Caressed by a Crimson Moon (Rulers of Darkness) (6 page)

Her heart thundered in her ears as her lips parted, drawing in rapid breaths, filling her lungs with his
irresistible scent. Again, she wondered at her response, but lust clouded her mind, blocking all rational thought.

She dropped her gaze to his broad shoulders and chest, which were covered only by a short-sleeved black shirt. Her fingers twitched at the thought of running her hands over the hard muscle. He was lean, solidly built, and tall, clearly over six feet.

He crowded her. Trapping her.

She loved it.

Hadrian’s gaze focused on her pulse. Eva’s heart beat wildly, teasing him. His fangs felt heavy in his mouth and they ached to pierce her slender throat.

The run had helped him immensely, driving away those hateful memories. He thanked God he had recovered before his ward had stumbled upon him in the labyrinth. The memories always left his mind tainted.

Blood.

He had wanted blood. No. Needed blood. Death. Yes, he had craved to taste death, to savor it. He had hunted in the forest and fed from a rabbit. It’s tangy blood and tiny life had brought him precious little relief. It was enough. It would keep him from tearing her throat open and gorging himself on the sweet elixir.

She would be spicy, exotic, and oh, so hot.

He ran his tongue over his fangs and Eva sighed. The scent of her desire grew stronger. He took in a deep breath and shuddered. Intoxicating. His erection strained against his pants as heat consumed him. He wanted to teleport her to his bed, feel her soft body beneath him, her hips rocking with his as he claimed her, filled her. Her lust sang to him like a siren’s song and fired his icy blood.

“We meet again, little one.” He brushed the elegant column of her throat with his thumb, pausing over her pulse with every stroke. “I did not expect it would be so soon.”

Hadrian kept his hand on her neck as he stepped back to appraise his prey. He had known she was small, but his mind had been completely consumed with lust and hunger earlier to focus on detail. She was barely over five feet and slight of frame. Fragile. He could snap the poor girl; easily break her like a doll. He eased the pressure on her neck at the thought.

Her face was delicate with almond shaped eyes that were downcast, concealing their color. She also had well defined cheekbones and a stubborn chin. Her luscious, pouting lips were peach in color. Hadrian shivered as he imagined their taste. He could not remember the last time he had felt another’s lips pressed against his. Never had he kissed the women he took to his bed…not since he had been a mortal man, not since his wife. But damn, her mouth was tempting.

He dropped his gaze to her body. She was tightly bundled in a thick jacket, the blue a perfect complement to her smooth sun kissed skin. Her dark brown hair was pulled back and fastened in a braid that came to her hips. He resisted the urge of freeing her locks, having the absurd desire to run his fingers through her hair.

He released her throat to press his hands to the hedge on either side of her head. Her gaze met his and Hadrian bit back a curse. Amber. Pure, amber stared back at him. Not yellow, as he thought before when he had found her in the hall.

Stunning.

For an instant, his gaze grew sharp. Eva tried to look away, but his hand caught her chin and forced her to face him.

“Look at me, little one.”

She raised her hands, intending to shove him away, like she knew she should. This was wrong. He was a vampire. No, he was a crazed vampire king and she was, well, a lowly half-breed, who was also his ward. Nothing could happen between them.
As if I would want something to happen between us,
she told herself.

His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, the caress was simple and yet completely erotic. He sank his body into hers and Eva lost her breath.
.

Hadrian slipped his hand down her neck to her nape; his fingers began to play with the stray strands of hair that had escaped her braid. His ravenous gaze roamed her body. Despite the bulkiness of her jacket, he could feel her generous curves. The blue material covering her chest strained ever so slightly against her breasts as her hips cradled his, her stomach was flat and soft against his painful erection.

“Shall we continue what we started in the hall?”

Eva swallowed hard as she thought,
Oh, god, yes!

His finger danced over her shoulder and her chest to the zipper of her jacket. She watched as he slowly drew it down, heat coiled in her core.

Eva couldn’t think. She couldn’t move. The heat of his strong hands burned through the thin material of her pajama tank top as he spanned her waist. She did not notice the cold but shivered in anticipation. His fingers slowly slid up her sides and paused at her ribs, just below her aching breasts. She arched her back and he hissed.

“Terror,” Hadrian whispered. “You should be feeling terror.”

Eva squeaked in response, unable to speak.

He leaned his head down, his breath brushed along the sensitive flesh of her throat.

“You should run,” he said.
Would I let her escape?
Yes, he would. He would use what remained of his will to remain still as she raced through the labyrinth. He should set her from him and demand that she go.

All Eva could do was nod. She knew he was right. She should be screaming. She should be praying that Falcon would come to her rescue. This dark vampire had her trapped. Hadrian, the mad king, had her at his mercy. She tried to remember the evil rumors, hoping they might be able to draw her back into reality. Nothing came. All she could think about was how much she wanted to feel his hands on her body, his lips against her skin and his—

“Touch me,” Eva gasped. Desire controlled her mind as lust gripped her body.

His black gaze jumped with dangerous delight. He spun her about, forcing her back against his chest, his hands gripping her hips as he pressed her front towards the hedge.

Heaven help her, a bolt of treacherous excitement ran down her spine to curl her toes. She pressed her hips back and groaned at the feel of his hard cock against her ass.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked, his lips brushing her ear.

“Yes.”

“Who?” His demand was rough and, god, she loved the anger that laced his voiced. On some level, she knew she must be losing her mind to desire this vampire. She did not care. She wanted him. Now. Primal, sexual need coursed through her in sweet agonizing pulsating waves.

