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  Leaning on one elbow, she looked down, stared into Kyrian’s gaze. His eyes blazed with lust and intense greed. He craved her power.

  She placed her wrist against his lips. “Drink. Take what you want, Kyrian. Enhance your abilities and become more powerful than you could ever imagine…”

  He gripped her wrist, latched his lips on to her flesh and drank. Not used to feeding in such a way, he wasn’t as refined as a vampire. Meaty, wet, sucking noises assaulted her delicate hearing but none of that mattered. The pull of his lips on her wrist was intoxicating. Giving eternal life to a creature such as Kyrian made her heart sing with joy. She wouldn’t be alone anymore, she had a partner, a pet to teach and guide.

  Gently, she withdrew her wrist. He tried to stop her, clenching her hand to him.

  She yanked and chastised him. “Now, now, my druid. Too much will make you very sick.”

  He growled.

  Allegra patted his cheek. “Trust me.”

  She climbed off his body and lay on her side, stroking his hair as she waited for the change. In some it could be extremely violent but fortunately it only lasted a few moments.

  Kyrian clutched at his throat. Panic entered his eyes. His body bowed and his muscles snapped taut. A loud groan dropped from his bloodstained lips. His breathing increased.

  “Ssshh. It’ll be over soon. You are strong. So strong. Breathe through it. It will pass soon.” She punctuated her words with soothing caresses. She noted the subtle changes in his body. The tiny scars that marred his skin healed themselves. His mouth opened and fangs sprouted forth from his gums. With one final roar, he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, sweat beading on his skin. For him it would have seemed like an eternity. For her it was a few moments.

  She placed a tender kiss on his forehead. “Welcome to eternity, Kyrian O’Byrne.”

  Chapter Two

  The tavern bustled with life. Stonemasons, blacksmiths and farmers mingled with professional whores, looking for a respite from the harsh realities of daily life. Wooden tables crammed into every available piece of floor space. Fires roared at both ends of the small room, adding an almost cozy atmosphere to the place. Ale flowed. Musicians played dark, somber chants on their lutes and vielles.

  Medieval England could be an unforgiving place but the tavern provided a friendly haven for people seeking comfort. Even if for only a brief time.

  Allegra felt the blood thundering through the humans as it warmed with mead and the potential promise of sex. From her darkened corner, she swept her gaze across the room, seeking him. The sight of him stole her breath.

  Kyrian O’Byrne.

  Her life partner.

  When her gaze met his, a sizzle of heat crackled in the air. His power recognized hers. For a brief moment, her eyelids fluttered shut as she drank in the connection between them. Their bond was more than physical—she could hear his thoughts, feel the excitement as he stroked the neck of the whore beside him with his fingertips. Drink from her. Sink my teeth into her neck. Rip at her flesh. Feel her life force on my tongue. Yes.

  Concentrating, she homed in on his emotions. Excitement bubbled. Tiny sparks of arousal danced across his skin. Blood rushed to his cock. He itched to drink. Need, lust and power collided. Hunger beat like a beast in his mind. Smooth, creamy skin rubbed against calloused tips. The whispers gnawed at him to do it, to sink his fangs into the succulent flesh and drink until the whore ran dry.

  But he wouldn’t. He had so much control over his feeding. Allegra found his iron will both amusing and arousing. No matter how hungry he was, he refused to give in to the baser urge of drinking without thought.

  A smile curled the edges of her lips into a coy smirk. She had chosen well. Many newly turned Revenants couldn’t contain the hunger. They became beasts, savage animals that lived to revel in blood.

  “Buy you a cup, wench?”

  She snapped her head up to the drunken man who stood before her. His unkempt hair stuck out at odd angles from his head. His clothes were unwashed. His toothy smile promised his thoughts were as lewd as his clothing. A whore might have been afraid of what that smile held. She wasn’t. She could snap his spine with a twist of her hand but that wouldn’t do in a crowded room such as this. Drawing attention to herself would only end in disaster.

  Instead she smiled back, focused her gaze on his. She sought out the pathways in his mind, latching on to his emotions, and pushed her will into his. “You don’t wish to buy me a drink. Move along.” To make the compulsion stronger, she cast an enhancing spell with a turn of her hand.

