Suck It by Linsey Hall
13
Mac
I stared down at Drakon’s still form, my mind racing. There had to be a way to help him.
An idea flared.
It was crazy. Dangerous. Stupid.
But it could work. In fact, I’d bet it would work.
Shaking, I raised my wrist to his lips. My blood would heal him, and he wanted it badly. Surely, he could make himself drink, even if he were unconscious. Instinct drove me, as powerful as the moon’s force upon the tides.
Drakon’s warm breath puffed against my skin, sending a shiver up my arm. His lips were smooth as silk against me, bringing back memories of his divine kiss.
And yet, he wouldn’t drink.
I frowned, then withdrew my arm and reached for the small blade in my boot. It was gone, of course, sunk into the chest of one of the sorcerers back at the rodeo. But Drakon had a similar blade on his bedside table. I reached for it. With a quick movement, I made a tiny nick in my wrist. Pain flared briefly, but I barely felt it as blood welled to the surface.
Again, I returned my wrist to his lips. The crimson liquid smeared their fullness. He twitched, so faintly I almost couldn’t see it.
But the scent of my blood was enough. Magic sparked on the air as his fangs descended, brilliant white and somehow sexy as hell. With his eyes still closed, he sank his teeth into my flesh.
Pain flashed, followed quickly by pleasure. My head spun with it, and shock raced through me.
Fates, who’d have thought this would feel so good? It streaked through me, reached deep toward my core and twisting tight. I gasped as he drank, deep tugs of pleasure pulling at me.
The color returned to his face, turning him from ashen white to the more natural tone that I was familiar with. My heart raced as I watched him heal, the strength returning to his aura.
His eyes opened, the brilliant blue meeting my gaze with confusion and lust. My head spun as I looked at him, desire making me lightheaded.
Reluctantly, he managed to tear himself away from my wrist. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t be able to. Memories of his previous bite flashed through my mind, reminding me of how dangerous he was.
He licked the skin of my wrist, removing the last of the blood, and I felt the wounds knit back together.
“Mac.” His voice rumbled low with desire. It tugged at something within me, making me lose even more of my mind.
Everything was foggy inside my head, and I knew it was a terrible idea to fall into his arms. But the heat in his gaze lit a fire within me, and memories of my fear made my control weak.
I’d almost lost him.
Technically, I still didn't have him, but the fear of losing him had been so real.
And somehow, it had transformed into desire. His bite had helped. Fates, I’d never felt anything so good in my life.
And the way he was looking at me…
It was hot enough to burn down a house.
“Drakon.” My voice was embarrassingly faint as I ran my hand over his shoulder, pressing my fingertips into the muscles.
He reached up to cup the back of my head, and I let him. The feeling of his fingers slipping through my hair sent desire shivering down my spine. When they tightened on my scalp and drew me down to him, I went willingly.
He pressed his lips to mine, tasting faintly of my blood in a way that both thrilled and terrified me.
“Mac.” The low groan tore at his throat. “You can tell me to stop.”
I could. But I wouldn’t.
Instead, I licked across his lips, deepening the kiss in a way that made my heart race. Beneath the faint tang of my blood, he tasted divine. I kissed him like I would die if I stopped. I was convinced I would.
He groaned low and sank his hand deeper into my hair, reaching up with his other hand to grip my hip and pull me on top of him.
Fumbling, I straddled him, pressing myself tighter against him so that I could feel every inch of his hard form. The long expanse of his muscles felt like heaven beneath me, so strong and hard that I was sure he could tear the world apart with his bare hands if he wanted to.
He was tearing my world apart. His kiss made me forget every rational thought as he dragged his lips down the side of my face to my neck.
Prickles of pleasure followed his kiss, and when his tongue reached out to lave at my skin, I moaned.
“Your skin tastes like heaven.” His voice rumbled against me, and I tilted my head to give him better access.
Instead of kissing me more deeply, he reached for my shirt and drew it over my head. I let him, flinging the cotton away.
His brilliant blue eyes lit upon my breasts, which were still covered in the sheer lace bra. As much as I dressed like a lumberjack on the outside, I had a deep appreciation for nice lingerie.
The heat in his gaze burned me, as did his touch. He gripped my waist in both hands and pulled me up so that he could lick my nipple through the delicate black lace.
