The Bite That Binds

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

(Sam)

I’d had absolutely no idea about the pre-nuptial rituals for Binding ceremonies until Fletcher turned up at my apartment with half a dozen female Kejas. First I’d been covered in exotic-smelling oils and massaged from head to toe. Then there had been a spicy wrap, which I hadn’t been very fond of. Thirdly there had been a milk bath, which I had to admit I’d quite liked. And then my hands and feet had been painted with a strange, glistening ink; the intricate knot and vine patterns perfectly complimented my Swarovski Manicure and Pedicure.

While waiting for the weird paint to dry – which hadn’t taken long – I sat very still as my hair was slightly curled and then put into some kind of elaborate hairdo, leaving tendrils hanging here and there. I wasn’t a very patient person, so I got kind of restless. At least I hadn’t had to continue to sit there as they applied make-up. If the natural allure that came with vampirism hadn’t cancelled out the need for it, my new Keja allure would have.

Following all that, I was helped into lacy, raunchy underwear that Fletcher had chosen. The bloke knew no boundaries! Lastly, my dress and shoes were carefully slipped on and fastened.

“Go on, have a look,” urged Fletcher, giving me a gentle shove toward the mirror.

Hesitant – I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was all the anticipation – I walked toward the mirror. My reflection startled the living shit out of me. It wasn’t that I didn’t look like me. I did. But I’d never really thought of myself as girly. Never been one of those kids who dressed up like a princess or played ‘weddings’. As such, I’d never seen myself look elegant and ‘voguish’ as Fletcher kept saying.

“I am a genius,” declared Fletcher.

“No humility in you, is there.”

“Radiant and elegant, but also sexy without being distasteful. Happy?”

“I will be when it’s time to go.”

“Then you’ll be delighted to hear that they’re ready when you are,” announced Norm as he entered. He smiled affectionately. “Oh look at you!”

“Gorgeous, isn’t she,” said Fletcher.

Norm kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.” His eyes twinkled as he added, “Jared looks hot as hell, by the way.” That made me more eager to see him.

Fletcher offered me his arm. “Ready?”

Taking a deep breath, I threaded my arm through his and allowed him to lead me out of the bedroom. The female Kejas all showered me with compliments – all of which made me uncomfortable as I simply wasn’t used to them – and wished me good luck. I was going to need it if I had any hope of not tripping in these high-heeled shoes.

Somehow I managed to make it down the stairs without breaking my neck – that might have been a lot to do with having Fletcher on one side of me and Norm on the other. I got a bit of a shock when I stepped out of my apartment building to find all the residents of The Hollow gathered around, smiling. Although most of them wouldn’t be at the ceremony itself, they would be attending the after party.

Feeling awkward about all the attention, I merely waved and returned their smiles as I walked through the path between the hordes. When we finally made it through the front door of Antonio’s mansion, we found him and his guards waiting. Vampires didn’t do the whole ‘giving the bride away’ thing, but for him to escort me to Jared would be a symbol that he approved of, and blessed, the Binding. He gave me a fatherly smile. “Sam, you look—”

“Don’t do it. The compliments are making me uncomfortable.” He didn’t look surprised by my words. I kissed Fletcher on the cheek. “Thanks for everything, you camp sod.”

Fletcher laughed delightedly. “You’re welcome, luv. Now go make him faint.”

Winking at me, Norm followed Fletcher as they hurried down the hallway.

Antonio sighed, shaking his head. “You look almost as edgy as Jared. I will say to you what I have been saying to him for the past few hours. Relax. This is your Binding. Enjoy it.”

“All right Yoda, enough with the wise words; let’s do this.”

Arm in arm, we walked down the hallway and took a right turn when we reached the open doors that led to the bat pool. As we stepped out into the warm night, I gasped. A trail of pink and red rose petals, bordered with tiki torches, marked the walkway to the floral arch on the beach up ahead. Standing there with the Prelate − who was basically a vampire minister − was Jared looking striking, enticing, and absolutely edible in a white open-necked shirt and a tan linen suit.

