Escape (Vampire King Book 1) (11 page)

“Put it on for me.” I
pouted.

“Blasted woman,” he
cursed. “If I make love to you, Brie, you’ll resent me and feel violated when
you wake up.”

I blinked a few times. “What
would you do to me if there was a storm outside?”

His lips parted. His
eyebrows lifted, and then he chuckled. He checked the window as if to see if it
were raining. “What? Why did you ask me that? There’s no storm.”

“Would you have me hold
you until the lightning and thunder went away?”

He paused from laughing
and targeted me with his gaze. “I’m no child, coddled by his mother’s arms. If a
storm was outside and you were not drunk from my bite, I would fuck you hard to
see if your moans could drown out the thunder.”

“Fuck me now.”

His hand clenched and
unclenched. “Having sex with a woman drunk off her first bite is like rape.”

“Then just remind me
that I begged you.” Rushing his way, I quickly straddled him, balancing my
weight on his erection as it stayed confined underneath his pants. I had to
release it. “Do you want me, prince?”

“Don’t call me that.”

I fluttered my eyelashes
and giggled. “Do you want me, Samuel?”

“Yes, I do.” His hands
shot to my waist and slid down to my thighs. “And now that I’ve bit you, I want
you even more than I should.”

His hands journeyed up
my thighs and slipped around the curve of my behind. He tenderly squeezed my
flesh. My throbbing clit swelled until I thought I would explode. Moaning, I
rubbed myself against his thickness.

“Stop,” Samuel groaned.
I continued to guide my sensitive bud against his length, sliding it toward his
hard tip and then slipping down to his cushioned balls.
Damn you. Please give it to me.
My panties soaked with arousal.
Samuel inhaled. I could hear his sharp intake of breath. A rumble thundered in
his chest. “Please stop.”

“If I stop, it will be
to take my panties off.”

Snarling, he flipped me
over to my back and jumped off the bed. His hand dove into his pants and seized
his cock. Samuel backed away. “When we make love, you’ll be sober.”

“Get back in this bed.”
I sucked my teeth.

He paused, walked
toward me as if he were in a trance, and then halted, cursing under his breath.
“No.”

“Fine. Then join me
from there.” My hands plunged into my panties. I began pleasuring myself. My
finger entered my slick tunnel. Hot and wet flesh surrounded it. I cried out,
grinding and thrusting into my hand. Our eyes met across the room. Samuel
wrenched his huge cock out of his pants, gripping himself and moving with my
rhythm on the bed.

“Bring it to me,” I
begged.

He howled. His muscles
bulged and wavered within the moons’ light.

“Ambi, help me. I can’t
stay away from you if I remain in this room.” In a blur, he shoved his cock
back into his pants and fled the room. And though he disappeared, his alluring
presence remained. His salty flavor clung to my tongue. The air thickened with
his scent, drowning me until I could barely breathe. His groans drifted inside
my head. The drapes swung back and forth from the force of him sprinting away.
Heat lingered on the sheets where he’d lain and my body still pulsed with an
awakening he had caused.

“Samuel!” I yelled.

Chapter Seven

Dusk arrived. I’d
barely slept after Samuel left. Now that he finally returned, awkward tension
flooded the room. I couldn’t look at Samuel as I swam in guilt. Part of me was
pissed he’d raced off and never returned until dusk. The other part was glad he
had stayed away, but completely embarrassed. The rest of me felt hung over from
his bite—my head ached, my throat was dry, my stomach churned with unease.
No more vampires. I’m done with them once I
get back to Zumaya.
We tiptoed around the small room, gathering our things
and saying nothing but a few words here and there. Samuel handed me a bag of
clothes and shoes he’d bought me. Whispering a thank you, I rushed off to the
bathroom, glad to be out of the gown. His scent saturated the material. I had
caught myself smelling it several times this evening.

I opened the bag.
Surprise washed over my face.
Indigo pants
with leather laces and boots?
I had never worn pants or boots before—only
robes, gowns, and dresses with slippers or sandals. My father considered pants only
a man’s attire. My husband Ethan said it made the few women who wore them
appear unattractive, and of course The Quiet King’s staff outfitted us in only
solid-colored robes. Putting on the pants, I dressed in the manly garments with
delight. They adorned me like armor and gave me strength and confidence.

I’ll
never wear a dress again. Ethan will have to just get over it.

I walked out of the
bathroom in them, feeling a bit awkward. I dug my hands in my new pockets and
drew in the confidence I’d experienced in the bathroom. Samuel’s eyes went to
mine. His mouth curled up at the edges. “I was worried about the sizes, but
everything fits perfectly. Are you comfortable?”

“More than I’ve ever
been. Thank you.”

“I figured a dress and
heels would be uncomfortable during our journey.”

I dragged my hands out
of my pockets and scanned the room, confirming I’d cleaned up any mess I
caused. Samuel’s eyes followed me, so I turned my back to him. A torturous
pounding thumped over and over in my head like someone was steady hammering at
my skull. I rubbed the sides of my forehead.

“Do you want something
for the pain?” Samuel came up to my side. I shook my head without looking at
him.

“Your body will
eventually get used to the bites.” He moved some of my hair out of my face.

