Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2) Page 9

  What the hell.

  There’s an invisible cord pulling me back to the dorm section of the building—more precisely, pulling me back to Aurora’s apartment. Shit. I think the potion the king gave me is wearing off because all the fucked symptoms associated with this damn bond are returning: the tingling sensation, the fevered skin, the ache in my bones.

  I break into a run—at vampire speed—and in a few seconds, I’m knocking on her apartment door so hard that I might end up knocking it down. I can sense her moving inside, and a moment later, she opens the door with a yank.

  Her hair is wet, and she’s wrapped in a bathrobe. She smells like vanilla-flavored shampoo, and even though that particular spice does nothing for me, when mixed with her natural scent, it drives me insane.

  “Saxon…”

  I walk in, invading her personal space, forcing her to walk back to maintain a gap between us. I kick the door shut, not wanting any interruptions. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing, or how I’ll keep my promise to not screw things up. My fingers itch to touch her, but for now, I can manage to keep my hands glued to my sides.

  “How are you?” I ask in a strangled voice. God, I sound like an animal.

  “Okay. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I know.”

  She’s standing in the middle of her small living room now, staring at me with eyes that are round and alert. Her heart is beating so fast, I’d be able to hear it even without my enhanced vampire senses.

  “My sister told me you came by to check on me.”

  “I did. You scared me.”

  “I scared you?” Her voice rises an octave. “How?”

  “The way you collapsed in Hanson’s class scared the crap out of me.”

  I step forward, losing the battle against the mysterious forces of the mating bond. Aurora has nowhere else to go. Her hands settle on the back of the couch, clutching it tightly, like she needs an anchor.

  “I hear you’re getting married in ten months.”

  I don’t know why I said that. Thinking about her fiancé just makes everything worse.

  “Who told you that?”

  “I bumped into your little sister.”

  “Miranda has a big mouth. But yeah, the wedding is happening as soon as I finish my training here.”

  “So that means I have time.” I step into her space, leaving barely any room between our bodies.

  “Have time for what?” She tilts her head up, staring straight into my eyes.

  I cup her cheek with my hand, caressing her soft skin with my thumb. “To make you change your mind.”

  No. No. No. Saxon, what the hell are you doing?

  “I’m not changing my mind.” Her reply is so weak, it’s like vapor.

  I smile ruefully. “We’ll see about that.”

  She doesn’t try to stop me when I lean down, sealing my lips to hers. On the contrary, she grabs my arms, melting into my body. In an instant, I’m on fire and my sense of duty and responsibility flies out the window.

  I grip a fistful of her hair, tilting her head to the side to kiss her deeper. Aurora lets out a moan when I nudge her legs apart with mine, feeling her heat through my jeans. With my free hand I part her robe, then cup one of her breasts, loving how it fits perfectly in my hand.

  Her fingers curl into my shirt, and when I understand that she wants to get rid of it, I pull back to help her out. My gaze connects with hers, unleashing a myriad of emotions through me. Her beautiful, wild eyes are swirling with untamed desire. She has surrendered to the bond, even though she doesn’t know anything about it. If I were a better person, I’d tell her. But I’m not. I’m a rascal only too happy to take everything she’s offering.

  I kiss her again, hard and demanding, before I switch my attention to her neck. Her vein is calling my name, but I ignore it, just happy to place open kisses there before I continue the path down her breasts. I latch on to one of her nipples, alternating between licking and sucking until she arches her back and yanks at my hair, her silent plea for me to continue.

  There’s nothing in the world that can stop me from doing as she wishes. She’s my queen, and I’m at her command. When she whispers my name in a throaty voice that could very well be confused for a siren’s call, my cock is injected with pure libido—as if it weren’t already rock hard.

