Vampire Assassin League Bundle 4 - Eternity (22 page)

“Last name?”

He stepped closer to ask it, sending vibes she could almost see. And definitely feel. And she wasn’t the only one. That little leather skirt of his wasn’t hiding much. And he was hefty sized there, as well. Damn. Damn. Damn.
Words, Darcy.

“Um...you know. A last name. Family name. You know...like Smith. Jones. Or since we’re somewhere in the vicinity of Greece, maybe something that ends with ‘-sis’? I’ve met a few of them.”

“I’m from Macedon. I only have one name. Thanos.”

Darcy was tingling everywhere. Like an electrical current was in the air. It just wasn’t possible. She’d never felt this incredibly hyped. Turned on. Craven. And nothing she tried worked at halting the mix of sensation. Or even muting it slightly. She could try arguing. But he’d already shown he possessed a really wild-man, bad-boy side. She didn’t need to find out if it had been just for show. But then, just as she wondered what would open an argument, he cocked his head to one side and asked a question that was almost guaranteed to get him one.

“You are an Amazon, aren’t you?”

Darcy gulped, and tried ignoring where his hips were nearly touching hers. But he wasn’t wearing enough! And he was more than large. Or she was way out of practice.

“Oh. Right. An Amazon? Like I never heard that before. The answer is no. But thanks. Thanks a lot. You know, where I come from, six foot blondes are a dime a dozen. You can find them on just about every street corner. At the grocery store. In the mall. It’s not that unusual.”
Keep talking Darcy...

“You are not six feet tall.”

Her mouth opened. Shut.
Words, Darcy. Just keep spouting them.
She opened her mouth again.

“Fine. I’ll cop to five-eleven and a half, but I have half inch soles on these boots. I’d say that makes me pretty close.”

“But I am six feet tall.”

“Uh...no. I’d go with six one. Maybe taller.”

“Impossible.”

“Maybe you grew.”

He smirked, putting his lips into a semi-pout. Darcy’s entire body lurched toward him without one bit of volition. That placed her so close to his flesh she was vibrating to the sparks shooting off him. And worse. Her nipples tightened as if in answer. Oh! This was bad. Insane. Amazing. Awesome. Thrilling.

No.

It was bad.

“I can’t have grown. You are wrong.”

And you are way too close!

“Um. Look. Thanos. I had to get shots for this trip, and that means I had to visit the doctor, and they just measured me, and I am five feet eleven and a half. You’re the one who’s off.”

“Hmm. You are also not blond.”

He’d leaned even closer to say it, putting the words against her cheek...and damn! She barely caught the move to reach for him. Jam her breasts against his chest. Yank him closer...and lock lips.

Lock lips?

Oh shit!
Talk, Darcy!
She had to get her mouth moving on something besides kissing him!

“Yeah. Well. Um. I...like to experiment...you know. With color. I had this red tint applied...uh...before. Just before...we left Vancouver.”

He was so close! His lips hovered right above hers. In a pout. Looking totally kissable. And immensely desirable. And her mind wasn’t functioning. Only her hormones. And this was completely outside the norm. Or sane. Or rational.

“It resembles dark wine.”

“If you don’t...like it, just say so.” The words came out chopped. That’s what happened when you tried to talk when every breath was short. Clipped. Almost panted.

“Who said I didn’t like it?”

Oh...hell.

He was too much male. Too finely arrayed. Gorgeous. Muscled. Primed. And he was so close. And she’d been celibate so long, she was nearly virginal again. There just wasn’t any stopping what happened next. Darcy lunged blindly, wrapping her arms about his waist to yank on him, although her body was the one that moved, and then she locked her lips to his. And the solid groan that emanated through the space didn’t come only from him.

Damn hormones anyway.

CHAPTER THREE

The gods be praised!

Thanos thrilled over every inch of the goddess hand-delivered to him. Just him. She seemed fashioned with everything he most liked. Tall. Athletic. Trim. Passionate. Sweet Aphrodite! He’d lay out sacrificial wine the moment he had a chance.

He’d guessed the moment he saw her, and knew for certain when they touched. Kissing. Licking. Sucking. Nipping...

Oh sweetness! Light! Paradise!

