Читать книгу Addicted - Lydia Parks - Страница 11

Athena checked the dark sidewalk behind her as she hurried toward her apartment, grocery bags clutched in her hands. Soup cans clanged together as she broke into a trot.

For days she’d felt as though someone were following her, but she hadn’t seen anyone when she’d ducked into doorways. After the bizarre events of two weeks ago, however, she knew monsters lurked in the shadows.

The whole thing had started out as a lark—a stupid game to keep Chris from dumping her. Who in their right mind believed in vampires? If only she had someone to run to now—someone to keep her safe. With both parents long gone and no siblings, or even friends, Athena felt more alone than she had since her father’s death.

Fumbling with the keys, she glanced around as she worked to unlock the door. A soft evening breeze danced through leaves on small trees and made flowers sway, but she heard no footsteps over the music coming from a dozen apartments. When she finally got the door open, she hurried inside, closed and locked the door, and leaned against it for a moment to catch her breath.

As soon as she shut her eyes, she saw the vampire’s face as plainly as she did every night. His dark blue eyes, his lean, chiseled, weathered features, his waves of long brown hair streaked with gray—they combined to enhance his sexy, crooked smile. The man had been downright gorgeous. And he’d caused reactions in her body unlike anything she’d ever known before.

But he hadn’t been a man, had he? In her vision, his blue eyes began to glisten gold, glowing with a light of their own just as they had when he’d turned to look up at her after Chris’s attack. Had he really been concerned for her welfare at first? She could have sworn she’d seen something in his expression, something overriding the pain. Something quickly replaced by fury.

The worst part was the guilt. She hadn’t worried for her safety the way Chris had insisted she should. She’d been certain, somehow, that Jake wouldn’t hurt her as soon as he’d smiled at her. And somewhere along the way, she’d forgotten her mission to lure him into a trap. After the encounter in the back room of the Tunnel, all she’d been able to think about was how wonderful it would feel to have him inside her. When he’d searched the house without finding Chris, she’d assumed something had gone wrong and had secretly rejoiced at the prospect of an entire night alone with him. At that moment, she’d have done anything he asked without giving Chris a thought. Anything. How could anyone, or anything, have that kind of power over her?

She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Athena opened her eyes, trying to push back confusion and fear and guilt, and walked quietly to the kitchen. Tuned in to every noise around her, she unloaded grocery bags and placed canned goods in a cabinet. Next door, two small children yelled at each other in Spanish, and their father bellowed for them to shut up. Or maybe he wasn’t their father. Who knew, these days?

She placed a bag of spaghetti noodles next to the soup cans, then removed a jar of grapefruit juice. After stuffing the plastic bags under the sink, she turned to put the juice in the refrigerator and screamed as she dropped the jar.

He stood before her, looming over her, glaring.

Athena staggered back until she hit the counter.

He stepped forward, stopping less than an arm’s length away.

“What…” she stammered, “how…the door…”

His lips curled into something resembling a grin as he held up her jar of juice, effortlessly snatched from the air as it fell. “I believe you dropped this.”

Athena stared at the bottle, and then at the monster, her body shaking uncontrollably. She reached back to steady herself with the counter.

He turned and, as if he were simply a welcomed guest, opened her refrigerator, placed the juice inside, and closed it.

Her brain refused to move beyond panic as she watched him.

He turned to face her again, this time leaning against the opposite counter and folding his arms across his chest. He wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a dark blue shirt that would have made him even more attractive if she hadn’t known what he was.

Dear God, she was about to die.

She had to get away.

Unable to do anything else, Athena turned and bolted for the door.

She stopped with a jerk like a dog at the end of a leash as he caught her by the arm.

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

He pulled her up to him, backed her to the wall, and leaned close, moving around her head as if he were sniffing her.

A deep, terrifying growl vibrated through the room.

“It took me a week to find you, sweet thing. You don’t want to leave just yet.”

His throaty voice, dripping with poisonous danger, made her shiver as she closed her eyes. Her heart pounded, her stomach knotted, and her knees buckled.

“Yeah,” he whispered, nuzzling her hair, “that’s better.”

Still gripping her arm, he stroked her shoulder with his free hand, and she suddenly realized he might have something else in mind besides killing her.

“Please,” she managed to croak, “don’t.”

“Don’t what?” His voice vibrated directly in her ear.

“Don’t…hurt me.”

