retreated back into the bathroom. It wouldn’t have surprised him at all. In fact, it would have been a very sensible move. But then she tapped him on the shoulder again.
“No,” she said, when he turned slowly around. “I…I refuse to be frightened of you. I know you won’t hurt me, Sylvan. Because that’s not the kind of man—of male— you are. I know I can trust you.”
“But I can’t trust myself .” He risked taking her small, soft hands in his. “Please, Talana, I’m touched by your faith in me but tasting you…it flipped some kind of switch inside me. Caused a fundamental change. I can’t mark you the way I did last night and you don’t want me to mark you the traditional way. So we’re out of options—there’s nothing else I can do but wait for the urlich and try to fight them off.”
“No, that’s not true.” Sophie’s face was still pale but her chin was raised and she had that glint in her eyes—that look of determination she got when she was about to do something that frightened her. “You…you just need to rub against me to mark me, right?” she asked, gesturing to the clear outline of his cock in his black flight pants. Gods, he was so hard even the soft fabric that restrained him hurt!
Sylvan nodded. “There’s a little more to it than that but yes, that’s the essence of it.”
“Well…” Sophie bit her lip. “Why does it have to be you rubbing against me? Why can’t it be the other way around?”
He frowned. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying why do you have to be the one on top? What if you lay on the bed and I got…got on top of you?” Her cheeks were crimson with embarrassment but she was clearly determined to get the words out. “I could press myself against you. Against your, uh, scent glands. Couldn’t we…wouldn’t it work that way?”
Sylvan closed his eyes for a moment as a vivid mental image filled his mind. Sophia on top of him, naked and rubbing her hot, wet pussy over his aching cock. He nearly groaned. Gods, could he stand it? Could he possibly just lie there and let her touch him so intimately without wanting to flip her over and penetrate her hard and deep, filling her with his shaft and fangs and claiming her completely?
“I don’t know, Sophia,” he said, opening his eyes to look at her. “Don’t know if I could let you do that and not…respond.” He had a sudden idea. “But maybe if you used my belt.”
“What?” She took a step back. “Look, Sylvan, I’m not that kinky. I don’t care what you want to do to me, I’m not going to beat you with your own belt for it.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I mean if you tied me up—fastened my wrists to the headboard.”
She looked at the black leather belt he wore around his waist and then at the wooden headboard. “Are you sure?”
Sylvan took a deep breath. It was going to be pure torture—feeling her against him without being able to enter her. But there was nothing else they could do. He nodded. “Do it. And quickly—we don’t have much time.”
* * * * *
I cannot believe I’m doing this. Sophie checked the fit of the black leather belt around his wrists for the third time, making sure it was securely fastened around the center strut of the wooden headboard. If anyone would have asked her she would have sworn without a doubt that there wasn’t a single kinky bone in her body. And now she was trying a guy down so she could rub against him naked without him biting her. It was crazy and a little bit frightening but Sophie knew she would be lying if she didn’t admit she found it a little bit exciting too. And it was certainly less scary than the idea of having Sylvan’s big body on top of hers, making her feel helpless and smothered.
Less scary but a hell of a lot more embarrassing. She resolutely didn’t look below his waist. He’d undressed before lying on the bed so she could bind him, and the few glimpses she’d gotten of his big cock made her blush. He was already hard for her—that much she could tell. And his massive size hadn’t been a figment of her overheated imagination the night before either. His shaft really did match the rest of his large, muscular body. Huge.
She finished checking the belt for the last time and then sat back, acknowledging that it was time to get on with things. Sylvan was looking up at her with a waiting expression on his face and every muscle in his big body was tense, as though he was ready to pounce.
She wished he didn’t look quite so frightening. The pupils of his eyes were blood red and his fangs were still fully extended. It made her feel like she was about to perform a perverted sex act with some kind of animal or demon—something that would certainly bite if it got loose.
Don’t think of him like that, she told herself sternly. Remember how he was last night when he cried for you, when he tasted you. That Sylvan, the sweet, kind, sensitive male…he was the one she wished for. But she had an idea that for the time being, at least, he was gone and wasn’t coming back.