  The man’s eyes glazed over. The smile dropped from his lips and he moved away from her table. It wasn’t only Kyrian who had gained powers from their blood exchange. She’d found her vampiric mind control greatly heightened, as was her ability to cast minor spells.

  As she turned her attention back to her mate, she wrapped her hands around a cup of mead and lifted it to her lips. At the same time, Kyrian nuzzled the whore’s neck. The woman giggled as his tongue snaked out and licked.

  Liquid slithered between Allegra’s thighs. She knew exactly what his tongue felt like against her skin. Warm, wet and inviting. He had a talented tongue. When his evening feeding was over they would go back to her dwelling and she would demand his tongue between her thighs, licking the cream from her pussy.

  His lips were next, caressing the skin. His teeth nipped gently and Allegra watched in rapture. The whore’s breathing hitched. Allegra could smell her arousal. After all, who wouldn’t be aroused by the druid? Masculine power and fire wrapped in a pretty package. Oh yes, no earthly woman could fail to be attracted to him.

  His fangs lengthened and so did Allegra’s. She felt the ache in her own teeth, the rising hunger as he leaned in and pierced the flesh. Hot, salty blood spurted into his mouth and he drank deeply. Each pull was like the richest wine on her tongue. Life flowed through his veins and through him into her. Her cheeks flushed, her nipples peaked.

  Kyrian slipped one hand behind the whore’s head, cradling her to him, while the other snaked down between her skirts. She knew he strummed the woman’s clit and would bring her to orgasm quickly.

  The whore turned her head from his touch. Her mouth gaped open in a perfectly formed O, her eyes scrunched shut and her forehead furrowed with lines of concentration. She came whispering his name.

  Allegra watched as he withdrew his fingers and finished drinking. He dragged his tongue across the other woman’s skin and sealed the tiny pinprick wounds with two swipes.

  She looked down at her hand. The wet, sticky sensation made her rub her fingertips together. Raising them to her nose, she sniffed, inhaled the musky scent of woman.

  Kyrian’s gaze found hers. The intense psychic link between them burned. She saw heat flare behind the midnight depths and shivered with promise of the night to come.

  Rising, Allegra shrugged her cloak over her head. Moving through the crowd, she avoided any stray hands that tried to caress her body. She wasn’t for sale. Her prize was waiting for her on the other side of the room, leaning back in his seat with an arrogant smile plastered on his face.

  Nearing his corner, Allegra pulled a few coins from her skirts and threw them onto the wooden table.

  She kept her gaze on Kyrian but spoke to the whore, adding a hint of compulsion to her voice. “Thank you for your services. Go home and rest the night. There should be more than enough to cover your expenses.” She waved her hand as a sign of dismissal and the woman fumbled for the coins before scurrying off.

  “Must you scare the food?” He leaned back, stretched his arms out on the beam behind him and threw one booted foot onto the table.

  Allegra quirked a brow. His cockiness always increased after a feeding. It was as if he felt invincible.

  Poor, deluded druid.

  Allegra held no doubt, if it came down to him or her, she would be the victor. She’d had centuries to hone her skills, to perfect her abilities. She was stronger than him in many ways
and she wasn’t afraid to show him. In every sense of the word, she was his superior. His Mistress.

  She knocked his foot and leaned down. She placed her palms on the wood and smirked. “You’ve been a good little druid, Kyrian. Now it’s time to reward your Mistress.”

  “Mistress? I see no Mistress here.”

  Ahhh, how she loved the game they played.

  Moving around to his side of the table, she sucked a fingertip into her mouth and then trailed it across her generous cleavage, leaving droplets of moisture in its wake. His heated gaze followed every movement and she resisted the urge to smile.

  “Come outside, druid. Come outside and use your tongue on your Mistress.”

  “Is that a request or an order?”

  Was it more of a request than an order? She didn’t know. She answered as truthfully as she could. “Both.”

  She straddled his lap, rubbed her groin against his and delighted to find him hard and hot against the folds of her pussy.

