Trust Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines Book 8) Page 3

  “The same goes for me then. We can protect each other, how about that?”

  The corner of his mouth tugged higher. “I like the sound of that. Don’t mean I still won’t punish you though.” There was something in his eyes that sent a shiver of trepidation through me. His head canted toward the shower. “You go on and get cleaned up, I’ll be back in a tic.”

  “You’re not joining me?”

  “Go on with you, I’ve a couple of things to see to.”

  I lingered in the shower, hoping he might join me, but he didn’t show. There was no sign of him in the bedroom when I emerged either, but there was a short robe on the bed with a simple note. Put this on and wait for me.

  Rob appeared a few minutes later, still wearing his pants and singlet, smelling of soap, though he hadn’t shaved. His expression was contained, almost thoughtful as he regarded me sitting on the edge of the bed, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.

  “Do you want to put some music on?” I asked, thinking a dance or two might be a nice way to get close to start with, but he clearly had other things in mind.

  “No, I want to hear you.”

  My mouth went dry. Swallowing past the flutter of anxiety, I licked my lips and mustered a nervous laugh. “The things you say.”

  “That’s my line,” he said, drawing one of his black silk ties out of his pocket.

  My eyes dropped to the tie, wondering what he had in mind for my punishment. “You’re not going to tie me up, are you?”

  “Wasn’t thinking about it, but it sounds like you are,” he smirked and I flushed with embarrassment.

  “No, I wasn’t, I only wondered. What are you, um…?”

  Rob stroked my face with the back of his fingers, the silk brushing against my cheek. “Shh, leave it all to me, luv.” The next thing I knew he’d drawn the sleek material across my eyes, blindfolding me gently, but securely. “Take off the robe,” he ordered in a voice I hardly recognized, a voice I didn’t dare disobey. My hands shook as I fumbled with the knot at my waist, a shiver of anticipation rippling over my skin as the robe slid off to pool at my feet.

  His voice came from behind me next, his breath cool across my neck. “On your knees.”

  I did as I was told, sinking down to the rug, unsure if I should remain upright on my knees or sit back. In the next moment he guided me to settle back against my heels. His hand caressed the back of my neck, the fingers capable of bruising strength now soft and gentle, despite the unbending words. “You belong to me tonight, and you’re to do what I say without complaint. Is that understood?”

  I licked my lips again, a counterpoint instantly springing to them despite his tone of command. “You belong to me too.”

  “That’s as may be, but for tonight there is only one master in this room. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s a good girl.” He rewarded me with a caress on my cheek. I leaned into the touch, expecting… I hardly knew what. There were things we’d only dreamed of doing together, but this wasn’t a scenario that’d come to my mind before.

  In the next instant, he yanked me forward and I spilled into his lap where he sat on the end of the bed, turning me over his knee. I struggled instinctively as his hand came down on my backside with a sharp slap, but it was immediately followed by a soothing caress, and I tried to relax. I’d known the punishment was coming and to be honest, I didn’t think he’d actually hurt me. Mostly I wanted to see what he’d do next.

  My body tensed for the next sting that didn’t come. Instead, his fingers dipped lower, exploring, kneading, stroking. I squirmed on his lap as his other hand held my wrists together behind my back. I didn’t like not having my hands free to touch him in kind, but I comforted myself with the thought that I could break free at any time if I truly wanted to. And then I couldn’t think as the rough kiss of his callused fingers reached my most intimate spot. My body jerked and trembled at his touch, and I whimpered, desperate for more as he pulled me off his lap and set my hands free.

  “I thought you were going to punish me,” I breathed, surprised I’d gotten off with only the one spanking.

  “Too right I am.”

  Rob pushed me down against the soft mattress, carefully drawing my damp hair to the side so it wouldn’t be pulled or pinched. Before I could reach for him, he placed my wrists together up over my head, leaving me feeling awfully exposed. “Keep your hands here like a good girl or I’ll have to bind them,” he said against the shell of my ear. “Or is that what you want?”

