Blood Flame (The Flame Series Book 1)

  She sighed once more.

  We’re almost home.

  She couldn’t help but smile that he said ‘we’. She loved it. However, she was worn out from the stress of battling the vampires and not knowing when and where either Evan or the witch would strike. She was intensely relieved, however, that they’d made it out alive.

  She rubbed his chest and his shoulder. Aloud, she said, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  He began to slow and the next thing she knew he was descending into her garden. He sat against the tree as he’d done before. Only this time, she could feel him embracing the healing of her sissoo, her shrubs and her plants almost as fully as she was.

  Glancing up at him, she saw that he leaned his head against the trunk and his eyes were closed. She watched as the swelling began to dissipate quickly.

  Her own wounds were very minor, just the bruising from being handled roughly.

  When she felt restored, she looked up at the spell and saw that the silver streaks belonging to Connor were even more prominent and that made her smile. They were sharing powers now.

  She thought back to seeing Evan again for the first time in nine or so years. Given the relatively small size of Five Bridges, she should have seen him long before now. Which meant Evan had been living a secret life in the alter world probably with the help of his dark witch girlfriend.

  Connor had been right; Evan wasn’t really interested in justice. He’d become a killer. Maybe his grief had begun the process, but the alter transformation had taken his unbalanced mind the rest of the way.

  “Thinking about Evan?” Connor’s voice rumbled against her ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Me, too. Earlier, he could have killed me on the bridge. He had his sword at my throat.” He related what had happened while she’d been attempting to hide out.

  “So, why didn’t he?”

  “He wanted me to see you hurt by those vampires. That was where his pleasure lay.”

  “You’re right. He was bleeding badly from his abdomen, but he sat up and forced me to watch you being hit.” She thought for a moment. “And I agree with you. I don’t think he’s dead either.”

  “Probably not. His witch is no doubt healing him as we speak. Although it seems like an oxymoron, a dark witch healing anything.”

  Iris smiled. “I don’t think the worst of the witches are about defining anything as good or bad, only what serves their self-interest. Death can be of use to them, so can life. It’s a twisted moral system.”

  “You’re right.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m almost healed up myself, but I’m sitting in wet leathers and I’d like to get out of them.”

  “Of course.” She rose to her feet, though she already missed cuddling with him.

  She had it bad.

  He took her hand. “How about we get cleaned up together?”

  There was a look in his eye as he led her through the open French doors of the bedroom, into the hall, and across the threshold of the way-too-small bathroom.

  She smiled as she stripped off her hot-pink t-shirt and savored the way his gaze settled heavily on the mounds of her breasts. She put her hands beneath them and pushed them up and together, creating a deep line of cleavage.

  He groaned. He’d been unbuttoning his leathers, but apparently couldn’t refuse her invitation. He slid his hands behind her back, dipped his head then spent a serious minute kissing her breasts and tonguing the cleavage between.

  She cooed her appreciation, but finally released her girls to attack his pants herself. The leather wasn’t cooperative so he suggested she get rid of the rest of her clothes while he pulled off his boots, peeled down his leathers, and lost his tank.

  She’d already set the shower to running so that by the time she was undressed and the water was warm, he was in a beautiful naked state, his clothes in a pile. She set her hair loose from her ponytail, then hopped in, sliding beneath the spray and moaning.

  “I love the sounds you make.” He eased himself into the small tub as well.

  “The warm water feels wonderful.”

  There was barely room for him alone, which meant she had to let him squeeze by her in order to reach the water. He had to do a serious knee bend to get his hair wet. He’d been in the muddy stream so she handed him her favorite sage shampoo.

  As he worked the dirt from his hair, her gaze fell to his cock. Because he was busy getting clean, she allowed herself a good long look. He was in a half-aroused state which she thought one of the best looks on a man. This led to other ideas. Grabbing the bar of soap, she lathered up then began to fondle.

  He’d been washing his hair with brisk hands but the moment she began a slow glide from the tip of his stalk to the base, he froze and met her gaze.

  “Feel good?”

  He merely smiled as he continued to lather and rinse, but he kept his gaze on what she was doing.

  She played with him, teasing the rim with her soapy thumb then all the way to the tender tip. She kept doing this until he was making a chuffing grunt at the back of his throat. He was fully erect and her body started getting yet another brilliant set of ideas that would involve planting her feet on the edge of the tub and climbing on board.

  But he finished rinsing off and gestured for her to take his place. “Your turn, Iris. Get under the water because I want you clean.”

  The meaning of his words was not lost to her and she clenched deep inside. As she moved to stand beneath the spray once more, he picked up the bar of soap and worked up a lather.

  He spent a good amount of time rubbing her sex, and gliding his fingers inside.

  She clung to his heavily muscled arms. The warm water on her back, the sight of his tattoos and his damp hair all worked on her. She hadn’t had a man in her life for such a long time.

  His fingers went faster, working her like a piston. “Can you come like this, Iris? I’d like to watch you come and feel your body pulling on me.”

  She nodded, her lips parting. But she couldn’t quite speak. She let one word slip from her mind to his. Faster.

  His brows rose, letting her know he’d heard her. And his fingers confirmed it.

