Ellora's Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile II Read online

  Alandro grabbed her arm and pulled her down next to him. “Whether you do or not doesn’t change what the council believes.”

  Partially covering her body, he anchored her to the bed by crossing his leg over her thigh. “I didn’t say I believed your grandmother was a vampire slayer. But you should consider why your grandmother kept you from us. There’s no doubt that she knew what you were and where you belonged.”

  “Who’s to say she wasn’t right? I belonged to her, too.” Kayla crossed her arms. “She was always a bit overprotective.”

  Alandro groaned and Kayla sighed. Didn’t she just ask him to tell her everything? She couldn’t punish Alandro because she didn’t like what he had to say. “I’m sorry. I’m not being fair to you.” She relaxed her arms. “But she couldn’t have murdered them.”

  “Then let it go. Remember her as a loving grandmother.”

  “She did love me.” But what if Grandma had killed her parents? Then she’d robbed Kayla of parents, of her vampire family…of knowing who she was. And Kayla could’ve been spared seven years in a malicious marriage. And the worst part of all, her grandmother had taken away her ability to walk away when she left her inheritance to Tom.

  “Oh God.” Kayla covered her face with her hands. “She was the slayer. It’s the only way to explain why she wanted me isolated. She hoped Tom would keep me from ever discovering the truth.” Rapid blinks couldn’t keep the tears from her eyes.

  “But we’ve found each other. It’s hard to believe I’m holding you in my arms.” He kissed her eyes. Her cheek. Her lips. “But we have a lot to talk about. Over the next month, you’ll lose your humanity. I’ve watched other women go through the change. And they were raised with vampires, knew the day would come and still struggled with the shift.”

  “Is it painful?”

  “They say there are times when the need to feed is excruciating. It’s then you must be extra-cautious not to scar your host.”

  She rubbed her finger gently over the still-fresh wound on his chest. The skin around the punctures swelled and bruised. She’d fed as if crazed, almost chewing his flesh. “I’m sorry.”

  “Shhh. No need for remorse.” He winked. “You’ve marked me.” His hand trailed down her neck, totally healed where he fed.

  “Will I live with you now?”

  “I’d like you to. It feels as though I’ve waited an eternity.”

  “Two hundred years. I’d say you’ve been more than patient.”

  “Not just me. My family is eager to meet you as well.”

  Kayla never had anyone other than Grandma. More than anything she’d like to belong to a family. She thought about Nita. “I can’t simply disappear.” She nestled closer to Alandro. Heat from his body chased away the chill of uncertainty.

  He circled her shoulders with his arms. A soft chuckle from him rumbled into her chest. “We travel on the wind, Kayla. We don’t hunt or feed where we live. There’re no boundaries to our existence so long as we’re discreet. This is why you must be careful not to scar those who feed your bloodlust.”

  “Bloodlust. It sounds both terrifying and erotic.”

  “I know this is confusing to you. I wish I could wash away the past. I know what I’ve said about your grandmother causes you pain… Hopefully my love can heal.” He brushed his lips against her mouth.

  His love. There was so much she didn’t understand about who she was and where she came from because she hadn’t been raised with vampires, with Alandro. No, she’d been reared by a loving grandmother who just might have—did—killed her parents. A tear slipped from her eye. She couldn’t believe her grandmother could kill her own daughter and son-in-law. But then, before tonight she wouldn’t have believed she was a vampire.

  “Are any humans trusted with the knowledge of who we are?” Could she tell Nita?

  “Trust no one,” he said.

  Alandro didn’t need to say more. Kayla’s mother had trusted and paid with her life.

  Kayla twisted out of his arms and sat up. For a moment her heart stopped.

  Alandro was beautiful in repose. Lying back against the black sheets, his dark complexion smooth and tantalizing, and his curtain of hair framed his face. And she belonged to him. How could she deny her rightful place beside him?

  “There’s so much to do. My job, my friends, I can’t simply walk away.”

  “It’s your choice to remain in your life. Nothing has to change.”

  “God, and I love Mongolian barbecue.”

