Текст книги "Wicked Surrender"
Автор книги: T. A. Grey
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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 9 страниц)
Chapter Six
Ariss wore her golden blond hair free and flowing down her shoulders today. Though what she just said detracted Vera’s opinion of her and her beauty by a lot.
“What do you mean you own a part of Kategan land?”
Her smile was that of a cat about to drink a saucer of cream. “My master, Claude Phelans, recently found these documents locked away in a safe at the manor. Deeds, in fact, that clearly shows that one thousand, eighty four acres of your land is actually ours.”
Vera’s mouth refused to shut. “Impossible. That’s been Kategan land—our land—for over a hundred years now.”
“Well it seems that we know differently now.”
This couldn’t be happening. “No way. And your Master Claude just happened to find these deeds now? What was he cleaning out the attic? Never mind, I want to see the deeds.”
Ariss smiled and shook her head sympathetically. “Here they are.”
Vera read over them with a sickening feeling filling her stomach. The deed was much longer than it was wide. It was the color of parchment and felt rough beneath her fingertips.
She read the yellow document twice trying to look for any flaw. It all looked legit, but didn’t they have lawyers for this kind of thing? She barely kept her hand from shaking as she passed the deed to Dmetri who read it with a scowl then passed it to a big man sitting to the right of him.
His name was Brayden, and he was the lead judge in all matters, and the lead counsel to the Justicars; his was say was final in all judicial matters whether vampire or lykaen. The future of the Kategan pack was no in his hands–literally.
“We’ll have to verify this, of course,” Brayden said. He had the voice of a man who was used to leading armies into battle. “Our Justicars will be able to trace the legitimacy of the document. Let’s not make any rulings on this yet, not until we have sufficient proof back. From there we will discuss how much land the Kategan’s have right to.”
Vera heard herself reply but numbness fogged over her mind and body. She watched everything happen around her as if from outside her own body. The meeting adjourned and Jacks slipped up beside her like some white knight and rescued her back to the bedroom where the fog finally drifted away and she returned to her body.
“She’s going to take our land.”
Jacks crossed his arms in a way that meant he was all business. His eyes grew so serious that lines bracketed his eyes and mouth. He had to be only in his early thirties yet he held such character in his hard face. What had put that there? War, the military, or something else?
“How many acres do you own?”
“One thousand two hundred acres. If she steals our land will leave us with only one hundred and sixteen. It’ll ruin us.”
She buried her face in her hands and fought the wave of hot tears that wanted to escape. A million thoughts whirled in her mind. How was she going to tell her family? How was the pack going to deal with this? It was impossible, there simply wasn’t enough space.
“Is her deed real?” asked Jacks.
“I wouldn’t think so. I mean, the Kategan’s have been there since the 1800s. How can they just now come out and say this?”
Jacks contemplated that. “What happens if the deed proves true and you refuse to give up your land?”
“We go to war with the vampires.”
“Then you need to call Vane.”
She stood and started pacing. “Not yet. His mate is pregnant. They don’t need this now. Besides, he’ll freak out and with his attitude, he might just start the war. No, no. This situation needs to be finessed. God, why does this room have to be so small?”
She paced from one side to the other muttering curses under her breath. Burning liquid still hadn’t dissipated from her eyes and if she didn’t get out of here soon then she was going to explode. Why had she wanted to come here? She must be insane. Her next home was definitely going to have the word asylum in it.
Frustration driving her hard, she rounded on Jacks. “Okay, listen to me, human. I need to walk this off before I take someone’s head off and considering the proximity, it will probably be yours. No phone calls to the Kategan’s, no telling anyone about this until I have a plan, okay? If shit gets too dire then I’ll call, but until then no.”
His hand reached out to cup her cheek in a touch so achingly gentle; she fumbled over her next words. Much softer she said, “I need to walk, okay. By myself. Just give me thirty minutes and I’ll be right back, but I really can’t be around you right now.” Her voice broke and one tear escaped, then another. She looked down at her feet as she wiped away the stupid things. Could she be any lamer?
It was his stupid gentle touch. Why did he have to do that? She heard movement, and then she was wrapped in his arms. This was not the aggressive, hard touch she’d felt earlier in the woods, or the urgent hands she felt last night in bed. No, this time he simply held her. Even with her arms down at her sides in tight fists, it felt good. His warm chest heated her cold skin and in a spark of irony made her feel like things were going to be fine.
She pulled back and kept her face down, too afraid to his face. “I’ll be back soon,” she said and escaped from him.
