Vampire's Thirst (The Awakening Series) (2 page)

He was right, of course. Damn.

Atticus pushed to his feet, drawing Duncan’s attention. “I’m going to check on Natalie,” his second-in-command murmured. “And maybe get a bite to eat while I’m there.” He winked, then tipped his head toward the closed door that led into the hallway. “Kimber’s coming.”

Duncan caught her scent as the door swung open. He shot a glance at his friend. “Keep me posted.”

“You bet.” Atticus paused beside the redhead standing just inside the doorway and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Hey there, sweetheart.”

“Atticus.” She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Nat was looking for you.”

“I’m on my way to see her.” He closed the door behind him.

Kimber clicked the lock in place and walked toward Duncan.

He stood and moved around to the front of his desk, resting his buttocks on the edge, and watched her move farther into the room. She wore her usual T-shirt and jeans, both garments hugging her slim curves. His body reacted as it always did; his cock began to harden, his fangs elongated, and lust and love burned his eyes.

Her auburn hair fell to her shoulder blades, longer than it had been when this whole mess started, longer than when he’d first met her over a year ago. Her hazel eyes met his and a slow smile curved her full lips.

“I know that look,” he said in a low voice, and drew her into a loose embrace. Clasping his hands at the small of her back, he pulled her between his spread legs.

“What look would that be?” She pressed a kiss to his chin, his jaw, just beneath his ear. Her hands lifted, fingers threading through his hair, the light tugs zinging straight to his balls.

A shudder of need worked its way through his body. He took her mouth with his, deep, hard, a kiss of possession. Of being possessed. Breaking the kiss, he stared into her eyes. “The look that says you want me and mean to do something about it.”

“Damn straight. I just survived a food excursion and I need to celebrate being alive.” Her smile widened. “I’m here for a nooner.” She pressed her lips to the indent at the base of his throat. She undulated against him, her belly slowly grinding against his erection.

“It’s one o’clock in the morning,” he managed to say on a groan. Until Kimber, no woman had been able to drive his desire so high so fast.

“Well, since you don’t usually start work until after dark, and sunset was at eight-thirty, this is your noon.”

“I have a one-thirty appointment.” He cupped her ass and dragged her fully against him, letting her feel the rigid length of his cock against her belly. She moaned and deepened the kiss, driving her tongue into his mouth, winding it around his own in an ancient dance of pleasure and need. She leaned into him, pressing against the space between his legs, and he pulled her closer.

“This won’t take long,” she murmured against his lips. She yanked at the waistband of his pants, unbuttoning, unzipping, and getting his pants and underwear around his thighs so his hard cock sprang free. She gripped him, sliding her hand from base to tip and slipping her thumb across the sensitive tip.

He groaned. “Too many clothes,” he muttered, fingers working at the button at the waistband of her jeans. He wanted her naked. Now. He shoved her jeans and panties over her hips and pushed them to her ankles. She toed off her shoes, then kicked out of the garments pooled around her feet. With a wiggle and a smile, she drew her shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor.

Duncan made quick work of getting Kimber out of her bra and stared at her a moment. “God, you’re beautiful,” he rasped. He leaned forward and swiped his tongue over one of her nipples, then the other, and straightened to see them tighten into hard, puckered nubs. “Sit where I am,” he said, his voice rough as he moved to give her his place on the edge of the desk.

She arched a brow but did as he asked, perching on the wooden surface. “Okay, but I’m going to mess up your desk. I’m already wet.” She wriggled a bit, trying to get comfortable.

“I hope so.” He dragged a chair to where she sat, then even closer, settling between her splayed legs. As he took his place, he looked up at her for a moment, and it was clear she knew his intent. Already her breath came unsteadily as she moved closer to the edge to grant him greater access to the soft folds between her thighs. She leaned back, breasts thrusting up.

With his hands just inside her knees, he spread her legs wider and looked at the pussy before him. She was pink and wet and swollen.
His
. The musk of her desire perfumed the air, that sweetly spiced scent that was uniquely Kimber. He placed his thumbs on the outer lips of her sex and spread her open before he lowered his mouth to taste her. As he lazily traced her with the tip of his tongue, being careful not to nick her with his fangs, she gasped and jolted and gripped at the desktop. He covered her clit for a moment, sucking the sensitive bud of nerves into his mouth, rolling it gently between his teeth. Her gasps and moans grew louder, the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard.