I dropped my head back as a sound of pleasure escaped me. Drakon was an expert with his mouth, stoking my desire until it was at a fever pitch. Desperation surged through me as I clutched at his shoulders.
“Drakon, please. I want more.”
Heeding my cries, he rolled me onto my back and loomed above me, his hips cradled by my thighs. I tightened my legs around him, clutching him so close that I could feel the bulge of his hardness against my core.
Glorious pleasure inflamed me, and I moved against him in a rhythm that made my heart race and heat shoot through my veins.
“Mac.” A tortured groan escaped his throat. “Slow down.”
“I can’t.” I wouldn’t. “Unless you want me to stop.”
A choked laugh escaped him. “For fates sake, don’t do that.”
“Good.” I licked the strong column of his throat as I moved against him in a delicious rhythm. He threw his head back and groaned, beginning to move his hips in a way that made my vision go black with pleasure.
It didn’t matter that there were layers of cloth between us—the ecstasy was enough to drive me over the edge and make the orgasm explode within me.
I cried out, writhing against him as he followed me, great shudders wracking his body. It seemed to last a glorious eternity, one that I never wanted to end.
But eventually, the pleasure washed away, leaving me weak as a noodle. Drakon propped himself over me, chest heaving as he tried to keep the bulk of his weight from crushing me.
Well.That was unexpected.
I hadn’t come here expecting to have the best night of my life. In fact, it had probably been pretty damned stupid.
And yet, here I was—sweaty and panting beneath the most powerful vampire alive. One who had wanted my death just a week ago, but who had now sacrificed his health and almost his life to protect me.
Without a word, he climbed up and strode away. Blinking, I watched him go.
When a small side door shut behind him, I frowned and sat up, pushing my hair back from my face.
He’d just ditched me.
With a scowl, I swung my legs out of the bed and stalked after him, grabbing my shirt from the floor and yanking it over my head. I swung the door open without a knock, revealing a large, luxurious bathroom. Drakon stood at the sink, his hands propped on the rim and his back bowed.
He didn’t so much as flinch at the interruption.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded.
He turned to me, cheeks faintly flushed and eyes still stark with desire. And something else. Confusion, or regret. Maybe both—maybe something else.
“I think it’s quite obvious.” His voice wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm, either.
“You just walked out on me.”
“We shouldn’t have done that.”
My mouth snapped shut. He wasn’t wrong about that. We really shouldn’t have done that. “But we did. And I won’t tolerate you just walking away like that. I deserve better.”
“You do.” There was no hesitation in his voice or his words. “You deserve better than me.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. But no matter whom I choose, I deserve better than to be left without a word.”
He nodded, his gaze dark and serious. “I apologize. But that can’t happen again.”
“I didn’t ask for it to.” But I wanted it to.
It was stupid, though. He was right.
Drakon
I stared at Mac, heat and desire, regret and hunger racing through me. I’d never wanted anyone so badly in all my life. And I wanted everything.
Her heart. Her soul. Her life—committed to me.
The ravenous desire was more than I’d ever felt, and more than I could manage.
Worse, the sweet taste of her blood still lingered on my tongue. I’d never tasted anything so delicious in my entire life, and I feared that if she took one step closer, I’d take it from her without her consent.
The very thought turned my stomach and made me want to vomit.
I couldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t.
But would I have the control?
I’d never felt anything like this before. She made me feel alive after a millennia as a walking corpse. I’d thought I’d lived, feeling pleasure and even joy.
I’d been wrong.
Until her, I’d been dead.
And this wasn’t the first time I’d met her. The dream filtered to the surface of my mind. She was my light in the darkness and always had been, and yet I was certain she had no memory of it.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” she asked.
“You’re a mystery to me.” The truth was the only way forward, now. At least, part of the truth. “Have you lived another life?”
“No.” She hesitated. “I don’t know. My memory isn’t what it could be.”
“You still don’t remember locking me in the tomb.”
“I don’t.” Her jaw tightened. “But I’m willing to believe I did it. I don’t know why, and it’s hard to believe. But maybe I did. You drive me crazy, after all.”
“We didn’t know each other long enough for me to drive you crazy.” Unless we counted the moments she’d come to me in the darkness and stopped me from doing terrible things. It was only because of her that my soul was even slightly redeemable.
