Please, he said again.
Who do you belong to? she asked as hed asked her.
He didnt even try to hold out. You. Jane.
The admission affected her as strongly as a caress, and she shivered. Im going to make you so happy you said that. She fit her lips around the head of his penis. His flavor hit her taste buds, and she groaned in eagerness. More, she wanted more. She slid her mouth all the way down, until he reached the back of her throat.
A hoarse cry left him. Up she glided, lightly scraping him with her teeth. Another cry. She hovered there, unmoving, tormenting. Waiting.
Jane, I like this most.
Down she slid; up she glided, repeating the process over and over, slowly at first, then increasing her speed. Soon he could no longer speak, could only moan and groan as she had. Having him like this, at her mercy, his desire for her consuming him, directing all of his thoughts and actions, was a powerful aphrodisiac to her.
Just as his testicles tightened, signaling the start of his climax, she stilled, clamping her lips on the base of his cock, preventing him from going further. A little trick shed read about but never tried. His roar of need blasted through the forest.
Jane, he panted. Jane, please.
He was trembling, moist with perspiration, but he didnt come. And when the danger passed, she crawled up his body, trembling just as violently. His fangs were so long theyd cut into his lip, leaving trails of blood down his chin.
Why didnt you
I want you inside me. Her blood was molten in her veins, causing sweat to bead on her brow. Need to be inside you, but not yet, not yet. His hands returned to her hair, his fingers pulling at the strands. Must control urge to bite you first.
Dont control the urge. She leaned down and flicked her tongue against one of his fangs, quickly cutting the soft tissue. Give in to it. Im fine.
He groaned as if in pain. Delicious.
More?
The world suddenly spun. Hed tossed her on her back, and was looming over her. More, he slurred, his gaze locked on her hammering pulse. No, cant. Not yet, not yet, he repeated. Baby.
Yes? Why not yet? Maybe she was greedy. Maybe she was selfish. She wanted now, now, now.
He chuckled, a broken sound. No. Baby. I could give you a baby. Do you want a baby?
Understanding dawned. Sadness and fear suddenly swamped her, dulling some of her desire. I cant have children. Would he think less of her? No longer want her?
The woman his father had picked could probably have children.
Oh, ouch.
Jane had thought shed come to terms with her lack. But nowthe thought of starting a family with Nicolai She wanted that, she realized. Not now, but later. When they were safe. To be with him, to have his child growing inside her She would never know that joy.
The lack was another reason shed dumped Spencer when she had. Once, theyd talked about getting married and starting a family, and shed known how badly he had wanted that. With her, he would never have it. So shed let him go, knowing he would thank her one day, when he was wed to another woman, his kids running around and laughing in their home.
After the accident, my body is ruined, she said, pushing the words past the lump in her throat. So, you dont have to worry about getting me pregnant. Ever. And if you want to stop and never take this thing between us any further, Ill understand.
He peered down at her, a dark warrior whose ire had been pricked. Jane?
Yes?
I want you no matter what. Need you. Never think otherwise. With that, he gripped her thighs, spread them and surged up, hitting her deep inside with that one powerful thrust.
She forgot her sadness as instant, necessary, all-consuming desire flooded her. He was so big he stretched her; she was so wet, her once-neglected body gave him only minimal resistance.
Nicolai! His name, oh, how she loved his name.
I like this, too, he said. In and out he moved. Changed my mind. Like this most.
Her mind clouded, her nerve endings razed to the point of pleasure-pain, and she screamed. Shed been so turned on, the slightest stroke would have sent her shooting off to the stars. But thissweet heaven, this.
Oh, God, it was so good, and she was so lost, she never wanted to be found, wanted this forever Nicolai, Nicolai, hers, always hers. She was babbling to herself, and she knew it, couldnt control it. Didnt want to control it. Just wanted more. Of him, of this.
Shouldnt bite, must bite.
Bite. Please. Im yours, Nicolai. Im yours.
He growled, and then his fangs were in her neck and she was climaxing, squeezing at him, clutching at him. Taking everything he had to give and demanding more. And he gave it to her.
