Soul Mates: Sacrifice Read online

  Lucien.

  The TV was on, but it was at such a low volume that I couldn't make out any actual words. Everything sounded garbled and distorted. I blinked a few times, wondering what time it was.

  "Have a good nap?" Lucien asked, the clicking of the keyboard pausing for a few seconds.

  "Damn. I didn't mean to just fall out like that. I think we need to have our bed checked."

  Lucien moved the curtain aside. "What for?"

  "For being so goddamned sleep-inducing. What time is it?"

  "Almost eleven."

  "Seriously?"

  He nodded. "Why?"

  "I feel like I've been awake forever."

  Lucien crawled across the bed and lay down beside me. "You have been awake forever. While I was out for the day, you sat here and stared at me."

  "How do you know that?"

  "I felt it." He traced my jaw with the tips of his fingers. "You were so restless inside."

  "I had a nightmare, but I couldn't remember what it was once I was awake. And then all I could think about was the shit with Caleb and Cyril. Was that why you woke so early? Because of me?"

  "I'm not sure. You know, it really is odd to wake in the afternoon."

  "Silver was awake early, too."

  Lucien raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

  I nodded. "I met him in the hall outside when I came back to the bedroom. I didn't even think about what time it might have been. With this part of the mansion locked down during the day, I never know."

  "Were there any other vampires awake at this time? Do you know?"

  "The only other vampire I saw was Logan, but he mentioned that he has always risen early." I curled up against his bare chest. "You feel okay, though?"

  "Better than ever." He reached up and pulled the cord to open the curtains at the foot of the bed, then grabbed the remote for the TV. "I've been waiting to see if they'd show this."

  I shifted so I could see the TV. Images of my old apartment building in flames filled the screen. It might have started in my apartment, but it'd spread throughout the building. The camera panned to the onlookers and I actually saw Xander standing off to the side, an angry look on his face.

  "I wonder if that was before or after he called me," I said, gesturing to the TV.

  "He doesn't look happy, does he." It was a statement, not a question. "When I called him, I only got his voicemail."

  "He didn't call you back?"

  Lucien shook his head.

  "He said he was going to take a look around as soon as the fire inspector left. Maybe he's in wolf form?"

  "He'd better be," Lucien grumbled. "I refuse to tolerate insolence."

  "Yeah, well, what are you going to do to him? He's pack alpha."

  "Is he?"

  "Oh, God, Lucien… Not you, too."

  "Not me, what?"

  "I've heard enough from Nikolas about how… No. You know what? I'm not going to get into that right now." Though there was one thing I'd never even thought of asking. "So, explain to me why the leader of the Lycans answers to you."

  "He has sworn fealty to me."

  "Fealty?" I was blanking on the word. "Explain?"

  "Perhaps I should stop pointing out ancient poetry to you and direct you instead to some history books?"

  I smacked him and lay back on my pillow. "Don't be an asshole."

  He leaned over me, shaking his head. "Why do you ask these things now?"

  "Because I never thought to question a lot of things before. I just accepted them for what they were, never caring or knowing what it all meant. I care now. I have to know everything about how this coven runs—especially if we want to make it better."

  "It's simple, really. I'm the one with the land, the property… The one with the money." He paused, shrugging. "The pack was struggling when I took over. They had no money, they had no structure. Steven did the best he could, but he could not even get half the pack into housing. So many of the wolves were left out on the street to fend for themselves."

  "And you just magically fixed all of that?"

  "No. But we negotiated a workable solution."

  "You mean after Nikolas was shafted and forced to throw the fight for alpha to Xander because of Caleb's bullshit?" Lucien looked away and I immediately regretted the words that had come out of my mouth. I nudged him with my elbow. "I'm sorry, that was shitty of me."

  "Yes, it was." It took a moment, but he finally looked at me again. "I did what I thought was best back then."

  "I know, Lucien, and I'm sorry. I just have a hard time with that one. As much as I love Xander, Nikolas should have been pack leader. He had ideas, he had visions…"

  "We both did," Lucien said quietly. "Sometimes, no matter how much we want something—it's just not possible. And sometimes, when the things we want are prevented from happening? It's for the best."

  "I guess."

  "Where would things be now if you'd taken over the pack as you should have?"

  "That's just the thing, Lucien. A few weeks back when you said a human was never meant to sit on the throne? It pissed me off so much. But I get it now."

  "I was angry when I said that, Peter."

  "Doesn't matter. You were still right. With every decision I've made or tried to make so far, I've second-guessed myself. I think to lead and command a coven of immortal beings, one has to be immortal himself."

  "Actually, that has nothing to do with whether you are human or not and everything to do with you wanting to make the best decisions possible. Anyone in a position of leadership who tells you otherwise is either a fool or a liar."

