Devoured by Darkness

Conjugal visits.



A stab of excitement pierced through her. Sweet, treacherous excitement that made her long to forget she was in a damp dungeon with a vampire who would haul her to her waiting death the moment he slipped his leash.



She slowly turned to discover Tane closing the heavy door and leaning against it with a negligence that mocked her own tightly clenched muscles. The breath was wrenched from her lungs.



He was magnificent. From the raven satin of his mohawk, to the bare chest and flat stomach that rippled with muscles, to the thrust of his powerful legs, he oozed with male potency.



And sex.



He oozed lots and lots of sex.



Her stomach clenched as his honey gaze traveled down her stiff body with slow appreciation, lingering on her hardening nipples that were visible beneath her T-shirt.



Gods. She wanted to toss him on the bed and rub against that hard golden body until he pinned her beneath him and took her with raw hunger.



Easily aware of her surging arousal, Tane pushed from the door, uncoiling like a predatory cat who was on the scent of his prey.



Laylah instinctively backed away, her mouth dry and her heart thundering in her chest.



“Are you …”



“Yes?” Tane prompted as her words faltered.



“Do you have rooms nearby?”



With a liquid grace, he tossed the dagger onto the floor beside the bed, then with a tug of a button, dropped the khaki shorts to reveal his male glory that was already fully erect and anxious to please.



“You could say that.”



Heat seared through her veins, pooling in the pit of her stomach. She had pathetic little experience when it came to men, but she was fairly certain Tane knew precisely what to do with that fine, fine instrument.



And how to make a woman beg for more.



“What are you doing?”



He smiled to reveal the fully extended fangs that gleamed in the darkness.



“Changing into something more comfortable.”



Comfortable? There wasn’t a damned thing comfortable in the sensations assaulting Laylah.



Her skin was too tight for her body, her breasts were heavy and her nipples aroused to painfully sensitive peaks. And there was a hollow ache between her legs that was demanding to be filled.



She swallowed a moan.



A damned shame he was her enemy.



Otherwise …



Otherwise he’d be on that bed and she would be fulfilling a few dozen fantasies.



“Well, go and do your striptease in your own rooms,” she muttered.



“What’s the point of a striptease if there’s no one to enjoy it?” he drawled, abruptly wrapping her in his arms and smiling down at her wary expression. “Besides, I intend to have my wish granted.”



Chapter 6



Skimming his hands down Laylah’s back, Tane savored the rich scent of her arousal that spiced the air.



She could huff and puff and glare all she wanted, but she couldn’t disguise the truth. She desired him with a fury she couldn’t contain.



“What are you talking about?” she demanded, her breathless voice making Tane smile. He was a vampire famous for his sexual prowess, but this demon managed to make him feel as uncertain as a fledgling. “I got you out of the mists.”



He lowered his head to fill his senses with her scent of fresh rain.



“But that wasn’t my wish.”



She trembled. “You …”



“I wished to be at your side.”



“Tane.” There was another tremble as he found the spot at the curve of her neck that made her pulse pound and her breath ragged. “I command you to go to your rooms.”



“Your wish is my command,” he murmured, scooping her off her feet to lay her on the nearby bed.



Her eyes widened as he followed her down, stretching out beside her reclined form.



“Why aren’t you going away?”



“It could be because these are my rooms.” He traced the outline of one puckered nipple through her T-shirt. “But more likely it’s because you don’t truly want me to leave.”



“Arrogant ass,” she husked, even as her back arched in silent invitation.



He chuckled, burying his face against the heat of her throat.



“Stubborn mongrel.”



Hunger spiked through him and his cock gave a painful jerk. He could smell the sweet blood that rushed just beneath the satin heat of her skin. It was maddening.



Murmuring encouragements in his ancient language, he abruptly grabbed the neckline of her T-shirt and with one jerk had it ripped from her body.



Her lips parted in protest, but before she could punish him with her sharp-edged tongue, he loosened a trickle of his power as his fingers cupped the soft curve of her breast.



She gasped as she bucked in helpless pleasure, her beautiful eyes wide with shock.



“What the hell was that?” she breathed.