  Did I want him to? I’m not gonna lie, the idea intrigued me, but I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy that lack of control and I really wanted to be able to touch him at some point. At the last second I chickened out. “No, I’ll be good, I promise.”

  “As you wish.” I heard the rustle of clothes, an ominous zipper, and my thighs parted of their own volition when I felt his weight on the bed beside me.

  At first, nothing happened. My ears strained to hear his breathing or movements, but for all I knew he’d fallen asleep, he was that still. And then I felt the lightest caress on the underside of my breast. Instinctively, my arms moved down to protect my exposed sides, but he captured them and forced them back up over my head. “Ah, ah, ah… remember what you promised,” he chided lightly.

  “I remember,” I whispered, clutching at the bedspread behind my head.

  “There’s a good girl.” My reward was a searing kiss, sending a jolt of desire to pool low in my belly. Next came the lave of his tongue over my hip bone, making me gasp in surprise, but I kept my hands clutched over my head this time.

  Blindfolded, I never knew where the next touch would come from, what part he would worship next. Every part of me opened to him, accepting his touch and craving more. My entire body became a writhing bundle of anticipation, the rasp of his jaw drawing my sharp intake of breath as often as his clever fingers. He kept stopping and starting, bringing me to the brink and then he’d shift and do something else. I thought at first he didn’t realize it, and I didn’t want to say anything because it would start to build again, faster and faster each time, but then I began to understand that he was doing it on purpose.

  This was his punishment.

  “Rob, please…” I gasped as he led me away from release once more.

  “Please what?”

  “I can’t take much more of this.”

  “I’ll be the one to decide that.” And then his mouth was too busy for words again and all I could make was incoherent sounds until he pulled away, the sense of loss growing sharper and sharper. I squirmed, eager for another touch, just one more, and I was convinced I’d break apart into a thousand quivering pieces.

  And still he teased, fingers dancing everywhere but right where I needed him to be most. I couldn’t take it anymore, I needed a break before my nerves shattered.

  “How about you let me please you for a while, how would that be?”

  “You do please me,” he chuckled, the sound reverberating through me. Could he send me over the edge with just a laugh? I was nearly there. I could feel his hardness against me and marveled at his self control.

  “Let me touch you or taste you, I want to make you feel good too,” I tried again.

  “There will be time enough for that. Don’t you like what I’m doing to you?” He punctuated that with a curve of fingers that made my hips buck.

  Pure evil. “Yes, but…”

  “But what?”

  He had to know what he was doing to me, had to. I opened my mouth to beg for it, I couldn’t keep going on like this. But then I couldn’t speak as his fangs sank into my inner thigh, the pull against my flesh sending a sharp spike of pleasure humming along my veins as he drank deeply. Just when I thought that alone might get me there he stopped, his tongue busy with another target. Again and again, he licked and then drank, pulling me closer and closer, dancing on the edge of my release. I quivered and moaned as he backed off over and over again, driving me insane w
ith need. I’d never teetered so close to the brink of pleasure and pain before, and I thought I might die if he didn’t give me what I needed soon.

  “Rob, please,” I sobbed. “I’ll do anything.”

  “Promise me you’ll never scare me like you done tonight?”

  His impassioned plea cut through the haze of pleasure. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I…”

  The tip of his fang pierced me there, just the teensiest nip, but when he sucked against the tiny wound, my world exploded into a shower of stars. “Promise me,” he demanded roughly, fingers pressing against my hips with bruising force.

  “Yes! Yes, I promise you. I’m sorry, I’m so…frakking sorry… I.” His mouth closed over my slick folds again, nipping and sucking, only this time he didn’t stop. I completely lost myself, blind and deaf to everything but pleasure that went on and on, so that I wasn’t entirely sure if I passed out or if time itself came to a stop in the middle of it. Gradually, I was left with dying spasms and a hollow ache inside me that only one thing could fill.

