I didn’t tell him what I needed because he kissed me, spreading a tingle of magical current through my whole body. Before I knew what was going on, his lips were moving on mine and his tongue was in my mouth, teasing and sucking away every inch of self-control that was left inside me. I wrapped my hands around his muscular back and his palms moved over my backside, pressing me against his hard manhood. I moaned, unable to stop the magic that was escaping through my skin. His other hand moved underneath my blouse, caressing my stomach. I wanted him so much at this moment that my energy was about to burst.

  He pulled his lips away for a moment, breathing hard and fast. My eyes were still closed and I was afraid to open them. He had done well controlling his vampire urges; his fangs were still hidden away.

  ‘I’m going to make you come,’ he whispered in my ear. His voice sounded fluid and hypnotic. I opened my eyes in panic, but he was holding me close, his scent obscuring my elf senses. His eyes were gleaming with desire and he was hard, pressing himself against my leg.

  ‘Nathaniel,’ I gasped.

  ‘Shh, I’m going to make you come right now. Your magic is begging to be released,’ he said, not taking his hazel eyes off me. ‘Or we can continue to play with each other, risking that I will snap and my nature will take over my body.’

  Say no and leave. Just say it, you idiot!

  He didn’t let me respond because he lifted me off the ground and carried me to his desk, positioning himself between my legs.

  ‘I’m going to enjoy this more than anything. Your hot blood is pulsing with the same rhythm of my heartbeat.’ His lips started caressing my neck, and then he moved his hand between my legs. I moaned as excruciating pleasure spiked through my body. He pulled away, and with a wicked grin, he started unzipping my skirt. My hands were shaking with anticipation and soon my black skirt was thrown away across the room. His eyes moved down between my legs.

  Thank God I decided to wear my best underwear today.

  His eyes widened as he stared at me, exposed and so ready for him. His palm moved under my blouse, finding my bra, massaging my nipple that had gone tender and hard. I could no longer hold still, so I just relaxed on the table, not caring any more about my morals and better judgment. His other hand slid between my legs again and then he ripped off my knickers. There was nothing left. He was looking over me as I lay half naked in his office, on his desk.

  ‘Julia, you will soon be screaming with pleasure. He started rubbing his thumb against my sex, making a low sound of reassurance as my heart went haywire. My brain short-circuited as lust pumped through me. His finger slid down, massaging my clit. When I lifted my head, I saw his sandy hair between my legs.

  ‘Nathaniel,’ I gasped and howled with bliss. I tangled his hair in my fingers, and I could feel his tongue on my already swollen clit, but then he stopped and his eyes found mine.

  ‘How much do you want me to make you come?’ he asked, still rubbing his thumb on my sex. My whole body rippled with shivers and the energy that sparkled through it.

  I don’t think that I can take this.

  ‘Please touch me. I want this so much,’ I mumbled. My voice trembled and my pulse was throbbing. When his tongue started licking me, it didn’t stop. My eyelids slammed shut and my thighs were uneven. He sucked hard on my clit and at the same time he slipped his finger inside me. I cried out, screaming his name as the sparks of electricity evaporated through my fingertips.

  He continued to lick and suck my sex, while sliding his finger in and out. I pressed my hand against the edge of the table, feeling the climax approaching. I arched back. I couldn’t take it anymore. His hand quickened, sliding rhythmically up and down until I came. I felt the jolting contraction of my core; my hands slammed against the table. The glass that was somewhere in the room blew out, but I didn’t care, the ecstasy filled my whole body. I screamed, coming violently.

  He withdrew his hands and crept over me; his strong body slammed on top of mine. My rasping breath was circulating through space. I opened my eyes.

  ‘I hope you enjoyed this,’ he said and his lips touched mine again. Before I had a chance to say any more, he lifted me off the table. ‘You made a mess in my office. I told you that your energy needed to be released.’

  He said the last sentence with grave amusement. I looked around. The two glasses that were standing on the small table by the sofa were smashed into pieces. Nathaniel handed me my skirt and ripped knickers.

