The Hunters - Eli And Sarel Part 5

Through gritted teeth, she said, "I can't."

His eyes moved to the wide-eyed little redhead who stood at the foot of the bed, staring down at them, looking hardly more than the kid he had saved decades earlier. "Let her go, Kelsey. Get...her the...f.u.c.k away...

from me."

"I'm not stopping her from leaving, Eli. And why are you so eager to maker her leave? She can end this, here and now."

Eli's eyes closed. G.o.d, he hurt. The blood in his veins pumped sluggishly and it seemed to be filled with acid, burning him from the inside out. "Tori...?" He could smell her, that subtle scent of peaches, s.e.x, woman, and vampire.

"She's down the hall. We can't get her to feed, Eli,"

Kelsey said, her eyes closing. She had to close her eyes, never having been much of a liar, if he looked dead at her he'd see the lie. Right now, he was probably too weak to sense it, but he might still see it. "Declan's tried and she won't respond to him. I don't know how to reach her." Desperate energy suddenly flooded him as the rage broke open inside. Eli rolled, pinning the woman beside him, staring down into her slanted green and gold eyes. He was so f.u.c.king tired, and it wasn't such a ch.o.r.e to let it all be over after three centuries of walking alone. He would never have Tori and there was no other woman.

But he could not let them die. Tori and Declan meant more to him than his own soul. This b.i.t.c.h in his bed could save him and then he could save Tori and Declan. Afterward he could go right on being lonely, but what the f.u.c.k else was new?

"You owe me blood, darling," he purred with menace, his muscles trembling with the effort it took to move and hold her even though she didn't resist him at all.

Those rather amazing eyes closed and she turned her head, offering her neck, saying quietly, "I know."

Sarel couldn't believe she was doing this.

Eli was as weak as a f.u.c.king kitten, his entire body quaking with the effort it took just to move. She could have thrown him off easily. Whatever bonds had prevented her from moving had been lifted and she could have tried to flee. No magic, that was still being held deep inside her, and would most likely reflect back on Sarel anything she tried to do.

But she didn't try to run, didn't even move away when the vampire covered her body with his. His heart beat against hers, but weakly. He was dying.

She felt sick. Her magic had done this. Her magic and her hate.

Sarel braced herself for the pain, remembering how he had mauled her father. Granted her father had been a murderer and a child molester, but Sarel had just tried to murder Eli, and he didn't know that she didn't know and...and...and...she tried to slow the panicked flow of her thoughts as his golden head lowered to her throat. It was going to hurt and hurt bad. And the awful truth was, she deserved it. If she had just looked, she would have seen the truth, right there in front of her, close enough to bite her on the a.s.s.

A strangled gasp left her throat when his teeth pierced her skin, quickly, sharply, a sudden burning pain that was there and then gone, replaced by heat. Her mind still ran in confused circles-how much would he take?

Would she live through it? Would he let her leave?

Would he turn her into a vampire?

Then she felt a soft brush on her mind.

A gentle shush that calmed the chaos in her brain and turned her body into mush, a seductive warmth chasing away the fear that held her body stiff and cold.

The brush turned into a caress that drew her body tight once more, this time with need, and she cried out, arching up, desire she had never known racing through her body as he fed from her, his cool body growing warm, his trembling, weak muscles stilling as strength flooded back into him.

Eli groaned when she moved against him, crying out.

Still weak, he knew he wasn't up for aught but feeding.

However, his c.o.c.k didn't seem to understand that as the blood he took instantly raced down to his shaft and he couldn't keep from rocking his hardening c.o.c.k against the notch between her thighs as he fed.

Eli's hazy thoughts were slowly clearing and his strength was returning. Confused and distracted by the witch's thoughts, he absently reached out and calmed her while he fed. She was sweet-hot, rich with youth and magic and power. The power that had d.a.m.ned near killed him was restoring him almost as quickly as he could swallow. He understood enough of her chaotic thoughts to recognize the grief and the sorrow, the guilt.

The hot young body was another thing he understood, driving his c.o.c.k harder against her as he fed, swallowing more, her hot blood splas.h.i.+ng in his belly, sending fiery strength out through his body.

He pumped his hips against her covered mound once more as he pulled away from her neck, pausing to lick the neat little puncture wounds, savoring the final few drops of blood before he pushed away, licking his lips and staring down at his almost murderer.

She was young. She was pretty. She was a witch. And she looked...oddly familiar.

Sarel's lids fluttered. One hand lifted and she reached out for him, a weak moan falling from her lips. Beneath the st.u.r.dy cotton of the black s.h.i.+rt she wore, her nipples were hard and stiff. Eli could smell her arousal and he was tempted. If he was certain he had the strength, he just might rip her clothes off and give her a good hard f.u.c.k before throwing her naked a.s.s out.

