10. CATALINA

TEN

catalina

“Twenty-five seconds.” I pounded up the stairs, using the banister to aid my way. My feet slapping on the ground echoed off the walls, raising my pulse with the frantic beat. Stopping on the second floor was my best bet otherwise he’d catch me quickly since I was nowhere near as fast as him. It split into two directions, left and right.

I worked to even my breathing and rushed to the third door down the right hall, slipping inside as stealthily as I could. The door snicked shut and engulfed me in the dark room. Squinting, I tried to make out as much as I could. There was a bed, and a chair thing near the window where a sliver of moonlight came through the curtains.

I rushed directly past the large bed and to the massive wooden unit against the left of the wall. I pulled it open as swiftly and quietly as possible. Slipping within the various clothing, I climbed into the wardrobe and enclosed myself.

A sweet scent wafted up from the clothing and I slapped away a silk shirt from my face and straightened it in front of me to block me from sight in case he opened it.

It smelled a lot like Asher. I involuntarily inhaled another lungful. No wonder it was so easy for him to attract women. He was not only beautiful, verging on pretty, he smelled like a damn dream.

The air in here felt a little sparse. I pulled out my inhaler and puffed between my lips. A muffled resonating slam echoed, and I froze, holding my breath. My hand shook as I slowly lowered my hands, pressing them against the cool surface on either side of me, being careful to ensure my inhaler didn’t click against the wood. All of this was a sham. These vampires played me like a toy, and I could do nothing but go along with it. I squeezed my hand so hard the plastic of my medicine dug into my palm.

A beat later and the doors from the wardrobe were snatched open and light flooded into the space. Blood red eyes glinted back at me and I screamed, cringing back like I wasn’t trapped in the wardrobe. It was just like the one that took me. The demonic glow took over the blue of his iris.

His palms thumped on either side of my neck and I froze, swallowing hard. Asher seemed unrecognizable as he looked down at me. His head bent and he pressed his nose into my throat, his warm breath puffing over my skin.

Was this how I died?

A hiss escaped, lifting the hair on my arms. His nails scraped the back of the wardrobe as he dragged his hands down. I knew the tip of the nail had become pointy and claw-like, similar to the Pale One that had taken me. I’d deducted the saliva in vampires had a healing quality since I wasn’t scarred by all the punctures the other one made on my body.

I squeezed my lids tightly as his wet tongue prodded the fluttering pulse in my neck. His sweet scent wafted to my nose and a mix of emotions clenched my stomach. I went limp, breathing coming faster as he rasped his fangs across my throat. Panic squeezed my chest. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t move.

Maybe this had been his plan the entire time.

His palm slid down my arm. My stomach tightened when he moved lower and lower until he flattened his palm against my core.

Jolting, I puffed out a breath, practically panting. The fear morphed, but didn’t fade, instead it heightened the tension in my body. My mouth watered and my nipples grew sensitive, and with each breath, they rasped across my bra.

Asher grazed his teeth against my throat again, applying pressure. This time, I arched my neck, needing more. My hips wiggled, grinding my throbbing pussy into his demanding hand.

He hissed and licked my neck again, wrapping his hand around my thigh. His long finger settled into the crevice where my thigh bent, while his thumb pressing into my clit. The rest of his fingers dug into my waist. I whimpered, twitching from the pressure he applied on my sensitive bud. My dress bunched under his touch.

There was a pinch at my neck, and I tensed for a moment and then he sank his fangs deep into my carotid. Asher sucked, and the drag tugged at my clit.

A moan ripped from my throat and Asher echoed it, his palm sliding down to shove against me.

So, so good. I’d attempted to shield my brain from the pleasure, from the craving. But with my body responding so quickly, I faced my reality. I wanted the fangs in me, I ached for the sting all over my body. That desire battled with the fear ingrained within my memories.

He sucked again and I forced myself harder against him, bunching my fingers in the front of his linen shirt. His mouth suctioned at my neck and his tongue laved near the entrance wounds.

His fingers delved under my dress, curving and searching. The waistband of my panties tightened. Rip . His claw, short enough they didn’t do much but add more sensation with their rough edges, grazed the sensitive skin near my slit, and I whimpered. Then his cool fingers slipped over the bud. I gasped, arching toward the rolling sensation of his fingertip.

Asher lifted his head and I panted, staring into red eyes that seeped hunger. His other hand lifted off the surface near my head and he curved his claw into the collar of my outfit. With a quick jerk downward, he tore through my shirt and bra to expose my breasts. The dress gaped open, hanging off my shoulders, and I arched my back as his teeth sank into the skin near my pert nipple.

