Chapter Thirty
Nita had never been so happy to see her mother’s face as she was in that moment. With one last kiss to Virginia’s aging cheek, Nita stepped back and began barking orders.
Angel, Shon, and Vlad followed her to the SUV to access the injured. One man, lying unconscious in the back, stood out above the rest. The man who’d slammed the butt of his gun into the back of her mother’s head.
Nita yanked him up by the front of his shirt and dragged his body to the ground.
Vlad appeared at her elbow. “One of Castro’s men?”
“Yeah. The one who hurt my mom.”
“Would you like for me to dispose of him for you?”
Nita shook her head. “The other injured shifters might need his blood. I’ll kill him when he’s no longer needed.”
Vlad gripped the shifter around the waist and slung him over his shoulder. “I’ll secure him in the basement.”
Nita followed the trio back inside the house, through the foyer, and into the basement.
She quickly made beds for the injured shifters, tended to their wounds, and washed the blood from their faces.
Her mother accompanied Mordecai into the room, both carrying boxes of food and drink.
“In case someone is hungry when they awaken,” Virginia whispered, setting her box on a nearby table.
The Shaman suddenly appeared in the doorway. His wise old eyes sought out Nita. “I have seen my vision come to pass on this night. Your numbers may seem few, but an army awaits your future.”
Nita stumbled forward and took the Shaman’s hands in her own. “Tell me what you’ve seen.”
The old man shifted his gaze to Vlad before bringing it back to Nita. “You may have destroyed the Seekers in that field, but more will rise up to take their place. Something dark is coming. And I fear the Seekers that your children must face will have weapons the likes of which this world has not yet beheld.”
Nita’s heart skipped a beat. “My children?”
“Yours,” the Shaman murmured, waving his hand in Vlad’s direction. “And his.”
Nita swung her gaze to Vlad, who stood looking at her with a suspicious moisture swimming in his eyes.
Vlad drifted closer, his attention on the Shaman as he spoke. “Will they survive this apocalypse…our children?”
The Shaman shrugged a bony shoulder. “I am not long for this world and will not be here to witness the war that will surely come. The vampire and Kiana must band together. Learn from each other. The fruits of your labor will surpass anything you have ever known.”
Nita blinked back tears. “You’re dying?”
“I am an old man, my child. I have seen more than my share of sorrow in my long life. It is time someone else steps forward and accepts the gifts of the spirits. A leader, a caregiver…a seer.”
Nita’s heart lurched. “Me? But I’m no seer.”
“The black eyes in the cloud. The robed figure, standing above the carnage…”
The tears Nita had tried so hard to hold back spilled over unbidden. “I’m afraid.”
“That is good,” the Shaman, admitted, his faded brown eyes swimming with pride. “A man who does not fear is a fool and is not to be trusted.”
Placing a kiss on Nita’s cheek, the Shaman turned and left the room.
Nita stood there for several heartbeats, taking in everything she’d just been told. She glanced up at Vlad. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Of course you can,” he assured her, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. “You’re Nita Franks, leader of the Kiana. You can do anything.”
Laura strolled toward the bathroom, carrying an armload of towels. She smiled at Nita on her way through. “Why don’t you get some rest? We’ve got this.”
“I’ll stay and help,” Nita insisted, brushing the tears from her cheeks.
Vlad abruptly bent and scooped Nita up into his arms. “You heard the lady. You need to rest.”
Nita glanced around at the three injured shifters lying helpless on the beds before seeking out Angel. “Feed the prisoner to them. They’ll be healed up by morning.”
“It’ll be our pleasure,” Shon piped in, sending Nita a wink as he breezed through, trailing his mate.
Vlad carried Nita back up the stairs, shutting and locking his bedroom door behind him.
He stood her on her feet and slowly pulled the belt free on her robe, parting the material to expose her bare skin to his hungry gaze. “Breathtaking…”
Before she could blink, he blurred across the room, grabbed a recliner, and placed it next to the bed. “Sit.”
“You want me to sit in the recliner?”
Vlad began removing his clothing, his hooded gaze locking with hers. Nothing else needed to be said.
Nita sat, her heart pounding with excitement. “But, my mother is downstairs.”
“Then I suggest you keep quiet.”
Vlad finished undressing before sinking to his knees in front of her. He gripped her ankles, pulled her slowly forward, and draped her legs over the arms of the chair.
Nita’s breath caught as her sex became exposed to him. “Vlad?”
“Shhhhh.” He nuzzled the insides of her thighs, nipping and licking his way to her center.
His tongue softly swiped over her clit, and Nita bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out.
“You taste so fucking good,” he growled, dragging his tongue around her small bundle of nerves in a slow, sensuous slide.
Nita’s head fell back in surrender. The feel of his mouth on her most private place, tasting and loving her, had to be the most incredible feeling she’d ever known.
His thumbs slid up on either side of his mouth to press gently on the fleshy softness of her pussy, opening her for his devouring tongue.
He took her clit between his lips and sucked.
Nita’s hips bucked off the chair. Nerves exploded with feelings so incredible she couldn’t catch her breath.
The tingling grew stronger, more intense, climbing up her spine in a whirlwind of sensation that triggered her climax.
Her body shook with the force of the orgasm gripping her insides. Gone were the thoughts of her mother’s presence downstairs or the other vampires hearing her cries. The sounds coming from her throat couldn’t be stopped any more than her release could.
Vlad stood in one fluid motion. He lifted her from the chair, sat where she’d just been, and pulled her onto his lap, facing away from him.
“Do as I tell you,” he whispered in her ear before reclining the chair back. “Put your legs over the arms.”
Nita straddled the arms once again, holding on to his knees to keep her balance.
Vlad gave her a gentle tug. “Lie back against me.”
Her head rested on his shoulder as she eased her back against his chest.
His hands came around her, coasting up her sides to settle over her breasts. He kneaded her flesh, rolling and pinching her nipples into hard nubs of sensitivity.
“Do you like that, my sexy wolf?”
Her inner walls clenched. “Y-Yes.”
“How about this?” His warm palms skimmed down her ribs, over her stomach to rest on her thighs, his thumbs brushing against her aching pussy.
A moan escaped Nita at the contact. She opened her legs wider to give him better access.
Vlad released her thigh with his right hand and cupped her smooth mound before slowly slipping a finger inside.
“Oh God,” Nita gasped, straining for deeper penetration.
“Not God,” Vlad growled, inserting another finger. “Vlad. Say it.”
“Vlad,” Nita gasped, digging her nails into his forearms.
He nudged her hair aside with his nose, raking his fangs lightly over the skin of her throat. “I have never wanted to be inside anyone as much as I crave to be inside you.”
Nita panted. “Are you telling me the truth?”
Vlad removed his fingers from her aching center and brought them to his lips. He licked the dewy tips before resting his mouth against her ear. “I would never lie to you, Nita. I love you more than life.”
Tears welled up in Nita’s eyes. “Say it again.”
“I love you,” Vlad breathed, a slight catch in his voice. “And if you don’t love me back, I’ll fucking die.”
Nita let the tears spill over to track down her cheeks. She turned in his lap to face him. “I love you too, Vlad the Impaler. God help me, but I do.”