She had no idea if he’d follow her or not, so she waited at the end of the hall for a minute. When he didn’t come, she sighed and kept going. She walked down the main staircase and headed to the library. It was always a place she’d found refuge in while she lived here. The halls of the mansion were as familiar to her as the much less luxurious ones in her own small house.
She sighed in relief to find the library empty. Not a bit had changed in it either. The lush red carpet flowed all the way to the wide wooden staircase, which spiraled once to the second floor balcony. The balcony was always her favorite, and she found herself moving towards it. Books lined the walls of the balcony in massive mahogany bookcases and above them sat tall glass windows that displayed the thunderstorm brewing outside.
Lightning cracked and struck through the sky as Vera took her old seat at the one windowsill in the corner. It was the only space without a bookshelf and the window sat low enough for her to see out of it. She used to pick up a book and come read here until Dmetri would come find her.
Her heart gave a leap but it didn’t hurt as much as before. Was this what it took to get over him? To come here and talk to him? She’d avoided the yearly treaty meetings since things had ended between them. Until Jacks, she hadn’t had sex except with her breeding cycle partner. A single, male friend of hers who was always willing to help her out during her cycle.
Curling her feet under her, her mind strayed to the handsome human. Never in a million years would she have pictured herself liking a human, and there was no kidding herself, she did like him. She liked the way he stood in a room and drew all the faces to him without saying a word. She liked the way he watched the surroundings wherever he was. He’d done it even when she first met him back Rome’s place. He made her feel safe, protected. And when he touched her...it was like fireworks exploding inside her.
She tried to control herself around him, especially her heart, but the damned thing had a mind of its own. She’d given herself openly, freely to Dmetri and he’d broken her heart into little unfixable pieces. The wall she’d erected around her heart was there for her own protection. Yet every minute with Jacks was beating at that wall with a sledgehammer.
The scent in the air changed. Vera cocked her head to the side, a flare of silly hope filling her. Then she caught the scent of it: cold blood. Dmetri came up the stairs with the stride of a confident man and the limber grace of a cat. Her blossoming heart withered at the sight of his pale long hair.
She was already up and walking away, when he stopped her.
“Dammit Vera, wait. I need to talk to you.” Whatever it was she didn’t want to hear it. He caught her gently by the arm and turned her. His eyes tracked over her eyes, nose, then mouth before his lips curled into a frown. “You were crying.”
Shit, she’d forgotten about that. Why did the body have to be so revealing in times of pain? “Just a little. What do you want?” She yanked her arm out of his touch.
“I wanted to tell you that the situation with Ariss smells bad.”
“That’s probably just her perfume,” she said before she could stop herself.
He burst out laughing, and Vera wished she hadn’t said anything. The only redeeming quality she had was that his laughter no longer affected her like it used to. It used to light up her day when she did that, now she felt no stirring, just indifference. It was...nice.
“No, you know that’s not what I mean. Something’s really wrong with this. There’s no way her clan or Master Claude have owned a significant part of your land all this time. I’m going to call my friend at the Justicar’s office and make sure that all the right people get their hands on the deed.”
Vera pulled back. “Wait now, I don’t want anything illegal happening with the Kategan name anywhere near it. That’s just stomping out one pile of shit for another.”
He shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m making sure the people I trust looks at the deed and verify it. Just in case they have someone working there.”
“Oh, well, thank you. I appreciate that.”
“I know this must be really hard for you.” Vera barely refrained from rolling her eyes. She wished she hadn’t decided to leave the bedroom after all.
“Yeah, well, thanks.” He didn’t miss her inattention or the fact that she was edging her way back to the staircase.
“Listen, I can see the way you watch the human. It’s...odd to be sure, but I’m not going to pursue you anymore. You were right. I had my chance and I messed up, but neither one of us deserve that kind of relationship.”
Uncomfortable, Vera crossed her arms and started down the stairs. “Thanks for that.”
“Hold on, there was...something else I needed to tell you.”
Don’t grind your teeth, it’s bad for them, she thought and turned around. “What?” She didn’t quite snap at him, but it was close.
She saw him fight a grin, but then he turned serious. Oh, shit, this must be bad. He came and stopped in front of her. Vera wanted to smile, because his presence did absolutely nothing to her. A year ago, she probably would have begged him to take her back, or slapped him for dumping her. But now, all she felt was...freedom. For a second, she heard Mel Gibson in Braveheart yelling freedom!
“It’s about when I brought you that bottle of wine.”
“What about it?” She stiffened. As if she could forget the first night she’d lain with Jacks.
She saw him hesitate and look away. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck then finally muttered, “I laced it with blood.”
Vera arm swung out before she could stop it. The crack of her hand on his skin echoed in the library. His eye twitched but he did nothing.
