A Hunger Like No Other

12

Never taking his eyes from her, Lachlain punched himself in the face in the direction opposite of how she'd hit him. She heard his jaw pop into place as he loomed closer, his expression menacing.

With no shirt on to disguise how strong he was, every sculpted muscle in his chest and torso was visible as it tensed. He looked bigger without clothes on? How exactly did that happen? Yet for some reason she was unafraid. Emma the Lamb was scanning him for something else to dislocate. Vampires were evil. She was a vampire.

And she was on fire with his delicious blood.

He was on top of her before she had time to react, pinning her arms above her head and shoving his knee between her legs. She hissed at him, struggling, making a better showing than before, but she was still no match for him.

"You're strong from my blood," he said as he wedged his hips between her legs.

"I'm stronger just for drinking," she snapped, which was true, but she also suspected his immortal blood, taken straight from his body, was seriously high octane. "I was hungry for anything."

He gave her a patronizing look. "Admit it. You like the way I taste."

She'd tasted power, tasted him, and lusted for more. "Go to hell."

He adjusted his position on her, his chest rubbing over her naked breasts. When he rested against her, she felt his erection hard as steel between them. "Why did you hit me?"

She raised her head aggressively—the only movement she could manage. "For everything you've done to me. For endangering me and for every time you've ignored my wishes." Her voice was different, throatier. She sounded like she should be on the cigarettes-and-curlers end of a sex line.

The list of reasons was endless, from ripping off the Band-Aid that had covered her traumatic memories, to making her go mindless with lust while drinking, to slicing through a thousand dollars' worth of hand-painted Jillian Sherry underwear his first night. She settled on, "For every time I've wanted to strike you and couldn't."

He studied her, clearly not knowing what to make of her. Then the hands that had been pinning her hard cupped over the top of her head. Wolflike. "Fair enough."

Her lips parted in surprise.

"Do you feel better for it?"

"Yes," she answered honestly. If only for a moment, she'd felt powerful for the first time in her life, surging with power. And the next time he forced her into a restaurant, or went rock star on their hotel room, or woke her by kissing down there, she'd smack him again.

As if he read her mind, he warned, "But doona hit me again."

"Then doona break your promises." At his frown, she said, "You vowed that you wouldn't touch me. But you…you touched my breasts."

"I vowed that I would no' touch you unless you wanted me to." He leaned up to run the backs of his fingers down her side. She had to battle the urge to flex and stretch into his touch like a cat.

"Tell me right now that you dinna want me to."

She looked away, distressed by how attractive she found him, by how she had nearly keened when she'd lost the warmth of his hand covering her entire breast. The feel of his hot mouth sucking her nipple…Between them his erection was rigid, straining against her, coaxing her body to grow wet for it. "Make a note now that I will not in the future."

His lips curled wickedly, and her breath hitched at the sight. "Then all you have to do next time is remove your wee fangs from my arm for long enough to tell me no. Long enough for one single word."

She pulled her gown into place, yearning to hit him again. The bastard knew that tonight she could no more have taken her fangs from him than she could have stopped breathing. "You assume I'll drink from you again?"

With a sexy smirk and a rumbling voice, he said, "I'll have to insist."

She turned her face away as the full import of her actions hit her. She'd actually taken living blood. She was officially a leech. And drinking directly from him was like coming home, like something had shifted into place. She feared she could never go back to cold, plastic sleeves. Just what kind of schwag blood had she been drinking before him?

"Why had you no' ever before?"

Because it was forbidden. Yet she'd done just what her aunts had feared of her…

And his blood was a drug she could grow addicted to. She could become addicted to him. He could have that power over her.

No! If he tried to entice her to drink again, she wouldn't be starving and she would have more control to deny herself.

In theory?

"Get off me, you brute." When he didn't let her up, she raised her hand again, but he caught her wrist.

"Doona strike me again, Emmaline. Mates never hit each other."

"What do you mean by 'mate'?" she asked slowly, the fear she'd ignored returning, making her tone grow desperate. "Like…like Australian for 'buddy'?"

When he seemed to be deciding if he should tell her something, warning bells blasted. "You don't mean like a Lykae mate?" The idea had occurred to her briefly, but she'd easily pushed it away. Because it was ludicrous.

"And what would you know about that?" He was getting angry again.

She remembered Lucia warning her never to walk between a Lykae and his mate. And if another male accosted his female or tried to separate them—get the hell away. They were as bad as a vampire with his Bride, if not worse. "I know you have only one, and that you never separate." She knew if the other was hurt or was in danger, the beast rose up, and reason was lost. She'd seen him lose reason—and never wanted to see it again.

"What's so wrong with that?"

"You can't mean…You do want to separate from me? Right?"

"What if I dinna want to?"

