26. Chapter 26
26
Chapter 26
Darick
I shouldn’t be here, but I can’t seem to help myself. I’ve cloaked my presence in shadows and made sure I arrived undetected; if Lucien found out about her, she’d never be safe. This is dangerous. Not to mention foolish.
Why the fuck can’t I stay away?
Now, watching her clamber out of that car after that fucker had put his lips on her, I feel cold anger set in.
I materialize from the darkness as Rowan approaches her front door. She jumps, letting out a small yelp of surprise.
“Jesus! What are you doing here?” Her hand clutches at her chest.
“Waiting for you,” I reply coolly, my eyes narrowing as I catch the scent of another man on her. “Who were you with?”
Rowan’s shock quickly morphs into indignation. “Excuse me? Are you stalking me now?”
I ignore her accusation, taking a step closer. “Answer the question. Who was that man?”
“That’s none of your business,” she snaps, fumbling with her keys. “And for the record, showing up uninvited at someone’s home is creepy as hell.”
Her defiance only fuels my irritation. “As my…blood donor, I think I have a right to know who you’re associating with.”
Rowan whirls on me, eyes flashing. “Your ‘blood donor’? Is that what you think this arrangement is? You don’t own me, Darick. I can spend time with whoever I damn well please.”
I want to bare my fangs. “It’s not safe for you to be gallivanting around with humans who don’t understand—”
“Oh, spare me the protective vampire routine,” she cuts me off. “He’s not a human. And I’m a witch, remember? I can take care of myself.”
The scent of her anger is intoxicating, stirring something unfamiliar within me. I take another step forward, crowding her against the door. “Can you? Because from where I’m standing, you seem woefully unprepared for the dangers that come with our…arrangement.”
“Oh?” She raises a brow. “And what would those be?”
I stop because it’s probably not a good idea to tell her about the volumes of shit I bring with me. “It’s not something you need to worry about…as long as you do as I say.”
“Hah!” She tosses her head, auburn waves flying. I stop myself from reaching out to touch the silken strands. “Admit it: You’re a control freak. This has nothing to do with these so-called dangers and everything to do with pushing me around.”
“Push you around?” I snort. “I should be so lucky.”
She glares at me. “Look, is there some reason you’re here right now, or did you just come here to try to annoy me?”
I don’t answer immediately.
Why the fuck am I here?
“You said I couldn’t get in your head uninvited.” I shrug.
“Oh. So you decided to come to my home uninvited instead?” She pauses, her eyes going wide. “Wait… This is my home , Darick! You can’t be here!”
“Why not?” I fold my arms over my chest.”
“Because my family might see you, you big jerk!” She rolls her eyes. “Do you know how much trouble I’d be in if they saw me…fraternizing with a vampire?”
“ Fraternizing? ” I half-laugh. “I’d say it’s more than that.”
“Fine.” She huffs. “Exchanging blood for magic. Whatever you want to call it…they’ll flip out.”
“You mean to say you’ve kept this entire thing a secret?” I ask.
Fuck, I hope she has.
But when she looks away and gnaws on her lip, I go tense.
“Please tell me you’ve kept this secret.”
“My gran knows,” she mutters. “I couldn’t keep it from her. Now, are you going to leave, or do I have to hit you with another sunbeam?”
I smirk at her threat. “I’m not going anywhere, little witch. And I doubt you have the strength for another sunbeam right now.”
Rowan glances nervously over her shoulder. “You can’t be standing on my patio. What if someone sees?”
“Then invite me in,” I say smoothly. “I can’t enter unless you do.”
She hesitates, conflict clear in her eyes. Finally, she sighs. “Fine. Darick Drake, you may enter my home. But only because I don’t want to risk anyone seeing you lurking out here like a creep.”
I step over the threshold, savoring the moment. Few vampires ever enter a witch’s dwelling.
A blur of gray fur suddenly appears, and I find myself face-to-face with a squirrel perched on a nearby table. Its eyes widen comically.