She opened her eyes as he pulled away and found him staring at her.

And then he laughed.

Athena’s mouth went dry and she worked to swallow.

Cruel amusement sparkled in his eyes as he touched her face, following the line of her jaw with a deceivingly tender touch.

“Tell me, darlin’, just what do you think would be a fair trade for attempting to end my existence? Your life? Your virtue?”

She tried to swallow again, but without success.

He suddenly spun her around to face the wall and held her, his arms around her waist, as he moved his mouth over the top of her shoulder.

In spite of her fear, the memory of Jake holding her in the back room of the Tunnel, bringing her to a wondrous climax with his expert touch, flooded her senses with a strange excitement. Athena reached out and pressed both hands against the wall. She tried to speak—to ask him again to stop—but nothing came out.

“Last time we did this,” he whispered, “you came all over my fingers. Remember?” His hand slid down the front of her shorts, covering her crotch as he nipped the skin on the side of her neck. “This time, we’ll try something a little different.”

Her body reacted to him as it had before by tightening and tingling from her neck to her knees. Her nipples puckered almost painfully, aching to be touched.

He dragged one strap of her sleeveless shirt from her shoulder with his teeth, then kissed the exposed skin with cool lips, tasting, licking.

Her body shook again, but this time not from fear. God, how could she crave the touch of this monster? She wanted his fingers against her skin, stroking her clit, teasing her cunt, not outside her jean shorts.

And then a strange tingle, almost a touch but not, started up the backs of her thighs, as if a dozen feathers moved across her skin.

A soft noise rose from Athena’s throat and she fell forward against the wall.

“Yes,” he said, his voice deeper, gravelly, “this time I won’t ask.”

As he kissed her shoulder, sucking on one spot, a wave of desire washed through her, leaving an aching emptiness between her legs. She wanted to beg him to fill her need. She remembered his hard penis in her hand, between her thighs. She knew the size of him and craved it; she pushed back into him.

His lips curved into a smile against her skin, but she didn’t care.

Her body vibrated, needing more. The feathers moved up to her torso, teasing her skin, her tits. She groaned.

And then unexpected pain hit as he bit into her shoulder, and she cried out.

He growled, holding her close.

In a flash, the pain transformed into the strangest pleasure she’d ever known, and her body seemed to ignite—to burst into flames. An orgasm spread through her, starting deep in her womb with pounding spasms, but ending in waves of unimaginable bliss as they passed through every muscle and nerve. The world spun out of control, and the flames continued to consume her, to burn off existence, to erase her memory and her life.

On and on it went until she no longer felt tied to her body, but took up space without form, pulsing with joy and fulfillment.

Then the darkness came like an inky lake, starting at her toes and rising, swallowing her legs, and then her body, and then her head. Satisfied, she slipped into nothingness as vast as the universe.

Athena opened her eyes, but didn’t move. She wasn’t sure if she could. Her arms and legs felt like jelly.

Where the hell was she? The floor in front of the mat on which she lay, in a dimly lit room, was stone.

Not finding any points of actual pain, she eased up until she sat against a wall. When she drew her feet under her, something dragged along behind them.

Athena frowned at the leather cuffs around her ankles.

“What the—?”

The cuffs led to chains attached to a ring in a wall.

She pulled and pushed on the fleece-lined cuffs, but found them immovable with no sign of a buckle or knot, and puzzled over how they were attached. At least they were soft. She grabbed the chains and tugged on the ring, but it gave no hint of yielding.

Abandoning the effort for the moment, she looked around the empty room, slightly bigger than a jail cell, which seemed to be carved out of rock. A cot stood nearby, and five feet away was a toilet hidden behind an Oriental screen.

“All the comforts of home,” she whispered.

Continuing her examination, she found a wooden chair clearly out of her range, and, just past it, a dark window.

No, a mirror.

Or maybe it was a one-way mirror, and someone stood on the other side watching her.

“Hey,” she said, “who’s there?”

Her voice echoed back.

“Where am I?”

Nothing.

“Hey!”

Still nothing.

Athena rested her head back against the wall and tried to remember anything about how she’d ended up in this prison.

The first thing she recalled was the vampire’s sudden appearance, and then she remembered him holding her, and touching her, and then biting her. Her hand rose to the spot where his teeth had penetrated her skin and she touched two small bumps. They were tender, but didn’t actually hurt. And then she fingered the small bruise on the inside of her right arm, in the center of which was a small red mark. A needle mark.

