chapter 7
Their plane touched down on the runway at midnight, although with its blacked-out windows Tess wouldn’t have known if it was midnight or mid-day. She was both anxious and excited at the same time. Colton was quietly talking to her but her mind was a million miles away.
“Tess? Tess?” he said, finally bringing her attention back to the present. “Mmmmm?” she mumbled.
“Did you hear anything that I said? I was telling you about the transformation process, what’s going to happen to your body, the pain that you are going to feel. Did you hear any of that?”
Tess smiled sheepishly, “Sort of.”
“By ‘sort of’ you mean ‘not really,’ right? Honey, you need to understand what’s coming. You need to be prepared. You’re going to feel like you’ve gone to hell and back, several times, by the time this is all over. It’s been almost a millennium since I went through it and I still remember the agony like it was yesterday. It’s something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies, even the wolves. The only good thing that I can say about it is at least vampires only have to go through it once. Wolves have the pain of transformation every month – but their pain isn’t anything close to what we go through.”
Tess squeezed Colton’s hand, “Colt, I get it. I really do. It’s going to hurt like hell. I’m going to yell at you, scream at you, hate you, and wish I was dead. I get it. And I’m ready for it.”
Colton wrapped his arm around her as he pulled her to up out of her seat. He kissed her on the temple and whispered, “I hope so, Tess. I sure hope so.” Then he led her off the plane to the car waiting on the tarmac. The drive to his small country estate took about thirty minutes. Tess stared out the window with her mouth open as the outside motion detector lights came on, illuminating the most beautiful, romantic home she had ever seen. “Oh Colton, this is yours? It looks like it’s straight out of an Audrey Hepburn movie. It’s breathtaking.”
Colton kissed the back of her hand that was clasped tightly in his, “I’m glad you like it,” he whispered.
A few hours later Colton was making his way up the stairs to a waiting Tess when he felt Hansen’s eyes on his back. He stopped, “What is it, Hansen?”
“Are you certain of this, Sir?”
“This is her decision, Hansen, not mine.”
“I’m aware of that, Sir. But, why you? Couldn’t you just contact some other vampire to change her? Why does it have to be you? She will be linked to you for as long as you both live. Are you sure that you want that complication in your life?”
Colton slowly turned around to face Hansen, “Complication? Love is a complication, Hansen? Or is it your love for me that’s the complication?” Colton said as he walked down the steps until he was inches from Hansen’s flushed face, “Do you think that I am so shallow and cold that I haven’t noticed how you feel about me? That I haven’t felt your yearning for me? I get it, Hansen, I truly do, but I just can’t complicate our relationship that way. I value you too much to do that.”
“But why her, Sir? A woman that you’ve just met, that you barely know? I’ve spent hundreds of years taking care of you, protecting you, wanting you, yet she stumbles out of the woods and captures your heart within days.”
Colton reached out and cupped his hand along Hansen’s cheek. Hansen closed his eyes and melted into it as Colton continued, “You’ve known me for a very long time, Hansen, and you’ve known every one of my lovers, both male and female, but have you ever known me to rely on any of them for protection, to trust them with my life?”
“No, Sir,” Hansen whispered, breathless with his desire.
“There’s a reason for that,” Colton said as he cupped Hansen’s face in his hands and moved closer, “This,” he breathed just before his mouth came down, his lips pressing against Hansen’s, his tongue sweeping in once, twice then slowly pulling back, “complicates things. It weakens your ability to protect me and it would weaken me. I need you as my protector, Hansen. I have to know that you’re there for me one hundred percent all of the time. Love, desire, sex would distract you, distract both of us. But I understand that you’re lonely and I know that vampires are the only creatures that you can be with sexually. I am so anti-social in that area that I’ve neglected you and for that I apologize.”
“But it’s you that I want, Sir,” Hansen mumbled.
“It’s love that you want and it’s love that I will give you. Once Tess is changed and this whole mess is sorted out, I will take you to some vampire bars in Paris, New Orleans, maybe even the old country, and introduce you to some of my acquaintances. Perhaps one of them will catch your eye?”
