The Bite That Binds Part 15

"It means that rather than her body going into override' and fighting the dramatic changes, it is...entering the next stage of the alterations."

"I don't get it. How can she enter the next stage without fully completing the first stage?"

"It is similar to the predicament of a caterpillar. If you were to open the coc.o.o.n, it would die. It has to be able to have the strength to free itself or it will not have the strength to fly away." Lena placed her hand over Sam's. "However, do not take that to mean that you will die or fly, for that matter. My point is, you don't yet have the strength to move on to the next stage, but your body has done it anyway. That is what most likely caused you to experience such an attack of bloodl.u.s.t. Your body feels the need to compensate, it needs to replenish. Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to drink a few more NSTs a day than you would normally do."

Antonio stopped in his pacing. "Does this mean that she is not deteriorating?"

"My opinion is that, on the contrary, she is strengthening. She is simply not seeing or feeling anything of these changes because the alterations are not yet complete."

"When will they be complete?" I asked Lena.

"That, I do not know. But it was not all that long ago that I first looked at her DNA, and already there have been big changes. Give it a few days." She smiled at Sam. "So how do you like your new pet?"

Sam's smile took over her face. "He's gorgeous. I've named him Dexter."

Lena chuckled. "I look forward to meeting him. When you take him into the rainforest, take some tropical vine branches back to your apartment and create a jungle set-up. That's what Wes and I did for Toto."

I couldn't believe they were talking about vines and pets in the middle of a conversation like this. Unreal. But sensing that Sam was spooked by having blacked out, I didn't try bringing the matter up again. She wasn't the type who liked to talk about stuff until she had sorted things through in her own head, and I knew she needed a little time to do that.

So I pretended that I bought the relaxed act, pretended I didn't know how scared she was. Even when she wanted to take the d.a.m.n snake for a walk...well, a slither...in the rainforest, I continued pretending, and I didn't try coaxing her to open up. But after watching her stare at her office desk for two hours, I couldn't keep quiet any longer.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice I'd crouched beside her chair until I rested my hand on her thigh. "Baby?"

Turning to look at me, she double-blinked. "Sorry, what?"

I gently moved her hair away from her face. "I know you're scared, just like I know you'd prefer to pretend you're not scared, but you have to have faith in Sebastian. That guy could find G.o.d if you asked him to. He'll come through for you, I promise you. And then I'll get those brothers to put everything right."

"I have faith in all of you. It's just...it freaks me out that I lost control like that. Worse, I don't even remember it. I hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me."

"Jared, I bit you without permission." For vampires, that was a sort of rape. Cursing, she got to her feet and started pacing.

Feeling a shadow of her guilt, I pointed hard at her as I stood. "You do not have to feel bad about that. You don't need my permission. I'm yours."

"That's not the point."

No, it wasn't the point. "Still, I don't care. Do you hear me? I don't care."

"And what if it hadn't been you? Not only could I have hurt someone else, but I'd have drank from someone else, and don't tell me you wouldn't hate that."

Of course I'd hate that; I wanted her to feed from me, no one else. "But that wasn't really you, Sam. That wasn't my Sam. That was bloodl.u.s.t taking over."

"That freaks me out as well. But the worst is the not knowing'. If I knew what they had done to me, I could deal with it. I'd probably be p.i.s.sed and scared, but I could deal. Not knowing is harder." Looking defeated, she backed into the wall and sighed.

I went to her and slid my hands into her hair. "I hate seeing you like this."

"I'm ent.i.tled to sulk now and then. You do it all the time."

I smiled at that, kissing her softly, teasingly, making her mouth chase mine. "You do know that even if you grow five heads, I'm keeping you, right?" Her laugh made me relax a little. I licked along the seam of her mouth, wanting entry again. "Let me make you forget for a while. Let me make you feel good." The second she opened for me, I slipped my tongue inside, seeking hers. Quickly the kiss went from soft to demanding; it sent fire sizzling through us both as it usually did.

