Mating Bite by Cynthia Eden (9)

She couldn’t stop the lust—not bloodlust, but instead a wild, heart-racing physical lust for Carter. A need that shook her whole body. They made it to the privacy of a motel, barely. And to be honest, if they hadn’t gotten to a motel, Lauren would have fucked him behind that club.

Her need was that bad. That strong.

He slammed the motel room door behind them, and then he was kissing her. Stripping her. Stroking her body and making her even wilder for him.

“First time…gonna be rough…” Carter rasped the words against her mouth. His hands were on the snap of her jeans.

She kicked away her shoes. “I don’t care.” And she didn’t. A scary truth. She’d always gone for soft and tender lovemaking in the past, but the past—it was gone. She was different. Her blood was running hot, her nails were raking over him, and she wanted the long, thick length of his cock inside of her.

He shoved down her jeans and her panties. Panties that were still wet because of what he’d done to her in that alley. She’d come so hard that her heart had almost stopped.

She wanted to feel that way again. Only she wanted him inside of her. Wanted him pumping deep into her as she erupted.

He tossed her shirt across the room. Her bra followed right after it, and, in the next breath, he was taking her nipple into his mouth. Licking and sucking and even lightly nipping with his teeth. Her head tipped back, hitting the wood of the door as she let out a ragged moan.

Her breasts were so sensitive. Every touch, every lick sent a trail of scorching desire right to her sex. She rocked her hips against him. She wanted him in her, right then.

But he still had on his jeans. His shirt.

This won’t do. Not at all.

She reached out and yanked open the top of his jeans. The zipper slid down and his cock filled her hands. Big and hard and ready, and she wanted to taste him. She wanted to drop to her knees right there and give him the same consuming pleasure he’d given to her.

She started to slide down.

“Oh, hell, no, sweetness, there is no way I can last.” He lifted her up, spun, took four steps, and dropped her onto the bed. She gave a little bounce and started to smile.

Her smile vanished when she saw his face. There was nothing soft or teasing there, just a hunger that had turned his expression to stone. His muscles were bigger, his body stronger, and she wondered if he was about to change before her very eyes.

“Trust…me…” The words were growled from him.

Nodding, she lifted her arms toward him.

He came to her in a rush of strength and need. His mouth took hers. His body tumbled her back on the bed. His fingers slid between her legs, slipped into her, but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She needed too much.

He kicked away his jeans, and they tangled in the covers. He spread her legs and positioned his cock at the entrance of her body.

His fingers caught hers, threaded with them, and he pushed her hands high over her head.

“I waited my whole life for you.” His words seemed to sink into her. All she could see—his eyes. Burning with need. Staring at her as if she were the only thing he could ever want in his whole life.

He thrust into her. Her hips shot off the bed as she tipped back her head, gasping in pleasure. Then his mouth was on her. He bit her, and her body jerked, electrified with feeling. His teeth pressed to the curve of her shoulder, and the bite branded her skin even as it sent pleasure surging through her.

Her legs locked around his hips as she met him, thrust for thrust. The bed shuddered beneath them. The headboard rammed into the wall.

Pleasure built, built…

The climax hit her with the force of a hurricane. She could only cry out his name and hold on tight as the release went on and on. And he was right there with her. He surged into her body and the hot tide of his release filled her. Her sex clamped greedily around him as pleasure blasted over her, again and again. Better than anything she’d ever felt in her life. Stronger. Deeper.

He kissed her shoulder. His body was warm and strong as he rolled them in that bed, moving so that she was sprawled on top of him, but he was still in her. He’d come, but he was still thick, still hard, and growing more so by the moment.

She fought to catch her breath. Fought to make sense of the need. Fucking hadn’t lessened her need for him. It had only made it stronger. She wanted him again. Wild. Fast.

Lauren craved him. She pushed her hands down against his chest, and the movement had her hips and her sex rubbing harder against him. He stared up at her, his eyes glowing in the darkness of the room. They hadn’t bothered turning on the lights when they’d stumbled inside.

They’d been too desperate for each other.

His glowing eyes…she knew the glow meant his beast was close. Only Lauren wasn’t afraid. His body was hot and strong and, as she stared down at him, all Lauren could think was that Carter—he belongs to me.

Her knees pressed into the mattress as she rose up, and then she slid back down. He let out a guttural groan at the sensual move, and she did it again.

His cock grew even bigger within her. Her sex was slick from her release, from his, and she slid over him easily. She’d had other lovers, lovers who’d brought her pleasure, but being with Carter—it was different.

His hands flew up and shoved back against the headboard.

Lauren stilled. “Carter?”

“Want you…” His breath heaved out. His eyes gleamed. “Have control…this time…trying not to touch…you…”

But she liked it when he touched her. She liked it when he fucked her. She liked it when he bit her. She liked…him.