Hansen stared into Colton’s eyes for what felt like forever. He knew that Colton was right, knew that if they became intimate that it would cloud his judgment and make him less effective at his job. He thought about how he would feel if he had to turn his duties over to someone else. He knew that he would never be able to allow that to happen. He would never trust someone enough to be as good at what he did as he was. Nobody would ever protect Colton as well as he did, nobody. Hansen closed his eyes and nodded his head slowly, “I’ll finish getting the room ready, Sir,” he said as he turned away.
Colton resumed his slow trek up the stairs. He paused just outside his bedroom door and took a deep breath. He pushed open the door and smiled slightly at the small gasp that Tess made. She was trying so hard to be brave but she was scared as hell, as she should be. There was nothing nice or romantic about creating a vampire – well, except for maybe the sex that they had at the very beginning – everything after that was cold, impersonal, painful and dangerous, very dangerous. It was never easy to gauge how much blood to take – too little and they usually got sick and died, too much and they died. It had to be exactly right. And though the instinct for that was ingrained in vampires as old as Colton that didn’t mean that the instinct was right every time. There were failures, there had always been failures and there would always be failures. That was one of the reasons that Colton had never changed someone before this. He knew how hard it would be to live with his mistake if he got it wrong. He knew that there were vampires out there who turned people all the time, surrounding themselves with their children, as it were. It made for a less lonely existence than how Colton lived, but it also invited disaster or mistake. If a change went bad, if the turned vampire became evil or uncontrollable – as did happen when the person wasn’t mentally strong enough to handle their new powers and desires – then the new vampire had to be dealt with in order to keep the existence of vampires out of the mainstream public’s eyes. Colton would never want to be tasked with having to kill one of his own. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took Tess’ hand in his, “I want to make absolute certain that you are aware of the risks here, Tess. I’ve never done this before. And while the ability to gauge how much blood is in a human is instinctual in vampires, it is by no means a perfect system. Mistakes are made, lives can be lost.”
Tess sat up, allowing the sheet to fall from her as she cupped her hand on Colton’s cheek. She saw the hunger flash in his eyes the moment he realized that she was already naked, “I know the risks, Colt, and I’m okay with them. I trust you to do your best. I feel safe with you. I know that it might not work, but I have to try because I have to stop that bastard, Shane, from what he’s trying to do, and I have to try to save my sister.”
Colton’s hand was shaking as he reached for Tess. He smiled slightly, allowing a small laugh to come out as he said, “I do believe I’m as nervous as a first-timer, Miss Hamilton.”
Tess smiled and reached up with her fingers to stroke one of Colton’s fangs. He jumped and hissed in a breath, the touch just as sensual and exciting as if she had grabbed hold of his now rock-hard cock. “Your fangs turn me on, Colton,” she whispered breathlessly. She shifted onto her knees so that her face was even with Colton’s. Clasping his face in her hands, he watched, both curious and more turned on than he’d ever been, as she leaned forward and swirled her tongue around first one fang and then the other. When she wrapped her lips around both fangs and allowed them to slightly pierce her tongue, he almost came in his pants. He pulled back with a gasp, unable to speak, his eyes glowing with desire as he tore his shirt and pants off then pounced on her like a predator on his prey. But he had to control his inner monster enough to remember the task at hand. He purposefully slowed down as his mouth crushed down on hers. He knew Tess could be gone after tonight and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to give her the best sexual experience of her life first. He moved his kisses down her jaw line then onto her neck, allowing his fangs to slightly pierce along the way, bringing beads of blood to his tongue and getting her body used to releasing the blood but not causing her any pain at all – it was no different than if she was at the acupuncturist’s - if the acupuncturist caused sexual excitement and build up with each needle inserted like Colton’s saliva did. Tess gasped with each puncture. Colton could already feel her body humming with her need to release but he was going to delay it as long as he could, bringing her to the precipice and back many times until, when the wave finally crashed over her she would feel like she was flying apart in his arms and into total bliss. He moved down her collarbone as she moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. She arched her back and groaned, “Oh, yes,” the moment his mouth closed on her already hardened nipple. His tongue swirled around the tip as his fangs made tiny pinpricks around the areola. He kissed his way across her chest and gave the same loving attention to the other breast. He felt her body almost reach its first orgasm then so he released the nipple and began kissing her down her belly as her hands fisted in his hair and she breathlessly moaned, “God, you’re killing me, Colton.” He smiled into her belly button then rested his chin on her lower belly, “Would you like me to stop?” he whispered playfully.