  His lips twitched and a chuckle escaped his smiling mouth. “You can still eat whatever you like.” His cock tented the sheet. “Hopefully it’s me.” He wagged his brows.

  Kayla narrowed her eyes. “I need to know the rules. Garlic, sunlight, stake through the heart? Maybe you should educate me on what I’ll have to give up. This isn’t like giving up meat to become a vegetarian.”

  “You’re right, you won’t be a vegetarian. Now, come back to bed.”

  “I am happy to see you sleep in a bed and not in a coffin.”

  “You’ve seen too many horror movies.”

  “Art imitates life.”

  Alandro crawled out of bed and stood. His impressive erection reached nearly to his navel. Kayla marveled at how his touch, kisses and that beautiful cock had bought her such pleasure. Had she wanted to, she couldn’t move as he approached. His gaze held her mesmerized.

  He stopped in front of her. “Myth versus truth.” He rubbed his knuckles over her nipple, bringing it to a painfully hard bud. “Truth, garlic will probably become too strong of an odor within a month.” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Unlike the sweet scent of your cunt. I can smell your desire. I know you’re wet—for me. Even when blinded by the sun, I will know you by the fragrance of your skin, your blood.”

  “I can smell you too, so strongly I taste the flavor.” Their eyes met.

  Alandro linked their fingers and led her to the far side of the room. The carpet fibers were soft and thick under her bare feet. He posed in front of a full-length mirror.

  “We have a reflection.” He stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, reached up and cupped her full breasts in his palms. “However, I don’t look in the mirror often. With you, I could gaze at our reflection forever.” His hand drifted lower over the flat plane of her stomach. “And I will.” Lower over her abdomen. “One day soon, my seed will take root and we’ll watch our sons grow.”

  Kayla turned in his arms. “Watch me give you pleasure.” She bent and flicked her tongue against his flat nipple. Her hand slipped between them. “I want to taste you.”

  Kneeling on the ground with her body at an angle to the mirror, she wrapped her fingers around the hot, heavy girth of his erection. Tempestuous emotions overwhelmed when she placed her mouth over the smooth, velvet head of his cock. At first his flesh was cool against her tongue, but then she sealed her lips around the shaft. Warmth surged and Alandro’s cock pulsed with energy.

  Alandro threaded his fingers through her hair and held her head. Kayla sucked harder, took more of his length into her mouth. Swirling her tongue over the slit, she tasted the delicious sweet tang of his cream.

  She raised her eyes without lifting her head or breaking suction. Pulling back until only the luscious crown filled her mouth, she thrilled at the rapture straining his facial features.

  Their gazes locked in the mirror. She smiled.

  “You have a beautiful mouth.”

  She kissed the tip and ran her fingers up the hard, lean muscles of his thighs. Then she traced the length of his shaft with her tongue. Veins engorged with blood. The head darkened in color. Clear pre-cum oozed from the slit. Closing her eyes, she pressed her tongue to the slit and savored the essence of her lover. “Mmm. More.” She closed her mouth over the length again and ate at his cock. Her tongue flicked against the slit. Wild, frenzied, empowering.

  Alandro put his hands under her arms and lifted. “Kayla,” he said, his voice straining. “I don’t w
ant to come in your mouth.”

  He tilted his head to the side and nipped at her lips. Kayla sighed and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Tasting, sucking, devouring his kiss, she pressed against him.

  Alandro broke the connection and turned her toward the mirror. “I want to watch you come.”

  Kayla’s head fell back against his chest. “Then touch me, please.”

  Smoldering desire leapt into flames of need. His finger parted her soaked, swollen folds and touched her sensitive nubbin. Circling her clit, he built tension within her core. Kayla grabbed his hand and urged him to penetrate her with his long, tapered finger. Her thighs spread and she stood on her tiptoes. She leaned toward the mirror and braced her hands against their reflection to keep from falling forward.

  Alandro rubbed the smooth, bulbous head of his cock along the crack of her ass, spreading her juices. Just when she thought he’d slip inside and finally quench her thirst for his passion, he pulled back and teased her further. Tension coiled tightly in her center.