“Holy hex!” the creature exclaims. “Is that a vampire in our living room? Ro, have you lost your mind?”
Rowan pinches the bridge of her nose. “Poppy, I’ll explain later. Can you please give us some privacy?”
The squirrel – Poppy, apparently – snorts. “Sure, I’ll just pretend I didn’t see you invite Dracula’s hipster cousin into our home. No big deal.”
As Poppy scampers away, still muttering, Rowan rounds on me. Her eyes flash with irritation. “Alright, you’re in. Now, what do you want?”
I want her…in every way possible. On her back, on her knees, riding me with wild abandon. But, of course, I don’t say any of that.
“Who was the fucker in the car?”
Why the hell do I sound like a jealous boyfriend?
“You’re not letting up on that?” She scowls.
I shake my head.
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. If it means you’ll leave it alone, that was Heath. He’s a…good friend.”
“A good friend?” Fuck. He’d be a dead friend if I had my way. I shove aside an irrational wave of fury and fix my eyes on her.
“Yes. So if that’s all…?” she says.
“No, it’s not all.”
“Then what the hell do you want, for God’s sake?” She throws her hands in the air.
“I came to check on you,” I improvise. “Feeding can be taxing. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Fuck. Where are you getting this shit?
“Check on me?” She doesn’t believe it either. Why would she? It’s bullshit. I have no reason for being here aside from the fact that I…wanted to see her. “Darick, I’m not in the mood for games. I’ve had a long day. I was hoping that…” She stops. “I’m just tired. So if you’re done, could you leave?”
“No.” I reach for her wrist. Her eyebrows pull together as my fingers close around it.
“You need more blood? How does this thing work? Do you have to drink every day? Because I don’t think I could…um…I…” She gnaws on her lip, and I know she’s remembering what happens when I feed.
I raise her hand, bringing her wrist to my face and inhaling deeply. I can smell the scent of the blood rushing there. Hear her pulse quicken.
“Maybe I’m not here to check on you,” I admit. “Maybe I’m here because I can’t get the taste of you out of my mind. Your blood, your skin…” I brush my lips against her wrist before meeting her eyes again. She sucks in a sharp breath. “It’s driving me mad, Rowan. I thought I could stay away, but I can’t.”
Slowly, I pull her closer, feeling the heat of her body against mine. At first, she resists but then lets me; I can sense the conflict within her – desire warring with reason. The scent of her arousal is intoxicating, clouding my own judgment.
Without thinking, I tug her against me and capture her lips with mine. For a moment, she stiffens in surprise. Then, to my amazement, she melts into the kiss with unexpected enthusiasm.
Her lips are soft and warm against my cool skin. She tastes sweet, like sunlight and magic. I deepen the kiss, one hand sliding into her hair while the other presses to the small of her back.
Rowan responds with equal passion, her fingers gripping my shoulders as if she’s afraid I’ll disappear. A small moan escapes her, and the sound ignites something raw within me. I back her against the wall, pressing my body flush against hers.
Her heart races; the sound of her blood rushing through her veins is irresistible. I trail kisses along her jaw, down to the pulse point at her neck. Rowan tilts her head, offering better access, and I have to fight the urge to sink my fangs into her delicate skin.
“Darick,” she breathes, her voice husky with desire. The way she says my name makes me shudder as need surges.
I pull back slightly, meeting her gaze. Her eyes are dark with passion, her cheeks flushed.
“We shouldn’t,” she whispers, but her body betrays her words as she leans into me.
“Yes,” I reply, moving in for another kiss, “we definitely should.”
She moans into my mouth, arms twining around my neck as she presses against me, her mound grinding against the hard ridge of my cock.
She feels so damned good…but not good enough. I want more. I want it all.
Lifting her up, I hook her calves over my hips and clasp her ass in both hands. She gasps in surprise, but desire glitters in her eyes.
In two long strides, we’re at the dining room table nearby. Sweeping it clear with one hand, I bend forward and lay her back on the hard surface, her hair spilling over the edge like a curtain of silk. Her legs fall open, framing my hips, exposing her bare thighs as her dress rides up.