  There was a creak on the mattress and then Rob surged into me, burying himself to the hilt in my tight embrace. As good as he’d made me feel bare moments before, it was nothing compared to the feel of him filling me; this was my completion.

  My entire body was still so sensitive and thrumming with pleasure, it only took a few strokes for me to come apart again, every nerve ending throbbing and pulsing as I shuddered around him. It was too much, I tried to tell him, but he didn’t stop, not until I’d reached a third thunderous peak. Only then did my fangs clamp onto his shoulder and he came in a rush, his teeth piercing my neck to draw out my pleasure as well. Ripples of sensation passed between us as we gradually came down, and I could feel the wetness of tears behind the tie that bound my eyes.

  Scant seconds later, Rob tugged the tie free, gently brushing the hair away from my face. “Hullo,” he said softly.

  “Hi.” Embarrassed by all the ruckus I’d made, I couldn’t look at him at first. Everybody on the block must know what we’d been doing. Part of me didn’t know how I’d be able to face the rest of the house when the sun went down, but part of me didn’t care one bit.

  His thumbs brushed against the moistness gathering at the corner of my eyes. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, it was just… a lot, you know?”

  “Too right I do,” he grinned with male satisfaction, rolling to his back and taking me with him. “Wasn’t too much for you, was it though?”

  I was still too shaky to answer that for sure one way or another, but I kept my voice light, not wanting him to worry. “It was definitely a creative form of punishment.”

  “Don’t mean you can go back on your promises,” he said sternly.

  “No, I won’t. I meant it, even if it was given under duress,” I laughed weakly, so deeply satisfied, I felt like I could sleep for a week, even though it wasn’t all that late yet. “Still want to go out hunting?” I hoped like heck he said no or I’d have to seriously consider compelling him to forget about it.

  “Naw, I’ve got everything I need here.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. There might’ve been more he said after that, but I drifted off for a while, only to be woken hours later by his questing touch. It was slower this time, far less frenzied, but just as satisfying as we came together again, neither one of us in a rush or with anything to prove. The rise of the sun claimed him far earlier than it did me, but I fell asleep happily with him in my bed, something I never thought I’d get to openly do. Not that I expected all of our problems to vanish completely, but for the moment, all was well with the world.

  Chapter Four

  “And Bishop truly hasn’t gone after her?” Maggie asked, her hazel eyes wide. The pretty brunette perched in the window ledge of my office, clutching a mug of tea shaped like a Tardis. I didn’t mind the chitchat, I wasn’t much in the mood for paperwork and Rob was still passed out in my bed.

  “That’s what he said. I guess he doesn’t feel like it’s his duty to find her anymore. He went back to Rome to go play head honcho for the Order again.”

  “I wonder how long that will last?”

  “I don’t know, you didn’t see his face. I mean, I think he was in a state of shock, but I believed him when he said it wasn’t any of his business. He seemed almost afraid to think of the possibility of finding Carys again.”

  Maggie grew thoughtful, blowing across the top of her tea. “It’s got to be quite a blow to think she’s been alive this whole time and he never knew it. Do you believe it’s true?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem, Lodinn was enough of a bastard to either claim she was alive even though he killed her just to mess with them or keep her alive in secret this whole time just to mess with them. Either way, I don’t see how Bishop can ignore it forever.” Even I was tempted to put out some feelers about finding Carys.

  “Well, Jakob seemed keen enough on finding her for the both of them. I’ve never seen him so intense about anything. You’d think he expects to find Carys tied up on the railroad tracks about to meet her immediate doom. She’s been missing for hundreds of years, I can’t imagine a few days one way or another will make much difference to her.”

  “Jakob is nothing if not intense about whatever holds his interests.” I was just glad it wasn’t me for the moment. “Do you know if he’s gone already?” The sooner he left town for good, the easier I’d breathe, but I knew Nelleke had been intent on speaking with him before he left.

