Damek inhaled the sweet, rich scent of Sonia’s blood and his fangs punched out of his gums, elongating and aching to sink into her silky flesh. But that wasn’t going to happen. This wasn’t about him feeding but about healing her, using the power in his body to ease her injury and make her well.
Her hand on the back of his head guided him closer. He closed his eyes and touched his tongue to the trail of blood dribbling down her arm. The injury was an abomination, one he was about to make disappear.
The first drop of her blood zinged through his body like a mind-altering drug. The next drop hit him with the force of a tsunami. He dragged his tongue slowly up to the gash and over it, drawing every drop of her precious blood into his mouth. Oh, it was sweet and spicy and tasted unlike any blood he’d ever sampled.
His cock shot to attention, hard as a spike and ready. He wanted to sweep her into his arms, carry her to his bed and take her again and again until his lust for her was sated. That, he feared, would take a very, very long time. Truthfully, he didn’t think his desire for her would ever be slaked.
He could hear her heart fluttering and her pulse pounding, both with fear and longing. He trailed his tongue back down the knife wound, making certain it was sealed and healing. Within a day, the scar would fade and there would be no physical memory of this night. Her skin would be flawless once again.
With that in mind, he glided his tongue over her shoulder up to her neck where the scratch from the knife-edge was puckered and red. His teeth grazed her skin and she moaned, her fingers clutching at his head, pulling him closer.
He knew the seduction of the vampire, the pheromones he was secreting that allowed all vampires to draw prey to them without resistance. Even without mind control, he could make her want him, make her want to follow the heat filling her until it took them down into a sea of passion. But he wouldn’t. He’d promised her he would do nothing but heal her, and he’d given his word.
This had to be hell, punishment for every wrong he’d ever committed in the long centuries of his life. To have Sonia so close but to be unable to take her was the punishment of the damned.
He forced himself to trace the scrape on her neck, ignoring the flutter of her pulse and the way the lavender silk and lace encased her truly exceptional breasts. No, he shouldn’t notice the way her nipples pebbled against the fragile fabric, but he did. He shouldn’t acknowledge the musky scent of arousal wafting up from her sex, but it was impossible not to.
He pulled away, bracing his hands on the edge of the cold marble counter, letting the flavor of her blood slide down his throat and into his body. He paused and licked his lips. There was something different about her blood, something not quite right.
He wanted more, wanted to discover what it was about it that bothered him.
“Damek.”
He swallowed hard and raised his head, unable to keep his desire for her secret. His cock pressed against the zipper of his pants, his biceps strained against the sleeves of his shirt. His eyes were tinged with lust and his fangs were prominently displayed.
“Thank you.” Sonia moved her arm, turning it one way and then another. “It’s stopped bleeding and barely hurts at all.”
“Even the scar will be gone within a day or so,” he told her. He didn’t want her to worry about having a permanent reminder of the attack.
“Really? That’s amazing.”
She reached for him but he pulled back. “Don’t.”
Sonia frowned at him, concern filling her gaze. “Why not?”
He pushed away from the counter and took a step back when all he wanted to do was yank her into his arms. The power he’d expended early this evening with the vampire hunter left him vulnerable to Sonia, weakening his resolve. It would be so easy to rip away her clothing, drive himself into her moist heat and sink his fangs into her slender neck, tasting her blood, taking all he needed to replenish himself.
But he wouldn’t. He had bags of blood out in the refrigerator and that cold, almost lifeless substitute would have to do. The beast inside him raged even as the man clamped down on him, chaining the animal roaring inside him.
“It’s not safe for you.”
“I don’t understand.” She frowned at him and he longed to rub his finger over the lines between her brows, to soothe away her concerns, even as lust goaded him to act, to take, to claim what was his.
His temper tipped over the edge. How could she be so obtuse? Couldn’t she see how much she was torturing him?
“What’s not to understand?” He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his rather large erection. “I want you and you want me. It’s a byproduct of my tasting your blood, nothing more.”
He was such a liar. It was so much more, at least to him. Secrets and all, he wanted Sonia until it was a madness within his body, his very soul. He should wipe her memories and send her away for both their sakes. Nothing could come of their being together but heartache and danger. He wanted neither for her.
He wanted Sonia safe and happy.
He’d wanted the same for Elizabetta all those years ago, but what he’d felt for her was nothing compared to the emotions slamming him now. Sonia could be his downfall if he allowed himself to get any closer. She was already a weakness that could be used against him.
It went against the centuries-old code he’d lived by to allow a weakness into his life. Whatever you valued could be taken from you and, given enough time, the hunters always found the weak spot.
“You should go.” It was the best thing for both of them even if it did feel as though he was cutting out his heart.
Sonia eased off the counter and put her hand on his chest over the place where his heart still rested. She probably wouldn’t feel it beat. It beat only when he was aroused or after he’d fed, as his system redistributed the blood he needed to survive. But even then, it was faint, the pulses spaced far apart. His heart could go hours or days without beating at all. It didn’t matter to his everyday existence if it beat or not. To her it would seem as though the organ was useless. Dead. Like him.
Sonia shook her head. “No, it’s not just because you tasted my blood. I’ve wanted you from the first moment I laid eyes on you in your club. No, that’s not quite true.” She gave him a smile that was tinged with sadness and deep understanding. “I wanted you from the moment I saw your grainy picture in that paper even though I couldn’t really make out much more than your body shape. I wanted you before I knew who and what you were.”
“And now? Now that you know exactly what I am?” Every muscle in his body tensed, waiting for her reply. She had no idea of the peril she was in. If he took her, he knew in his black soul he’d never let her go.
She slid her hand up to cup his cheek and took a step closer. Her silk-covered breasts brushed his chest in a teasing caress that made his erection flex to get closer to her heat.
“Now, I want you more.”
Chapter Eleven
Sonia knew she was playing with fire, but she didn’t care. She’d almost died tonight, would have if Damek hadn’t rescued her from her attacker. Maybe it was stupid of her even to contemplate having sex with a vampire. She had no idea what that meant to them, if they had sex all the time or if it was special. But she didn’t care. She’d told him the truth. She’d wanted him from the moment she’d seen the blurred picture of him and learned his name.
He was here, in front of her, and he obviously wanted her, if the erection pressing against her belly was any indication. Would he want to bite her during sex? Take her blood?
She had no idea, but found the idea more of a turn-on than a deterrent.
Damek stared down at her with red flames of desire flickering in his dark eyes. He seemed so alone, so separate from the world. She wanted to grab on to him and anchor him to her, assure him that she wouldn’t leave him.