She swallowed hard.

As far as she could tell, he’d taken her blood, doped her up, and then kidnapped her. That must be what had happened. The vampire had imprisoned her.

Why hadn’t he killed her?

And how could he have made her feel so incredible? The memory of the pleasure sent a wave of heat through her, and she shuddered. Certainly what he’d done to her was something no human could ever do. Or had it just been drugs playing tricks with her memory?

A knot of self-loathing burned in her stomach. Now she’d pay for not trying harder to escape when she had a chance.

Jake stood perfectly still, watching.

Athena’s auburn braid lay across her shoulder and hung down in front of her right breast. He remembered the silky feel of her hair against his cheek and closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy it. He could still smell her scent on his skin.

After a week of tracking her, he’d meant to have his revenge. And he had, in a way—he’d felt her fear and tasted its citric flavor in her blood.

He’d meant to drain her, and he’d nearly done it, but at the last crucial moment he’d stopped.

Why?

He studied her. What was it about this one?

She sat still now, her head resting against the wall, her arms propped on her knees. The sleeveless top left her lovely shoulders bare and hugged her full breasts, and the neckline revealed a hint of cleavage. He knew the feel of her breasts in his hands, but wondered at the taste of them. Would they be as special as her scent? The jean shorts she wore were so short, they barely covered her sweet pubic mound, and Jake found himself staring. His body reacted to the memory of his fingers inside her.

He sighed, and walked from the small room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Now he had to decide what to do with her. Skidmore had called him a raving idiot when he’d carried Athena in and asked for her to be given a transfusion.

“We don’t give them blood, dear boy. We take it. Remember?”

But he’d agreed, and Athena’s life force had slowly returned. After three days, she’d finally regained consciousness.

Now what?

The fact that he couldn’t decide angered him, and he felt his fangs lengthen in response.

“Jake?”

He spun around at the voice and smiled when he found Katie walking toward him. She wore a dusty khaki outfit suited for a safari and held a bullwhip coiled in her hand. He’d taught her how to use that bullwhip and sometimes wondered if that had been a wise move.

“Katie. I’m sure glad to see you.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him soundly, then slapped his chest. “Why? Were you worried about me?”

“Yeah.” He grinned as he held her close.

She pushed out of his grip and frowned at him. “Sounds like I’m the one who had reason to worry.”

Skidmore must have told her about his encounter with the wooden stake.

Jake shrugged.

Katie shook her head as she looped her arm through his. “Come, let’s find our host. He said he had business down here somewhere. Then maybe we can share a snack.”

They followed voices to the main part of the dungeon where they found Skidmore sitting in a wooden chair, involved with several of his contestants. Jake stopped just inside the door, unwilling to interrupt or get involved, and Katie released him to continue forward in order to stand beside Skidmore, her hand on his shoulder. But Jake found himself watching with interest.

A young woman, shapely and naked, sat on a low wooden stool with her legs spread wide for a fair-haired man on all fours in front of her, his face buried between her thighs. A fine sheen of sweat covered her body and her back arched as she grabbed a handful of her partner’s hair.

Before she reached a climax, another man, darker, a little older and covered with tattoos, knelt behind the first male, grabbed his waist, and entered him with steady, hard strokes. Dark green drawings covered a torso of roping muscles, and his buttocks tightened into rocks with each stroke. The blond man grunted in response, his head up, his body tightened and shaking.

Once he adjusted, the blond returned his attention to the woman’s needs, licking and sucking loudly, and the dark-haired man leaned forward to kiss her, his tongue visibly thrusting into her mouth as he held the back of her neck.

Jake felt his cock swell as he watched, wondering how long they could sustain the activities. He remembered the feel of restraint he’d tried to practice as a mortal, and the way it felt to roll over the precipice, unable to stop the flood.

The tattooed man’s thrusts quickened and grew more brutal, and the woman began to grunt as she neared release. She suddenly fell back to the wall, her back arched in sweet agony, and the dark-haired man pumped his seed into the blond as the room filled with the noise and scent of sex.

Jake bit back a groan. Maybe he’d been at Skidmore’s a little too long.