"Oh, God." She scrambled from him until he let her go.

He crooked his arm behind his head and leaned back. "Would it be that terrible to be with me?"

She feared he was acting deceptively casual. "Of course it would! Besides the fact that you can't seem to make up your mind whether to be nice to me or to hate me, and besides the fact that we are…different, you're a bully, you're out of control, and you don't care about how I feel whatsoever, and you do break your promises and we're on the cusp of the Accession and—"

"Now, doona hold back how you feel, lass," he interrupted. When she glared at him, he smirked. "It pleases me that you've obviously given us a lot of thought. Working out all the angles."

She clenched her fists in frustration. "Tell me I'm not your mate, then."

"You're no'. You're a vampire, remember? Think about it. My clan would want to rip you to bits on sight."

She tilted her head, studying him, trying to determine the truth.

"Granted, with all your new curves"—he raked his gaze over her, then shook his head in that way men did, as if he was a goner—"I would no' mind keeping you around as my mistress, but nothing so serious as my one mate."

Why did that comment cut to the bone? "You wouldn't lie about this?"

"Rest easy. I want you, but no' for that." He rose. "Now, unless you want to finish this evening properly with me bending you over the bed, you need to get dressed."

With a gasp, she immediately turned on her heel for the bathroom, then locked the door behind her. She pressed her back and palms against it, body quivering, his blood still affecting her.

She frowned. The paint on the door was glossy and cool, smooth but for the left middle panel. Paint had bubbled there. Fascinating.

When she ran the shower and tested the temperature, the water felt incredible on her hand, tickling her palm. Naked in the water was even better—it was as if she could perceive each tiny drop sluicing down her body. Running her fingers through her wet hair felt lovely. She realized she had energy again.

Clearly, Lachlain's blood was a cocktail full of Ritalin and Prozac. She should be awash in regret over her transgression and unnerved about the future, yet she couldn't seem to muster either. She assured herself it was the pharmaceutical aspects of his blood that brought about this sense of well-being—not the unfamiliar feeling of connection she'd delighted in as she drank.

After the shower, she dried off, making a note to commend the inn for the impossibly soft towels. As she wrapped one around her, it grazed over her nipples. She shivered and flushed, remembering his mouth so hot over her breast.

Shaking her head hard as if to dislodge the memory, she padded in front of the mirror, reaching her forearm forward to wipe the condensation from the cool glass.

I want you, but no' for that, he'd said, and now as she peered at herself she wondered why he wanted her. She tried to imagine how he saw her.

She thought she might be…she might be pretty, now that her color was back and any curves she'd had to begin with had returned—as he'd so rudely pointed out. But it was all relative, wasn't it? She might be pretty, until she stood next to any female in her family. They were fatales, temptresses. By comparison, Emma was…cute.

But they weren't here, and if Lachlain thought she was attractive when she wore conservative clothing and braids in her hair, what would he think when she dressed as she usually did?

She felt nearly liberated, now that he'd convinced her she wasn't his mate, even as part of her wished she was so beautiful he would regret that fact…

She chose her favorite short skirt and strappy heels, and once she'd dried her hair, she left it free again, curling down. If the wind blew it back and someone did see her ears, she didn't doubt Lachlain would think of something to say or do. In fact, he seemed to like that they pointed. Feeling bold, she even wore earrings.

When she exited downstairs to meet him at the car, he gaped at her appearance. She knew she looked as shocked as he did.

Because Lachlain was driving.

He shot out of the car to rush around and toss her in. She supposed she must have flashed a glimpse of her panties in the melee because he growled low, before glancing around to see if anyone else had seen.

When he returned, he slammed his door shut, rocking the car. "What game do you play at, lass?"

She stared at him, speechless.

"You dress like this, when I can barely keep my hands from you now?"

She shook her head. "Lachlain, this is how I usually dress. And you scoff at the idea of me as your mate, so I should be safe."

"But I'm still a male. Who's been long without a woman."

Her heart sank. That's why he found her attractive—because he'd been so long without. He'd probably find a perfumed rock appealing at this point. "Then let me go. If you can drive, then you have no need for me and you can set about finding a woman who's interested in you that way."

"You agreed to stay with me till the next full moon."

"I'll only be cramping your style. And I'm sure there are lots of females out there who would like to be with you."

"And you doona count yourself among that number? Even after tonight?"

She nibbled her lip, recalling how she'd licked his tan, smooth skin as she'd taken his exquisite blood, and briefly lost her train of thought. "I just don't understand why you want me to stay," she finally managed to say. "You needed a driver. You no longer do."

"No, I can drive, but I want two other things from you."

She sighed and moved to sit with her back against the car door. When she crossed her legs, he stared at them as though enthralled. She snapped her fingers in front of him. "Let's hear them."

