The Vampire's Protector [The Protectors 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 5

  It was a wonder he had a car at all, the speeds he could travel on foot. She’d hung around to make sure the girl was okay, but she had sounded like a perfectly normal teenager, annoyed at her mother’s questions, when the lights had come on inside the house.

  “Jeez, Mum, lay off. I’m home now, nothing happened…I’m not a child.” Several loud door slams later, quiet had descended upon the terraced property, and Eva had started the long flight home.

  She’d been exhausted by the time she’d got home, but she’d still checked on Dimitrius’s whereabouts. His car had been back at Tulip House, and the man himself…well, he’d been cooking, of all things.

  Ethel said he liked to cook, thus his contribution to the homeless shelter she ran. Really what was Eva to make of an ancient vampire, who cooked, fed the needy, and rescued old ladies, silly teenagers, and hapless female Protectors alike? Not forgetting the minor detail of using the rest of the population as his walking, talking snack bar.

  It was utterly exhausting keeping up with him, so for that reason alone, she ought to accept the bike. Clearly he had more money than sense.

  Mind made up on the bike issue at least, Eva sprinted inside to change into her leathers, and heart beating in her throat mounted the machine. It purred into life between her thighs, there really was no other word for it, and with a screech of delight, she opened up the throttle and gave herself up to the sheer delight of riding. By the time night was falling, she was feeling a lot happier in herself, and she wasn’t entirely surprised to find herself turning up the drive to Tulip House. The house looked dark and forbidden but his Jag was there, so presumably he was somewhere in the big old house. Or maybe lurking on foot. That thought sent shivers of apprehension down her spine. Eva sniffed the air when she took off her helmet but there was no stench of the living dead. There hadn’t been since the night Dimitrius had disposed of that nest, and while you could never be sure when the next waves of vampires popped up, it meant all the Protectors had slept easier at night. Well, all but Eva. Her dreams had been plagued by Dimitrius’s black eyes, when she had managed to sleep. One way or the other she had to sort this out, and besides, it was only polite to thank him for the bike.

  Before she could raise her hand to knock on his door, the thing wrenched open and a half-naked, and sweaty Dimitrius towered over her, and any sensible thought left Eva’s brain cells on a loud exhale, when he smiled at her. Oh, good lord. Why did she think she could handle him?

  * * * *

  It was her. Dimitrius drank in the sight of the woman who’d been inhabiting his thoughts on a permanent basis, since she’d driven off with Ethel in that poor excuse of a car, and smirked at the expression on her face. Wiping the sweat out of his eyes with the towel he’d flung carelessly over his shoulder, when he thought he heard the bike, he filled his nostrils with her delicious scent. Dressed head to toe in form-fitting black leathers that hugged her slight curves she made his fangs itch with the need to taste her. Not to mention his cock surge back to life with dizzying speed.

  The damn thing had only just deflated after two hours of a grueling weights work out, and all it had taken was one whiff of her and the fucker was raring to go. It was enough to make a man want to become a eunuch. They didn’t have to put up with unruly body parts who’d developed a mind of their own. What was far worse though, was that none of the myriad of women he’d tasted over the last week, had made him want to have sex at all. Yet, one whiff of this infuriating Protector, and Dimitrius wanted nothing more than to fling her over his shoulder, tie her to his bed and fuck her silly.

  With an inward grin at his predicament he tucked the towel into the waistband of his joggers in a vain attempt to hide his boner. Not that it worked very well, and Eva drew in a sharp breath when she seemed to notice his predicament.

  He stepped to the side to let her pass and switched on the downstairs lighting at the same time. A sliver of bright light reflected in the metallic blue fuel tank of the racer he’d bought for her. Mud splattered the underside of the sleek machine, and he put his arm out to bar her entrance to the kitchen.

  “Decided to keep her then?” he asked, and amusement warred with affection inside his chest, when Eva’s cheeks pinked nicely. She put up a good front, though, he gave her that, as she glared at his arm, and he moved it to allow her to step in. He barely suppressed a groan at seeing her ass cheeks sway in the tight leather pants, and shut the door to keep his hands busy.

