Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)(25)

Murmuring encouragements in his ancient language, he abruptly grabbed the neckline of her T-shirt and with one jerk had it ripped from her body.

Her lips parted in protest, but before she could punish him with her sharp-edged tongue, he loosened a trickle of his power as his fingers cupped the soft curve of her breast.

She gasped as she bucked in helpless pleasure, her beautiful eyes wide with shock.

“What the hell was that?” she breathed.

He smiled. He had several specialized talents. His kick-ass hunting skills. His raw strength. His cunning. And a rare ability to concentrate his power until it was just on the right side of pleasure as it raced through his partner.

He shifted over her, his tongue outlining the lush curve of her lips.

“I do have talents beyond killing, my sweet.”

“Oh.”

Her eyes fluttered shut as he crushed her lips in a kiss of utter possession. Tane groaned as he tasted her sweet fire, struck by an odd regret that they were in a damp dungeon rather than surrounded by the elegant luxury Laylah deserved.

She should be stretched across satin sheets with velvet pillows beneath her head and champagne spilled across that magnificent ivory skin.

Later, he silently promised himself, completely ignoring the fact the only plans he should be making for the future was turning the renegade female over to the Commission.

He was a vampire in lust.

He wasn’t supposed to be thinking clearly.

Plundering her parted lips over and over, he teased her nipple with the pad of his thumb, his c**k pressed against her slender hip.

“Again?” he murmured.

She shivered in anticipation. “Yes.”

With care he released a flare of power, covering her mouth with a fierce kiss as she cried out in passion. He growled in warning as she squirmed against him, rubbing his erection and threatening to hurry matters along in a quicker pace than he’d anticipated.

“Laylah.”

With an effort he gentled his kiss, his hands skimming down the dip of her waist and the flare of her hip. His fingers curled into her soft flesh, attempting to hold her still. Holy shit. Who would’ve thought after so many centuries a tiny mongrel could threaten to unman him?

His lips swept over her cheek, tasting her perfect skin with a slow appreciation. His tongue traced the outline of her ear, nipping the lobe before seeking the tiny hollow below. She felt perfect in his arms. Slender, but with a hidden strength that made him throb in painful anticipation.

Already he could imagine her legs wrapped around his waist, holding him prisoner as he drove deep into her willing body, sending them both to paradise.

His fangs scraped over her shoulder, sharply reminding him that he had more than one hunger he ached to satisfy.

Not yet, a voice cautioned from the back of his mind. Feeding during sex was an intimacy that took absolute trust.

Something sadly lacking as far as Laylah was concerned.

With a groan he resisted the compulsion to slide his fangs through the silken skin, and instead shifted to suck one of her straining ni**les between his lips, using his tongue to make her arch and moan in rising passion.

He would eventually have the sweet taste of her blood on his tongue.

Until then, he could sate at least one craving.

Using the tip of his tongue to circle her tightly budded nipple, Tane allowed his fingers to loosen their grip on her hip and stroked down her thigh. He shuddered as she readily parted her legs, allowing him full access. She was already wet and slick, in preparation of his entry.

Thank the gods.

On the point of rolling her onto her back so he could mount her, Tane was caught by surprise when he instead found himself being shoved backward with Laylah straddling him.

“Dammit,” she muttered, her spiked hair a crimson halo about her beautiful face and her eyes smoldering with a savage desire. “Let’s do this.”

He studied flushed cheeks with a narrowed gaze.

His body was screaming with outright approval at her wicked impatience. He rarely bedded aggressive women, but the sight of Laylah perched naked above him, her firm br**sts within easy reach of his mouth and the entrance to her body pressed tantalizingly against his fully aroused cock, was enough to make him grit his teeth against the looming climax.

The slightest shift and this would be a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of deal.

“Easy, my sweet,” he coaxed, his fingers cupping her ass as she squirmed against him.

“Easy?” She glared into his tightly clenched expression. “Do you know how long it’s been for me?”

He frowned, something primitive and possessive stirring deep inside him. He didn’t recognize the emotion, but it violently protested the thought of any hand but his touching this woman.

“The cur?” he demanded. He’d intended to leave Caine for Salvatore to kill, but if he’d had his hands on Laylah, then he would drain the bastard himself.

“A convenient partner in crime, but not in bed.” She shivered, her breath coming in tiny pants. “God, I … ache.”

His fingers tightened on her hips. “Hold on.”

She frowned with impatience. “What?”

“You’re not going to pretend you want me just because you’ve been going through a dry spell.”

“What’s wrong, Tane?” she taunted. “Did I hurt your fragile ego?”