On either side of the walkway, the guests rose from the chairs that had been adorned in white ruffled covers and aqua bows. All of the guests – even Moaning Marcia – smiled. I could hear all the whispered compliments even from here, and was glad when soft music began to play and drown them out.

When Antonio and I came to the fringe of the beach, I removed my high-heeled shoes and kicked them aside. They wouldn’t get me very far on sand. I was so focused on Jared that I almost didn’t notice the huge object near the walkway. Realising what it was, I gaped. “The Tower of London.” The seven-foot high sand sculpture was so unbelievably detailed, it was absolutely amazing.

“I thought you might like to have a bit of ‘home’ at your ceremony.” Antonio swept a hand, gesturing for me to look around.

When I did, I gasped again. Dotted around the walkway and bordering the chairs were several sand sculptures of London monuments. Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, the 02 Arena, the Royal Albert Hall, Globe Theatre, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Eros Statue.

“A friend of mine has an affinity to sand,” Antonio told me. “He is very difficult to track down, as he is very much a loner. But eventually I managed to find him and I had him create these especially for you. Think of them as my Binding gift to you.”

Surprising him a little, I hugged him. He might be a big, bad, powerful vampire, but he was all squishy on the inside. “Thank you. I love them.”

Locking eyes with Jared, I began to cover the distance left between us. On the way, I caught sight of my squad. They each gave me a beaming grin, and then opened their jackets. Pinned to each of their shirts was a sign that said ‘Run’. Squashing my amused smile, I rolled my eyes at their immaturity. Of course Jared hadn’t missed their little joke and he shot them all a playful scowl that they appeared to find hilarious.

With each step I took toward him, the knot in my stomach went tighter and tighter. Not with dread, but with excitement. It was the same excitement that I could sense in him. Finally reaching him, I placed my hand in the one he offered me, accepting Antonio’s peck on the cheek. The powerful Keja went to sit between Luther and Evan on the front row. My very-soon-to-be-brother-in-law gave me a wink, while Luther gave me a respectful nod.

Turning my attention back to Jared again, I smiled one of those idiotic Barbie-like smiles. I seriously couldn’t stop smiling, and the more I tried to drop it, the wider it got.

You look absolutely stunning, Jared told me.

Ah, bless him. I knew he wasn’t great with compliments. You look absolutely edible.

His grin widened. Ready, we then turned to face the Prelate. Hearing a series of laughs behind us, I swerved around, curious. Fletcher, shaking with laughter, pointed at Jared. It was only then that I realised a piece of paper had been stuck to his back that said ‘Help Me’. No prizes for guessing who was responsible for that − particularly since all ten of them were looking everywhere but at me, even as they laughed.

Snatching it from his blazer, I gestured for Evan to grab it. He quickly came forward and took it, fighting to shrink his smile. It didn’t work. Fighting my own smile, I turned back to the Prelate.

I’ll get the assholes back for that. Jared sounded close to laughing himself.

Just then, the Prelate − who didn’t look impressed − began to speak. Not that I understood a word. What I’d learned from Luther in advance was that the entire thing would be spoken in Latin. Basically, the Prelate said a ritual speech before the vows. Apparently, the general gist was that our death as a human was not the end for us, as vampires, but the beginning of something new; that to find someone to spend our immortal lives with was a special thing that should not be overlooked or taken for granted, but welcomed and valued above all else. It was sort of sweet, actually.

And the great thing about Binding ceremonies – well, great for people like me who didn’t like cheesy stuff − was that you didn’t have to recite a string of vows. After the Prelate asked in Latin if you agreed to love, protect, treasure, comfort, support, laugh with, and forsake all others, in good times and in bad, you simply answered, “ita vero”, which was Latin’s roundabout way of saying ‘yes’.

So Jared and I remained quiet as the Prelate spoke. Despite not understanding him, I was quite enjoying listening to the flow of Latin. When he gestured for Jared and me to join hands, we did as Luther had previously instructed; we joined our palms together and then spread our fingers so that we could thread them through each other’s. Rather than close our fingers, we kept them pointing upwards, so that we had created a ‘V’.

