Chapter Four

Sadey frowned down at the address, then back to the giant Victorian home surrounded by wilderness. It was beautiful, but not at all like the gothic castle she'd imagined a coven of vampires would inhabit. A shallow porch graced the front and was lined with a trio of white rocking chairs to match the intricate railing.

There were a few girls leaning against the railing. They wore sundresses, jean jackets, and cute wedges of differing colors as if they'd called each other and coordinated their outfits. They talked low and laughed easily. Sadey stuck her nose out the open window of her rental car and sniffed. They were definitely human, and they weren't afraid of being at a coven house, so why should she? She was a motherfluffin' shifter. And not just a bird shifter either, but one with teeth and claws. She wasn't defenseless.

Plus, something deep down inside of her said Aric wouldn't hurt her.

She remembered the look on his face right before he'd disappeared in a haze of flocking bats and purple smoke. There had been such a raw vulnerability in his eyes when he'd stood outside her house. That was one week ago, and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. That would've been good except she was curious about him, and apparently that curiosity-killed-the-cat saying didn't work on her. Hopefully the nine lives adage would work, though, because now that she was here, her animal apparently thought this was the greatest idea ever instead of the stupidest.

Sadey huffed a sigh and licked the envelope to the card she'd brought for Aric, then shoved it into her purse. She shoved the door open and jogged across the street.

"Hey, we've got a new girl," one of the human girls said in a friendly tone.

A blonde looked troubled, though. "Who are you here for?"

"Uuuuh." That was a weird question. "Aric?"

The blonde's frown deepened further. "He just fed a couple nights ago, but okay. If he called you in, maybe he had a bad night at work."

"What do you mean?" Sadey asked, a sliver of worry snaking in her gut.

"He's a firefighter, and sometimes his shifts are bad. He has to feed more if he's going to be around all that blood and not hurt the injured ones, you know?"

"Oh. Yes, of course." The silence grew too thick, and she was crap at small talk, so naturally she made it awkward. "So you're all here to feed the vamps?"

The friendly brunette pursed her lips. "Well yeah, the pay doesn't suck. Aren't you?"

Sadey opened her mouth to vehemently deny that she would ever do something so repulsive, but the door opened suddenly, and a tall man with dark hair and green eyes smiled at them and said, "Y'all come on in. Your boys are ready for you."

Sadey's pulse tripped as the man's eyes landed on her and narrowed. "What do we have here? Fresh meat?"

"Garret don't give her a hard time. She's here for Aric," the blonde explained. "The first time is always nerve-wracking, too, so cut her some slack, okay?"

Garret smiled at the blonde and murmured, "So long as you're here for me, darlin'."

The blonde blushed a pretty color, ducked her gaze, and looked pleased as punch. "You know I am."

The girls filed in one by one while Sadey looked longingly behind her at the rental car that sat on the circle drive by the others. Her chariot awaited, but the thought that Aric was right inside, just a few walls away from her, made it impossible to flee. Apparently, her damn animal had grown a keen and terrifying interest in men even more dangerous than Brock. This was the part she hated about being a shifter—the marrow-deep instincts she couldn't ignore.

So like the epic fate-tempter she was, Sadey stepped into the house behind the others. The decorator had been a fan of dark woods. Dark floors, dark wainscoting, dark bronze sconces, and a massive black chandelier hung above her in the entryway. To the left was an entire wall of security panels with video, retinal scanners, and glowing squares of buttons that probably helped make this place a fortress during the day. Made sense. Vampires didn't have much defense when they were sleeping.

Garret led them down a hallway and a set of stairs to a sprawling basement with tall ceilings. Down here, the lights were dimmer, and it smelled of sawdust and new paint, like the coven had recently renovated this place. The brunettes filed off one at a time to bedroom doors and disappeared inside, while Garret draped his arm over Blondie's shoulders.

"You don't have to worry," Blondie said. "It's not scary like rumors say. This coven is gentle and don't even leave scars behind. Aric will treat you well for your work."

Work. Donating blood to vamps was considered a job? Sadey tried to smile, but she was pretty sure it was a grimace highlighted by a lip tremble. Some predator shifter she was.

As Garret opened a bedroom door and waited for Blondie to saunter inside, he tilted his chin to the door at the end of the hallway. "Aric is in there." Garret looked like he wanted to say more, but he frowned at Aric's door instead. And when she hesitated with her hand raised to knock, Garret said, "Take good care of our king. He shoulders a lot."

