They all entered his house and flipped on lights. Lavos and Kar searched the rooms for any danger as Lorn assessed Kira. She seemed interested in taking in every detail of the living room.
“What do you think? This is your home now too.”
“I like it. It’s a little cold though. You need some throw pillows on the couch with some color, maybe some paintings on the walls, and the empty bookshelves need to be filled.”
He had to agree. “I mainly live in my bedroom while I’m here. It’s got more furnishings and personal touches.” He remembered something then, and bit his lip, wondering how he’d get rid of the things stashed in one drawer before she found them.
Kira noticed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Wait until we’re alone.”
She nodded.
Kar and Lavos came back into the living room. His brother spoke. “It’s clear. No one has been there. We checked the locks. It’s all secure. We’ll be outside.”
“Thank you.”
He bolted the door after them and motioned Kira to follow him. She did. He hoped she liked his bedroom. Lavos had left the lights on and he moved out of the way, watching her reaction.
She smiled, seeing his large king bed, the fireplace in the corner, and a few paintings he had on the walls of wild wolves. One was a forest scene, while another featured a waterfall and large pool of water.
“I like it.”
He walked up behind her and she turned, peering up at him. “I’ve never had anyone here.”
“You mean women?”
“Yes.”
“Were you worried I’d hate your furniture or something? I like dark wood.”
“That’s not it.”
She turned away, studying the room. She spotted the mantel and walked over to it. Her fingers traced over a fist-size stone placed on top of it. “I know this.”
“You should.” He came up behind her again but stayed a few feet away.
“I found this in the river and thought it looked like a sleeping bunny. The shape of it still reminds me of one. You kept it.” She stopped touching it and turned to him, smiling.
“I might as well show you what I think you’ll find anyway, once you start exploring my house.” He spun and walked over to his closet, pulling open the double doors, and then crossed to the tall dresser against one wall, opposite where he hung his clothes. He slid the bottom drawer open and picked up the photos. He returned to her and held them out.
She couldn’t hide her surprise as she accepted them. She flipped through the ten photographs he’d had blown up into five-by-sevens. “These are all of me.”
“Lavos took photos for me when Decker sent me on trips. I wanted proof you were alive. There are more stashed around here that you might come across. I had some prints made.”
Tears filled her eyes as she stopped looking at the photos. “You thought Decker sent you away so he could kill me?”
“It was possible. I had my brother watching out for you while I was gone. He swore he’d grab you and take you somewhere safe until I could come home, if anyone made a move to do you harm.”
She put the stack of photos on the mantel next to the rock and placed her hands on his chest. “You really do love me. Some of those are years old.”
“I’ve always loved you, Kira.” He reached for his shirt and started to take it off. “Strip down for me.”
“I’m going to use your bathroom real quick. My feet are dirty.”
“Hurry.”
She disappeared into his bathroom. He used the time she was in there to remove his clothing, and then light a fire. He even turned down the bed, hating how he suddenly felt nervous. To mate Kira was something he’d always wanted to do, ever since that day at the river when he’d pulled her out of the water and realized they’d both matured enough for it to be possible.
What if he frightened her? Became too rough?
The water in the bathroom shut off and he licked his lips, inhaling a few deep breaths. He’d just have to take it slow and try really hard not to frighten her. She was probably worried about him biting her. Some VampLycans tended to purposely scar their mates in the process, to not only bind them together through a blood exchange, but also leave a noticeable mark on their mates. Having been raised so human, it could be a fear of hers. He had always been terrified of accidentally injuring her when they played. She was so fragile compared to him.
Kira came out naked, stunning him. She grinned and walked forward. “What?”
His body responded. He always wanted her. He couldn’t form words. She was so beautiful to him. He loved her body, with those softer curves. Most VampLycan women tended to be muscled and lean from shifting often.
She surprised him again when she suddenly jumped. He managed to catch her when she hit his chest but he stumbled a little before bracing his legs to steady them both. Her arms and legs wrapped around him. She buried her face against his neck and licked his skin.
“Bite me,” she whispered.
He wanted to. Bad. He turned, quickly heading to the bed. “Slow down.”
“Forget that. We’ve waited long enough. Bite and take me. Claim me, Lorn. I want you.”
He shook his head. “Not this time. We’re going to take it slow and do this the way I’ve dreamed a thousand times.”
Her lips parted but before she could protest, he brushed her mouth with a kiss.
Chapter Seventeen
Frustration rose in Kira when Lorn backed away and smiled. He took her breath but she wanted him to mate her now. All those years of wishing he’d want to spend the rest of his life with her had finally come true, and she just wanted their bond to be sealed.
Her gaze trailed down his body. He was the sexiest sight she’d ever seen. All muscles, tan skin, and an impressive erection. He definitely looked up to mating. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, blowing it out. He wanted to take things slow, and even if it killed her, she wasn’t about to forget that he’d felt she’d rushed him when they’d had sex for the first time. It had made him angry at them both. She didn’t want the memory of them mating to contain any regrets.
“Okay. What do you have in mind?”