With a growl, he tore his gaze away and met her eyes. "I want you to go to Kinevane so I can settle our debt and reward you for your help. It was hard on you to drive, and now I ken your hunger made it worse than I thought."

"Reward me how?" She was suspicious and didn't bother hiding it.

"Money or gold. Or gems. I've been collecting jewels my entire life."

He emphasized the last words, catching her eyes, but she didn't know why.

"You can have your pick."

She raised her eyebrows. "You'd give me some antique jewelry, like out of a gold-filled treasure chest?"

"Aye, exactly." He nodded in all seriousness. "Priceless jewels. As many as you can wear."

"And they'd be mine?" Would she finally own something irreplaceable? "So I'd have mementos from my jaunt with a real-live, certifiable"—she cast him a too-pleasant smile when she said the word, but he didn't get it—"Lykae?" She doubted her aunts could top that escapade.

"Aye, yours. Though I doubt you'd classify them as 'mementos.' "

She shook her head. "This is all a moot point. If you've been gone for a hundred and fifty years, then you won't have a castle with a treasure, no matter how cool it sounds."

"What do you mean?"

"Lachlain, have you ever heard of a Wal-Mart? No? Something like that is probably on top of your castle right now."

He frowned, then said, "No, no' possible. Kinevane is the source of our kind and is protected from the outside. No threat has ever penetrated its walls. Even the vampires canna find it." His tone held more than a hint of smugness. "Nothing is atop it now, I promise you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Say you're correct and I get to make my score. Males who give jewelry expect sex."

"That's the second thing." His voice went low and he cupped the side of her face. "I'll be getting you into my bed."

Emma's witty retort? A dropped jaw.

"I-I can't believe you just put that out on the table," she eventually sputtered, ducking away from his hand until he dropped it. "Obviously, now that I know your agenda, I'm not continuing on with you."

"I see." He gave her a solemn expression. "You must have a verra real fear that I can succeed."

She shot him an impatient glare. "Hey, there are your hands—let me play right into them."

After a moment, the corners of his lips quirked at her comment. "But it's true. If you're confident I will no' succeed, then my 'agenda' is nothing more than an idle musing."

"So the game becomes, who gets what they want first."

"I suppose you could say that. Do you think you can reach your goal before I start enjoying you?"

She stifled a gasp and crossed her arms over her chest. For all he'd put her through, he owed her recompense. She'd earned every piece of jewelry she would separate him from! "You know what? I'm going to agree to continue. Mainly because I know you won't let me out of my promise anyway. But I'm also going to clean out your stash. And don't say I didn't warn you."

He leaned forward, far too close for comfort, putting his face directly beside hers to say in a low voice, "And I'm going to have your legs wrapped around me and your cries in my ear before the week is out. Count yourself warned as well."

She jerked away from him, her cheeks heating as she groped for a reply. "Then…then let's see your prowess with driving!"

He drew away from her slowly, only taking his eyes from her face for a last look at her legs, then put the car in gear. As he pulled out onto the street, she prepared herself to be amused, strapping her seat belt in place, waiting for him to screw up.

But—of course—he drove perfectly.

He was always analyzing everything she did—why would she think he hadn't been watching her drive? "When did you learn how?" Her question was sharp.

"Practiced in the parking lot when you showered. Doona worry, I could see the entrance at all times."

"I'd told you I would not leave."

"That's no' why I was watching. You look annoyed about this. If you want to drive…?"

"It usually takes people longer to learn."

"It usually takes humans longer to learn." He patted her knee, making the gesture patronizing. "Remember, I'm preternaturally strong and intelligent."

He slid his hand higher and got it slapped away. "And preternaturally arrogant."

When Lachlain had seen her tonight outside the hotel, looking curvy in a sinfully short skirt, with her hair shining and full, his heart had hammered in his chest for her. He'd seen her sexy little shoes and imagined the heels digging into his back when she wrapped her legs around him. Her eyes were bright, her skin glowing.

He was stunned to realize that even the moon had never held his gaze so completely.

And she was staying with him by choice, lured by jewelry. Which was already hers.

He'd spent his entire life acquiring the pieces in anticipation of giving them to her, never having imagined a mate quite like her.

As Lachlain drove down the roadway, he felt optimistic for the first time since his capture some fifteen decades ago. No matter what had happened, he'd escaped his enemies and could go about building his life again. With Emmaline—who wasn't the killer he'd thought her. Who was unique among all the many vampires he'd encountered in his long life.

She was unique among all the females he'd ever seen.

He couldn't decide if she was fey or a siren in appearance. Her wrists, finely wrought hands, and collarbone appeared fragile, the pale column of her neck so delicate. Her face was ethereal, exquisite. In other places, especially now that she'd fed, she was all woman with her generous, sensitive breasts and soft hips.