Finally, he then began addressing Jared, who responded, “ita vero”.

Well thank bloody God for that. I wasn’t too proud to say that I’d still had my worries that he might back out.

As if he’d sensed that, he said, Never.

When it came time for me to respond to the Prelate, I said, “ita vero”. I could have been mistaken, but it looked like Jared breathed a sigh of relief.

Only the fact that the Prelate was holding our wrists in place stopped me from wrapping my arms around Jared when his mouth met mine, giving me a drugging kiss followed by a sharp bite to my bottom lip. He took only one sip of blood before pulling back, giving me a chance to return the bite and take a sip of his own blood.

If the Prelate hadn’t still been holding our hands in place, I most likely would have backed away, on guard, when a breeze suddenly began to build around us.

It’s okay, it’s supposed to happen.

It would have been nice if Luther had mentioned this part. Trusting Jared, I remained still and quashed my anxiety. As if that cleared the mental pathway, the psychic connection suddenly snapped into place. I’d expected it to be similar to the link I’d had with my Sire; for Jared to be a small presence in the back of my mind. But it wasn’t like that at all. It was almost like I now had an extra sense, and that sense was totally focused on Jared − on his mood, his welfare, his whereabouts, his emotions, hell, even his vitals.

Pulling me from my musings, heat suddenly spread along my third finger. I had to resist the urge to snatch my hand back at the sensation of someone scraping at the base of my finger with a sharp nail. Then, where a wedding ring might have been, was a black, intricate, beautiful, and almost Celtic-like knot around my finger. The exact same one circled Jared’s ring finger. Touching mine, I realised that although it was much like a tattoo, it was also bumpy. Like brail.

Knots are different for each couple, Jared told me. Yours won’t match anyone’s but mine, and vice versa.

Now I understood why Luther hadn’t told me. He’d known I’d find this kind of nice, and he’d wanted me to have the surprise. Happily accepting Jared’s kiss, I said, I love it.

Good, because it will never come off, never fade, never alter in any way.

As the Prelate then made some sort of gesture, the guests rose from their seats and clapped. Oh. It was over.

“And now for the feast,” announced Antonio.

(Jared)

The Binding feast was taking place in the grand garden of Antonio’s mansion. The numerous tables circled the space that had been designated to be the ‘dance floor’. Seated with Sam and I on what was the main table were Antonio, Evan, Luther, Sebastian, Wes, and Lena. Although the garden had been decorated beautifully with torches, candles, butterfly lights, and a huge banner, I was too distracted by Sam to truly appreciate any of it.

She was absolutely enchanting, and that was nothing to do with her new Keja allure. It was because she was the most amazing creature ever. I’d felt connected to her before, but now I was linked to her on a whole other level. This new sense I had was totally attuned to her and only her. I couldn’t just feel her emotions, I could feel her − her heartbeat, her general mood, her thirst level, her energy level, and − best of all − I’d always know exactly where she was. No one could steal and hide her from me again. Not ever.

When Antonio slowly rose from his chair, champagne flute in hand, all the chattering stopped. “Firstly, I would like to thank you all for coming and celebrating this glorious night with us. I am sure you will all agree with me that the ceremony was beautiful. I felt honoured to be there. These two people are incredibly special in many ways. Both are independent, strong-willed, inspiring characters who I, just like many others here at The Hollow, have grown extremely fond of. And so, I was more than happy to bless their joining. I would ask you all to raise your glasses.”

As they all did, Antonio looked at us. “To Jared and Sam…May you enrich each other’s lives and find happiness everlasting.” After everyone had sipped some of the champagne flavoured NST from their glasses, he added, “I hope you all enjoy the upcoming feast, but before it begins, I wish to hand you over to Evan.”

Oh, great. When my brother stood wearing one of his smirks, I quietly groaned. So did Sam.

“As it is tradition that a friend of the couple gives a little speech, I thought I’d say a few words.” Turning to us, he flashed us a huge grin. “Sam, I have to say you look beautiful. And Jared…well, you look all right, I guess.” Punk.