He rode the waves of her satisfaction, thrusting inside her with a fervor that left her breathless. He was all around her, a part of her, the sole light in her world. Drinking, drinking, oh, yes, drinking. Soon she became dizzy, and little doubts peeked from the shadows of her mind, as if theyd been hiding all along, waiting for her defenses to crumble.
Maybe his wordswant you no matter what, need youwere preorgasm talk, meant to lure her into bed and keep her from running. Maybe the cloud of desire had been leading him all along. Maybe he would later change his mind about wanting her.
Maybe, when this was over, he would let her go.
No. She fought back. No. This wasnt temporary. He wouldnt discard her. Even if he learned the truth about some of the things shed done to his kind?
Cold, hard reality. Again, she fought back. Nothing would destroy this moment, not even that. Here, pleasure mattered. Only pleasure.
He hooked one of his arms under her knee and lifted, opening her wider, increasing the depths he reached. Instantly her body prepared for yet another climax, needing it just as desperately as the others, as if sex with him was a prerequisite for her survival. She should fear that. She needed him too intently, was no longer complete without him.
Hell, if she left, would she be the one to wither? Had she mated him and just didnt know it? What did she know about the road to mating? Nothing really.
Nicolai took hold of her other leg and lifted, surging impossibly deeper, and she forgot even that. There was no part of her left untouched. She was Nicolais woman, plain and simple, branded by him, a part of him. After this, she would never be the same, didnt want to be the same.
She sank her nails into his scalp and forced his head up. His teeth slid from her vein. Nicolai
Im sorry. He eyed her, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. I didnt mean Did I take too much? Agony wafted.
No. He could have it all, every last drop. Kiss me, she demanded.
Yes. He met her halfway. Their lips pressed together, their tongues dueled. His flavor filled her, and this time it was mixed with hers. Together, every part of them togetherintoxicating.
Mine, she said.
Yours.
Forever, she didnt let herself add, but, oh, did she want to. Later, they would talk. Yes, the dreaded conversation about feeling and intentions. About the future.
The kiss continued, spinning out of control, their teeth scraping together, as he slipped and slid within her. He released one of her legs to move his hand between their bodies, and pressed his thumb against her clitoris. Just like that, she exploded again, spasming around him.
He hissed out a breath, pushed deep once more, and came, every muscle he possessed clenching and unclenching. Shed never made love without a condom, and loved the feel of him jetting inside her.
When he stilled, she wrapped herself around him, holding him as close as possible. He collapsed on top of her, but quickly rolled to relieve the pressure of his muscled weight. They were both sweat soaked and feverish, trembling.
My Jane, he said, so much satisfaction in his voice she couldnt fear the upcoming discussion.
She kissed his shoulder. My Nicolai.
Forever.
She hoped.
Dont leaveneed to talk, she breathed, just before drifting off to sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PANTING, SWEATING, SATED in the most perfect way, Nicolai snuggled Jane in to his side. Her blood flowed through his veins like champagne, bubbling and fizzing, claiming every thought and beating back a painful realization he wasnt quite ready to face. He wanted to close his eyes and savor, but he had a few things to work out in his mind first.
Shed wanted to talk. About what? If she thought to push him away after what theyd shared Well, that wasnt going to happen.
What theyd just done could not be called sex.
Sex was an urge. Sex was something you could do with anyone. Sex could be consensual or forced, as he well knew. What theyd done was a mating. Primal, wild, necessary, and as essential as a beating heart.
He would have died if hed been denied access to her body. Hed simply had to be inside her. Nothing could have stopped him. Not attack, not death, hell, not even her disappearance. If she had returned to her world, he would have found a way to follow her.
There was no resisting this woman, not for him, and he wasnt going to try anymore. Not in any way. His betrothed might be waiting for him, but so what. Like hed told Jane, he would have her and no other.
Shed changed him.
