Bound to Me (5 page)

When I was finally lying limp in his arms, Valerio took me over to the bed and gently laid me down. He unwound my legs from around his waist and let them slide down his body so that my feet dangled just above the floor. He had stopped moving inside of me, even though he remained buried to the hilt. With his right hand, he reached and slid his finger between the folds of my lips and gently caressed my clit, sending me nearly off the bed as a fresh shockwave grabbed my body.

“You didn’t think I was done with you, did you?”

“Of course not. You’re too hard to be done,” I murmured through the fog of pleasure. I thought my body had been sated by the first orgasm, leaving me awash in warm, liquid joy, but he was stirring up new feelings. “Tell me what you want. How can I please you? Hard, fast, slow; tell me.”

To my surprise, he slowly pulled out of me, bringing a whimper to my lips. “Roll over onto your stomach,” he said in a deep, husky voice. I immediately complied. At the same time, Valerio pulled me slightly off the bed so that my feet touched the ground. With his hand tightly holding my hips, he slid back inside of me, only deeper this time. He stretched me even more as he grew even harder. He moved slowly in and out of me, leaving me tightly clutching the bedclothes in my fists while I buried my face in the bed.

“Touch yourself, Mira,” he commanded, as he rubbed one hand along my rear end. “I want to feel it.”

I didn’t question him. My mind was too shattered for rational thought. He felt so good inside of me, wiping the rest of the world away. I forced the fingers on my right hand to loosen from the blanket and placed them between my legs, massaging my clit as he had done just a minute earlier. The second I did, Valerio moaned deeply and started moving a little harder and faster.

The same tension I had felt when he had me pinned to the wall returned with force, clenching every muscle until I thought I would explode. “Valerio . . . I . . . can’t . . .” I panted incoherently, fighting the wave but it was impossible with my fingers working over my body while Valerio hammered inside of me.

“Don’t stop!” he gruffly said, his hands clenching my hips. “You’re perfect for me. You’re so wonderfully tight and wet. God, I could be inside of you all night.”

“I . . . can’t . . . stop,” I cried one last time, desperately trying to hold onto the moment so that I could make him orgasm.

“Yes,” he hissed as my body tightened even more around his penis, milking him as a scream was ripped from my chest and my second orgasm obliterated all thought. Valerio moaned my name one last time before I felt him finally loose his grip on control and come deep inside of me. He collapsed on top of me, his cool chest pressed against my back, while his body remained buried deep inside of me. A shudder ran through the length of his strong frame before he lifted his head and pressed a gentle kiss to my shoulder.

Moving slowly, he withdrew from me and helped me lay down in the bed before he stretched out beside me. I looked up to find him gazing about the room, his brow furrowed slightly. I lay my head back on his chest and closed my eyes.

“Should I ask what is troubling you? You seemed to enjoy yourself,” I murmured against his chest.

“I was expecting to see some of the room on fire,” he admitted.

I lifted my head again and looked him in the eye. “Truly?”

“Yes. I thought I had pleasured you enough to make you lose control.”

A little laugh escaped me. “Anger, my darling. Anger tends to makes things explode into flames. Not pleasure.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “Disappointed?”

“Maybe a little, but it’s hard while feeling so deeply sated.”

“I’ll try to set something on fire for you next time,” I said with a chuckle.

“Thank you,
cara
. Making love to you always feels like I’m taking my life in my own hands. I have always wondered if I would burst into flames in a moment of heightened passion with you.”

Keeping my eyes closed, I reached up and pinched his side. He quickly captured the hand and pressed a kiss to the knuckles. “Well, I appreciate your bravery, but you’re at least safe on that front. Let another woman touch you and I can’t make the same promise.”

“No one will ever be able to please me the way you do. There won’t truly be anyone else, even after we decide to go our separate ways.”