Evan included all the guests as he continued. “As most of you know, Sam and Jared didn’t get off to a great start. But a lot of duels and whippings later, here they are…still fighting. But I suppose that means that this big step will suit them, because I’ve always thought that Binding was a bit like a war − both sides think they’re right, and neither wants to back down…the only difference is that you’re sleeping with the enemy.”

Rowan thought that was hilarious. Marcia shot her life-partner a dirty look.

“Despite all the duelling, I truly believe that Sam is perfect for Jared. She has a number of qualities that I could list, but what I really love about her is that she makes my brother smile. Not a lot of people can do that. On that thought” − he looked at me, then − “Jared, you’re a lucky bastard. Sam, take pity on him, he’s only eleven.”

I tried not to smile, but unfortunately it didn’t work, particularly since Sam was laughing.

“It’s no secret that Jared is popular with the females, just as it’s no secret that he once enjoyed that. But as it’s clear that he’s utterly devoted to Sam, I think it would be a good idea if those of you who have a key to his apartment now hand it over.”

I gawked as practically every female rose and came to the main table to place a key in the glass bowl that Evan was holding up. I could feel that Sam was irritated, but when Fletcher skipped over and put a key in the bowl, she realised that Evan was just pissing around and had obviously handed out keys earlier. Laughing, she discretely flipped Evan the finger. I scowled at the jerk.

Once everyone was seated again, Evan smiled at us. “I don’t think I’m in the best position to give either of you any advice since I haven’t yet Bound myself to anyone, but just think of it as a football game: there’ll be a lot of shouting, balls are going to get manhandled, and there’ll be some hard tackles…but if you keep at it and try real hard, there’ll also be smiles and a whole lot of scoring.” Nodding, he then sat again on the seat beside mine as everyone clapped.

“I could hit you for the key stunt,” I told him. He just laughed.

And so the lavish feast began. Rum-flavoured NSTs were passed around as course after course was served − all of which were delicious − while the same band from the yacht played a variety of songs that covered all genres. I had to agree with Sam; Fletcher had most likely chosen the music once again. Most people got up to dance. Chico and Jude danced together a few times, which drew eyes. Sam got up dancing several times but would sit her ass back down the second a ballad started – still not a fan of slow dancing. She was therefore grateful that Binding ceremonies didn’t include a ‘first dance’ like weddings did.

Dancing not far from her were my brother and one of Bran’s consorts − or ‘pretend’ consorts – Alora. As usual for whenever he was close, the redhead slightly resembled a flighty deer. I literally had no idea what her problem was. I’d seen the way she looked at him, seen the deadly looks she had shot any females who went near him. It took a lot to not go over there and ask what had crawled up her ass and died.

The moment the song ended, she scampered. I couldn’t help chuckling. Nor could Evan, who then made his way to me.

“Not so smooth anymore, are you?” I joked.

“Or maybe I’m too smooth and it’s making her flustered.”

“Have you told her about Luther’s vision; that she was in it with you?”

He shook his head. “That would spook her out and send her running.”

“She looks close to running anyway.”

“She has her reasons.”

“And you’re not going to tell me what they are,” I quickly realised.

“Another time,” he promised. “This is your Binding. This is about you and that stunning woman over there who David is drooling over.”

Yeah, I’d noticed that, and I had every intention of whisking her away any second now. I knew from experience that Binding celebrations could go on past dawn and I wanted some time alone with her.

I squeezed my way through the crowds to where she was dancing with David and tapped him on the shoulder. I didn’t have to say a word; he instantly handed her over to me, congratulating us once more.

Pulling her close, I kissed her softly. “Ready to leave yet?”

Smiling, she arched a brow. “Anxious to get me out of this dress?”

“Actually, I’m totally fine with you leaving it on while I bury myself inside you.” I’d been imagining doing that all night long. “Come on, let’s go. I want you all to myself.”

“But we’ll miss all the fireworks.”

“I’ll make you come so hard you’ll see plenty of fireworks.”