  He sure hoped she was here to stay, because he would have a damn hard time keeping his hands off of her, and he didn’t want to resort to coercing her. No, he wanted her submission freely given, and he frowned at his thought processes. It had been a long time, a very, very long time, since he had felt like this, and even then the pull hadn’t been that strong.

  “For now.” Her breathy reply shook him out of his introspective admiration of her delectable ass, and he let his gaze wander over her front instead, as she turned around. She’d opened the zip on her top slightly, revealing creamy flesh, and he idly wondered if she was wearing anything else underneath that.

  “At least until my insurance claim comes through,” she added and frowned at him, when he grinned at her. “I do need transport, and I’m not in the habit of cutting my nose off to spite my face. You’ll get her back when I can buy my own.”

  “There’s no need. She’s yours to keep,” he said, and Eva shook her head.

  “No, I will not be beholden to you anymore than I already am.”

  When he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at her, she paled and dropped her gaze to the floor.

  “But, thank you…for buying her. I didn’t expect…I mean, you didn’t have to...and damn it, why?”

  She looked so utterly rattled, it was most delightful, and he let her squirm for a bit, drinking in her confusion and unwilling arousal that spiked the longer he stared at her.

  “Why not?” he finally asked, and her gaze flew up to his face. “You needed transport. I’ve got the money, and knowing your penchant for fast riding, that bike out there is the safest and best for you to use. I told you already. I look after what’s mine.”

  Eva blinked, and her mouth fell open slightly, even as she shook her head.

  “I’m not yours, though. I haven’t agreed to any of this. I kill your kind for fu—”

  Dimitrius stopped her profanity by crossing the distance between them in a heartbeat, and placing his hand over her mouth. Her eyes grew huge, and her pupils dilated, as he shook his head at her.

  “Careful myshka, have you forgotten the rules already. I will not have you swearing in front of me, and if you keep insisting on it, then I really will have to punish you.”

  Eva’s eyes sparked fire at him, and he grinned, while allowing his fangs to drop. A shudder went through her frame, and her pulse sped up. Not in revulsion, or even fear, but excitement, and he indulged himself by dipping his head and running his canines along her neck.

  “You know my favorite place to feed from?” he asked and pulled back slightly to study her expression. She nodded, and he slowly released her mouth, and ran his index finger down her neck and into the tempting valley of skin exposed by her open zip.

  “I’ve seen you in action. I know where it is.” She spat the words at him, and Dimitrius smiled and trailed his fingers up again, until he reached her lips. Eva opened to him on a reluctant sigh, and he traced the contours of her mouth.

  “Have you now?” he asked, and grinned at her when he pulled his finger away and she leaned closer to prolong the contact, before she appeared to catch herself and drew back with a frown.

  “You know damn well I’ve been following you, so you can wipe that smirk of your face.”

  Dimitrius shrugged his shoulders, and stepped back and away from her. It was that or kiss her senseless, bend her over the breakfast bar, and...

  Fuck. He had to get his mind out of his dick. Surely, this pull he felt to her was only this strong because he hadn’t had her yet
. Once he’d actually tasted her, this need would lessen. It had to.

  “All I want to know is why you seem intent on rescuing people. You didn’t have to interfere with that girl, yesterday, and you didn’t even feed from her. I just don’t get you, and I don’t like it.” She continued to stare at him when he didn’t respond, and then groaned.

  “And for pity’s sake, say something, and for the love of god put some clothes on. You’re very…” She seemed to struggle for the right words, and finally muttered something to herself, and stared at the floor.

  “Oh don’t stop now, myshka. I’m very what? Do enlighten me, please.” He couldn’t keep his amusement from showing in his voice and she stamped her foot, and shook her head.

  “Just get dressed, please. I can’t have a conversation with you, when you’re half naked. It’s too distracting, okay?”

  Dimitrius laughed and she looked up at him with the most delightful frown.