She sucked on my tongue, knowing I liked it, knowing it made me think about how much I loved her sucking something else. Tricky b.i.t.c.h. My hands drifted down to mould and squeeze what were, without a doubt, the most perfect set of b.r.e.a.s.t.s. I nibbled and drew on a nipple through the cotton of her tank top, teasing the other nipple by sending sparks of electricity to it through my thumb. Her husky moans made my c.o.c.k so hard it hurt. But this wasn't about me, it wasn't for me.

I dropped to my knees and, in Pagori speed, got her naked from the waist down. Hooking one shapely leg over my shoulder, I shot her a promising smile and started suckling on her c.l.i.t. I slid my tongue between her folds, groaning at how wet she was, and licked my way back to her c.l.i.t to suck on it again. Then I was flicking it with the tip of my tongue, loving that I could feel a hint of the pleasure that was coursing through her. She repeatedly moaned, clenching her fingers in my hair to the point of pain, but I didn't care.

I let my hands snake up the back of her thighs to cup that luscious a.s.s that seemed to fit perfectly in my hands. All I wanted right then was to pull her to her knees and impale her hard on my c.o.c.k. But I didn't. Even though her scent was driving me insane and I was hard as a f.u.c.king rock, I didn't. Even though her addictive taste was feeding that need to be inside her, I didn't. This was all about her.

I flicked and fluttered my tongue along the tips of her opening, knowing she loved it. She s.h.i.+fted her hips, trying to take my tongue inside her. Any other time, I'd have teased her for a while, but not today. I gave her what she wanted, spearing my tongue inside her, alternating between swirling it around, and thrusting it in and out of her.

I could sense the friction building in her, knew she was about to come. I started at the feel of something else a wicked sense of self-satisfaction. Confused, I asked, What's with the smugness?

Even her mental voice sounded breathy. Magda just walked in, stared open-mouthed, scowled at me, and then stormed back out.

That made me smile. No doubt Fletcher knew what he was doing when he sent her in. As an Empath, he probably had a real good idea of what was going on.

Of course he did. Now get back to work.

Chuckling, I moved my mouth back to her c.l.i.t and sank two fingers deep inside her. She jerked and groaned as her muscles gripped them tight.

"Jared, no teasing this time," she insisted, her voice huskier than usual.

I plunged my fingers in and out of her as I circled her c.l.i.t with the tip of my tongue. "Tell me what you want, Sam. Tell me how much you want it."

"You. In me. Now. I need it."

I withdrew my fingers and lazily sucked the moisture from them, smiling at the way her glazed eyes flared. Standing, I lifted her and perched her on the edge of her desk. She practically attacked my jeans, tearing at the b.u.t.tons. My chuckle turned into a groan at the feel of her soft fingers curling around my c.o.c.k.

But when she started running her hand up and down my length, I stilled her hand with mine. "You do that and I'll come before I'm inside you." I would have undressed, but I was aware of how much she liked it when I f.u.c.ked her with my clothes on. Gripping her thighs, I angled her hips just right and slammed home, forcing myself deep. Her muscles clamped tight around me. "Oh f.u.c.k." Nothing in the world beat being inside her. Nothing.

She locked her legs around my waist and bucked hard, telling me what she wanted. I gave it to her, clenching my jaw as I took her hard and fast; never easing, never slowing, yet always remembering how much stronger I was than her, always careful not to hurt her. Not once did I move my gaze from hers. I loved to watch the way her aquamarine eyes went out of focus, like she was drunk. Drunk on pleasure.

"G.o.d, baby, you feel so f.u.c.king good around me." I fused my lips with hers, tangling my tongue with hers. When her eyes drifted shut, I tore my mouth away. "Uh-uh, Sam. I want those eyes open. Look at me."

Her lids flickered open. "I need to come."

"I know you do. And I'm going to make you come." The awkward b.i.t.c.h closed her eyes again. "I said I want those eyes open."

She actually slapped my arm. "I can't help it."

Punis.h.i.+ngly, I bit her lip, lapping up the drop of blood that surfaced. I watched her gaze dance to my throat, felt what she wanted. "Do it, baby." She shook her head, and I knew why. She was still p.i.s.sed at herself for what she'd done earlier, so she was denying herself that pleasure now. "Do it. Bite me."