Lauren was afraid she was falling for the wolf. The big, bad wolf.

She leaned forward and her tongue slid out to lick his lower lip. “Let’s see,” she murmured, “how long that control of yours can really last.” She kissed him, slipping her tongue in his mouth to tease him even as she tightened the muscles of her sex around him, squeezing him and giving herself more pleasure. “Let’s see when we both break.”

She rose up, then sank down. Her knees were cushioned by the mattress, her body held up by—

His hips surged upward. He lifted her off the bed as his cock drove deep into her body. Her breasts thrust toward him, and her eyes squeezed shut. She pushed back down, and he thrust up, his hard length filling her so deeply.

“Lauren…My Lauren…”

He’d bit her, and her pleasure had sky-rocketed. What would it feel like, for him, if she bit Carter while he came? What would it feel like for her?

She bent over him, and her teeth pressed to his throat. Lauren tasted him and she came—and he roared his pleasure. Distantly, she heard the sound of wood splintering. His hands flew to grab her hips. He held her so tightly as he drove into her, and then he was coming, too. Lauren swore that she could taste his pleasure.

And it was fantastic.

***

“We have a mutual enemy,” Antoine murmured into his phone. He stood in front of his window, the dark night stretching before him. “Someone who has crossed a line…”

“Who in the hell is this?” Griffin Romeo demanded. “And how did you get this number?

Antoine smiled. “You’re the new pack alpha of the Vegas wolves. Getting your number should have been far harder than it actually was.”

“Who is this?”

“Antoine Abandonato.”

Silence.

Antoine wished he could see the wolf’s face right then. “I believe you’re acquainted with my cousin, Isabella.”

“I’m mated to Isabella.”

So he’d heard. “Isabella created a problem for you, and a problem for me.”

“The hell she did.”

Wasn’t he quick to jump to Isabella’s defense? She’d always been so good at projecting that helpless damsel act, though, even when she’d been seconds away from ripping into some poor bastard’s throat.

Antoine sighed and decided to cut to the chase. “Are you missing a werewolf, by any chance?”

Griffin growled.

“It’s Isabella’s fault,” Antoine told him flatly. “Surely you see that? Your buddy Carter was dying, and she gave him her blood. When a werewolf takes vamp blood—well, addiction follows. Addiction and madness.”

“Not always,” Griffin gritted out.

“Right…not if the werewolf is mated to a vamp, the way you are. Tell me, do you drink from my cousin a lot? Or does the lovely Isabella spend all her time drinking from you?” Werewolf blood packed a powerful punch. Isabella had always been a bit of a lucky bitch.

“Do you want me to kill you?” Griffin’s voice was low and lethal. “Say another thing about my Isabella, and I’ll be coming for your head.”

Antoine’s body tensed. “I’m not the one you should kill. Go find your missing werewolf. Go see for yourself how Carter is feeding on vamps. He’s abducted a new female vamp, and he’s drinking from her.” That’s certainly what Antoine now suspected, though he’d warned Carter to stay clear of her blood. “He’s a rabid dog that needs to be put down. He ran from your pack because he didn’t want you to see what he’d become. I’m telling you what he is—he’s hooked, worse than any drug addict. Isabella thought she was saving him, but my dear cousin just condemned your friend to a living hell.”

“How the fuck do you know about what happened to Carter? How do you know that Isabella—”

“For the right price, anyone will trade information. The wolves in your pack aren’t as loyal as you’d like to think.” And when werewolves drank too much alcohol, they tended to overshare way too much. Beasts could never handle their booze. “This is on you, alpha. Clean up your pack. Stop Carter and bring me back my vampire, or else you’ll have a war on your hands.”

“You’re threatening me?”

“I’m making a promise. Ask Isabella. I don’t threaten, I promise. Carter has already killed two of my vampires—at least two—and now he has Lauren McIntosh. She’s his prisoner. He’s feeding on her, he’s using her, and I won’t let his crimes go unpunished. Either you kill him and you bring me back my mate…or I will bring a war straight to your door.”

“Your mate?”

Antoine laughed. “Obviously, you’ve realized that vamps aren’t the heartless beasts the world likes to think we are. After all, Isabella is linked to you, isn’t she? So it shouldn’t be so hard for you to believe that I’m bound to my Lauren.”

Silence.

Antoine had never liked silence. “Your rogue wolf thought she was vulnerable because she was newly made. He took her. And I want her back.”

“Then maybe you should go fucking get her yourself—”

“Ask Isabella,” Antoine snarled. “You ask Isabella what I’ve done to those who’ve betrayed me in the past. Ask her what happens to my enemies—that way, she can tell you exactly what will happen to your pack. I know where you are, Griffin. I know where you live. I will come for you. The wolves started this battle, and it will be your blood that ends it.”