Hands curling into fists, her arms shook with the suppressed need to hit him again. “Let me get this straight. You put vampire’s blood in my wine. The same wine that I drank half a bottle of in one night.”
His eyes widened with alarm, and his Russian accent thickened until his consonants were running together. “Shit, you drank that much of it. Vera, after I heard you with the human—”
“Jacks,” she interrupted. “His name is Jacks, not human.” He looked at her for a moment then nodded.
“When I heard you with him I was upset, but I was still hoping that you’d come drink it with me.”
Her arm shut out again, striking his opposite cheek. Her nostrils flared as she watched the spot of red bloom on his pale cheek to match the other one. It was the least of what he deserved. She also knew he could have stopped her if he wanted to, but he let her hit him.
A drop of vampire blood was an aphrodisiac, coupled with the effects of the alcohol and it was nearly a sure killer to get laid. A part of her knew he hadn’t meant it to be sinister—that in fact, they used to drink the very same thing together, and then make love all night, but they weren’t together now.
“I wanted to see if you’d come back to me.”
“Well I didn’t want to then and I don’t now.” With stunning clarity, she realized she meant that. If he’d asked her back, even with the wine and old memories, she’d have told him no. “Why did you even tell me this, Dmetri?”
He looked away. “Because I felt bad. I wasn’t going to give you the bottle after you said you didn’t want to walk with me, but you took it from my damn hand. I didn’t know what to do. I sure as hell didn’t want to tell you what was in there. Your human, I mean Jacks, might have had a fit.”
Vera smiled at the thought of Jacks going after Dmetri for her honor, and he would have. Feeling better for the first time since the meeting, she waved goodbye and went to find Jacks.
Chapter Seven
Jacks had already finished cleaning his Glock and was sharpening his KA-BAR knife when Vera returned. Not following her had been one of the hardest challenges in his life and he didn’t know what to make of it.
She looked better, the tears had dried up from her face, and color had returned to her cheeks. God she was beautiful. It hurt him just to look at her. She wasn’t model beautiful either. Well, maybe she was but he didn’t know jack shit about that. He knew that the more he looked at her, the more beautiful she became.
He liked the way her coffee-colored hair fell just to her chin and how her bangs stopped just above her eyebrows. It made her look sophisticated and out of his league all at the same time. He felt a tic form under his right eye and silently he cursed himself.
What the fuck was happening to him? His gut felt tight and unsure like he’d eaten something bad, and his heartbeat faster every time she was around him. He was probably just getting old, a fucking heart attack waiting to happen.
It didn’t that she was still wearing one of those damn dresses she seemed to like so much. His dick pulsed in his jeans and he kicked a leg out to ease the pressure. There was something about her he hadn’t figured out. There was much about her he had. Like that she’d loved that vampire Dmetri, hell anyone could see that. She’d worn it in her hurt eyes so easily.
But now he could see it was gone. He’d seen the change in her this afternoon as she’d yelled at the blond vampire. He’d been so proud of her, he’d wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her good and long. Course, he got to do more than that later.
More tightening pressure in his groin and he was forced to kick out his other leg or risk cutting off all blood to his cock.
Shit, maybe that’s what he needed. That or a swim in the Arctic Ocean.
He also knew that she was alone. She looked so sad all the time, but the second someone started talking to her she plastered on a sarcastic smile and fake personality. Why’d she do it? Those were questions he burned to get an answer for, but first there was something driving him.
He watched her pour a glass of water and settle into a chair in front of the empty fireplace; Jacks crossed to her and took the seat next to her. She glanced at him for the first time since returning and Jacks didn’t miss the nervous darting of her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her thing eyebrows lifted past her bangs and her blue eyes peeked quickly at him then fluttered away. “Nothing’s wrong. Except the whole Kategan losing their land thing.” She shrugged as if to say ‘no biggie.’ Jacks relaxed in the chair, kicking his legs out in front of him to relieve that damned bulge in his crotch. Fucking dick never listened. If it had, he wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with and Rome’s mate wouldn’t have been cut up like Zorro went at her.
He didn’t miss the fact that Vera watched his legs then trailed up them to stop at his cock that was trying to push its way out of his zipper. Her cheeks flushed and he would have given a tooth to know what she was thinking at that moment. He knew what he was thinking: her sweet little tongue sucking his cock, right now with her between his legs.
“I know that’s bothering you, but that’s not what I meant. Something else happened while you were gone.”
She glanced away from him and scoffed. “And you guessed that because you spent some time working with Ms. Cleo and some of her psychic abilities rubbed off on you?”