But he'd rather know why she had tried to kill him.

Even now she didn't strike him as a nutcase.

The chaos of her mind hadn't made much sense to him, but one thing had been clear. She'd come seeking vengeance for something.

Giving her a light mental slap, he cleared the feeding- induced l.u.s.t from her mind and turned to look at Kelsey who stood smiling broadly at the foot of the bed.

"Thank you, Kel-"

A movement, a scent caught his attention. Turning his head, he saw who had been standing in the corner.

Apparently the whole f.u.c.king time. Tori and Declan.

"Dying, brat?" he said, his voice still hoa.r.s.e.

If she answered, he never heard it as Tori flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him and swearing at him, laughing at the same time. His own eyes stung as Tori buried her face against his naked chest, tears dampening his skin as she cried. "Aw, sweet. Do not cry," Eli said roughly, stroking her tumbled curls. "Your mate will finish the job if he thinks you care enough to be crying over me."

"Shut up!" she hissed, smacking him in the arm with her hand as she pulled away to stare at him. Then her eyes widened. "d.a.m.n it, Eli. You look terrible."

"Well, that is exactly the thing I needed to hear, thank you very much, sweet," Eli muttered, shoving a hand through his tangled, matted hair.

Declan asked roughly, his voice thick, "How are ya feelin'?"

A wave of weakness washed through him and he pressed his palm to his brow. Tossing a look over his shoulder, he said, "Weak. Starving. Hot. I feel sick.

How long will I feel like this?"

The stranger on his bed opened her mouth but he coldly said, "I was not asking you, girl."

Color flushed her face and her eyes gleamed, but to Eli's amazement, she remained silent. He would not have expected such...wisdom from her.

Kelsey suppressed a smile as she said, "It will fade within a few days, I think. If you feed again now, it will help a lot. You didn't take much from Sarel." Her eyes flitted to the silent girl on the bed. "If you fed from one of your people, or from me or Declan-"

"I can feed him," Tori said softly.

"No," Declan said, shaking his head. "You just fed him yesterday. Too much. This is too soon even for you, wonder girl."

"Declan, I-"

"No," Eli said, interrupting her. Her wide blue eyes swung his way and he shook his head, silently backing up his friend.

"I'll feed you," Declan offered, casting him a silent thank-you when Tori turned away and walked to the window to sulk. She hated when she wasn't able to help. Pulling a knife from his pocket, Declan made a neat little cut in his wrist, just deep enough to provide a decent feed, and offered his wrist to Eli.

Eli accepted gratefully. As weak as he was, he didn't feel up to feeding from a female. The s.e.xual call a vampire exuded was always stronger when he or she fed, but only if he or she was feeding on their particular s.e.xual choice. Eli, having no h.o.m.os.e.xual tendencies, could feed from men from now to doomsday and never feel aroused. Oh, he could raise l.u.s.t in men, if he was so inclined...but the inclination wasn't there. The only inclination he had right now was to collapse in exhaustion. He did not feel up to the drain it would put on his system to fight the s.e.xual arousal that would come with the women, no matter that he was near death's door.

And besides, if he had to take blood again, it would have to be from Kelsey or one of his people-m ostly werew olves, some humans. Kelsey seemed too much like a kid sister to him. He couldn't feed from her.

And between an Inherent wolf, like Declan, and a werewolf...well, h.e.l.l, that was like choosing between French wine and wine that cost two dollars. No contest.

Closing his mouth over Declan's wrist he fed, groaning silently when Tori decided to return at that moment and curl up against his side, bringing her scent and her sweet body.

"Little b.i.t.c.h," Eli thought fondly as her hand slid down to stroke his thigh.

Sarel felt like she was watching a f.u.c.king peep show.

Well, no. Not exactly.

They weren't exactly putting on a show. The brunette was curled against Elijah Crawford who sat at the edge of the bed feeding from the long, lean blond who had tackled Sarel outside the house. The blond, Declan, didn't seem the least bit disturbed when his wife-at least, Sarel thought it was his wife-started to stroke and caress Eli's chest, his arm, his face, not s.e.xually, really, more as though rea.s.suring herself.

They cared. All three of them. About each other.

And not one of them gave a flying f.u.c.k if anybody knew it, or saw it. Finally Eli pulled away from Declan and said softly, "Thank you."

Declan smiled and nodded, holding out his wrist to Kelsey who had come over to bandage it. Once that was done, he sat down behind his wife, pulling her into the curve of his body and Eli dropped down to lay his head on Tori's thigh, his pale face lined with exhaustion. "I could sleep for a week," he said, thickly.