“Cocky bastard. Okay, let me just tell—”

“No, trust me, you don’t want to tell anyone.” I began leading her to one of the darkened corners.

“Why?”

“Because it’s tradition for the guests to then line up for the newly Bound couple to shake their hand.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

“Yes, because all the guys will kiss you, and all the women will kiss me; it’s an age-old thing that, dumb as it is, people still do − it’s supposed to get the blood running.” The only thing it would do was piss me off and make me contemplate who to kill first.

Her smile fell. “You’re right, then; I don’t want to tell anyone. Let’s just sneak away. But first…there’s a little someone I’d like to see.”

I didn’t need to ask who she was talking about. “We can do that tomorrow.”

“You want her gone, don’t you? If we do this now, you won’t have to spend one more second worrying about her. We can start our life as a Bonded couple without there being any loose ends that need tying up. She’ll be gone from our lives for good. Then we can concentrate on enjoying this night.”

Well, when she put it like that...“Okay, let’s go.”

“Wait, where’s Evan?”

I frowned. “Evan?”

“He’s still linked to her, remember. We need Chico to use his darts to put him unconscious for a while. That should help him skip the pain.”

Nodding, I led her to where Evan stood, laughing with a dark-haired Keja female – and being scowled at by Alora for it, who was sat with Bran not far away. “Magda,” was all I needed to say for him to understand.

“Sorry to ask you to leave the party early,” said Sam, “but we’d like to get this part over with.”

Evan held up his hand, smiling. “Hey, it’s okay. I want her dead as much as you both do. I want my link to her gone for good. That’s better than any party could be.”

“One of Chico’s darts will put you unconscious until it’s over.”

Evan kissed Sam on the cheek, still smiling. “Make it painful.” He then patted me on the back and headed for Chico.

Taking Sam’s hands, I teleported us to the main door of the containment cells beneath the large mansion. One of the guards slid open the door’s small window, saw it was us, and opened the door wide. Having exchanged nods with him, Sam and I followed Magda’s scent as we walked down the row of cells – all of which were constructed of unbreakable glass thanks to one of the vampires within the legion who had an affinity to glass and could shape and manipulate it.

Some of the cells were empty, and some contained weary looking vampires who clearly knew this was the end for them. Eventually we reached Magda’s cell. She was curled up on the floor, shaking, panting, sweating, and moaning. Brook was in the neighbouring cell, also huddled on the ground as Magda’s pain tormented him through their link.

Obviously having sensed us, she opened her eyes.

Sam smiled pleasantly. “Hurts like fuck, doesn’t it?”

“Fuck you, bitch,” hissed Magda, glaring at Sam with utter hatred in her bloodshot eyes.

“I’d like to call you the same thing, but you don’t have warmth and character.”

Magda’s eyes shot to me and there was a plea for mercy in them. Was she for real? When I snorted, she slid her gaze back to Sam, curling her upper lip. “He still cares for me.”

Sam cocked her head. “Not getting tired of this?”

“He’ll always care for me. He still feels linked to me.”

“No he doesn’t, silly.” The mock pity on Sam’s face almost made me laugh. She held up her hand, admiring the knot on her finger. Magda’s eyes honed in on it, and her face quickly twisted into a hideous scowl. “I did warn you that you’d lose the long-term fight, Magda. All you had to do was let it go. That would have been the fair thing to do for Jared, considering you owe him big time. And you would have escaped this agony that you’re in now. Such a silly girl.”

Magda growled. “Just you remember he was mine first. He loved me first. I’m the one who made him.”

“Yes, you did make him. And as much as I’m grateful to have him, it seems that I actually have enough goodness in me to wish that you hadn’t taken his human life from him. Jared and Evan – they both deserved to live long happy, human lives. And Magda, you deserve to die. That’s right, I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you, and no one will fucking care. But on a lighter note, you won’t have to endure that pain much longer. You should thank me for putting you out of your misery. Ordinarily I wouldn’t put a dog down.”

“Jared,” she moaned. “How can you let her do this to me!”

