Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)(33)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

She gripped his shoulders, arching in silent invitation as he jerked off his khakis before settling between her legs.

“Vampires fly?” she husked.

He lightly scraped his fangs down her collarbone, using his centuries of experience to unhook her lacy bra and pull it away without her realizing it was missing.

“Only on planes that are built to protect us and with loyal servants that can stand guard,” he absently answered, his attention fully intent on the soft mounds of her br**sts that were crested with dusky pink ni**les already beaded in anticipation. “We’ll be in Chicago within a matter of hours.”

“Fine …”

Her words ended in a breathy sigh as he took one of the ni**les in his mouth, a groan of approval rumbling through him as her hands skimmed down his back, filling an aching need deep inside him.

Gods, he was a vampire not a Were.

Why the hell did he crave her touch with such intensity?

“Of course, it will be another hour before it’s ready to depart,” he said, tracing the underside of her breast with his tongue before heading lower.

So far as he was concerned the private plane could wait an eternity.

She lifted herself onto her elbows, a flush of desire staining her ivory skin as she watched him kiss his way down the curve of her hip, pulling her tiny panties out of his path.

“I need to speak with Victor,” she said, her voice a strangled gasp.

He settled between her legs, nibbling the satin skin of her inner thigh.

“Why?”

She swallowed a scream as he shifted to run his tongue through her damp heat.

“My …” She gripped the bedspread, her breath coming in shallow pants. “My reasons don’t concern you.”

Tane chuckled. His hands shifted to press against her lower stomach, keeping her locked in place as he licked and nibbled and at last sucked on the tiny jewel that hid the source of her pleasure.

She moaned, flopping back on the pillows with a boneless motion.

Still he continued to tease her. Only when he sensed she was on the edge of her climax did he surge upward, looming over her with the tip of his c**k nestled at her entrance.

“Do you find it a moral imperative to argue with everyone or is it just me?” he demanded.

She reached up to wrap his hair around her hand, jerking him down for a kiss that was raw with feminine need.

“I don’t like being bullied.”

With one smooth thrust he buried himself deep inside her, their matching groans of satisfaction filling the air.

“There will be no mistake if I decide to bully you, my sweet Laylah,” he rasped.

He devoured her lips in a kiss of unrestrained urgency, slowly arching his hips before sliding back into her tight sheathe. He shuddered as her hips lifted to meet his thrust, her tongue tangling with his in a dance of erotic pleasure.

Someday he intended to spend hours seducing this complex, impossible female.

No, not hours … weeks, perhaps months.

But for now the lust was too new, too potent.

It was a fire that threatened to consume him.

Crushing the urge to sink his fangs deep in her tender flesh, Tane instead concentrated on the exquisite sensation of plunging into the welcoming heat of her body. Muttering words in the language of his ancestors that he hadn’t used in centuries, he set a driving pace that had them both spiraling toward an explosive release.

Savoring Laylah’s rasping attempts to regain her breath, he waited for her tiny shudders to ease before rolling to the side, gathering her tightly in his arms.

He wasn’t cuddling.

Unmated vampires didn’t do cuddling.

They had sex. Period. End of story.

But, Laylah was not like his usual lovers and he wouldn’t put it past her to try and bolt despite the staggering pleasure they’d just shared. He didn’t have the time or energy to chase her down.

Satisfied with the dubious explanation, Tane pressed her head into the curve of his shoulder, once again ruing the amulet that disguised her sweet scent.

“Now, tell me why you want to speak with Victor,” he commanded.

She stiffened, but astonishingly she didn’t try to struggle out of his possessive grip.

Not that he was stupid enough to believe she’d conceded defeat. No. This was merely a temporary reprieve. One that would last only as long as she believed she needed him.

Tilting back her head, she met his searching gaze.

“My …” She halted, considering her words. “A woman claiming to be my mother is being held captive. She must be found and released.”

“I know.” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Victor has promised to send Uriel in search of the female.”

He didn’t add that it would be several days before Victor could negotiate with the local coven to cast a spell to find where the female was hidden.

Her brows snapped together. “Without even asking if I might want to join in the hunt? Typical.” Her expression made Tane glad there wasn’t a sharpened stake handy. “She’s my mother.”

He met her accusing glare without flinching, refusing to apologize. She could have her pride, but he’d learned a brutal lesson in allowing emotions to overcome common sense. Until Laylah had the opportunity to calm down and fully investigate what she’d discovered in the cellar of the London town house she wasn’t going to be making the decisions.

“No, you had it right the first time,” he said. “She’s a strange female who claims to be your mother.”

Her lips thinned. “Do you have a point?”

“There’s a good chance the woman is nothing more than clever bait.”

“Bait for what?”

“You.”

She shook her head. “That’s impossible.”

“Why? Boris and Natasha made it clear they were willing to go to any lengths to get their grubby hands on the child.” He smiled at the surprise etched on her face at his reference to Bullwinkle. No doubt she assumed he spent his leisure hours sharpening swords and eating children for breakfast. She wouldn’t be alone. “How better than to blackmail you into simply handing the babe over in exchange for your long lost mother?”

“Maybe, but unless they’re prophets, they couldn’t have known I would be coming to the town house,” she countered. “Let alone hiding in their cellar so they could spring the trap.”

“The gargoyle admitted that the mage sensed your presence.”

“Only after we were there. They didn’t know we were coming,” she stubbornly insisted, a part of her obviously wanting to believe in the vision of her mother. “There was no way they could have set up such an elaborate hoax.”