  Chapter thirty

  Shit. She was here all that time. God, she is going to think that I’m some kind of nymphomaniac.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, not knowing what else to say. My face was probably scarlet and my body was still shivering.

  ‘I’m sorry about your knickers, but I was caught up in the moment.’ He smirked. I put my skirt back on, feeling that something had changed between us. The tension I was carrying the past few days vanished; the stress I had to go through in the office wasn’t there anymore. I didn’t feel any pressure of energy accumulated inside me.

  ‘It’s all right. I didn’t like them anyway,’ I said, wondering how the hell he was able to control himself. When he kissed me for the first time, his fangs extended.

  ‘How are you getting back to the office?’ he asked.

  ‘Taxi.’

  ‘I’ll call Roberto. I'm not having you wandering around London in a taxi,’ he said, tucking my blond hair behind my ear.

  ‘Fine, Nathaniel,’ I said, not wanting to fight with him. I didn’t know how to take this uncomfortable silence that was growing between us.

  ‘Julia, I know that you’re apprehensive about me being close to you, but don’t think about that too much.’

  ‘I have to leave now,’ I said and grabbed all my paperwork and left without saying anything else.

  Emily lifted her head and looked at me, raising her left eyebrow like she was judging me.

  Shit. She was here all that time. God, she is going to think that I’m some kind of nymphomaniac.

  ‘Good-bye,’ I said and called the lift, trying to ignore her smirk.

  ‘Have a good evening, Miss Taylor,’ said Emily.

  When I was in the lift, my legs were still weak. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and took a deep breath. My mind was intoxicated by his scent and the way he pleasured me. The past few times, he told me only what he wanted, but today he pleased me.

  What have you done, Julia? Now he is expecting you to sleep with him.

  Roberto smiled when he saw me outside. On the way back to the office, I was calmer than usual, but the world around me had gone crazy. It was only the beginning of January and it would be a long time before I was going to see Nathaniel again. I gave the papers to my vampire colleagues and asked Roberto to drop me home after that.

  I dragged myself to Pilates after seven in the evening. I called Nicky and Ella. They joined me. It was time for them to hear what had happened today in Nathaniel’s office.

  ‘I have wine at home and I think we all need it after what I'm going to tell you both,’ I said as we got into Nicky’s car. Her husband was looking after her kids tonight.

  ‘Does this have something to do with Mr. La Caz?’ said Nicky, giggling.

  ‘Who is La Caz?’ Ella asked.

  ‘I’ll fill you in at home. Please, I need a drink first,’ I said.

  My apartment was nicely warm when we got in and once I started to explain to Ella everything from the beginning, she looked angry. When I got to everything that went on in Kent and in his office, both my friends’ jaws dropped.

  Ella was staring at me as if someone just slapped her. Nicky was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. I gulped down the first glass of wine.

  ‘After all this talk, he called you to his office and made you come?’ she repeated. I wasn’t embarrassed, not in front of my friends I’d known for years.

  ‘Yes, he wasn’t trying anything else. He just did it and then sent me away.’

  ‘I can’t believe you haven’t
even said anything about him. What the hell?’ asked Ella, getting up, as if to leave.

  ‘I didn’t tell you because after that dinner I was never going to see him again. He told me he didn’t want a relationship,’ I said, getting irritated.

  ‘What are you going to do about him? There is obviously something going on between you two and you are going to this posh dinner with him?’ Nicky said, arching her eyebrows.

  ‘Nothing. I'm not going to contact him, then I’ll go to this stupid dinner and that’s it.’ I shuddered, pouring more wine into my glass.

  Ella was marching up and down through my living room, and then she stopped and knelt by me. ‘This is it, Julia. He is the one. Can’t you see the fates are putting both of you together? You have to call him.’

  ‘Oh, please Ella, he wants to have sex with her. He is seducing her, giving all the right signals, and then he is going to leave her.’ Nicky was saying what I was thinking: stay away from vampires; it had all gone too far.

  ‘Nicky is right. He doesn’t want to date me; he wants to sleep with me. He always gets what he wants, Ella. He isn’t husband material.’