“You do and you’re a dead man,” she smiled then she threw her head back on the pillow as he resumed his kissing and nipping down her belly until he reached the smooth skin on her completely shaved mound. Her nub was already engorged with her desire and he swirled his tongue around it – she came so dangerously close to an orgasm again, that for a moment he didn’t think that he had stopped in time and he almost wished that he hadn’t since his mouth was watering as it anticipated tasting her sweet honey. He kissed and nipped down one side of her folds then back up the other before he made the decision to let her come apart in his mouth once before bringing her to a second orgasm with his cock buried inside her – he envied women that they were built that way, able to come over and over again until exhausted. As a vampire he had more longevity than a human – he could last much longer and recover more quickly but being able to have dozens of orgasms in a single sexual session? That was something that not even he was capable of. Tess’ whispered plea brought him back from his thoughts to the task at hand, “Colton, please,” she groaned.
“Please, what my dear?” he mumbled as his tongue slid up her slit.
Her hands fisted the sheet and her back arched as she cried out, “Please let me come.”
“As you wish, my love,” he said then he sucked her hard * into his mouth with his tongue slinking out to her slit to catch her flowing juices as she exploded. He prolonged her orgasm as long as he could, keeping it ebbing and flowing with a flick of his tongue, a suck of his lips, a nip with his fangs, until Tess had to beg him to stop, “Colton,” she gasped, “need to breath.”
He chuckled as he moved his kisses back up her belly, “First you’re begging me to let you come and then you’re begging me to let you stop.”
“Well, Jesus, I didn’t realize you were going to give me an orgasm that would last a good five minutes,” she gasped as she tried to catch her breath.
“Too much¸ my dear?”
She reached for him, pulling him up her body by his hair, “It’s never too much,” she growled before she pulled his face to hers in a hungry kiss, moaning as she tasted herself on his tongue. He felt her legs wrap around his as she tried to pull him closer, urging him inside. “Eager, little one?” he whispered against her lips. She answered with a growl and a thrust of her hips, her hand on the back of his neck forcing his lips closer to hers. His mouth crushed down hard on hers, his tongue slinking out between his already lengthened fangs to wrestle with hers. He felt her palms dig into his back side and her hips thrust upwards as she urged him further to penetrate her. He didn’t need any more prodding. With one grunt, he thrust himself forward, burying himself to the hilt without any hesitation from her wet and ready core. Her mouth broke from his and she threw her head back, moaning, “Hell, yes,” as she bared her neck to him. He watched her pulse throbbing wildly just below the surface, watched her writhe in ecstasy as she teetered on the precipice of another massive orgasm. Her hands left his backside as he pounded into her, moving to her breasts to pinch her rock hard nipples. He felt her walls spasm around his cock as her orgasm moved even closer. She was balanced on the edge, waiting for that slight push that would send her careening into sheer bliss and Colton knew exactly what that push needed to be. “Touch yourself, Tess,” he growled. Her eyes opened to look at him. She smiled slightly as her hand moved down her belly to her soft mound. Colton pulled his knees underneath him so that it would give her more room. His hands pushed her knees up and apart, spreading her wide for him. “Watch me,” she moaned, “watch me touch myself, Colton.”
