Victor caressed Kimber’s breasts once more while she trembled beneath him, her skin warm and soft beneath his touch. He waited, teasing her mercilessly as she gasped and writhed with his cock barely touching her entrance.

“Victor! Stop it!” she wailed up at him, her eyes full of passion and fire. Her nails dug into his shoulders with one hand as her other grabbed hold of his ass, trying to haul him closer.

He stopped moving altogether, much to her displeasure. The skin between her brows furrowed and she growled deep in her throat…damn that sounded so sexy. Her eyes darkened, the green now so murky it was hard for him to make out the color as she glowered up at him. Her legs wrapped around him as she urged him toward her with her heels slapping against him.

“I’m getting annoyed, Victor.” She hissed up at him before her head sprang forward to nip at the side of his mouth, hard. Drawing blood.

“Playing rough, sweetie?” he drawled before he allowed his fangs to spring free. “I can do that too.”

Kimber angled her hips upward, thrusting toward him fiercely, and, before he knew it, he was sliding inside her warm and welcoming heat. “Damn!” His head fell back as he felt himself encompassed within her.

The feeling was exquisite, decadent, magnificent, and she was all his. His beauty, his love, his Bloodmate and he loved her more each day, hour, second…his body was on fire for hers. He could deny her no longer, thrusting inside her with abandon, his hips pistoning against her body while she welcomed him with just as much fervor.

“Yes, Victor, that’s it…more!” She writhed with unrestrained passion. Her head moved from side to side but he wanted more…he needed to taste her.

Slowly he positioned himself down onto her body, covering her entirely with his while he continued to move inside her, his hips pressing against her clit every time he thrust in…with just enough pressure to elicit gasps and moans to fall from her lips. He dropped his mouth to hers in a searing hot kiss, his tongue darting inside to tangle with hers and taste her divine sweetness…her unique blend hitting his senses and sending him higher with each passing second.

He ground harder against her core, circling his hips and sending Kimber into a frenzy as he took her with long thrusts of his cock. She cried into his mouth and he swallowed it down, lavishing her lips with his before pulling back to meet her eyes with his…gazing into her eyes with all of the love that filled him up and felt as if it was about to explode out of him it was that powerful.

“I fucking adore you, Kimber!”

“I know you do.” She smirked up at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Cheeky, Dragon.” He chuckled, dipping to rake his tongue over her lips before darting away again.

“Yes, but I’m your Dragon.” She reached up, tangling her fingers in his hair and tugging him closer.

“That you are…and I need to taste you…now.”

His fangs erupted once again and this time he was going to feed…and take them both to those starry heights the joining would bring.

“Yes! Do it. Now.” Kimber angled her head away, baring her throat to him…her pale skin beautiful and calling to him like a sweet melody.

A fiery heat started to spread through him when the first drops of her blood touched his sensitive tongue and Kimber groaned with ecstasy as his bite took her on the spiral ride higher and higher. Victor knew every nuance of her essence but still he savored her every single time he tasted her…his flesh tingled, and their souls merged at this precious moment in time.

A scream tore from Kimber’s throat when her orgasm tore through her body, shivering and shaking, her nails scraping his skull while she tore at his head, holding him to her as she fought her way through the most amazing love they shared…and his stampeded to the fore. His back stiffened, his fangs tore free and his cock pounded into her before his seed erupted deep inside her.

“Kimber! I love you! So damn much!” He dropped down, onto her for a brief moment before falling to the side and tucking her into his side.

“Mmm hmm,” she mumbled as she snuggled closer. “Please tell me I don’t have to get up.”

She felt good in his arms. In fact, she felt amazing. This was the best he’d felt in days with what they’d been going through and if he could’ve stayed right where they were, in this perfect moment…he would have. He would’ve paid a fortune to stay locked up in their room together. Alone. Safe. In love.

But they couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, darling, but we have to get ready and go and see if we’re needed downstairs for any last-minute details. The Ball starts in less than two hours so…”

Kimber sprang from his arms, sitting up with her hair a jumbled halo around her head. Her eyes were wide as saucers and her lips still plump from kissing. She looked amazingly beautiful, and he wanted to take her in his arms once more and fuck her senseless until she screamed his name to the heavens.

“What? Two hours? Victor! I have to hurry. I’ll never be ready in time! Look what you’ve done to my hair…it’s a mess. And I promised Amaya that I’d be down early to help her and…and you had to go all sexy on me and I lost my senses.”

Kimber jumped from the bed looking flustered and adorable, flying around the room like a dervish while he watched, rising to sit against the headboard. “So it’s my fault, is it? I went all sexy on you, did I?”