"Then do it," Tori said quietly, stroking his head with a gentle hand. "We'll watch over you." Over his head, she stared at Sarel who had climbed from the bed and stood watching them.

Sarel squashed down the fear this woman caused.

Meeting those wide, deceptively sweet blue eyes, she stared at them unflinchingly as Tori said, "Declan and I will be here when you wake. Nothing will happen, I promise."

Nope. Nothing was going to happen. Cuz Sarel was outta here.

"The girl?" he muttered, his eyes flitting in her direction.

Kelsey piped up, "She's not going anywhere."

"s.h.i.+t. So much for that idea," Sarel thought morosely.

To back it up, she felt a distant snick-a spell felling into place in the distance. She imagined that if she tried to leave, she'd get maybe a half a mile. And then she'd be stuck and could go no further.

Tori s.h.i.+fted from one foot to the other.

She wanted, desperately, to follow Declan to their room, rip his clothes off and tumble him to the floor.

But she didn't want to leave Eli alone.

Declan grinned at her and lifted her chin with his index finger, pressing a soft, easy k iss to her mouth. "I love you, darlin'," he said, his voice soft and musical with the faint sound of Ireland. "And I know you like I know my own hand. Stay. I do not trust the girl myself."

The door closed behind him moments later and Tori curled up in bed after shucking her jeans, wrapping her arm around Eli's waist, who slept obliviously. She lay so that she could see the door. Outside, she could hear and smell one of the wolves. Declan had posted a guard.

With a smile, she gave into the urges of her own body and slept.

Chapter Four.

Eli's eyes closed in bliss as the hot water pounded over him. Nearly a week's worth of grime and dirt and blood washed away down the drain as he washed and soaped. Long fingers worked shampoo into his hair three times before he was satisfied.

When he climbed from the shower, finally clean, he felt almost like himself again.

He still hadn't seen the girl.

Sarel.

He knew she was there.

He could smell her, hear her. But he hadn't seen her. That was probably best. Until he could be certain he had his control back he didn't want to see her.

The door opened, steam escaping past Tori as she slid inside, her eyes hot and gleaming, her long slim body naked. Eli groaned as she plastered herself against him, her lush b.r.e.a.s.t.s straining against his chest as she kissed him hungrily.

Fangs nipped his lip gently, then she kissed the erotic little pain away as her busy hands closed over his naked a.s.s.

"You're wet, naked. Have I ever told you how much I appreciate the body of a wet, naked man?" she murmured as she pulled back to kiss her way down his neck.

From the doorway, Declan laughed. "Careful, darlin'.

You'll make me jealous. I thought I was the only one you liked wet and naked," he said.

Eli's eyes crossed when Tori closed her hand over his rigid c.o.c.k, moving in sure, certain strokes as she smiled flirtatiously back at her husband. "You're my favorite, of course. Come over here," she ordered, flipping her curls over her shoulder. Once Declan was within reach, she clasped one hand behind his neck and pulled him to her, kissing him greedily, sucking his tongue into her mouth, biting down gently and then laughing when he pulled away and positioned himself behind her, pumping his c.o.c.k against her naked b.u.t.t.

Tori squirmed away and dropped to her knees in front of Eli, watching him from under her lashes as she licked a wet trail up his throbbing c.o.c.k before taking him in her mouth.

Eli muttered, "Aw, f.u.c.k," when she took his length almost all the way down her throat, the walls of her throat closing around him, vicing over his invading flesh and driving him insane as she slowly pulled off and then slid back down. Behind her, Declan was stripping out of his unb.u.t.toned s.h.i.+rt and jeans, tossing them aside, and tossing a familiar bottle on the bathroom counter.

Eli muttered absently, "Carry that everywhere you go, Irish?"

"With Tori as my mate, how much choice have I got?"

he replied easily, dropping to his knees and then turning to lie on his back, squirming down and under until he had his face between Tori's thighs. "She's always so ready for a three way any time we are in your territory."

His voice was m.u.f.fled now and Eli groaned as Declan put his mouth on his wife's p.u.s.s.y, which caused her mouth to tighten to the point of pain on Eli's c.o.c.k. Eli pulled his c.o.c.k reluctantly from her mouth as she arched back, crying out.

"Lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d, he is," Eli muttered, glancing down to see Declan's head between Tori's thighs. He tumbled her down, dislodging her from Declan's hold. Declan growled at him, but Eli only settled himself at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, catching one nipple in his mouth and suckling hungrily so Declan again lay between her thighs, lifting her a.s.s in his hands and burying his face against her.