“Get in the middle of my bed and lay on your back.” His husky voice excited her.
“You’re going to torment me, aren’t you?” She turned though and climbed on his bed, crawled to the center, and flipped over. It didn’t embarrass her being naked with Lorn. He was hers and she would be his. She lifted her upper body a little, bent her arms back so they held her up, to be able to watch him better.
“I want to know every inch of you.” He followed her, looking a bit predatory. Lust made his eyes glow a little, lightening the silvery-gray color. He bent forward, pressed his open palms on the end of the bed. The mattress dipped from his weight as he very slowly maneuvered closer. “Just let me look at you.”
Kira spread her legs and bent her knees up. Her heart raced. “I know; just looking at you turns me on.” Her gums throbbed and she felt her fangs sliding down. It wasn’t bloodlust that had her wanting to bite into Lorn this time, though. She just wanted to encourage him to sink his teeth into her too.
“You’re so beautiful,” he rasped. “God, Kira. Do you know how many times I fantasized about you this way? Spread out on my bed naked?”
“Tell me.”
“Every night I wished you were with me. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep, so I’d go for a run to burn off excess energy and pass by the hill the lodge sits on. I knew I couldn’t get too close without someone seeing me but part of me hoped you’d somehow know I was there.” His gaze lowered and he licked his lips, staring at her exposed sex. “That you’d sneak out and come home with me.” He lowered his belly, braced his elbows, and gently wrapped his hands around her inner thighs to part them more. “I wanted to eat you alive—and I’m about to do it.”
He inhaled through his nose, his nostrils flared, and he grow
led.
“This is torture,” she whispered. “I want you so much.”
“I smell how aroused you are. I want a taste.” He lifted his gaze, holding hers. “I’ve never done this before…but I’ve read about it.”
Surprise tore through her.
“I didn’t want to share this kind of intimacy with anyone but you.”
Tears filled her eyes again and she blinked them back. He didn’t say anything else, but what he had stated told her everything. He’d never gone down on any of the lovers he’d taken during his heat. She’d desperately wanted to accept it as truth when he’d told her the other women hadn’t mattered to him. This made her a believer. “I love you, Lorn.”
He released one of her thighs and tenderly touched her pussy, using his fingers to expose her clit. She parted her legs more to give him what he wanted.
“I love you too. You’re so pink and pretty. Tell me if I do this right.”
“Okay.” Her nipples tightened, excitement and sexual desire spiking higher. His hot breath fanned her sex as he adjusted his big body, putting his lips very close to her clit.
He opened his mouth and ran his tongue up her slit in one long lick. Kira shoved her arms out and dropped flat. Lorn did it again, a little rougher. He focused more on her clit that time, hesitated, and rubbed back and forth in an up-and-down motion.
Kira moaned and clutched at his comforter, needing something to hold to keep her from reaching down and grabbing his hair. He slid his hand away and gripped her thigh again, adjusting her legs a bit higher, and growled as he continued to tease her by stroking his tongue against her clit.
“That feels so good. Faster.”
He growled again but didn’t increase the pace. He licked, played with the bud that she knew would harden as she grew more aroused. Her entire body jerked when Lorn suddenly pushed his mouth tighter against her clit and sucked a little. Her fingernails tore into material as she moaned louder.
Lorn was merciless as he caressed and played with her clit. He did everything slow though, as if testing how much he could make her wiggle and squirm, moan and sharply gasp. He kept a good grip on her thighs, pressing them down to pin her hips to the bed, and kept her right where he wanted her to stay. His mouth wreaked havoc on her body.
“Lorn!” She was going to come.
He kept licking and sucking. She arched her back, tensing. Pleasure exploded as the climax tore through her viciously. She released the comforter and blindly reached down, her eyes squeezed shut, and slid her fingers into his hair to fist it. Her tugs on the silky strands actually got him to stop and pull his mouth away before he killed her.
“I did it right,” he said smugly, his voice unusually deep.
“Oh yeah,” she got out. “Nailed it.”
He released her thighs and the bed shifted with his weight. He tilted his head and she let go of his hair. “No, sunshine. Not yet.”
She opened her eyes and watched him lift up to his hands and knees, climb her body, and settle down on top of her. The feel of his weight pressing on her chest, stomach, and pelvis felt heavenly and right. He braced his arms next to her and licked his lips, staring into her eyes.
“You ready?”
“I have been.” She turned her head, displaying her throat. “Bite me.”
His gaze focused on her neck and he lowered his head. Lorn licked her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. She expected to feel his fangs but he didn’t pierce her skin. He kissed her instead and shifted his hips. One of his hands reached down between them and he gripped his cock, pressed it against her pussy, and gently pushed inside. He braced his arm beside her again to keep her completely caged under him.
Kira moaned as Lorn filled her. He was thick and hard. He groaned her name against her neck. The feel of his fangs lightly raking her throat had her own growing from her gums. He slowly began to thrust inside her in shallow strokes that drove her crazy. She hiked her legs up, wrapping them around his waist.
“Claim me,” she urged.
