Chosen: Book 1 in the Ancients of Light series (35 page)

His raspy order made her burn. She shifted
her head, arching the column of her throat towards him as her hand
brushed the tangled curls away. The slow motion of his hips and the
hard press of him so deep were not allowing her to maintain any
control. Kaitriana was almost frightened at the compulsions taking
over. She would need to remember later to blame her newly acquired
Vampiric nature for the crazed lust. She yearned for his mouth and
not merely his kiss but that unforgiving bite. Making the decision
that it was easier to surrender to her baser instincts, she pawed
at his chest feverishly, “Please Lorcan…I need
this…you…please.”

Against the column of her throat Lorcan
murmured his approval of her pleading demand. Ceasing the movement
of his hips completely, he nuzzled her skin and waited long moments
for her anticipation to build and shatter any remaining control she
might possess. Only when she was whimpering and squirming wildly
beneath him did he give her what she needed.

He licked her neck and ground out the one
word claim, “Mine.” The hard, deep bite was timed perfectly with
his forceful movement of his body to hers. She screamed his name
then, twice before he had even pushed into her again. Her nails
tore ragged patterns down his back and he began drinking in
earnest. Despite the rich sweet taste of her blood and the rise of
his desire, he managed to continue a measured pace rocking into
her. He dropped a hand down between them to pluck at the center of
her pleasure while his other held her head firmly for his
consumption.

She was murmuring his name, unconsciously
imploring, over and over as he intentionally built her to a
frenzied peak. He pinched at the sensitive flesh and released his
hold on her head so that he could use his hand to mimic that action
against her delicate breast. The coupled actions fired white hot
streaks from one sensitive spot to the other as he so expertly
worked his fingers in time with his thrusts. Kaitriana was shaking,
she was well beyond any ability to do other than feel and react
physically. Her entire body was straining to feel something that
was just beyond.

His control was slipping. Though he’d had
thousands of years more experience than her to master the raging
instincts of his breed, her uninhibited reactions had shattered
that control. Lorcan set an insistent pace against her, plunging
hard and deep. He had fleeting thoughts about hurting her with the
force of their first mating, but he could not hold them as
possessing his sweet mate was the most intense experience in his
existence.

He maintained enough awareness to tell by the
quickening of her breath and pulse that she was going to melt for
him soon. Releasing his bite, he had taken all that was necessary,
now he wanted only to lose himself completely inside his little
witch. He applied hard pressure to her with the pinching fingers of
both hands, shoving her up and over into a blissful release.

Her world exploded and she screamed his name
with each wave of pleasure the broke over her. Kaitriana felt all
liquid heat and otherworldly as the newest and most heavenly
tingles settled into every piece of her. Lorcan gave a final rough
push of his hips to hers. She barely registered his hoarse groan of
release when he spilled deeply in her, but the feel of it only
intensified the wonderful ripples that were emanating from low in
her center. Even when Lorcan finally settled his weight over her,
her breathing remained thready and her hips were rotating to him
with the lingering delightful waves.

He found contentment with each tremor that
rocked her. It was in response to his lovemaking and the fact that
her blood was low, near depleted by him in their mating. The fact
was confirmed as the icy blue eyes she lifted to his were unclear.
She looked beautifully pale and frail beneath him in contrast to
the hard muscle of his forearms where he loomed above her.

Her lips were swollen rosy from his kisses,
her body still marred by his many bites. Kaitriana looked
thoroughly dazed as she nuzzled her face up to his chin, and he was
definitely smug over her bemused state and in the knowledge that he
had finally claimed her, while giving her no small amount of
pleasure in the task.

Lorcan kept her motionless against the bed
with the press of his weight when he moved his wrist to her lips. A
small drink would help in her recovery and bring a bit of color
back to her cheeks. Her eyes held volumes of adoration when she set
her lips to his flesh and gave a very gentle bite. The wash of his
blood was soothing, she had horribly missed his taste during the
past week. Kaitriana suckled gently while keeping her full focus on
him.