  My name on her tongue, her fingers in my hair, the feel of her soft skin against my callused hands, these are memories that will be forever imprinted on my mind. Dying to taste more of her, I release her nipple with a soft pop and drop down to my knees. Leveling me with a smothering stare, Aurora unties the sash of her robe, pushing the fabric apart. The corners of my lips curl, and without breaking eye contact, I dive into her folds. She cries out when I lick her clit, already trembling as if she’s on the verge of an orgasm.

  Fuck. I’m close too.

  I try to keep the pace slow and prolong her pleasure, but either I’m a fucking magician with my tongue, or the mating bond is enhancing everything.

  Suddenly, there’s a loud scream—not one of pure ecstasy. It’s a scream of excruciating pain, and it’s coming from me.

  Aurora

  There’s a terrible sound buzzing in my ears, like banshees screeching, out for blood. I cover them while shutting my eyes, not knowing what to do to make it stop. All I know is that I was on the verge of an earth-shattering orgasm when a foreign power surged within me.

  “Ugh!” someone says nearby.

  Oh my God. Saxon!

  I uncover my ears and open my eyes. The noise in my head begins to fade finally. Saxon is on the floor, bracing forward with one hand while the other clutches his middle.

  “Are you okay?”

  He lifts his face, which is twisted in a grimace and red. “Fucking hell. What did you do to me?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Slowly, he gets back onto his feet, still watching me with annoyance. Did I strike him by accident? That’s never happened before in my entire life.

  “You hexed me,” he says through clenched teeth, his tenor voice split between annoyance and disbelief.

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  He glances away, rubbing his chin. “It serves me right. I shouldn’t have come here anyway.”

  I drop my eyes to the floor. And I shouldn’t have let you get that far. Maybe the blood vow triggered the spell. I promised Elena that I’d marry Calvin, and succumbing to my feelings for Saxon was definitely not me upholding my end of the deal. The crazy thing is it wasn’t only carnal desire that spurred me on. My heart was one hundred percent invested in the male in front of me—still is—and that’s a major problem.

  “I’m sorry that I hexed you. Maybe we should stay away from each other from now on.”

  He glances at me, rage simmering in his eyes. “Yes, I think that would be best.”

  “Please don’t hate me,” I blurt out.

  My statement seems to stun him for a second. I don’t understand either where it came from, only that it would kill me if he did. For heaven’s sake, why am I having these strange feelings for Saxon out of the blue? Not a week ago, he was just a cocky Blueblood who annoyed me. Now it feels like he’s my soulmate. Ugh.

  “Trust me, Aurora, as much as I would love to hate you, that would be impossible.”

  He heads for the door, stepping out of my apartment before I can think of anything to say to him.

  I can’t believe it. This is how it’s going to end for us. With a bad case of blue balls and a hex. And now he’s in residence at Bloodstone, which means I’ll be forced to see his sexy face everywhere and pretend I don’t give a fig about him.

  It should be easy. We didn’t spend enough time together to develop any real feelings. But should is the imperative word here. Somehow, I’m tethered to Saxon, and deep down I know there’s no hex or blood vow that will change that.

  14

  Aurora

  Present Time

  I stare at Saxon like a moron as my brain processes his
words. “I’m what?”

  “You heard me.”

  He pushes me to the side so he can walk into my apartment without an invitation. His body is coiled as tightly as a spring, and if I learned anything in the past weeks it’s that anything can trigger his savage beast mode while he’s wound taut like that. The last time he behaved this way was when he found me after my altercation with Boone’s lackeys. He went berserk, ready to tear up Salem in search of the vampires involved in the ambush.

  Not wanting anyone eavesdropping on this conversation, I close the door before I reply.

  “You told me the female you were obsessed with was a siren,” I say calmly.

  It’s hard to keep my voice even; the past month has been hell. On top of dealing with Lucca’s reawakening and all the political crap and murder attempts that followed, I had to suppress my growing feelings for his best friend, also known as the idiot in front of me. And now he just dropped the bomb that there is an explanation for my crazy attraction to him. He’s my mate.

  He rakes his fingers through his hair with a jerky movement. “Well, I lied. I didn’t want anyone to know, especially you.”

