Page 49 of Bound in Blood

Sweet demons of hell.How long until we get to Venezuela?I ask Anikêtos, frustration and desire making me irritable.

Not soon enough, he huffs.A few hours at most.

A few hours of beautiful torture during which I will hold Ophelia in my arms and think about all of the ways I am going to claim her when we get to where we are headed. Because I am already bordering on feral with need for her. To taste and smell. To kiss, touch, and fuck. If we did not need to get to where we are going as fast as possible, I would have Anikêtos stop so I could fuck her en route. And then I would still do it all over again upon arrival.

The pain of silver searing my flesh was nothing compared to the pain of not being with her. Of knowing she was out there without me. Without my protection.

And my boys. I miss them too, much more than I could have imagined.

The spell used to sever the bond between sire and sired has been used only a handful of times in recorded history and requires such ancient powerful magic that very little is known about it. But one thing that has been written about and is known by a select few is that the spell allows sired vampires to survive without the bond in place. My boys could survive, and indeed thrive, if I were to not put it back.

But would I survive without them? That is a different question altogether—one which I cannot be certain of the answer.

Chapter

Twenty

OPHELIA

With his hands wrapped around mine, Alexandros helps me down from Ani’s back. Then he rolls his neck until it cracks. “Thank you, Anikêtos. I owe you a great debt.” His voice cracks too.

Ani snorts.It was nothing, old friend.

You will wait here for Elpis, yes?He resumes communicating via thought.

Of course.

How long before she and the boys arrive?

Ani shakes his scales, and smoke unfurls from his nostrils.Too long, he growls, clearly unaccustomed to and displeased with being so far from his mate.They have picked up a healthy tailwind, and Elpis estimates they will be here in a little over seven hours.

Alexandros entwines his fingers with mine and tugs me forward so I bump against his chest. “Then let us go inside and wait, little one.” He dusts his lips over my forehead and slides his arm around my waist. “I may never let you out of my sight everagain.” With a nod of farewell toward the dragon, Alexandros leads me to the house.

The key Osiris spoke of is exactly where he said it would be, and the air inside the house is warm and welcoming. A faint hint of jasmine reminds me of Silver Vale and brings a smile to my face. A shiver runs down my spine at the sound of the lock clicking into place behind me.

Without touching me, he strips away my coat. I swallow harshly, about to spin around, but his hands on my hips hold me in place. My knees tremble, and I have to lock them to stay upright as the warmth from his naked chest presses into my back. He pulls my hair to one side and runs his nose up the side of my neck, inhaling deeply.

My core is on fire. “Please…” I rasp.

“Please what, little one?”

“Please. I need—” The rest of my words are swallowed by a sob that bursts from my chest.

Without warning, he presses me up against the closest wall and slips his hand inside my jeans and panties, to the place where I’m already aching for him. His fingers slide easily through my wet center. “Tell me what it is you need, Ophelia.” His voice is low and dark, and his hot breath sends a shiver down my spine.

“I need you,” I whine, working my hips against his hard cock, desperate for him to take me.

He growls, and the sound vibrates through every cell in my body. “Good, because I cannot wait another second to be inside you, agápi mou.”

I barely have time to take a breath before my jeans and panties are torn down the middle, and then I’m spun around and in his arms, my legs wrapped around his hips. He sinks inside me, and I cry out, flooded with euphoria as he pulls out and drives inside me over and over. There is no finesse to hismovements. No teasing or tenderness. It is brutal and necessary. Two bodies taking what they need from each other.

I rake my fingers through his hair, tugging harshly as I squeeze my thighs around him, wanting more while knowing he is giving me everything he has. Our breathing grows heavy and labored, hearts pounding frantically in our chests. And still, it isn’t enough. I crave him harder. Deeper. Faster.

He rests his forehead against mine, our breaths mingling. “You have no idea how much I have longed for this. In my darkest moments, it was all that kept me sane.”

“Then show me, Alexandros.”

His vicious growl sends pleasure skittering up my spine. I think I may have just awakened something inside him I’ve never experienced before, and I am here for it.

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