He watched her closely surprised all over again that she got him. It seemed there was more than one reason why he was drawn to her.
She took another swig of beer, then said, “Maybe it’s the temporary bond, but I just have this running sense within me of who you are and it helps me feel comfortable. I’m guessing it’s my blood rose ability.” She drank again, her gaze drifting in the direction of the window. “I have to confess that I’m liking this a lot. I feel more at ease in my skin right now than I ever have, more at peace with all that happened, with the loss of my family, than I’ve ever been. This has to be a realm thing.”
Willem recalled the information he’d dug up about the boating accident. The toxicology report on her father had told its own tale.
“So, your father was a drinker.”
She set her beer down and picked up her spoon. “Raving alcoholic. I take it you know the details of the accident.”
“My investigation into your life was thorough.” He wanted her to know exactly who he was, that he would have left no stone unturned. But she didn’t flinch.
She sipped another spoonful of soup, her gaze fixed on him, then said, “As was mine. But yes, my father drank and he hit us all and all of it hurt. He was an angry drunk, out of his mind. He could also be as sweet as anything during the good days. I think every time he swore off the booze, he hoped it would be the last. But it wasn’t.” She took a sip of her soup, adding, “I’ve had a lot of counseling over the years, learning to forgive, to accept, to let go, even to embrace what was good and decent about him.”
“I know that as well.”
She buttered a chunk of rosemary bread. “So this investigation of yours must not have revealed too much to turn you off since you asked me out on a date.” Her brown eyes danced and he was caught all over again.
He shifted toward her and said, “I found nothing in your life that caused me the smallest concern. Not one thing. And that’s why I finally called you up and asked you out.”
A soft smile crossed her lip. “Thank you for that, Willem. And the same goes for me, in case you haven’t noticed. I mean I scoured the Realm Internet and read absolutely every article and blog I could find on you. And by the way, there were over eight hundred, so yes, I do know that you have a temper so I came prepared.”
“You came prepared?” He laughed.
“Well, I did. I practiced planting my hands on my hips and telling you to ‘stuff it’ or something like that.”
He laughed all over again. She wasn’t like any woman he’d ever known.
When she finished her soup and her beer, and he’d done the same, she asked him to take her outside and show her the back garden.
He felt something from her at that moment, a kind of determination that not only defined her, but also indicated she had a purpose in mind right now.
He opened the French door that led off the nearby dining area. When she reached the edge of the patio pavers, she slipped off her flats and walked out onto the lawn.
He joined her. “So, I need to ask you something, Charlotte.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Sure. Anything.”
“Didn’t those pictures bother you?”
She was silent for a moment. “Other than breaking my heart, no, they didn’t. And no, I don’t know why. They just didn’t.”
He drew up next to her, frowning. Who was this woman?
She turned to him, her brow creased as well. “Do you suppose it’s a blood rose thing? I mean I feel like I should be really upset, and I am for the children, but the visceral nature of the photos, not so much.”
“We just seem to be so in sync.”
“I know. It’s bizarre.”
He sighed heavily. “I should probably be getting you home.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
Her that’s-so-not-going-to-happen tone, made him catch her elbow and turn her toward him. “Why would you say that? I should take you home. The sooner the better. After that, we’ll have Vojalie dissolve the bond.”
“Well, there’s a couple of reasons. First, I don’t want to leave your home until the bond is dissolved, if that’s what we both decide to do. And the other reason is purely selfish on my part.”
“And what would that be?” He really didn’t know what she meant.
But she drew close and slid her arms around his neck. She was tall, almost six feet, a perfect armful for him so that naturally his arms slid right around her unquestioning. She kissed him, a full moist kiss.
When she parted her lips, he deepened the kiss and that same, earlier lethargy once more took him over. He forgot what they’d been talking about as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She moaned, suckling.
His body heated up fast as desire for her possessed him like a match to dry grass. He ground his hips into her, letting her feel what had become in a matter of seconds hard and ready for her.
She arched her hips several times in succession, pressing against his arousal. Still suckling his tongue and making all kinds of promises, she pathed, That feels wonderful and I was hoping you’d want to do this again. I seem to be in a terrible state of need where you’re concerned.
I can see that and I’m damn willing to help things along. Back to the bedroom?
She pulled away, releasing him, but answered his question with a shake of her head. She then took the bottom of her tank top and once more started to strip for him. “I saw your property from the air, remember? Your garden is very private and you don’t have close neighbors at all.” She dropped the shirt to the lawn. “How about here and now?”
His gaze fell to her beautiful cleavage and before she could take off her bra, he dipped low and kissed her creamy mounds over and over. She kneaded his shoulders, digging in her nails, cooing her pleasure at the same time. Her wisteria scent flowed once more.
The next thing he knew, she’d twisted from his arms, removed her skirt and laid it out on the grass. She then slipped out of her bra and her thong. She moved swiftly and the next moment, while he stood staring at her dumbly, she’d settled on top of the skirt, stretching out, completely naked. His mouth fell open as his gaze drifted down her body.