“Sophia.” His deep voice was a low, lustful growl. “It’s time.”
She bit her lip. “I know. It’s just… you’re a big guy,” she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. “I mean, really big. Aren’t you strong enough to break either the belt or the bed or both?”
Sylvan shrugged. “Of course. The belt is more of a reminder than anything else. Being held down makes me stop and think before I act. Before I… do something I might regret,” he finished in a low tone.
Sophie tried not to shiver. “All right, then. And I guess we want you to be able to get out if the uh, urlich come, don’t we?”
“If I hear them I’ll shred the belt and snap this strut like a twig.” His biceps flexed, giving truth to his words. “But the sooner we get you marked, the less likely that is to be necessary.”
“Yes, I know…” Biting her lip again, Sophia scooted a little closer until she was kneeling right beside him on the bed. “I guess I just…don’t know quite how to start.”
“Start by straddling me,” he directed in that deep, growling voice. “Come on, Sophia—I won’t bite,” he added more softly. “You tied me down so I
couldn’t, remember?”
She realized that despite his own inner tension, he was trying to make a joke, to make this a little easier for her. “All right,” she said, trying to smile. “I’ll do it.”
She was still just wearing the pink towel knotted above her breasts and nothing else, so she maneuvered carefully, trying not to flash him. Finally she had herself settled with her knees planted on either side of his hips and there she stopped…unable to go any further.
“Sophia…” Sylvan’s voice was strained, as though he was trying to be patient and finding it awfully damned hard. “This isn’t going to work unless we have direct contact—a lot of it. You’ll have to lower yourself down onto me.”
Sophie cleared her throat. “But I don’t…don’t have to put you, you know, inside me, do I? I mean aside from the fact that I’m not using any kind of protection I just don’t think you’d, uh, fit.”
His eyes blazed. “As to that, you couldn’t conceive unless we were bonded. So it’s perfectly safe for you to have my seed inside you. But to answer your question, no, you don’t have to put my shaft into your pussy. It should be enough for you to rub against me—as long as you’re thorough.”
“The way you were last night,” she said, and blushed again.
“Yes.” He caught her gaze with his and held it. “The way I was last night when I spread you open and tasted you. Come down, Talana. ” His voice was low and commanding, impossible to disobey. “Come down and let me feel that sweet, hot pussy against my cock. But first let me see how wet you are.”
“I…I…” Sophie tugged at the hem of the towel, feeling both embarrassed and excited. “You want me to…to show you?”
Slowly, he nodded. “Yes, show me. I want to see how wet you’re getting, my numala. Do you want to feel me against you as much as I want to feel your soft pussy against my shaft?”
“I…I don’t know.” Sophie looked down uncertainly. She still held the bottom edge of the towel in her fingers. Slowly, trying not to think about it, she pulled it aside, putting herself on display for him.
Sylvan watched as the towel parted and then let out a low groan. “Look how wet you are already, Sophia. Your thighs are already coated with your pussy honey.”
“I can’t help it,” she whispered, feeling a wave of shame.
“Don’t want you to help it.” His voice was hoarse with desire. “Come down, I want to feel all that sweet wetness against me. Against my cock.”
Feeling both awkward and incredibly turned on, Sophia lowered herself until the lips of her pussy were just brushing the straining shaft of his cock. Leaning forward, she braced herself on his rock hard abdomen and began a slow, up and down sliding motion.
Sylvan growled with approval. “Very good, Talana, but you’re not going far enough. You need to come all the way down. I need the maximum possible contact with you.”
“You…you mean…?” Sophie looked at him.
He nodded. “I mean you need to spread yourself open around me. Let my cock part your pussy lips and really press against you. Pretend…” He cleared his throat. “Pretend you’re trying to make yourself come.”
“But what if…what if I do come? Won’t that make my scent even stronger?” she protested.
“Not as long as you’re rubbing against me while you do,” he assured her. “My mating scent will mask your sweet fragrance, make it into something completely different. Now come on, Sophia. Open for me and come down.”
There was nothing else she could do. Reaching between her legs, Sophia parted herself for him, opening her pussy which was embarrassingly slick, and lowered herself completely onto the straining shaft of his cock.