Kaitriana looked like a sated kitten as she
continued to lap softly at his wrist and he dropped his brow to
hers with a muffled curse. The experience roused his instincts
again. Lorcan knew with certainty that he would now insist that his
mate always take her nourishment from him alone. Tamed and claimed,
the hellcat with a world of love in her eyes was making him eager
to experience her sweet body again.

Though he could watch her feeding so lovingly
from his wrist forever, Lorcan did not want her bonding completed
just yet. He needed her begging again for the kind of delight they
had just shared. He tugged his wrist free and gave her his lips as
replacement, with a soft pledge, “I love you, you troublesome
witch.”

When he lifted his lips and cupped her breast
along with a stirring movement of his hips, Kaitriana moaned with
longing but her eyes were heavy lidded, “Lorcan, I am so tired.”
Her little whine was endearing.

He only gave her a harder press of his hips
and began teasing his fingertips over her skin, “It is because you
are low on blood, Kat. You need to be fed and in order for me to
feed you, I am going to have to love you again.”

Even weary, she eyed him suspiciously, “Is
that a rule?” At his nod she raised a skeptical brow, her tone rich
with disbelief, “
Really
?”

He kissed her hard before he gave her his
laughing answer, “Yes, Kat,
my rule
, and
you have already given your pledge of obedience. I will give you a
taste more and then I am going to toy with you for a
very
long time while I replenish you.” She was still
pale and he could see the lack of energy in her, but Lorcan also
caught the dark flicker in her eyes, “Can you be good for once and
do this?”

There was a bit of sass in her answering
smile and her arm lifted to curl around his neck. Kissing him
deeply first, her other hand came to rest on his shoulder. When she
pulled back finally, she rolled her eyes as though put out, “Get on
with it, Vampire.”

His eyebrow cocked in mock severity and
though she was aware he teased, she still plied him with a husky
whisper, “Will you feed me, Lorcan...please?” She rocked her hips
up to answer the slow glide of his, “I fear I may not be able to
meet your demands if you do not and that would be a shame...”

Lorcan chuckled, “Lusty witch.” Delivering
his wrist to her lips, he leaned in to nibble on her shoulder and
began slowly circling his hips against hers. The sun peaked in the
sky before he finished replenishing her and his little witch had
lost her voice by then.

CHAPTER 30

Kaitriana woke, but kept her eyes firmly shut
as she took a leisurely stretch and rolled in an attempt to bring
her into contact with the warm form of her mate. Instead she found
herself sprawled on the floor with a thud in a tangle of blue
sheets. Lifting her head with a grumpy frown, she spied him seated
across the room before the hearth. Book in hand, he was eyeing her
with no small amount of amusement. Lorcan winked, “Good thing you
heal quickly, Witch.”

Rather than answer, she climbed clumsily to
her feet, smacking the back of her head against the overhang of the
bedside table in the process. With an unladylike curse, she knotted
the sheet more solidly around her and studied him. Lorcan was
returning his book to the side table. When he leaned to do so, the
movement caused the fine material of his white dress shirt to pull
taut over his chest. She was gawking and made no effort to hide it.
Her male was already showered and dressed. The shirt was open at
the collar and rolled casually on his forearms. In his dark slacks
with still damp hair he was devastatingly handsome.

She, on the other hand, was not. A side
glance at the mirror across the room revealed that she was beyond
bedraggled. Her hair was a crazy tangle of curls sticking up in odd
places all over her head, her skin was pale and her eyes were heavy
with the remnants of sleep. She looked like a waif wrapped in her
crumpled sheet. Turning in time to catch him watching her as she
was giving herself the once over, Kaitriana grinned impishly. Her
attention was captured by the sound of voices from outside and it
was then she noticed that the shadows in the room were not caused
by the shutters blocking out the light. The night was fully dark
already.

His eyes followed the line of hers and he
answered smoothly, “The sun set two full hours ago lass.”

She pulled up the skirt of her sheet and made
her way towards him. Her muscles had only a little stiffness after
their long encounter; recalling various details brought a blush to
her cheeks as she approached. He noticed and gave her a devilish
smile, “You are young and newly transitioned. You require more rest
than we Ancients. Given that you were drained and then kept me up
half the day with your lusty demands, it is a wonder you are awake
this soon.”

