His fingers were magic on her core, sliding through her slippery center and brushing her clit with just the right amount of pressure. His other hand fumbled with his jeans, and in seconds she felt his hard length rubbing where his fingers had been. He made a rough sound of need that matched hers. This would not be a long, leisurely encounter. Her desires roared through her on a primal level she couldn’t understand.
He arched up as she gripped his rigid shaft and lowered herself onto it. The broad head stretched her sensitive opening, the velvet surface a bold contrast for the thick, textured shaft as it slid deep. The moment they locked together, she came in the most intense, longest-lasting orgasm of her life. Josh joined her, his shout of ecstasy ringing in her ears.
“Bond with me,” he panted as he came down. “Be my mate.”
He took her left hand and threaded her fingers through his. The markings on his arm began to pulse. Feeling warm, a little drunk, and nicely sated, she lifted her head from his throat.
“Lick the punctures,” he rasped. “Stops the bleeding.”
She did, and he groaned, pumped his hips so hard her knees came off the mattress. Another release roared through her, a full-body orgasm that hummed through her veins all the way to her skull.
Josh watched her with golden eyes. “You’re so beautiful.” His voice was like erotic thunder, and it rolled through her as yet another orgasm. He came, too, and before the last tremors had even quieted, he said again, “Bond… with… me.”
Shade and Eidolon had explained the ritual, the benefits, and the consequences, though she’d faded in and out for a lot of the conversation. If what she remembered was true, the ritual involved the sharing of blood—which obviously wasn’t a problem—and when it was over, she’d have markings on her arm to match Josh’s. They’d be bonded for life, and neither could have sex with another.
She drew her finger down his chest. “Explain to me the benefits.”
He gripped her hips and held her still, because every tiny movement made him hiss. “Mindfuckingblowing orgasms. A mental connection. No more loneliness. Or empty sex. You’ll have a protector. A partner. Someone who will love you forever.”
“Sweetheart, you sold me at the orgasms.”
“Gods, I love you.”
She smiled, and he reached up, stroked one of her fangs with his thumb. An incredible sensation shot to her core, and she nearly climaxed again. “Oh. Oh, my.” Talk about an erogenous zone.
“They’re so hot,” he said. “I never thought I’d say that.”
“They feel… right.”
“They look right.”
She was a freaking vampire! Awesome. “So, are we going to do this bond thing?”
“Oh, yeah. You’ve already taken my blood, so your half of the ritual is done.” He threw his head back and closed his eyes. “Ride me. Ride me hard.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She began to rock on top of him, felt the electricity build quickly between her thighs. He reached up to cup the back of her head and pull her down. She thought he was going to kiss her, but when he sank his fangs into her neck, she gasped.
And came. The world around her shattered, and she heard a shout, dimly realized it came from her.
He was right there with her. He grasped her left hand with his right, and his arm lit up. Fire shot from her fingers to her shoulder, and a sense of fulfillment poured into her as she collapsed onto his chest. For a long time, they lay like that, tangled up, exhausted, her breath coming in panting spurts.
“I’m a vampire,” she managed a few minutes later. “Why am I breathing?”
“Eidolon says it’s reflex. Like, the body doesn’t remember it doesn’t need to breathe.”
“Interesting. Guess we’ve got a lot to learn.” She sighed, because she’d become part of a new world, but in the old one, she had a father whose job description included vampire slaying. Talk about your dysfunctional families. “I guess I’m going to need to call Val. Let him know I’m not dead.”
“Well, you sort of are. Undead, anyway. And yeah. Call. He’s left about a thousand messages on my cell phone.”
“And won’t he be thrilled to know I’m a vampire,” she muttered. She drew a harsh breath, remembering Josh’s hatred of them. “What about you? I know how you feel about them. Us.” God, this was surreal.
He tipped her face to his with a finger beneath her chin. “I don’t care what you are. Who you are doesn’t change just because you grew fangs and are on a liquid diet.”
“But it’s more than that, isn’t it? Am I… evil?”
He snorted. “If you believe those Aegis idiots.”
“So, I’m not?”
His hand came up to brush her hair out of her face. “Becoming a vampire distills certain aspects of your personality into a purer form so you’re a little more honest about who you are, whether that’s evil or good, but you’re still you.”
“I don’t understand how you can get past the vampire thing, though, after everything—”