And she had an arse that made him hiss "mercy" under his breath.

He glanced down at his arm, smirking slowly at her wee fang marks, disbelieving his reaction to her bite. Knowing his beliefs and aware of how sick others would find it, he reasoned he must be depraved—because he'd reveled in it.

It was as if she'd opened up a new sexual venue that he had never imagined. As if all there'd ever been was straight fucking, and then out of the blue, Emma had said, What if I lick and suck your shaft into my mouth. He shuddered, his erection pulsing.

Though it should be a mark of shame to be hidden, he found he liked to look at her bite because it reminded him of this foreign, secret pleasure—and that she'd never drunk from another. Only to him had she delivered that dark kiss.

He wondered who had taught her not to. Her family? Were they truly Forbearers, different from the rest of the vampires, forced to live in Louisiana because they were split from the Horde? He didn't see answers forthcoming. She was the most tight-lipped female he'd ever encountered, and after his blunt questioning debacle in the restaurant, he planned to refrain for a while.

But he was her first and would be her only, and that made him proud. He fantasized about the next time she would drink. He'd get her to take from his neck, freeing both of his hands so he could pull aside her lacy undergarments and finger her wetness. Once she was ready for him, he'd work her down his length…

He stifled another shudder, then turned to ask her for the tenth time if she was thirsty yet, but he saw her curled up in the seat, looking soft and relaxed under his coat. He'd spread it over her, partly because he thought it would make her more comfortable and partly because it made him more comfortable not to see flashes of her thighs. She leaned her head against the window, staring out with that thing attached to her ears, and didn't seem to realize that she sang softly. He didn't want to interrupt her. Her voice was beautiful, lulling.

She'd said she did nothing well, which meant she didn't believe she sang well, since she couldn't have lied. He wondered why she wasn't more confident in herself. She was lovely, her mind was sharp, and deep down she had fire. No, not too deep down. She had, after all, dislocated his jaw—at the first opportunity.

Perhaps her vampire family had found her too sensitive or introspective and had been cruel to her. That thought made fury fire in him, made him relish the idea of killing anyone who'd treated her ill.

Lachlain was aware of what was happening. He was siding with her, beginning to consider all things in terms of them. Somehow the bonding with his mate had begun with a bite.

How much longer till we get there? Emma was tempted to whine.

Now that she had some energy again, she was getting restless in the car. At least, she told herself that was why she'd begun squirming in the seat. Not because she'd melted under his coat, still warm from his body and surrounding her with his delicious scent.

She stretched, pulling out her earbuds, which apparently in Lykae was code for "Interrogate me," because the questions, they came a-calling.

"Earlier you said you've never killed, never drunk another. Did you mean you've never taken a man's neck even during sex? Accidentally bitten him, even in abandon?"

She exhaled, pinching her forehead, disappointed in him. She'd been almost comfortable around him this night, but here came the sexual questions, the innuendo. "Where did this come from?"

"Nothing to do while driving but think. Have you?"

"No, Lachlain. Happy? Never went dental with anybody's arm but your own." When he immediately parted his lip for another question, she snapped, "Anybody's anything."

He relaxed a little in the seat. "Wanted to be sure."

"Why?" she asked, exasperated.

"Like being your first."

Was he for real? Was it possible he was asking these questions not to embarrass her, but because he was being a…a male?

"Does blood always make you react the way you did tonight—or was it taking from me that made you so wanton?"

Nope. Just to embarrass her. "Why is this important?"

"I want to know whether, if you were drinking blood from a glass—in front of others—you would behave as you did."

"You just couldn't let me go a few hours without tormenting me?"

"No' tormenting you. I need to know."

Emma was really beginning to hate speaking with him. Then she frowned. What was he getting at? When would she drink in front of others? She did at home, but that was from a mug or a margarita glass at a party. Not in a bed, partially undressed while a male licked her breast. Her heart sped up, anxiety erupting. Lachlain would never take her among his friends and family as she drank blood like wine, so why was he asking?

Was he making sordid plans that included her? She was struck once again by how little she truly knew about him. "I've heard about Lykae appetites and, uh, your openness with your sexuality"—she swallowed—"but I wouldn't want to be that way in front of others."

He frowned at her briefly, then a muscle ticked in his cheek. Immediately she sensed his building anger. "I meant in a social situation where others drank. I would never even contemplate the other."

She flushed. Now her mind was in the gutter, cruising past his mind's station there. "Lachlain, I'm no more affected than you would be from a glass of water."

He met her eyes, giving her a look so primal it made her shiver. "Emma, I doona know what you've been doing in the past, but know that when I take a woman into my bed, I will never share her."