Black Desire (13 page)

"You may drop me
off at home, son. I am well sated for tonight."

****

Thirty minutes later
and they were back at Tristan's house. Katrina shook her head in disbelief as
they entered the house. "Your father lives next door?"

She stopped in her
tracks. She should have Tristan take her to Greg's and be done with this late
night horror movie. Pack her bags and get the hell out. She looked up at
Tristan as he stood at his front door.

"Can you read my
mind?" she said accusingly.

"No. Sometimes,
not often, I can sense intense emotions. Something I got from my father, though
at a much lesser intensity than he can ascertain. Please come in. I will answer
all your questions. As tempted as I am to throw you over my shoulder and carry
you up to my bed and make love to you for hours, I will not touch you unless
you wish it."

She frowned.
Conflicting emotions swirled in her confused mind, for his words had her
aroused in a big way. He was offering to tell her anything she asked. To be
honest. The least she could do was to be honest with him. She walked through
the door and into his living room.

He went and got them
drinks, offered to cook her anything she wished, but to tell the truth her
stomach was in knots. He sat next to her on the plush leather coach.

"Ask me
anything."

"Your wife, why didn't
your father turn her?"

"She did not
wish it. As much as we loved each other, I think the idea of living forever
filled her with disdain. I have told myself over the decades it wasn't because
the idea of eternity with me was abhorrent."

"Are you immortal?
Will you live forever?" she asked softly.

"No, I am
half-human remember. I am the first Dhampyre in hundreds of years. No one
really knows how long I have. Dad figures several hundred years. He offered to
turn me as well, with Georgiana."

"Is that possible?"

Tristan shrugged.
"I do not know. We saw a Thrope be turned today, so anything is possible.
Katrina, I lied—we had a child, my wife and I. A son, his name is Lucius. He is
visiting in London at the moment, though he will be returning in a few weeks.
It was not expected and though we tried we did not have anymore. Lucius is
one-quarter Vampire. He is designated as a 'Quarter' within the Clan."

Katrina felt the
blood rush to her head, and a buzzing started between her ears. Her hands went
down to her mid-section almost instinctively. She could already be carrying his
child. Part Vampire. Oh. My. God.

His large masculine
hand spread out over hers. "Do not despair. I doubt my seed took hold.
Vampires cannot procreate as a rule. It is surmised my mother was descended
from an ancient bloodline, hence my existence. There are others like myself in
the clan. They also mated with relatives of my mother, so it is a certainty it
is the blood. The fact I managed to impregnate Georgiana was a fluke, luck.
Fate. So if you choose to be with me, there may be no children in our
lives."

The warmth from his
hands spread through her body, taking the slight chill of fear that had gripped
her the last twenty-four hours away. Katrina was surprised she managed to keep
it together through her ordeal. It pleased her to know she was stronger than
she originally thought. She was tough enough to handle anything, including a
half-Vampire mate.

"You told me
your wife died in your arms. You would put yourself through that again?"

"My heart is
yours. My love is unwavering and complete. I would take whatever time we had and
cherish it. I am half-Vampire. When Vampires find their soul mate and the Mate
Bond is accepted by the other person, that bond is unshakable until one or the
other ceases to exist."

She looked up at him.
It was hard to keep the tears from clustering in her eyes. "Can you be
killed?"

He moved his hand in
a slow, warm caress. "Not by disease. If I am shot or stabbed, I can
recover, and I heal very quickly. The movie myth of a stake through the heart
has some merit. Actually, the heart must be removed from a Vampire or he must
be burned to ash to kill. I assume it is the same for me. Removing the head is
also effective."

"If I were to
leave, and never look back...."

"I would be
bereft, sweeting. I would stay bound to you, until you or I ceased to exist.
Even though I could have sex with others, I would not want anyone but you. Are
you going to leave me?" His voice cracked, the emotion raw and real.

Here it was.

The decision.

How can she love him after
only a few days? Commit to a life with a man who was half-Vampire? A tear
snaked its way down her cheek. She didn't want to grow old while he stayed
young. So that left his father turning them both. God. A hell of a step, one she
didn't want to take. What was the rush? She had some years yet before she aged.
There was time to be sure.
 
Was she sure
of her feelings for him?

She removed her hands
from her stomach and his warm touch. She lifted them to his face and leaned in
and kissed him. The kiss was gentle, tender and filled with her intense
feelings. Her love. Yes, damn it all, she loved him.

"No," she
whispered, "I will not leave you. Ever."

Tristan began to kiss
her back with a desperate and frantic need that took her breath away. He swept
her up in his arms and took the stairs two at a time.

****

This was a revelation
to Tristan. He had not made love to a woman like this since Georgiana began to
age. Every sexual encounter that came afterward was merely perfunctory and an
extension of the Blood Lust. And yes, he did have some debauched moments,
especially during the late '60's when drugs were prevalent. He tried every
illegal drug and engaged in many sexual escapades during that era.
 
Anything to forget the pain. He’d vowed never
to love again as it hurt too damned much.

Yet here he was,
moving his cock in and out of the most glorious woman that had ever come into
his life. This also was a revelation. He fought The Rapture. Tristan wanted to
be aware of every moment, every moan and every thrust. Already interminable
hours had passed. He sat her upright and in a deft and quicksilver move had
Katrina on her hands and knees in front of him. This was one of his favorite
positions, not only for the bestial aspect but also for the depths he could
plunge, the sensations of being seated inside her to the hilt. He moved
quickly, his hips slapping against her luscious ass. She laughed and moaned all
at the same time and held on to his headboard for dear life.