When hed first seen her, scented her, his hunger for her had bloomed. Perhaps hed become obsessed. Because when hed watched her being whipped, hed forgotten his plan to save himself and had gone after her. Then, when hed heard her scream, had realized the ogres were hurting her, his rage had been unequaled. Seeing her beaten face and body had made a mockery of the rage, however, and hed become fully beast, his darker nature taking over.
All the times before, hed only thought he had a temper.
The fighting had ended too early. Hed wanted to torture the king, wanted to keep him at the brink of death and agony for centuries. For Janes sake, hed finished the bastard off and gathered his woman close, just like this.
She had slept then, too, but he hadnt calmed. The need to brand her, to let the world know exactly who she belonged to, had been driving him as forcefully as the rage had. But he hadnt wanted to hurt her when he took herand hed known he would take her.
So hed brought her here, intending to swim and pacify himself. Hed meant to feed her the fish, as well, but shed watched him while hed captured them, and hed felt the rise of her desire.
Hed forgotten his good intentions. His hope to be careful.
Now hed had her, had branded her, just as hed wanted, needed, but he realized even that wasnt enough. Nothing would ever be enough with her. He would always want her. Always want more.
Were his parents alive, they would understand. He knew this to be true.
Hed loved them, and they had loved him. They would want him to be happy, and he could not be happy without Jane. His father had settled on a neighboring princess only because Nicolai had shown no preference.
Now, he had.
Jane could not have children, and that bothered her, but it did not bother him. He hadnt lied to her. He liked her just as she was. When Nicolai became king in his fathers steadthe need lit, caught firehe would be expected to have an heir. But he had three siblings well capable of seeing to that.
So. His new plan of action: secure Jane to his side, return to Elden, kill the Blood Sorcerer who had slain his parents and claim the throne. He didnt want to wait to discuss this. Urgency rode him. Instinct that drove him to settle things now.
Jane
A moment passed.
Jane. Sweetheart. Gently he shook her.
Yes, she muttered groggily.
We will talk now.
Her slight catch of breath was encouraging. Really?
Yes, really. When you first came to me, you mentioned a book. Where is the book now?
Oh. Thats what you want to talk about. She sounded disappointed. I left it at the palace in Delfina. I dont think that matters, though. It was the right book, just newer. And blank.
He frowned. When you read it, the story was about me?
Yes. About your enslavement. There was a pink bookmark in the middle, and thats the page that told about your imprisonment. Then, written by the same hand, was a note from you, commanding me to help you, to come to you. The rest of the pages were blank, though.
Hed wondered before if hed written the thing and forgotten. For all he knew, the witches had cursed him to forget everything but what they did to him. Why had the ink disappeared when Jane had shown up in Delfina, though? Because shed arrived before hed actually written the book? But, if hed commanded her to come herecommanded her specificallyhe would have met her already. And she would have left him.
He tensed. He did not like that notion and he quickly discarded it. He hadnt said come back to me. Hed said come to me. Somagic might have shown her to him, and like the book, hed forgotten.
Still, the fear that he could lose her took root and refused to leave him. Do you want to stay here with me, Jane? He geared for battle. A battle he would fight viciously to win. She had a life he knew nothing about, and were the situation reversed, were he stuck in her world, he would have to find a way to leave to avenge his family and home. And he would have stolen away with her, he thought.
Now she was the one to tense. Okay, I could answer your question with a question of my own. Do you want me to stay? But I wont. Because I shouldnt have to qualify my opinion. Im not a coward. She licked her lips, as she did each time she felt desire for him, and he felt the hot slide of her tongue on his chest. So. Here it is. Yes. I want to stay with you. Thats what I wanted to talk to you about.
Thank the gods. He had worried for nothing. I am glad. Inadequate words. I want you to stay with me, too.
Really? Youre not just saying that?
Jane, when have I ever just said anything?
Well, men say stuff they dont mean to get women into bed. All the time.
Some did, yes, but he never had. Hed always been up front, offering a single night of his attention, his body, but nothing else, and no longer. That was it, the end. Although, to get Jane into his bed again, hed do and say just about anything.