  He went vampire fast so that after three breaths, she was digging her nails into his arms and crying out.

  “That’s it, baby. I like to watch you come. That’s it, keep it going.” He sustained the rhythm, dragging out the orgasm until it passed.

  She was left feeling wonderfully lethargic. He withdrew his fingers and slid his arm around her waist to support her. He pulled her close, angling them both into the water. He splashed the spray in her direction and used his hands to get the soap off her, then shut the water off.

  What she loved was he never lost contact as he helped her from the shower, making sure she didn’t slip. Even when he reached for the towel, he kept a hand on her hip. Afterward, he took his time drying her from head to toe.

  Once again, she saw the kind of husband he must have been to his wife, even though it was such a long time ago. “I feel almost human when I’m with you, Connor. Does that sound weird?”

  “I get it. This feels almost normal.”

  She nodded. “Like being with my husband.” She wondered if it was the wrong thing to say.

  He held her gaze, and stopped moving the towel. “It makes me wish for impossible things.”

  She took the towel from him. “I know what you mean.”

  She covered his hair with the towel, tamping it dry, then worked her way down his shoulders and both arms. She drew a ragged breath. She didn’t want to think about the future. Five Bridges was a wreck and then there was this dark spot on Connor’s soul.

  Her own heart was still so full of pain she wondered just how successful a relationship with him could be when so much grief held her captive. “I don’t trust love in this world.”

  “I know. It feels like we’re asking too much.”

  As she wiped his chest, he leaned down and caught her lips with his. She gave a s
mall cry and wrapped her arms around his neck. They’d survived another encounter with a madman and were both alive.

  After a moment, he drew back and finished toweling off. When he was done, he took her once more by the hand. He led her straight across the hall, flipped the covers of her bed back so that mostly they ended up on the floor.

  “I want you on your back, but first put your ass right here.” He patted the edge of the bed.

  She moaned as she all but rolled onto the bed. He dropped to his knees and slid his arms under her thighs. Iris couldn’t believe this was happening. And what she especially loved was how comfortable he was with her.

  For two warring species, they shared a phenomenal amount of trust.

  He kissed and tongued her navel, which set her hips rocking. She loved his touch, everything he did to her.

  He kissed his way down her abdomen until he reached her bare sex. More kisses, then his tongue.

  She drew in a soft stream of air as he pushed between her folds and began to lick.

  Her whole body rolled and she cried out. The sensation was so perfect, so full of pleasure.

  She swore she’d forgotten the real delights of sex. The few men she’d dated had gone through the motions and left her cold. But maybe that had been her fault because of the way her heart hurt and still felt shut down.

  Yet with Connor, she was lit up from within and felt his energy riding her entire body. Connor. His name slipped from her mind.

  He stopped to look up at her. It feels so strange to hear you inside my head.

  She lifted up on her elbows and caressed his face. Same here. I love what you’re doing, by the way. It feels amazing. Maybe I can return the favor.

  A wicked glint entered his eye as he began to kiss and lick her once more. Maybe. In a minute. I’m busy.

  She chuckled and eased her shoulders back down on the bed. She closed her eyes and savored. He knew his way around a woman’s body. When he pierced her well and began to tongue-fuck her in earnest, she couldn’t help that her whole body undulated. Part of her wanted his cock, but the other part loved that he was using his tongue.

  Her body grew tense once more. “Faster. Please.”

  When he began to move at a speed a mere human couldn’t manage, she found herself grateful for the vampire he was. Her pelvis tilted and pleasure began to flow, an intense grip in her well, then rushing in a powerful wave up through her abdomen. She cried out and kept crying out. He never let up, sustaining the drive of his tongue until the orgasm passed and her hips melted into the bed.

  “Amazing.”

  He leaned back on his heels, looking up at her, his hands now on her thighs. He looked so gorgeous, his eyes glittering. She sat up and caught his face with her hands, then kissed him, an expression of gratitude for taking care of her. “Thank you. That was beautiful.”

  He nodded, searching her face. “I loved doing that for you.”

  When he kept stroking her thighs, she kissed him again. He held her gaze, searching her eyes, then pushed her long, damp hair away from her face. “You’re beautiful, Iris.”

  She sighed. “And your eyes are incredibly blue. I hardly have words to describe them.”

  He rose up and grabbed her underneath her arms then moved her farther up the bed. She bounced when he dropped her. She loved it.

  ~ ~ ~

  Connor had wanted Iris in this position, on her back and ready for him, since the moment he’d pulled out of her on the lawn. He was sure once he entered her again, he’d want to stay there for a week, hell, a year.

  He couldn’t explain his drive toward her. On some level he’d thought if he spread her legs and spent his seed deep within her sex, he’d be free to move on.

  But he didn’t want to. He wanted to stick and that had surprised him. Nothing about Five Bridges invited permanence. Life was more about staying alive than planning a future, especially as a Border Patrol officer.

  The past twenty-four hours with Iris had meant more to him than the last thirty years of his life. The trouble was, he wanted more. And more.

  He kissed her breasts, taking his time until her body was undulating all over again. He lifted up and caressed her waist and hips, then took his cock in hand.

