21 Shades of Night, page 427
She'd taken a misstep and her sandaled foot had managed to wedge itself in one of the gaps along the walkway. A shocked gasp left her lips as her body buckled forward and prepared to meet several slabs of timber. Her arms shot out instinctively to soften her fall, but in the end, they found themselves redundant. The stranger appeared out of nowhere and his arms snaked around her, pulling her smartly upright. He managed to dislodge her foot out of the two planks it had become trapped in, and without a single word being spoken, he slung her up over his shoulder and carried her down the remaining pathway until it widened out in front of a small enclosure of wooden huts.
Violetta was too shocked to do little but stare agape at his backside. Being slung upside down was not something that happened to her very often. She was a tall woman and most men usually kept their distance, finding her a little intimidating. Just as she was thinking she should be pummelling her hands upon his back and demanding that he right her this instant, he must have read her mind, for she found herself once again back on her feet, the landing brutal.
'Nice ass,' she commented when her teeth had recovered from their vicious snap together, and she gave him a furious stare through shuttered lashes.
'Nice panties,' he countered in that awful, deep, sexy voice that did funny things to her body, and then he tilted his head and looked sideways at her.
Violetta looked down to discover that the ends of her dress had become entangled in her stocking top, displaying a fair amount of flesh and a sizeable portion of her tan bikini panties. Growling, her face flooding with heat, she managed to tear the offending garment back down, but she'd already seen his smile and her body had almost frozen. It was the wide smile of a predator. The smile of a man who knew what he wanted and how to have it expertly delivered in his lap. She felt her heartbeat stutter and she wanted to run. Every nerve-ending screamed for flight and she would have given in to them had the stranger not abruptly turned his back on her and sat down on the edge of the decking. She had been dismissed without a word for the second time that evening and the feeling was not a warm and fuzzy one.
Deciding to head straight back to the bar and somehow get her butt the hell out of this place, her eyes strayed down to his hand, which was playing with something. Long and silver, it must have been what she'd spied reflected upon the water, and it could only be one thing. He flipped it over and over in dexterous fingers, and the knife appeared to come alive in his hands - a living, breathing entity.
Violetta had already begun to turn her body around in order to stalk back to safety, but the sight of the knife stopped her. He was a human being, albeit an extremely unpleasant one, and he was obviously in pain. Whilst she had no idea if he really intended to kill himself, she could hardly leave him here like this. The man needed help.
'Do you want to talk?'
'I think we already covered that at the bar.' The stranger didn't even turn around to glance at her.
She knew she should have just walked straight back the way she came as his surly remark hit home, but like a moth drawn to a decidedly enticing flame, she couldn't help but try one last time. 'What do you want?'
'I want to fuck the hell out of you.'
Violetta was not a particularly quiet woman, but he'd thrown her a massive curve ball and it seemed she'd swallowed the thing. It took her several seconds before she could suck in air.
'What did you say?' Her voice was incredulous.
'If you want a repeat performance, you have to beg. That goes for the sentence and the sex.' He kicked off his shoes, letting them sail away in the water beneath him. He then removed his black blazer and let it go the same way.
'You're mad,' she whispered, her feet already backing up behind her. At least one part of her body was sensible, Violetta thought.
There was a sharp thud and she watched as he buried the small knife he'd been playing with deep into the timber decking. There was a dull twang as the thing vibrated rapidly at the impact and then silence resumed. She bit her lip and wondered absently why she was not running away as fast as her legs would carry her, but it was already too late. In the next instant, he was up on his feet and striding purposefully towards her. His fingers were already unbuttoning his shirt, revealing tempting glimpses of the tantalisingly hard flesh beneath and she felt her feet automatically backing up until they reached the edge of the planks.
'There's nowhere else to go, Violetta,' he drawled as he came within a hairbreadth's length of touching her. He brought his fingertip underneath her chin and tilted her face upwards to meet his.