“What now?” she asked.
What now, indeed.
Did I tell her the truth of my memories? Of our past?
No. Not yet.
“We forget this happened,” I said.
Hurt flashed across her face, so faint I almost didn’t notice it. Pain pierced me, and I shook it away.
No.
I couldn’t worry about that.
“Right,” she said. “That’s what I was going to say.”
“What happened to the shifters?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“The cannister going off. The blast knocked me unconscious, and I woke on the roof of Ludovic’s tower. How did you find me?”
“I caught Valerie and forced her to tell me.”
“That’s quite a coup. The rest of the shifters?”
“Some were taken by Ludovic. Quite a few, though I don’t know the numbers. My first priority was getting you back.”
Her words felt like a sucker punch to the gut. I was her first priority?
The idea sent pleasure and discomfort through me, so I did what I did best. I ignored it.
“We need to find them,” she continued. “Do you think they could be back at the tower in Norway?”
“Only one way to find out. Give me a moment.”
She nodded and left the room. I got cleaned up and changed my clothes, then found her in the bedroom. I held out a hand. She gripped it gingerly, her gaze averted from me, and I called on the ether. It spun us through space, taking us directly to the tower that she’d rescued me from.
My muscles tightened unconsciously, a memory of the lightning streaking through me. I shook away the thought and stared up at the miserable tower. “Feels empty.”
She nodded. “Ludovic tends to run after we escape.”
“If this is anything like last time, we should be ready for it to go up in flames.”
“Let’s be quick, then.” She hurried to the door, the wind and rain lashing at her golden hair.
She was the only thing bright and beautiful in this whole place, and the memory of her past appearances in my life hit me in the gut.
What the hell was she?
Discarding the thought, I followed her to the door.
As expected, the main room echoed with empty hollowness as we stepped inside.
“Coward,” I muttered. Ludovic was so concerned with being captured that he ran as soon as things turned against him. I stepped up alongside Mac. “Keep close by me in case we need to leave quickly.”
She nodded, though I could feel her discomfort. Together, we searched the tower, making our way from floor to floor.
It was empty as a church poor box. So empty that Ludovic never even bothered to light it on fire like he had the first house where I’d rescued Mac.
By the time we reached the entrance to the roof, I was ready to get the hell out of there.
Mac turned to me. “This was a bust, but my friends have Valerie in captivity. She should know where they were taken.”
“Wherever they are, it’s guaranteed Ludovic will be there, too.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Determination lit her beautiful eyes. “We need to hurry, though. The shifters were unconscious when they were taken by Ludovic’s goons, not dead. But I don’t know how long that will last.”
Rescuing the shifters wasn’t my first priority—that was getting rid of Ludovic before he could hurt Mac—but I’d be able to kill both birds with one stone. “Where do we need to go?”
“The Shifters’ Guild tower. That’s where they have Valerie.”
“All right.” I reached out my hand, and she took it. The ether spun us through space, depositing us in the courtyard in front of the tall stone tower the shifters called home.
It was a far cry from the miserable place we’d just been. Despite its massive, hulking size and austere stone surface, it was almost welcoming. The two guards who stood by the heavy wooden door nodded at Mac before glaring at me, then turned to open the doors.
She led the way in, taking us through a massive front room filled with long trestle tables, and a huge hearth. It reminded me of one of the castles of old, and it was easy to imagine a great feast there, complete with lute players and jesters for entertainment.
Instead, there were about a dozen shifters scattered around, all of them chatting or working on computers as they went about their day.
How things had changed.
It didn’t take long to reach the dungeon below the main level. There was a small crowd in the main hallway, lounging on benches. Beatrix, Carrow, and Seraphia looked up and smiled when they saw us.
“Good.” Carrow nodded. “You got him back.”
“And not too worse for wear, either.” Mac nodded at the cell door. “Any luck with her?”
“Eve’s in there with a truth potion. We thought we’d leave her to it.”
“I’ll check in on them.” Mac strode to the cell door. The guard on the left opened it with a smooth motion, his gaze riveted to Mac. I nearly growled at him, not liking the interest I saw in his eyes, then bit back the instinct.
It wasn’t my place.
Actually, it was my place. I was her damned mate, for fates’ sake. But I knew it shouldn’t be my place. I just had no idea how I was going to remember that.