  “Distracting. Hmm, don’t think I’ve ever been called that before. We can’t have my little Protector distracted now, can we? I shall take a shower, and…”

  Her feminine growl stopped him. It was such a deep-throated sound that his balls drew tight, and he crossed the distance between them without even realizing. She swallowed hard and stepped away from him until the work top stopped her. When he picked her up, dumped her on top of it, yanked her legs apart and stepped right between them, she gasped. She didn’t push him away, however. Instead her hands explored his chest, and her breathing sped up.

  Dimitrius stopped the downward slide of her hands with his own, and tipped her chin up with one hand.

  “Careful. I’m not known for my restraint, and most men would take this as an invitation, myshka. I can smell how much you want me.”

  Eva shook her head, and she licked her lips in such a way, that it was his turn to groan. Letting go of her hands, he yanked her ass forward until she almost hung off the worktop and a whimper escaped her when he ground his heavy erection against her leather-clad pussy. Her hands ran up his back and up to his shoulders, and he loved the slight pinpricks of pain as her claws ran out and pierced his skin.

  “I’m not, that is...dammit…you’re using some sort of spell on me, right? Please tell me this is all this...this thing between us is, please...Sir?”

  The hesitant Sir was music to his ears, and he cupped her face in his and rested his forehead on hers, to give himself some breathing space. Her rapid inhalations mixed with his even ones, and brought with them her scent. It was fresh like the air she soared through in her eagle form, warm, and spicy, and every rapid beat of her heart made him want her more.

  “I’m sure that would make it easier for you to accept, but I’m not, and I won’t. Coercion is only useful to me when I use a woman to feed from, not…” He pulled away, and studied her.

  “Not?” she asked, and he smiled.

  “Not when I want someone like I want you. Not for my potential submissive, Eva.”

  She reared back at the use of her given name, and chewed her bottom lip with her teeth. If possible that made his cock harden further, and a shower sounded like a jolly good idea right now, if only so that he could rub one out and get some relief. Of course he’d much prefer finding that relief in her hot little cunt, or in her mouth.

  “Is that what you want from me?” she finally asked, and the tremor in her voice gave away her agitation, as loudly as the way she was clenching und uncurling her fingers. She’d scooted back up the work top, and shut her legs, more was the pity.

  “Yes, it is.” He ground the words out through clenched teeth, and when she didn’t respond turned his back on her.

  “Is that why you didn’t have sex with all of those women?” she asked. Her whispered words halted his progress and he turned round slowly.

  “You sound as though that bothered you,” he said. Her eyes narrowed and he could see the brief flash of her eagle, as though the animal was desperate to break free, but then Eva shut her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she was once again in full control of her bird. It was fascinating to witness, and it was one thing Dimitrius had always admired about shifters—this ability to contain their animal instincts. It couldn’t be easy.

  “It doesn’t. I just wondered. Considering the amount of women you used over the last week, it was just...never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

  She threw him a glance and made a big show of shrugging her shoulders that made his chest feel tight with affection. The fact that it did, should make him run far away. Dimitrius didn’t usually allow himself any sentiment toward humans, Ethel notwithstanding. The old lady had reminded him of his mother. For that split second when she had stared at him through the car window, and he had debated whether to ignore her, feed from her, or help her, it had been his mother’s face he had seen, before Ethel’s loud screech had pulled him back into the here and now.

  There was something about Cumbria that always made him maudlin, a pull he had felt for centuries for no clear reason, until now. He’d thought he’d found someone special in the last sub he’d shared this house with, but in the end that hadn’t ended well, and he’d left, until he hadn’t been able to stay away anymore.

  The rapidly growing itch between his shoulder blades told him he was staring at the very real reason for that pull right now.

  He took a step toward her and then another, until he was close enough to put his hands over hers, and stop the frantic movements of her fingers.

  “It clearly does matter to you. Don’t lie to me, girl. I know when you do and it pisses me off.”

  He let his words sink in, and he almost didn’t catch her murmured, “Sorry, Sir.”

