Run the Gantlet (4 page)

Arrow laughed in delight as he continued. “You like?”

Eloise felt it almost impossible not to smile at him. He was gorgeous and hers. “You’re not so bad, fang face.”

“You’re pretty okay too, shorty.” Arrow’s mouth found her and he kissed her until she was breathless. “I need—”

Why did he look so uncertain? “What?” Was there more? Could anything compete with this?

“Would you let me—”

The need in his eyes was mesmerizing. Eloise wanted to give him whatever he sought. She looked at his fangs. They were so white and sharp-looking yet she felt no threat. “You want to bite me?” The thought excited Eloise even more.

Arrow did not stop thrusting as he reached up and stroked her face with one hand. “I want to taste every inch of you.”

“Wil it hurt?”

“No.”

Eloise believed him. “Yes, I want you to.” There was such a need inside her to become completely his that denying him anything would be to deny herself.

“Thank you.” Arrow’s mouth moved to the base of her neck. He stil ed within her for a moment as he punctured her vein in one fast move.

“Oh,” Eloise whimpered, and stiffened slightly before a wild heat tore through her veins, making her body relax. A kaleidoscope of color competed with the blue of the sky, and for one crazy moment she felt as if only the two of them existed. His body and her body were one and their souls met and melded as his lips sucked on her neck. She cradled his head and gave in to the insistent tug of his mouth on her flesh.

When Arrow’s mouth left her neck, there was no blood. Only a smal wound of possession. “You are so beautiful.” He kissed her and he became faster with each thrust of his cock.

Eloise tasted her own blood in her mouth. It was like nothing she could have ever imagined. She was not shocked. It turned her on even more as she panted and held on to his strong frame. The feeling that was tearing through her body demanded nothing less than her total surrender. As she came, screaming in his arms, the birds shrieked once more and the kaleidoscope of color disappeared.

“Oh I hate you,” Eloise murmured against his mouth. Now she understood how a man could ruin a woman for al other men. There would never be anyone like Arrow. She felt his cock jerk hard as he shot his essence hot and high within her.

Arrow col apsed in her arms, gathering her close to him. “And I hate you back with a passion.”

Eloise had gone straight home after he had spun them back into the al ey from where it al started. Neither said much. They had merely nodded and walked away. It was confusion on her part, but what of him? What did Arrow feel? Eloise knew the plan was to have sex and walk away.
But why do I feel
so empty and lost?
The long, hot shower she’d indulged in had soothed her body but not her restless mind.

When she pushed through the door to Voodoo You, the store where she worked, Eloise’s knees were stil shaking. And she was hot. So hot. It was as if an unquenchable fire had been lit inside her and it was never going to be put out.

“What happened?” Mesopia Bril iant, her boss and owner of the New Age-cum-occult store, looked at her with interest.

Eloise went around behind the counter and deposited her purse under it. She looked inside a box of stock and tried to act as if it were any other workday.

“Nothing happened.”
Work, don’t think about him
.

“Bul shit.”

Mesopia was one of the few people who could carry off multi-facial piercings while stil looking incredibly attractive. But Eloise suspected that had more to do with the spirit and verve for life that her raven-haired friend projected rather than outward appearance. Not many people could wear nearly twenty face piercings and stil look beautiful. Ears, eyebrows, tongue and lip were al decorated. Eloise only had her ears pierced and some days she knew she looked like crap. But Mesopia was someone who made other people feel good just by being around her. She was also too astute for Eloise’s liking.

“You’re glowing.”

Damn.
Eloise could feel that glowing bit herself. She had never felt so alive. Al her nerve endings were humming. Her hands stroked the bite mark he’d left. It tingled.

“What?” Mesopia moved over and looked at her.

“I screwed the vampire.” Eloise pul ed out one of the smal glass bottles from the box.

“Wow! The
one
? This is huge!” Mesopia’s eyes were wide in wonder.

“Yeah him.” Eloise looked down at what she held in her hands. “What the hel is this?” Through the glass it appeared to be mucous.

“Tibetan yak spit.”

“Eeww.” Eloise dropped it back into the box.

