Page 69 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

Somewhere around my mid-back, the loofah had disappeared. Now, it was just his hands trailing down to my waist, exploring my curves. I once tried to diet away my butt, knowing that when I reached my prime, I’d be stuck with that shape forever. At that moment, I was glad I’d never taken to it. I moaned when he grasped my ass and squeezed. The steam from the shower was another caress on my overly sensitive skin, and I rolled my hips against him, seeking relief. Wasn’t I supposed to be teasinghisdesire, not the other way around?

While I waited for him to spread my legs and slip inside me, he came closer to my neck to growl in my ear, “It’s too bad you told me not to touch you…”

“Touch me, please touch me,” I begged.

At my words, Lucien spun me around and hoisted me up. He wrapped my legs around his waist, centering himself right at my entrance. My back hit the tile so hard I heard it crack, the slight pain only escalating my desire. I moaned as he pressed the tip of his cock to my entrance and hovered there.

“Please, inside me.” I tried to wiggle down on him.

“You’re mine?” He groaned, thrusting hard inside me.

“Yours!” I screamed, trying to meet his frantic thrusts.

“Forever?” he asked, his hips pivoting to get deeper inside me.

“Forever! Please, Lucien!” I begged, needing more.

Then he pounded inside me. He braced one hand on the wall above my head, his claws digging in and cracking the tiles. I felt the sharp sting of his talons as he grasped my hip to hold me still.

My scream echoed in the shower as I came around his cock. My first release was followed almost immediately by another orgasm as he sunk his fangs into my neck. The pulls on my blood just felt too good, and I swore I saw stars.

He broke more tiles as he came inside me. When his eyes locked with mine, I felt the connection between us grow, and wonderment filled me. Our breaths were ragged, both of us panting, my heart practically bursting from my chest. We remained like that for a moment. He reverently traced his hand down my cheek, pressing his forehead to mine. “I don’t know what I have ever done in my long life to deserve to be mated to you.”

My eyes misted, and I wasn’t sure what to say, so I kissed him hard. I tried to convey all my emotions with the touch of my lips to his. We both groaned at the loss when he pulled out and gently set me back on my feet. I never wanted him to stop looking at me like that.

What was I next to him? I covered my discontent with a smile and rinsed the lingering conditioner and body wash off. Lucien watched me as if fascinated and enraptured by even the most mundane things about me. My stomach tightened, but he was mine, and I would keep him.

XXXIV

The Realm of Mortals.

Întuneric Castel, Romania.

TWO DAYS WITH PHOEBE PASSED IN A BLUR.Every second I didn’t hear from Erik felt like a death knell. I checked my phone constantly. When Phoebe noticed, I admitted that Erik had left to take care of some wolf business, and I had hoped he would’ve been back by now.

Phoebe offered to rift to find him, and I quickly discarded the idea. I barely covered my slip by claiming I wasn’t sure exactly where the wolf was. Phoebe could open rifts to places, not people, though I knew she wished she could think of someone and appear next to them.

The castle was bursting at the seams with vampires and various other immortals, all coming to glimpse the newest vampire queen. Every time she lit up at the sight of the gifts I showered upon her, the secrets I kept twisted inside me. I hadn’t slept since the night Erik had left, and though I could normally go for weeks without rest, the guilt was making me weaker than usual. I just had to make it a few more days.

So many times it had been on the tip of my tongue to confess all to her. Maybe together, we could find a way out of this. She had the cleverest mind, and she enjoyed how often people underestimated her because of her age and beauty.

She was already earning the loyalty of the Vampire Elders after beating several at chess. I recognized the look of astonishment on their faces when she handily bested them all. I’d seen it often enough in the mirror. She was a witch who’d seen only a handful of decades, and she was outwitting vampires older than most fossils.

The oldest of Elders and my paternal uncle, Ambrogio, pulled me aside to discuss Phoebe. I was prepared to hear a list of all the things wrong with having a witch as a queen, but my uncle merely slapped me on the shoulder, stating we could not ask for a wilier queen. It was the first time he’d ever shown affection toward me.

Phoebe’s musical laugh drew me back to her, like a moth to a flame. I noticed for the first time that she was making slight hand movements under the table as she played. I smothered a smile.My brilliant queen was cheating. I kissed the top of her head and bid the Elders good night. Back in our rooms, I pulled her into my arms.

“You are too competitive. You know that?”

“Why do you say that?” she asked slyly.

I kissed her softly, relaxing into her mouth, inhaling her scent. “You know, eventually, they are going to figure out you used magic to win.”

She smirked. “And when they do, they’ll respect me even more.”

True. I was falling even more in love with her, but I wouldn’t give voice to my feelings until I knew Erik had found a way out of the bounty. I couldn’t let her doubt those words. If I told her I loved her and then was forced to betray her, she’d never forgive me. She would never forgive me if I betrayed her at all, declaration of love or not.

The compulsion was a constant pressure on my mind, only slightly alleviated by constantly carrying the cuffs in my pocket. I focused on the present, holding her in my arms, the sheets tangled around us. I tried to enjoy the moment without worrying about the future clouding it. She was tracing patterns on my chest again. She often did that after we made love and when she was deep in thought. Her lilac eyes were distant, her mind millions of miles away.

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