  Kayla marveled at how Alandro completed her in a way she’d never before experienced. He intuitively understood what she needed. More than a physical joining, her heart bonded to his. They shared the same breath, hearts beat in tandem. Where he ended she began, creating a perfect joining.

  Alandro’s warm lips kissed along her shoulder. His hands firmly held on to her hips to keep her from squirming. She dropped her head and endured the sweet torture. Finally, he eased into her body, not stopping until his groin nestled against her ass.

  The pace built slowly, gaining momentum with each exquisite thrust.

  “Oh yes,” she whispered. Her eyes closed. Labored breathing mingled with the sounds of their wet flesh slapping together. A low growl rumbled from Alandro. She lifted her eyes, startled and stared at the erotic image reflected in the mirror.

  Alandro’s eyes lit with fire, blood red, the same as hers. Breath hissed from his partially open mouth. Drawing her stare were the long pointed fangs waiting to plunge into her flesh. Barely contained hunger strained his features. Lips pulled back in a snarl.

  “Alandro.” It was difficult to form words with her heart hammering, breath shallow, and nearing the precipice of orgasm. His eyes searched the mirror, seeming unable to lock on her face. “Alandro!” Her body trembled and spasms clenched her internal walls.

  “Kayla.” Her name sounded strange on his lips, more like a question.

  “I’m yours.” A gush of fluid warmed her inner thigh as her body careened into another release.

  Alandro pulled his wet cock from her cunt and fit the head to her tightly puckered rosette. She sucked in sharply as the swollen head pressed past the rim. She’d never had anal sex before and wasn’t prepared for the flash of pain before the voracious need to arch her back and take him deep. “Oh God.”

  Unrelenting force drove Alandro. She shuddered under the carnal hunger he demanded from her body. Awakened needs thrilled and terrified. She couldn’t get enough of his cock into her body. She cried out, insatiable desire firing through her body.

  The rhythm of Alandro’s strokes had her keening and wild for release. His fingertips pressed into her hips. Thrusts, hard and fast, slammed into her ass. His roar filled the room.

  Alandro bent his head to her shoulder, but instead of placing loving kisses, his fangs sank deep and fully into her flesh.

  “Ah,” she moaned. He hadn’t breathed the numbing mist onto her skin. The bite stung and the flesh burned. Suddenly he pulled back. Blood bubbled to the surface and trickled down her back.

  Alandro arched his back. A violent spasm jolted his body. Kayla cried out as he pumped her full of cum. She absorbed wave after wave of his orgasm. Finally Alandro gasped and released a shuddering breath.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  Kayla laughed lightly. “No need for remorse,” she said, repeating his early response. “Now you’ve marked me.”

  He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “We need to rest.”

  “Shouldn’t we stay up so we can sleep during the day?”

  Alandro chuckled.

  “More myth?”

  “Exaggeration. Your eyes will become sun-sensitive unless you feed regularly.”

  “Feed?”

  He kissed her, chasing the concern from her mind. “Kayla, my love, you may feed from me for as long as you wish.”

  “I like the sound of that.” She snuggled into the bed, burrowing against the heat from his body. “I suppose keeping our existence a secret is probably for the best.”

  Alandro arched a questioning brow.

  “There’s no way Nita would ever believe I’d met my eternal mate when looking for a one-night romp.”

  From the Sea

  Maxie Cooper

  Chapter One

  He came from the sea—naked, wet and hard. Moonlight cast blue shadows along his skin, turning it to chiseled marble. Hair as dark as midnight clung in thick ribbons to his bare shoulders. His cock stood straight and proud, as if raised in silent worship of the night.

  From her enclosed patio overlooking the private beach, Kelli could almost see it pulsing in the pale light of the moon. Or maybe that was simply a trick of the light coupled with an overactive imagination. She stared a little longer, just to be sure.

