Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Icrushed my lips to his, avoiding his fangs, and traced the contours of his mouth. Placing small kisses on his face and neck, I watched as his vampire side retreated and he started shifting into his human.
Whatever I was doing to him was working.
“Torin, wake up,” I said in a low voice.
His breathing steadied and his eyes opened. Amber—his human color. He blinked, and realization sank into his eyes.
“I didn’t…” He scanned my body. “Did I?”
“You didn’t hurt me, Torin.”
But it was another close call—the worst one so far.
I knew what followed next. Torin would beat himself up about what he’d done and pull away from me, probably avoiding me for the rest of my life.
I didn’t want that.
He hugged me and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
The embrace lasted all of five seconds before Torin lifted me by my waist and deposited me on one side of the bed. He stood and walked to the corner of the bedroom.
“Don’t put distance between us, Torin.”
He growled at me. “Are you crazy? I almost killed you. I must have fallen asleep with you.”
He ran his hands through his hair, pulling on the edges, shaking his head.
Torin looked so broken that my heart ached for him even though he’d put my life in danger. I couldn’t let him fall deeper into the darkness.
I got off the bed and stepped forward when Torin growled at me. Again.
I mustered my most authoritative voice, although I didn’t feel brave. “Stop the growling, Alpha, and pull yourself together.”
Walking out of the room and increasing the distance between us would be easier. Instead, I took another step in his direction.
“I’m sending you to the kingdom tomorrow morning,” Torin said in a steady voice as if he’d made up his mind.
“No way. You can’t decide that by yourself, Torin. If you want to be mates, we’ll have to learn how to talk and make decisions together.”
His eyes widened at first and then narrowed, but I didn’t think he was mad at me.
“You’re scared and irrational right now. You need time to think about everything,” I said.
“Princess, you can’t be serious. You can’t make excuses for me.” He let out a loud breath. “It’s impossible for me to love you. Don’t you see? I am a monster.”
I took another step, closing the distance.
“The only way to get out of the tunnel is through it, Torin. Even as your mate, I know you’re not asking me to do so, but I want to help you.”
Torin took a sharp breath but stayed silent. I had to do something to show him he wouldn’t hurt me, at least not when he was awake, and I wouldn’t go back to my dad. Visiting the kingdom wasn’t an option for me, even if it meant risking my life around the vampire Alpha.
Tomorrow was the Luna ceremony, and I still held a sliver of hope that Torin, if he wanted, would mark me in the heat of the moment.
My mate touch was able to bring him back from whatever hellish nightmare he’d been in. Although his vampire desired my blood, his crimson eyes also held protectiveness. Torin had to see for himself that he and I could be intimate…without anyone dying.
I took a deep breath, forcing any thoughts about his attack on me out of my mind.
So what should a girl do when faced with a remorseful vampire Alpha who could drain her blood?
Before my courage left me, I pulled the hem of my pajama top over my head in a swift movement.
The air filled with an electric charge that ignited a wildfire in me.
But I had to admit, that was one of the most reckless things I’d ever done.
Without breaking my gaze from Torin’s intense eyes, I tossed the shirt on the bed behind me.
His eyes flashed crimson as he took a sharp breath. I thought he’d make his way to me since this was my best attempt to tempt the vampire. But instead, Torin stepped away, and his back hit the wall.
His eyes radiated equal fear and desire, but which one would win?
“I can prove to you that you won’t hurt me,” I said, but Torin responded with a narrowed gaze.
Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
“I don’t like where this is going,” he said, staying still like a cornered animal.
I took another step forward, determined to bridge the distance between us, and in three more strides, I could touch him.
He must have realized my intentions and uttered my name as if in a warning.
“You need control to feel safe. Am I right, Torin?”
He watched me carefully, and I wondered if the Alpha was calculating his chances of escaping my best seduction.
“Control is what you need to be able to touch me. I need you to bring a rope to tie my hands.” I felt like a half-naked predator seducing her prey. So liberating and unnerving at the same time.
Torin shook his head.
“Okay, then I’ll have to take off my shorts,” I said, holding back my smile.
“If I tie your hands, you won’t be able to escape, Princess. That’s just foolish.”
“Hey, I’m seducing you if you haven’t noticed.”
Torin’s lips finally lifted slightly.
“Even if I free myself, I won’t be able to go far.”
“True, so put your clothes back on.”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option, Alpha. Your scaredy-cat act drives me insane, and I’m not returning to the kingdom.”
Something passed behind Torin’s eyes. Was he surprised by how far I would go not to return to the kingdom? In one moment, his narrowed eyes watched me, and in the next, I lay on my back on the mattress.
Torin hovered over me, crimson eyes radiating intense thirst for me. “Did you just call me a scaredy cat?”
I swallowed hard, and Torin chuckled.
He gave a wicked grin. “You’ll regret pushing so far, Princess.”
Torin pushed off his forearms and stood bedside. And then he was gone.
Did he really run away from me?
But before I could move, Torin marched back into my bedroom with cable ties in his hand and a vampire grin on his lips. Transforming into his beast, his vampire had come out to play now.