Picking up her dress for the evening she looked it over before coming back and placing it on the end of the bed. Then she looked up at him, her hair falling over her face. She blew a huff of air to try and get it out of her way but that failed so she ran a hand up to pull it away before she scowled at him.

“Indeed, you did. You gave me that smile you do. The one with the twinkle in your eyes and that lip lift thing, the one you know that makes me weak at the knees. You are well aware I can’t resist that and then you went in for the kill, Mister Strong. You kissed me! Right here on this very spot. And that was it. I was gone, and before I knew it, I was a hot mess in your arms.”

Victor chuckled as she stomped her foot before turning on her heel and speeding off to the bathroom. “So I guess hot shower sex is out of the question?”

“Don’t you dare! I’m already running late. You stay right there, Victor. I mean it. Don’t you come in here.”

“Now that’s a challenge I can’t resist.” He mumbled flinging the covers back and stalking after her.

They weren’t that late. Not nearly as bad as Kimber thought they’d be, and the shower had been worth it. She had indeed screamed his name again. Loudly. Victor was sure the guards had heard her from the other end of the hall, but he wouldn’t tell her that. She would be far too embarrassed when they finally walked past them dressed in all their finery.

She looked magnificent in her evening gown. The dress hugged every inch of her body, and her mask added a lovely mystique to his woman. There was the added bonus that he was looking forward to ripping both off her later that night. Hmm, maybe he should alert her to that fact now.

“Kimber, I hope you’re not too attached to that dress. It’ll be lying in shreds on the floor later because I’m going to rip it off you and I won’t be gentle, baby. I might allow you to keep the mask on while I devour your pussy, though. I’ve not decided yet.”

He heard her heart skip a beat and her skin flushed a rosy red while her head whipped up and her eyes locked with his. “Victor! Shh, someone might hear.”

“So?” He looked around and back at Kimber, her heart was still thudding wildly in her chest and he couldn’t help himself, he stopped, pulled her into his arms and kissed her right there in the hall.

His mouth covered hers in a quick but passion-filled joining of their lips; his tongue briefly danced with hers before he retreated to leave her breathless, panting, and languid in his arms. “That’s just a taste.” He winked at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and carrying on the few yards to the Grand Ball Room.

They were just about to go inside…in fact, Amaya was there waiting on them, but Kimber stumbled at his words and he had to catch her before she fell flat on her face. He turned her in his arms, holding her tight against him, smiling down at her flushed cheeks.

She didn’t get a chance to respond as Amaya rushed toward them, a vision in red with a lavish silver silk mask of her own in place. Her dress was high on the front but when she drew nearer Victor caught a glimpse of lots of skin and saw her gown was backless with a long fishtail that swished behind her as she sashayed up to them.

“Kimber, I’ve been waiting on you. Can you come and check everything with me? I’d appreciate a second set of eyes to make sure all is as it should be. Please?”

Kimber tugged herself free, turning to her friend. “Of course. Victor, I won’t be long.”

“Don’t be, baby. I’ll be waiting for you to join me in welcoming our guests. They’ll be arriving soon.”

She turned to wave at him then sped away into the Grand Ball Room which had been set up into three distinct areas. The first was a meeting space with a bar, comfy chairs and sofas where they could, as Amaya and Kimber had told him, ‘mingle’ and relax. After that there were tables set out around the edge of the room with food and drink. Far too many to count and laden down with a bevy of different appetizers and cocktails that would put any top-class venue to shame. At the other end of the room was another bar, a dance-floor, and a band was setting themselves up.

Kimber said they would play throughout the evening with background music to begin with, and after the drinks had started to flow, they’d get more energetic…whatever the hell that meant…to get people into the mood to dance. Hopefully. And he did indeed hope that worked because she’d told him if not that they’d be the first to take to the floor.

He didn’t mind a slow dance where he could take her in his arms and hold her close, but energetic definitely didn’t sound like his kind of thing. No. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to that part at all. With that thought ringing in his mind he headed straight for the bar nearest to him where Quinn and Flint were already standing drinking.

Although both wore their masks, Flint’s was plain black, like his own, with Quinn’s a more elaborate silver affair, he could tell the men apart easily. Flint was his best friend after all, but even if he weren’t, the way he held himself set him apart from most men. He was a bodyguard first and everything else came second to that. His eyes scanned the room even while he was talking to Quinn, always on the lookout for any threat, and the way he held his body…as if he were about to launch himself into a fight at a moment’s notice. Yes, Victor would know Flint anywhere no matter what he wore or if his face was completely hidden from view.