  “Imagine your cock inside my tight, hot, wet cunt. Imagine me riding you, your cum flowing inside me. Do you want that, Kyrian? Do you want your tongue inside me, licking me, tasting my cum?” She licked the shell of his ear.

  He shivered in response. His hands flew to the cheeks of her ass and gripped her to the point of pain. She felt wild and inherently feminine yet completely and utterly in control. He was hers to do with as she pleased.

  “Come with me, Kyrian. Now.”

  Slipping her hand into his, she disengaged herself from his lap. Walking toward the exit, she glanced over her shoulder. Kyrian’s eyes were glazed over with lust. She loved his midnight-blue eyes, the way they were framed with such delicate lashes. On any other man they may have looked feminine, but with a body like his—toned, tanned, fierce—no one would ever make the mistake of calling him feminine.

  Entering the alley at the back of the tavern, she heard his footsteps behind her. Allegra whirled on her mate, pressed her lips to his and forced his body against the wall. Her hands roamed through his hair, tugged his face close as she explored his mouth.

  Kyrian was just as needy. His fingers, frantic yet skilled, clawed at the heavy material of her skirts. Bunching them, he groaned as his fingertips skimmed over her curves.

  He switched their positions, backed her body against the brick, cradled her head so it didn’t collide with the hard surface.

  Tenderness softened his features. He whispered her name with reverence. “Allegra. Allegra.”

  She couldn’t face this emotion. She didn’t want him to admit what was written on his face. She wanted to fuck.

  Bouncing up, she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Yes, yes, Kyrian. Touch me, want me, fuck me.”

  She whispered words of encouragement, urging him on. His fingers found her pussy, delving inside, scraping her clitoris. Allegra bit her lip and sighed. He knew just how to touch her, how to make her come.

  But she didn’t want to come like this, on his fingers. She wanted to come on his tongue so he could taste his Mistress, taste the woman who was his life mate.

  Pushing on his shoulders, she dropped her legs from his waist.

  The tenderness was gone, lost in a blaze of lust. His eyes burned into hers, his voice throaty as he said, “Tell me what you want, Allegra. Tell me how you want me to fuck you.”

  “Your tongue, I want you to use your tongue to make me come.”

  Dropping to his knees, he bunched the material of her skirts up once again. He didn’t go straight for her pussy. That was where most men failed—they went straight for the sweet spot.

  Not Kyrian. He was more skilled than that. Instead he rubbed a stubbled cheek against her thigh. His breath tickled. His teeth nibbled gently across her sensitive skin, sending shivers of pleasure through her body.

  She knew just how much damage he could do with those fangs but he didn’t bite down.

  Occasionally, his tongue teased her opening, only to retreat and be replaced with languid licks across her folds. On and on his gentle ministrations went. Slow, soft kisses blurring her senses, driving her insane with need. Cream gushed, drenched his face and her thighs.

  “Kyrian!” She couldn’t hide the frustration in her tone.

  She felt him chuckle and press a soft kiss to the inside of her thigh. “Impatience is not a virtue, my lady.”

  “Fuck virtue.” She fisted her hands in his hair and tugged hard. “Use your fucking tongue.”

  Granting her wish, he parted her slick folds with his fingers and gave her pussy one long lick.

  Yes. This is what she needed. A rough edge to the pleasure.

  “More, please.”

  He gave her exactly what she desired. He tongued her clitoris like an expert, swirling the tip around and around before sucking the tiny bud, teasing her delicate flesh with his razor-sharp teeth. Darting inside her pussy, he would lick the cream that gathered, only to start the process over and over again.

  She closed her eyes, flung her head back against the wall and threw one of her legs over his shoulder. He had the most talented tongue and he wasn’t afraid to show off his abilities. She thrust her pelvis forward and forced his face closer to her sweet spot. She focused on the way his tongue dragged up and down against her sensitive lips.

  She wanted to come. She was so close to orgasm.

  Releasing his hair, she snaked a hand down between her thighs and worried her clitoris. The added friction made her gasp.

  “Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me.” She chanted the two words over and over.

  When he bit her inner thigh, her life force flowing into his mouth, Allegra couldn’t hold back. Connected to him mentally, she felt his triumphant silent roar as her vampiric blood fed his need.