  “Better, myshka, much better. You know as well as I do that we need to be honest with each other, to make this work, so bearing that in mind, do you want to know the real reason why I had to feed of so many?” he asked.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Dimitrius squeezed her fingers to let her know how pleased he was at her words, and then stepped away again. He perched his butt on the edge of the breakfast bar, and smiled at her, when she looked at him.

  “Because they weren’t you, girl. I need to take a lot more blood, when I don’t have sex. It makes no sense to kill my food source, so I tend to use a lot of them to avoid that from happening.”

  At her sharp intake of breath, he whipped the towel out of his waistband and pulling his joggers down freed his heavy shaft and wrapped his fist around it. Pleasure surged through him, made ten times hotter by Eva’s reaction to his actions. She clenched her thighs together and couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from the movement of his hand on his junk. How he wished it was her lips wrapped around his girth instead of his fist.

  “I see,” she finally whispered and the air between them thickened with sexual tension so thick, it was a wonder they could breathe. Not that he needed to per se, but Eva’s small handful was straining against their covering, her nipples hard little beacons of lust that just begged for his teeth on them, and the zip opened further under her frantic attempts to pull air into her lungs. He followed the slow process of that zip and pulled harder on his cock, as arousal coursed through his veins and his fangs ran out.

  “Do you, myshka?” he asked and his throat went dry, when she nodded and jumped off the work top. With only a moment’s hesitation she sunk to her knees in front of him, and ran her hands up his legs. The slight movement burned his skin, and it was his turn to groan when she put her hand over his, still clamped around his cock, and stilled his frantic movement.

  “Please, Sir, let me do that for you.”

  The dominant in him roared, but he pushed her off, yanked his joggers up and pulled her back to his feet.

  “No, not like this,” he said, and grasping her hand, pulled her along. “I want to show you something first, so that you truly appreciate what you’re getting into here, and then, if your answer is still yes…” He grasped her chin to make her look at him, and brushed his lips over hers. It was only
meant to be a taste, but she opened to him on a sigh, and her addictive scent exploded on his taste buds. Wrapping his fists in her hair he took the kiss deeper, and when she kissed him back, wrapped herself around him like an Eva-shaped vine, in fact, he simply gave himself up to the pleasure of holding his woman in his arms, as he explored every facet and nuance of her mouth. When he finally broke the kiss, Eva gasped for air, and without any conscious thought at all, Dimitrius sank his fangs into her neck.

  Chapter Five

  Eva wasn’t exactly sure what happened, but one minute they were kissing, and lordy me, could that man kiss, and the next pain exploded in her neck, as he bit her. Oh. My. God. Before she could comprehend the full terror of this latest development the sharp sting of pain morphed into pleasure so breathtaking she gasped for air.

  Her hips took on a mind of their own, and she rubbed herself all over his hard cock. Dimitrius groaned into her neck and his hands dug into her ass to stop the frantic movements of her hips, and everything inside of her tightened.

  Dimitrius sucked harder, and every pull sent waves into her clit until she exploded into one of the most intense orgasms ever. Her eagle flapped and screeched, desperate to return the bite, to cement this bond between them, but Dimitrius had her so effectively pinned that she couldn’t move, just ride the waves of sensation, as tremors shook her body.

  By the time the last aftershocks had worn off and she could think again, she was dimly aware of him licking his bite. Even that innocent action sent renewed shivers over her skin, and her clit contracted anew. She moaned and she could feel Dimitrius’s lips curl up into a smile.

  “So very responsive. It really is rather delightful.” The strained words spoke of his need as did the hard, long shaft nestled between her legs. His voice had dropped further, and his accent was thicker, as he thrust against her a couple of times, before he grunted something and slowly slid her down to the floor. Once she stood on albeit very wobbly legs, he cupped her chin to make her look at him, and Eva swallowed a groan. Fangs still fully extended and with his black eyes positively blazing in their lust-filled intensity, half of his harsh features in shadow he looked the epitome of the monster vamps were rumored to be.