King? Holy hell. Royalty was notoriously ruthless. They had to be to secure entire covens under them. She was about to let herself into the king of the coven's room. Crap, oh crap, oh crap.

"Don't worry," Garret said. "Aric will be gentle with you, especially your first time."

Fantastic. Clenching her fists to stifle the instinct to flee the house, she knocked lightly.

There was commotion at the end of the hallway, and when she turned around, the nice brunette was pinned onto the wall, hips rolling against a handsome man with pallid skin and bright blue eyes. They were making out hard core, and from the sounds the brunette was making, she was thoroughly enjoying it. The vamp slid his icy gaze to Sadey right as he opened his mouth and exposed his fangs, then sank them into the brunette's neck. He made a hissing sound as he ground his hips against her.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!

The door swung open, and Aric froze like an ice sculpture. His face went slack, and his gray eyes morphed to the black of a raven's feather. He wore nothing but low-slung jeans. She'd known he was well-built through his firefighter shirt, but he was more cut than she'd even imagined. The dim lighting made deep shadows between his hard pecs and between each hard ridge of his six-pack. The tattoos she'd seen peeking out of his shirt were dark against his pallid skin. He was intimidatingly sexy.

With a rapid blink, Aric looked at the sexual feeding frenzy down the hall and yanked Sadey by the arm inside of his room.

The door clicked closed, and he was there, standing too close, his hand digging into her arm too hard. "What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered. "I'm not drinking you!"

"I'm not here for that," she gritted out. "I came to give you something."

Aric ran his hand through his chestnut brown hair, mussing it as he looked around with a tinge of panic flaring in his eyes. It was then that she really saw his bedroom. It was massive, but okay, that made sense. He was king of this coven after all.

It was dark, with just a few sconces lit on the walls. Rich wood floors and chocolate-colored walls made the room seem even darker.

"It's like a classy dungeon in here," she said with a nervous laugh. "Where's the shackles?"

He gave her a disapproving look, so she muttered, "Joke," and moved to the writing desk scattered with charcoal sketches. Some were of animals, some of plants or scenery. Each was dark and smudged quickly, but belied real skill. Under a picture of a row of familiar flowers, there was an eye done in such detail she gasped. Gently, she moved the image of landscaping over and exposed a picture of a girl lying in a man's arms, her lips parted slightly, her eyes wide and wild, a tear streaking through the dark smudges on her face. If this was done in color, those eyes would be gold.

"This is me," she uttered, shocked.

"You shouldn't be here, Sadey."

"How do you know my name?" she asked, rounding on him.

"It's not safe. If my coven finds out what you are—"

"How do you know my name, Aric?"

His chin was dipped to his chest, but Aric lifted his dark gaze to hers. "It was an accident. I saw the name. You were loud."

"What do you mean?"

"When I told you my name in the hospital, you said yours back. In your head."

"You said you weren't in my head." She retreated a couple of steps until her back hit the sketching table. She felt violated. "You lied."

"I didn't lie. I didn't. I don't want to be in your mind. It feels…" He shook his head hard. "It makes me feel sick. It's not something I had control over, though. You were reaching for me. You're reaching for me now. Begging me to…"

"Begging you to what?"

"Apologize."

"Fuck," she gritted out. "This was a mistake. I've done this before. I've been with someone who wanted every piece of me, and I'm not doing this again."

"Why are you here?"

"I can't." Sadey strode for the door, but Aric pulled her arm, and now his eyes were roiling like black flames.

"Why?" he gritted out. "I want to know because I've been doing my part. I've been staying away from you, but now you're in my bedroom, and I can hear you in my head. I can feel you."

Sadey couldn't catch her breath. Not here where he was leveling her insides with that impassioned look. Not when he was touching her. Not as his grip lessened, not when his thumb brushed the inside of her arm so softly it made her body react.

"Do you drink girls like the ones outside?" she asked. The answer mattered so much.

"Yes."

Her heart fell, and she sighed out her disappointment.

"It isn't sexual for me," he said.

"How can I believe that after what I saw in the hall? That woman was enjoying it—"

"Listen to my voice, Sadey." Aric gently pulled her closer, and now both of his hands were on her arms. "You can hear a lie. It's not sexual for me. I have to eat, that's all."

Truth. But… "How can I trust what you say when you can manipulate my mind?"