I snuggled a little closer to his body and willed some of the tension to flow out of my frame despite his words. I always knew that one day we would eventually separate. It was inevitable. Everyone had these pretty ideas of forever, but eternity was a
long
time. The few nightwalkers I had heard of that had turned a mate in the name of eternal love ended up killing each other just a couple centuries later. Nothing lasted forever, except maybe hatred.

CHAPTER FIVE

I
t was after midnight when Valerio and I hit the streets of Madrid again. This time I was wearing one of his shirts, since he had ruined my last one by ripping all the buttons off. Valerio left the center of the city in search of a safe place to spend the daylight hours as dawn approached, while I was to start scanning for the energy signature of the warlock. Wrapping a cloak around my shoulders, I kept my hidden hands near my blades as I wandered through the city alone. My companion warned me not to directly engage the warlock without him, and in truth I had no desire to.

Warlocks and witches were a tricky bunch to deal with. For as long as I could remember, the warlocks and nightwalkers had always had a “to each his own” kind of attitude, allowing everyone to go their own way without much trouble. Magic users and nightwalkers had long existed in the same cities, but we just adopted a way of avoiding each other whenever possible. Unfortunately, there were times when one side becomes somewhat territorial, pushing the other out, resulting in a fight. And I was sad to say that most of the time, the warlock won the battle for dominance if he was powerful enough. Most nightwalkers didn’t know how to defend themselves against a warlock and his mix of spells.

Unfortunately, I was one of them. I knew how to use a variety of weapons and had a mix of fighting styles dancing in my brain, but how did one defeat someone that used magic as a weapon? Certainly my sword wasn’t going to stop a spell slung in my direction. I knew the only reason that Valerio had left me alone to search out the warlock was due to my ability to manipulate fire. I had little doubt that he was hoping I would burn the bastard before he had to lift a finger. I wasn’t counting on it being that easy. It never was.

My wandering took me over to a park near the edge of the city. It had been a couple of centuries since I had last been in Madrid, but I had a feeling this green space served a similar purpose as Hyde Park in London—it was a place to see and be seen by society. For now, my attention was on a tall, slender figure leaning against a tree. A quick scan revealed there were some other humans about—most likely cutthroats and thieves—but they were not my concern. I was more interested in the steady pulse of energy coming from the lone stranger. He was definitely a warlock, but he couldn’t be the one we were searching for as he wasn’t very strong.

I paused roughly a block away. There was no question he could see me if he turned his head. I wasn’t trying to hide or even cloak myself. I would have felt more at ease if the warlock stepped forward and openly attacked me. This, however, felt like someone was dangling bait in front of my eyes in an all too obvious trap.

Valerio, how far away are you?
I inquired silently as I reached out to my companion.

A few minutes. In trouble already?

Not yet, but soon I am sure.

With a frown, I continued down the street to the edge of the park where the figure was still standing alone against a tree. As I drew near, I could make out his chocolate brown hair as it hung down to his shoulder and curled up at his neck. He was taller than me and very lean, reminding me of a half-starved wolf in a frozen wood. His face was sharp and angular, matching his giant frame. As my footsteps finally crunched on the street as I crossed to the park, he turned his head to look at me. There was a shock of white hair that ran through the dark brown, framing his face, sending a chill down my spine. Such badges were earned through moments of extreme pain and duress, but if you survived the reward was usually greater than the pain suffered.

Yet, the most startling feature was his eyes. Or rather, eye. His left eye was puffy, bruised, and swollen completely shut. His right eye glittered like a gold coin. In the darkness, I couldn’t make out any other bruises, but I had a feeling they were there. Regardless, I had never seen eyes of such a remarkable color before.

“You’re the apprentice,” I announced as I closed the distance between us to a few feet.

“I am,” he admitted, not bothering to question what I was talking about. He continued to lean against the tree, but his body had stiffened as if he were preparing for an attack on my part. Weak warlock or not, he was undoubtedly aware that I was a nightwalker as I was not without my own power signature that hung heavy in the air. He narrowed his one good eye at me, trying to get a look at my face. Between the shadows of the night and the hood of the cloak I was wearing, I was confident that my appearance remained hidden from his view.