  “Kyrian!” Crying his name into the night, she came on a wave of blood, spurting her fluids into his eager mouth.

  Her breathing hitched. Her breasts lifted, swelled. The ball of tension in her stomach unfurled, released pleasure that made her womb flutter. Stars burst behind her eyes, exploded and cooled. Everything went dark as she focused on the pull of his mouth and the warm, sticky wetness between her thighs.

  As the orgasm abated and life flowed back into her muscles, Allegra ran her fingers through his hair, stroked the nape of his neck and drew in a deep breath. She pulled him to a standing position and pressed against his body.

  His body shuddered in her arms. She felt his heart hammering. It matched the thundering rhythm of her own.

  “Allegra…”

  She continued to stroke his hair. “Yes?”

  “I’m falling in love with you.” His words were gravelly, harsh, as if their escapade had robbed his throat of moisture.

  Her heart clenched. Six simple words robbed her of speech. Coming from such an alpha male, his words had startling significance. With love came responsibility, commitment and companionship.

  But also the fear of enslavement, of possession.

  She loved him. How could she not? Of course she was in love with him.

  Her mate. Her druid.

  She would never tell him. Couldn’t. She would not risk being enslaved to a Master as she had been in Rome.

  As tears welled in her eyes, she said the only words she could muster. “I know.”

  Chapter Three

  Allegra loved France. Since Louis XIV had begun his reign thirty-nine years ago, Paris had burst into a city of excess. The new Palace of Versailles was simply awe-inspiring, even to her. It hosted the most lavish society parties and she’d been fortunate enough to attend every one.

  Everything was much more decadent, including the blood. Running her hand across a human male’s shoulders, she cradled the back of his head, twined her fingers in his thick blond hair as she fed from his neck. The male moaned and his whimpers of pleasure assaulted her senses, yet all she could think about was the heady, unique taste. Blood spurted into her mouth—hot, rich, decadent. Salty, metallic, tangy. Human life force flowed through her veins, enriching her body.

&n
bsp; His heartbeat began to slow and she retracted her fangs. Licking the wound with one swipe of her tongue, she kissed her way up his corded neck to his lips. Despite the need for blood, she would never kill unnecessarily. Too many bodies, too many innocent people dying, would draw attention to herself. The last thing she needed was to be captured and tried as a witch. If they burned her, she would die like every other creature.

  She shuddered at the thought. Allegra had no desire to be burned at the stake.

  The smile on the man’s face pleased her as she laid him back onto the numerous plush fur rugs. It was always a great compliment to leave her food with an orgasmic memory.

  As she turned to leave, a hand grabbed her wrist. She blinked and looked down at the human male. His eyes were half closed in rapture, a smile curled the edges of his lips and his fingers were wrapped around the delicate bones of her wrist.

  “Stay, little one. Stay awhile longer and let me pleasure you as you have me.”

  It was Allegra’s turn to smile. Human mortals, always so arrogant, thinking the pleasure they could give would be irresistible to a woman.

  Withdrawing herself from his grasp, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. “Sorry, handsome. Not now.”

  Patting his cheek, she scanned the room for Kyrian. He was glaring at her intently. Two females of great beauty sat on either side of his body, one blonde, one brunette. They pawed his skin, stroked his cock through the material of his breeches. Anger blazed in his eyes. Anger at her giving pleasure to the human male? Was the druid jealous of the food?

  Quirking a brow, she challenged his angry stare. Never taking his eyes off hers, he gripped a handful of the brunette female’s luscious hair. Dragging her head up to his lips, he nipped her collarbone, teeth grazing the sensitive skin.

  His teeth pierced the flesh. Over the years, his skill at feeding had grown considerably. His power and grace were a heady combination, sending a slither of desire down her spine. She watched the muscles in his neck work as he drank deeply.

  An attentive male, he slipped the fingers of his other hand down to the blonde’s pussy, strumming her clit. Oh yes, her mate had become a formidable lover. His dominance radiated from every pore, touching every human in the room. Men knew to get out of his way. Females flocked to touch his body, to be one of the chosen who got pleasured by the handsome druid.