  "So fealty is what? Some kind of—" Lucien rolled off the bed before I finished my sentence. I leaned across the bed, trying to see what he was up to. He was bent over, sorting through books on the shelf in the lower cabinet of the desk. "What are you doing?"

  "Finding you a book."

  "Lucien," I grumbled. "Can you just explain it?"

  "Did you take history in high school?"

  "Do you know how long ago that was?"

  "Aha! Here it is." He walked to the bed and tossed the book to me. It landed on the bed with a muted thud. "History is to be savored and appreciated, lover. Not slept through."

  The book was at least four inches thick. If he expected me to flip the book open and start reading, he was out of his fucking mind. I looked up from the book and my breath caught in my throat.

  Lucien had stripped out of his pants and was standing beside the bed, presumably waiting for me to move so he could get back in. But I couldn't move. At least not back. I stretched forward and brushed my lips over the head of his dick, just enjoying the feel of his silky soft skin.

  A growl rose from his throat and a second later a bead of precome escaped his slit. I caught it with the tip of my tongue, smearing it over the head of his cock before licking it away. The salty-sweet taste of him exploded on my tongue and I stretched forward wanting more.

  Half-hard when I took him in, I worked him with my tongue until he was at full length, heart throbbing in the vein running up the length of his shaft. Lucien's fingers tangled in my hair and he thrust forward tentatively. I grabbed his thighs and held him close, swallowing him down.

  He pulled away after a few moments and climbed over me, dragging me back to the middle of the bed by my ankles. I started to get up to move, but he straddled me backwards, giving me a perfect view of his ass. His hole was right there, balls hanging, cock dripping with precome and spit.

  Hot, wet heat enveloped my dick and I growled, grabbing Lucien's hips and pulling them down. I licked over his hole with the flat of my tongue, then lifted his ass so I could get to his balls and the skin just behind.

  Believe it or not, we'd only managed to sixty-nine it a few times over the past year. Most of the time, we were so hard and heavy to get off we just ended up fucking. But this, this was…

  Goddamn, we had to make more time for this.

  And this wasn't going to last. His fangs scraped the sides o
f my shaft as he took me deep. I pushed up desperately, thrusting in and out of his mouth. Precome dripped onto my own lips and I realized I wasn't doing anything but letting him suck me.

  I rose up and sucked him into my mouth. Before I could manage to pull off and tease him, he thrust deep. I gagged at the sudden intrusion and he pulled out slightly, allowing me to just catch my breath before shoving in again. I was ready this time when the head of his cock hit the back of my throat.

  I relaxed my throat and let him fuck my mouth, enjoying the feel of him, the flavor of him. He took me in deep and one of his fangs pierced my sensitive flesh. The mix of pain and pleasure sent me right over the edge and I came with a muffled cry. He sucked me 'til I thought I would shatter again.

  He pulled out of my mouth and turned on the bed, straddling my chest this time. His eyes locked with mine while he jerked his cock, and just before he came, he rubbed the head of his cock against my lips.

  "Open."

  I opened my mouth and he pushed in just a little. The first spurt of come landed on my tongue, the taste of him rich and sweet. He pulled back though after that first one, coating my lips and chin with his spunk.

  I would have come again if I thought my balls would survive it.

  He sank down over me, licking at my lips, my chin, my face. Every kiss that followed was flavored with him. Finally, he smiled down at me.

  "Weren't we discussing something?"

  "Nope." I shook my head quickly. "Nothing at all."

  Fucking and sucking and coming down afterward was much, much better than discussing history.

  * * *

  "Would you be still?"

  I flopped again, trying to get comfortable. But truth was, I was restless and I wasn't sure why. Maybe because I'd had my nap, however short it was, I just wasn't ready to call it an early night. I looked over at the clock.

  Only 11:30. This was turning into the longest day ever. I didn't want to just lie here. I wanted to do… something.

  "Wanna go for a walk?"

  "To where?"

  "Anywhere."

  Lucien made a sound somewhere between a grumble and a moan. "Not really."

  "Let's go for a swim."

  "No."

  "Oh, come on," I begged, rolling over next to him, nuzzling against his chest. "We've had the pool for months now and we've never even used it."

  "So why should we start now?"

  "Because I want to."

  "You are more than welcome."

  "It's no fun swimming alone." I bit down around a nipple, teasing the ring with my tongue. "Please? It's heated and it's dark out. It'll be relaxing."

  Lucien groaned and rolled over me, nuzzling at my throat, slowly inching his way down my body. "That may be, but the moment we walk out of the house, we'll no longer be alone. Our guards will be watching."

  "The guards are there to watch what's happening on the grounds and around the property—not us."

  He grumbled low against my belly. "I just want some alone time—with you."

