Julian swallowed. “No more questions, okay?” Because there were some answers he didn’t want to give her. “Sleep.” His head dropped back against his pillow. He thought she’d move away, perhaps curl onto her side of the bed.
Rose put her hand on his chest. “If I…if I scream, just wake me up.”
What?
“The nightmares always come.”
Her lashes drifted closed.
Fucking hell. He was her nightmare, and he knew it.
He pulled the covers up over them. His eyes closed.
Her hand stayed over his heart.
***
Simon stared at the wreckage that remained of the Pandora. Cops were rushing around, fire fighters were still on the scene, and he was left to stand in the small crowd of humans who’d gathered at sunrise to watch the chaos.
Had the vampiress died in those flames? He’d given strict orders to young Francis. If Simon hadn’t returned to the boat, then the Pandora had to burn.
He couldn’t risk leaving evidence behind, no clues that might lead to his base.
But what happened to the vampiress? He hadn’t wanted her to burn. He needed her, dammit. Finding someone else just like her would be nearly impossible. She was so necessary to his plans.
I might have just fucked myself.
His back teeth ground together. He’d wanted the big bastard to die—the freak with the claws and the too sharp teeth. A shifter? Simon figured that was what the jerk had been. He’d told him where the Pandora was, thinking the guy was on a rescue mission, maybe looking for the witch or the muse.
It was easy for men to become obsessed with the muse.
So he’d given up the Pandora, thinking the guy would go after the vessel alone but…
But I saw the way he touched her when they stood next to the motorcycle. The shifter cares for the vamp. He’d tried to yell after them, begging them to come back, but the shifter had just driven away.
Vampiress…I need you alive. Or, as alive as she could be.
A woman bumped into him. “Oh, sorry,” she said, voice rising a bit in nervousness. “I just…I hope no one was hurt, don’t you?”
He hoped his vampiress hadn’t been hurt.
I need to find her. I need to figure out what happened.
His gaze darted over the human who’d had the misfortune of literally running into him. A blonde, in her mid-twenties, with sun-kissed skin. Pretty enough, he supposed.
Not that he went for pretty.
Why bother with the ordinary? He’d never enjoyed ordinary. His Helene had been perfection beyond belief once. She will be again.
The blonde’s weak smile slipped. “Is…is everything okay?”
“Everything will be fine.” He offered her his hand. He was pretty sure he’d managed to get all of the blood off his fingers. “I’m Simon.”
Her smile came back. “Keri.”
Then he leaned in toward her and dropped his voice, letting the power flow out. “Keri…would you like to play a little game?”
Her gaze went glassy. “Wh-what kind of game?”
“How about…Simon Says…”
***
Her whimper woke him. Julian’s eyes jerked open at the soft sound, and he rolled toward Rose instantly.
“Love?”
She’d curled into a little ball, moving away from him. He touched her shoulder. “Rose, Rose, wake up, it’s just—”
She attacked. She shot toward him and penned him to the bed. Her hands grabbed his and shoved them over his head. Her legs were on either side of his hips as she loomed over him and her bared teeth—very sharp vampire fangs—came right at his throat.
Julian didn’t try to stop her. He just turned his head and gave her a better angle, offering his throat to her. He waited to feel the sting of her teeth.
“J-Julian?” Her breath blew over his neck.
She didn’t bite. Damn.
Rose immediately released his hands. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid nightmare. I was back in the cell, and I was so hungry, I just—”
He locked his hands around her waist before she could move away from him. “Bite me.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I wasn’t stopping you. I fucking love it when you bite me.” He stared into her eyes. “Bite me.”
Her chest rose and fell. Her gaze darted to his neck. She licked her lips. Those sexy red lips.
Did she feel his arousal pressing against her? She pretty much had to feel his dick. His oversized shirt had hiked up on her, revealing the smooth expanse of her thighs. Her sex was right over his cock, and his cock was fucking huge for her right then. The second she’d climbed onto him—hell, who was he kidding? He’d fallen asleep hard for her and woken the same way. He couldn’t be near Rose without wanting her.
And this was the closest he’d been to having her in a very, very long time.
“When I…when I bite you, I get a little out of control.”
He knew that. He was counting on that. “Bite me.” This time, the words were a dark order. “You said you’d do anything I wanted.” His hands tightened on her waist. “I want this. I want your mouth on me.” He wanted her mouth all the fuck over him, but he’d start with his throat. They could work down from there.
She swallowed and then she leaned forward. Her hair slid over his skin as her mouth pressed to his throat. But she still didn’t bite him right away. She licked. She kissed.