Chapter 6 #2
“Vampires are the natural predators of humankind, but the Venuti have had an easier time of that than many of the other clans. You see, when around humans they have an enhanced sort of charisma and I think your father knew that. He was taking a special herb that guarded against it, but there’s a window of time here that it appears that the Venuti held him prisoner, which would be just enough time for that herb to work its way out of his system,” Lawson explained.
“A special herb?”
“Have you ever heard of blackthorn, Ava?”
I shook my head.
“It safeguards humans against vampires, specifically of the Venuti Clan. In ancient Greece, humans would hang it above the gates to their house. It was said to keep away the undead, but if ingested, it also protects those from the power of the Venuti compulsion. It needs to be ingested consistently though. I think Nicolai knew that your father was taking it. He kept him here, probably as a prisoner in the very cells I freed you from, until the blackthorn passed out of his system. When that time came, I think Nicolai compelled your father to do what he did. The location of the shooting hadn’t been a mistake.
It had been a message for me, and I’d missed its meaning then, but I understand now,” he continued.
“They were warning you that war was coming,” I whispered.
“Your father refused them, so they punished him for it. They could have forced him to work for them using their ability over the human mind, but they didn’t. They had already set their eyes on someone else to make weapons for them. I’m sure of it.”
“And if that person refused too, they could show them what they did to my father,” I spat.
“Exactly,” he answered.
“The backup is complete, boss,” Toboe murmured, and Lawson grunted in acknowledgement.
“We should get out of here,” Lawson added. “That Venuti tree could come crashing down on us at any minute.”
He offered me his hand and I took it. He led me around the desk, and I went to reach down for my discarded pants on the floor, but he stopped me.
“No. You’re not going to be needing those,” Lawson purred.
My pussy clenched tight just as my cheeks flared hot in embarrassment.
“But I—” I objected, and he shook his head.
I glanced at Toboe and then back at Lawson.
I chewed my lip and gasped lightly as he knelt before me and guided my feet back into my combat boots.
When he was finished, he stood up and firmly grasped my upper arm.
He led me out of Nicolai’s office into his personal elevator.
We rode it down to the ground floor and exited through the back of the building where there was a car already waiting for us.
We didn’t meet anyone on the way out, probably because I’d systematically killed everyone on my way inside.
I smiled a bit pridefully at myself, but it quickly passed as his fingers brushed against my bare cheeks, reminding me of the shameful things that had happened up there on the penthouse floor.
I stared down at my feet and tried to focus on literally anything except how bare I was below my waist, which turned out to be impossible.
With every step, I was reminded of the welts he’d left behind with his belt, but that wasn’t all.
I could still feel the soreness of what he’d done to my bottom hole, and I whimpered anxiously just thinking about it.
If he heard, he said nothing at all but the smirk on Toboe’s face said everything.
Lawson held open the car door and gestured for me to get in.
Blushing even more so, I rushed into the back seat, trying to use my hands to cover my pussy and my well-spanked bottom even if I knew it wouldn’t do any good. I sat down quickly and used my hands to cover between my thighs. Lawson slipped into the back with me, while Toboe took the driver’s seat.
Rather forcefully, he brushed my hands aside and replaced them with his own.
I tried to push him away, but he shook his head gently. I knew better than to keep pressing my luck, so I put my hands at my sides. He smiled victoriously.
“Open your legs. I want that bare little pussy on display for me,” he coaxed.
His words weren’t threatening or demanding, but expectant and I found myself wanting to obey him.
With a nervous swallow, I did as he asked and in reward, he slipped a finger in between my legs.
His fingertip slid easily through my wet folds and brushed over top of my clit firmly enough to make me cry out with pleasure.
I was so very aware of every inch of my skin even though only my lower half was naked. If anything, still wearing a shirt was that much more shameful and made me so much more aware of the areas that were bare. I licked my lips and lifted my gaze, only to see his gaze level with mine.
“Little mate, you’re still so very wet for me, aren’t you?”
Almost impossibly, I blushed harder.
“Yes, alpha,” I answered softly.
Was that okay? Was there something wrong with me for reacting like this?
