Chapter 23

Piper

Zander"s arms tightened around me, his eyes growing distant, while his silence told me plenty. The dream had been just that at first, a dream. Until it wasn"t. The fear I had watching this woman, that I knew was blind, walk toward me with ease.

She was beautiful. Her coffee colored skin looked smooth, her eyes deep pools the color of a blue jewel. I vaguely remembered learning about Marie Laveau in college, the voodoo queen, but this woman didn"t look like her.

She was younger, and held a more exotic look.

Her dark dreads were long past her ample breasts, her lips painted a devilish red color. Her eyes drew me in, and though I sensed she was blind, she never let on to it. It was magical the way she walked, a ghoulish crowd behind her, that looked like blurs of color.

The black monster"s hand from Zander"s closet lurked close by. Everything screamed dark magic, and I clawed at the black walls to get away. I knew, I sensed, I needed to get far away from her.

My mind wondered what Zander did to piss this lady off, but I knew she wasn"t the one to piss off.

Obviously. Hence the beast residing in Zander"s body.

When William woke me up, I"d been pulled from inches of her. She spoke in some foreign tongue, and I knew what she said.

He"ll never get away. He"ll never live it down.

William cleared his throat, giving Zander a pleading look to say something. "That"s her," he said, suddenly somber.

His fingers twitched around me. "What did she say to you?"

I swallowed, and nervously looked around the room. Had she been watching us? How did she know I was here if they couldn"t find her?

"She said, "he"ll never get away. He"ll never live it down."

Zander"s eyes flashed a yellow color, his fingers diggings into my flesh in a bittersweet reminder of his strength. William reached out and jerked Zander"s hand from my skin. "Let"s get you both up, okay?"

I stood up slowly, suddenly realizing Zander was naked. My heart thumped an extra beat. It"d been a long time since I"d been excited to see a naked man. Hiding my face with my hair, I nervously pulled at my sock.

When I finally found the nerve to look up, Zander had slipped into some gray sweats. Which every woman knew wasn"t any better. "I"m—going to go get dressed."

Zander nodded. "I"ll be down for breakfast soon. Tell Vivian not to wait on me." The look of hurt on his handsome face pierced my chest. It shouldn"t have, but it did.

Slipping from the room, Zander followed and shut his door behind me. I jumped as the sound echoed down the long hallway.

I"d mostly gotten over the shock of Zander turning into furry things, and I"d accepted that there was something between us, but the visit from that woman gave me an entire new set of eyes.

There was evil out there. More evil than I realized existed.

I showered and changed into my favorite dress in the huge walk-in. It was black, with a corset top and a fluffy skirt. It reminded me of something plucked from a gothic romance.

Vivian stood in the kitchen, cleaning her mess, while humming under her breath. The breakfast spread was impressive with all kinds of meats, fruits and juices. "Good morning,"" I said, snagging a muffin from the center of the table.

"Good morning, Ms. Sloane."

"You outdid yourself today. Are you still afraid I"m going to take your place—,"

She eyed me. "Get over it."

I chuckled. "Don"t worry. I don"t enjoy cooking. I don"t mind cleaning, but cooking is my own personal Hell."

Vivian smiled. "I made you something."

I stopped chewing. "Me?"

She nodded, and bent down to the cabinets beneath the island. She pulled out a large canvas, and walked it over to me with a huge smile. "Don"t be mad," she said.

I lifted a brow. "Mad at your gift to me? Why would I be mad?"

She bit the corner of her lip. "I was eavesdropping."

I smirked. "Looks like we"re going to get along, Vivian."

Slowly, she turned the painting around to face me. The beauty of the painting outweighed the fact she eavesdropped on us in the pool. Zander"s eyes were golden, my mouth parted in a desperate need for him.

Everything about the painting screamed passion, and yet, we weren"t touching one another. "In case you don"t stay, I want you to have a piece of this ... magic."

I traced over the look on Zander"s face, my hardened heart breaking into two pieces. That look of longing—of want—I"d never seen it on Henry"s face. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and took the painting.

"I love this," I admitted, which wasn"t a lie.

I did love it. I hated how much I loved it. It was wrong, but felt so right.

The kitchen door swung open and Zander walked in with William behind him. With the painting in my hand, a burst of emotion filled me. I didn"t know where it came from, but I hid the painting behind my back. "I"ll be right back," I said, swiftly running from the kitchen.

I felt Zander"s eyes on me. The feeling of him wanting to chase me. I prayed he didn"t. Too many emotions filled me, and I knew if he touched me, looked at me in the eyes, that I would burst.

My footsteps pounded against the stairs, the painting curled into my chest like a prized possession. Would I take this with me? What would my parents think?

On the other hand, who gave a damn what they thought?

I shoved open my door, and took a deep gaping breath, bracing one hand against a post of my bed. Silence enveloped me, and my brain tossed me a picture of going back to my parents" house, and being alone in my room.

Without this longing inside of me.

The floor creaked in the same second someone grabbed the painting from my hands. I squeaked like a fourth-grade girl hiding her diary from her crush.

Zander"s gaze settled on the painting.

His silence was hard to read. The way his thick throat swallowed like bricks laced his esophagus. Slowly, his gaze lifted to mine. "You"re hiding this from me, why?"

He tossed it onto the bed beside me, not moving, but it felt like his eye were undressing me. "I don"t know."

"Liar."

I lost eye contact. "I—I ..."

Zander hissed. "You what, Little One?" he asked. "You what?"