“Very easily, actually. As if it’s not enough that you Turned my brother against his will, you toyed with me and betrayed me and manipulated me into letting you Turn me. Worse than all of that, not only did you put the woman I love through a serious amount of pain, you later kidnapped her and handed her over to those fuckers. Why you’re expecting any mercy is beyond me.”

Magda’s expression quickly turned cold. “Then I hope you both rot in hell.”

“But that would mean meeting you again. I’d rather not.”

Sam stepped forward at the same time as she conjured a large energy beam and began twirling it around like it was a baton. “A small part of me is going to miss you. You know how dear you are to me.” She held it up, ready to aim. “Prepare to become a believer.” And then she threw the beam, which buried itself into Magda’s stomach. She screamed and shook and writhed before eventually bursting into ashes.

I turned to Sam. “Feel better?”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Yes.” Her gaze then went to a screaming Brook, who was clearly feeling the effects of his link with Magda being severed.

“I’ll take care of this one.” Not particularly because I felt the need to put him out of his misery, but because the little bastard had played a part in taking Sam from me. That wasn’t something I could forgive. So I raised my hand and watched in satisfaction as the electricity streaming out of my fingertips made his body spasm and shake until, finally, he was ashes.

Sam exhaled heavily. “I think we both got closure, didn’t we?”

I nodded. Now that everyone who had hurt her and tried to steal her from me was dead, it was like a saddle of anxiety and fear had been lifted from my shoulders. I could breathe properly again, and suddenly the air seemed fresher. I didn’t have to worry that she would suddenly fold over in pain or lose control of her gifts or have an attack of bloodlust. It was over; my mind didn’t need to have room for anything other than how much I would enjoy claiming her tonight. “Now can we go home?”

When she nodded, I took her hand and teleported her to our apartment. Standing in our bedroom, we both gasped at the sight of the rose petals on the bed and the large bottles of champagne-flavoured NSTs on the bedside table. There was even a tray of strawberries and nibbles. Presumably, Fletcher had arranged for someone to bring them up for us.

I brushed my lips against Sam’s as I freed her hair from the pins, wanting to scrunch it in my hands. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not hungry for that kind of food.”

In answer, she fused her lips to mine. I opened for her, like I knew she wanted me to. Her tongue swept inside, stroking mine, and sending that familiar fire through us both. I shrugged off my blazer as she tackled the buttons of my shirt. Halfway through the unbuttoning, she impatiently yanked it open and whipped it off me. Raking her nails down my chest, she sucked hard on my tongue. Little witch.

Giving in to the need to take control, to take what was mine, I made the kiss my own. Quickly, it became raw, primal, and hungry. Our psychic link made it all even more intense. I felt as her heartbeat sped up, felt as her thirst level increased, felt as arousal zoomed through her. I growled into her mouth, needing her more in that moment than I ever had before.

She cried out as I suddenly freed her mouth and bit down hard at the crook of her neck. Her hand held my head in place as I drank from her, drowning in the syrupy punch to her blood. I hadn’t had the chance to take all that much, however, because I was abruptly shoved onto the bed. And shoved hard so that I was lying on the bed with only the bottom half of my legs hanging off it. Not that I found that a problem.

Kneeling above me, she leaned over and brought her mouth down hard on mine as her hands took care of my zipper. “Stay.”

Like I was going to move when I knew what was coming. Anything she ever did to me felt amazing purely because it was her, but damn she was good at this.

Keeping her eyes locked with mine, she slid down the bed until her mouth was level with my cock − which, of course, was standing at attention, and had been all night. Propping myself up on my elbows, I watched – totally entranced – as she ran her tongue from base to tip, licking up the drop of pre-come from the head. She retraced her path but didn’t stop at the base. Instead, her tongue continued downwards. Then she was licking and sucking on my balls, making me wait for what I wanted most…because she was a wicked minx like that.