  I wince despite myself. Saxon was supposed to be a hookup, a drunken mistake. Now I’m finding out this is much bigger, but apparently not big enough for him to be honest with me.

  “How long have you known about this?”

  “Since the beginning.”

  I shake my head, feeling the sharp sting of betrayal deep in my soul. “You’re such a jerk!” I snap, forgetting that I’m supposed to be the levelheaded person in this conversation. “I can’t believe you kept this secret from me.”

  “I had no choice, okay? I couldn’t risk you deciding to use the bond as an excuse to break off your engagement.”

  Ouch. Way to sucker punch me in the chest, Saxon.

  I can’t breathe for a second, but when I recover from the blow, all I can say is, “I see.”

  His angry countenance morphs into something else. I don’t know what he sees etched on my face, but whatever it is, it changes his attitude. He seems regretful now, but it’s impossible to tell the reason for that look. Is he regretting his statement or regretting acting like an ass?

  “I’m sorry. That sounded way harsher than I intended.” He puts his hands on his hips, dipping his chin. “I can’t be responsible for you breaking off your engagement to that nimrod. That would turn the magical community against the king.”

  Oh, Saxon. I know that. It stings that you don’t seem to care about me. But hell if I’ll let you see how much you’re hurting me right now.

  “You’re so conceited,” I hiss. “What makes you think I’d consider you a better alternative than Calvin?”

  Now it’s his turn to grimace. Even without some crazy-ass vampire bond controlling my hormones, I’d pick Saxon over Calvin any time, given the chance. Too bad I tossed away that option when I made a deal with Elena Montenegro.

  “Well, we can spend the entire evening trading insults, sunshine. But it doesn’t change the fact that we’re mated, and we can’t be.”

  “What do you want me to do about it? I know nothing about vampire mating bonds.”

  “You’re a witch, aren’t you? Solomon believes there’s a spell that can annul the bond.”

  “Oh, Solomon knows about us too?” I throw my hands up in the air. “That’s fucking great.”

  “He was helping me in the beginning, but with all the drama involving Lucca, Vivienne, and Boone, my problem wasn’t his top priority anymore. That’s why I had to come to you for the potion. I’ve been using it to numb the effects of the bond.”

  I pull my hair back, yanking at the strands in frustration. “Oh my God. Whose brilliant idea was it to use a potion against a siren’s thrall to fight a vampire mating bond?”

  “King Raphael’s.”

  I freeze, and then, like a deranged woman, I laugh so hard that my belly hurts. I must be losing my mind. “Of course. Vampires and common sense. Clearly not two things that go together.”

  “Are you done making fun of this situation?” Saxon asks, irritated.

  “Shut up, jerkface. You’re not going to boss me around in my own home, bond or not.”

  In the blink of an eye, Saxon is on me, hand around my throat, face inches from mine. His hold is not tight; the fury in his eyes is threat enough.

  “Let go of me before I hex you again.”

  “No. Don’t you understand? This is no joke. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be near you and not be able to touch you? Protect you? I almost lost my mind when I found out you faced Boone’s followers alone. I’m in constant pain. I can’t taste the blood that I drink from others, I can’t fuck anyone else.”

  My stomach does a backflip at his admission that he can’t screw other women. My crazy heart is doing cartwheels in celebration.

  “I’ve been in pain too, okay? Perhaps not as much as you, but I didn’t have a potion to numb whatever I was feeling, because I didn’t know what the problem was.”

  “I don’t understand how someone so stubborn, so infuriating, can beguile me this much. Half the time I don’t know if I want to punish you or love you.”

  I inhale deeply. Is that a declaration of love? No, it can’t be. “I think it’s clear which way you’re leaning.”

  Clarity returns to his eyes, then his expression changes into one of regret. He steps back, releasing me, and like an idiot, I miss his closeness. The yearning hits me hard then. Every molecule in my body is drawn to Saxon. He’s the sun, and I’m a lonely planet getting pulled into his orbit.