The staff were also dressed in keeping with the Ball, masks in place and dressed in smart suits…the men anyway. There were only a few women present behind the tables laden with food and they were decked out in simple, but elegant, evening gowns. At the moment the staff outnumbered them by about five-to-one.

“Not long now.” Quinn lifted his glass as Victor arrived, tossing the contents back in one go.

As soon as he placed the empty crystal glass back on the bar another one magically appeared. “I’ll have the same, thanks.”

In seconds, Victor was served, and Flint sipped his own, humming like a contented pussycat. “This is good.”

“Thought I’d show our guests the best we Scots can do,” Quinn quipped, raising his glass and swirling it around before taking a sip.

“Everything going to plan?” Victor looked around at the well-laid out areas. “This looks great, by the way.”

“All down to the girls, of course. I just pay for it.” Quinn chuckled, tipping his head to Victor. “Isn’t that what we do?”

“Of course,” Victor agreed. “I heard that Alaric and Ashlyn left. I’m sorry they decided to do that, but I understand.”

“It was unfortunate they left but I understand too.” Quinn lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “Let’s be honest here, if we were on someone else’s land and there were attacks going on and our Bloodmate’s were in danger, what would we do? I have to say I would have second thoughts of staying if Amaya’s life were in danger in that situation.”

“I would be out of there on the first fucking flight.” Flint snorted. “If Kenzie was in danger and I didn’t know the guy from Adam? You bet your ass I wouldn’t stay, hell, they wouldn’t see us for dust.”

Quinn laughed and patted Flint on the shoulder, motioning to the bartender. “Get my friend another drink. Flint, you’re as eloquent as always but I have to agree. I’m going to personally thank the people who’ve stayed and placed their trust in us and not only that. I think we should tell them what Jana has told us too. I think these people deserve to know.”

Victor thought about what Jana had told him and wondered how their guests would react. Would they be as furious as he’d been? How full of fury as Flint had been? Probably. But Quinn was right. They deserved the truth. They’d placed their safety in their hands. Their very lives depended on them and they’d stayed. They’d not run.

“I agree. But we need to be prepared for them to be angry. And if that happens we have to remain calm. All of us. And take it in stride. We let it run off our backs and suck it up.”

“Hey,” Flint looked over at him, eyes full of fake wide-eyed innocence. “I can do calm and I can suck stuff up.”

Victor and Quinn both looked at him, stared at him for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. Flint didn’t look happy. Even though he wore a mask they could see his eyes screwing up and his lips pursed together while they carried on chuckling until Flint finally threw his arms up. “Fine, have fun at my expense. Pair of old fuckers.”

Flint turned away, leaning one arm on the bar as Quinn quietened down first. It took Victor another few moments before he could say anything and when he did it was to compliment Kenzie who was sweeping toward them like an ethereal beauty straight out of a movie. Her gown was floating around her in sheets of organza in different shades of dark reds and brown that matched her hair perfectly, which was loose, curled and flowing down her back and pinned up at the sides. The mask she wore was decorated in the same colors, with soft flowing feathers at the sides and ribbons disappearing into her long locks. She looked dazzling and didn’t appear as frail as she had the previous night.

“Kenzie, wow, you look absolutely stunning. Flint better keep an eye on you or you’ll be whisked away by a handsome man tonight,” Victor teased as she joined them. “I, for one, will be looking for a dance later.”

Flint swept forward, his face dark as thunder as he wrapped an arm around Kenzie’s waist to draw her to his side. His jaw ticked agitatedly and the vein in his neck throbbed while he glowered over at Victor with a look that was cold as arctic ice. One that most men would have turned and ran from.

“The only man she’s dancing with is me.”

Victor wasn’t sure how Flint managed to get the words out with his teeth clenched together. That was some feat.

Kenzie merely smiled indulgently up at Flint, patting the hand that was at her waist. “Calm down, baby. I promise you’ll get as many dances as you want.”

“You’re staying right here with me. You’re not fully recovered yet and you shouldn’t be overdoing things.” Flint leaned down to peck her cheek before scowling back at Victor again. “Please remember that.”

“I will, sorry, Kenzie. Flint’s right, you should take things easy.” Victor turned when he heard footsteps approaching along the hallway. “Looks like our first guests are arriving early. Where’s Kimber and Amaya?”

“We’re here.”

They arrived breathless but otherwise looking okay as Kimber took his offered arm. “Everything okay?”

“Perfect. Things are exactly as we’d planned so I think tonight will go well. Hopefully.”

“I believe it will.” Victor led her to the door and waited at the side as Quinn and Amaya joined them, leaving Flint and Kenzie at the bar.