Then she went back to licking my cock, swirling her tongue around the head and occasionally grazing it lightly with her teeth. Impatient, I bucked a little, hinting at her to stop teasing me. I thought she might ignore me since I always teased her, but apparently she was prepared to take pity on me. Tilting her head back, she sucked the surrounding energy into her mouth and exhaled a small flame of fire, heating her mouth the way I liked it. And then she swallowed half of me. Son of a bitch.

I knotted a hand in her hair. “Just like that, baby. God, I love your mouth.” Harder and harder she sucked, taking more and more of me. “That’s it, suck me deep.”

She ran her tongue along the underside each time, sometimes pausing to dance her tongue around me. It was almost frightening that she knew every little thing I liked, knew exactly what buttons to push and just where all those buttons were.

And now her mouth was fully impaled on my cock. Christ. The picture she made right there like that was too much. I was going to come and I knew it. Seemingly so did Sam, because she gently bit the head of my cock. The effect of her Sventé saliva combined with the hard suction of her mouth made me feel like my entire cock would explode. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, Sam.” Unable to help it, I started lifting my hips and fucking her mouth. Groaning, I came seconds later, loving that she swallowed every single drop.

Although it felt as though she’d wrung every bit of energy from me, I wasn’t about to lie back while I recovered. No, she deserved a reward for that.

(Sam)

I was kind of surprised to suddenly find myself on my back while Jared scooped my breasts out of my dress. But I wasn’t about to complain. A gasp flew out of me as he latched on to one of my nipples, sucking and tugging on it with his teeth. I ran my fingers through his hair, moaning as he pretty much tortured my breasts, constantly switching his mouth from one to the other.

I arched into his hand as it snaked down my stomach and reached to grab the end of my dress. Still focused on my nipples, he bunched the dress up around my upper thighs. Then he placed his hand on the inside of my knee and began skimming upwards. A millisecond later, he froze. Knowing why, I smiled. Almost instantly, he was standing upright, shoving the dress further up, and gazing down at the white stockings and suspenders. Seeing the scorching heat in his eyes, I was glad that Fletcher had talked me into wearing them.

“I have a dilemma,” he announced in a deep, throaty voice, swallowing hard.

Confused, I lifted a brow. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“Well, I want that thong out of my way, but I don’t want to take off the suspenders.” He placed his hands on the inside of my thighs and skimmed his way along the silk until he found skin. He sighed. “There’s only one thing for it. I’m going to have to tear it off.”

Before I could protest, the thong was in two pieces on the carpet. And his tongue was flicking my clit. To tell the truth, I hated this as much as I loved it. The thing with Jared was that he was a bloody expert at teasing me until I couldn’t talk, and as much as all the sensations always felt amazing, I didn’t like to wait long to have him inside me. By the almost casual way he was toying with my clit, I suspected he’d be there for a while.

I was right. It could have been over an hour later that I was still writhing on the bed, practically shaking with the need to come, as his tongue licked and marked and fucked me. Oh that wasn’t all. He’d bit the inside of my thigh, electrocuted my g-spot, and occasionally fucked me with his fingers. But not once had he let me come, and now I needed more than his tongue and fingers. Several times I’d attempted to shove his head away, but each attempt had been unsuccessful − he’d known in advance that I’d struggle, and he’d prepared himself for it.

“Jared, I really can’t take anymore.” Not that I hadn’t already told him this. Multiple times, in fact.

“I like tasting you.”

I pulled hard on his hair, trying once again to dislodge him. No success. “I want to be fucked!”

“I know.”

A swirl of his tongue inside me made me gasp. That was it, I’d had enough. I literally pummelled his back with my fists. He actually laughed.

“You want to be fucked that bad, baby?”

“Yes.” That had come out sounding almost animalistic.

He forced a long-suffering sigh. “Oh all right.” The cheeky little shit.

Finding himself abruptly on his back on the bed with me kneeling above him, he double-blinked in surprise. A wide smile spread across his face, and he looked way too smug for my liking. When I curled my hand tight around his dick, that smug smile melted away and became a look of pure heat. He grunted as I pumped him, teasing him. But although it would be satisfying to put him through similar suffering, I needed to come too badly.