They both groaned at the intimate contact. She could feel him rubbing against the entire length of her pussy now, pressing directly against her clit which was already swollen and oversensitive from her earlier orgasm in the shower. The sensation was so intense that Sophie had to just sit there for a moment, her legs trembling with tension, before she could go on.
She still held the towel to one side and she stared, mesmerized, at the erotic sight between her legs. She could see herself pressing against him, spread out around him, with just the broad head of his cock thrusting out between them, pressed against his hard belly. It seemed almost to throb with need and for a brief instant, Sophie allowed herself to imagine what it would feel like to reach down and fit it against her entrance, to feel him pressing not against her but into her, filling her completely with the long, hard shaft she could feel between her pussy lips. Would it really be so bad, so frightening? Maybe not if she could be in charge the way she was now…
Sylvan broke her train of thought by shifting under her. He thrust up with his hips so that the hard ridge of his cock rubbed against her. Sophie gasped and threw back her head as a bolt of pleasure shot through her. “Oh!” she moaned. “Oh, Sylvan…”
The use of his name seemed to do something to the big warrior. He thrust up again and then again. “That’s right, Talana,” he growled as he moved against her. “Rub yourself against me. Ride my cock.”
There was nothing else Sophie could do. She tried to hang on to him, bracing herself against his tense abdomen, but soon she found it was better and easier if she leaned back instead. Placing her hands on his muscular thighs, she arched her back and opened herself in a way she never would have believed was possible, as Sylvan moved against her again and again.
Sophie heard herself moaning his name as he pressed against her clit, sliding and grinding against her in a way that sent electric bolts of pleasure through her entire body. The rhythmic motions dislodged her towel and before she could grab it, the damp piece of terrycloth slithered away, falling off her body and over the side of the bed.
“Oh God!” Sophie froze, suddenly incredibly aware of her own nakedness. She couldn’t remember ever being in such a compromising position and while she didn’t hate her body, she didn’t exactly love it either. Not enough to show it off so blatantly, anyway. But when she started to dismount and reach for the towel, a low sound from Sylvan stopped her.
“No. Please.” His eyes—thin rings of ice blue surrounding crimson pupils—were locked on her naked body and there was a look of pure hunger on his face. “Please,” he said again, looking up to meet her gaze. “Once we reach the ship I’ll never get to see you or touch you again. Please, Talana, let me drink in your beauty. Let me look at you.”
The way he was looking at her made her blush all over but at the same time, she suddenly felt incredibly desirable and powerful. Here she was, straddling a massive warrior, strong enough to break the bed in half or kill her with his bare hands. Yet with all his power, he was helpless before her…under her. And the way he was looking at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the whole world. To him, I am, she realized as she watched him look at her. He doesn’t want anyone else. Just me.
Years of shyness and body sensitivity suddenly seemed to fall away from her. Suddenly Sophie felt completely and utterly gorgeous. A goddess. Though she would never in a million years have thought herself capable of such blatant sexuality, she gave him what he wanted.
She stopped trying to cover herself, stopped trying to hide her body. Instead she thrust out her breasts proudly and spread her legs, letting him see her completely in all her naked glory. And instead of waiting for Sylvan to thrust against her again, she began to move against him.
“Gods,” he whispered hoarsely as she braced herself on his thighs and pressed forward in a long, slow slide. “You’re so beautiful, Sophia. So beautiful when you open yourself for me, when you rub your hot little pussy against my cock.”
“You like it?” Sophia heard herself asking. “Like how it feels when I press against you like this?” God, what’s wrong with me? I’m talking like a porn star! But she couldn’t seem to stop. “I like it too,” she told him when he muttered a hoarse assent. “I…I like the way you feel against me. Even though I still don’t think you could, uh, you know, fit inside me.”
“You would open to receive me,” Sylvan assured her as he watched, apparently mesmerized by the sight of her hot, open sex gliding against his cock. “You would be wet enough to take me all the way inside. And I would fill you slowly, I swear, Talana. I would make sure you had pleasure and no pain.”