“You won’t be biting me
again.”

“Are you sure about
that?” His gold eyes brightened for a second before returning to their original
hue.

“Yes.”

“Well then, let me know
if you need anything.” He stomped around me, snatched up the bag that held my
old clothes, and slung it in a trashcan near the bed. “During the daylight
while you slept, I bought us horses and supplies as well as purchased a kit
with some medicine.”

Is
that all you did? No doubt, you were pleasuring someone else.
I
paused and blinked a few times.
What is
wrong with me? What he does is none of my concern.

Samuel loudly cleared
his throat. “Zumaya is a two-day ride. We’ll have to camp outside during the
day. I also bought us a leather tent. Blood for me. Some meat for both of us to
eat as well as dried fruit and nuts for you. I’m not big on sweets.”

“Just one tent?”

“Yes.” A growl erupted
from his throat. His eyes widened as he put his back to me. “Is there a problem
with that?”

“No.” I hoped I didn’t
sound pissed.
One tent? Let’s just make
this trip even more awkward. And would it have been too much for him to just
come back after a few minutes? Now everything is weird.
I folded the gown
I’d slept in and put it on the bed.
He
didn’t return until dusk.
It enraged me to no end that I cared or at least
wanted to know what he did.
I bet he
feasted on another.

No,
Brie. I sat in the bar thinking of you
, his voice swam in my
head,
and trying to calm my body down. It
took the whole day.

My fingers trembled.
“Don’t do that.”

I headed for the door
and stepped out into the hallway.

Within seconds, Samuel
got in front of me. “Don’t do what? Read your thoughts or speak in your mind?”

“Both.” I frowned and
quickened my pace as we came to the staircase. His hand clasped on to my wrist.
He twisted me around and pulled me to him. Samuel’s herbal scent swarmed all
over and claimed my senses.

What
is wrong with me? I’m embarrassing myself and being irrational.

“You have nothing to be
embarrassed about.” He pressed me up against the wall. “We’re linked now. It’s
normal for you to wonder about me and be a little jealous.”

I shook my head. “I was
connected to the king and never jealous.”

“He’s not me and
besides, he didn’t bite you. The bite changes things.” He sneered and then
stopped himself. “The very thought of him coming so close to tasting you makes
me want to split his head in two.”

His gold eyes went to
mine. I looked away.

This
is insane. I just need to focus on going home to Ethan.

Samuel growled and
released me. “Well, don’t worry. I kept you nice and clean for your money
greedy husband.”

I shoved him, but he
remained there like a metal wall. “Stop calling my husband names.”

The right side of his
lip lifted as he sneered.

“And unless it’s
extremely necessary, don’t talk to me in my head or read my thoughts.” I poked
his chest. “The bond was made so I wouldn’t tell your secret, not so you could
take advantage of my mind. And no more kissing or anything else. I won’t be
drunk off your bite anymore.”

“So according to you,
last night was the only time I’ll bite you?” He leaned his head to the side.

“Yes.”

“My hormones are inside
of you.”

I swallowed
down my unease
and stepped around him.

“We’re not done
talking,” he called after me.

“Yes, we are.” I raced
down the stairs.

He caught me before I
reached the bottom floor. His gold eyes blazed with rage. He grasped my waist
with both hands. His fangs pushed out. “Be very careful with how you address
me. We’re bonded and through our blood I am your king and master.”

“You’re many things
right now, but the titles
king and master
don’t come to mind.”

“Did I do something
wrong?”

“You fled the room like
I had a disease and stayed away for hours,” I blurted. I’d thought I had calmed
down, but my own anger rose within me. “We wouldn’t have had sex. I-I was
coming down from that high—”

“No. You weren’t. Do
you even remember how you were acting and what you said?”

I cringed.

“Should I remind you?”

“No. Things are awkward
and uneasy already,” I mumbled.
I must
sound crazy.

“You don’t sound
crazy.” He closed the distance between us until he was half an inch from me.
His breath caressed my skin.

“Stay out of my
thoughts,” I demanded.

“Maybe.”

I pushed against his
chest. “Move please.”

“Would you rather I had
torn off your panties and licked between your thighs last night?”

“No,” I murmured.
Ambi, yes.

He smirked. I was sure
he read that thought. I averted my eyes from his mocking view.

“Filling you was all I
thought about the whole afternoon,” he confessed. “I stopped myself twice from
storming into that room and burying my face between your legs.”

He kissed me. Sugary
wine coated my tongue.

If
I had come in before dusk, my face would still be down there, gently nibbling
,
he said in my mind. I groaned as he sucked on my bottom lip.

By
now you would’ve forgotten your husband’s name,
he
whispered.

“I doubt that,” I said,
reluctantly moving away from him. I placed my hand on my bra to touch the
locket and realized it wasn’t there.
I
must have lost it in the sewer.

“You doubt it? Then
let’s see.” He lifted me up by my waist and slung me over his shoulders.

“Wait a minute!” I
shouted.

“Samuel!” The old
woman, I now knew as Leeta, appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

He halted.

“Is this how I raised
you?”
 
Leeta asked. “And don’t you think
both of you should be going now?”