At the first taste, he arched upward, pulling her with him. His hands beneath her arms, while hers were still wrapped about his torso.

It was ecstasy! Rapture! Complete and total and vast.

“Uh...Thanos? Wait. Please?”

She lifted her lips from his to whisper it, taking her sweetness from him. He nearly growled.

“No flying stuff. Okay?”

He consciously forced his body back to the ground, landing lithely and easily. And exactly as she must’ve wanted, for she started moving her hands, running her fingers along his back...beneath his scabbard. Along the ridges of his shoulder blades.

“Oh sweet! We...mustn’t...go too fast.”

He was panting between words, alternately licking at her lips, and then toying with another kiss.

“Oh yes, we must,” she answered.

And then she moved her hands to his waist and pushed away from him!

Thanos shook in place, his arms dropping to his side as he fought some inner demon. His eyes narrowed. His hands balled into fists. He locked his entire body against an infusion of such heat he was at a loss on how to contain it. It was as if fire ate away at his muscles, straining against his hold, while everything got washed with a red hue that got darker with every heartbeat his dead heart gave.

His heart was beating. And he actually felt it!

Oh...paradise! Everything he’d been told was true. He had his mate, and he had his life force back. With an intensity that was nearly impossible to absorb. It was better than wondrous, more satisfying than an untainted, week-long blood feast. And almost worth the wait. It was almost uncontrollable. He’d been wrong, too. She was a better than an Amazon in the flesh. She was pure goddess.

No.

Wait.

She was undressing?

Oh, Zeus!
His knees wobbled before he locked them, forcing his legs to support him. His eyes slowly opened, and then went wide as she pulled the buttons of her shirt apart, yanked her arms out of the sleeves, and tossed the garment aside. She wore a breast band, but like none he’d ever seen. Women warriors of his age had worn such items, but always tight across their chests, constricting bounce and movement, pressing their bosom flat so it wouldn’t be an encumbrance in battle. The garment his mate wore did the opposite, lifting and holding her breasts up, so it was impossible to look away for a moment. It flashed through his mind that those Macedonian women may have had it wrong all those years ago. Any man catching sight of what he was looking at right now would be a dead one.

Her breast band was vibrantly-colored, with bright pink polka-dots atop a vivid green backdrop. Odd. Why waste such fabric and color on a garment that wasn’t seen? And he’d been wrong. Her frame was a bit too slender for goddess ranking. It was much closer to his first impression. Amazonian. She was definitely fit...and she was also most definitely curved. And luscious. Her skin appeared soft. Unblemished. Untouched by much sun. Ripe. Tinted a rosy shade by her life fluid pumping just beneath the surface. Her blood. His ambrosia. Thanos sucked on his upper teeth, striving to control the fang growth.

Not yet
.

It was next to impossible! The shadow of her cleavage drew his gaze as she moved, working the buttons of her trousers loose. Thanos stood straighter, absorbing more strangeness and even more sensation. His hands relaxed. The heat cooled. He no longer saw anything through a red haze. But his canines were still pinging with anticipation.

“I mean...I’ve never done...uh...this before.”

The fire sensation slammed back, bringing worse tremors than before, along with a worse sharpening of his fangs. And worse. Her words came out disconnected between pants for air. She was suffering breathlessness. He matched it. And what she said just couldn’t be true.

“You’re...a maid?”

She chuckled. “Uh...no comment. I mean, I’ve never attacked a man I’d just met. Never. Nobody would believe this. I don’t even believe it. It’s...uh...”

Her voice drifted off. His was missing. It had to do with the way she shoved her trouser waistband open and pushed the loose-fit pants to her ankles, revealing a slip of cloth in the same vibrant color scheme as her breast band, but striped rather than dotted. That little triangle didn’t cover much, and had little inch-wide straps holding it together across her hips. And he’d been off on his evaluation. Those legs definitely belonged on a goddess.

He grunted something she took for an answer. She panted her way through a lengthy explanation he tried to follow. Just because her mouth was moving. He could almost sense each breath she gave as it brushed his exposed skin. Feel the thump of her pulse through her veins. Taste her fluid...

And there wasn’t any holding back the fangs.