He smiled. He had several specialized talents. His kick-ass hunting skills. His raw strength. His cunning. And a rare ability to concentrate his power until it was just on the right side of pleasure as it raced through his partner.



He shifted over her, his tongue outlining the lush curve of her lips.



“I do have talents beyond killing, my sweet.”



“Oh.”



Her eyes fluttered shut as he crushed her lips in a kiss of utter possession. Tane groaned as he tasted her sweet fire, struck by an odd regret that they were in a damp dungeon rather than surrounded by the elegant luxury Laylah deserved.



She should be stretched across satin sheets with velvet pillows beneath her head and champagne spilled across that magnificent ivory skin.



Later, he silently promised himself, completely ignoring the fact the only plans he should be making for the future was turning the renegade female over to the Commission.



He was a vampire in lust.



He wasn’t supposed to be thinking clearly.



Plundering her parted lips over and over, he teased her nipple with the pad of his thumb, his cock pressed against her slender hip.



“Again?” he murmured.



She shivered in anticipation. “Yes.”



With care he released a flare of power, covering her mouth with a fierce kiss as she cried out in passion. He growled in warning as she squirmed against him, rubbing his erection and threatening to hurry matters along in a quicker pace than he’d anticipated.



“Laylah.”



With an effort he gentled his kiss, his hands skimming down the dip of her waist and the flare of her hip. His fingers curled into her soft flesh, attempting to hold her still. Holy shit. Who would’ve thought after so many centuries a tiny mongrel could threaten to unman him?



His lips swept over her cheek, tasting her perfect skin with a slow appreciation. His tongue traced the outline of her ear, nipping the lobe before seeking the tiny hollow below. She felt perfect in his arms. Slender, but with a hidden strength that made him throb in painful anticipation.



Already he could imagine her legs wrapped around his waist, holding him prisoner as he drove deep into her willing body, sending them both to paradise.



His fangs scraped over her shoulder, sharply reminding him that he had more than one hunger he ached to satisfy.



Not yet, a voice cautioned from the back of his mind. Feeding during sex was an intimacy that took absolute trust.



Something sadly lacking as far as Laylah was concerned.



With a groan he resisted the compulsion to slide his fangs through the silken skin, and instead shifted to suck one of her straining nipples between his lips, using his tongue to make her arch and moan in rising passion.



He would eventually have the sweet taste of her blood on his tongue.



Until then, he could sate at least one craving.



Using the tip of his tongue to circle her tightly budded nipple, Tane allowed his fingers to loosen their grip on her hip and stroked down her thigh. He shuddered as she readily parted her legs, allowing him full access. She was already wet and slick, in preparation of his entry.



Thank the gods.



On the point of rolling her onto her back so he could mount her, Tane was caught by surprise when he instead found himself being shoved backward with Laylah straddling him.



“Dammit,” she muttered, her spiked hair a crimson halo about her beautiful face and her eyes smoldering with a savage desire. “Let’s do this.”



He studied flushed cheeks with a narrowed gaze.



His body was screaming with outright approval at her wicked impatience. He rarely bedded aggressive women, but the sight of Laylah perched naked above him, her firm breasts within easy reach of his mouth and the entrance to her body pressed tantalizingly against his fully aroused cock, was enough to make him grit his teeth against the looming climax.



The slightest shift and this would be a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of deal.



“Easy, my sweet,” he coaxed, his fingers cupping her ass as she squirmed against him.



“Easy?” She glared into his tightly clenched expression. “Do you know how long it’s been for me?”



He frowned, something primitive and possessive stirring deep inside him. He didn’t recognize the emotion, but it violently protested the thought of any hand but his touching this woman.



“The cur?” he demanded. He’d intended to leave Caine for Salvatore to kill, but if he’d had his hands on Laylah, then he would drain the bastard himself.



“A convenient partner in crime, but not in bed.” She shivered, her breath coming in tiny pants. “God, I … ache.”



His fingers tightened on her hips. “Hold on.”



She frowned with impatience. “What?”



“You’re not going to pretend you want me just because you’ve been going through a dry spell.”



“What’s wrong, Tane?” she taunted. “Did I hurt your fragile ego?”