Chapter 4 Aurora
The cold sank its teeth through my suit, nipping at me like a juvenile zmeu. My breath crystallized in my lungs. I tried to scream, instinct overriding reason, but the sound twisted into an eerie whisper that echoed through the frigid emptiness.
My limbs felt heavy, movement like wading through molasses. I’d intended to pummel his backside until he put me down, but my fists barely made contact. Not that it would have mattered—the man’s posterior was as thick as his head.
Survival instinct kicked in. I stopped fighting the void and surrendered to its pull, conserving what little energy I had. I’d resume defending my dignity once we emerged.
If we emerged.
The seconds stretched into an eternity of cold and pressure, the blackout seeming to seep into my very essence.
Just as panic began to claw at my throat, the real world snapped back into focus. We burst into open air. Harbinger released me, keeping one steadying hand on my shoulder as I doubled over and expelled ice crystals from my lungs.
“Derzelas’ blood,” I gasped, eyes watering. “You could have given me more time to prepare.”
I looked around through watering eyes. He’d brought us to a secluded glade nestled deep within the forest. A light drizzle misted the atmosphere, and though the rain had let up, dense clouds hid the stars, leaving only the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the canopy.
Ancient pines guarded the perimeter, their needles glistening with raindrops from the earlier downpour.
In the center, a massive angel oak stretched its gnarled branches outward, as if trying to cover us in a protective embrace.
Under different circumstances, perhaps with someone who hadn’t just abducted me through a dimensional rift, the setting might have been romantic. The thought only added fire to my rage.
“You had warning enough.”
I glowered at him, my hand reaching for my hair, seeking needles that weren’t there. Damn it. Coughing and tears ruined any attempt at intimidation, as did the curses and accusations jammed in my throat.
What emerged was a bastardized growl and a whine—a squeal that was so undignified I wished the portal would swallow me whole, again.
“What in the endless pits were you thinking?” I hissed, my voice still hoarse from the cold. “Why have you brought me here?”
“Good. You’re well enough,” he said and curled his warm hand around the back of my neck.
Bastard.
I twisted away, but he spun me around so fast it gave me whiplash. My boots tripped over the exposed roots before he pressed me against the massive tree trunk with enough force to steal what little breath I had managed to recover.
The sharp taste of panic bit my tongue. But overlaying that was a deep, deep anger. I slung my head back and caught him in the chin.
“I am not your plaything to manhandle,” I spat.
His chest vibrated against my back. Every inch of him pressed harder against me. The rough bark dug into my cheek as his breath fanned over the shell of my ear, sending cold and hot shivers down my spine.
“If I were to slide my hand between your thighs right now, I think I’d find evidence to the contrary.”
Heat flared low in my belly, but I strangled it with cold fury.
His voice might be honey and gravel, but every word was a lie wrapped in velvet.
Old fear spiked through me, yet even as Radu caged me, the difference blazed clear.
I could break free if I wanted to. My body could want him all it liked; my mind knew better.
His hands tightened on my hips. “Do you enjoy tormenting me, Aurora?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” I bit down on my lower lip to keep from giving him the satisfaction of a reaction. Damn him. Why did he have to smell so good?
“Your reckless decisions, the disregard for your own safety, your stubbornness.” He captured my wrists and drew them above my head, higher until I had to rise onto my toes. “If I hadn’t severed the harmonization, the link would have turned against you.”
His breath made my skin pebble, and I arched my back, melting under the scorching heat radiating from his skin.
I might as well brand myself a fool and be done with it.
“Is this your idea of reconciliation? Asserting dominance?” I asked with a shaky breath.
“Sex and power have always gone hand in hand. But power shared differs from power taken.” He transferred both my wrists to his left hand, using his right to grasp my chin and tilt my head.
“Your scent betrays you. The hunger, the desire. I can smell it on you.” His voice roughened. “Besides, I need to feed.”
Whatever response I might have offered dissolved as he dragged his fangs along my fast-pulsing vein.
Panic melted into pure lust. I was still furious, but my body rode the adrenaline high of nearly dying. Some primal part of me wanted him to bite, to taste my blood. My vision blurred as he tormented me with gentle nips that never broke skin.