The car drove away from the back of the Venuti tower and pulled back onto the street.
I wanted to close my thighs for fear that someone might see me from the sidewalk, but I didn’t.
I held them open for him because I wanted to please him.
He smiled as if he could read my thoughts, rewarding me with increasing pressure on my clit.
“What comes next?” I asked carefully and his grin widened. There was a sparkle in his gaze that both excited me and caused a nervous thrill to race down my spine. My core clenched tightly in anticipation, and I waited for him to answer me.
He brushed a stray lock of hair off my forehead, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the electricity that his touch elicited on my skin.
“You’re so very beautiful when you’re blushing and nervous for me, my pretty mate,” he said softly, and I swear my face got even hotter.
His smile only got bigger.
His finger teased me, edging me with promise and something even more. I didn’t think it would be possible, but he was pushing me back into a needy place once again.
“I’m going to take you back to my home, walk you through the front doors, and admire the marks my belt left behind on your bare little bottom. Then I’m going to lead you up to my bedroom and I’m going to claim you in the way an alpha should,” he murmured.
Every muscle in my body tightened with anticipation.
“I left you behind last night and you escaped me, but I don’t intend to allow you such privilege ever again. You’re mine, and I intend to show you exactly what that means,” he promised.
I fidgeted on the seat and that only served to rub my clit even more firmly against his fingers.
I grinned knowingly and did it again. He didn’t move to stop me, and I felt a tiny sliver of courage simmer up from deep inside me.
I searched his face, all the while coaxing that boldness forth and when it was at its strongest, I pushed myself up from the seat and sat on his lap, one knee to either side of his hips.
I centered myself so that my naked pussy was pressed up firmly against his cock.
The only barrier between us was the fabric of his slacks.
“You can do whatever you like, little mate, but if you come without permission, I’m going to have to deal with you more firmly than I intended when we get home.”
“What if I want that?” I asked, feeling salaciously naughty for even saying so.
The yellow in his irises grew brighter, the beast in him coming out just for me.
It felt so dirty to be on top of him like this.
I knew that Toboe could look in the rearview mirror and see all of me, but for some reason that only made me burn even fiercer.
I roped my arms around Lawson’s neck and leaned forward, brushing my lips against his while I rubbed my clit against his cock.
I rolled my hips, dragging myself along his length and I groaned, a fiery jolt of pleasure twisting through me from within.
“Naughty girl. Are you trying to get yourself off on my cock?” he whispered devilishly, and I smirked, unable to hold in an anxious giggle at the filthy words coming from his mouth.
“What of it?” I sassed and he chuckled dangerously.
I pressed my lips against his, kissing him tentatively at first before I started to grow bolder. I could feel his amusement in my taking the lead and I wondered how long he’d allow me to get away with it.
I dragged my teeth along his lower lip, before I bit it lightly but as hard as I dared. I wanted to test him, and his grin only widened.
“Such a defiant little thing,” he murmured, but there was a perilous edge to his words that made me shudder with desire.
The car rolled to a stop, and I casually glanced out of the window to see that we were somewhere in the middle of the quarter. My thighs flexed against his waist, and I couldn’t help but think about the fact that some of the people walking by might be able to see me like this.
It made me feel like a wild primal thing and that sent a zing of arousal straight down to my clit.
His fingers glided along the curve of my throat before they gripped my chin just hard enough to hurt. In that moment, he took possession of me with his mouth. His tongue danced with mine, owning me. Taking me. Claiming me and I breathed in a shaky sigh. The car started to move again.
So did my hips.
He pulled away from me, but his hand never left my throat. His fingers tightened just a little and a soft moan escaped me. There was no stopping it, even if I had wanted to.
“Even with your bottom welted and sore inside and out, you’re such a brave little thing, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice edged with darkness and my blush only deepened.
He was right.
I pushed harder, rocked my hips back and forth faster. I could feel my arousal building in my core and then the sound of his own groan of pleasure nearly pushed me over the edge. He chuckled and I gasped as his fingers squeezed my throat a bit harder.
“Are you trying to come, little mate?”
“Yes, alpha,” I purred. I ground into him a bit harder.