Positioning myself above his cock, I began to sink down on him. I moaned at the feeling of being stretched and filled, at the familiar burn. I could feel Jared’s tension, his need, his thirst, and how he was relishing every sensation as I continued to lower myself on him. When I’d finally taken every inch, I took a second to simply enjoy and revel in that full feeling.

Jared’s eyes were smouldering when they gazed up at me, but there was also something akin to awe there. I swivelled my hips, and he groaned through his teeth.

“Shit, baby.”

I did it again, and that seemed to have been too much for him. His hands landed on my hips, and then he was slamming me down on him while repeatedly bucking his hips, punching his cock in and out of me. I tried prying his hands away, wanting to ride him, but he shook his head.

“You wanted to be fucked, baby. Now you’re going to get fucked.”

And then I was on my back again. This time, my legs were hooked over his shoulders and his upper body was curled over mine as he ruthlessly rammed in and out of me. The position meant his thrusts were deliciously deep − which was what he wanted, I could sense. He wanted to be as deep inside me as he could possibly go, wanted to come deeper inside me than he ever had before.

So close to climaxing, I was literally clawing at his back. “Jared, I’m going to come.”

“I know, baby. Do it. I want to feel it. I want to watch you come.”

Seconds later, a devastating climax crashed into me and a scream erupted from my throat. Rearing up, I bit into the crook of his neck.

“Fuck.” Holding himself deep, he exploded inside me, groaning my name. As if to ring out every bit of his come, he rocked a few times before finally lowering my legs and slumping. Still shaking with the reverberations, we tipped onto our sides.

When I could finally open my eyes, I found Jared gazing admiringly at the knot on my finger. I took his right hand and examined his matching brail-like tattoo.

Jared smiled. “Cool, isn’t it?”

I shivered when he lightly touched the knot, surprised by the small tingling sensation. “And it’ll never fade?”

“No. No matter what, it stays.”

Those words should have comforted me, shouldn’t they? I should have found the ‘no matter what’ reassuring. Instead, I found myself thinking about the downside of that.

His words were gentle. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“You’ll just tell me I’m being daft.”

“You probably are.” He merely chuckled when I slapped his arm. “No, seriously, tell me.”

Admit a fear? Not my style. But this was the person who I was Bound to, and that made things different, didn’t it? “It scares me that if you ever stopped loving me, or if you felt something for someone else, I’d literally be able to feel it.”

He looked at me as if he did, in fact, think I was daft. “Seriously, baby, how could you think that either of those things would ever happen? Is it because I don’t tell you I love you a lot? It’s not because I don’t.”

I was about to say no, but he didn’t give me a chance.

“It is that, isn’t it? Sam, I know I’m not good at giving compliments and telling you what I’m feeling and stuff, but—”

“No it’s okay,” I insisted. “You don’t have to shower me with pretty words. I don’t even like them.”

“Tough, you’re about to hear some. I’ll tell you what you are to me.” He kissed along my neck as he spoke. “You’re strong. Talented. Determined. Wilful. Gorgeous. Intelligent. Tenacious. Capable. A good friend. A good mentor. A good leader. You have the biggest heart. And you’re mine – whether you like it or not. My crazy, stubborn, homicidal bitch.”

I could tell that he meant every word, which left me totally mystified. “You really see me like that? I mean, the latter part I fully agree with. But all the other stuff…You really think that?”

He looked at me wearing an incredulous expression. “Wait a minute, I’ve just pushed past my difficulty with giving compliments, and you don’t even believe me? Oh the irony.”

“It’s not that I think you’re lying,” I chuckled. “I’m just surprised that that’s how you see me.”

“Well that’s exactly how I see you.” He brushed my lips with his. “I love every inch of you. It’s why I get angry with you when you’re hurt and I threaten to strap you to the bed – unfortunately, you like that, so the punishment isn’t a success.”

“It’s not like I get hurt on purpose.”

Hazel eyes pierced mine. “Doesn’t matter. I need you to be safe, and well, and here with me. Always.”

I nodded. “Always.”

“No matter what.”

“No matter what.”