“Duncan!” She bucked up into his mouth, demanding in her need. “Stop fooling around and make me come.”

Demands he ignored. He built her pleasure, taking her higher and higher, then backing off, before once more ratcheting up her passion until she fell apart in his arms. He left her clit and languidly licked her slit over and over. As he found a rhythm, stroking her entrance with firm swipes of his tongue, she lifted her hips against him, moaning, and propped up on her elbows.

He focused once more on her abandoned clit, swirling his tongue around the bud first with light pressure, then increasing it bit by bit, swipe by swipe until she was shaking, just on the edge of orgasm.

With a moan of his own, he sucked her hard and pressed two fingers deep into her sheath. She dropped flat on her back, her hips lifting off his desk, a scream of pleasure erupting from her throat that likely was heard throughout the complex. Her hips bucked. He continued his sensual torment even after her butt rested once more against the desk, her breasts rising with her gulping breaths. Only when she was finally still did he push the chair back and stand.

Before he could turn her over to take her from behind, she slid off the desk. “I want you inside me.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “Now. I want to ride you.”

Even as he wondered anew at her aggression, in this instance he thought it wasn’t such a bad thing. He grinned and went down on his knees, then his back. She came down over him, knees on either side of his hips. One slender hand gripped his erection and pointed it where she wanted him. She dropped onto him, taking him deep with one smooth movement. She cried out and bucked with a second orgasm almost immediately. He clasped her hips, holding her where he wanted her, and thrust up, fighting his way in and out of her swollen flesh with no thought beyond wanting to explode with blinding release. The base of his spine tingled and his balls drew up tight against his body. At the moment his orgasm gripped him, his release jetting into her wet heat, he reared up and sank his fangs into the softness of her throat. She jerked and cried out, but as the pain of the bite faded, she gave a low, needy moan.

Her blood tasted rich and sweet.
His
. This incredible woman was his.

Slender fingers clutched at him, nails digging into his shoulders. The slight sting of pain enhanced his passion, and he drank a little deeper. She moaned with pleasure, another climax rocketing through her. When it was done, he licked over her wound and wrapped his arms around her, holding her naked body close, clinging to her. For these few brief moments, his heart beat and his body and mind soared with pleasure so powerful he could do nothing more than shudder against her.

“I love you.” Her words were so soft he almost missed them. And that was saying something, since as a vampire he had a heightened sense of hearing.

Keeping his cock firmly embedded in her slick channel, he gently pushed her shoulders back so he could look into her eyes. Sliding his hands from her shoulders, he cupped her face. Her lovely, sweet face. “That’s the first time you’ve said it,” he said, and dropped a kiss against the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes were dark, glittering with an emotion he couldn’t decipher. It was almost like…anger. Maybe even hate. But he didn’t sense those emotions from her. All he felt was affection. And the love she professed.

“You’ve never said it, either,” she said, her voice soft yet still holding a thin thread of steel.

He frowned. “Sure I have.”

She shook her head. “No, you haven’t. I’ve been listening very hard for those three words, and you’ve never said them.”

“I’ve felt them, Kimber.” Duncan kissed her, a lingering melding of lips, of hearts. “I do love you. So much.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. She yawned, her breasts rubbing against his shirt. After a few minutes she lifted off him, and he let loose a growl of complaint at the sense of loss he felt when his cock left the haven of her body. She gave him a saucy grin and a quick kiss on one corner of his mouth. “You want more, you’ll have to come across the hall.” She got to her feet and stared down at him, passion written all over her face and in the tense stance of her slender body. “You should come with me now. I want you again.”

He wished he could, but his next appointment was important. He shook his head as he stood. He righted his clothing, tucked his cock into his pants, and zipped up. “I have a meeting with Xavier. I can’t cancel it.”

Annoyance and that ever-present aggression flashed in her eyes, turning the hazel to a vibrant green before she tamped it down with an effort he could see. “I know,” she said, her eyes hazel once more. She took a breath, as if fighting for control, and pressed a slender hand to his cheek. “I realize this partnership is important. If we can establish a safe corridor between here and Cleveland, all of us will be more secure and better able to get supplies.”

He helped her get dressed, though it took longer than it would have if she’d been on her own. Every few seconds he had to pause to stroke and kiss. When she was finally clothed, she seemed to have her emotions under control. With a teasing expression, she clucked her tongue and stared at him. “You didn’t even take off any of your clothes.”

