Chapter Fourteen
“Your condo is so beautiful,” Dawn said in a meek tone as she stood in the foyer and glanced around at the elegant surroundings. Her gaze rose to the tall glass windows that ran from the ground floor all the way past the balcony of the second story. “Working for the Apache Tribal Council must be a very lucrative profession.”
“Thanks,” Mateo mumbled without commenting on his fake career. He couldn’t take credit for any of the furnishings or décor because everything was here when he rented the place. But whoever picked out the overstuffed brown leather couches, huge pale beige Flokati shag rugs, and expensive southwestern-themed artwork that hung on the walls, had a very discriminating eye.
He motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen, where high-end granite counter-tops in sandstone shades formed an L-shaped work area and a large free-standing island in the center of the room. After placing the pan of lasagna on the island, he turned toward her and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I don’t think I could keep anything down,” she said with a sigh. “But you should eat.” A weak smile curved her lips as she added, “I promise it’s good. Lasagna is my specialty.”
He thought about joking with her that he knew of something else that was her specialty and it didn’t have anything to do with lasagna, but he didn’t want her to think he had forgotten about her missing friend. “I’ll eat in a little bit. I’d rather just hold you in my arms right now.”
Some of the tension seemed to ease from Dawn’s tired expression as she nodded her head in agreement. “I’d prefer that, too.” She reached out toward him and he wasted no time in wrapping his larger hand around her smaller one.
He led her into the living room where soft lights from strategically placed wrought iron wall sconces cast a romantic golden glow throughout the area. He had purposely placed personal items around the condo to make it look as if he really did live here. On the glass and iron coffee table a half-filled glass of water sat on top of a sandstone coaster.
One of his white western shirts was draped over the back of the tan suede recliner that sat in the corner of the room, and a pair of his barely-worn hiking boots on the rug in the front foyer. As he carefully arranged these normal-type belongings around the entire condo the previous night, he pretended he really did live here like a regular person. Like a real one.
He imagined what it would be like to wake up in the morning with the sunlight shining through the massive glass windows, and with her still cuddled in his arms in the big bed in the upstairs bedroom. He pictured them drinking coffee and preparing breakfast together in the cozy kitchen, or spending an entire day sprawled out on the comfy leather couch in the living room reading, watching television, making love, like any typical couple. Of course, his dreams of living a ‘real’ life with her were as crazy as Dawn thought her dreams were.
She sunk into the deep cushions of the couch and leaned against Mateo. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close as possible. As always, he wanted to make love to her tonight, but he wondered if he was strong enough to make love to her without biting her now that it was becoming nearly impossible to be in her presence and not want to drink more of her blood?
He clamped his teeth together tightly in grim determination as his mouth and throat burned with the memory of her warm tempting blood. Maybe they shouldn’t be intimate tonight.
“Mateo?” she said after a few quiet moments. “There’s something I want to ask you. It’s really important and would mean everything to me.”
“Anything. I would do anything for you, my love.” His voice sounded hoarse and filled with apprehension even to his own ears.
She twisted around and looked directly into his eyes. “You and your brothers know those mountains, probably as well as Chloe does, since all of you grew up in this area. Anton and Rafael told us they hiked around and looked for the gold mine all the time that first night we met them. Will you and your brothers please help search for Chloe?”
He stared back at her, unable to speak for a minute. She trusted him unconditionally. He could see it flashing like neon lights from her expression. She was putting all her faith and love into the one person who was going to eventually destroy the human life she was now living.
He felt a deep ache in his chest. But the lies just kept falling from his mouth. “Of course. We’ll go up first thing in the morning to help search for her.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, that’s probably not a good idea,” he retorted. “I mean, if it turns out badly, I don’t want you there.” He heard her gasp as she realized what he was insinuating. Her expression grew even grimmer as she nodded her head in agreement.
He felt as if a knife had plunged into his heart. There was a way he could spare her the pain of worrying or mourning Chloe, he reminded himself. He should just complete the mating process right now, but he was too selfish. He didn’t want to give up his own desires to live here in her world for a while longer.
“Will you do something else for me, too?”
“Yes, of course. I would do anything for you if it’s in my power to do it.” He held his breath waiting for her request.
“Please make me feel safe again. Take me to bed, hold me close, and never let me go.”
Her words were barely more than a whisper, but her unspoken meaning echoed through his ears loud and clear. Somehow, he would have to find the strength to make love to her without biting her again, because he needed her as much as she needed him right now.
Not wanting to waste one more precious second of their time together, he pulled her up from the couch and swept her up into his arms. A spiral staircase of heavy black iron curved its way up to the upper floor. He carried her up the stairs as she pressed her body into his and rained wet kisses on his neck.