"I ... like you, Zander. I want you in ways that you won"t give me. I"m not supposed to feel like this. I"m supposed to jump at the door if my parents show up. The truth is, I could have made it out of this castle during the day. Would William or Vivian even try to stop me? I don"t think so, but here I am," I said, lifting my arms out wide, tears threatening my eyes. "Like some sad pathetic heart-broken girl, here because some guy is giving me attention and I crave it. I"m stupid, but I can"t leave now. And that," I said, pointing toward the painting. "That makes me want to ... stay." I shook my head, pressing my lips together in a sad attempt to keep myself whole. "Henry never looked at me that way. No one has."

Zander stood still for several seconds. Had my outburst made me look weak? Or stupid in his eyes? I wasn"t sure I cared. I felt ten pounds lighter.

When I cleared my throat, and tucked my hair behind my ear, Zander stepped forward, caging me against his chest and the post of my bed behind me. "You"re the most beautiful woman I"ve ever laid eyes on, Ms. Sloane. You"re not stupid for wanting my attention any more than I am for wanting yours. I"m here to give you attention. To make you feel loved. To make you feel desired," he said, running the pad of his thumb against my bottom lip. "If you"ll lay back, I"ll show you just how much I desire you."

My body reacted like a kid in a candy store. I wanted that more than I wanted my next breath. "You want to mark me?"

He smiled a devilish smile. "Oh, I want to mark you, but I"m not going to now. I"m not going to have sex with you—,"

My hopes deflated like a pierced balloon. Way to work a girl up ...

He chuckled. "But I"m going to make you feel good, Little One. Lift up that god-awful dress. There is excessively too much fabric for my liking, and lay back. I want to look at you."

Slowly, because I was scared to move too fast, I backed up against the bed and slowly lifted the skirt of my dress. The cool air hit my skin forming goosebumps all the way to my nipples.

Zander watch with a patient demeanor. The mattress hit my back, my eyes met the high-vaulted ceiling, and I begged for mercy. This man would kill me with the wait, his touch, and the promise of everything I"ve always wanted.

The anticipation of waiting on him bit at my skin. Zander"s knee pressed against the mattress, and then his hand on the opposite side of my head.

With delicate fingertips, Zander brushed a path along my bared leg, and up to the juncture between my thighs, where he abruptly stopped.

I bit back the aggravated groan, and sat up on my elbows to look at him. His eyes, that dangerous golden color, twinkled. "Aren"t we over the torture?" I asked.

He smiled. "Oh no, Little One. I"ll never get over making you beg. Though, I need a promise from you before we go any further."

"What"s that?" I asked in a whisper.

"Promise me that you"ll consider staying with me."

Zander had no idea that I"d been in constant torment on what to do if my parents showed up, or if they didn"t. I couldn"t go my entire life here without reaching out.

But I didn"t have to leave for good. I could call them. I could stay and ... give into this dark fantasy I had of letting him claim me as his mate. When would something like this ever happen to me again? Never, the answer was never.

"I promise."

Zander nodded, and swiftly, dropped to his knees in front of me. Nerves skated over my skin. My toes curled in anticipation, my fingers tangled into the comforter of my bed.

The warmth of his breath formed goosebumps on my body. Then his mouth met the bend of my knee, his teeth bit my flesh, and then his tongue soothed the ache.

He made a hot path up the inside of my thigh, and then down the other, until I"d tangled my fingers into his auburn locks and pulled. His chuckle made me want to clamp his head between my thighs and keep him there.

Zander palmed my thigh, while climbing up to look at me. Keeping his gaze on mine, he hooked his finger around the crouch of my underwear, my body going into a frenzy at the brief touch of his skin, and he ripped them off.

"I"ll keep these," he said softly, shoving them into his pocket. Zander bent down, and stopped inches away from the place I needed him the most. "You promise you"ll consider it."

With him not knowing if I would keep my promise or not, and the trust he put in me, it blasted a piece of the ice around my heart. "I promise."

"Good," he said, diving forward, pushing my thighs apart, he began to feast on me like candy.

Every time he touched me, kissed me, it all rolled around in my mind as my stomach tightened at the wicked things his tongue was doing between my legs. A loud moan came from me and I didn"t care who heard it.

The skilled way he sucked me into his mouth, sending me higher and higher would forever make it impossible for any man to please me.

It was perfect.

He was perfect.

My orgasm climbed the stairs of my body, resting heavily in the pit of my stomach, until I was riding his face like some deranged cowgirl.

At my age, it was strange that he was the first man to go down on me, but I knew no one would ever top what he was doing.

Zander sucked, licked and touched my most sensitive spot until an orgasm wrecked through me. My head spun in circles, a hazy warmth coated my body like an invisible cloak.

Zander crawled up, his mouth wet from my juices, making my embarrassment return. "You taste like you smell," he said matter-of-factly.

I didn"t know if that was good or not.

Zander leaned forward and kissed me deeply. I tasted myself on his mouth, and he seemed to enjoy it. "Do you want to shower with me?" he asked softly against my lips. I did. I wanted to trace every muscle, every vein of his coiled body, and memorize it.

However, I expected him to ask for a favor. Not that I was skilled at it, but I knew enough of the mechanics to get it done. "We"re finished?"

He chuckled, and kissed the edge of my jaw. "Yes. I can"t do anymore without marking you, or breaking the frame of this bed."

I loved the sound of that. Who was writing this story? They"d read those books on my nightstand. Or maybe, they took up a residence inside of my head with those filthy fantasies.

"We can shower in my room. It"s bigger," he said, helping me to my feet.

He pulled forward, but my legs gave out, and he caught me on my embarrassing tumble to the floor. "Dear Lord," I mumbled.

Zander smiled. "Do you need me to carry you, Little One?"

Zander had no idea the things I needed from him. If I did decide to stay, I"d draw the truth from his tongue, and then bury it in my own mouth forever.