Chapter 2
I’d never felt my dick shrivel up faster than it had at seeing the genuine sadness and anxiety on my Vinni’s face. I thought I was riling her up, and the rage had been so real and utterly captivating.
Beautiful. She’d been beautiful in the moments she let herself feel the anger that always seemed to linger under her skin, ready to bubble up at the slightest provocation.
I wanted to be someone she took her rage out on.
I wanted to be whatever she needed me to be.
Seeing her anger shouldn’t be the sweetest torment for me and my dick. Her rage had fueled too many boners to count in the last six months, and I hadn’t wanted to look too far into what that meant.
“You sure fecked that up, didn’t ya, brother?” Patrick asked.
There were a few chuckles from the rest of my friends still standing outside by the work trailer despite me and my big mouth dampening the mood. Everyone here knew me more than I knew myself most days, so it probably wasn’t too shocking I’d pissed Vinni off again, but I was shocked when little Gioia Hemlock was suddenly in my face.
“Do you have any idea what this project means to her?” The little blonde pig-tailed girl was nowhere to be seen as the little wolf ripped me and my ego to shreds, jabbing her finger square in my chest while doing so. She’d grown up before my eyes and had even shifted into her wolf form a few times now. I’d even gone on a few runs with her in the last couple weeks so she’d feel safer exploring the forest. Gioia was grown, and I saw it more now as she scolded me in front of our circle. “This is the first time she is doing anything for herself, you fucking idiot.”
I hadn’t heard her use language like that either. I had apparently really fucked up if she was this angry.
“This is her baby as far as she is concerned. You should see her when she talks about her vision for this place. And you just called it, ugh, what was it?” she turned around, asking the group.
“Cute, I think it was,” Dominic said, stepping up and putting a hand on Gioia’s shoulder to calm her down.
“I was just messing with her like always,” I said, trying to defend myself. Normally I wouldn’t bother explaining my actions, but I didn’t like the disappointment on the youngest Hemlock’s face.
Gioia huffed and shook her head. “Well, you better get your shit together because diminishing the club or threatening the work isn’t just messing around, Arch. You need to make this right.” She pointed her index finger at me again.
I was almost two hundred years old and was being reprimanded by a wolf pup.
And I deserved it.
I nodded in agreement, knowing to admit when I was the asshole.
“Fuck,” I said and ran my fingers through my hair, pushing the deep auburn strands out of my eyes. “I really didn’t mean—” I stopped myself. I didn’t need to explain anymore.
I fucked up. I could own that.
She’d gotten a head start, but not too far, I hoped.
I took off after the gorgon without another word, following her sweet raspberry and vanilla, mouth-wateringly distracting scent into the woods. The freshness of it was like a beacon calling to me as if she could outrun me. This time of year brought a general muddiness to the forest coloring, along with the copious dead leaves on the dirt floor. I was too in my head to fully appreciate the beauty as we headed into the barren parts of winter.
Instead, I focused on Vinni. Why had she reacted that way? I normally was better at reading a situation, and it had become my personal game since I’d run into her those months ago to make her eyes red whenever she saw me.
I needed her anger aimed at me.
Her rage was like catnip for my fucked-up brain, and I wanted to taste directly from her veins when she was so consumed with heat that she couldn’t dull her emotions.
I had to find her and reassure her if nothing else, that I was capable of behaving for the sake of her club and the sake of my own role on the council. Cliona didn’t have a tight leash on any of us because she trusted us to fulfill our duties as needed, but at the end of the day, Vinni was a newer resident, and I wasn’t being the most hospitable.
I brought myself back to the present.
Stalking, hunting, chasing—it was all the same to me. And one consistent part of my vampire genes that has never changed is that I lived for the thrill of it. Her scent told me that she hadn’t walked back toward town but instead kept venturing deeper into the woods.
Further into my territory.
I followed her steps, easily weaving between the trees while never veering too far in any particular direction. Did she want me to find her? Did my sweet, serpent-haired female crave me as much as I did her?
Obviously. I was irresistible.
I assumed when I met her that she’d be like any number of other new residents, no matter the gender, and that she’d be after me in no time; that she’d be begging to ride my cock, and I’d be more than happy to oblige those desires.
What I hadn’t expected was how the thought of me letting her ride my cock turned into an unnatural obsession with her sinful curves and that drool-worthy tart raspberry scent.
How could she smell like that and me not want to know what her blood tasted like? It had to be as sweet as the nectar of a goddess.
And, of fucking course, she was the first person in over a century to deny me.
And my dick.
I promised myself long ago I wouldn’t let anyone invade my feelings or form any attachments that weren’t part of my found family here in Haven Pass. I continuously told myself that was still the case, that I didn’t want Vinni for anything more than a roll between the sheets to get the “what if” aspect out of my brain.
I was fine being labeled a petulant whiner who wanted the one female he was told he couldn’t have.
Which, of fucking course, made me want her even more.