He hung up the phone. His heart was racing, but a smile curved Antoine’s lips. There. Nicely played. He was sure Griffin would confront Isabella right away, and Isabella—

She wouldn’t lie to her mate.

***

Isabella Abandonato smiled when her mate entered their bedroom. Griffin. Tall, strong, handsome as sin. Would she ever get used to him? She rose from the bed and opened her arms to him. She hadn’t been in that bed because she was sleepy. She was a vamp—the night was made for her kind. She’d been waiting in that bed because she had some definite physical, pleasurable plans for her lover.

But the instant she looked into Griffin’s eyes, ice seemed to slide over her skin. “What’s happened?” Immediately, she closed the distance between them. She reached for his hand. “What’s wrong?”

Griffin’s jaw was locked. His gaze swept over her face. “You left your family behind…”

“Tried to,” she muttered as her heart raced too fast. “But, believe me, they were happy to see me go.” Once she’d stopped loving the thrill of the blood hunt, they’d turned their backs on her. She hadn’t enjoyed the torture and the killing of humans, not like they had.

“Antoine Abandonato.”

A shiver slid over her at the mention of her cousin’s name. “Wh-why are you talking about him?” She shook her head. “Better question, how do you even know his name?” She certainly didn’t like to speak the devil’s name.

“Because the guy just called me.”

Oh, hell.

“He threatened to start a war with my pack.”

Her heart was about to jump straight out of her chest. “Antoine doesn’t threaten. If he said he was coming to fight, then he will.” The guy never boasted—he attacked. Her hold tightened on Griffin. “Is this because of me? Is he coming for me?” Because if he was, she’d have to leave. She wouldn’t bring death to Griffin’s pack. She wouldn’t—

“Stop.” Griffin’s voice was low and hard. “Don’t even think it.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a wild ferocity. “You will not leave me, do you understand? You will never leave.”

She kissed him back with desperation and need and hunger. Her Griffin. After being alone for so long, she’d found him, and her whole world had changed.

Griffin’s head lifted as he stared down at her. “He’s not coming because of you.” A muscle jerked in his jaw. “He wants Carter.”

Carter? “But he left…”

Griffin’s stare cut away from her. “Your cousin said that Carter is addicted to vamp blood.”

She pulled out of his arms, stumbling back.

“He said…he said Carter has gone wild, that he’s taken a newly turned vamp, and Antoine thinks Carter is feeding off her, keeping her captive and using her.”

Her hand rose to her mouth in horror. I did this.

“It’s not your fault,” Griffin growled.

Her hand fell. “Don’t lie. We both know I gave him my blood. I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. I just…” Shit. This is a nightmare. One I made. “I wanted to keep him alive.” Because he’d been Griffin’s friend. Because she’d been so sick of death. “I didn’t think about the consequences.”

And the twisted truth was…her blood had kept Carter alive, but werewolves who’d tasted vamp blood were never quite the same. Unless the blood came from their mates, the werewolves could truly go wild. They could become hooked, desperate for the rush of power that they felt from taking vamp blood.

“Carter ran. He left us. We could have helped him.” Griffin strode closer to her, tension clear in every line of his body. “Instead of coming to me, he turned his back on the pack.”

She had to swallow to clear the lump in her throat. “What else did Antoine say when you talked to him?”

“He wants his new vamp back—some woman named Lauren McIntosh.”

New vamp. She’d missed that part before. Her hand flew out and grabbed onto the heavy wooden poster of the bed. “Antoine said this woman had been converted?” She blew out a hard breath. “Humans have a hard time converting. If Antoine changed her, he’d definitely want her back.”

There was a reason the vamp population was so low. Humans didn’t transform easily. And vamps—the born vamps—they didn’t exactly reproduce a whole lot.

“Antoine said the woman was his mate.”

Isabella’s eyes widened. “Oh, damn. Then I pity that woman.” Because she’d never seen anyone who enjoyed the bloodlust as much as Antoine. Of all her family members, he scared her the most. “You should know that, ah, the born vampires follow him.” There were more male born vamps than females, and Isabella had always thought those guys were particularly savage. Only there is no comparison when it comes to Antoine. The things he’d done… “Borns follow him, and humans who’ve been transformed will fear him. They’ll all do as he commands.” A twisted smile curled her lips. “That’s the way it’s been for my whole life.”

He swore.

“Griffin?”

“Antoine says I can stop the war. That all I have to do…” He began to pace. “All I have to do is kill Carter and give Antoine back his missing mate. Then he’ll leave my pack alone.” He turned to stare at her. “Can I trust his word?”

Her lips parted, but she didn’t speak.

“Can I, Isabella?”