Sophie wasn’t at all sure that would be possible. To her way of thinking it didn’t matter how wet she got, he was just too damn huge. Well, thank goodness I don’t have to worry about that now. It’s enough just to rub against him, I guess. But for how long?
She wanted to ask but she was halfway afraid he would tell her it was all right to stop. And she really didn’t want to. Her nipples were hard and her muscles were tight with pleasurable tension. In the pit of her belly she felt like someone was winding a wire tighter and tighter. A wire that might snap any moment. All she needed to make that happen was to rub against him just a little bit more, just a little bit harder…
Sylvan must have sensed how close to the edge she was. Ever since her towel had fallen off he’d been holding himself perfectly still and letting her work herself against him. Now he joined her rhythm, pressing up when she pressed down, increasing the delicious friction between them until it was ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times more intense.
“Ah!” Sophie gasped as she felt the wire in her belly wind tighter and tighter. “God, Sylvan…so close…I’m so close…”
“Come, then.” His voice was a low growl of desire and every muscle in his big body was bunched with tension as he thrust up against her. “Let me feel you coming against me, Sophia. Let me watch the look on your face when you come on my cock.”
His hot words and the way he was looking at her were too much. With a ragged gasp, Sophie felt the tension reach its breaking point inside her—finally, the wire snapped. Crying his name, she pressed down against him hard, letting herself go completely.
The orgasm seemed to shake her to her very foundation. She felt like she was trembling all over, as though she’d been hit with some kind of sexual earthquake. Oh God, so good…so good.
The entire time she came, Sylvan watched her with that hungry look in his eyes. It was as though he was trying to soak up the experience, to record it in his brain and save it for later, so that he would always remember her just as she was at that moment.
“Beautiful,” he murmured hoarsely when the waves of pleasure finally receded, leaving her feeling limp and sated. “Gods you’re so incredibly beautiful when you come, Talana.”
“What…what does that mean?” Sophia asked softly, still trying to catch her breath. “I know you started to tell me the other night but I think I fell asleep before you could finish. What is ‘ talana?’”
Sylvan looked away, the lust on his strong features abruptly replaced by sadness. “It’s just an endearment. Like ‘sweetheart,’ I suppose. Or I think I have heard some human males calling their females ‘baby.’ Although why human women want to be compared to an infant I don’t understand.”
“Oh.” Sophie had an idea he wasn’t telling her the whole truth but now didn’t seem to be the time to ask for a more detailed explanation. Besides, now that her passion had passed, she was beginning to feel embarrassed again. And very, very exposed.
But there was still the little matter of Sylvan’s satisfaction. Though she had come, he had not. He was still hard and throbbing under her and it didn’t seem right or… polite somehow to leave him in such a state when she had gotten such an Earth shattering orgasm out of the marking. Before she could say anything, however, Sylvan was already tugging at the black leather belt that bound his wrists.
“You’ve been marked well enough now. It’s time we stopped.”
“But…but…” Sophia frowned. “You didn’t, uh, you know…”
“I don’t need to,” he said shortly. “I don’t have to come in order to successfully mark you. Having you against me is enough.”
“But it doesn’t seem fair,” Sophie said stubbornly. She could feel her cheeks getting hot again but she was determined not to leave him hanging as she had the night before. “I mean, you, uh, you’ve given me pleasure twice but you got nothing for yourself.”
His eyes blazed and he looked at her intently. “Do you truly care about my satisfaction?”
“Of course I do,” Sophie protested. “I mean, I know I didn’t, uh, do anything about it last night and I feel really bad about that. So, I mean, is there…is there anything you want me to do to, uh, help you along? Maybe I could…could touch you…?” She was already reaching between them to grasp his thick shaft but Sylvan shook his head.
“No, not that way. As much as I would love to feel your soft little hand wrapped around my cock, there is something I want more.”
“What?” Sophie whispered, her mouth suddenly dry. “I, uh, have to warn you though that I have even less experience giving oral sex than I do receiving it. I’ll try, though.”
Sylvan smiled. “I don’t want you to take me in your mouth. Just the opposite, in fact.”
“You want to…want to…taste me again?” she asked hesitantly.
Sylvan nodded. “More than anything.”
