Embrace The Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #2)(105)

Her stomach clenched as she studied the sheer beauty of his face.

"If you bite me, I'll never last," she said.

The dark eyes shimmered with pure male satisfaction. She couldn't help but chuckle. He might be a vampire, but there was plenty of testosterone flowing through his body.

She gave a slow nod and gasped as his fangs sank deep into her flesh. Her gasp wasn't from pain. It was pure joy.

Grasping the covers beneath her, Shay rasped in a deep breath as she felt him feed deeply from her body. With every suck, her body writhed in building pleasure. He was touching nothing but her leg but her breath was coming in small pants, and her lower body was clenching with a familiar pressure.

She knew better than to fight the rapidly building climax.

It was as inevitable as a wave crashing against the shore.

"Viper."

Reaching down she tangled her fingers in his hair as the explosion rocked through her body.

Holy... freaking.., cow. Stars shot before her eyes. The earth moved. Time halted.

It was as it always was. Perfect.

Even if she lived an eternity she would never become accustomed to the sheer power of their passions.

With a heartfelt groan she sank into the mattress and with a smooth motion Viper was lifting himself and sliding into her with a fierce thrust.

She clutched at his shoulders, wrapping her legs about his waist as he rode her with swift strokes, his steady motion quickly reigniting her own desire.

"I love you, pet," he rasped as her nails raked down his back. "I love every beautiful inch of you."

Shay smiled as his soft words brushed her cheek. Who would have thought that she would ever hold a vampire in her arms? Or give him the heart she had thought buried forever?

And who would have thought that she would ever come to accept that being half Shalott and half human was a rather wonderful thing to be?

Tightening her grasp on the man who had so profoundly changed her life, Shay allowed the sweeping pleasure to reach its climax just as Viper gave a rasping cry and buried himself deeply inside her.

He collapsed beside her and tugged her into his arms, his lips brushing her tangled curls.

"Sorry about your new nightgown, pet," he murmured.

He didn't sound a bit sorry, she ruefully acknowledged glancing toward the satin gown that had been ripped beyond repair. In fact he sounded positively pleased with himself.

"Don't worry about it." She snuggled more comfortably against him. "I can always go shopping again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" His arms tightened. "You do know that there's a most wonderful invention. It's called online shopping..."

Waiting until Shay tumbled into sleep Viper carefully untangled from her arms and slipped on his robe. A smile touched his face as he gazed down at the slender woman who had managed to become the most important thing in the world to him.

Even after weeks of having her in his bed he still found himself waking with a tiny jolt of delight to discover her in his arms.

He had never been so utterly at peace or content in his entire existence, and yet there was a nagging ache that he couldn't completely put out of his mind.

Moving toward the window Viper stared into the dark. Among the trees he could sense Santiago and the other young vampires who diligently patrolled the grounds. The threat to Shay was over, but his position as clan chief ensured that he never took his security for granted.

There would be no more nasty surprises if he could help it.

Lost in his thoughts Viper was caught off guard when a sol voice suddenly intruded into the silence.

"You should go to him, you know."

Turning toward the woman on the bed he gave a lift of brows. "I thought you were asleep."

Shay smiled lazily, looking entirely too inviting lying naked on the golden cover with her hair spread like a curtain of satin around her.

"Viper, go to him."

"Go to who?" he demanded as he began to walk toward the bed. His body was already responding to the sight of her. He might be technically dead, but he wasn't buried.

A naked woman in his bed was an opportunity not to be missed.

"Styx."

He halted in astonishment. "How did you know?"

"I'm not just another pretty face."

He allowed his gaze to slowly drift over her exposed curves. "Oh, I'm well aware of that," he huffed. "Still, I didn't know you could read minds."

A charming blush touched her cheeks as she tugged the cover over her body. Viper heaved a rueful sigh. Damn. It was a near sin to cover such beauty.

"It doesn't take much skill to realize that you have been troubled since we left the caves," she said. "And that you must hold regrets for what happened there."

Viper grimaced. This woman was beginning to know him far too well.

"It was by my hand that the leader of the vampires is now dead. Styx must take command if we are not to tumble into chaos."

She frowned. "Do you think he will?"

He gave a slow shake of his head. Like all vampires Styx could be stubborn, arrogant, and inclined to retreat within himself when he was troubled.

If he concluded that he was to blame for the Anasso's death, or that he was somehow unsuitable to take command, he would disappear into the mist and no one would be able to find him.

That couldn't be allowed to happen.