By the time they entered the large bedroom she had pulled his hair free of the ponytail that corralled the heavy mass at the back of his head. He loved how she obviously enjoyed immersing her hands in his long hair. The sensuous way she raked her slender fingers through the strands made his cock rise against the material of his jeans every time she engaged in this simple act.
He placed her on the floor at the edge of the king-sized bed. This room was also lit with a romantic glow from more of the wall scones, but here they hosted a dimmer light more suited for a bedroom. He began to pull her lilac T-shirt over her head. She wore a simple beige bra underneath and he reached behind her back and unsnapped the enclosure with his first attempt and pulled it away from her body. She remained unmoving, gazing up at him with a look of absolute rapture on her face as if she couldn’t believe he was real.
His love for her was so powerful and complete, yet edged with the nagging sense of guilt and uncertainty. There were moments—like now—when it really did seem as if she was already under his complete vampire spell, because it didn’t seem possible this beautiful mortal woman could love him as deeply as he loved her.
His cock strained harder—painfully—against the fabric of his jeans. He reached out and cupped each flawless breast in the palms of his hands. She closed her eyes; her head tilted to the side and rebellious strands of her light blonde hair fell partially over her face and past her shoulder. The long wispy ends of her pale tresses trailed loosely over her upper arm and past her elbow resembling a cascade of delicate pastel silk threads.
A soft moan escaped from her slightly parted lips as his nimble fingers gently massaged her erect nipples. He felt the breath catch in the center of his chest. Would she still thrill to his touch like this after the mating process was completed or was this magnificent display of passion only an emotion she could enjoy in her present human state?
His hands began to tremble against the silken softness of her skin as they held her breasts tenderly. Short breaths escaped from her parted lips, but her eyes remained closed. The feathery tips of her long lashes fluttered softly above the tops of her cheekbones for a second before they parted and her hazel eyes looked up at him.
As he met her gaze Mateo was reminded once again of the rich color of the brown sand that blanketed the desert floor and the brilliance of the green cactus native to this area. She was born to be his woman in every way.
How he adored and loved this woman—more than he ever imagined could be possible. He loved her in a way he was sure no other immortal man ever loved their eternal mate. He loved her so much he wished he could find a way to save her from her preordained destiny.
“I love you so much, Mateo,” she whispered. Her arms rose and encircled his neck as her hands became lost in his thick hair. She pressed her half-naked body against him and pulled herself up until her lips were pressed against his mouth in a demanding kiss.
His arms enslaved her waist holding her as close as was humanly possible while his tongue invaded her mouth. His throat constricted with another fierce need he was barely able to control this time. He pulled back and pressed his lips tightly together.
The alluring taste inside her mouth made him want to savor all of her, and for a moment he worried he would lose control. The taste of her tempting blood was the only thing that would satisfy this diabolical urge coursing through his mind and body. He knew his human nature had to gain full control over his macabre craving fast, or tonight really would be their last night in her world...and the last time he would know what it was like to be her mortal lover.
Without opening her eyes, a soft moan was Dawn’s only response to his abrupt departure from their fevered kiss. He focused on her soft lips and tried not to think of the taste of her sweet succulent blood. Maybe—hopefully—once he was making love to her, his voracious hunger for her blood could be satisfied in a different way.
But this growing famine was still demanding more than just her body; this unnatural craving sought much more and it was growing stronger than anything he experienced up to this point in his hundred years of existence. To his horror, he realized it might even be stronger than his love for her, even though he couldn’t comprehend how this could be possible.
He reached out and anxiously began to push her jeans from her hips. Her eyes opened, surprised at his sudden urgency. But she complied with his quest and kicked her pants away from her feet. Still blissfully unaware of his strange behavior, she began to anxiously undo the black buttons running down his shirt of the same color. She didn’t hesitate when she reached the waistband of his jeans, unfastening the snaps and shoving the pants down to a point where he could easily step out of them. Without the barrier of their clothes, they came together with a wild hunger.
Mateo clasped hold of her firm buttocks and pulled her to him. Her long legs wrapped around his hips while they were standing upright. Overcome with his sexual and immortal needs, he plunged backward onto the bed with her sculpted intimately against him. They bounced slightly in the middle of the thick mattress. He heard a soft gasp escape from her as he rolled over and pinned her beneath his body.
Pulling her slender legs up over his shoulders, she was an open invitation he could not resist a second longer, and his cock didn’t need any guidance to penetrate her inviting pussy. He sank into her and heard her whimper softly as he pushed into her as far as her body would allow. He thrust deeper. If she protested, he didn’t hear her.
Over and over his hips moved up and down, claiming her inside and out. She clung to him with impassioned desperation, while trying to prolong the release that would propel her into the unknown. Her hips—her entire body—were propelling up and down with each of his frantic movements. Their sweating skin was fused tightly together.
