Page 21 of Silent Nights and Vampire Lights

He lifted his head, an eyebrow arched. “Get on with it? Who have you been with?”

I smiled, having never had so much fun in bed with someone. “Clearly not the right men, since you’re the first who has given me an orgasm.”

He raised up on his arms. “Let’s go for another.”

He dragged his cock out of me, and oh my God, the feeling was intense. Then he drove back home, and I believed he could get me there easily. His thrusts were slow and sure, steady and firm, hitting every single spot inside of me, making that wavecrest again. I wrapped my arms around him, my fingernails digging into his shoulders as I pleaded for him to move faster, harder.

Nick obliged, moving harder, the slap of wet flesh loud in the room. Again, my orgasm caught me off guard, and I clenched around him, screaming his name. Nick kept moving through my climax, thrusting me into a third one, following me with his own, shouting his own release.

He laid on me for a long moment after, the sweat from our bodies sealing us together. Nick pulled a sheet over us and settled next to me, pulling me to his side. I snuggled against him, my head on his shoulder. I stroked his stomach and the tight striation of muscle outlining his abdomen. I never expected to have my holiday turn into something like this. I had only prayed to stay alive. To find someone like Nick and the connection we had was completely unexpected. But where would we go from here?

CHAPTER 10

NICHOLAS

We fucked several more times that night, my need for Holly bordering on the insatiable. I knew it was the mating bond driving me to build an emotional bond with her, and I tried to keep my distance, but I feared it was too late. It was more than physical between us. I genuinely liked Holly, even the silly questions she asked. She brought joy and light wherever she went. She was the sun to my darkness, brightening my night, and I didn’t want to lose her.

Yet, I knew the day was quickly approaching when I would have to make a decision. Remain in exile from my family and stay with Holly, or return to my family and be at peace. I was tired from being on the road, alone, and hiding my nature. I didn’t have to hide from Holly, but what kind of life could I offer her in her world? And I knew she would be in danger in mine.

I would have to let her go. Vampires, while technically “out” in the world, were not really accepted and still faced persecution. Alone, I was more at risk, which placed Holly at risk. If I could bring her into the clan with me, she might be safe, but my clan had little use for humans. I couldn’t risk her life. I had to let her go.

Dawn was peeking over the horizon. I could feel the sun rising as lethargy seeped into my bones. I didn’t need to sleep when the sun rose, but I felt more tired. And, since I needed to feed, I was even more tired than usual. I closed my eyes, settling into the feel of Holly’s gentle stroking on my skin.

“You feel cold today,” she said, breaking the silence.

I opened my eyes. “What?”

“Every time we’ve slept together, you’ve been warm, almost like a furnace. But today, you’ve been cold.” She shifted her body so she could look up at me. “You need to feed, don’t you?”

I nodded, unable to deny the truth.

She laid her chin on my chest. “You intended to feed from Harold when you did the wood, didn’t you? But you didn’t.”

I shrugged. “He’s older, and his heart is not the best. It wouldn’t be good for him if I took his blood, especially with a storm coming. He needed his strength.”

She frowned, her brow furrowing. “You fed from the guys who chased us. Didn’t you take enough?”

I remembered their blood. It was polluted, and I hadn’t wanted to drink more than I had to. I grimaced but explained anyway. “Blood is food for us. Some of it is good, and other is more like fast food. And then there is polluted blood, with drugs or illness. Their blood wasn’t very good. It wouldn’t sustain me long.”

She pondered my words for a moment, while the fire crackled and snapped. “Would my blood be good?”

My gums ached at the innocent question, at what she was unknowingly offering. But I tried to keep an even expression, not betray by eagerness. “Your blood would be a five-course exquisite dining experience.”

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. I would have thought that you’d get a sugar high from all the pastries I eat. I’m not exactly into Michelin restaurants or anything fancy.”

I hugged her closer. “It’s not always what you eat.”

In her case, it was what she meant to me. The mating bond meant she was the one person designed to nourish me beyond all others. Her blood would be the sweetest addiction I would ever experience. One taste and I would be ruined for all others. Everyone else would be a pale comparison, if I could stomach drinking from another.

“Then you should drink from me.” I opened my mouth, but she rushed on before I could speak. “I need you fully prepared to defend me, and if you’re weak from not feeding, then you can’t protect me. This is really selfish of me.”

I scented her arousal rising, and I knew she meant her words, that she wanted me to feed from her, but it was just a means to an end. She was intrigued by the concept, eager for the experience. Her blood rushed through her veins, and my fangs ached to sink into her flesh, to taste the blood I could scent just under the skin.

She struggled to a sitting position and drew her hair to one side, tilting her head, exposing her neck to me, her body braced for pain. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

Oh fuck. I couldn’t resist what was so sweetly offered. I groaned and sat. “Never offer this to another vampire, or you’ll find yourself fucked and bitten in that order.”

Her eyes widened, and I laughed. “Yeah, I meant it. We’ll do this my way.”

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