I realized where she was heading after a few more minutes trailing after her. She was leading a direct path to a small stream that residents frequented for fishing or other water activities in the warmer months. It was large enough for some floats and kayaks, but during the colder months, it was dangerous and iced over most of the time.
I knew Vinni had wanted to get away from me, but would she really be traipsing off into the cold woods to a probably close-to-frozen watery death trap?
“You can stop following me, vlákas.” Her smooth, sultry voice, even when insulting me, soothed something deep in my soul. Especially when she uttered the Greek slang she’d randomly toss in conversation I’d picked up on.
Every time she dropped a new word in her native tongue, I knew I needed to have her. I knew I had to feel her undoubtedly perfect and warm and tight pussy wrapped around my cock just once. One time to get rid of this constant ache in my soul at her persistent rejections.
I smirked in the direction her voice came from. “You could stop running from me, my venom, and instead let me give you what you need.”
She scoffed, the noise clearer as I approached. “And what is it I need, bloodsucker?”
“I told you that phrase offends me.” I mock-gasped and put my hand to my chest. I acted personally wounded almost every time I saw her and she called me a bloodsucker. She had to know I’d been called much worse by folks much closer to me before, so it didn’t actually offend me. “What’s with the slurs, babe?”
“Call me Lavinia, and maybe I’ll call you by whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want, huh?” I couldn’t help the innuendo. I had a few names I’d like to hear her speak from her plump lips. She stepped onto the dirt path, and I took in the sight of her like I always did. She was tall, only a few inches shorter than my six foot two. Her curves were generous and begged for me to grab hold. Today she wore black leggings with her knee-high leather boots and a deep maroon dress that stopped a couple inches above her knees. She also had a long black trench coat she had buttoned up to where her cleavage was exposed, enticing me with every inch of Mediterranean sun-kissed flesh. Her tits were fucking glorious and huge and would be perfect for squeezing together and fucking.
“Eyes are up here, Archibald.” Her judgmental tone snapped me out of my perusal of her body. I wasn’t even sure where she got Archibald from since my full name was Archer and I didn’t hide it. I met her eyes that had mellowed to a bluish-green since she’d left us, showing me she’d reined herself in from the anger she had before.
“But your mouth-watering tits are down there, gorgeous. And I’m appreciating how you let them out to play today.” I winked and enjoyed watching the bluish-green of her eyes slowly shift to yellow, darkening to orange by the second.
“Watch yourself, Archibald.”
“I’d rather watch you.” I sighed, ignoring her using a name she made up for me and suppressing the groan at myself and my apparent inability to keep my thoughts to myself when she was around. I rubbed my temples, taking a seat on a worn bench at the edge of the path we’d found that was close to overlooking the creek that had several patches of crystalized ice on the surface. “We need to talk, Vinni.”
I heard her boots press against the earth as she made her way toward the bench. She sat next to me, and I tried not to let my shock show.
“I suppose we do.” She sounded defeated.
While I enjoyed making Vinni angry, I didn’t like what my jabs had done earlier. I didn’t have any control over whether the other vampires in town worked nights, and most were sexual deviants like me and would do anything to get the club opened faster. I don’t even know why I wanted to pester her about it.
I simply couldn’t help myself with many things where Vinni was concerned.
I turned to face her on the bench and met her eyes. I let the deep blue of their depths lull me into a sense of calm. I knew her power was held in her gaze, and despite going at each other’s throats on a regular basis, I felt in my soul she didn’t genuinely mean me harm. I also knew she appreciated the eye contact since so many avoided it.
See, I listened in the alpha group when she spoke.
I couldn’t help it when her smoky voice filled the room.
Which was part of the problem.
“We need to fuck this out of our system,” I told her, watching as her pupils widened slightly, the only sign she’d heard me since the rest of her remained still. Even her snakes were motionless as if they were sleeping atop her head. “I know you probably don’t want to, but I can’t explain this pull to you other than a need to fuck. I don’t do emotions like that, so I promise not to be clingy.” I told myself that last part as much as I was trying to convince her. “I have thought about your body a ridiculous amount since you first ran into me?—”
“You ran into me!” she interrupted, but I ignored her and kept on.
“And, not a brag, agapiménos.” I dropped the Greek word for sweetheart and relished at the way her mouth dropped open in shock that I knew her language. Or, based on what little I knew of her history, one of her many languages. “But I could show you a good time. It would be a one-and-done thing, a little something to get you out of my system, you know? I told you already, but I’ll say it again for emphasis, I don’t do the whole feelings thing. And I’m assuming you aren’t a fan of that shit either. I know I affect you too, Vinni, so please just think about it.”
“I don’t need to think about it.”
Fuck. I took a deep breath. I wasn’t used to begging for sex, and I wasn’t going to start now despite my desire for her. I got to my feet.
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me. I obviously won’t be standing in your way with the club. This morning was stupid; I thought I was being funny, but clearly I hit a sore spot. The other vampires in town don’t listen to me anyway, so I was full of shit.” I turned to step away and revisit my plan. I figured she’d appreciate a straightforward route since she hasn’t responded to my usual obnoxious flirting style.