"I wouldn't with you." He cupped her neck with those cold, strong hands of his and raised his dark brows, leveled her with the honesty in his eyes, and repeated in a whisper, "I wouldn't."

And she believed him. She had to. Her animal did.

"I won't hurt you, but you can't leave right now. Not this soon after coming in. My coven will think something is wrong. Please, just stay for a little while."

Her gaze flicked to the unmade four poster bed across the room before she could stop herself. Aric frowned and looked behind him, following her gaze.

"Why did you draw me?" she asked on a breath. "Why did you draw my landscaping? Why were you standing outside of my house that night?"

"Because," he murmured.

"Tell me why or I'm leaving, and screw the consequences."

"Dammit, Sadey, I'm trying to protect you."

"Why?"

"Because I feel compelled to! Because it feels like this world would be uglier without you here. Because you make me feel things I haven't felt in a really long time. Things I thought I wasn't capable of anymore."

Before she could stop herself, Sadey lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. It was reckless and wrong, but his words stirred something wild within her. She knew exactly what he meant. She made him feel. She understood. She thought she'd hate men until the day she died after the hell Brock had put her through, but here she was, feeling alive again. And it had been so damn long. Aric couldn't be more wrong for her. He had a life leading a dangerous coven of vampires. He bled people, fed on them. He was a creature of the night and completely incapable of giving her a relationship she needed. But he could give her something she wanted—an escape. An hour where she didn't feel jaded and unlovable. He was dangerous, powerful, and sexy, and she wanted him to touch her body, her soul, and yes, maybe her mind was reaching for him because she wanted someone to touch her there, too.

Aric had gone still with her kiss, but then his hand went around the back of her head. He angled his face, dipped closer, and then pushed his tongue past her lips. Sadey shuddered with how good he felt touching her. She ran her hand down his chest to his abs and reveled in the feeling of his taut muscles twitching under her touch.

Aric lifted her off the ground with a wild sound in his throat and slammed her back against the door. His kiss became desperate as he pressed his rock-hard erection between her thighs. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, his hand was there, strong on the back of her knee, encouraging her to stay just like this, curved around his body. Sadey hugged his neck and moaned as he dipped his tongue into her mouth over and over, rocking his hips smoothly, hitting her clit just right.

She was burning up, and this was all too fast, but for the life of her, she couldn't conjure a single care. She couldn't stop this right now if she tried. Aric yanked her away from the door and walked her slowly back toward the bed.

Sadey lowered her lips to his neck and sucked hard, and the hiss in his throat revved her up even hotter. His hands were strong on her, as if he knew what her body was capable of. He didn't need to be gentle because she wasn't some fragile human. She had an animal side that reveled in rough affection. Teasingly, she clamped her teeth on his neck. Silly vamp, offering a predator his throat. He must trust her.

Aric held her tighter and eased them onto the bed, ground his erection against her. His skin was so cold on hers. As he leaned down and took her mouth, he slid his hands up inside of her shirt, brushed her ribs, and cupped her breast. Damn bra. Desperate to touch more of his skin, she pulled off her shirt. Aric eased up just enough to let the fabric slip between them, and then his lips crashed onto hers again.

His hands were rough in her hair, and she fucking loved it. Loved the way he angled her face back to level her lips with biting kisses. Loved how he trailed his kisses along her jaw to her neck, hesitated there to suck on her skin, then moved down. He undid the clasp of her bra and yanked it off, then sucked on her nipple until she arched against the mattress. She spread her legs for him, inviting him closer.

Reaching down, she popped the button of his jeans and unzipped them so he wouldn't be confused by mixed signals.

"Tell me to stop now, Sadey," he growled out.

"I don't want you to stop," she said breathily.

"Fuck," he muttered, and then her pants were on the floor with his. Just a second was all he had needed to unfasten them and strip them off her legs.

He ground his hips again, and she could feel the head of his swollen shaft at her wet entrance, and a sudden desperation took her. "Please," she whispered, digging her nails into his back.

His lips were on her neck again, and there were the sharp points of his fangs, but he wouldn't drink her. Not if she didn't tell him to. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. She could trust Aric not to hurt her.

When he eased back, there was raw hunger in his eyes. It should've terrified her, but it didn't. Instead, the heat in her stomach turned molten. How sexy to be wanted so desperately by someone. Fuck Brock and his memory. Fuck her ex for forcing her to pick up the scraps of his affection. Fuck his other mates. Right here, right now, she was enough for Aric.