“H–Hadrian Lu–Lucretius,” she answered.

Eva cried out in surprised pleasure as he slowly scraped his fangs and drew his tongue over her rapidly beating pulse. She tilted her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck.

This was crazy, she should be begging him not to bite her, not panting for his touch. All her life she had been told a vampire’s bite was ruthless and excruciatingly painful, something to be avoided at all costs. But she wanted this.

She frowned as she tried to analyze her reaction. She should be fighting him with every ounce of her strength. Instead she was aching with lust.

His tongue caressed her neck and her thoughts scattered. Her head lolled back against his chest.

Eva began to wriggle beneath his hold. She wanted to see him, to kiss his lips. It felt like an eternity since the last time she had been kissed. Would his fangs cut her? Something dark and wild in her roared at the thought. She tried to turn, but he kept her pinned.

“You crave.” His fingers dug into her hips as he rubbed her against his shaft. He dipped his face down into the crook of her neck and took in a deep breath. She shuddered. He inhaled her scent, like an animal, like the beast that he was and it thrilled her. “I can scenes your need.”

She boldly covered his hands with her own and he allowed her to slide their hands over her flat belly to her breasts. She moaned when he gave a gentle squeeze. Her breasts were bare beneath her tank top and she hated the thin material for being in the way. She wanted to feel his palms against her hard nipples.

“Wild,” Hadrian breathed.

She sighed and began to undulate her hips against him. He bit back a curse as fire spread through his veins.

Take her.

His fangs grew even longer, his nails lengthened to claws as his cock swelled. His eyes flicked from her breasts to her pulse and back. The vampire within him howled as he thought of pushing her jeans down, revealing her sex. She would be so hot, so wet. He could tell by her scent she was ready. He could drive into her as he pierced her flesh and drank deep.

Take her.

Eva reached up to circle her arms around his neck—

She stumbled into the hedge. Whirling around she saw…nothing. He was gone. The absence of his body left her vulnerable to the cold and she quickly zipped up her jacket. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the sensual haze that clouded her thoughts.

Her neck tingled and Eva hesitantly raised her hand, her fingers met smooth skin. He had not bitten her. Her cheeks flooded with heat. She had wanted him to sink his fangs deep within her. Her blush grew even darker as clarity began to set in. She had freely offered herself to him, mind, body, and…blood. She had been his for the taking.

So why hadn’t he claimed what she had clearly offered?

Eva walked over to the marble bench and sat. She rubbed her hands anxiously over her knees as she fought the urge to search him out, to find him and demand they continue. He had wakened something darkly feral within her and she frowned, one hundred percent confused.

Why had she acted this way? Why did she want him so badly? She bounced her legs, barely resisting the need to
hunt
him.

She knew vampires could control a human’s mind. The ability made hunting and feeding much easier. Had he done that to her? Possibly. But, if he had reached into her mind, why had he let her go? Why had he not taken what he wanted?

“Because you’re a half-breed,” she spat.

No man in his right mind would want a half-breed.

But he isn’t in his right mind,
she thought then mentally shook herself.
Stupid girl,
she chided.
Even if he hadn’t used his power on me and I do truly desire him, it doesn’t make a difference. He is a king and I’m a half-breed bastard that he’s been saddled with as a ward.

She sighed and leaned back, titling her head up to the clear sky. The night was still. Silent. Her breathing had begun to slow, her heart returning to a normal pace while her body still throbbed with need.

Out of all the rumors she had heard of Hadrian, none had warned her about how devastatingly handsome he is. Darkness clung to him and he wore power and malice like a second skin. Yet, his touch had been gentle and—she shivered—deliciously firm. He could have ripped her throat out with his fangs or he could have slaked his lust on her. Instead, he deserted her.

A growl rumbled the night and Eva’s brow furrowed. It sounded like a jaguar. She glanced about, straining her hearing, trying to discern where it had come from. To her knowledge, there were no shape-shifters here besides—She slapped a hand over her mouth—Her.
She
had made the noise. Never before had she been able to growl, to channel the feral animal that lurked within every shape-shifter.

She shook her head in disbelief. Something strange was happening to her. First, she had craved freedom of her room, then following her curiosity out of the castle. She had been compelled to enter the maze and this sexual madness with Hadrian. Everything pointed to what the pack called Drive, a behavior motivated by pure instinct. She was a half-breed and as such, she would never experience Drive. Or,
should
never.

Eva gave a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping as she brought her hands up to massage her temples. Maybe she just needed some sleep. Jet lag could do strange things to people.

*
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Dark.

Silent.

Hadrian materialized in the safety of the clan’s mausoleum. The scent of dust, fresh roses and decay was welcoming and oddly soothing to his ravaged mind.

He had almost taken Eva, there in the snow, like some animal. His fangs had been at her throat, his hands roaming her supple body. His cock was stiff and he groaned as he recalled the incredible sensations that swept through him as he pressed his hard length against her ass.

She had been ready for him, he could scent her arousal, feel the heat that radiated from her soft flesh. Gods, she had been sweet fire in his arms.

The demon in him roared in outrage as he had pulled away, teleporting to the crypt.

His hands shook as he ran them over his head. He needed to gain control.

The visions
, he thought. They had made him weak, leaving his true nature free and the vampire within him was starved for freedom. For so long, he had kept his other half under constant mental lock and key, but tonight, his demon was at the fore and it had wanted Eva, her body and her blood.

Terror struck him like a blow to the chest, sending him stumbling into the stone sarcophagus beside him.