  ‘Maybe you are wrong. He took you out on a proper date, introduced you to his father, and then today he gave you an orgasm. He is into you.’

  I was shaking my head, but the tiny voice in my head wanted to agree with Ella. Nathaniel mentioned he wouldn’t just leave me, but he couldn’t give me what I wanted.

  ‘So how was it?’ asked Nicky, her eyes gleaming.

  ‘How was what?’

  ‘The bloody orgasm!’ she shouted. I went scarlet. I knew she wanted to know the juicy details.

  ‘The best in my life,’ I whispered. Ella was staring at me, shocked, and after a moment, they burst out laughing.

  ‘Well, then, you have to introduce him to your parents over dinner. I'm telling you, he is the one for you,’ she continued.

  I looked at Nicky. She wasn’t laughing anymore.

  They left me just after ten o’clock. I curled in my bed, thinking about this odd day. I fell asleep, not knowing whether I would ever be able to get away from Nathaniel La Caz.

  The next few days dragged by. Since the mind-blowing orgasm, Nathaniel didn’t try to contact me. This whole situation was confusing and still remained unresolved.

  This week, I was doing late shifts with Monica and Adele, my vampire co-workers. Rufus was sorting out the office in Bristol and we hadn’t heard from him for about a week or so. Dad called me midday to find out whether I had noticed anything suspicious. There had been two more kidnappings in the city, and I was pulling my hair with frustration when he said that he still had nothing new about Claudia. I was going to mention Ella’s mystical bites to him, but he had to hang up because Mum came home. Sometimes it was frustrating that Dad had to marry a human. It was hard not telling her about the magic and other paranormal creatures that were around.

  Nicky called me during the week, asking whether I heard any more from my half vampire. She was equally disappointed when I told her I had not.

  ‘If he tastes your blood, then it will be over between you. If you want to avoid a broken heart, end this sooner rather than later,’ she said. I took her advice to heart. He hadn’t called me or texted me since our unexpected evening in his office.

  I tried to stay busy at work, because I didn’t want to think about him.

  After placing an advert for the Wand Maker, I shortlisted two great candidates. The employer emailed me, expressing interest in seeing both of them. So on Friday evening, I was making a few phone calls to try to stay on top of everything. I became restless thinking more and more about Nathaniel La Caz.

  Monica had started using the Magic Shot produced by La Caz Corporation, and I was curious to know how she was feeling.

  ‘I no longer need blood. The shot helps me to control my thirst, but if a nice human would come along and offer himself to me, I wouldn’t say no,’ she said, as we were finishing work about a week or so after she’d begun taking the shot. It was close to four in the morning and I was looking forward to the weekend. I wasn’t sure why, but I was angry that I let La Caz get to me so easily.

  ‘Yes, I get that. This is supposed to stop vampires feeding on humans but it’s all about personal taste,’ remarked Adele, licking her lower lips.

  ‘Can you guys close down? I'm going to leave now,’ I said, getting up. I didn’t want to listen to them. They were talking about him, not intentionally, but still I was already in a bad mood today.

  ‘You’re going early?’ asked Adele with disbelief, narrowing her eyes. ‘You never go early. Have you got a date or something?’

  ‘No, I just need to go home. See you guys later,’ I said and gave her a faint smile. When I was outside, I took fresh air deep into my lungs. The streets were deserted. The dark heavy clouds were hanging above me. I only had thin tights on and it was freezing cold. Roberto didn’t know that I’d finished early so he wouldn’t be waiting for me. I hated that I had to rely on a male to get home safely. I hated that these fairy and elf kidnappers were out there somewhere and my father couldn’t catch them.

  Chapter thirty-one

  Is he going to kill me? Is this how I'm going to die?

  I started walking towards town, hoping to get a taxi. My feet were heavy and I wondered if I should just sleep at my parents’ house. Mum was probably cooking something delicious and I was fed up with beans on toast.

  ‘Julia, wait! I’ll walk with you.’