'How do you know my name?' She looked up at him, and there was a mixture of angst and desire in her gaze. It was difficult to know which was stronger. One thing was for certain, he seemed to have all the right cards in his hand and she wanted to know why.
'That's the least of your worries, precious. What you should be asking is: "How do I know every move you're going to make, seconds before you do?" The flat of his hand reached down to slap her left knee away, the one that had been about try and find a soft spot around his groin area. The knee landed back on the wooden deck with a considerable thump and she felt herself wobble precariously.
'How in the hell...?' Her shocked words left her lips and were instantly cut off as she felt herself falling backwards. Her hands floundered helplessly at his naked chest, but there was nothing she could grab on to for purchase and as her heel skidded and splintered across the deck, there was the sinking feeling she was way past the point of no return. Preparing to take a deep splosh in the uninviting wet and salty stuff, she closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.
Amazingly enough, she didn't end up going for a midnight swim. The impact still happened, but the splosh did not. Mr Grumpy had managed to save the day by encompassing two tight arms around her body and somehow managing to retain his balance with her heavy weight in his arms.
'You're not that heavy,' he mind-blowingly said before bringing her face up to meet his.
She hadn't said that last thought out loud, surely? But if she hadn't, that would mean the man could read... No. Violetta refused to consider the possibility. She knew of only one creature that could read minds and that would make him a...
'Vampire.' He poured the single word into her lips with sultry intent and then all further thought left her. He took her with a fierce, all-consuming hunger, and damned if he didn't recreate the same reciprocal need in her. His lips were soft and he locked them cleverly around hers while his fingers threaded their way through her hair. He gave gentle tugs with his hand to position her just where he wanted her, and the man was good. Here was a beast who knew exactly what he was doing and how to use each and every little action to the best advantage. A hand came up to caress the soft spot directly under her jawline, and as he pressed his chest into her body, she wanted to melt. That was a lie. She'd already melted and was little more than a puddle of liquid in his arms. The vamp had skills. His finger was tracing a light path over the top of her lips and she already yearned for the taste of his tongue, thrusting against hers. To encourage and hasten the proceedings, she gently coaxed herself into his mouth and hoped he'd get the message.
'Such a greedy little thing, aren't you? And here I was thinking you'd put up a fight, me being one of the dreaded un-dead and all.'
Violetta didn't want to let that comment inside her head because she was really having far too much fun, half out of her mind with lust. It fluttered about a bit and begged for attention, but she did her best to ignore it. It was relatively easy as soon as his tongue was brought into play and, oh dear God, Master seducer didn't even begin to describe him. There was nothing the man couldn't do. One hand cupped the heat of her sex while his teeth grazed and nibbled at her lips. His tongue battled hers for supremacy, and she was more than glad to offer her submission. He had her breathing hard in seconds and her eyes were nearly black with desire. Everything began to wobble and shake, and it was almost as if all her dreams were about to come true at once. A tall, dark, brooding stranger had just saved her from imminent death and was now about to have his wicked way with her. Talk about a schoolgirl fantasy. It was sublime. Letting her body relax into his strong arms, she wound her hands around his neck and kissed him with an end-of-the-world-is-nigh, apocalyptic passion.
When he tore his lips away from hers, she gave him a guttural moan of protest at the loss of contact, but he was quick to return, laving a wet path along her neck with his tongue. Then she felt two sharp teeth elongating rapidly and steering themselves towards her jugular, scraping against her delicate skin. She tried to rear up from his grasp in sudden panic, but the tight hold he had on her body made any movement virtually impossible.
'Holy hell, you were just about to bite me!' The accusation was an angry, shrill one. For some reason, she knew she could not be bitten. It was an important detail, but her brain did not offer up any more clues. Alas, he did not seem in the least bit bothered by her protests and his teeth continued their abrasive journey up and down the soft skin just below her ear. When she tugged his hair sharply, to let him know she meant business, he finally raised his head before clucking his tongue in annoyance.