Stamina. Hours
passed, more hours to come. He reached for her long, dark blonde hair, wound it
around his fist and pulled her head back while he fucked frantically.

"Oh Jesus,
yes!" she screamed, climaxing yet again.

"Mine,
Katrina—you are mine. Tell me."

His other hand
slapped her ass and she moaned. "Do that again, Tris. I love it."
 
He slapped her ass again, a little harder but
not enough to cause any real pain, just enough to titillate. ''Tell me,"
he growled.

"Yes, I am
yours, I love you." She slammed her ass back against his cock, taking him
even deeper. "You say it, Tristan. That you love me, that you are mine and
mine alone."

He fisted her hair
tighter. "Christ, yes. Always and forever. Love, Katrina. I love
you."

She yelled out his
name as she came and he climaxed right behind her. It was intense, all
encompassing. He withdrew and peeled off the condom.

He turned her to face
him. "Do you accept the Mate Bond? You have to verbalize your acquiescence
aloud for the bond to take."

Katrina looked at him
with puzzlement. "I thought you already marked me?" She ran her
finger around her nipple where his fang marks were.

His fingers reached
out to join hers.
 
"No, it is
already fading, see? The Mate Bond is permanent and looks like a raspberry
birthmark. Do you accept?"

Katrina nodded. "I
accept the Mate Bond, Tristan."

His semi-hard cock
now hardened into steel. Tristan cupped her breast and lifted it up toward his
mouth. His fangs were fully extended. Katrina inhaled sharply. He took her
nipple into his mouth and bit down. She cried out, not from pain but from the
pleasure and desire roaring through her body. Sensing her emotions rocked him
to the depths of his soul. Her warm blood streamed down his throat and he
gulped deeply. He drank, savored. His head was spinning from the sensations of
her sweet blood. It took all his willpower to release her breast. At that
moment, Katrina cried out and orgasmed hard and loud. He licked the puncture
marks to seal them, then laid her on her back and entered her with a deft, fast
thrust. He only pumped his hips three times before his own climax tore through
him. No condom this time, so he marked her inside as well.
His mate, his love.

He lay down and
curled her into his arms. Tristan could swear she was purring. Her head on his
shoulder, her delicate hands played with the damp hair on his chest.

"Tris?"

"Ummmm?"

"What you asked
me, if Devlin Steele touched me—"

Every muscle
stiffened in his body and his nerve endings sparked. He
knew
it.

"I could smell
his essence on you. You don't have to tell me."

He fought to keep the
anger out of his voice. Katrina placed her finger on his lips gently to silence
him.

"I didn't have
sex with him. He didn't force me. However, how can I put this? When he showed
me what he was, he shifted in front of me and, well, he took off his clothes. I
assume they have to be naked to shift. I had a physical reaction."

Tristan roared,
almost coming off the bed. Every instinct bade him to drive back to that wolf
cult compound and rip the cock off that bastard.

Katrina pushed on his
shoulders to get him to lie back down. "You want us to be honest with each
other, don't you, Tristan? That is what you told me. Then let me finish. Do you
know anything about Thropes?"

Tristan's chest heaved
in fury. "Didn't even know they existed until two days ago."

"When someone is
aroused a Thrope can enter a person's thoughts and read them. He was in the pub
that first night when you danced with the woman. He said your thoughts were full
of me, not her. In your mind you were dancing with me. Is that true?"

"Did he, by God!
Yes, it was you. From the moment I sensed you in the pub."

She traced her finger
around his nipple. "It was the same for me. But when an extremely well-built
and handsome man stands in front of me naked, I'm going to have some reaction.
He read my thoughts, one of my deepest, secret fantasies. Thropes put their
partners in some sort of relaxed state...."

Tristan almost came
off the bed again. "He put you in a trance? I will tear him to pieces!"

"I was aware
what was going on. I started to act out my fantasy. You were there and so was
he. You were behind, and I—" She gulped.

Tristan pushed away
and turned his back to her.

"I see. You had
his cock in your mouth," he said dully. "Hear me, Katrina. I have
indulged in all manner of sexual acts through the years and I will happily play
out any fantasy you may have. I have a few of my own. But I will never, ever
share you with another man—or woman. Know that." His voice was gruff and
raw with emotion. He had to admit it hurt.

She was on her knees,
embracing him from behind. She whispered in his ear.

"Only a few
moments, Tristan. As soon as I cried out your name and he entered my thoughts
and saw they were filled with you and only you, it was over before it
began.
 
I agree, no sharing. Ever. I
can't explain what happened. You were there. Fucking me. It seemed so real. I'm
sorry..." Her voice broke.

He really couldn't
blame her. Who knew what power that damned “relaxed state” held? What was he
going to do, brood and act like a spurned lover? He had no right. They were not
mates at the time this happened, though he thought of her as one. This he did
know: Devlin Steele was on his shit list. Tristan was glad his father rendered
Marcus all but useless to Steele and his breeding plans. Their lives together should
not start under such a cloud of resentment, jealousy and guilt. He could
forgive her and in time forget it ever happened. But Devlin Steele?
On his radar.

Her arms clasped him tighter
across his chest as her face lay on his back. Tristan felt wetness. Katrina was
crying. God's mercy—he turned and pulled her close and his hand stroked her
hair.

"Hush, sweeting,
nothing to forgive. Let us forget it and move on. Speaking of which, I wish for
you to move in here, permanently. Can you?"

She reached up and
wiped away the few tears from her cheek. "Yes, right away. I do have a
book to write. I will have to go back to Scarborough, pack..."

"We will go together
and when you are ready, marriage Katrina. Vows. Love. I want it all with
you."