Leaning up on her elbows, she smiled, her voice throaty as she said, “Lose your clothes, Willem, and get down here. I’m feeling a draft and I could sure use your heat.”
He didn’t need to hear the command twice. He stripped as quickly as he could, though he had to ease the zipper down carefully. He was fully aroused and when she saw his erection, her fingers clawed the air, urging him to hurry.
But as he lowered himself, all he could see was her vein throbbing as she tilted her head. His fangs started to descend.
“Willem, I’m a little surprised, but my heart is laboring again. I think I need you to feed.”
She must have read his mind.
As he kissed her breasts, her ribs and down her abdomen, he pathed, If I drink from you, I’ll need to be inside you. Sweet Goddess, your wisteria scent is killing me.
He kept moving down, lower and lower, until his tongue hit her landing patch. As he licked between her cleft then savored her folds, she moaned heavily, her body writhing. “Willem, that feels so good. You have no idea.”
Charlotte, the bond is amazing, even in this temporary state, because I can feel your pleasure. And it’s making me hard.
And I can feel the pleasure rippling over your cock. This is incredible.
Now let me make it feel even better.
He added the vibration and her whole body arched as she cried out. Willem, my God. You’ll make me come.
He licked her several times, taking her to the edge. But he didn’t want her coming just yet.
He rose up slightly, moving over her at the same time. “Are you ready for my cock, Charlotte? Do you want all of me?”
She was panting. “And your fangs.”
“Good.” He positioned his cock at her entrance. He looked down at her, at her swollen lips and the way her head rocked
back and forth. She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling, her breasts creamy in the moonlight, nipples peaked.
He was so hard that he ached deep into his groin. She was right to have insisted on staying.
He pushed inside, slowly at first, thrusting deeper after each pull-back. She cried out and he understood why. He’d never felt this way before with any woman in his long-lived life. The pleasure was incredibly intense and he could feel how much she enjoyed his cock driving into her.
The whole thing was damn addictive. For this sensation alone – what she was feeling as he pushed into her – he wanted to keep her with him forever. He loved it.
When he was fully within, he leaned over her, curling his hips to really let her feel him. She arched with each thrust, gasping. He felt the ripples of intense pleasure that flowed deep inside her body, moving in waves through her abdomen.
The doubling of sensation, hers and his, kept him close to coming.
She touched her neck. “I need this, Willem. It must be the blood rose part of me, but I need you to bite me. Hard.”
He slowed the movement of his hips and pressed his forearm across her chest to keep her upper body still while he continued to pump into her. He licked a line up her throat and once more she cried out.
“Please.” Her plaintive cry made his jaw tremble.
He could feel that her desire to be taken in this way equaled his own need to possess her with both his mouth and his cock at the same time. He’d never wanted anything so much in his life as to be driving into her while he sucked down her life force.
He rubbed her neck with the side of his fangs, his nostrils flaring as he scented her. He slid his cock in and out, an easy glide because she was so wet.
Willem, do it.
He pulled back his lips to expose the sharp piercing tips. The anticipation made him ache low across his abdomen.
He arched his neck, then in a quick jerk of his head, struck to the right depth. With the first draw of blood, he withdrew his fangs, afterward surrounding the piercing with his lips.
The wisteria taste of her blood exploded in his mouth, an elixir of power, flavor, and sexual sensation. He took strong pulls, holding her steady as he drove his cock deep.
Taking. And giving.
She panted. Willem, it’s euphoric. I want more, all of you, let me feel your mating vibration.
From the center of his being he let his realm frequency come to life, a strong vibration that set his body on fire. He let it fly.
She cried out and at the same time, her own vibration, the one just developing within her, responded and reached out to embrace his. A dance began, one that kept rhythm with the pulls from his mouth and the curls of his hips.
He’d never been so one with a woman before. Pleasure built, rising up and up. She moaned now with every push of his hips.
“Willem,” came like a whisper. She moaned and cried out in turns.
He moved faster now, quickening the pace. Her blood worked in his veins, mixing with his realm power, strengthening all that he was. Her well held him in a tight grip, stroking him as he thrust.
Are you close, Charlotte? Are you ready to come?
Yes, but tell me more. Just talk to me, Willem. I love you’re your voice in my head.
And I love taking your blood and working you deep. You’re trembling.
Harder, Willem. I need it harder, faster. I’m so close.
He released her throat and planted his hands on either side of her. Lifting up, he thrust faster. She stared into his eyes, gripping his arms. “Willem.”
“Charlotte, sweet Goddess, I love fucking you.”
She nodded. “More.”
He smiled, then he moved with a speed as only a vampire could move, especially one fired by her blood. At the same time, he released a vibration through his cock.
Her lips parted and her neck arched, then she was crying out, long ecstatic wails into the night sky. He began to release as well, groaning against her cries as pleasure burst in swift jerks from his cock.