“Ah, bravo,” Skidmore said, clapping his hands as he stood. “What a lovely way to start the night’s activities.” He motioned to one of his vampire underlings. “A new batch, please. I think I’d like to be more directly involved this time. Katie? I see you’re prepared.” He grinned as he eyed her whip.

Katie laughed. “This one would leave marks.”

Skidmore’s grin widened as he untied his robe and let it drop from his pale shoulders. “Might be fun.”

“Next time, Thomas,” Katie said, slapping the whip against her thigh. “I’ve got other plans right now.” She motioned toward Jake.

Skidmore shrugged as he sat in one of the round upholstered chairs Jake had seen earlier. The blond man who’d just participated in the show knelt beside him, waiting for a command, and the other two were escorted back to the holding room.

The whole thing reminded Jake a little too much of slavery, although the mortals certainly seemed to be willing enough.

Katie winked at Jake as she passed him, headed for the door. “You want to stick around and watch?”

He shook his head. “No, I think I’ve seen enough for now.”

She laughed. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Come.”

Jake followed her through passageways to a guest bedroom where Katie held the door. “I need to get freshened up, first, so please make yourself at home.” She raised one eyebrow suggestively. “You can scrub my back if you want to.”

He returned her smile. “You know I do.”

Katie shed her dusty clothes without thought and led the way to a white-tiled bathroom with an oversized shower on one side and Jacuzzi tub on the other. Skidmore had certainly spared no expense when furnishing his palace. Of course, over the centuries he’d probably amassed quite a fortune. It wasn’t that hard to do when you could influence the stock market with a thought.

“You probably want to get out of those,” Katie said over her shoulder as she turned on the water. Steam billowed from the glass stall when she opened the door to step in.

Jake followed her, enjoying the heated water on his cool skin, and delighting at the sight of Katie under the shower’s spray. Her body was as beautiful as ever—he’d long ago memorized every curve and dip. He stood, waiting for her to initiate contact.

And she did with her hand wrapped around his stiffening cock, nipping his chest. As she cupped his balls and squeezed, he sucked air between clenched teeth.

Katie laughed and released him. “I want you on your knees, Jake.”

He knelt and she draped one leg over his shoulder. With warm water running over her breasts, down her belly, and around his mouth, Jake nipped at her thighs, and then licked long, slow laps across her cunt.

Katie moaned softly at his attention, cradling his head in her hand. “Nice,” she whispered.

He focused his attention on her clit, circling the hardening nub with his tongue, and her leg tightened around his shoulders.

“Oh, yes.”

Feeling his prick swell with desire, he continued to suck and lick her until Katie pulled his head away. She drew him up in front of her and kissed him, biting his bottom lip and demanding his tongue as she caressed his cock with strong fingers. He jerked in response to her movements, wishing she’d offer him more but knowing not to push.

After a few delightful moments, Katie shoved him away with a laugh. “Enough for now. I need to wash, and then we’ll continue.”

Jake soaped her back and front, then waited while she rinsed. They emerged from the shower holding hands, and Katie draped a towel across his shoulders. He wondered at her sly smile as they dried off.

“And now for the snack,” she said, returning to her room.

Jake followed, surprised to find her soiled clothes removed from the floor and a dozen candles burning on the dresser, desk, and bookshelves.

In the middle of the large bed lay the dark-haired tattooed man who’d been center stage in the dungeon a little earlier. His wrists and ankles were tethered to the bedposts, which clearly made him uncomfortable, although Jake wasn’t sure if it was the binding or the fact that he was naked and exposed that bothered him. The young man frowned at the two of them.

“This is Raul,” Katie said. “Before becoming a hunter, he spent time in jail for rape.”

Jake glanced at her and noted the fire in her eye, a dangerous sign.

“Katie—”

“Now, Jake, we’re just going to have a little fun. You don’t mind, do you, Raul?”

“Look, I don’t—” Raul started to protest.

But Katie paid no attention. She crawled across the bed and gently gripped his flaccid prick in one hand, then licked big, wide circles on his muscular stomach, flicking her tongue across his dark tits. His cock responded in her hand, widening and hardening until it pointed to the ceiling.

“No,” Raul whispered, “I don’t mind at all.”

Katie smiled at Jake.

He started to sit in a chair near the foot of the bed, but she shook her head. “No, over here.”

Reluctantly, he walked to the other side of the bed and stretched out beside Raul, propped on one elbow. If nothing else, Katie’s little game would probably take his mind off Athena.