Marina's Awakening (Seduced By Shadows Book 2)

Chapter Six

The sight of Marina, so bare and unguarded, scatters my thoughts like pages in the wind, and all my learned words fail me. I”ve given lectures in front of hundreds of students and headed countless conferences filled with my professional peers, but one look at this naked woman, and I am lost for words. Marina is a living example of the beauty between life and death—the darkest shadow and the brightest sun all rolled into one person. My fingers have never touched anything more sacred.

When she turns around searching for answers, I”m transfixed on her skin, which is still damp and glistening with a sheen of water. There”s something sensual about it that calls to me, begging me to take her in my arms and give her what she desires. All I would have to do is close the distance between us and wrap my fingers around her hips... but instead I stand there like an idiot while she waits for me to respond.

”Um,” I begin, trying to keep myself calm as I stare at her exposed chest. ”I think this might mean you”re marked for elimination.”

Her eyes grow wide as saucers. ”What? Why?” She glances down at her stomach where the symbol has been carved into her flesh. It”s hauntingly familiar. I”ve seen it before in that mysterious journal. The one I stumbled on a while back, the one supposedly belonging to the leader of the Shadow Extractors. ”What do you know about it, Gabriel?”

”I”ve seen this symbol before. It belongs to the Shadow Extractors.”

”Shadow Extractors? What are you talking about?”

”We talked about it before, remember? They”re an organization,” I explain, trying to choose my words carefully. ”They”re dedicated to removing vampires from existence. Honestly, I thought they were just a bunch of conspiracy theorists before... before I met you.”

”But why would they want to do something like this to me? I”ve never even met these stupid people. I haven”t done anything to them. When I was a vampire, I only ate when I needed to, and I always made the experience as pleasurable as possible for whoever I bit.”

My cock twitches when her beautiful, pouty lips form the word ”pleasurable” in that alluring way she does. Something about how she pronounces it reminds me of when she kissed me earlier. That felt good too—too damn good. I clear my throat as the blood rushes to my head, which is better than the alternative. ”I don”t know what they have against vampires. All I know is what they believe, and they seem to think all vampires are evil creatures who deserve to be destroyed. This is probably their idea of mercy.”

Her body shakes with fury as she begins to pace around the room. It takes everything I have to not look at her perfect breasts bouncing back and forth with every step she takes. Her shoulders rise up as her anger intensifies, but then she exhales slowly, lowering her arms back down at her side again. She stops in front of me, lifting up a lock of damp hair and twirling it between her fingers. My eyes follow her hand as it glides over her bare skin, from the hollow of her throat down between her breasts and across her stomach where the symbol has been branded.

”I don”t understand this,” she mutters, more to herself than to me. ”What am I supposed to do now?”

There”s a brokenness to her tone that tugs at my heartstrings, one that submerges me in the need to comfort her. I put my hands on her hips, intending to ground her, and although she flinches from the contact, she doesn”t move away. She tilts her head back, looking up at me with those piercing eyes that seemed to look into my soul when we first met. I run my hands up over her waist and then return them to her hips, holding her firmly. The smell of her—something rich and sweet, like chocolate-covered strawberries—makes me dizzy with desire. She looks up at me with uncertainty and lust all at once, a combination that causes my heart to beat wildly inside my chest.

”You should rest,” I say softly. ”I have no idea what is going on with you right now or why these people would want you gone so badly, but I”ll keep working on trying to find an answer to this mystery.”

Her fingers curl around the fabric of my shirt, clutching it tightly as she presses herself against me. There”s a moment where we stare into each other”s eyes, neither of us making any movement to close the distance between us or to pull away. But then my body seems to move by itself, and soon, I”m pulling her closer until our lips touch. I can taste the sweetness of her mouth as our tongues dance together, igniting a spark inside me that ignores all logic and reason. She moans, wrapping her arms around my neck as she pushes herself closer, making it clear she wants this just as much as I do.

When my hands slide down the curve of her back, cupping her rear and pressing her hips against my growing erection, she lets out another moan that vibrates in the pit of my stomach. All rational thought vanishes as her lips find their way to my neck, kissing softly as she goes. The sensation is like fire against my skin, sending shock waves of pleasure to my most primal core. I gasp as she runs her tongue over the nape of my throat, biting down on the tender flesh there with those teeth of hers, teasing me mercilessly.

With each stroke of her fingers, the tension between us increases, and it feels like there”s nothing left to do but surrender to whatever this is. I kiss along the side of her neck, pushing her damp hair away from her shoulder to expose more of her soft skin to my lips. When I suck on the hollow space below her collarbone, she moans again, and the sound of it makes me harder than ever. She grinds against me as she slides her hands under my shirt, running them up and down the bare skin of my back.

This is real. It”s really happening.

I lift her into the air, carrying her to my bedroom and setting her down gently on top of the mattress. She sits upright, smiling seductively as she removes my shirt and tosses it aside before attacking my belt. With practiced fingers, she has the buckle undone in less than a second. Then, when I tug off my slacks, she wraps her fingers around my throbbing cock, causing me to groan with pleasure. The warmth of her palm makes my heart pound harder as her grip tightens, pulling at my length. She looks up at me with those blue eyes, silently asking permission to go further, and I nod, swallowing hard.