He grinned. “That’s the advantage men have, I suppose.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, when you decide to come to bed, you may find that advantage won’t work for you there.” She went on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss against his mouth, then moved away. Heading toward the door, she sent him a look over her shoulder that was full of promise. “See you later.”

“Count on it.”

After she’d gone, Duncan walked back around his desk and sat down. He could feel the grin on his face and knew he probably looked like a lovesick sap, but he didn’t care.

She loved him.

Finally, Kimber Treat loved him.

K
imber retreated to the quarters she shared with Duncan. Giving a nod to the two vampires who guarded their suite, she twisted the knob and pushed open the door. After she closed it behind her, she leaned against it for a moment, rolling her forehead over the cool surface while she tried to fight the aggression that threatened to once again boil over. Eyes scrunched shut, palms pressed hard against the smooth metal surface, she clenched her jaw and drew a deep breath through her nose. Slow exhale. Another breath in. And out. Again.

She would not give in to the swirl of dark energy living inside her. She
couldn’t
give in. To give in would admit defeat. Would grant dominance to the Unseen—that shadowy place where all life began and ended, the supernatural realm that she tapped into for the power of necromancy—and she had no intention of doing that. Ever.

She only needed to find a way to get it out of her. That had to be why she was being so aggressive lately. And getting worse every day. Whatever had animated the dead and brought about the apocalypse had left a sliver inside her, a force she hadn’t really felt until she’d used her ability to put down some zombies. It had taken a lot out of her and left something behind. Something dark. Something menacing.

Something that wanted to be free, but she sensed it didn’t want to rejoin the greater Unseen. No, it wanted to wreak havoc here in the human realm.

And it planned to use her to do it. Whatever
it
was.

She pushed away from the door and collapsed onto the thickly cushioned dark leather sofa in the living room. With a sigh, she toed off her athletic shoes. Leaning her head against the back of the couch, she lifted her legs to rest her heels on top of the glass and chrome coffee table. Duncan’s decorating sense was much more sleek and modern than she preferred, and while she had moved in with him, she hadn’t gotten around to redecorating anything even though he’d given her permission. There was still plenty of furniture stored in the basement in an area that wasn’t needed for any other use at the moment.

She loved him and wanted to believe that he loved her, but she wasn’t quite there yet. She just couldn’t shut up that soul-sucking inner voice:
If he knew everything that was going on with you, he’d walk away. If he only knew how often you want to reach out and hurt someone for no other reason than that you can, he might not be as enamored with you.

Oh, sure, he was a vampire and leaned toward violent tendencies himself, but it was something else entirely when your human girlfriend started bitch-slapping people around. When he’d bitten her throat to drink her blood, part of her had wanted to knock him away so
she
could bite
him
. Not for his blood, but for the violence of the act. Then when he’d refused to cancel his appointment with Xavier Vachon, even though she knew it was important, she’d wanted to strike out at him.

What the hell was wrong with her?

A knock at the door sounded. One of the guards, his voice muffled by the closed door, said, “Ms. Treat, Natalie’s here to see you.”

Kimber sighed. Since she’d put herself on the same schedule as Duncan, she felt like she hardly ever got to be by herself anymore. If she wanted to spend time with her lover, she had to work when he did so they were off together. And since vampires were nocturnal, she’d rearranged her schedule accordingly.

She really wanted to ignore her visitor, but this was her best friend, and she would always make time for Natalie. She got to her feet and went to the door. Pulling it open, she scowled at the guard on her left, a big brute of a man who stood at least six and a half feet tall with a face that looked like it had been on the losing side of one too many fights. “Leon, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Kimber?” she asked.

His only response was a shrug.

Natalie laughed and threw an arm around Kimber’s shoulders. “Don’t even try, hon. I hooked him up with his donor and he still insists on calling me Ms. Lafontaine.” She snickered and sauntered through the door.

“It is a sign of respect,” he said, his tone reflecting tolerance at repeating the argument against using their first names. “You are the two highest ranking females here. It would be inappropriate for me to be too familiar with you.”

Kimber heaved a sigh and shook her head. “Leon, we kill zombies together. Trust me. Being too familiar with me is
not
when you use my first name. It’s when you know the color of my underwear.”

A slight flush of pink tinged his chiseled cheeks.