“You used your magic on me again,” he whispered. “I don’t know if I should punish or fuck you right here.” Disapproval toyed with excitement in his tone.
My pulse stuttered.
Then his mouth claimed mine.
Strong arms crushed me against his chest, blocking out the world as I clutched the tree trunk. His scent penetrated my skin, winding through my body to pool between my thighs. My breasts ached for his touch. My lips burned for more.
Seconds stretched into minutes. When he finally allowed me air, I gasped. My head fell back as he traced kisses along my jawline and down my neck. One large hand gripped my hip, lifting me until his hard length pressed against my bottom.
He was pure masculine power. Beautiful in his strength. Making me feel feminine by contrast.
“Your kisses will get you nowhere, varcolac,” I said, but I tilted my head further, inviting him to bite.
“And that sharp tongue of yours will get you into trouble.” His palm moved beneath my breasts, fingers splaying across my abdomen. Sparks of pleasure ignited deep in my belly. “Still feeling dominated?”
“Completely.”
Maybe this was necessary. A way to move beyond mistrust and betrayal.
I needed this. If not for us, then for myself.
I craved the release a Blood Pact would bring.
He tasted of sex. If I denied myself tonight, I’d regret it forever.
I was already damned for not reporting him to the Council.
One more night wouldn’t change anything.
Traitor or not.
He adjusted his hold, supporting me with one arm around my waist while his other hand cupped my breast. Lightning shot through me, and combined with the scrape of his fangs against my skin, it drew a moan from my parted lips.
“Tell me to stop,” he demanded against my neck.
“No,” I breathed.
He nipped harder. “Tell me to stop, Aurora.”
I forgot how to speak, so I shook my head, urging him on, pressing myself against him. Desperate to eliminate any space between our bodies, I rocked against his hardness. Too many layers separated us, and a frustrated moan escaped me. If this was his punishment, it was exquisitely cruel.
“Good,” Radu said before sinking his fangs into my neck. He held me as if I weighed nothing, pinned me against the tree. His strength, both protective and possessive, made my heart race. The rough bark against my palms, the cool night air, Radu’s heat—all of it intensified as he fed.
Pleasure rushed through me in bursts so intense they could have lit the night.
The way he called to my blood made every part of me respond.
Addictive. Obsessive. Drawing out sensations I’d never felt before, making me beg for more.
With each pull of his mouth, my body yielded further, surrendering to instinct.
I never wanted this to end.
Standing on tiptoes, I pressed harder against his erection. I longed to be so utterly lost in him that the boundaries between us would blur into nothing. To be consumed by him until all that remained was the steady pulse of our heartbeats—raw and inseparable and infinite.
The vibration of his growl traveled through my bones and struck directly at my core. It drove me to move with greater urgency against him. Savor the feel of him through the frustrating barrier of our clothing.
When his mouth released my neck, the sudden absence left me quivering. I realized with a start that he had bitten me on the other side of Lev’s scars, and the thought sent a different kind of thrill through me.
Perhaps sensing my need, or guided by the shameless sounds I couldn’t contain, he moved a hand up to the collar and pulled at the concealed zipper of my suit. He drew it downward with such deliberate slowness, I nearly sobbed my frustration.
Uncertain what to do with my free hands, I reached behind his neck and threaded my fingers through his frost-white hair. I tugged slightly, scraping my nails against his scalp.
The sound that escaped him was feral. His fingers dug bruisingly into my hip as he pulled me harder against him.
Liquid heat flooded my center as he grinded against me. My eyes fluttered closed, his dominance awakening desires no man had ever stirred in me before. Another complication to examine later, when my brain functioned again and I could properly analyze these feelings.
I moaned. “I don’t want to rush you, but we are rather exposed out here.”
My breasts spilled free from the confines of my suit, heavy and aching with need, and I arched like a cat to meet his eager hands.
“The Stalkers are deep in their territory,” he said, thumbs circling the sensitive peaks. “Nothing will disturb us tonight.”
A breathless moan escaped me when those skilled fingers pinched and twisted, finding that exquisite edge between pleasure and pain.
He continued his exploration, exposing more of my skin to the night air until the zipper halted.
But his hand didn’t stop there. It slipped inside, glided lower, and cupped me between my legs.