Part 2 (1/2)
Matty was in a daze, panting, her body going lax as she fought the urge to drift to sleep. Her eyes opened when he raised up slightly, his handsome face all she could see, and his incredibly gaze held hers. Pa.s.sion and satisfaction were two emotions she could read easily as he peered at her, because she probably had the same ones on display.
”Ah la.s.s,” he murmured. ”I didn't mean to bite but I couldn't help it. That was remarkable.”
She licked her lips, tried to think, but the room began to spin as she suffered a moment of lightheadedness. The gaze holding hers seemed to darken in color and flash regret.
”I'll take care of you. You're such a wee one and I took too much. It was the pa.s.sion. You'll be fine. Sleep. I will protect you with my life.”
For some insane reason, she trusted him. He'd just taken her blood, had s.e.x with her, and yet she closed her eyes. A sense of peace filled her before she blacked out.
Blaron s.h.i.+fted his gaze to her neck. He bent, licking at the drops of blood that remained on her healing skin. He hadn't meant to bite into her but he couldn't have stopped for anything. The pa.s.sion that had flared between them had been a force not even a vampire as old as he could resist.
His spine stiffened when he realized there were two added scents inside the room now, and two sets of lungs that hadn't been sucking in air before. He jerked his head around to glare at the two men who stood just inside the bedroom. Both wore leather from neck to foot, had arrived far too quickly in his opinion, and neither met his angry glare.
”Sorry,” one of them muttered. ”We didn't realize you were having a private moment. We just rushed in, worried about you.”
”Drag the hunter out and give me a minute.”
”Yes, sir,” they said in unison, moving to grab the human from the floor and hauling him off by his tethered limbs.
Blaron cursed as he straightened the la.s.s's robe. He bent, grabbed his sword, and slid it into the scabbard he'd had sewn onto the side of all his kilts. He d.a.m.ned the males for their quick response and himself for losing his mind over a sweet-smelling female who fascinated him.
His hands sliding under the la.s.s, he cradled her gently in his arms and walked out of the room with her snug against his bare chest. He glanced around his house for the last time. He couldn't come back. It would be too dangerous. Regret flashed. He'd lost many homes in his long lifetime in order to survive. At least this one he hadn't grown too attached to yet.
Both brothers waited near the front door. One of them stepped forward, his arms lifting. ”I'll take her from you, sir.”
The other one offered a hooded cape. ”This should s.h.i.+eld you from the worst of it. We parked the van in the driveway. We have a team on motorcycles scouting the area. It will be the last thing the hunters ever do if they try to follow.”
”I have her. No one touches her but me.”
”But the sun wi-”
”Just toss the d.a.m.n thing over my head and wrap it around me.” Anger stirred. ”She's mine, and not to be touched by another.”
Both males backed up instantly, alarmed. The one with the cloak hesitated and approached.
”Apologies. I didn't know you'd taken a companion.”
Blaron stared down at the scarred yet beautiful face of the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms. The idea of keeping her wasn't a bad one. He'd heard stories of vampires finding their other halves. Supposedly, there would be an instant strong attraction and an acceptance of each other. Matty had come to his rescue, admitted to believing he was a vampire. She should have wanted the hunter to take out the predator in her neighborhood. Instead she'd defended him. It made her unique-and he definitely desired her. The concept of keeping her actually made him smile. Life would be exciting with her at his side.
He made a decision.
”Nor had I, until I met her. She's the one.”
Shock still reverberated through him as he stated those words aloud. Every vampire wanted to find the perfect companion but he'd never expected to find his. It had seemed more of a romantic myth, but nothing else could explain the way they'd both lost their minds the moment their lips had touched. Instant chemistry was rare when it hit that strong. He wasn't a fool. He wasn't about to let her go. She might fight him a bit at first, but that would be fun for them both. He wasn't above using seduction on the s.e.xy little la.s.s.
One of the brothers cleared his throat, staring at him with caution. ”Did I say something amusing, sir?”
”No. I was just lost in my thoughts. Send in a cleanup crew to remove all trace I was ever here and inhale her scent to track where she came from. She lives across the street but I'm not certain which house belongs to her. Pack her up, and make it look good when you do what needs done. She won't be returning either. Let's go.”
One brother moved behind him, using the cape to cover his head and shoulders. Blaron bent forward, tucking Matty tighter against his chest. The other brother pulled the material over his arms to protect him from burning when he stepped outside.
”Is she turning? Should I cover her as well?”
”No. She's still human,” he informed them.
”Are you ready, sir?”
”Let's go.”
He rushed out the door the moment it was opened for him and the brothers stayed at his side, prepared to protect him and Matty. The cargo van's side door had been left open, another brother waiting outside to guard it. He climbed inside, careful not to b.u.mp Matty's still form in his arms. He settled in the back as the door slid closed, sealing them in darkness.
The club wasn't far away. He smiled, adjusting her into a more comfortable position on his lap, resting her head against his shoulder.
Chapter Four.
Matty was slow to wake, a haze of sleep and erotic dreams tempting her to keep her eyes closed. She might have drifted back off but a big, warm hand on her bare hip slid upward to her lower stomach.
”Wake for me, la.s.s,” a husky masculine voice with a s.e.xy accent rasped near her ear. ”You need to eat. I've been worried about you.”
Alarm jolted her to full wakefulness as her eyes flew open to stare into the handsome face of her neighbor. Kilt was in bed with her, it was dark inside whatever room they were in, and only a few small lamps gave off enough light for her to see by.
”Easy, la.s.s. You're safe. We're underground inside a club a friend and I own. My home has been compromised and we'll stay here until we find somewhere else to go.”
She was pinned by his hand on her stomach, one of his bare, muscular thighs lay over the top of her naked ones, and a sheet was tangled between them. ”What am I doing here? Where are my clothes?” She yanked the sheet up higher on her chest. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s had barely been covered.
”It wasn't safe for you to go home. Remember the hunter?”
”Of course I do. You bit me.” She remembered that too.
”Aye. I did. I'm sorry about that but I was lost to the pa.s.sion. You're fine. I'd never harm you but I admit I took a little much. It made you weak and sleepy. Are you ready to eat? I have a fine meal awaiting you.”
More of her senses were waking, now that she was getting past the alarm of being naked in an unfamiliar place with a near stranger. The room was chilly, she smelled food, and it was unusually quiet.
And before that, a vampire had amazing s.e.x with her and had bitten her neck.
She blushed and tried to wiggle away from him. He hesitated then moved his leg to release hers while his hand unpinned her. She lunged away, rolling, but kept the sheet fisted in her hands.
The bed was a large four-poster and she gasped when she nearly rolled off the edge. It was higher from the floor than any bed she'd ever been on. She stared down at the concrete floor, knowing it would have hurt if she'd taken a dive, and he hooked his arm around her waist to drag her b.u.t.t a few inches back from the edge.
”Careful, la.s.s.”
”Where did you say we are?”
The bed moved as he sat up and she turned to glance down his body. The sheet had been pulled nearly off him when she'd tried to flee. Only part of it covered his hip but there was no missing the condition of his body, since the material tented over his lap. Her gaze flew to his face.
”Underground. There's a club above us but we're safe. No one knows where we are or that this bas.e.m.e.nt even exists. Would you enjoy a bath before your meal? The club serves both my kind and yours. I've been a.s.sured the food is top notch.”