"You're more than enough," he whispered, pushing into her. "Don't reach, Sadey. I can't keep out if you reach for me."

But keeping him out seemed like a lot of work when she could barely think straight. Aric pushed into her again, stretching her, filling her. She gasped out a helpless sound as his lips collided with hers. His abs flexed against her with every stroke he pumped into her. His smooth, cold skin stole the warmth from hers. His sharp teeth grazed her lips and still, he felt perfect right now. So perfect.

"You're the perfect one," he murmured against her lips. Gritting his teeth, he moaned and bucked into her again, gripped her waist. "Fuck, you feel so good."

The pressure built to blinding in her middle. How could anything feel like this? How could she feel this connected with another person? His lips were back on her throat, his teeth right there, and his look of hunger from before flashed through her mind. Her stomach turned with a sudden desperation for something to sate her thirst. What was he doing to her?

He slid into her again, so hard, so good, and she lost her mind completely to the release she teetered right on the edge of. "Do it."

"Do what?" he ground out.

"Drink me."

There was no hesitation. His teeth pierced her throat, and it should've hurt, but it didn't. Not when her orgasm exploded through her body at that exact moment. " It's okay. Okay, okay. It's okay. " The words tumbled around in her mind, echoing, tripping over each other. " I'll take care of you. " Aric was there in her head making beautiful promises.

God, what an alluring offer. She hadn't been taken care of in a really long time.

His hand gripped the side of her neck as he rammed into her and froze, his shaft pulsing as the first jet of heat shot into her. He sucked on her neck hard, bit deeper, and she groaned with how incredible her body felt. He pushed into her again and again, drawing every aftershock from her as he emptied himself completely. And as the final, faint pulse of her release subsided, Aric loosened his jaw, released her torn neck, and licked where he'd bitten her.

Her skin sealed with her shifter healing, and he sucked gently there as if he was silently thanking her.

He hadn't taken much from her. Not even enough to make her feel faint or for her fingertips to turn cold. He'd stayed in control and only sipped at her through their orgasm. It shouldn't have been, but that was the sexiest thing she'd ever been a part of. What did that say about her? Right now, she didn't care. Not when Aric was trailing kisses down her collar bone and stroking along her arm, coveting her. And she repaid him in kind—kissing his skin, biting him gently, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately. She would never tell him, but that was a sign of deep adoration for shifters like her.

Aric lifted up and smiled as though he'd heard that last thought. And then slowly, he eased forward and nuzzled his cheek against hers. Her chest heated with something unexplainable. Something incredible, blinding, and overwhelming.

The door creaked open. "Hey boss, do you have any extra twenties?" Garret asked. "Oh, shit!"

With a gasp, Sadey covered her face in mortification as Aric threw the covers over them. "Garret, get out!"

Sadey peeked through her fingers, but Garret was standing there, staring at Aric with such a strange frown on his face. "What's happening right now?"

"Garret, I'm serious, get the fuck out of my room. That's an order."

Garret's eyes narrowed to slits as he dragged an angry gaze to Sadey. "What did you do to him?"

Aric blasted off her, melded into a thick plume of bats and smoke and waved violently this way and that until there was a deafening crash. Aric was across the room and pinning Garret to the wall, which had shattered behind him. "I gave you an order, so why the fuck are you still here? How I feed is my business."

"Except that wasn't just feeding!" Garret yelled. "I can feel your goddamned bond."

He lifted an accusatory gaze to Sadey, but she was crouched defensively on the bed, ready to Change and rip his throat out if the vamp came a step closer.

Garret huffed a humorless breath. "All right, King . I'm leaving." He lifted his hands in surrender as power hummed through the room.

When Aric pushed off Garret, he was holding a splintered piece of two-by-four against Garret's chest, right over his heart.

Garret meandered to the door but paused at the open doorframe. "Nice eyes, shifter," he growled out with one last hate-filled glance at Sadey.

The slamming door rattled the room, and Aric yelled a feral sound and chucked the two-by-four against the wall so hard it speared the sheetrock and hung there, five feet above the ground, shaking from the force.

And she could feel it now, too. Something invisible tethered them and drew taut as he paced away, then eased when he came closer again.

Hand over the hot spot on her chest, she asked, "What just happened?"

Aric settled his hands on his hips and shook his head over and over. And when he lifted those pitch-colored, blazing eyes to her, she could see it there—the realization of what they'd just done.

"I didn't just feed on you, Sadey. I think I gave you a claiming mark."