“It’s a huge sel er. Good for everything for wart removal to impotence.” Mesopia pushed the box away from the other woman. “Oh this so romantic.”

“Yak spit?” Eloise sighed. She knew what her boss and friend referred to. She had long ago told Mesopia the whole story. “And no, it’s not romantic because I am now stuck with fang face for eternity. Even though we both kid ourselves we’re not, we are. We’re stupid.”

“Oh that’s sweet. You have nicknames already.” Mesopia leaned on the counter and looked at Eloise with interest. “What does he cal you?”

“Shorty.”

“Oh I like it. Anyone can be cal ed ‘darling’ or ‘honey’.” She nudged her friend. “So it was pretty powerful, huh? That’s a hel uva love bite.”

As first-time-ever sex went, it was fantastic. She had heard it could be less than good. If Arrow could top that, then she would never leave his side.
What
the hell am I thinking? Never leave his side?
“The whole worlds-col iding thing happened.” Eloise knew there was no way she would ever be the same again. It had shaken her careful y defined life and left it in a delightful mess. But stil a mess. “What do I do? You’re the high priestess of al things weird.”

There had to be a spel or a potion to save her.

Mesopia shook her head. “You know you’re screwed. No one can change that. It’s your fate.” She looked at Eloise in wonder. “It’s amazing to think after al these centuries that Caitriona’s words came true.”

“Damn bitch.” The whole two being united into one was certainly physical y doable and most enjoyable, but having to be stuck with one another until the end of time was the kicker. “When does time official y end?”

“I can look it up.” Mesopia stood up straight. “I have a book on that somewhere.” The bel above the door sounded and they both looked up.

“Oh bugger.” It was him.

Mesopia licked her lips. “Yummy.”

“Good evening,” Arrow greeted them in his best Count Dracula impersonation.

“Oh what are you doing here?” Eloise stood bolt upright and alert at the counter.

As he walked over to her, Arrow’s glance flitted from one shelf to another. The smal shop had shelves fil ed with bottles, jars and weird little knickknacks.

There was stuff in labeled bottles that he had not seen in three hundred years. His hand slid over a skeleton and came to rest over the white-knuckled grip Eloise had on her hands. Arrow felt her jump as they touched. He was glad to see he was not the only one affected by what had happened between them.

He had held off as long as he could from coming to find her. It had not been hard to locate her. Since touching and tasting her, Arrow had become acutely sensitive to al things Eloise. He only had to think of her to know where she was. That Eloise worked in an occult shop did not surprise Arrow. It just seemed to fit her personality.

“I came to see if you were okay.” He steadied her as she stumbled, her hands latching on to his arm for support. “Stil a bit wobbly in the legs?” Arrow knew this woman was trouble and he should not have done what he did but, damn it, he felt fantastic and he wanted more. He wanted to teach the delightful Eloise al about sex. Arrow had a feeling she would be an excel ent student. She looked amazing in tight black leggings and a black and red t-shirt with classic punk band
The Clash
emblazoned on the front. He felt a strange, primal pleasure on seeing the mark on her neck. No makeup or escaping hair could hide that. Of course she was not the first woman he had taken in that way, but Eloise was the only one he felt al his primitive masculine needs completely attuned to, and as strange as that was, he liked the feeling.

“I’m swel . Now go. I mean it, fang face.”

She didn’t sound as if she did and Arrow loved it when she cal ed him fang face. It was sexy and quirky and completely Eloise. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You have a death grip on my arm.” Her hands sprang off immediately. “I was thinking, shorty—”

Eloise held up her hands “No, don’t tel me. Look where thinking got us last time.”

“I don’t see why we can’t enjoy the benefits of what we have without getting al tangled up in the emotional side of things.”

The other woman nodded. “Sounds excel ent to me.” She held out her hand to him and introduced herself. “Mesopia Bril iant and you are simply gorgeous.

”

Arrow smiled and kissed it her hand. He had been so consumed with looking at Eloise he had missed the exotic-looking redhead. “Great beauty abounds.”

Eloise rol ed her eyes. “Look, we did the deed. It was nice—”

“Nice?” Arrow and Mesopia said at the same time.

“Yes but we both agreed it was a one-off.”