I screamed, tossing my head back as he sucked. The orgasm rippled through my body, cascading tremors down my spine as his fingers practically vibrated against my pussy. He was so fast. I shook, riding out the wave and twitching as he continued running over my wet folds. The sensitivity reached a painful level, but he didn’t relent. His fangs retracted from my skin, and I looked down at him hovering over the swell of my rapidly rising breasts. My eyes attached to his long incisors, blood dripped off them and splattered on my skin. He stared at his bite marks as if in a trance. Asher ran his tongue over his reddened lower lip and a shudder rolled through his frame.

It was the most erotic image I’d ever seen. His finger slipped down my wet core and delved inside my core. I gasped, my eyelashes fluttering from the onslaught of pleasure.

My sexual experiences consisted of when the Pale One raped me. After that, I held no desire for anything physical and I’d tried. Had this been because my brain had turned my desires into forbidden cravings?

I couldn’t delve into my messed up psychology because no part of my imagination or moments of touching myself compared to Asher’s fingers and fangs.

His tongue glided over his incisor and his hair fluttered over his shoulder as he lowered to lave the blood dripping from my breast. His warm tongue smoothed across my skin and I whimpered as he cleaned it away, my body twitching with his swipes. He easily continued the pace of his fingers sheathed in my pussy.

Asher slowed the speed of his fingers, and shallowly dipped them in me, while his thumb smeared my wetness over my clit. He repeated the slow motion, and heat spread throughout my belly. His claws rasped my folds. Oh my fucking God. The level of pleasure should be criminal.

He suckled my nipple, heightening my need and then nibbled up to my neck and sank his teeth in again.

“Asher,” I gasped.

His cock nudged my bare leg, hips thrusting. I slipped my legs wider and tugged him tightly to me, so my thighs corralled his wide hips.

I arched my neck and slipped my fingers through his hair as he fed.

This. This sensation. Ache . Was what I’d been craving for too long. The foreign craving I’d tried to deny.

Heat swept over my skin, and I became short of breath. My legs tensed at his side, drawing up at the encroaching release. Asher’s arms wrapped around my back, fingers digging into my spine as he drew me as close to him as humanly possible. The position forced his covered cock to thrust over my aching pussy while his hands slid to my hips.

Desperation marred each touch and movement. I couldn’t get enough of him.

A whine swelled in my throat as I arched to rub myself against his thickness.

Even within his slacks, he felt huge. If he was freed, I couldn’t imagine his size.

Lust crashed through my senses and I whimpered, the heat at the apex of my thighs reaching levels it never had before. I was heavy and needy. The hollowness begged for something to fill me. It was wrong, but in this moment, I didn’t care it was a vampire helplessly thrusting between my legs.

His teeth retracted from my neck without sucking then he slammed them back into me, triggering my release. Heat flushed through my pussy, throbbing and achingly good. It spread through my core and expanded through every sense. My legs hooked around his hips and I ground against him.

He felt sinfully right in my arms. My pulse fluttered in my throat, beating like bird’s wings.

Asher groaned as he drank from my neck, and his furious thrusting lost rhythm as he stilled, whimpering into my throat as he sucked hard.

The tension leaked from his body and his panting chest matched mine. His teeth slipped from my neck and he lowered to his knees as I leaned against the bunched up clothing. A few strands of his long hair escaped the leather thong tying his hair back.

His forehead pressed into my belly, shoulders lifting in quick pants. I tugged at the strands of hair and he rolled his head to the side so his cheek rested against my thigh. The blond lashes languished across the crest of his cheeks before they fluttered open.

On the other side of coming, reality sank in. I stopped petting him and my grip turned limp. How could I? Warmth blazed on my face and traveled down my neck. I tried swallowing the knot at my throat. Shame nipped at my heels and I gritted my molars. Vampires were evil and here I was with one between my legs.

Asher stood, blue eyes not leaving mine. For once, they weren’t sparkling. He reached over my shoulder and I tensed, but he ignored my reaction, pulling out a fresh pair of sweats.

With jerking movements, he unbuttoned his slacks and tugged the zipper. The cock that sprung out was still hard and pointing in my direction. The tip of his dick glinted with slightly red cum that covered the barb piercings gracing his shaft. He tossed the slacks aside and slipped on the fresh pair. His dick’s outline was clear for me to see, and I pressed my legs together.

Did he have to put on gray sweats?

Flattening my lips, I tried to focus on something else so the low throbbing at my clit could disperse. Asher clasped my face and pressed his lips to my nose. I blinked into his eyes.