"No," she snarled. "Just make me come."

"Not until you drink from me."

"Oh, you b.l.o.o.d.y b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

"If you want to come, do what I said."

She didn't. Of course she didn't, she was too d.a.m.n stubborn. So I stopped.

Her mouth dropped open. "What are you doing?"

"I won't let you punish yourself, Sam. You want to drink from me, and I want you to drink from me, so do it."

"p.i.s.s off, you t.w.a.t!"

"You know I don't care how much you insult me." If anything, it was amusing. "You know I won't let this drop. Come on, baby." I punched my c.o.c.k into her once. "Give us what we both want."

"I hurt you!"

"You took what was yours. Do it again now. I'm sure as h.e.l.l going to." I bit into her neck at about the same time that I began pumping my c.o.c.k in and out of her. But I didn't take more than four gulps. "Your turn." Seeing that she was close to caving, I sneaky though it was parted her wet folds and tipped her so that my pelvis was. .h.i.tting her c.l.i.t with each thrust. "Bite me. Take what's yours."

With a moan of begrudging surrender, she sank her teeth into my throat, and it felt too d.a.m.n good.

"s.h.i.+t, Sam." Rewardingly, I hardened my thrusts and upped my pace. The effects of her saliva started to speed along my o.r.g.a.s.m, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer. I knotted a hand in her hair and tugged her mouth away from my throat. Seizing her gaze, I demanded, "Come for me now, baby, come around me."

Her eyes fell closed as her climax slammed into her, triggering my own. I closed my mouth over hers, swallowing her scream and groaning/growling into her mouth as I exploded inside her. The woman was f.u.c.king amazing. And she was all mine.

Waiting for the aftershocks to subside, I rested my forehead against hers. "You okay?"

She smiled dreamily. "If I didn't already love you, I would after that. G.o.d, you're good."

I laughed. "My ego adores you."

"I probably shouldn't feed it, since it's big enough."

"Oh no, you should definitely feed it."

She softly shaped my back with her hands. "I'm sorry I hurt you earlier. Even if you don't care that I did it, I'm still sorry."

"I know you are. I'd hate myself if I ever hurt you. I'd rather die than do it. But like I said, that wasn't really you."

"What if it happens again?"

"I don't think it will. Not if you do as Lena said and drink more than you usually do. Our refrigerator is already stocked full of NSTs. And I'm totally fine with you drinking more from me than usual...especially if it means a lot more s.e.x."

"If we s.h.a.g any more than we already do, there's a chance your d.i.c.k will fall off."

I shrugged. "It'd be worth it. You're good in the sack." She just shook her head, like she pitied me. I kissed her lightly. "Come on, let's go for a swim in the pool before we go for the meal. We'll see if you're good in the water, too." Before she could say no, I teleported us to the bottom of the pool. I got a huge slap for that.

CHAPTER TEN.

(Jared) I was jealous of a snake. That was something I never thought I'd say.

Yeah, it was true. The second Sam had returned Dexter to his tattoo form, my mood had dramatically improved. In my defence...Okay, maybe there wasn't really much of a defence if you were jealous of a pet. It was probably fair to say that it was immature and a little unreasonable. But when that pet hissed at you every time you moved to touch your fiancee, it got annoying fast. There were only two reasons why I wasn't tempted to slice up the slithering little s.h.i.+t Sam adored him, and he was, as Wes had predicted, extremely protective of her.

With everything that was going on right now, she needed protection. Not simply because her gifts were acting up. No, it wouldn't be long before Ryder reported to Antonio with the info he had been able to retrieve from the Medics and from the Deliverer. As soon as he did, Sam would insist on being part of whatever happened next. I was kidding myself if I thought I could stop her. As she had told me over and over, sitting in the background wasn't who she was. Dexter would help me ensure that she was well protected...which meant I couldn't kill him.