'Yes, I believe we have already ascertained that I'm a vampire. That's what vampires do. They find a suitable neck, grow a set of fangs and then they...'
'I'm familiar with the mechanics, thank you very much,' she said through gritted teeth, 'I'm a huntress!' There it was. That's what was so important. She killed vampires. Oh good lord.
He pouted for a second. 'Can't you just forget about killing things for a minute and let me finish the job in hand? We're in a rather delicate position here.'
He wasn't joking. The man still held her in the deep dip he had caught her in. She was bent double and half her body was currently suspended over the ocean, head first. As lovely as he was, the idea of being bitten by a vampire was not tempting and would result in a rather permanent lifestyle change in her case. The consequences were a little too high to be considered. 'No, you can't bite me. Put me down.' Her voice was firm and authoritative, but the stranger took no notice. Once again his lips were back on hers and she was drowning without the aid of an ocean. Up to her neck in a thirst for flesh that could not be quenched with anything less than bodily fluids, she knew it would be far too easy to become lost in him.
Get him off you, the voice of reason called, and quick, before he does all of those terrible, wonderful things you've heard so much about. The trouble was that the rest of her body did not want to listen or take the sensible option. Her conscience had been left somewhere far, far away on dry land and that was just peachy as far as she was concerned. Or it was until his lips began nuzzling at her neck once more, and his teeth gave her a vicious nip which made her cry out. Damn. Where was a stake when you needed one?
‘You need to stop. We can't do this. Christ, I should be looking for ways to kill you and you should be running. I'm the best there is.'
His free hand reached up towards her breast, gave it a modest squeeze, and then he let his thumb rove gently over her nipple. He raised his mouth from her neck to reply, 'I've also been told that, but it wasn't in relation to killing people and the clientele were ninety-nine percent female. Very happy females, as I recall. Why don't you let yourself go for a change, chérie, and see where the moment takes you?’ His hand squeezed harder, cleverly manipulating the soft mound of flesh before his fingers managed to tweak her nipple through the sheer fabric of the camisole beneath. He once again pressed his fangs to her neck, and this time he applied some pressure.
'Don't touch me. Get off me, you bastard!' She began to struggle in earnest, although she didn't manage to release one single limb from his all-encompassing embrace. But the words did manage to get through to him, as he removed his teeth from her jawline and gave her a look of irritation.
'Well, as you've asked so nicely, I suppose I must consider your request,' he sighed. He appeared to give the matter some thought and she could feel her heart doing cartwheels beneath his chest. There was no way she could be bitten. Please, please, she begged, let this be a vamp with a semblance of morality.
'Fine, fine.' He stretched his neck first to the left and then to the right, and a subtle cracking noise could be heard. Violetta winced inwardly. There was then a calculated pause before he said, 'Never say that we vampires are not gentlemen. We can overcome our basest desires in order to please a woman any day of the week. You have asked to be let go, and so you shall be.'
Violetta barely heard the last word he had uttered for she was falling. Into the goddamned ocean!
Chapter 7
Drowning
WHEN SHE HAD asked to be released, she expected to be put down on terra firma. A silent scream bubbled in her throat. It had no time to be let loose for the water was rushing up to greet her and panic was already beginning to consume her. Although she had many great talents in the world, swimming was not one of them. Being bitten now seemed like the much more preferable option when faced with a certain death situation, and then there was no more thought, for she plunged into the water and sank to the bottom of the sea.
Violetta's thoughts came tumbling back down around her as soon as she was immersed in the deep black pool of the ocean. The thing that had surprised her most about the fall was that the water was warm. Not just mildly, pleasantly tepid, but bathwater, beautifully-hot warm. Where in the world were they? It was somewhere close to the equator, at any rate. As her hair writhed all around her in suffocating waves, she tried to dash it out of her face with her hands. To what ends she hoped to achieve was unclear, for there was little to see anywhere around her in the dead of night. The world began to revolve in slow motion as her body sank silently downward, but then things suddenly went into overdrive.
