Sunset to Sunrise (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7.5)(17)

Willow was still staring at me, awaiting my response. So I decided to be honest. “I want to let it happen.”

He seemed to weigh my words, considering them carefully. “But you won’t.”

Or maybe not so carefully. “I might.”

He turned back to his booze then, a chuckle shook his shoulders. “Who are you trying to convince? I’ve been where you are. I know the hell of forbidden love. The urge to take the selfish route, it’s just a way to cover the pain. Beneath it all, you know you’d do anything for her, no matter what it cost you.” Well that explained why Willow spent night after night in a desperate attempt to numb out.

I wasn’t ready to have this conversation with him or anyone else. Escaping between the legs of the blue haired vixen was all I wanted to do. “Discussing my forbidden feelings for Alexa doesn’t strike me as a great way to end the night.” Something about Willow encouraged me to talk, to spill everything that had been building up inside me over the past year. “The only time I’m free of her is when I kill. And even then, she’s not far from my mind. It’s driving me mad, and I can’t take it anymore.”

I don’t know why I said that. It had been my intent to end the conversation and walk away. Still, when Willow nodded as if he understood in his own way, I felt a little less alone.

“She cares so much for you,” he said. “Alexa is so young yet and dealing with so much. She’s going to need you.”

So much for making me feel better. That was my cue to leave. “And I need a shot of that sexy thing over there. So I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Hey, Kale, let me know if you need a hand with those vampires. I’d be happy to back you up. You know, when you decide to do the right thing.” Willow smirked and turned his back on me, leaving me to mull that over. Cheeky bastard.

There was just one thing on my mind. The hunt. I glided through the sex-charged room with my sights set on my prey. In her I would find freedom… for a little while.

Chapter Five

She said her name was Lily. It sounded fake to me, but what did I care? In a liquored haze, she slipped into my arms and laughed. Lily wasn’t new here. She knew how this worked. That made my job much easier.

We blended in with the rest of the crowd, becoming just one more couple caught in the throes of passion and pleasure. With a playful glint in her eyes, she backed me up against the wall and descended to her knees before me.

I groaned when she took me into her mouth. Running my hands through her hair, I watched the brilliant blue strands slide between my fingers. She was skilled, working me with her mouth until I thought I might crumble.

A wicked chuckle racked me as I surveyed the room. The scent of blood joined with the musky aromas of sweat and sex, creating a smell that would drive even the most tightly restrained vampire wild. I basked in the freely exuded energies of those around us, both human and vampire. It was reaching a dangerous level. The lesser vampires would be feeling this high for days.

I took a few minutes to enjoy watching Lily’s pretty mouth on me. It took great strength to keep from climaxing. I wasn’t ready for that yet. First, she had to bleed.

“Come on,” I said, pulling her up. “Let’s go to my room.”

She squealed girlishly and protested, wanting to stay at the party with everyone else. For what I wanted to do with her, I preferred to have no witnesses. I pulled her along, through the club to the back hall where we seemed to step from one world to another. The loud music and noise became muffled. The hall itself was relatively quiet though it burned with hunger and desire. Every room was occupied. The occasional shout or scream rang out, and my impatience grew.

No sooner had I closed the door to my room behind us than she was getting naked. I removed my jacket and shirt before pushing her down on the edge of the bed. I knelt before her and sought out the warm place between her thighs. It was ridiculously easy to please her. In no time, she was mewling like a cat in heat.

She grabbed my hair, pulling just enough to hurt. I didn’t let up, even when she begged me to. I forced her to orgasm, stopping only when I felt her body convulse. The sensual energy was delicious, but it wasn’t enough for me. I craved more. I craved fear.

Without waiting for her to come down from the climactic moment, I bit hard and fast into her inner thigh. A fount of blood emerged from her creamy white skin to stain the bedding.

I sucked hard on the wound, reveling in her shocked gasp. To encourage the unease I sensed in her, I bit her again, this time targeting the other thigh.

“What the f*ck?” She slurred drunkenly. “I wasn’t ready for that. I only do wrists.”

Grasping her hand, I bit her wrist, watching the blood well from the vein. “You’ll do whatever the hell I want you to do.”

That was all it took. She began to struggle then. Confused and uncoordinated, Lily lashed out. She managed to slap me a few times before I caught her wrists. Forcing her back down on the bed, I hovered over her wearing a smile so wide it almost hurt my face.

“Please, stop,” Lily shrieked. “I change my mind. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Her fear fed my greatest hunger. I needed my victims to fear me. Even those I left alive. Their terror brought me the greatest joy.

“Too late. You’re mine now.” I straddled her as she flung herself around in a vain attempt to escape. Pinned to the bed with my weight atop her, she screamed. It was a delightful sound. I felt it in my bones. Lily fought and cried, begging and pleading, promising she wouldn’t tell anyone. They always said shit like that. It was comical really. Who the hell did they think they could tell anyway?