  “I’d never hurt you,” he replies softly.

  “Because I’m your mate.”

  “Not because of that. I’m not a monster who beats females for fun. It would be different if you were a seasoned warrior like Manu and we were at war.”

  “I thought she was a spoiled princess,” I say callously, only because I need a distraction from the overwhelming impulse to attack Saxon’s mouth.

  Crossing his arms, he squints. “I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work. I’m aware of how aroused you are right now.”

  Balls.

  “I can’t help it. It’s all because of this stupid bond. How did you become my mate, anyway? Was it because I let you drink from me?”

  “I don’t know, Rora.”

  Rora? Sweet baby unicorns. Does he want me to melt where I stand? I think my ovaries just exploded.

  “No cutesy nicknames, please. Let’s not make this situation worse.”

  He smiles, revealing the tips of his fangs. “Sorry. Slip of the tongue.”

  Ah, fuck. Now I want his tongue to slip inside me.

  I cover my ears. “Quit putting images in my head.”

  “I have no such power.” His smile is brighter.

  A moment ago, he seemed to be in excruciating pain, and now, he acts like this is a stroll through the park.

  “I thought you were in dire need of help.”

  The amusement wilts from his face at once. “I am. I guess being close to you is making things a little bit more bearable.”

  Only for you.

  “We need a plan. I can look through my family’s grimoires and see if I can find anything on vampire mating bonds.”

  “That sounds good. But I also think we should spend as much time together as possible.”

  At first, I think he’s joking, but his expression is dead serious.

  “Why?”

  “Didn’t you just hear me, woman? Just by being near you, I feel better. And also, the urge to kill your fiancé is not as acute. But if you want to risk his precious life…”

  “Oh, shut up. You know I don’t care about him that much. I’m more concerned that you’ll get in trouble.”

  Saxon’s eyes swim with glee, and even though he’s trying hard to not smile, I catch the tremble in the corners of his lips.

  “You’re worried about me?”

  “Don’t sound so smug. Of course I am. Like you s
aid, there’s a lot at stake here. Jacques pretty much declared war against King Raphael, and we can’t allow our problem to make matters worse for him.”

  “What if instead of fighting the bond, we surrender to it?”

  My jaw drops. “Are you out of your mind? Was I speaking to the fucking walls just now? We can’t allow this bullshit bond to mess things up for your king.”

  “Hey, this bond is not bullshit. Inconvenient, but not bullshit. It’s actually a big deal that it happened to us. This hasn’t occurred to any vampire since the Nightingales left.”

  I raise my hand. “Wait a second. Are you saying this bond thing is Nightingale magic?”

  Was it how Elena knew how deep my feelings for Saxon went? Because that fucking mirror of hers showed Saxon and I were bonded?

  He shrugs. “Well, everything related to our existence links to them. It’s an educated guess. Too bad the only Nightingales we know have lost their powers.”

  “True, but Vivi has recovered her memories. Maybe she can help.”

  It’s the best idea I can come up with, but Saxon’s expression is as solemn as ever.

  “What’s the matter? Why are you looking at me like the world is about to end?”

  With a shake of his head, he glances away. “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know.”

  15

  Aurora

  I tell Saxon to go back to his apartment while I go talk to Vivienne. Naturally, he insisted on tagging along, but I put my foot down. I have to tell her the whole truth and it will be easier if my mate is not around. This is going to be a humiliating conversation. I can’t even think about the word mate in relation to Saxon without my face bursting into flames in a mix of humiliation and excitement.

  When I stop in front of the apartment Vivienne shares with Manu, I find the door semi open. I wouldn’t think much of it if there wasn’t a prize in exchange for Vivienne’s head. Boone is dead, but Tatiana still has sympathizers at Bloodstone.

  Now on high alert, I pull a small crystal from my purse and enter without knocking. If there’s someone inside up to no good, I don’t want them to know help is coming.