“Oh, I am, Tess,” he groaned as he watched her fingers circling her hard nub. Tess raised up on her elbows and her eyes flicked back and forth between his face watching her hand, and the sight of both her finger plying her * with pleasure and his huge cock sliding in and out of her. She timed the pressure on her nub with each thrust of his cock. “God, yes, I’m going to, I’m going to, Colton, I’m coming now,” she yelled, throwing her head back on the pillow as she thrashed around on the bed. Colton waited only a few moments before bellowing his own release, pumping his hot seed inside her, triggering an even bigger orgasm from her. She screamed and her body arched off of the bed. Colton released her legs and threw himself onto her body, pinning her, as he buried his fangs in her neck. Her orgasm was immeasurable at this point, sparking every conceivable pleasure point in her entire body into one earth-shattering moment. She bucked and spasmed beneath him as he drank the sweet nectar from her neck. He continued pumping into her as he pulled the blood from her body even as she began to lose consciousness while still in the throes of orgasm. Colton stopped thrusting and devoted all of his attention to her beating heart. The beats slowed, putting more time, more precious seconds between each one until it was ‘thump, ten seconds, thump, fifteen seconds, weaker thump, twenty five seconds, barely noticeable thump, forty five seconds, that’s when he finally released his fangs and sat up on his knees. He pierced his wrist then reached his other hand behind Tess’ neck, sitting her up with her head tilted back, automatically opening her mouth and throat. He brought his wrist to her lips and allowed the blood to flow into her mouth as he whispered to her, “Come on, honey, drink, drink for me.”
Her throat didn’t move. He knew that some blood was streaming down her throat but he needed to get it in her faster, he needed her to swallow. “Hansen, get in here,” he bellowed. Hansen must’ve been hovering near the bedroom door because he burst through before Colton had finished his request. “She’s not swallowing, Hansen.”
“On it, Sir,” Hansen said as he moved to the edge of the bed. Hansen began massaging and caressing Tess’ neck, until finally, after what felt like an agonizingly long time, she managed a small swallow, then another stronger one, then another, until her lips closed around his wrist and she was sucking the blood from him faster than his heart would pump it “She’s almost there, Sir. Don’t let her take too much.”
“I know, but just a little more, Hansen.”
Colton could feel the panic building in Hansen as Colton felt himself growing weaker.
“That’s enough, Sir,” Hansen said as he tried to pry Colton’s wrist from Tess’ mouth.
Colton growled, “Just another minute.”
“Enough, Sir!” Hansen yelled as he finally managed to rip Colton’s wrist from her eager mouth. Hansen slapped a bag of blood into Colton’s hand, “Drink,” he commanded. Colton sat back on the bed as Hansen straddled Tess’ torso and began chest compressions to pump the vampire blood through her system faster. Colton fought the strong urge to knock Hansen across the room because he was touching his woman’s naked chest as he drained bag after bag of blood. After draining his tenth pint, Colton climbed off of the bed and slipped a pair of sweats on. He walked back to the bed and touched Hansen’s shoulder, “I’ll take over, now,” he whispered.
Hansen kept pumping into Tess’ chest as he said, “Are you sure, Sir? Surely you’re still weak and need time to recover.”
Colton squeezed his hand to get Hansen’s attention. Hansen looked up at Colton, “Please let me do it,” Colton whispered.
Hansen nodded his head and they quickly switched places. As Colton resumed compressions on Tess’ chest he said, “Hand me my stethoscope.”
The stethoscope appeared next to his left arm. Colton stopped CPR and checked Tess’ heart. He quickly pulled the stethoscope from his ears and resumed compressions, “Nothing yet,” he mumbled, “I’ve got to get my blood pumped through her system so that my vampire blood cells transform hers.”
A few minutes later, Hansen’s eyes flicked to Tess’ right hand, “Sir, her finger, sir. Her finger just twitched.”
Colton stopped compressions again, whipped the stethoscope from his neck and pressed it to Tess’ chest. His brow furrowed as he concentrated, with his eyes closed, for sounds in her chest. Frustrated, he yanked it from his ears and pressed his cheek directly to Tess’ chest. Agonizing seconds ticked by until…..finally: Thump, pause, thump, pause, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Good strong, steady beats. Colton sat up and lifted Tess’ upper lip. He watched, fascinated, as her canine teeth elongated and sharpened to tiny points. A small, cautious smile began to form on Colton’s mouth. “I, I, I think it might’ve worked,” he whispered as his eyes drifted up to meet Hansen’s.
