The Vampire's Bride (Atlantis #4)(72)

"Already did."

"Do it again. Let me feed you."

"No!"

The hot spike of her tongue swirled over the head of his shaft, and he lost control completely. His muscles clamped down on his bones, endlessly spasming.

The pleasure...Oh, gods, the pleasure. More intense than anything he'd ever experienced. He couldn't speak, could only gasp, groan and pant like an animal.

When he got inside this woman again, he might not survive. The thought almost made him smile. But as he shuddered and calmed - would his erratic heartbeat ever slow? - Alyssa straightened, pulling away from him. She refastened her robe, shielding her nipples from his view. Her color was high; she, too, was panting.

"Now you have found release with me. You can't deny it this time."

"Alyssa."

She moved swiftly to his wrists, gave a tug, and the chains fell away. She followed suit with his ankles.

Free, he sat up, already reaching for her, needing her in his arms. He could smell her sweet desire, had to sate her, had to...now. Forever. But she backed away from him, shaking her head.

"Come here, Alyssa." He gave a gentle swipe of his fingers. "Please."

"Return home. Tell your king what I did. Send the entire nymph army to kill me. I don't care."

"This is between us. No one else. I will go nowhere without you." He pushed to shaky legs. Gods, where was his strength? He should be completely energized now. All he wanted to do, however, was lie down with his woman.

"Very well," she said, and stopped, studying him bleakly. The jagged walls of the cave were at her back, a harsh frame for her fragile beauty. "It is I who will go. This is goodbye, then."

He frowned. "No. Never goodbye. Come - "

She disappeared.

A roar rushed past his throat and he stumbled from the cave, searching for her. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he found himself in the Forest of Dragons, fat trees towering all around him. What he didn't find was Alyssa.

She was gone as if she'd never been.

BRAND PICKED UP THE Amazon, Nola, and carted her away from the beach. She was bleeding, but refused his aid because of their audience. One of the sharks had decided her leg would make a tasty snack and had chomped on her calf. Blood had swirled in the water and now dripped onto the sand.

"I have you," he assured her.

Her cheeks were a stark white, but she was shaking her head. "I can walk. I'm fine."

He tightened his grip on her. "Be still, woman."

"Put me down. I have to find Delilah."

Chaos was behind them, but Brand didn't fear for Nola's friend. Even though Tagart was responsible for the trouble and no one could cause more damage or carnage than a pissed-off dragon changeling, the other Amazon would be fine. He'd seen the way Layel looked at her, the way he'd held her earlier, an expression of both torture and pleasure on his face, the way he'd dove to save her from sharks and dragon. The vampire would ensure her safety, no question.

Brand had never liked the vampire king. From his earliest memory, they'd always been at war, striking at one another in every way possible. But Layel had walked away several times, allowing defeat. All in the name of love. Now Brand was going to walk away from Layel. In the name of love.

"The vampire will take care of her," he assured Nola.

"They are enemies."

He noticed she didn't have to guess which vampire he'd been speaking of. "As are we," he reminded her. "Your people attacked mine just before we were sent to the island. I haven't forgotten."

"Yet another reason for you to put me down." But she stopped struggling and allowed him to carry her past the line of trees, away from the other creatures lying on the beach. "Bad things happen to my enemies."

"And you do not wish anything bad to happen to me?"

"No, of course I do. I just...I - "

He laughed. "I will accept the consequences. All right?" When he felt they were well enough away from prying eyes, he finally set her down and lifted her leg to study the damage. The flesh was torn in several places, and a sharp tooth was embedded deep. "This will hurt."

"What?"

Not giving her time to tense, he pinched and pulled the sharp white tooth out of the savaged skin and muscle. "You must be in great pain." But she hadn't even gasped when he'd slid his fingers inside her wound.

"I've had worse." Absolute truth sang from her tone.

"I will not think less of you if you cry."

She snorted, as far from tears as a creature could be. "Why do men act this way when a woman is injured?"

"What way?" He had seen worse injuries, true, but this one actually made his stomach churn with sickness. Bone seemed to be glaring up at him.

"You are protective. When my sisters and I fought your army, the men pushed us away rather than slice at us."

His gaze lifted to her face, and he wanted to smile. She reminded him of the sister he'd lost long ago to humans. Confused by him, exasperated. Actually, she could have passed for his sister's twin. Same turquoise eyes, same pert nose. Same stubborn chin and sun-kissed skin.

"We do so because women are softer," he finally replied, his chest aching for what he had lost. "They need protection."