“Dear God, Kimber.” Natalie snorted. Her blue eyes twinkled with suppressed humor. “Only you could make a vampire blush.”

Taking pity on the uncomfortable guard, she gave him a wink and pushed the door shut. She plopped down on the sofa again and kicked up her feet. “Is this a friendly visit or are we gonna talk shop?”

“Oh, it’s a friendly visit for sure, ’cause you’re my friend, but we need to talk about work.”

“You want coffee or anything?”

Natalie shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

“So, how are things working out between you and Atticus?” Kimber watched her friend closely. If she found out the vampire was mistreating her, the bitch-slapping would start with him. And she’d have a reason.

“Okay.” When Kimber raised her eyebrows, Natalie grimaced. “We’re fine, really. It’s just…” She heaved a sigh. “It’s only blood. I mean, we aren’t, you know.” She shifted around on the couch.

“You aren’t having sex. Is that what you’re trying to tell me in a completely rational, adult way?” Kimber pressed her lips together to hold back a grin.

“Yes.” Natalie’s arch look dared Kimber to comment further. She spoiled it by laughing. “I can’t even imagine having sex with him. Really, he’s so intimidating, don’t you think?”

“He’s sex on a stick,” Kimber retorted. “If I weren’t with Duncan, I could totally do Atticus.”

“‘Do’ him? Now who’s describing sex like an adult?”

Kimber raised her hand with a smirk. “That’d be me.” She sobered and folded her arms over her chest. “Seriously, though, how are things between you two?”

“They’re fine. Really. I think he’d have sex with me in a heartbeat, so to speak, if I let him know I was interested. But I’m still in love with Aodhán. Until I know for sure that nothing’s going to happen with him and me, I can’t move forward with Atticus or anyone else. I’d feel like I was cheating.” Her full lips turned down in a soft frown.

“It’s not like he made any promises.” Kimber changed her position, sitting cross-legged to face her friend. “He said goodbye. Not ‘see you later,’ or ‘see you around,’ or ‘I’ll be back, please wait for me.’”

Natalie’s sigh held a wealth of heartbreak. “Especially not ‘wait for me.’” She gave a sad one-shouldered shrug. “And it’s not like he ever told me he loved me. ’Course, I didn’t tell him, either. I thought we had more time.” Her hard laugh was as brittle as shattered glass. “Wasn’t that stupid? We’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, for cryin’ out loud. Either one of us could have died at any time. Me more so than him.”

“And he knew that, too, Nat.” Kimber leaned forward and took her friend’s hands in hers. She tightened her grip around Natalie’s cold fingers. “He could have said something.” He
should
have said something. Why were men wired to not talk about their feelings? It didn’t matter if they were human, vampire, or fey. It was damned frustrating.

“Maybe…” Natalie drew her hands away and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Maybe he didn’t love me. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part.” She blinked fast, clearly trying to stem the tide of tears pooling in her eyes.

Okay, so maybe the bitch-slapping would start with that punk-assed fairy Aodhán the next time she saw him. She loved him like a brother, but the dude was messing with her best friend. “Listen, I’m not going to tell you what to do.” She ignored Natalie’s mumbled “Since when?” to say, “Only you can decide your future. But think about this: Aodhán’s only been gone a month. It’s possible he could come back at any time.”

“He said he was going to check on his people. That takes a month?”

Kimber spread her hands. “Time moves differently in the fey realm. Slower. It may have only been a day in fey time since he’s been gone.”

“Really?”

Kimber grimaced at Natalie’s hopeful look. “I don’t know for sure. He tried to explain it to me once, very scientifically, and my head about exploded. I just know a lot more time has passed here than there.”

Natalie heaved another sigh. “Well, I guess even if it’s been a month same as here, I owe him more time. I owe
myself
more time. I’d hate to get involved with Atticus and have Aodhán show up.” She met Kimber’s gaze. “Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Atticus. He’s a good guy, even if he is a biter.”

Kimber laughed. “You sound like I did a few months ago with my phobia about Duncan biting me.”

“Yeah, well, it still makes me a little nervous when I see those fangs coming toward my arm. Still, I don’t mind giving him blood directly from the source, not really.”

They fell silent, each in their own thoughts, until Natalie said, “Okay, now onto business.” She kicked her shoes off and leaned against the arm of the sofa. Pulling her knees up, she loosely clasped her hands in front of her shins, resting her feet on the couch. “We got several new donor recruits in today. I’ve completed the initial interviews, and for the most part they seem relieved to be here. A little scared, but that’s to be expected.”