”I won”t bite you this time,” she teases.

Her words sound so sexy coming from those pretty pink lips of hers that my heart might explode out of my chest. Instead, though, it sends blood rushing toward my erection, making it twitch as Marina runs her tongue along the tip, catching a bead of pre-cum with the flick of her tongue. The sensation causes me to shiver all over, and I nearly come right then and there.

She grins at me before lowering her head, taking my shaft into her mouth. I suck in a sharp breath at the warmth of her tongue lapping against my skin, sending jolts of electricity straight through to my core. It feels like every cell in my body is on fire with need. She bobs her head slowly at first, teasing me mercilessly with each motion of her perfect lips. She knows how to drive a man crazy with lust, and it”s not long before she has me at my limit. I tug at her hair gently, pulling her away from my cock, afraid that I might burst if she continues.

”If you don”t stop now, I”m going to lose control,” I growl, hoping the hunger behind the words will get across to her how much I need this woman. I”ve never felt this kind of passion with another person before. It”s as if the universe has chosen Marina to be mine alone, and for now, I have no intention of letting that slip through my fingers.

Marina lets out a soft chuckle before sliding up my body, straddling my waist so that she can rest herself atop me. Her lips are parted slightly, her cheeks flushed with pink, and the sight of her naked flesh bathed in the glow of the moonlight that”s coming through the window makes me weak at the knees.

She looks down at me with such desire burning in her eyes that my heart swells three times its size inside my chest. Her black hair cascades around her shoulders, making her look like some sort of vengeful goddess descended from on high to claim her prize. Her stomach is toned, with just enough muscles to give her curves a softer edge. The lines of her abs are etched into her skin like art, and when she moves forward, pressing her body against mine, I”m hypnotized. My blood rushes south so quickly that it makes my vision swim, leaving me lightheaded with longing for this beautiful creature who has so enthralled me.

As we come together, she pauses briefly, catching her breath as she lowers herself onto me. She bites her bottom lip, and I find myself enamored with the act, desperate to taste her mouth again. So, without hesitation, I lean forward, taking her lips in a kiss filled with unbridled lust. She kisses back hungrily, pushing her body closer against mine until there isn”t even an inch of space between us anymore. The moment she begins to move, it”s like something inside me snaps, unleashing a primal instinct that can only be satiated by filling this gorgeous woman completely.

”Oh, Gabriel,” she moans as she moves atop me. ”This feels so good. You feel so good.” Her voice is music to my ears, causing goosebumps to rise along the surface of my skin. Every muscle in her body tenses, tightening around my length, sending shockwaves of pleasure through me with every thrust. Our bodies move together as one, bringing us higher and higher until we are both lost to our desires.

I slide my hands up the sides of her thighs, admiring how the muscles there shift and flex when she lifts herself up. The sight makes my cock throb inside her warm, wet walls, and I groan at the way she”s making me feel. Then, without warning, she sits upright again, taking all of me inside her, causing us both to moan out loud as if we”ve found that magical place where all rational thought is abandoned. It”s pure instinct now, a carnal need to release the tension that”s been building between us.

When Marina lowers herself down once more, I reach forward, cupping her breasts with both hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. She giggles as she moves atop me, pressing her lips to mine in a slow, sensual kiss that makes my sternum ache. When I massage her breasts, tweaking her nipples until they stand upright from the attention, she lets out another soft laugh that turns into a moan.

Her hips move faster against me as we pick up the pace, our bodies working together with an urgency that feels natural but new at the same time. For as much as this all seems unreal to me, it feels like the most real thing that has ever happened. This woman—this vampire—has me under her spell in a way that no one else ever has before. My head spins as I approach the brink, and based on how Marina”s breathing hitches and how her muscles clamp down around my cock, she”s just moments away from finishing herself.

Her eyes flutter as she grinds herself onto me harder than ever before, sending us both over the edge. The climax hits me like a freight train, knocking the wind out of me as it washes over my senses in powerful waves that send lightning strikes up my spine. I can”t think straight as pleasure ripples through my body like a shockwave, taking over every nerve and muscle fiber as Marina clamps down even tighter around me. She shudders against my chest as we ride out our high together, riding each wave of ecstasy to their conclusion.

When the last of it fades, we both lay there panting, completely spent. She rests her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around me as she places a soft kiss to my neck. ”That was...” Marina whispers, trailing off for a moment before continuing. ”That was incredible.”

I nod, too exhausted to say anything else right now. I just hold her in my arms, enjoying the way she feels against me and wishing I could freeze time forever if this feeling would always remain. Everything about it felt so natural and perfect that I know I could die happy if I only had this one experience with Marina by my side.

There”s so much we need to figure out, but when she looks at me like that, all the worries fade away. For now, there is only her, only us. The rest of the world can wait until tomorrow... or maybe even longer.