Earlier, we had read the file that Antonio's researchers had compiled about the brothers. Born into a very prestigious family, they had been given the best of everything all their lives. Both of them had shown great apt.i.tudes for science at an early age and had won many awards in that subject in school and university. One of them had been married and had a son, while the other had been in a relations.h.i.+p with their gardener male gardener.

It wasn't clear how they had found out about the existence of vampires, but it was apparent that they had gone to Orrin and had requested to be Turned not the other way around. Considering that Orrin had Sired many vampires, it was reasonable to a.s.sume that he'd had no qualms about Siring two more. Consistent with Orrin's story, they had only remained with him for the first year. Then they seemed to have gone off alone to begin their own bloodline.

We weren't any the wiser about the foetal abduction operation either. Unfortunately, neither Max, Harvey, nor Damien had found any doc.u.ments in the mobile hospital that might help with the investigation. I had heard from Antonio that although Ryder was doing well with the captives, he hadn't yet acquired all of the info we needed. Being relatively newborn meant that Ryder wasn't fully in control of his gift yet, so it would take him a little time.

Although I was eager to shut down the operation, I was also grateful for the small reprieve; grateful that Sam and I were able to spend one whole evening with each other. Yeah that was selfish and s.h.i.+tty of me, but I wanted Sam to be relaxed and happy during the week of our Binding. At the moment, she was far from it. Still, she was smiling as we entered the large dining room where the oriental meal was being held.

Our designated waitress led us over to a circular table where several people already sat. Antonio, Luther, Evan, Wes, and Lena greeted us both with, literally, open arms. Bran and Kaiser were cordial, albeit a little stiff. Ricardo, Rowan, and Marcia, on the other hand, were welcoming toward me but very curt with Sam.

I was well aware of why, just as I was well aware that the pinch she gave me was a don't say anything' warning. Yeah, yeah, I knew she liked to fight her own battles and I knew it was important that she did so in this instance. While I respected that, it made me want to strangle her sometimes. Who would want to sit back and do nothing while people were being rude to their fiancee?

"The room looks amazing, doesn't it?" Sam said to me. At that moment, she looked truly happy, and that was all I wanted.

She was right; it really did look amazing. Hanging from the ceiling were several zodiac spirals, an oriental dragon garland, and large red and gold lanterns. The walls were decorated with large oriental fans, amazingly detailed wall scrolls, and bamboo borders.

"That centrepiece is gorgeous," she said, pointing at the red paper and bamboo oriental lamp that matched the napkins and table cloth.

"It is set up beautifully," agreed Marcia. Her expression turned devious as she went to continue.

Sam stopped her with a raised hand. "Marcia, I'm happy. Don't spoil it by speaking."

"All I was going to say was that the quality of food at The Hollow must be very different to what you were used to before coming here."

Sam nodded in agreement, but both her self-suffering sigh and her sad tone were forced. And they all knew it. "Yes, it's quite appalling that I was raised on fish, chips, and mushy peas. Still, I wasn't completely deprived. There was a Chinese takeout near my flat, and it had a lantern a bit like these. The lantern had splatters of barbeque and curry sauce on it, but the beauty was still there."

Rowan shuddered. "I do not know how people could eat from places like that. They're unclean."

"Nonsense," objected Sam with a wide smile. "Germs build up your immune system. I never caught any of the diseases that my neighbours had...Other than the time I had oral herpes after one of them forced a kiss on me. That hadn't been pleasant."

My mouth twitched into a smile. That was my Sam. She played the game with them, and she played it better.

Rowan grimaced. "I have a feeling that you are not being truthful, Miss Parker," oh he was on the ball, wasn't he "but, in any case, it is disgusting to talk of diseases at a dinner table."

"No more disgusting than your att.i.tude."

Marcia placed a hand on her partner's arm. "Should we expect anything more from a girl whose origins are like Miss Parker's?"

Sam regarded her curiously. "Have you ever visited that website greatlyinneedofalife.com?"

Marcia bristled. "I have a life, thank you."

"Really? You seem a little too fascinated with mine. I mean, really, are you capable of talking about something that isn't related to my childhood or where I grew up?"