  "Then fuck the guards. Tell them to," I pushed at his shoulders, trying to get him to move, "I don't know, tell them to take a break for an hour or so."

  He growled.

  "You're being a pain in the ass, you know that? Since when do you give a shit who's watching us?"

  "When I realized that there were certain intimate moments between us that I didn't want to share." He sighed, his breath against my skin making me shudder. Which seemed to relax him a little more. He looked up at me, glaring. "You really want to swim, huh?"

  "Please?" He grumbled and growled, and as he got up, I grinned. "Thank you."

  "Bastard."

  * * *

  The two guards were still standing outside the private entrance when we walked out. When we got a few feet away from them, one called on his radio for a ground patrol to move to the immediate vicinity.

  Lucien stopped abruptly and turned. "No patrol."

  "I'm sorry, sir?" one of the guards asked, clearly confused.

  "I did not stutter," Lucien snapped. "No. Ground. Patrol."

  "As you wish, my lord."

  Lucien turned on his heel and stalked toward the pool. I followed, smiling when I heard the guard stammering into the radio for the ground patrol to 'get fucking lost'.

  When we reached the pool, Lucien relaxed a little and dipped his foot in the water, testing it. I moved up behind him, pulling his robe back over his shoulders. "Is it warm?"

  He nodded.

  "Good." I pulled his robe off, shrugged mine off, and threw them both over onto a nearby lounge chair. He groaned as I slid closer, hips rocking just a little against his ass. "How 'bout we get wet?"

  His belly went tight beneath my fingers. "You make that sound so dirty …"

  "Mmm-hmm." I bit down on his shoulder. "There something wrong with dirty?"

  Lucien turned and his lips found mine, tongue pushing in deep. His arms came around me and held me tight as he used his weight to pull us both into the water. I had a moment to gasp a breath of air in before we went under. Water bubbled up over my head, the sound muffled. I opened my eyes, ignoring the slight sting of the chlorine. Lucien's eyes were open, watching me. I breathed out a little, but knew I wouldn't be able to stay under as long as he could. Hell, he couldn't drown.

  He kissed over my closed mouth and a few moments later our heads were both above water. As I took a breath, he slid down, licking at the hollow of my throat before disappearing under the water again. My back hit the wall of the pool and I had to grasp the bricked ledge to stay put as Lucien's mouth slid over my cock. He sucked and licked and teased and then resurfaced, licking at my lips.

  "I think I prefer to taste you without the water."

  I locked my legs around his hips and rocked against him. "I'm just awed that you can do shit like that."

  "I can't do it for long without feeling like I'm drowning, even if there's no chance of it."

  "Why?" I asked, curious.

  His tongue traced my bottom lip. "When I took the sword, I drowned in my own blood. With all of the things that I have managed to forget over time—I wish that would have been one of them."

  "Me too, baby."

  Fingers traced along my thigh toward my ass, teasing. "Did you have plans to swim… Or were you interested in… something else?"

  "Something else is a lot more enticing than swimming at the moment."

  The tips of his fingers brushed my hole, teased, and then he pulled them away completely. I was about to object when he slid his hand between us, palm moving over my cock, my balls, and then his fingers teased at my hole again. I was about to turn to give him better access, but he shoved a single finger deep.

  I bucked against him, holding tight against the brick, eyes wide. "Fuck, Lucien!"

  He grinned and found my gland, working it, seeming to take great pleasure in my thrashing around. Another finger joined the first, and words left me. His tongue pushed between my lips, lips sealing against mine as he swallowed my moans and whimpers. His fingers curled and worked right over my gland and just when I thought I'd come, he pulled his fingers out, leaving me desperately empty and bucking against him, legs tight around his hips.

  "What's the matter, lover?"

  "Oh, God… you just stopped!"

  He moved his hand from between us and leaned in, whispering at my ear. "Don't let go."

  I was about to groan and complain, but when he shifted so that his cock rubbed right against mine, I cried out instead. He held me just tight enough against him so that he could rub us together. The feel of his hard, heavy flesh against mine was dizzying. I almost lost my grip when his teeth and tongue began working their way along my throat.

  It had been so long...

  Breath coming faster, I bared my neck, just hoping, praying that he'd give in—wanting so desperately to have him feed from me, even if it was just a couple of drops to tide him over. We were rocking in sync when he set his fangs against my neck. Fire shot up through
my balls, my cock, and I was just about to fall over the edge when Lucien sank his fangs deep.

  My eyes rolled back in my head as everything shorted out and I thrust and thrust and thrust, heat spreading between us and dissipating quickly with the small waves of water washing over us. Lucien shuddered and licked at the wound before pulling back just far enough to kiss me. His tongue, coppery-sweet, slid over mine and I clutched at his shoulders, forgetting all about holding on.