His body had never felt so consumed with predatory needs in the couple of times they made love before. His cock couldn’t seem to burrow deep enough inside her and it felt as if it was filled with searing lava. When the volcano inside him did finally erupt, he wasn’t sure he could remain in control of the evil he could still sense lurking so close in the back of his throat.
From the center of his very core he felt something feral was pounding out of control and about to explode from inside his body. His mind and heart were fighting equally as hard to remain in control of the human side of him as his body was battling to control his primal urges.
The building sensation inside him reached epic proportions and he could not hold back the surge of fiery fluid that spilled into her as his body convulsed and plummeted back to reality. He felt Dawn’s body go limp beneath him.
Sometime during the almost violent act of making love, the inner battle with his monstrous alter-ego emerged, and in the mist of the earth-shattering climax, Mateo had become vaguely aware of his mouth against her neck. There had been no rational thought or moment of hesitation as his teeth clamped down. Thick warmth flooded his mouth and washed down his throat as the euphoric sweetness of her blood overpowered every one of his senses in the most powerful feeling of satisfaction he could ever imagine.
After his animalistic orgasm everything was clouded with a mixture of horror, confusion, and the strong carnal urges still controlling his mind and body. He wanted to protect her from the revulsion of what he had just done to her. Yet, he still wanted to make hard impetus love to her again and again; he wanted to sink his sharp teeth in her soft enticing skin once more, and drink all her sweet nectar until there was nothing left.
But a slow dawning of what he was truly capable of doing to her began to grip hold of the human side of his rampant emotions. Shame, disgust, and a strangling fear stripped him of all the previous thoughts of his uncontrollable demonic needs. His tentative gaze lowered to look at her, although he was terrified of what he would see.
Dawn’s orgasm had been as sensuous and overpowering as the one he experienced. He felt her on that highest summit with him, gripping him like he was all that anchored her to this earth, writhing in pleasure beneath him and crying out his name in abandonment until this last final second when he had done the unthinkable. Now, she was lying unmoving, her arms and legs limp against the mattress, staring up at him with the most hideous wide-eyed look of horror in her brown and green gaze that he had ever seen. His heart arrested in his chest.
Ever since the first time he had seen this elegant and romantic bedroom, he had been envisioning her long shiny blonde hair spread out across the navy blue velvet pillows and her beautiful pale-skinned body reclining on the matching comforter that covered this king-sized bed. Looking down at her now, he only noticed how deathly pale she looked against the rich dark coloring of the quilt.
Her fair skin should radiate with a satisfied glow from making love. Instead, fright drained all color from her face, except for several thin trails of deep red blood draining from the crescent moon shape of his bite, trailing down the side of her neck, and disappearing into the thick material of the velvet bed covering. Her beautiful hazel eyes, so recently overflowing with love and trust, were now wide with fright and disbelief.
He couldn’t take a breath. His heart refused to start beating again. He recalled something he read a very long time ago. How ironic this strange memory should pop into his head now.
Dhampyres can go long periods without drinking human blood but fighting the urge when it could them can drive them into a wild frenzy. They can lose control when they are not expecting it. It can be so consuming they could even kill someone they love.
Why didn’t he remember this significant bit of information sooner? Probably, because when he read it many years ago, it didn’t have any real meaning to him. That had been long before he discovered the powerful love he was capable of feeling for his human mate. Unfortunately, his inhuman need for her blood was proving to be even more dominant.
It was the strange sound of her voice that finally brought his tortured mind out of its indecisive trance. Her tone suggested she had already resigned herself to the truth she suspected, but tried to deny until this moment.
“It was you,” she murmured. “You really were the one in my dreams, only they weren’t dreams, were they? And the-the night I went to the mountain to meet you. I thought I was sleep walking, or maybe, just losing my mind.” Her eyes closed for an instant as if she was trying to remember—or forget—every small detail. Her lashes fluttered and parted again; her unwavering stare held his gaze prisoner.
“Then, I met you at the pizza place. You seemed so familiar—even your scent—I think I knew it even then. I just couldn’t allow myself to accept it. It was easier to believe I was losing my mind.” She swallowed hard and he saw fresh droplets of blood ooze from the bite wound in her neck.
He held his breath as his mouth and throat constricted with revolting yearnings once again. His lips clamped together as tight as he could hold them, while his gut twisted and flip-flopped in his stomach.
As much as he loved this woman; as much as he desired to be here with her in her human world, and as much as he wanted to protect her from her eternal fate for as long as possible; at this moment, he had never wanted anything more than he wanted to drink those tiny drops of blood from her soft neck.
If he gave into this overpowering craving again, he knew there would be no stopping.