  “Yes, about that.” Maggie set her cup down, a guilt-ridden grimace twisting her features.

  “Uh oh… please don’t tell me he has plans to stop here for one final farewell.”

  “No, nothing like that. Only… he took your jet.”

  “Is that all?” I blinked, instantly relieved. “I couldn’t care less if that’s what it takes to get him out of town.”

  “No, you see, I believe he’s appropriated the aircraft for the foreseeable future, not only this one trip.”

  “Oh.” Technically it wasn’t my jet at all, but belonged to whoever was Elder, which currently happened to be me. But seeing as how we weren’t allowed to deny an Ellri anything his heart desired, I didn’t see how Felix or anyone could complain about it. “Well, that’s fine. Anything that gets him out of my hair is fine by me. It’s not like I have big plans to go anywhere. Where did he take off to?”

  “I made reservations for him in New York at The Plaza for at least a week.”

  “Good, now I know I can relax for at least a week then,” I grinned. “With any luck it’ll take him a few months to track her down. For all we know, Carys will show up on his doorstep on her own now that Lodinn’s compulsions have worn off, just like Gunnar.” Though their relationship had been tumultuous by all accounts, I imagined one of the first things Carys would want to do would be to find Jakob, if only to explain everything that had happened over the past three centuries.

  “Thank goodness for that, at least. It’ll be good to have Gunnar home again,” she said with a heartfelt smile. “All I want is for things to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”

  I knew some things would never fully go back to the way they were for her with Marcus gone, but I could understand her pressing need for normalcy. I had a feeling it would be an ongoing theme in the house. “I’m thinking Hanna’s right there with you. Is she awake yet?” I hadn’t seen any sign of her up and around on the ground floor.

  “She’s up in the attic.”

  “The attic? How long has she been in there? She didn’t sleep up there, did she?”

  “I don’t know, she was already there when I arrived. I peeped my head in when I heard someone moving around up there, but I didn’t talk to her except to ask if I could get her anything.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I replied distractedly. I wasn’t sure if I should go up and try talking to my sister or leave her alone until she was ready to be among people again. After everything Lodinn had put her through I could underst
and her wanting to hole up for a while, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but think it might be better for her not to be alone for the moment.

  Maggie rose from her perch, picking up a stack of outgoing mail on her way to the door. “Ah, I should mention, you’ve received several messages from Aubrey Cantrell tonight. He would very much like to speak with you.”

  “Yes, I’m starting to get the idea.” It was kind of hard to ignore the eight Skype messages he’d left me on my personal account as well, but I had no intention of talking to the Elder of Vetis. He could take his phony apologies and go jump. “Ignore him, maybe he’ll go away.”

  “No worries, I know exactly what to say,” she smiled mysteriously, and I almost called her back in to see what she had in mind. Right on the heels of that thought, I realized that Aubrey probably didn’t know about the possibility of Carys being alive yet. Or was that why he was in such a lather to talk to me? With Lodinn’s compulsion erased, had he remembered something about her? Was that what his urgent business was with me?

  In the end I decided it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to get caught up in the Carys drama any more than I already was. Alive or dead, it made no difference to me.

  Boy howdy, was I wrong about that.

  * * *

  I didn’t bother to try and sneak up the attic stairs, even though I could’ve used my vampire skills to ascend them without a creak. The point wasn’t to sneak up on Hanna, it was to approach her in as non-threatening a manner as possible. She huddled on a pile of mats that Rob and I used for sparring, dragged to the front window for a makeshift chair (or maybe it was a bed, I got the feeling she hadn’t done all that much sleeping though). My sister glanced in my direction once, then went back to staring out the window as if she hadn’t seen me at all.

  Her straight blonde hair stuck up in places, as if she hadn’t bothered to brush it yet, and I recognized the same clothes she’d been wearing the night before. The eye make-up had long ago been washed away by tears, nothing but a few flakes of mascara left to show the many times she’d rubbed at her eyes.