  Yes. Once more her voice floated through his head.

  He met her gaze, teasing her opening with the tip of his cock. You want this?

  She smiled. “More than I’ve wanted anything in a long time. I want you inside me, driving deep, your energy floating over me again. And one more thing … ” She rubbed her fingers up and down her throat. “If you’re hungry, I’d love to feed you.”

  He groaned and pushed at the same time, piercing her sex with his cock. As he moved inside her, he stroked her throat with his fingers. “I’d love to.”

  A smile infused her entire face. “Good. Because feeding you rocks my world.”

  Becoming a vampire, especially against his will, had disgusted him in the beginning, especially his drive to take from the vein. When he’d gotten the hang of things, and developed a craving for sustenance, he’d grown more comfortable with the process.

  But feeding from Iris had taken him to a whole new level and made him glad, for one of the few times in his life, for the alter.

  He drove deep inside her and she gasped then met his hips with a serious push of her own. He thrust steadily, caressing her face and kissing her, letting her know with each touch how much she meant to him. If another part of him rose up to remind him he didn’t deserve her, he shut it down fast.

  This time was for him, however long it lasted. And he intended to take it.

  Kissing a line down her throat, he smelled her blood. It was like a fresh breeze on a hot day, so different from any other woman he’d fed from. He licked her throat and her whole body responded in a seductive roll, a confirmation she wanted to feed him.

  His fangs descended and he angled just so, then sunk the sharp tips deep. She cried out, gasping. He formed a seal around the wounds and began to drink.

  He knew what to expect but the flavor of her blood and the energy that accompanied it surprised him all over again. His hips moved faster. She surrounded him with her arms.

  I love this, Connor. More than you can know.

  Me, too. And I love that I can talk to you while I’m doing this. Your blood, Iris, it does something amazing to me. I can’t explain it. I’m feeling power and sex, a drive for things I’d never thought possible.

  I know what you mean. Feeding you is like walking beneath the sun again. And your cock. You feel perfect inside me, made for me.

  He was breathing hard as he worked her sex and sucked on her vein. As before, his muscles began to grow pumped and the core of his being felt as though he could do anything.

  In this moment, he realized he was ready for life to take him in an entirely new direction. In a way, it already had. He was making love to a witch, something he never thought he’d do.

  He drew back from her vein, swiping the wounds with his tongue to seal them. He looked down at her, his hips rocking into her. “Iris, I know this will sound crazy, but will you marry me?”

  Her eyes widened. “Connor, is that what you want?”

  “It is.”

  Sudden tears filled her eyes. “Then I will.”

  He smiled as he rolled his hips. “Not even a single doubt?”

  She caressed his face, his shoulder, his arm. “No, not even one.”

  “Then we’re engaged.” Once more his guilt rose up, threatening to undo him, but he repressed all the accompanying thoughts and terrible images of his past crimes. He didn’t deserve Iris, but for these few minutes or hours, he would pretend he could have her as his wife.

  She leaned up to kiss him. He followed her back down, returning the kiss and sliding his tongue inside her mouth.

  She held him tight, embracing him with both arms. He moved faster and felt her sex pulling on him. Are you ready?

  I am.

  Faster?

  Yes, please.


  He could feel her smiling as he kissed her, then lifted up so he could watch her face. He moved faster now, slamming into her. Her fingers kneaded the muscles of his arms, and her hips moved with him, then against him until finally she arched her neck and screamed.

  The sight of her ecstasy tightened his balls and his release came like an exquisite fire pulsing through him. With each pump of his hips, he gave to Iris what he felt belonged only to her now.

  The pleasure opened his throat and he roared, his hips pumping until the last of his seed left his body. She’d grown lax as well, her arms no longer around him but arranged haphazardly on the bed as though she couldn’t hold them up.

  Her eyes were at half-mast.

  “Was it good for you?” He wanted to hear her say it.

  “Absolute heaven.” She lifted a lazy arm and pushed his hair back.

  He kissed her again. “So, you’ll marry me?” He was being foolish but he didn’t care.

  “Uh-huh. I will. This is the first time in ten years I’ve felt more like myself and actually hopeful for the future.”

  She’d said it right. “I feel the same way. But it’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  Connor had a sudden overwhelming need to tell her about the night of the massacre, to confess his worst sin. But he didn’t want to ruin the moment, not when he was still connected to her physically and she looked so satisfied.

  ~ ~ ~

  Later, Iris lay in bed and pulled the quilt over her. Connor was showering and she’d follow after. She ran her hands over the nubby texture, the color scheme of the various squares mostly in pinks and greens. She’d bought it many years ago at a flea market before her abduction. The quilt was also one of the things she’d brought with her to Five Bridges from her human life.

  When Connor returned, he was frowning. He gestured to the second bedroom. “The door was open and I had a look inside. Iris, did you have a baby?”

  The question took her by surprise and without warning tears flooded her eyes. She nodded, then told him about being pregnant during her alter.

  He came to sit beside her on the bed and took her hand. “I’m so sorry. Christ, you lost your husband and a baby, then your sister. How did you bear it?”