“You realize this is a poorly constructed trap,” I continued when silence settled between us again.

“Poorly constructed or not, if this is a trap, you have just stepped into it.”

“Sometimes you have to spring a trap to get at your true target,” I said with a shrug.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t a trap. This is simply me leaning against a tree.”

“And where is the warlock?”

“At the moment, I neither know nor care.”

His answer surprised me. “Are you hiding?”

“If I am, I’m not doing a very good job of it since you managed to find me.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that lifted the corners of my mouth as I watched him. My hands fell from where they rested on the hilts of my knives and I folded my arms under my breasts. “And in truth, you’re not exactly what I’m looking for.”

A smirk quirked one half of his mouth briefly, “I didn’t think I was your type.”

“You’re a bit young,” I said, lowering the hood of my cloak in an effort to open up my peripheral vision. I was growing less confident that this was a trap as his master failed to appear, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be more aware of my surroundings. The humans that I had sensed earlier were still a distance off and were not moving closer to us, but I wanted to be ready nonetheless.

I continued to scan the young man, once again checking the level of energy naturally radiating off of him, as well as his age. He was in his early twenties at most and rather powerful for that young age, but was still a baby among most of the power-hungry creatures that hid from humanity.

“You don’t appear to be much older than me,” he replied, his one good eye sweeping over me from head to toe.

“As a nightwalker, looks can be deceiving. I’ve seen the passage of plagues and the fall of many kings.”

“Being young has its advantages.”

“Not in my world,” I murmured with a slight sigh. With age came strength, experience, wisdom, and new abilities. Youth only made you a bigger target. “Where’s your master?” I demanded again, unease settling back into my bones.

“As I said before, I don’t know. However, I’m sure if you remain near me you will be in luck eventually.”

“He’s the reason for your injuries, not nightwalkers,” I declared, wondering how much he was willing to open up to me.

“Don’t you have to face the consequences of your mistakes? Learning to be a powerful warlock is no easy thing.” His eyes dropped away from me as he spoke and he anxiously shifted from one foot to the other. For the first time, a hint of bitterness had entered his tone.

“And sneaking away from your master’s sanctuary to speak with a nightwalker will earn you more consequences.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Then leave him. Go somewhere safe.”

“Only so he can track me down at a later date?” he asked, his half-smile returned as he looked up at me. “Besides, there is a price for all knowledge gained and for now I am willing to pay.”

A cool breeze swept through the park, rustling the leaves on the trees. The night, otherwise, remained silent as it watched us, holding its breath for the inevitable fight that seemed to be looming in the air. I had expected the master warlock to have appeared by now, but I was beginning to believe the apprentice when he said that this was no trap. Looking at him, I decided to drop my pleas for him to seek a more understanding mentor. As Jabari had reminded me on more than one occasion, you could only save those who wanted to be saved, and this young man had no desire to be saved by me from his current circumstances, despite his current rebellion against his master.

“Why is he killing nightwalkers in Madrid?” I finally demanded, getting to the heart of the matter. I had a feeling my time was beginning to run short.

“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that. Anyway, why would I want to ruin the surprise for you, should you succeed in discovering the truth?”

“You seem to bear no ill will toward nightwalkers?”

“I feel none.”

“And yet your master does?”

“You shall have to ask him yourself.”

“Fear not, I will just before I kill him.”

For the first time, the apprentice looked genuinely amused. “I wish you luck with that.”

“You would not mind me getting rid of your source of valuable knowledge?”

“There are other sources,” he shrugged.

I opened my mouth to say something but quickly swallowed it. I sensed a new surge of power quickly approaching us and it was not Valerio. “You should go. Your master is coming.”

“And what if I said it was my duty to help him destroy you?”

“That would be a shame, because I really have no desire to kill you. Besides, leaving now would work more in your favor if you wish to continue to disobey him.”

He smiled at me wide enough that his one good eye narrowed to a slim golden slit. “You make a good point. Good luck.” He nodded once to me before rolling off the tree and walking across the park in the opposite direction of the approaching warlock.