“I think you’re right, Sir. You’ve sired your first vampire. How does that feel?”
Colton’s blew the air out of his lungs, unaware that he had been holding his breath for a while, “I’m not sure. Exciting and terrifying at the same time.”
“Why terrifying?”
“What if she’s different? What if it changes her personality? What if she’s something horrible who can’t be controlled and needs to be put down?”
“Her, sir? I seriously doubt that. I may have had my doubts about her being a member of our family. But I came to realize after I got to know her that my reasons were purely selfish on my part. She is a very giving, kind, loving, patient woman. It’s difficult for me to admit, but she’s good for you and I don’t see that changing now that she’s vampire. Becoming vampire only changes those who can’t handle the power. Tess is strong enough to handle anything. This won’t change her, it will only make her stronger.”
Below them, Tess groaned. Colton brushed her hair off of her forehead. “She’s burning up. Can you please bring me a wet washcloth?”
Hansen walked to the bathroom. As Colton heard the water running, he whispered to Tess, “You’re going to be okay, Tess. It’s going to hurt for a little while now, but you’ll be okay in a few hours.”
Hansen gave Colton’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he handed him the washcloth then he moved to the chair in the corner and sat down. “You don’t need to stay here for this part,” Colton said as he dabbed the cloth on Tess’ forehead and cheeks. He smoothed it down each arm then moved back up to her face. “You haven’t done this before, Sir. We don’t really know what the reaction will be. You might need some help and I want to be nearby if you do,” Hansen said as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Tess moaned louder and rolled onto her side, “Hurts,” she croaked.
“I know, honey. But it’ll be over soon. Just try to relax.”
“C,c,c,cold,” she mumbled through chattering teeth.
Colton lay down behind her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her, “Does this help?”
“Mmhmm,” she said as she slightly nodded her head.
She drifted off into a fitful sleep and at some point Colton fell asleep too because he woke to find her lightly suckling on his wrist in her sleep. He kissed the top of her ear and said, “Good girl, Tess.”
He closed his eyes again as he caressed her forehead and arms. Since he wasn’t paying attention, he was completely caught off guard when she suddenly threw herself onto her back, crying out and shoving him, ass first, onto the floor where he landed with a surprised thump. Hansen was out of his chair and helping Colton up faster than it took for shock to register on Colton’s face from the fall. “Thanks,” Colton mumbled as he reached for Tess. She was groaning and thrashing her legs around. Her eyes flew open and she screamed at Colton, “My veins are on fire! Oh God, make it stop, it hurts, it hurts!”
Colton caressed her forehead, “Shhhh. Tess, look into my eyes. Try to concentrate. Your pain is worse because you’re resisting. Relax and let it happen. See your blood vessels changing and know that it’s okay. They are becoming better, stronger. Just go with the change.”
Tess stared, wide eyed but determined at Colton. She finally nodded and Colton watched as she forced her muscles to relax, taking deep breaths as she did. “Good girl. That’s good, Tess. Are you thirsty? Feeding might help.”
“Feeding? You mean on blood?”
Colton grinned at her, “Yes, blood, my dear. Why? Is there something else that you are thirsting for?”
“Well, I guess not. But the idea of drinking blood gives me the willies still. Is that normal? Shouldn’t I be craving it or something?”
“The way that you’re eyes are latched on to the vein pulsing in my neck I’d say that maybe you are craving. You just don’t realize it yet.”
Her eyes flicked from his neck to his eyes and back again several times. His breath hitched as her tongue snaked out and licked her lips, stopping when it reached her transformed teeth. “Fangs, I have fangs!” she gasped.
Hansen took this moment to discreetly leave the room.
“You do. And what, pray tell, would you like to do with those beautiful fangs?”
“I, um, I,” she swallowed hard before continuing, “God, I want to taste you. But won’t it hurt?”
“Did it hurt when my fangs pierced your beautiful neck?” he whispered seductively as his thumb brushed over her carotid artery.