  Thick and long and perfectly shaped, it was the most beautiful cock she’d ever laid eyes on. Not that she’d seen that many to compare it with. There’d been a series of forgettable relationships in her not-so-wild youth, followed by a regrettable marriage that dragged on longer than it had any right to. Since her divorce she’d been celibate by choice, relying on fantasies to relieve the sexual frustration.

  None of those erections—either in her memory or her fantasies—could compare to the one before her, glistening in the moonlight.

  With a conscious effort she tore her gaze from the phallic masterpiece. Slowly, devouring every luscious inch, she scanned up, up, up…along lean hips, over tight abs, across broad shoulders and—oh sweet Jesus!—that face.

  Michelangelo himself could not have done justice to the singular beauty of the man before her. There wasn’t an actor in Hollywood who wouldn’t gladly go under the knife to achieve even a tiny measure of such physical perfection. If Kelli had tried to conjure a perfect love god, her imagination would have fallen short.

  She pressed a hand to her chest, as if to silence the wild beating of her heart. When he tilted his head in her direction she let out a startled gasp. He seemed to be staring straight at her. But that was impossible. She was hidden in the darkness of the patio where she’d fallen asleep…was it only a couple hours ago?

  She checked her watch. It was five minutes past twelve. Her fertile mind imagined him stepping out of the sea at the stroke of midnight.

  Stroke.

  Of course her mind went there.

  Glancing back at the moonlit beach, Kelli was surprised to see that he’d moved closer to her cottage, still staring in her direction. Was it coincidence or could he somehow see her huddled deep in the shadows?

  A tremor of fear quivered along her spine. She’d rented this beachside cottage seeking privacy, a place to relax and paint without the constant clamor of the outside world. The isolation had been exactly what she was looking for. Now it felt ominous. Who would hear her if she screamed?

  The thought came unbidden—unless they were screams of pleasure.

  She shook her head. This wasn’t a dream. She was alone, it was the middle of the night and a naked man was heading her way across a lonely stretch of deserted beach. Should she call 9-1-1? Find something to use for protection? She remembered locking up before getting ready for bed, so that was one thing in her favor.

  As if sensing her discomfort, the man stopped. Closer now, she could see his eyes. They seemed to be pleading with her. It was too dark to tell what color they were but somehow she knew they’d rival the deepest blue of the sea, a shade seen only in the most precious of aquamarine gemstones.
There was something both comforting and familiar about him. As she tried to pinpoint exactly what it was, he reached out his hand, palm up, as if beckoning her to join him.

  She shook her head from side to side. No. That would be foolhardy. And yet, there was something in his eyes, something that both reassured her and sent a jolt straight through her body. In her mind she’d already taken that first step forward, could feel his strong arms enfolding her body, taste the sea salt on his skin. A deep, mystifying yearning seemed to override her senses.

  She wanted him. Desperately.

  He stood perfectly still, offering her the choice. Come or stay.

  She wanted to come. Oh how she wanted to come. But common sense overruled passion. He was a stranger. He could be dangerous. More importantly, something warned her that taking that first step into the unknown would open up a world of sexual experiences unlike anything she’d ever known—a world far removed from her mundane daily routine. She didn’t know if she was ready for that…

  Yet, hadn’t she come here to escape? Hadn’t she been searching for change? Perhaps the man out there was simply a figment of her imagination, an outward symbol of her inner discontent.

  Still he waited.

  No. The silent scream reverberated over and over in her mind. No, no, NO!

  Slowly he lowered his arm. His face sagged in disappointment. With a barely perceptible shake of his head he turned and walked away.

  She almost cried out for him to come back but stopped herself. Silently she watched him walk back to the waiting arms of the sea until he was no more than a shadow melting among deeper shadows.

  And then he was gone.

  * * * * *

  Kelli waited through most of the night but he never returned. Eventually she gave in to sleep, lulled by the soothing rhythm of the waves. Her slumber was filled with dreams more erotic than anything she’d ever experienced.

  Her dream lover seduced her with words as gentle as a caress. He parted her with his mouth and laved her with his tongue until she felt herself rising and receding on an endless tide, her orgasm finally cresting and rushing over her in a roaring wave.