“I don’t know,” she said, eyeing his fully extended fangs. “I, uh, thought you said you couldn’t help biting me if you did that.”
“Only if you come while I’m tasting you. And since you just finished a moment ago that should be no problem.”
“Oh…Okay.” Sophie nodded but made no move to go to the head of the bed. Somehow she just couldn’t stop looking at his double set of razor sharp fangs. Could she ask him to pull them in again? To retract them or whatever it was he did to make them go away? But he’d said earlier that he couldn’t always do that, not even for her. Did she dare let him get so close to her, to such a tender, intimate area, with them out?
“Please, Sophia,” he said in a low voice, breaking into her train of thought. “I swear not to hurt you. I just want to taste you once more before…”
“Before we get back to the ship and all this is over,” she finished for him. “I understand.”
“Just let me clean the honey off your thighs,” he murmured. “You don’t have to let me put my tongue inside you if you’re afraid.”
Sophie lifted her chin. “I’m not afraid of you, Sylvan. And…I trust you, really I do. I just…don’t quite know how to…how to get into the right position.”
“Straddle my face.” His eyes were half-lidded and his voice was deep with need. “Put your knees on either side of my head and lower yourself down. Just like you did to press yourself against my shaft.”
“You’re sure this is what you want?” Sophie couldn’t help feeling self-conscious as she moved to get into the position he’d described.
“Gods, yes.” The eagerness in his face couldn’t be faked. “To taste your sweet juices again. To give you pleasure and feel you quiver against me…it’s all I want. All I could ever want.”
Sophie felt something in her heart clench at his words. What would it be like to have him in her life on more than a temporary basis? To know that she was loved so much, cared for so deeply? She knew it would all be over the minute they reached the Mother ship but she couldn’t say no to his request—or to the longing and heat in his eyes.
Slowly, hesitantly, she positioned her knees on either side of his head and lowered herself down. Despite her words and his promises, she’d been halfway expecting to feel the sharp prick of his fangs in her inner thigh the moment they made contact. But all she could feel was the velvety-hot caress of his tongue against her flesh. Just as he had promised, Sylvan was cleaning her juices away from her thighs, using long, slow strokes that made her tingle and set a fire between her legs.
All too soon her thighs were clean and she heard him call her name. She sat back a little so that she could look down at him and saw the longing in his eyes again. “Sophia,” he murmured. “Will you trust me to taste you? To spread your pussy with my tongue and taste your honey from the source one last time?”
“Oh Sylvan…” His fangs were still out and his eyes were still red but somehow she didn’t fear him anymore. It might have been the fact that he was still bound to the headboard, so she still felt in control of the situation. Or it might have been the melting honesty in his burning eyes. But for whatever reason, she wanted to give him what he needed. Wanted to give him herself any way she could.
“Please,” he murmured and Sophie could deny him no longer.
“Yes,” she whispered. Gripping the top of the headboard tightly, she lowered herself again until she was pressing against his mouth.
And then she felt his tongue.
He parted her pussy lips with a long, slow, sensuous lick that started at her entrance and traveled all the way up to her clit. Sophie was still sensitive from her recent orgasm but Sylvan seemed to know that. He didn’t poke or prod her with the tip of his tongue or try to suck the small swollen bud into his mouth. Instead he flattened his tongue and pressed it against her, giving Sophie the option of how much she wanted to move—if she wanted to move at all.
To Sophie’s delight, it felt incredibly good. His warm, wet tongue seemed to be pressing against her everywhere at once and she couldn’t feel the sharp points of his fangs at all. All she felt, in fact, was pleasure and his hot breath against her open pussy.
Hesitantly, still not sure if she ought to be doing this, Sophie began to move. It was a small motion at first, just a slight thrust of her pelvis. But the velvet friction of his tongue against her naked, sensitive pussy made her do it again…and then again and again.
Before she knew it she was actively riding him, rubbing against his tongue the way she’d rubbed against his cock earlier. Giving him what he’d begged for so sweetly as her pleasure built again.