“No, because when you came back the tears were dried up, but your back was so rigid it was a wonder your spine didn’t snap.” She turned and glared at him. This man had a knack for details that drove her past frustration and into gonna-start-slapping mode.
“Well aren’t you a regular Sherlock Holmes.” He didn’t even crack a smile, just stared at her, waiting. Sighing heavily, she shook her head and said, “If you must know then Dmetri and I had a little talk.”
She must be evil because a delicious feminine thrill flared inside her when his eyes darkened with anger, and his hands curled into loose fists. She could easily envision him wielding that big knife she’d seen him sharpening and carrying that shiny black gun on the table with intimate familiarity.
“About what,” he said between clenched teeth. She smiled at him, actually smiled. Not that fake one either, but a beautiful, thrilled smile that made his heart feel weird in his chest.
“About how he drugged that wine he gave me with an aphrodisiac.” He nearly threw himself out of the chair, but then she was on top of him in the blink of an eye.
Her eyes were glowing, not brightly, but a dim glow that reminded him of catching a deer in the headlights. He caught her hips in his hands as she crawled over his body, wrapping her arms around his neck and rubbing her cheek across his stubble like a cat. She’s lykaen not human. It was a little too late to have reservations about that now, dipshit.
“God damn,” he said, his throat so dry it was a croak. She rubbed her hands through his short hair and it took every ounce of his will not to roll his eyes into the back of his head. She was trying to distract him. Fuck that.
“What was in the aphrodisiac?”
“Vampire blood.”
His arms looped around her waist and brought her flush against his big chest. She gave a soft little sigh and snuggled into him. Damn she smelled good, felt good. He wanted to lift up her dress and feel all the glorious skin that he knew was baby soft, but he needed to know something first. Something that had been driving him crazy all day.
“Why didn’t you want me to take you from behind today?” She stiffened so quickly against him; it took a second for his mind to register the change. The soft woman he’d been holding now felt like a block of ice. She started to pull away so he snatched her wrists to keep her there, locking his arm tight around her. And she fought him, he could feel her using her strength to push against him...testing him. When she finally lifted her gaze to his it was hard—all the heat of the moment gone like a blown-out match.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Yes it is. I’m here to protect you, which makes it my business. There’s something between us, which also makes it my business. And I want to be inside you right now, which really makes it my business. I swear I’m not going to leave you alone about this until you tell me.”
She looked away, rolling her eyes. “There’s nothing between us right now but your ego.”
“Bullshit,” he said holding her closer, forcing her down into his arms. “Don’t lie to me, Vera. I don’t know what this is, I’ve never felt this before, and I’ve felt a lot in my life. Fear, horror, pain, shock, but this...I know you feel it too. Tell why you didn’t want me to.”
It was an order if she’d ever heard one. And she didn’t know what it was. It could have been his order, his persistence, her worry over the Kategan land, or some evil fairy sitting on her shoulder goading her, but she looked away and told the truth.
“Dmetri used to be aggressive in bed. I loved it. I think...I craved it.” His whole body clenched beneath hers and she rushed to finish. He was so much like an Alpha that she to keep reminding herself he was only human. “Now I know it wasn’t him. I loved him. I let myself go with him completely, gave him everything I had, and it wasn’t enough. He didn’t want me anymore and...” Somehow, she kept her voice soft and low.
“Since him I’ve never let a man dominate me in bed or anywhere else. It was in bed that I lost a piece of myself to him.” She laughed, the sound unsteady and high. “I used to always be so afraid to let myself go, completely, sexually. With Dmetri, I got to do that, I got to give the reigns of control over to him. I guess a part of me is afraid that if I lose that control again, it will just happen all over again. I really don’t think I could survive two broken hearts.”
This time when she pulled away, he let her go.
She went to the window and watched the night sky rain. It beat against the window, filling the room with dull tings.
Jacks’ mind was processing her words at the rate of a dialup connection. His heart was heavy in his chest yet beating fast like he’d been running. He wished like hell there was a training manual on what to do in this situation. He was left with no choice but to listen to his instincts. He strode to the window, spun her around, and caught her against him.
It was as if she’d been waiting for him this whole time. She wrapped her arms around his neck like he was her lifeline. He’d always been an honest man; it was something his mom had taught him from a young age.
So when he cupped her cheek, tilted her lips towards his, and said, “You can trust me. I don’t know how or why yet, but I know that I’m not going to leave you alone. There’s something about you that’s captured me. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to find it, figure it out, and along the way I’m going to learn every inch of your body.”
Vera shook her head in desperation. “No, no, no.” She was still repeating the word when he bent down and captured her lips in a hard, dizzying kiss.