She breathed hard, her hands now palm down on the grass, her pelvis arching up and down, meeting his movements with her own.
He slowed, but he knew he wasn’t done. He felt his body building once more, his cock growing stiff all over again, his balls tight.
The vibration remained.
She stared at him, brows raised. “Again? Willem, really?”
“Yes. It has to be your blood.”
“This is so much pleasure and I felt you come. I felt your pleasure. And that vibration—”
She gasped and as he began to move once more, she groaned heavily, her body writhing beneath his as he continued to drive into her with deep, penetrating thrusts. His mating frequency was now wrapped tightly around hers, stroking her own vibration.
Ecstasy crashed once more, then picked him up and carried him deep into a whirlwind of sensation. His mind spun off the edge of the universe and for a long moment he disappeared into a place of sublime sensation.
As he released into her once more, he felt one with the world, with this woman, his realm, all things living and good.
“Willem?” He heard her as from a great distance.
When he returned to himself, she wore a half smile, her expression serene and relaxed. “Are you with me?”
He nodded. “That was unbelievable.”
She petted his face and ran her thumb over his lips. “This feels beyond the beyond, and I don’t want to ever leave your garden again.” She laughed. “Which is silly, but I swear I could stay here forever.”
He stroked her hair, easing loose strands away from her face. He felt so much right now, he hardly knew what to say. “Beyond the beyond. Exactly.”
“So, where did you go, at the end?”
He shook his head. “I rode the farthest reaches of the realm world. I’d never known anything like it.” He leaned down and kissed her. “You’ve brought something amazing into my life, something I don’t understand or deserve. But I’m grateful, Charlotte. I’ve never felt so alive before. Your blood is an elixir for me beyond description and I feel more powerful than ever.”
“You look bulked up, like you could carry massive boulders with one hand.” She ran her palms over his shoulders.
“Is there something I could do for you? I feel compelled to give back to you what you’ve given to me.”
She chuckled. “But that makes no sense. I mean, I wish I could express what this was like for me, how much you’ve given me.”
“Try.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek, then her temple, then slid back to take the tip of her ear in his mouth and suckle.
She shivered, her body once more writhing beneath his. It wouldn’t take much to become aroused again. But first, he wanted to hear what she would say.
She reached up and cupped the back of his neck, holding his gaze. “I’ve…” But she got on further. She looked past him, blinking first then narrowing her gaze. “I’m seeing something. A vision of some kind.”
She blinked once more, then met his gaze. “It’s gone, but I have this profound feeling that I should look at your most recent case file again.”
“The missing boy?” But he already knew the truth. Whatever the sex had been for Charlotte, it had also brought her one step closer to her fae abilities.
“Yes, the one I saw in the last photo.”
Willem slowly eased out of her. So many things about Charlotte spoke of emerging powers and all things realm. And because their frequencies were still joined together, he could feel what she felt, her fae compulsion to once more delve into the file.
“Wait here for a moment.” He levitated swiftly and brought a washcloth back for her.
“Thank you. Very thoughtful.”
Maybe it was her expression or maybe the bond, but he could tell she would have expected nothing less than thoughtfulness from him. The fact that she believed in him swelled something in his heart and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. Was it possible he’d got
ten it wrong all these years about who he was?
When she was ready, he lifted her to her feet, gathering up both sets of clothes.
“Shower first?”
“Yes, that would be best. Because I have a feeling…” She broke off.
“What?”
She shook her head this time. “I don’t know, but I think we’re meant to go somewhere. Willem, I just have this strong sense that if I look at the pictures, I’ll know where the boy is.”
***
Chapter Eight
Once showered and dressed, Charlotte returned with Willem to the office. He retrieved the soft leather case once more, the unzipping of the file sounding loud in her ears.
Her heart pounded and the golden aura surrounding Willem had returned.
“Are you all right?” His voice sounded as though spoken through a fog.
Despite how much had happened in only one evening, she felt very comfortable with the strong fae vibrations that moved through her now, as though her time in Grochaire among realm-folk that she loved, had prepared her for exactly this moment.
I’m okay. It’s the fae part of me coming to life again. Show me the very last page, the one with the photo of the most recently abducted boy.
She forced herself to relax, to really let go, which caused the soft golden glow attached to Willem to expand and cover the leather case as well. Each page shimmered as he lifted the bulk, then flipped them to lie flat, exposing the picture of the boy.
She took Willem’s hand and overlaid the school photo. A vibration began, stronger than anything she’d known before.
Charlotte?
She closed her eyes, knowing exactly what would happen, that she would experience a vision. She let it come. She heard the boy’s screams first, which almost sent her spiraling out of the vision, but she held fast. Willem, let go of my hand but surround me with your arms. I need your support.
The next moment, she was clamped within his powerful embrace and she could relax, but tears tracked down her cheeks.