Page 24 of Forced Vampire Mate

No wonder he’d been so pleased when he’d touched me at the hot springs. Giving another person pleasure was just as powerful as getting that pleasure.

“Elara,” he grunted as my motions became swifter. “Elara, I’m not going to last long. I’m going to—”

He groaned, throaty and deep. I turned, rolling in his arms. With one hand, I gripped the top of him and pumped him with the other. His eyes widened, his pupils wide, as his face went slack. His back bent, a soft cry escaped him. Hot liquid filled my hand. I kept touching him, stroking him, until he collapsed back into the bed, his eyes at half-mast and a look of satisfaction on his face.

I looked at the sticky mess in my hand. I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be doing this. He might have been inside of me, but I’d given in to my lust. Or was it his lust? The bond was open between us. I could feel his pleasure at what I had done. His…hope.

I shut down the bond, and his eyes snapped open.

“I should clean up,” I muttered, not looking at him.

Luken grunted, pushing himself to his elbow. “There’s a bathroom through that door.”

I slipped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. After I cleaned up my hand, I grabbed a washcloth and brought it out for him. Silently, I handed the cloth to him and sat on the edge of the bed. Desire still ran strong through my body. I’d brought him to orgasm with just my hands. And I loved that I had that effect on him, that despite my inexperience, I could do that.

“Do you regret it already?” The sound of Luken cleaning himself came to a stop.

When I glanced at him, he’d pulled his pants back into place. He folded the cloth, not looking at me, and rolled out of bed.

“Regret isn’t the right word,” I said slowly. “I… don’t know what I’m feeling. It’s just… complicated.”

Luken went to the bathroom. I watched him from the sliver, and I could see him. He rested his hands against the sink and lowered his head, his massive shoulders slumping. I wished I could go over there, wrap my arms around him, and tell him it would all be okay. But that would be a lie.

“Take the bed,” Luken finally said. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“What about your beauty rest?” I asked weakly.

He didn’t answer. I waited, but the silence became too much. I lay back down, missing the warmth of his body against mine, and struggled to fall back to sleep.

***

In the morning, Bain came to the hut. He brought with him a hearty oatmeal that his sister had made, in thanks for rescuing her and their mother. Apparently, the orcs had come looking directly for them. They were dragon shifters, and dragons were in high demand in the fighting rings.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping us,” Bain said meekly. Dark circles smudged under his eyes, and his brows knit together. “I still can’t understand why a vampire would… not that you have to tell me,” he said quickly, lifting his hands. His frown deepened. “I just… You both look really familiar.”

I was at the small table, eating quickly. We had lost time and needed to get to the high-speed rail quickly. By this point, Draven would have gotten Thessa halfway to the temples at least. More, if they had vehicles to switch out, rather than having to stop to fill up with gas.

Luken, eating at a more leisurely pace, quirked one dark eyebrow. “You must not pay attention to the news, then, if you can’t recognize the King and Queen of Taimarah.”

Bain laughed, then stopped. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He backed up a step as his face paled.

“Don’t tell anyone,” I said quickly, jumping to my feet. “We’re… on a secret mission, of sorts.”

“A secret mission? In shifter territory?” Bain yelped.

Luken sighed. “We will be on our way shortly. We only need a ride to the city, to get onto the train.”

Bain hesitated. “Look, I’m sure that this glamor magic thing you talked about last night works most times, but it won’t fool the other shifters. The moment they smell you, they’ll know you’re a vampire. Glamours don’t hide that scent.”

“In my experience, that isn’t often the case,” Luken answered coolly.

“I owe you,” Bain continued, turning to me now instead. “If you’re discovered by other shifters, they might attack first and ask questions later. Especially if they know you’re the king and queen. I don’t want a war to start between Taimarah. So, how about I give you a ride out to the border? I won’t go into the elves' kingdom, but I can take you that far, at least.”

“We’re in a hurry. The train will take us to where we need—” I started.

Bain smirked. “I’m faster than the train. And there’s a station right near the border, too. So you’ll be able to board there.”

Luken considered him.

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