Her eager submission to his request seemed to be too much for Sylvan. For a long moment he held perfectly still, seemingly content to let her press against him and take her pleasure. Then Sophie heard a low ripping noise. What the…? Her eyes had been closed tight in concentration. Now she opened them just in time to see the thick black belt shredding away from his wrists. He tore through the tough leather as easily as Sophia would have shredded tissue paper. The moment he was free he gripped her hips and pulled her even closer.
Sophia gasped in a mixture of pleasure and panic. God, he was so strong! And now he was free of the restraints, doing exactly what he’d said he shouldn’t be allowed to do. Tasting her, marking her with his mouth. Though she’d never been multiorgasmic before, she could already feel her pleasure building again. What was she going to do if he made her come?
For that was obviously his intent. From his slow, sensual beginning, Sylvan had progressed to a fierce sexual assault on the tender area between her thighs. It was as though he knew she was warmed up and ready for him. Ready to feel his tongue lashing her clit and pressing deep inside her pussy as he thrust it relentlessly into her over and over again.
“Sylvan!” she gasped as he tonguefucked her. “Sylvan, please! You’re going to make me…you’re pushing me too far. I can’t…I won’t be able to hold back.”
His only response was to grip her hips even harder as he lapped her. God the things he was doing to her felt incredible. Sophie knew she would have lost it already if she wasn’t so afraid of the consequences. Because now she could feel his fangs. They didn’t hurt her or pierce her flesh but they were definitely there—four sharp points bracketing her tender pussy, reminding her of what Sylvan ached to do to her the moment she came. Which was going to be any minute if he kept this up…
Clutching desperately at the headboard, she tried to hold the orgasm back. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her. She’d never been able to come easily—not even when she touched herself, which wasn’t all that often. But ever since she’d been with Sylvan, her body seemed to be in overdrive. Was it a response to his mating scent? Or was he just that good at going down?
Whatever the reason, she felt the pleasure peaking inside her again. She couldn’t stop it—another orgasm rolled over her, drenching her in intense, almost overwhelming sensation and making her tremble helplessly against his mouth. Oh God, what was Sylvan going to do to her now?
* * * * *
The urge to bite, to mark, to inject his essence and claim her for his own was almost insurmountable. Sylvan struggled with himself, willing the cool, logical side of his personality to take over and take control of the situation. But though it had ruled him his entire life, that side was weak now. In its place was a ravenous beast, a hungry warrior that wanted nothing more than to blood and claim his bride.
The feeling of her trembling against him as she came, as well as the sweet gush of honey from her pussy, lit a fire inside him. He felt his cock swell and his fangs get even longer with the need to release, to fill her with his cum and essence at the same time.
Mine, she’s mine, the beast inside him raged. Have to have her. Have to make her mine now !
Gripping her hips, he pulled her legs even further apart, baring her tender inner thighs for his hungry fangs. He could feel them throbbing as they filled with the pale blue liquid that was unique to his kind. The essence that could heal almost any illness with a single bite—and bind the female of his choice to him. Sylvan opened his mouth to bite…
And heard her soft voice begging him not to.
“Please, don’t bite me, Sylvan.” Her tone was filled with fear and agitation. “ Please .”
The fear and pleading in her voice cut through the blood lust that had fallen over him like a smothering curtain. Though his need to bite her remained just as strong, his reason returned and enabled him to hold back…at least for the moment.
Sylvan paused.
Have to stop. Have to let her go now , he told himself firmly. But the voice of reason was weak, ineffectual. In contrast the roar of the beast within was almost deafening. Need her. Want her. Have to mark her—make her mine! Now!
He couldn’t help himself anymore. The need to have her, to bind her to him was simply too great. The bonding wouldn’t be complete because his cock wasn’t buried to the hilt inside her pussy. But filling her with his essence would still mark her as his and keep other males away from her. And he had to have her. Oh Goddess, Mother of All Life, forgive me…
His fangs throbbed and stung with a pleasurable kind of pain. The ache of fullness which could only be relieved by biting and releasing their load of essence into tender, female flesh. Sylvan stretched his jaws wide—
“ Sylvan? Sylvan can you hear me?” The familiar mind voice invaded his head, cutting through the claiming lust and the urge to blood his bride like a knife.
“ Baird?” he sent back, hardly able to believe it. “Is that you?”
