Page 16 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

A scream caught in my throat, turning to a moan as a flood of lust ripped through me. The second I felt the strong draw of his mouth, utterneedbolted through me. My body was no longer under my control.

“Lucien.”

The acute pain turned into an all-consuming pleasure as he sipped on me. It made me desperate for more of him, for his cock, his touch, justeverything.I’d never let a vampire feed on me, so I wasn’t prepared for the tsunami of lust crashing through me. No one told me it was like this.

I grappled for his pants, yanking at his fly in desperation. I freed his cock from his jeans, the long, thick length landing in my hand. Was he possibly as frantic as I was? I wrapped my hand around his length, and he jerked. Still feeding hungrily at my neck, he roughly slammed against me, pressing me hard against the wall. Brick dust cascaded from the force, but I wanted more,neededmore. I felt his muscles flex as he lifted me, forcing me to wrap my legs around him. I mindlessly obeyed. This strong immortal was as desperate for me as I was for him. I could feel his hot length rubbing against the soaked cotton of my panties, and I shifted, trying to get him right where I needed him.

Lucien thrust his hips, grinding against me, the friction making me come apart at the seams. His cock was hitting right against my clit, and the sensation twined with the bite made it enough. It took several jarring thrusts before I came, screaming into his neck to muffle the sound. His body jerked as he followed, and his cum fell to the ground. For a moment, I froze. I didn’t want him to ruin this moment, but he would. I wanted this afterglow for as long as possible. He gently withdrew his fangs from my neck, licking at the punctures lovingly, as if he couldn’t get enough of my taste. I shivered at the feel of his tongue over my pounding pulse, keeping me in a daze of lust.

“Gods, I never thought…never knew...” he muttered, nuzzling his face against my neck, almost praising me.

When the shaking aftermath of my orgasm subsided, I realized what we’d just done. I eased my legs from around Lucien and lowered my feet to the ground. I was unsteady from the lingering force of my climax and held tight to his shirt. Who knew a vampire’s bite could do that?

Lucien’s hands released my waist, gently cupping my face. His eyes were back to their sparkling green and seared me as they locked with mine. His thumbs traced along my cheeks, and he mumbled something in a language lost to me.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered to him.

He licked his lips before saying, “I’m here for you.”

He placed a gentle, lingering kiss on my lips, stopping me from asking more. I couldn’t remember the last time someone acted with such tenderness toward me. He pulled back to study me intently as if he was memorizing my features. He pinched a lock of my hair, seeming to explore its softness before tucking it behind my ear.

Wait, did he say he was here for me? I stiffened, panic weaving through the bliss of my post-orgasmic bliss. People who came looking for me either wanted to kill me or hand me over to the Witches Council so they could kill me.

Lucien seemed to sense my sudden discomfort and stepped back, putting a bit of distance between us. He dropped his hand to tuck himself away and right his clothing. That done, he linked our fingers and led me toward the entrance of the alleyway. I followed him for a few slightly shaking steps, my brain still not fully online yet. I tried to disentangle my hand at the mouth of the alley, but he refused to relinquish it.

The well-dressed man from earlier had returned and was waiting a respectable distance from us. I blushed when I realized he’d probably heard me moaning when Lucien had bitten me. I needed to focus and forget about the feel of his bite.No one came for me unless they meant to harm me. I trusted no one, and no one trusted me. That was for the best and how it needed to remain. There were fewer surprises that way. It was rule number one for a very good reason.

“What do you mean you’re here for me?” I asked, yanking on Lucien’s hand until he turned back to face me.

Lucien wasn’t paying attention. Instead, his eyes became hooded, staring at the already healing marks on my neck, looking like he couldn’t wait to mark me again. He licked his lips as if he was already picturing it. Unfortunately, so was I.

I cupped my hand around the mark, forcing him to break his gaze. “Lucien, what do you mean?”

“Come with me. I’ll keep you safe.” Again, he tried to tug me toward the entrance of the alleyway. I resisted, finally managing to pull my hand from his.

It was tempting to let this man, thisking, keep me safe from my enemies. Too tempting, if I were honest. My mental walls snapped up. I’d learned the hard way never to put my faith in anyone. Rule number one had been lesson number one, the first thing I’d learned on the run. I muttered a spell under my breath, creating an invisible barrier between us. I made a wide circular gesture with my other hand, opening a rift behind me, the tear in reality appearing as a fission of air.

Lucien’s eyes widened in alarm, and he reached for me, but my shield stopped him. His brows furrowed, his hand pressing against the barrier. His eyes glimmered with what looked like hurt.

I knew I couldn’t weaken, forcing myself to turn away and step toward my rift. I glanced back at Lucien as he began pounding against the shield. His eyes widened, and I backed away as I saw the possessive determination in his gaze. I shook my head and said, “Goodbye, Lucien.”

He banged harder against the barrier, his eyes flashing bright red, not seeming to hear me. “Phoebe!” he yelled, but whatever else he might have said was cut off as the rift snapped shut.

IX

The Realm of Mortals.

New Orleans, Louisiana.

THE SHIELD DISAPPEAREDwhen the riftclosed and sent me pitching forward at the sudden release of her magic. I’d found her and lost her again.I whirled, looking for an outlet to rid myself of this coiled rage and madness banging against the inside of my skull. Mercilessly, I pummeled the brick wall of the alleyway. I barely felt my knuckles split from the strike, heal a moment later, and rip open again with the next punch. The russet-colored dust swirled in clouds around me. Elijah wisely did not try to stop me. Not even I was sure what I would do in this state. I kept fucking this up.

The control I was famous for was absent. Without my mate present, the bloodlust was already working to destroy my sanity. I wondered if that was what Cassandra felt. I knewher name was Phoebe, and I used it as a talisman, just thinking it enabled me to stop and take a shuddering, stabilizing breath. Phoebe and the lingering taste of her blood on my lips were all that was holding me together.

Fuck, her blood had been life-changing.My mouth felt like it was on an electrical line, sipping at the power contained within her. Even now, what I had consumed was making my nerve endings come alive, my entire body awakening to a feminine strength that tasted of her, my mate. My fangs lengthened, and I shook my head, trying to forget about her blood. I needed more. I needed her!

She’d run from meagain.I shook my head to clear my thoughts, trying to focus on the new things I’d learned about her. I’d heard her chant something when she pulled the shield up. She had barrier magic. She was a fucking witch! The Queen of the Vampires was a fuckingwitch. The Elders wouldlovethat.

Phoebe had the power to open rifts. That was some heady magic. I hadn’t heard of an immortal with such a handy ability since they established the first stationary rifts, and that was before even I was born. It was a coveted and dangerous gift.As a witch who could open and close them at will, her enemies, and nowmyenemies, must be legion.

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