“Oh hell, no. But how do I, ummmm, where do I bite so that I don’t make a mess?”
“Do you see where the artery is pumping?”
Tess nodded her head as he continued.
“You don’t want to pierce the artery unless you’re trying to kill. You want to pierce the vein just above or below the artery. Once you feel the penetration of the skin, you pull out your fangs and start sucking, it’s that simple. Once you’ve had your fill, sweep your tongue over the wounds and they will close.”
“And how do I know when to stop? If I don’t want to hurt or kill somebody, how do I know that I won’t take too much.”
“Listen to and feel the heartbeat as you’re drinking. If the heartbeat begins to slow noticeably you need to stop.”
Colton smiled when he saw Tess’ hungry eyes flick to his neck again. He felt pride at being her teacher, her mentor.
Tess licked her lips again. Colton climbed over her body and sat on the bed with his back against the headboard. He reached out and clasped Tess’ arm then guided her to straddle his lap. Once she was settled, he placed both hands on either side of her head and guided her mouth to his neck. Her lips trembled as they rested against his throbbing vein. He felt his own anticipation and excitement grow as he waited for her to strike. His own breath hitched when he felt her lips part and the tips of her fangs press tentatively against his skin. They both moaned as the sharp points slid effortlessly through his skin and into his vein. Colton’s hands caressed down her arms then snaked around behind her back and pressed her tight. He could feel her hard nipples pressing into his chest and his cock grew, straining to get free from his sweatpants. Colton hissed as Tess’ hand reached down and freed him from his restraint, swirling her thumb over the wetness at the tip. She lifted up her body and guided him inside her wet, tight sheath. Her core squeezed him tight as she began moving up and down on his shaft. Her tongue quickly swept over the puncture wounds on his neck then her mouth crushed down on his – this was a woman possessed with a singular purpose and she was doing exactly what she needed to do to get there. Colton held back his own release as he felt the ripples that began inside Tess that signaled that her own release was imminent. Her mouth broke from his and she threw her head back, thrusting her throat towards his mouth. “Oh God, Colton. Huge, it’s going to be huge. Bite me, please bite me now!”
He obliged and he felt her orgasm both in her blood and as it spasmed and squeezed his ready-to-burst shaft. As her orgasm began to diminish, he finally allowed his own to break free – and the enormity of it not only surprised him but caused Tess to begin all over again. He released his fangs from her neck as he continued pulsing inside of her. She instinctually leaned down and pressed her fangs into his neck again and he cried out as his cock began spewing again with another orgasm causing her body to buck and shake with another wave of pleasure. He knew that they could exhaust themselves to the point of passing out if they didn’t stop and catch their breath, so he grasped her head, pulled it back then crushed his lips to hers as he slowed his thrusts inside her tight core. It was as he kissed her, eyes closed, that he felt something whiz past his head. Without breaking the kiss, his eyes popped open and took in the sight to his left – all the objects from his dresser and nightstands were flying around the room. Colton’s mouth broke away from Tess’ and he kissed her checks, her eyelids and her forehead as she moved to rest her head on his chest.
“Ummm, Tess? Are you doing a spell right now? In your head, are you thinking of a spell?”
“No, why?” she mumbled into his chest.
“Open your eyes and see for yourself,” Colton said.
Tess’ eyes opened and she gasped as she looked around the room, finally noticing all the flying objects – which promptly stopped and fell to the floor with a crash.
“How did I do that?” she whispered.
“What were you thinking during the last few minutes?”
“After those incredibly amazing orgasms that I just had? I was thinking that I felt so good that I felt like I was flying. Is that what it was? Is that what being a vampire witch is? I just have to think something and it happens? I don’t have to mix any special ingredients or say some incantations? I just think it? That would be incredible, Colton, possibly dangerous but also incredible. If this is true, I will really have to work hard at controlling it or some bad things could happen.”
Colton brushed a lock of hair from her face, “I’m sure you will handle it just fine. I know that you are strong enough for anything, Tess, including being the first vampire-witch.”
Tess closed her eyes and blew out a breath, “Wow. Being the first of something, that’s a little overwhelming to think about, you know?”