“They’ll meet with Atticus tomorrow?”

Natalie nodded. “And probably Duncan as well. They’ll want to assure the newcomers that the human living quarters are off-limits to all but a few vampires and that those vamps pose no danger to them.”

“Do you have any immediate insights on pairings?”

Her friend tipped her head to one side and pursed her lips. “Maybe. There’s a blonde I think would put up with Leon’s formality, maybe even get him to loosen up a little.” She grinned. “She’s feisty.”

“Poor Leon.” Kimber smiled, and the two of them laughed.

“There’s more, and it’s really interesting.” Natalie paused, chewing on her lower lip.

Kimber raised an eyebrow. “Will we get to the interesting part soon? Or are you on fey time?”

Natalie’s lips twitched in a grin. “Two of them say they’re necromancers.”

Kimber’s heart sped up. “Really?” Excited at the thought of having someone else around who was like her, she wanted to go down right away to meet them, talk to them about everything. She paused as another emotion hit her. What if they were
better
than her? God knew they had to be lighter and fluffier than her, what with her holding evil incarnate inside of her. At least it felt that way most of the time. She looked at Natalie. “What did you think of them?” she asked.

Natalie drew in a breath. “I didn’t pick up any negative vibes, if that’s what you mean. They seemed okay. They want to meet you.”

Just like that, Kimber’s temper flared. She jumped to her feet with a low-throated growl. “Well, of course they want to meet the renowned Kimber Treat, vampire lover and bringer of apocalypses. Damn it!”

Natalie frowned. “I’m pretty sure they don’t think that, Kimber. They weren’t disrespectful or mean or anything.”

“Well, they wouldn’t be to you, would they? You decide if they get to stay or not, more so than me.”

“You’re the girlfriend of the vampire king, sweetie.” Natalie stood, her frown growing deeper. “I think that rank beats mine, which is only friend of the girlfriend of the vampire king.”

Make that the
only
friend, and it was a pretty accurate statement. At that realization, Kimber’s mad lost its steam. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she looked at Natalie, the other woman still wore an expression of concern, so Kimber hastened to reassure her. “I’m fine, Nat. Just pitching a small hissy, that’s all. I’m tired, I guess. It’s dark outside and my body thinks I should be sleeping, not running around doing…things.”

“Things” being her boinking the leader of the vampires while he was supposed to be working. Other than keeping Duncan satisfied in bed, Kimber had no real function here at the compound. Except to try to figure out how to stop the apocalypse. Since it was supernatural in nature and not viral, the zombies kept on coming. As long as people were stupid enough or unlucky enough to get bitten, the hordes continued to increase. Only by pushing the Unseen back into itself would the “contagion” be neutralized.

She hadn’t had much luck in doing that. Oh, she’d been able to put down a few zombies, but at such physical risk to herself that Duncan had finally ordered her to stop trying. He seemed fine with the idea that connecting Akron and Cleveland with a protected corridor would be the new reality, and the rest of the world could go to hell.

She just wasn’t ready to give up yet.

“Well, there’s nothing that says I can’t go down and say howdy to the newcomers.” She paused and grimaced. “Oh. Do you think they’re still up?” At Natalie’s shrug, Kimber said, “Well, I’ll find out, I guess, when I get down there.” As she headed for the door, she glanced at Natalie, who was right behind her. “You’re coming, too?”

Her friend covered a yawn and shook her head. “Knock yourself out, friend. I’m going to bed.” She walked out the door and said, “Oh, their names are Maggie and Jason.”

In the hallway the two women headed in opposite directions. Kimber went down to the lobby and headed toward the service stairs that would take her to the basement level where the non-paired humans were housed. As usual, there were vampire guards at that door, too.

“Fellas,” she greeted. “I’m going down to meet the newbies, if that’s all right.”

“Of course,” one of them replied. He punched in the code, keeping it hidden with his other hand, and pushed open the door for her.

“Thanks, Al.” She gave both guards a jaunty smile and went down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she looked out over the large open area that served as a common room. Along one wall were a couple of old pinball machines and a foosball table. A Ping-Pong table was nearby, and next to it was a billiard table. Another wall was covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that were crammed with books of every genre, thanks to the Akron-Summit County Public Library system.