“You misunderstood me, Arch.”
I froze, hearing her stand, and tried to resist turning around and seeing what expression she had on her face. Raspberries and vanilla wrapped around me as she stepped closer. I tried to stop breathing to help my cause.
“I agree with you.”
“I know you agree, but—” I stopped. “Wait, what?” I turned on my heel to see her eyes the most vibrant green I’d seen them.
“Let’s fuck.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t said the two words I’d been waiting to hear for six long fucking months. “I’m good in bed, and I assume you have some skills with how long you’ve been alive.” I slowly stalked back into her space, giving her plenty of time to change her mind. “I need my club to be a success, Arch, and if I keep letting you get under my skin like you did this morning, it won’t work. Let’s fuck and then agree to never cross that line again and move on with our lives. And you’ll agree to never call my club ‘cute’ or dismiss my business again.”
I managed a nod as I prowled closer. Vinni’s snakes hissed in agreement slowly as they writhed together, probably anticipating what was about to happen.
“Thank fuck,” I muttered, finally close enough to really look into her eyes. The green was slowly darkening to orange, but this time it wasn’t out of anger. Fuck, were her eyes red when she was turned on too? Fuck me. “I know a place.”
I didn’t ask permission and instead rushed the remaining distance between us, threw her over my shoulder, and ran toward the hunting cabin I kept a good distance from town. Patrick had been the only other one to use it in recent months, so I knew it would be unoccupied and probably cleaned up since my last visit.
“I can walk myself, vlákas!” She was so cute when she called me an idiot. I was running too fast to take her claim about walking seriously. I wasn’t going to give her time to change her mind now that I had her in my arms. Instead, I slapped her perfect, plump, juicy ass without breaking my stride as I hurried forward.
A few minutes later, the A-frame of my cabin came into view. I slowed enough to put her on her feet while I grabbed the key from my pocket. As soon as I let her out of my arms, I felt a sharp pinch on my forearm and yelped.
“Gods dammit!” I looked at my arm and saw two puncture marks. I looked up to see one of her snakes outstretched away from the others, one of the bigger ones that sat atop her head. The big fucker was looking at me with contempt if a snake could even give such a look.
“You should have let me walk myself, dick,” Vinni said, soothing her snakes down but paying extra attention to the big fucker that bit me. “Good boy, Luxor.”
“That little bastard has a name?” I asked, and despite my tone, I was genuinely curious. One thing Vinni never really shared about in the alpha group was her snakes. It was hard not to want to know more about them, as they made her that much more intriguing, but she’d never called them a name in my presence before. It also seemed rude to ask, and she generally hated my ass, so I planned to soak up what I could.
“Of course, they all have names,” she said, her voice softer than normal. I wasn’t sure she realized it, as Vinni was always so guarded, and it wasn’t my place to pry. She never shared much about her past in the alpha group either, apart from what was requested. Most of what we talked about was how to behave in Haven Pass, so there wasn’t much need for a deep dive into why we behaved in certain ways. Guillermo normally saved that for one-on-one sessions. Despite it not coming up, I felt like I knew almost everyone’s life stories that were in our bi-weekly alpha group.
But Vinni had managed to remain somewhat elusive while still providing details to show her compliance and determination to assimilate on the island.
“They won’t bite my cock off, will they?” I tried to lighten the heavy mood. The snake bites hurt, but it was normally nothing I couldn’t handle. If I were honest, drawing blood from me always got me going, especially when the person I was about to fuck did it. Or her snakes, in this case, I suppose. Whichever.
Pain was pain, and when blood was involved, my dick was hard.
“If you behave, they won’t.” She winked and walked into the now-open door to the cabin without waiting for me to invite her.
I stepped in behind her and shut the door. I flicked the lights on to reveal the small cabin that was practically a studio apartment. Like most everything else in my life, it was a black-on-black Gothic aesthetic that my vampire heart couldn’t resist. But my décor choices were the last thing on my mind when I finally had the delicious woman I’d spent months fantasizing about in front of me, waiting for me to get my act together.
“What are your hard limits?” I asked, as I did with every partner. I took off my jacket and began unbuttoning my dark black paisley with gray skull vest while she answered.
“Do not call me your good girl.”
The shock must have shown on my face since most partners I’d been with lost their fucking minds when I called them a good girl or boy. A praise kink was more common than anything else in my experience.
“I am not some submissive female with a need for validation, Arch. I know what I want. And for some reason right now, it’s your vampire ass. So don’t infantilize me or make me feel like I’m your submissive pet. You’re here to fuck me and hopefully make me have some orgasms since it has been too fucking long since anyone besides me or my collection of toys did the job.”
I shot one of my eyebrows up at the challenge she presented me, and I knew the way her eyes gleamed that there was more to the story she didn’t want to tell me, and that was fine. For now. I would give her what she wanted, and I would take what I needed in the process. “No other hard limits?”
“Do your worst, vampire.”