I think it would be a good time for you to return
, I mentally sent to Valerio, wishing he was already there. The ball of energy seemed to surround me and I couldn’t guess as to where the warlock was going to appear.

Do you have unwanted company?
Valerio inquired, feeling no closer than when I had spoken to him last.

Yes
, I hissed silently as a short figure stepped out of the darkness before me.

All of my muscles clenched, waiting for the first volley. He was shorter than his apprentice, with a thin covering of gray hair spread across the top of his head. He was dressed as if he had just come from the opera, a cape draped loosely over his narrow frame. If I had seen him on the street, I would not have taken any notice of him beyond the wave of power that washed off of him and crashed into me.

“Vampires are not welcome in Madrid,” he said in Spanish, but his accent was all wrong. If I had to guess, this warlock was actually from France, making his invasion of Madrid even more curious. Warlocks did not frequently leave their home territory. Something had not only driven him out of France, but was making him destroy my people as well.

“Madrid does not belong to you,” I replied in French, earning me a surprised look. “You have no rights here.”

“I have taken Madrid,” he proclaimed proudly. As if to punctuate his claim, fire sprouted out of the ground in a circle around me.

Any other nightwalker would have been quaking with fear. They would have screamed and tried to leap free of the flames as terror gripped them. I made a show of yawning while patting my hand over my mouth, causing the warlock’s look of triumph to crumple in confusion.

With a brief wave of my hand, the flames were immediately extinguished, plunging the park back into darkness. “I’m afraid that you haven’t.”

“The Fire Starter,” he gasped. “I thought you were just a silly myth the vampires created.”

“No, I’m afraid that she’s quite real.” The magic user twisted around to find Valerio standing several feet away from him, looking quite at ease with the whole arrangement. And why wouldn’t he? We had the warlock outnumbered and had taken away one of his greatest weapons: fire.

“And she’s been assigned to be your executioner,” I said with a smile. With only a thought, a ring of fire sprouted out of the ground around the warlock, who flinched at the sudden fiery threat.

“I do not think so,” he growled. The warlock instantly disappeared from sight.

“Valerio?” I called, extinguishing the flames. I should have burned the bastard the second I saw him, catching him by surprise. It probably wouldn’t have been that easy, but it would have been smart if I had tried.

“He’s close,” the nightwalker replied in a tense voice. It was one of the rare moments when Valerio wasn’t his usual jovial, easygoing self. But powerful warlocks could be damned tricky to kill.

Without warning, a surge of energy slammed into my chest, throwing me backward into a thick tree trunk. As I hit the ground with a heavy thud, I saw an explosion of flames where I had last seen Valerio standing. Still sprawled on the cold ground, I waved my hand, getting rid of the fire, hoping they had not yet touched my companion. When my eyes had adjusted to the darkness again, I found that both Valerio and the warlock were missing. There was something seriously frustrating about fighting against creatures significantly more powerful than myself.

Pushing to my feet again, I threw back my cloak over my shoulders and palmed a knife in each hand. Eventually, the warlock would have to reappear if he hoped to kill me as well. At least I liked to think it would work that way. I had no powers beyond my ability to control fire. I was counting on my speed and strength to catch this bastard off guard so I could finally gut him.

The warlock appeared a second later, standing in the same spot he had been in only moments ago. I lunged at him, both weapons drawn, but was halted by an invisible barrier, stopping me less than a foot from his chest. He smiled at me for a second before turning his attention to his left. Out of the corner of my eye, I also saw Valerio reappear. The nightwalker didn’t move, but merely watched with his arms folded over his chest.

Jumping backwards, I twisted my wrists, causing the moonlight to dance off the silver blades. “Come out, coward,” I snarled, my lips curling back to reveal my fangs. Adrenaline surged through my veins.

“As you wish,” the warlock murmured with a dark grin. He waved his hand before his body and I could feel the shift in energy. The barrier between us had been dropped.