Arrow could see Eloise was trying very hard to remain unaffected by him. He planned to affect the hel out of her. “I lied. I’m a vampire. We do that.”

“Ooh I like you,” Mesopia murmured in approval.

Arrow was so laid back, sexy and arrogant that Eloise wanted to kiss him and slap him at the same time. It was al so confusing. It was right and wrong and everything in between.

“Come on, what do you have to lose that you haven’t already?” Arrow looked at her significantly. “I want to show you some other stuff I can do.”

“You are so tacky.” Yet he was utterly fascinating and she was completely drawn to him against al logic and wil power.

“Yeah, but you like me, shorty.”

Eloise did and that was the problem. Before meeting him, she had built him into an evil monster who she would be pinned to for life. But reality was quite different and charming, albeit arrogant.

“Go on.” Mesopia pushed her shoulder. “Take the day off and get to know the hubby. Check out his stuff.” She looked the man in question up and down. “I wouldn’t mind taking a peek myself.”

Eloise stamped her foot. “He is not my husband.”

“Cute.” Arrow held out his hand to her. “Scared you won’t be able to control yourself, shorty?”

Yes, that was it exactly. Already she wanted to throw herself against him and damn Caitriona and whatever the consequences.

“I feel it too.” Arrow pul ed her toward him.

“I can ignore it.”
Sort of.

“Okay, so let’s spend time together ignoring each other.”

A huge part of her wanted to go wherever he led and Eloise was not a fol ower by nature. “You’re not going to spin me out of here?”

Arrow pul ed her into his arms. “Oh yeah.”

* * * * *

“How the hel did I get naked?” She looked at her breasts covered with foam. Her eyes strayed to the head of Arrow’s penis, pushing up through the scented water.

“One advantage to spinning a woman is stripping her when she is too dazzled to think clearly.” Arrow moved through the water to her.

“You have fast hands.” The bath could have easily fitted four people, yet with a naked Arrow coming at her with a determined look in his eyes, it seemed too smal . Eloise moved back and hit the side. “Where are we?”

“A harem.”

“A what?” Eloise sat up and looked around her in shock. The ornate tiles and beautiful surroundings had almost passed by her. “Someone wil see us.”

“Nah, they’re al off doing their own thing.” Arrow was not the slightest bit perturbed. “Besides I have contacts who do as I bid at a moment’s notice. So?”

“So?” Eloise felt his hands part her legs under the water. “Um look, I think—” And then Arrow kissed her and she had no idea what she was thinking or doing because she found herself natural y gravitating onto his lap. The cock against her stomach was a wake-up cal though. She pushed back from him and licked her lips.
God he tasted good
. “Wait, wait.”

Arrow’s hands reached to pul her forward. “Why? I need you and you need me.”

“I don’t need anyone let alone you.”

“Liar.”

“Am not.” Arrow just smiled, and before she could speak, he fastened his mouth on one of her nipples and sucked hard. Eloise choked back the shriek that came to her lips. She was sure she was not the first one to have sex in this tub, but Eloise had no intention of attracting onlookers. She wanted to push him away yet also hold him there. It was al so confusing. His hands between her legs, massaging her clit in a slow, lazy circle did not make trying to decide what she should do any easier, nor did his cock insistently thrumming against her inner thigh seeking entry. When Arrow switched to her other nipple, Eloise groaned and threaded the fingers of one hand through his hair, holding him close. With the other she grabbed his cock and stroked it. If someone had told her two days ago she would be touching a man like this she would have thought them stoned.

Arrow pushed her hand from his penis. “No.”

“What?” Eloise wanted to touch someone and that was a first for her.

He moved back to the other side of the tub. “You heard me.”

“Why?” Eloise fel from his lap, completely at a loss. First the big rush and now he backed off. What was that about? “Don’t you want me?”

“Yes I do.” Arrow started stroking his own cock, the water barely concealing the length.

The sight was mesmerizing to her. “Am I missing something?”

“Yes.” The one word was said so simply.

Except Eloise had no idea what it was. “What?”

“Think about it.” Arrow’s hand kept moving up and down his shaft.

“I don’t want to think.” She wanted heat between her thighs now.