“You should try something else. You know, something relatively harmless to see what happens.”
Tess stared at Colton for a few seconds. He watched as the fear in her eyes turned to determination. She nodded her head, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and reached her hand out, as if she was trying to reach for the door. Colton was confused for a moment as he tried to figure out what spell she was doing but then there was a knock on the door, followed by Hansen’s head poking in, “You needed something, Sir?” he said.
Colton looked from Hansen to Tess, “Ummm,” he began before Tess cut in.
“That was me,” she said, “I did a small summoning spell. Well, not really even a spell. All I did was think in my head that we needed Hansen in here. Looks like it worked.”
“Wow,” Colton whispered then he turned to Hansen, “Just testing Tess’ new abilities. Thanks for the help, Hansen.”
Hansen’s grim expression said it all as he shook his head and ducked back out of the room.
“What do I do with this, Colton?” she whispered.
“Well, what do you want to do with it?” he said as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ears.
“I want to do something good, something meaningful. But first I want to find that a*shole who hurt me and has my sister.”
Colton smiled at her, “Then let’s find him. Close your eyes, Tess.”
She squinted at him, “Close my eyes? Why?”
“Trust me, Tess. Close your eyes,” he said as he reached for her hands and held them gently in his.
She stared at him for a few seconds then took a deep breath, nodded her head and closed her eyes.
“You’ve done locator spells before, yes?” he said quietly.
She nodded her head, “Of course. Mostly to try to locate missing children and spouses.”
“Think of Shane right now. Think of him and how badly you need to find him.”
He watched her face as she concentrated. Several minutes passed before she gasped, “I see him. It’s dark. And he’s hurting. There’s blood on the floor and bloody rags around the room.”
“Can you look around the room? Is there a window?”
A few more seconds passed and then she nodded her head, “Yes there’s a window.”
“What do you see outside? Can you see anything that will help us to know where he is?”
He smiled as her brows furrowed while she concentrated. A few moments later a huge grin broke out on her face and she opened her eyes.
“So, where are we headed?” he said.
“Back home, to New Orleans. He’s at my sister’s house – not the one she lives in but an old, abandoned mansion that she bought years ago with the intention of fixing it up but she hasn’t yet.”
A half hour later she was pacing in the kitchen, her eyes burning with fury. They had left his bed as soon as she had located Shane and climbed into the shower, where the kissing and obvious desire to continue what they had been doing in bed came to a screeching halt the moment that he told her that it would be at least a week before they could leave France.
“Tess,” Colton began but stopped when Tess held up her hand and basically hissed at him. “No, don’t speak. I get it. I hear what you’re saying. I’m a brand new vampire. There are things that I need to learn before I go back into the human world. I know you’re right. But just because I know it doesn’t mean that I like it. I’m going to be impatient, so deal with it, okay?”
Colton chuckled slightly, “Okay, sweetheart. Whatever you say.”
“It’s not funny,” Tess said as she pouted.
“No, it’s not funny, but it sure is cute. Have I told you lately how incredibly beautiful you are?”
“Stop trying to butter me up, mister. I can tell you right now that I won’t be a good student,” she grumbled.
“Well, why don’t you go take a walk in the garden to cool off first then?” he said as he swept his hand towards the kitchen door.
“Maybe I will. I could use some fresh air,” she said as she moved towards the door.
Colton watched her with both sympathy and amusement in his gaze. This would hurt her, but she had to learn that she couldn’t just go waltzing into the sunlight. Tess’ hand turned the door knob, she pulled open the door and, “Son of a bitch,” she hissed as she slammed the door, “Why didn’t you stop me?”
“Lesson number one: stay out of the sunlight, it burns like a motherf*cker.”
“God, for a teacher, you are a major douchebag,” Tess said as she rubbed her neck and arms.
“Here, this will help” Colton said as he held his wrist out to her.
Tess looked at him with a twinkle in her eye, “Why the wrist? I like the neck better.”
“I do too but we need to concentrate on studying right now and if you drink from my neck, studying will be the last thing that we’ll be thinking about.”