“ It’s me, Brother. I hope I’m not interrupting anything but you’re in danger.”
Sylvan looked at Sophia. He saw the fear in her eyes, felt the way she was trembling as she waited for him to bite. He was in danger in more ways than his brother knew. In danger of harming the female he would rather die than hurt. In danger of breaking his vow, both to Sophia and to the Mother of Life.
“ Oh yes, you’re interrupting,” he sent grimly. “But don’t worry about it.” He had never been more glad to be interrupted in his life.
* * * * *
Sophie was beyond relieved when he stopped in mid-chomp. She could see his fangs pressing against her vulnerable inner thigh, could feel their razor sharp tips digging into her tender flesh. But he hadn’t broken the skin…yet.
The sight and feel of him about to bite her had her nearly hyperventilating. The pleasure of the intense orgasm he’d given her was rapidly draining away to be replaced by an all consuming fear as panic raced through her. It brought her past back in a sickening rush—reminded her too much of what she’d gone through when she was still a little girl.
The shots…the transfusions…needles everywhere… She could almost smell the rubbing alcohol—that harsh, stinging gonna-get-a-shot odor that made her stomach churn with dread. All she could think of was how much it was going to hurt—that sharp, hard stick of a needle sinking into flesh—multiplied by the four jagged points in his mouth.
“Please,” she breathed again, afraid to move, afraid to do anything but beg. “Please, Sylvan, don’t .”
With a low, frustrated growl, he pulled back. But the need in his eyes still burned just as brightly, his lust for her white-hot and unquenchable. “Need to mark you. Need to make you mine.” His voice was the growl of a beast denied its prey. “But I won’t. Not now.”
“Sylvan…”
“Get up.” He was already urging her off the bed and reaching for his clothes. “Baird called me from the Mother ship. He’s coming for us but he says the urlich aren’t far from the cabin. We’re going to have to make a run for it.”
“What? Did he bespeak you? How does he know?”
“Yes, he bespoke me. And Deep and Lock told him—they’re finder/seekers.” He was pulling on his black flight pants and tall black boots as he spoke. “Here.” He threw her the blue uniform shirt which had been lying at the end of the bed.
“Finder whats?” She was pulling on the shirt as she spoke, infected by his sense of urgency.
“Never mind. Let’s just hope you’re marked well enough that my scent throws them off.”
“Am I? I mean, can’t you tell?”
Grabbing her arm he pulled her close. Leaning over her, he inhaled deeply, his eyes closed for a moment as if in deep concentration. When he opened them, there was a troubled look on his face. “I think you are but it’s hard for me to tell. I’m so sensitive to your scent now I smell it even when I shouldn’t be able to.”
“What? What does that mean?” She looked at him worriedly.
“It means your scent is imprinted on my brain—like everything else about you.” He cupped her cheek and stared down into her face. “The color of your eyes, the exact tone of your voice when you’re nervous, or frightened, or in need. The shade of pink your cheeks turn when you’re embarrassed. I’m full of you, Sophia. Full to overflowing…but it does me no good.”
“I…” She wanted to look away from the frightening intensity of his gaze but somehow she couldn’t. “I don’t know what that means,” she whispered at last.
“It means I’m damned.” His tone was desolate. “Completely and utterly damned.” Abruptly he let her go. “Baird says there’s a clearing a half a mile North of here. If we can get there, out into the open sunlight, we’ll be safe. And the sooner we go the better.”
Sophia took a deep breath, trying to push down the fear and panic that wanted to rise and overwhelm her. “All right, I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Let’s go.”
He frowned at her. “How’s your ankle? Can you run on it or do I need to carry you?
“There’s no way you can carry me half a mile up the mountain at a dead run,” she objected.
Sylvan looked at her sternly. “I can if I have to. So tell me now and don’t lie to me or yourself—can you run on that ankle or not?”
Sophie bounced up and down a few times experimentally. There was a slight twinge but nothing she couldn’t deal with. “I’ll be fine,” she said, hoping it was true. “Honestly, Sylvan, I will. Now let’s go.”
