Page 4 of Taken By The Vampire King

I zipped around the store, familiar with all the aisles and the bargain areas, then paid for my purchases and left before shame ate me up at the meager selection I could afford. That shame burned within me stronger than any hunger. I stuck to the lit walkway as I returned to my car, although the low purr of an engine idling nearby alerted me to a limo at the curb. I paused for a moment because… hell, an actual limo, so dark in the back I couldn’t see who was in there, even with the window partly open.

A limo. I didn’t think people who rode in those even knew this part of town existed.

I walked by, forcing myself forward even as my legs slowed, feet hesitating to take the next step. Dammit. I had too much else to worry about to be curious about the owner of a way too expensive car in a cheap grocery store parking lot.

But a strange desire to know ripped through me, accompanied by a different sort of desire. The sort that whispered of the company of another on sweaty night, full of heat and touch and rumpled bed sheets.

I shivered as my body beat a sudden pulse of awareness, and hurried past the parked car. But I turned at the soft clunk of a car door closing behind me, and my throat dried as I gazed at the tall guy now standing by the limo. His hair was longer on top, and tousled, and the lights revealed an angular jawline and turbulent gray eyes that glittered with interest as his lips quirked in a slow, easy smile.

I parted my lips to speak but no words came out as he sauntered toward me, and I remained fixed in place, just watching him get closer. Part of me wanted to turn and run away like he was some kind of predator, but the other part of me wanted to…

Shit. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Watch him? Drink him in? Welcome him somehow? My body tingled like it knew exactly what kind of welcome to offer.

I backed up until my ass bumped against the brick wall behind me, and my small bag of groceries fell from my hand as the man’s gaze remained fixed on mine, incredibly intense.

Something about him…

I shook my head, not sure where my tangled thoughts were leading. Then suddenly he stood in front of me, his fingers toying with the ends of my brown hair, and I lifted my chin to look up at him as he surrounded me like a shadow, his presence commanding, his scent masculine spice and exciting.

The first real touch was a light caress of his knuckles down my cheek. I closed my eyes, savoring something so unexpected and fleeting, melting into a spell meant only for me.

Then I jerked back at his soft mouth on mine, my head striking the wall before I relaxed and inhaled a breath of longing that allowed his tongue to slide past my lips—quiet, casual, exploring. He stroked the inside of my mouth before wrapping his arms around me and urging me closer to him as he groaned in a way I’d never heard. Somewhere between longing and satisfaction.

The tips of my fingers touched his cheek before I pushed them into his hair, gripping onto him as he controlled my mouth and pleasure twisted a slow spiral through me in a physical response I’d never experienced with anyone.

I sucked breath after quick breath, my breathing lost all rhythm and coordination, and I grew light-headed as I tried to answer the persuasion and teasing of his lips and tongue. My heart thundered in my chest, and my nipples hardened where they pressed against him. I’d never wanted a man more, and the thought rippled through my head in a blaze of desire and wantonness as I ground against his thigh.

When he released me, he rested his forehead against mine and sucked in deep breaths as his chest rose and fell before he dropped his head so his mouth hovered over my neck. As my heart beat faster, the pulse below his mouth turned suddenly wild, like something was trapped beneath my skin. I could feel it—as though it was answering some kind of call to make itself known.

Holy crap… This was… It was incredible.

Wait. No. It was actually insane. This guy was a complete stranger, and here I was, making out with him on the street?!

What the hell was I doing?

I shoved him. Before I even thought about it, I thrust my hands against the stranger’s chest, and his mouth gaped as his eyes widened and he staggered back, leaving just enough space for me to run.

My chest ached with every breath I sucked in, and I couldn’t hear anything but the blood pounding through my ears as I focused on my feet striking the sidewalk, running back into the store. Adrenaline fueled my panic. Fear tightened all of my muscles, but there was also something else. A fascination and enjoyment I couldn’t hide from. Desire still coiled low in my body.

The limo was gone when I eventually left the store again, but my small bag of groceries sat on the curb like it was waiting for a ride, and after I’d collected it, my hands trembled all the way home.

Chapter 2

Nic

Fuck. Yesterday, I’d held the very thing that would complete my full ascension to my father’s throne in my arms—and I’d watched her run away. It wasn’t like I could chase her down the sidewalk, though. People frowned on that kind of thing these days.

I sighed. It shouldn’t be too hard to find that specific virgin again, though. It wasn’t like the world was teeming with them anymore. And none had ever affected me quite like the brunette with the startling green eyes. Her scent alone… nothing screamed virgin quite like it.

In fact, something screamed mine.

I made it a habit to stay far away from humans. Fucking humans. But the virgin issue… I’d hoped to put it off for longer. Hadn’t even really been looking. Mother was more anxious than I was, wanting me to make my final ascension to the throne. I was king in name—the rightful heir, but open to challenge before I claimed a pure woman…or something like that. I thought it all rather ridiculous, even though I knew I’d follow through on the lore one day, if only to cement my claim to the throne in the eyes of my people.

But Mother believed in all the old lore—the pent-up sexual energy of a virgin, the burst of power it would offer me, and the longevity her blood would grant. There were all kinds of rules I could only half-remember. Virginity had to be offered willingly—the energy would only work if freely given and couldn’t be taken by force.

I wasn’t so sure. None of what Mother said seemed to work with the modern world anymore… And the stuff about true mates? I’d always imagined it to be fairytales, something to hope for but not to expect…

But fuck, that kiss.

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