He let up for air, pushing her back against the wall. His big, rough hand found the edge of her dress and was lifting it, then he was touching her bare bottom with a greedy, hungry touch. The ache inside her deepened and bloomed.
“Yes, baby. Yes. You know this is something, right here between us, don’t deny it.” He leaned down to her ear and in a ragged voice said, “I hate liars, baby.” She couldn’t think with him touching her. His hands were on both off her ass cheeks, squeezing and keeping her close with his possessive touch.
The tip of his finger slid between her cheeks and only the strap of her thong saved her from his intimate, brandishing touch.
“You are all about control, aren’t you baby? I see it in everything you do. Hell, it’s even in the perfect way you make the bed every day all crisp and fucking neat. You could have been a good soldier baby. But this right here,” he said against the speeding pulse at her neck, “Tell me, did Dmetri claim this part of you too?” He stroked a finger over her tight anus and she gasped, clinging tight to his shoulders.
She tried to find words, but sensations were ricocheting through her body, and her mind was receiving dirty images of Jacks’ cock sliding in her ass. Her pussy clamped tight and her nipples formed into little hard pebbles.
He groaned, and rubbed her tender opening back and forth, soft but demanding. “I take your silence as answer.” He found her mouth again, his single finger still possessing her with his teasing caress. He thrust his tongue inside her, claiming her. She kissed him back with a hungry sound.
When he finally pulled back from her wet lips, his finger was still there, rubbing a little harder.
“I’m going to take you here, Vera. I’m going to make you feel something you’ve never felt. You’re going to love it, too. You’re going to come with my cock in your ass, and then I’m going to fill you full.”
His husky, dark words ended with the sound of zipper being pulled down. Vera didn’t know which of them did it, didn’t care so long as his cock was free. Her thong was shoved to the side as he wrapped one slender thigh around his waist, and then his cock nudged her wet, soft pussy and stabbed inside.
Mutual groans filled the room as ecstasy made a home in their bodies. Cursing, his hand wrapped in her hair, hold her still for his kiss as he shoved into her with a brutal rhythm that slammed her back and butt into the wall with each thrust. She loved the rough way he took her, the way his cock spread her open and filled her deep.
“So you’re wet and soft. Never felt anything like it.” His cock stoked the fire inside her, moved her towards a peak so high she was afraid she’d never get there or never come back down.
A new pressure below registered through her muddied mind. His thick finger, still in the cleft of her cheeks, teased her bare opening, then pushed a fraction inside. Vera gasped as his finger retreated then pushed back in just a little farther. It was a filling, sexy touch, and the new sensation sent her soaring towards her release.
Vera’s body froze for one slow, endless moment of time, and then her hips rocked and shook, sending his finger deep, his cock deeper inside. Her pussy clamped down on his hard cock, milking, sucking as her orgasm shattered through her body until she could feel it from her head down to her curling toes.
When it was done, she realized he wasn’t finished. He was moving again, even harder than before, spurred on by her creamy orgasm. His hand moved from her hair down to the base of her neck to cup her possessively, like an Alpha. Then his lips found the delicate skin of her throat and nipped at her as his cock tunneled through her soft, tight pussy with eager, quick thrusts.
She could feel his approaching orgasm by the swelling of his cock inside her. She relished the thought of him shooting deep inside her. The finger down below retreated, circled around her own cream seeping out from her pussy, and he used that soft wetness to push his finger inside her anus and didn’t stop until his finger was all the way in.
Vera moaned high, panicked, feeling completely consumed as his cock and finger filled her so deep and wide. Oh God, she’d never even thought about this. Had never known it could feel so good. She panted as he slowly pulled that finger in and out, in and out. She knew what was happening, what he was doing to her, even as it stunned her.
Her breathing grew fast and shallow, and her eyes closed so that the only thing she had left to do was feel his cock shoving through her tight pussy and his finger moving faster, faster. Her hips jerked hard as an orgasm ripped through her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, and he growled against her throat, greedily pressing more of those delicious licks and nips there.
Intense pleasure bubbled through her, spilled out of her and around him. His rhythm grew rougher, faster, his finger moving smooth and quicker inside her, and then he pushed in hard, bit down and shouted on her shoulder as his cock spurted endless, long, hot spurts of cum inside her.
They stayed that way for awhile, until Jacks found enough strength to retract his finger and cock from her body, and kiss the teeth marks he’d put in her perfect skin. Being this close to her, feeling her in his arms made him feel...lighter, good. He’d never had that before and he didn’t know what to make of it.
When he looked into her soft, foggy eyes, he knew that she didn’t either.