Didn’t I want that? But in the back of my mind, warning bells signaled danger. I ignored them, turning off the rational side of my mind.
I would walk with Torin in his darkness. I couldn’t let him live an eternal life of regret, remorse, and what would have been.
Torin lifted my hands and tied them to the posters in the corners of my bed. My breath hitched as he bound my wrists.
“Remember you asked for it, Princess.”
What was he planning to do?
I tugged on my arms, and there was no way that I could untie myself out of this situation. But at the same time, each tug sent shivers up my spine, shooting electrical jolts of pleasure between my thighs.
Torin sat next to me and stared at me. I’d tossed my shirt with bravado I’d lost a moment later, but now I was not feeling brave anymore. But my body still yearned for him and his touch.
His gaze trailed down along my thighs. Torin lifted his hand, and sharp talons grew as my pulse sped. He snipped the material of my shorts on both sides and pulled the scraps from underneath me, tossing them to the floor.
The cool air brushed over my most sensitive parts, and I trembled.
Torin’s vampire eyes didn’t miss a beat of my movements.
He slid his rough hand along my skin while savoring each tremor that passed through me under his touch.
My skin buzzed under every brush of his wandering fingertips as they traced patterns on my hips, igniting nerve endings underneath.
He knew too well the effect he had on me, and he enjoyed it. Besides his eyes and the sharp features of his face, Torin hadn’t fully shifted.
Under his scrutinizing and hungry gaze, I squirmed with self-consciousness.
Unlike the supernaturals who had toned and hard physiques, I was made of curves and softness.
He finally moved to my side and leaned in.
I held my breath. His lips touched the crook of my neck, but they were so soft I doubted his fangs were out.
He kept kissing my neck, jaw, and my lips.
He kissed the last drops of fear away, filling me with new emotions like happiness.
His kisses traveled down to my breasts, where he sucked on my hard nipples.
He teased them with his tongue, making the sharp peaks tight with desire.
The kiss he planted over the inked daisy on my breast accelerated my pulse.
I let out a moan, and Torin pulled up from my body and smiled with such satisfaction that he was the one making me feel good.
“The vampire in me wants to possess you completely,” he said in such a tone that I immediately believed him.
His hands cupped the swells of my breasts, forcing another soft gasp from me. Being this vulnerable to someone who craved control ignited more pleasure in me.
“Then let him.”
My mind went foggy with lust and didn’t process the consequences of the situation.
Raw, wild need passed down my spine. Our mutual attraction was also a mutual destruction.
We were each other’s weaknesses, but I was too far gone with pleasurable sensations running through my body to stop myself from wanting to experience this with Torin.
His hand reached for the apex of my thighs.
He made a rumbling sound from his throat.
His face showed animal hunger. He slid a finger inside me, and after a few strokes, he inserted another one, eliciting a gasp from me that turned into a tiny moan.
I writhed against his hand, lost in my need for him.
A low growl escaped his parted lips as Torin moved lower, still touching me.
He positioned his head between my thighs.
His tongue lashed inside me, driving me wild.
He found the most sensitive spot, and his mouth never stopped working while I spun into pleasure.
My back arched and lifted off the bed while I moaned.
I cried out as the intense sensation of his tongue sent shockwaves through my body.
My hands clawed at the sheets beneath me. I was so close, yet not over the edge, and I let out a groan.
“Almost there, Princess.” Torin’s voice carried in the air, his hot breath tickling the insides of my thighs.
The rapid fluttering of his tongue and movement of his fingers at the hypersensitive flesh tightened my core to the point I couldn’t bear it any longer.
Pleasure waves sizzled through every part of my body, and I found my release.
The soul-shattering orgasm surprised me with its intensity.
My entire body convulsed with sensations, and I gave in to the frenzy of the moment.
I surrendered myself completely—lost in the heady mix of sensations that made me feel alive and desired.
As I slowly came down from my high, Torin kissed my birthmark and moved to my side. The cable ties gave a soft pop when he unwrapped them from my wrists. I understood that the ties were more a symbol of my trust in him than submission. He didn’t want me to submit to him but rather to gain my trust.
My body turned into a mushy goo, relaxing further into the softness of the mattress. I propped myself on my elbows.
What had just happened? Who seduced whom?
Torin’s hand touched my chest, gently pushing me to the bed.
“But Torin, I want to reciprocate.” Although I had no idea how to do so since I’d never done that before.
“Not right now, Anna.”
That didn’t go according to plan, but I was so high on pleasure that I couldn’t argue with him.
Torin pulled the side of the quilt and tossed it over my body. “I can’t take more than that, Princess. I’m going to take a cold shower. You can sleep now. I think you’re safe for now.”
He stood, marched out of my room, and shut the inside door tight behind him.
An acidic taste stung my tongue. I turned on my side and folded my body into a fetal position.
That was a futile attempt at helping Torin. The only thing I’d achieved was to push his limit so far that he felt compelled to reciprocate my seduction and give me what I wanted.
My chest tightened as all hope that Torin would mark me at tomorrow's Luna ceremony flew out the window.