A glimmer of hope in his expression. "I mention this only as a possibility, not a reality. I could never want anyone as much as I want you right now." He was looming over her a second later, his mouth poised just above hers. He was breathing shallowly, his hands anchored next to her temples, his erection pressed between her legs.Finally. The contact she’d yearned for. He was hers, hers, only hers. She could believe nothing less. "You may not know yourself, but I think I know you," she said. "Trust me, no one is waiting for you."Well she hoped for the best and longed that James wouldn’t break her heart.She wasn’t being stubborn or blind about this. Discarding his raw possessive nature and the fact that any woman he committed to would have his full attention, he was a vampire and vampires mated for life. They are physically incapable... couldn’t stray. Research has proven that. So, memory or not, he would not react to Grace if his heart belonged to another."Perhaps I am a horrible p
The burn of his mouth, the suction of his tongue, both caused riotous reactions in her body. She clutched at his back, pulled at his hair, and lost herself in a bliss that should have been impossible. Soon she was even writhing and thrashing against him, desperate for completion. He purred against her, his breath warm. Then something hot, so wonderfully hot, entered her system. And okay, she hadn’t truly known pleasure before that moment. This was pleasure. Magic. Pleasure in its purest form. Strength, heat, and power. She felt those, too. Her thrashing became a single-minded pursuit for the elusive satisfaction that still hovered so close. She ground herself against his erection, over and over again, with little shivers of sensation coursing through her every time he swallowed. God. She could climb him like a mountain. Could eat him up, one tasty bite at a time. Could remain in his arms forever. He wrenched free of her vein. "Have to…stop. I can’t take…too much." There was no such
In a flash, James’s morph from tender lover to savage vampire fighter startled Grace back to her mind. She was unclothed—ripped panties didn’t count—and her little makeshift camp had just been invaded. By gigantic beast. Four of them.All four were eyeing her up and down like a barbecued slab of ribs—and they were dying vegetarians.One by one, they ascertained her thoughts.“Ugly,” the tallest declared, and shook his head. “No use to us!” “Grotesque,” the other man added.“Fat.”“Well, she is still a woman,” the shortest let out. He was probably six-three. The rest of them shrugged, the universal sign for I guess she’ll do. Apparently Leticia and Levy looked a lot alike, but sex was sex. They might find her repellant, but they’d still do her. Their gazes dipped and glued to her nipples, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths.Vegetarians were now converted into carnivores. Grace shivered from her impending doom, obviously the beast would eat her.Grace shuddered. The bes
Perhaps they weren’t as dumb as she’d first thought. This one had known to hang back, to wait, to watch, and grab her while everyone else was preoccupied. Were any others waiting in the shadows?How would she fight them all?A cold rage of her own infused her. Thankfully no one else appeared, and when James and company were no longer in sight, leaves and branches shielding them, she erupted. Fight. She angled her arms, lifted both of her elbows this time, and then slammed them home. He gave another grunt, finally loosening his hold.Another angle shift, and she thrust her arms down, using the makeshift daggers. The tips sliced deep into his thighs.With a howl of pain, the beast shoved her away from his body. One of the daggers remained lodged, but the other glided free as she stumbled forward. Grace righted herself and whirled around, facing him. This giant was scowling, his fangs dripping with saliva. His red eyes glowed with menace.“I punish you,” the giant creature snarled as he
In fact, the beast footfalls were so heavy, Gamers slammed up and down, losing her breath over and over again. By the time they reached a twisted maze of caverns, she was convinced her lungs were flat as pancakes, and her intestines were wrapped around her spine.Even with her still-dimming eyesight, she watched for James, hoping to catch a glimpse of him shadowing the beast, ready to strike. While she did spy other beings following her captor—little things with wings, darting through the air, and wolflike creatures skulking around the trees—none of them were the vampire.And when she heard a roar, pain filled and broken, echoing in every direction, she wanted to vomit. That had been James’s voice. What the hell were the beast doing to him?Then the sound cut off abruptly, and she found the silence was even more disturbing than the roar. Had the giants just…killed—No! No, no, no. But what if…?Oh, God. A sob caught in her throat. If he lived, he would have come for her.She was his, h
James’s head was a seething cauldron of thoughts, his body a tuning fork of emotion. One moment he’d been fighting the giants, protecting Grace, the next he was shouting in pain, unable to control the turmoil in his mind. Faces, so many faces. Voices, so many voices. Clutching at his ears, he fell to his knees. The jarring helped. The faces faded and the voices quieted, allowing rational thought to form. Had to…protect… Grace…again… But when he pried his eyelids apart, he saw that the giants were gone. So was Grace. James was no longer near the river, no longer in the forest. A barren wasteland surrounded him. What trees he saw were gnarled, their leaves withered. Ash floated in an acidic wind, black snow scented with death and destruction. And he smelled something…rotting. He recognized nothing. He turned, saw a snakelike vine slither from one of the trees, then another, both headed in his direction. They dove for him, bit at him and, when they tasted his blood, seemed to cackle
James had at last taken control of his emotions and hadn’t lost his temper since. That didn’t mean his fangs were useless, though.“And if your fangs have been pried out of your mouth?” his father demanded.“No one would ever be foolish enough to remove my fangs. Mother says I’m the most powerful vampire in the world. I can walk in the light, and I can steal power from anyone I choose.”“No, she says you will be.” His father’s expression hardened. “You are a prince, James. The crown prince. Many in this world and the other will covet your direct line to my throne. Many will try and hurt you simply to hurt me. You must know how to defend yourself, always, for every situation.”James gave the sword another once-over. Long, thin and polished to a vibrant shine. He was not used to its heaviness, or the thickness of the hilt. “Very well. I will train some more, but why are you not teaching Daniel?”“So many questions.” His father sighed.“Why must he watch? He’s a prince, too, you know.” A
“Jamey,” a young voice called. “Jamey!”James was on his feet a second later, hopping along the rocks and racing toward his youngest brother. The youngest prince was on the beach, beside James’s boots, and unharmed. Relief speared him.“Michael, damn it. What are you doing out here? Until you’re older, you’re not supposed to be near the water on your own.”The little boy screwed up his lips, all determination and courage. “I’m not on my own! You’re here.” A mischievous glint in his eyes.“Damn it.” Just like that, James’s anger deflated. As always he could not stay angry with the scamp. Michael looked up to him, wanted to spend time with him, and James loved that. Loved him. Even though the boy had butchered his name while learning to speak, and his family sometimes still teased him with the nickname. “O-lie.”At least he had later moved on to “Jamey.”The females who made their way to James’s bed often called him by the shortened Nicki, as well, but that invited a familiarity he neve