“I think it’s a combination of things. You know. For every action, there’s a reaction. Like...my ‘fight or flight’ response finally kicked into gear or something. I’ve got the shakes from escaping certain death, and that’s combining with shock and awe from witnessing a very violent and bloody fight. Dang! I can see why the Romans had such a fixation on their gladiators. It’s an incredible high. And you were really something to watch. Really. Oh. Shit. Look at me. No wait. Don’t. I already have the shakes. What am I saying?”

She might be asking things. He might actually be hearing them. He didn’t answer. And he didn’t obey. His eyes were glued on her. His mouth was dry. She was wearing so little! She had a body worthy of a master sculptor. And each thread seemed designed to show it off.

“I’m suffering an out-of-body experience here. That must be it. And it’s canceling out any kind of barrier – including guilt. I mean...damn! I’m a ball of estrogen, spinning almost out of control, and at the center of all that is you. The man with one name. Thanos.”

“Me?”

He had a voice. It sounded like the rumble of a small earthquake just before it hit. It didn’t sound remotely like him. And he’d lost control over his canines. They were elongated and sharp. He had to lift his upper lip to give them room.

“Yeah. You. Um...yeah. You just happen to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, Thanos from Macedon. You might be the sexiest thing like...ever. Trust me. Every nerve in my body is pumping adrenaline through me. And it just keeps getting higher and higher. I’m totally afraid if I slow anything down, reality is going to intrude, and it’s going to be a bitch. So, you might want to get in gear, and ditch the sword and skirt thing, or we’re going to have an issue here. Got it?”

He had the buckle on his sword band opened before she finished talking, and told himself he didn’t care where it dropped or how much damage it might suffer. He’d worry over his blade later. Her hands were behind her back fussing with her breast band thing, while Thanos yanked on the clasp at the back of his attire. He flipped the clasp open and his clothing fell off.

“Holy shit! I mean wow. On a major scale. Look at you. I’m
so
glad I have an imagination to die for.”

Her eyes were wide and she put a hand over her mouth. Thanos looked down and then back to her. And then he grinned as a jolt of pure energy slammed through him. And that was stupid. It wasn’t possible to hide his canines. He was just grateful she was looking elsewhere. But then she licked her lips, sending flames rocketing through him, and it didn’t matter what she saw. Thanos threw his head back and howled the reaction into the air.

The sound hadn’t finished throbbing through the entire cave when she slammed into him, wrapping not only her arms about his shoulders, but her legs went around his hips, locking her loins right to his. And if that wasn’t enough provocation, she was grinding against him, swamping him with cotton, and making everything go to a complete and total shudder. There wasn’t a chance he’d stay connected to the ground. He couldn’t. His entire body was adrift in an agony of frustration and craving, rinsed through with pure carnal need. They hovered several feet above the chamber as he grabbed the back of her clothing and yanked it apart.

“Wow. Oh...Thanos. Wow.”

Her murmured words were the spark to his ignition. Thanos lowered his head almost violently, maneuvering hers sideways to display her neck. To him. A bluish tinted line scored her skin, tapping with her pulse as it sent blood racing her veins. His arms locked. His legs were next. He had to have her.
Now
. His entire body was afire for her, but before he could act, she slammed against him, ramming his cock into her chasm. Hard. Deep.

By the gods!
She was incredibly tight. Unbelievably hot. Moist. Wrapping him in sensations that he hadn’t known existed. They couldn’t. There was no measure for such bliss. No description for it. Thanos shook with an experience few gained, or if they did, they lacked any talent at narrating. He’d never felt such a frenzy of passion, and with the next move he stabbed her neck, finding even more.

Lightning raced through him, shooting arcs of electricity everywhere. If he looked, he’d probably see them illuminating his cave. And still she hammered her body onto his, alternately sucking him into a vortex of sensation too vast to describe, and then shimmying back off. Again. And again. Gaining speed and intensity to her motions that threatened an eruption. And it was too soon. Not this way. Not with his goddess-mate.

Oh no. No.

Thanos locked his hands about her ass cheeks, clamping her into place in order to arch backward, uncaring where he landed, or how; even if it was in the space between an ottoman and sofa, slamming his back onto the uncarpeted floor. And he laughed soundlessly when it happened, because it hurt.