He ran his tongue a little lower, toward her collarbone, then did as she asked. It didn’t hurt when he bit, his fangs sinking into her with near tenderness. Her own bloodlust hit full force and she opened her mouth, biting into the top of his shoulder.
Lorn snarled against her skin and began to pump his hips hard and fast, driving his cock into her deep. He pressed his forearms against her sides, holding her tighter. Pleasure overwhelmed Kira, from the blood and from Lorn fucking her. She couldn’t think, didn’t even want to, lost in everything that was the man she loved.
The climax built fast and she almost blacked out when it hit, so powerful that she wondered if she’d survive. Lorn’s body shook over hers as he slowed his thrusts, making soft noises of ecstasy as he came inside her.
He finally stilled and withdrew his fangs, licking her skin. She pulled herself out of a state of lethargic bliss to do the same.
“You’re my mate.”
“Yes, I am.” She smiled, clinging to him still. “Always and forever.”
“I can’t believe you’re finally mine.”
“I know.” Tears surfaced but she kept her eyes closed, holding them in. “I love you so much, Lorn. You’re my everything.”
He lifted his head and she opened her eyes. They stared at each other for long moments. He smiled. “Nothing is ever going to keep us apart again.”
She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and Lorn used his thumb to wipe them away from the sides of her eyes.
“None of that. Everything is going to work out from now on. I’m going to make certain of it.” His features harshened. “I don’t care who I have to kill.”
She actually laughed. “I believe that.”
He suddenly grinned. “I’m inside you and you’re on my bed naked. Do you know what that means?”
“We just had amazing sex and mated?”
“This is our bed, our home, and we get to look forward to this every single day for the rest of our lives.”
“We do.”
Lorn kissed Kira. She was his mate, finally. He once again wished he could have taken on his father and the clan years before as he enjoyed the softness of her lips and her silky tongue playing with his. The timing had never been right but it didn’t help ease those regrets. They’d lost so much time together, but he’d make it up to them both.
He rolled over, careful not to crush her limbs as he did, until she lay sprawled on top of him. His Kira wasn’t as fragile as she used to be with her mostly human body but she still felt delicate and small. He stared up at the ceiling. He knew every inch of it from all the nights he’d lain in that same position, thinking of Kira. Now she was with him, touching him, kissing him.
He gripped her ass with both hands, massaging them. His dick stiffened, wanting her again. He bent his legs a little, rocking his hips. Kira turned her head and had him growling as she bit into his throat. He didn’t mind the sharp sting of pain at that moment, not giving a damn. He pounded his thickening dick into her warm, tight sheath. His Kira was wet, ready to take him. The scent of arousal filled the room and he breathed it in deep, not holding back the desire to make them both come again.
Kira’s fingernails dug into his biceps to help keep her in place as he bucked under her faster, her thighs squeezing against his sides where she straddled him. Her breasts were smashed against his chest and he felt her nipples pebble, his own probably doing the same.
He lifted his head and bit her without licking first. She cried out against his skin and her vaginal muscles squeezed him tighter, almost painfully so. It drove him wild. He rolled them again, pinned her, and rode her hard until she released him with her mouth and cried out his name. It was enough to send him over the edge too.
They held each other for a long time, until their breathing slowed. He realized they both felt wet, chalked it up to sweat from their exertions. He finally came down from the high of sex with Kira to realize the heavy aroma of blood hung in the air.
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“Fuck.” He licked at her bite, waited for it to completely stop bleeding, and then licked his finger. He reached up and found the spot where she’d bitten him. He rubbed saliva over it.
Kira blushed, peering at him. “Sorry.”
“I forgot too. You distract me. It’s something we’ll have to learn to do when we make love.”
“I think we messed up your comforter.”
He studied the stains on the blue bedcover. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not as bad as I thought. Are you feeling lightheaded? Did I take too much?”
“I think I drank as much from you as you did from me.” She seemed really amused. “The only real blood loss is what got on the bed.”
“Good.” He didn’t think she looked as pale as she had right after turning into a Vampire.
“I wonder how long it’s going to take for us to link.” She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and her features scrunched up a little.
It worried him. “Are you in pain? Did I fuck you too rough that time?”
Her eyes opened. “I was trying to send thoughts and images to you.”
“Oh. Try again.”
She took a deep breath and kept eye contact this time. It disappointed him when he couldn’t read her thoughts at all. It might be because she’s still too Vampire.
Kira released her bottom lip with her teeth. “I heard that. At least I think I did. Or maybe I thought it. Because of the Vampire blood?”
Excitement hit. He focused more, pushing his thoughts her way. I love your ass.
She smiled. “My ass?”
Lorn laughed. “You can hear me. Try just focusing on me,” he encouraged. “Picture something inside your mind and try to send it to me.”
Kira closed her eyes, making her look totally adorable as her nose wrinkled a little, her mouth pressing into a tight-lipped line. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, clearing all thoughts from his head.
An image popped into his mind of him standing naked inside his den. It was as if he were seeing himself from her eyes, and she drew closer, her gaze running down his body to his dick. He’s so perfect.