“Fine,” Tess said just before she clamped her mouth over Colton’s wrist. The bite sent shivers down both of their spines and straight to their cores, causing Tess to moisten and Colton’s erection to press against the fly of his jeans. Tess felt the sting of her burns disappear almost instantly. She retracted her fangs, licked the wounds closed and looked at Colton, “Son of a bitch that turns me on. Is it like that with everyone that I drink from or is it just you?”
“There is a degree of sexual arousal no matter who we drink from. There’s nothing we can do to stop that,” he said.
“So how do you keep from banging everyone that you drink from? How could you possibly remain faithful and how can I?” she groaned.
“That’s part of the training. You learn self-control. You learn that, even though there is arousal when you drink, the sex is, well, disappointing at best. But if you take that arousal, store it up and then release it when you can have sex with another vampire where you can feed from each other while you are having sex, well, that is amazing at the very least. And if that sex and feeding is with the one that your heart truly belongs to then, as I hope you now know, it’s off the charts, it’s epic, it’s better than anything you could ever dream of.”
Tess stared for a few seconds, “So, um, so the sex between us is that good because, well, because, are you saying that your heart belongs to me, Colton?”
Colton pulled her into his arms, looked deep into her eyes and said, “My heart, my body, my soul, my life belongs to you Tess. Do you belong to me?” His lips crushed down onto hers as he held her tight. Tess felt her heart open up to him in a way that it never had before with anyone else as his tongue swept into her mouth and joined with hers. She groaned and his mouth moved away from hers and kissed down her neck as his erection pressed into her throbbing core. “Give me your heart, Tess. Let me show you how good it can be,” he whispered into her neck as his hands moved down her back and cupped her round ass. Tess felt his teeth as he nipped lightly at her neck, making her inhale sharply, “Oh, yes, Colton. Everything I have, everything that I am belongs to you,” she groaned. Colton’s teeth sank into the vein in her neck. His tongue flicked over her skin as he suckled, pulling the blood from her vein into his body. Tess tensed against him and he smiled knowingly. “Colt, Oh God, Colton I’m going to, how is it possible, oh yes, Colton I’m coming.
Colton held her tight as her body shivered and squirmed in his arms. When she slowed and then went limp in his arms she mumbled, “Holy shit, you didn’t touch me other than to bite my neck. What the hell was that?” into his chest.
Colton smiled with pride and said, “That, my love, is just a small sampling of what sex can be like with the vampire that you’ve given your heart to.” He looked into her eyes and saw the love in them, the desire, but also the fear, “Don’t decide now, my love,” he whispered as he brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, “Let’s do what we have to do first. Let’s take out Shane, find your sister and give you time to adjust to being a vampire. Then you can decide, okay?”
“But I thought we were already bonded because you sired me,” she said.
“In a way, we are. But for vampires that are in love, truly in love, their hearts can be bonded as well. It’s a much stronger bond – I will feel everything you’re feeling, every emotion, everything and it’s a bond that is almost impossible to break, so you have to be sure, Tess, absolutely positive.”
“And this is something that you want with me, Colton? Are you sure?”
“I told you, Tess, I’ve been around a long time and time is irrelevant to me. I may have fallen fast to you but to me it’s not fast at all. Yes, I’m sure.”
She nodded and kissed him on the lips, “Thank you for being so patient with me,” she whispered when he stopped.
He smiled at her, “Darlin’, I’ve got all the time in the world. Now let’s go book our flight for New Orleans.”
Once the flight was booked, Colton pulled Hansen aside, “If Shane is still with Tess’ sister, and he’s injured then she might not be held against her will. I think we might need some help getting her out of there because I have the feeling she’s going to fight us.”
“You want me to call in Stryker and the men?” Hansen said.
Colton nodded, “I think it’s time.”
Hansen pulled out his cell and pressed it to his ear. As he waited for the call to go through, Colton touched him on the shoulder to get his attention, “Tell him I’m sorry for staying away so long.”
Hansen nodded and began talking as he stepped out onto the porch.