“Delightful, human,” he rasped, releasing me and striding out of the room.

My lips parted and I gawked after him. Well. I needed to get moving, except my limbs weighed a hundred pounds. Liquid tickled my neck and my dress was torn. After a night like this, I needed self-care. A rose scented salt bath, a shopping spree, I didn’t know, just something to distract my frantic mind.

Exhaling shakily, I slumped back. What the fuck was wrong with me? Screwing around with a vampire shouldn’t have happened. I’d avoided them for so long, how could I be so weak?

Tobias stepped into the room and I startled. His lips formed a thin line. My hand trembled as I tried covering myself, but my movements were sluggish.

Tobias tugged a blanket off the seat near the window and strode over to me, wrapping me up in it.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

His jaw tightened. I couldn’t get a read on his thoughts.

I stared at the tip of my shoes hanging over the lip of the wardrobe. His sigh was the only precursor before his arms swept me up. I gasped and wiggled in the hold, my heart racing.

“M-my inhaler.” I coughed and he balanced me with one arm and placed the inhaler on my chest. Since he held me tightly, the blanket pinned my arms to my sides.

Tobias clutched me tighter as he exited the room and strode down the hall, cradling me against his wide chest. I was too tired to do anything, so I rested my head on his shoulder. Here I was draped against a vampire, not freaking out. My years of running felt pointless, yet at the same time had culminated to this conclusion. Had I run because some deep dark piece of my soul had known I held such perverse desires? I sighed. My writing proclivities didn’t help me out on denying that.

He went a few doors down, to the first one down this hall, and shoved the door open with the tip of his shoe. Not bothering with the light, he moved across the room through the second threshold that opened to a lavish marble bathroom. He balanced me in one arm and turned the water on. The spout sputtered to life and began filling the round tub.

“Are you okay?”

I blinked quickly, trying to find a way to respond.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. The experience with Asher was altering and I wanted to run, which I would be doing if I could move. “I-I need to bathe.”

Tobias set me on my feet and tugged the blanket off me, tossing it into the corner, so he could help slide my clothing off. My face heated but I needed the help, regardless of how embarrassing it was to have him touch me with such ease. I covered my breasts as he lifted me and lowered me into the filling tub. A tremble coursed through my limbs and a knot swelled in my throat.

I should tell him to leave me alone, but the words refused to come out.

He crouched in front of me, running the tip of his finger over my cheek and I stilled, holding my breath. There had been nothing aggressive in his touch, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t kill me with a twitch of his pinky.

Squirting some soap into a loofah, he worked it onto my skin. Tobias’s brows remained furrowed, the pensive expression unwavering as he worked the rough material over my shoulders with gentle swipes. The way he dragged it over my flesh was impersonal and efficient.

“He’s never lost control.”

So Asher wasn’t lying about that. I’d imagined he’d used it as an excuse to get my guard lowered. After all, morality and vampires were concepts that didn’t coexist. I stayed quiet, trying to swallow my emotions. The encounter played back in my head, warming my entire body with embarrassment. I’d acted crazy and horny.

There had been no reservations in me and I hadn’t cared. I simply wanted. And the catalyst was Asher’s bite.

I wanted to get as far as I could get away from here, but I couldn’t. I needed the vampire’s money. My stomach lurched and I struggled to swallow.

Tobias swept the loofah over my breast, and goose bumps lifted across my arms. My nipples were sensitive, and the slow swipes Tobias did across my flesh weren’t helping. Tobias’s jaw worked and his throat bobbed.

“His eyes were red.” Like the Pale One. I wiggled my toes trying to get movement back; water reached the middle of the tub.

“When we become red-eyed, our conscience is gone. We are true monsters like that, he had no reservations in holding back.”

“Oh,” I whispered. Tobias finished rinsing me down and left the room to fetch me some clothing. I flexed my hands and movement came more easily to me. Getting out of here was my only goal so I pushed out of the water and it sluiced down my skin. A white towel rested on the metal holder and I plucked it to quickly dry myself and then wrapped it around my body, securing it over my breasts.

Waiting for Tobias wasn’t an option. I had to get out of here—now. I skulked to the door, and peeked out, then padded across the wood floors. No one was there so I rushed down the stairs, half-staggering from dizziness. Each of my steps sounded excruciatingly loud to my ears, but it served to spur me on faster.

The front entrance swung behind me as I booked it to my house; without shoes and wrapped in a towel.

There was no way what just happened was real. It had to be some manifestation I’d conjured from my darkest fantasies, but the soreness in my throat told another story. It was horrifying and wrong . . .

And why did I want more of it?