When she finally stopped falling, everything seemed to operate in reverse. It was almost as if the ocean had rejected her and wanted to spit her out, for now she was shooting back upwards and a moment of hope began to take root in her brain. Maybe she'd manage to get to the surface, maybe she'd be able to float to one of the thick timber poles beneath the small huts, and maybe she'd somehow find a way to get back up and into the small cluster of villas without dying. It was a lot of maybes, though, and she didn't really fancy her chances. Her breath was compressing tightly in her chest, her lungs felt like they were about to explode, and all she could see was a never-ending aquatic graveyard of blue-black darkness. She wanted to scream, but there was nowhere for it to go. Surely the vamp wouldn't leave her here to die? But then, that was what vamps were good at, wasn't it? Certain death, blood, suffering, and all that...
As her head burst up through the surface of the waves, she opened her mouth and took in a great gulp of much needed air, along with a sizeable portion of salt water, which had her spluttering and coughing. Spying her antagonist, standing still as a sentry on the jetty above, she cried out towards him in a blind panic, 'I can't swim!' As her arms splashed and flopped against the waves in helpless circles, having no clue what to do with themselves, she looked up at him pleadingly.
'Can you not?' His voice carried loudly over the waves and she had no problem hearing his next acerbic comment. 'Then I suspect it's a rather unfortunate phenomenon finding yourself in the middle of the ocean.'
Violetta's head went under the water once more, and she had to flap around frantically to bring her head back to the surface. 'Help me!' Her cries were frantic, her tone pleading.
He didn't seem at all concerned with her plight, standing tall against the skyline, his back illuminated by the soft yellow lights of the villas beyond. To make sure he well and truly got the urgency of her message, she began screaming it over and over until she heard his voice again.
'Look,' he said testily, 'I want to help, really I do, but you've asked me not to touch you. So, keeping that in mind, a rescue is going to be a little bit difficult. On the plus side, your unfortunate demise might restore peace and sanity to my world, so be a good girl and go quietly.'
There was lots of shrieking, lots of sploshing, and a frustrated roar before Violetta managed to get her next sentence out. 'What do you want?'
'Your soul,' came the unerring reply, 'but I'll settle for a good fuck, as I think I've mentioned. No kicking or screaming. You do everything I say. We have a deal?'
'Yes.' Violetta had just managed to swallow yet another mouthful of salt water and was eager to agree to just about any term he had, bar one. 'Anything you like, but no biting.' The 'ng' sound came out wrong, mostly uttered underneath the water in bubbles, but she guessed he'd get the message.
'I hardly think you're in any position to barter, are you, my dear?'
Lots of sounds greeted him in response, mostly splashes and gurgling, but the words 'rather' and 'die' were most definitely mentioned.
'Do you want to test that theory?' It was a casual question, but then she went under the deep blue for the longest time and he'd just about primed himself to jump in, before she managed to get to the surface in time.
There was a frantic gasp for air before her final terms were spoken. 'No biting.'
'Fine. We have a deal,' he said resignedly. He had no idea he could be so noble. It was an almost painful thought. He contemplated it meditatively and couldn't help but wonder if he was losing his touch in his old age.
Violetta, still floundering around madly, watched his unmoving body for several painful moments and had an awful suspicion that he might have changed his mind.
'Well? Are you going to rescue me or not?' Her voice was more than a little agitated now, pretty much like the rest of her body, which was rolling about in the waves like a set of die in a Las Vegas gambling den.
He immediately snapped out of his reverie. 'There is such impatience inside you for one so young. Of course I'm coming to rescue you - why do you think I removed my blazer and shoes?' With that, he took an elegant dive off the wooden jetty that a dolphin would have been proud of, and hit the water at a perfect forty-five-degree angle. Then he disappeared.