  I turned around to face Jasper, who was approaching me. He was wearing a suit with his best coat that I’d bought him for his birthday when we were still together. I felt myself shaking, staring at my stalker ex-boyfriend who wasn’t even supposed to be here.

  ‘What the fuck, Jasper! How many times have I told you I don’t want to see you? What are you, deaf?’ I yelled, remembering what he’d done to this poor troll a few months ago. I felt as if magic was creeping up my spine.

  ‘I’m still responsible for your safety, Julia, and this vampire that you are dating now—’

  ‘Don’t you dare, Jasper, don’t you fucking even dare go there. I’m a free woman and I can date whomever I want.’

  A blue flame escaped through my hair. I didn’t see it, but I felt it. He laughed, not taking me seriously at all. He was holding his magic wand.

  ‘C’mon Julia, he isn’t for you. I’m the one who will make you happy. I’ve seen you with him, the way he looks at you; it’s like he’s imagining a big, fat juicy steak.’

  This was enough to make me mad. I screamed, and then all my pores opened. The burst of energy shot through my body and swept Jasper off his feet. He wasn’t ready for this so he landed around a hundred metres away from me.

  I walked up to him as he sat there coughing and spitting. He was fine, though maybe overwhelmed by my unexpected power. He’d always underestimated me, purely by the fact that I was just an elf who didn’t know how to control her magic. Tonight I showed him that he should have never started up with me.

  ‘You are fucked Jasper; my father will be after you sooner or later,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘And next time you won’t be so lucky.’

  I started walking away when an unknown power tangled my feet and I crashed to the ground. I had the metallic taste of blood in my mouth and heard Jasper stomp towards me. He knelt beside me as I lay motionless on the ground.

  ‘You can’t get away with this. I use dark magic and I can crush your little leech boyfriend with one finger.’ I heard Jasper’s voice spinning in my head. But I wasn’t sure what happened or how I got on the ground; the only thought going through my head was the extent of his power. I misjudged him, because I was always convinced he would never hurt me.

  Is he going to kill me? Is this how I'm going to die?

  ‘You left me, but trust me; you will never get rid of me. I'm the only one for you.’ He stood up and then he was gone. I was lying on the wet street. My lip was cut. When I managed to lift myself up, I started shaking.
/>
  ‘Miss Taylor, are you all right?’

  It was Roberto; he rushed to me and helped me to my feet. I looked around, but Jasper was nowhere to be seen. I sucked my bruised lip and cursed. I should have expected that. He’d seen me with Nathaniel so it was only a matter of time before he’d show up.

  ‘I’m okay, just a little bruised,’ I replied, inhaling the air that still was filled with dying magic. My clothes were damp. I told him where to take me and on the way to my parents’ house, I called Dad. I had to be careful because I didn’t want my mum to know what had happened to me. Jasper had years of experience with dark magic, and he was still stalking me.

  Roberto kept glancing at me in the mirror, but I sunk down in my seat as I wondered about my next step. It was nearly half past four in the morning when my dad got into Nathaniel’s car.

  ‘Julia, are you all right, hon? What are you doing in this car?’ he asked, but I didn’t let him finish because I hugged him tightly.

  ‘It was Jasper, Dad. He made me angry and I blew up,’ I said. ‘He’s been following me. We broke up ages ago, but I don’t think he’s ever moved on. You need to have a word with him to leave me alone.’

  In the darkness, my dad’s blue eyes contracted with anger, and the air around me thickened with his energy. I didn’t want to get my father involved, but Jasper was powerful and he was still obsessed with me.

  ‘How long has this been going on?’ Dad asked. His eyes were fixated on Roberto, who was sitting in front.

  ‘I don’t know. He’s been following me for months, but I didn’t want to worry you.’

  ‘There was another case like this that was brought to my attention a short while ago, but I dismissed it. I will take care of this Julia. By the way, why are you in this limo?’

  I exhaled and looked away. I couldn’t tell him about Nathaniel. He wouldn’t understand, and officially we weren’t in a relationship. I didn’t even know what we were doing together.

  ‘A friend is doing me a favour, Dad, that’s all. He just wants to be sure that I get home safely.’