He gave her another long look and then nodded, as though deciding to take her word for it. Taking her hand he led her to the door. “Quietly,” he murmured, putting his ear to the splintered wood. “Let me listen.”
Sophie held her breath and tried to be as quiet as a mouse, praying he wouldn’t hear a thing. When he pulled away from the door his face was a little more hopeful.
“I hear them but they’re still far away. If we hurry we can make it up to where Baird is going to land before they get to us.”
“Let’s go then,” Sophie urged. “Hurry up!”
Sylvan moved the chair that had been blocking the door. “When I open the door we need to run as fast as we can,” he told her. “And whatever you do, whatever you hear, don’t look behind you. The urlich take direct eye contact as a challenge—looking at them will only speed them on. Got it?”
“Yes,” Sophie whispered through numb lips. Now that they were actually about to step out of the safety of the cabin, the panic she’d been trying to hold back was eating her alive.
“Good.” Sylvan nodded at her and gripped her hand tighter. Yanking the door open he pulled her out of the cabin and away from the last vestige of safety. “Now, run!”
Sophie ran.
It was uphill going, but thankfully not as steep as she’d feared and Sophie risked a quick glance at their surroundings. The trees around the cabin were big and old, casting their shadows over the thickly wooded area as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t quite leaf season yet, but some of the leaves had started to turn from green to brilliant yellow and vermillion. It would have been a beautiful scene if Sophie hadn’t been frightened out of her mind and running blind. Luckily, Sylvan seemed to know exactly where he was going and he pulled her after him ruthlessly, his grip on her hand unbreakable.
How far have we gone? How long does it take to run a half mile anyway? She knew how long it would take her at the gym setting an easy jogging pace on the treadmill but that was a far cry from running for her life. Now she wished she’d visited the gym much more regularly. But it was too late for that—all she could do now was pray she was able to keep going and get out of the forest alive.
Sophie’s bare feet flew over the last year’s fallen leaves and sharp, stabbing twigs as she struggled to keep up. She was going to be in some serious pain after this run was over—her hurt ankle was already throbbing—but none of that mattered at the moment.
Because now she could hear the urlich coming up behind them.
At first it was just a scuffling sound, like many paws rushing through the undergrowth, and a few short, inquisitive barks. Then there was a loud, long, baying—the call of a wolf or a wild dog when it finds the scent of prey. The blood chilling howl was answered by many more voices taking up the call, until she felt like a fox or a rabbit with a pack of hounds after her.
Sophie had been falling behind but the frightening cries gave her a second wind. Gasping for air, her breath tearing in her throat, she gripped Sylvan’s hand tighter and put on a new burst of speed.
“There—ahead.” He didn’t sound a bit out of breath and it occurred to Sophie that he would have been able to go much faster without her. She looked where he was pointing and saw a brilliant spot of sunlight in a clearing up ahead. It was nothing more than a dusty, unpaved parking lot in the back of a ramshackle building, but to her it looked like an oasis in the desert.
Safe, we’ll be safe there! she thought deliriously. If we can only get to it… There was still a long way to go under the cover of the trees before they reached the sunlit refuge. But at least they could see it, could see they were headed in the right direction.
The urlich behind them seemed to see the clearing too because there was a chorus of angry growling and barking behind them. Oh my God, they’re gaining! Sophie started to turn her head to see how close the animals were and then remembered what Sylvan had said. Resolutely, she kept her face forward and kept running, trying to ignore the fear that rushed through her like fire.
She’d never liked big dogs—especially fierce ones. Growing up, their next door neighbors had raised Dobermans and one of them had gotten out into the neighborhood once while she and Liv were riding their bikes. It had chased them eight blocks and Sophie had pedaled until she thought her heart would burst, sure it was going to catch them and kill them both.
But the Doberman that got loose wasn’t genetically and mechanically modified, whispered a little voice in her head. The urlich are. And if they catch you they won’t just bite. They’re looking for you for a reason. Because the Scourge want you…
Okay, none of this was what she needed to be thinking about right now. At the moment what she needed was to concentrate on was—
A fresh round of baying and snarling cut her thoughts off as cleanly as a sharp knife.
Because these sounds were coming from in front of them.
They were surrounded.