The blush blossomed fully when she tried to
sputter a response to that. Lorcan stood, brushing his slacks and
grinning at her fluster, “Not to worry love, all will expect us
arrive late. The mating ritual is fatiguing for any female, even
one well into her immortality.”

She did not feel different exactly with the
bonding that had taken place. It was more like there was an added
current between them, an extra spark. She was heightened in her
awareness of him. Smiling sweetly, Kaitriana closed the space
between them and leaned up so that he would give her his lips.
After he did, Lorcan withdrew and tugged on a haphazard curl,
commenting, “Your lips are swollen.” Looking down into her upturned
face, he smirked, “Makes me want to bite them.”

He patted her playfully on the butt when he
moved past into the main part of their chambers. Pulling a few
items together on his desk, he still had an eye on her when she
glanced his way, “Do you need to feed, Kat?” At her negative
response, he raised a brow. She was standing in the same place and
appeared to be in no hurry to move along, so he nudged, “Kaitriana,
is there anything that you require to get ready? I assume you can
conjure anything you might need before we go below?”

She nibbled on her lips, considering, “I want
coffee...steaming with way too much cream.” Inspired, her eyes lit,
“And a sugar cookie…a humongous sugar cookie.” Kaitriana nodded
emphatically to let him know he had heard her correctly.

Lorcan grinned, she was an adorably strange
little creature, “You want food?” She nodded again confirming and
he laughed when an errant curl plopped in her face as a result.

She blew it away before she explained, “I
have Myrrdyn’s memory of them …I
very
much
want one.” Kaitriana would prefer to continue with this discussion.
It would effectively keep her from the embarrassment of having any
conversation with him about
last night
.
She needed time to get herself settled into the fact that she had
been decisively wedded and exceedingly well bedded by her sexy
warrior.

He gave her a firm nod, his expression
unreadable, “Then I will make certain to get you what you want,
Kat. Can you get yourself ready in the meantime?”

She decidedly ignored his question and gave
him her own, “Do you ever eat Lorcan? I understand your breed does
not require it, but merely for pleasure?”

Lorcan knew his vision did not fail him at
her tiny blush or his hearing as she had faltered slightly over her
reference to ‘pleasure.’ Laughter was in his eyes and he let her
see it to know that he was aware of her discomfort.

Shuffling more items on his desk, he replied
simply, “Yes, upon occasion when something strikes my fancy.” When
finished, he gave her a knowing look and dropped a kiss to her brow
when he strode by her towards the door. He threw back, “I can
understand why you might be famished. You were quite the demanding
vixen last night….”

Her eyes narrowed on his retreating form and
she decided that her vampire was too cocky. When she called out to
him, her voice was sticky sweet.

He turned to Kaitriana in question to find
her posing with her hands on her hips. Lorcan saw the twinkle in
her eyes and wondered what outrageous thing the little witch was
about to spout.

Nibbling at her lips, Kat questioned, “You
said you expected I would sleep longer...would those gathered for
tonight’s celebration assume the same?” He was suspicious of her
motives and it was reflected in his slow nod. She appeared
earnestly inquisitive, “Do you suppose then they may not expect us
for another hour or more?”

Exasperated, he crossed his arms over his
chest. He did not know her game but it was obvious she intended to
drag her feet. His female was embarrassed over what had transpired
between them and perhaps she worried that everyone would also be
aware. Lorcan adopted what he hoped was an encouraging tone,
“Kaitriana, there is no reason for you to delay joining this
celebration. After you bathe, it should be a quick matter for you
to be ready if you use your magic.”

She unconsciously licked her lips when her
eyes raked over him. Her tone was deliberately defiant, “I find
there to be reason for delay.” His expression shifted from
encouraging to skeptical. She stared back in challenge. Raising her
hands, she unhooked the knot that held her sheet and let it fall.
His intake of breath was easily audible across the room. Keeping
her eyes trained on his, she started measured steps backwards until
she was brought up short against their bed. Kaitriana whispered
brazenly, mischief twinkling in the depths of blue, “I fear my
craving has changed.”