Standing between her legs, I stare down at her. My witch. My life source. My obsession.
Fuck. That’s what this is turning into.
Obsession.
I’m so damned screwed.
I can’t take my eyes off her. Her lips are kiss-swollen, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she pants for breath.
“Oh, God, Darick.” Rowan’s breathless groan increases my possessive need to stake my claim.
Reaching down, I cup a breast in one hand while the other works magic, pushing her dress further up to reveal the lace fabric of her panties. She’s soaked. My gaze flickers to her face, noting her half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks.
Her hips buck as I touch her, a breathy little whimper hissing past her lips. At the sight of her, a thrill of want rockets through my body, settling in a place deep in my groin. I cup her pussy, feeling her heat through her panties.
“Is this what you want, Rowan?” I ask, my thumb circling her clit, feeling the wet fabric over it. “Tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”
She’s trembling, caught between shame and need.
“P-please,” she stammers, her inhibitions crumbling. “I need to feel you.”
“Who do you need to feel?” I command roughly. The thought of that male’s lips on her cheek raises a wave of possessiveness.
“You… Dar-Darick,” she stutters, losing her grasp on the syllable as need pulls her under.
I push her dress up further, so it exposes her breasts, and tug on her bra strap to lower it over her shoulders. The thin lace does little to hide the pebbled peaks of her nipples.
“Beautiful,” I murmur, my tone softening. My eyes rake over her skin, flushed with need; she’s biting her lip. Her cheeks are stained pink, pupils blown wide. The force of the connection between us is so strong I keep expecting to see it. It crackles in the air, pulls me closer, makes me ache with something more than lust.
Rowan whimpers, her eyes fluttering shut as my fingertips drag along the seam of her pussy. She lifts her hips, craving more contact, anything to calm the fever raging in her veins.
Goosebumps spread over her skin as my fingers inch closer, skimming the edge of her panties. “Yes…” she whispers. “Yes, there…”
I push her panties aside. Rowan’s head falls back, her mouth open on a soft gasp. She’s exposed to me now, slippery wetness glistening. I have to force myself not to dive in and taste her. To savor this moment. Her breath catches as my fingertip traces slow, torturous circles around the lush flesh of her pussy.
“God, you’re so wet,” I almost groan. She’s so ready for my mouth. My cock.
Her hips start to buck as I tease the swollen bundle of nerves hidden beneath the folds. Too soon. I want to torment her, draw out the sweet little sounds and pleas for more.
“Oh, God!” she bites out. “Darick, I need—”
“Rowan?” a voice from the doorway has me snapping my head around to face the sound. “Rowan, are you in there, dear?”
What the fuck?
“Shit! Gran!” Rowan squeaks, scrabbling at the surface of the table as she tries to push herself up. “Shit, shit, shit!”
I step back as she fumbles to pull her dress down and slides off the table.
“Well, that’s…inconvenient,” I murmur. She makes a choking sound. She doesn’t look at me as she tries awkwardly to adjust her bra beneath her dress. I reach forward to straighten the strap, and she bats my hands away.
“Stop touching me,” she hisses, her eyes huge and alarmed.
“That’s not what you were saying a minute ago,” I smirk.
The doorknob rattles. “Rowan? Is everything alright? I’m sure I heard you in here.”
“Oh, my fucking God,” Rowan whispers hoarsely, pushing at my chest. “You can’t be here!” She’s right, but her obvious discomfort is amusing me.
“And yet, here I am.” I raise a hand to my mouth and lick my fingertips. Her cheeks turn crimson.
“No! Seriously, Darick. She can’t see you. You have to—”
“Rowan!” The woman’s voice is sharp with concern. “I’m worried. I’m coming in.”
Rowan’s eyes fly wide. “Out! You have to get out. Now!”
Fuck.
It’s a command I can’t ignore; none of my kind can. Without a word, I step into the shadows and disappear.
This isn’t over.