Liam’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #4)(6)
Author: J.S. Scott

Not enough. Not nearly enough.

He barely gave them both a chance to breathe before he rolled her beneath him, desperate to stake his claim. Groaning with the satisfaction of having her pinned beneath him, he continued to own her lips and mouth, nibbling at her lips and then going back inside to insist she cede to his dominance.

His hands wandered over her body, over her hips, touching every bare inch that he could access. His mind was lost in his need to conquer this woman, make her his in every conceivable way.

His whirling brain tried to process the onset of a humming numbness that slowly crept over his body. Liam snarled, trying to fight the onset of day sleep.

No! Not now. He needed. Had to have…

“Liam?”

He registered Regan’s soft, concerned voice as he rolled onto his back so that he wouldn’t crush her.

Liam panted, trying to fight the urge to close his eyes, unable to process what was happening because of the unrelenting tug of day sleep.

Damn it. Not now.

But day sleep would wait for no vampire. It beckoned. He responded.

She knew. Regan betrayed me. She knew that she was my mate.

Liam could feel the backlash still beating at his vulnerable body. His mating instinct had taken over, covered the pain for a time, but now that he was being blanketed with the instinct to sleep…it tore through him again with a vengeance.

As the day sleep yanked him toward darkness, Liam’s last conscious thought was that the backlash didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the thought of Regan’s betrayal and rejection.

His heart bled.

And then he slept.

*****

I stayed with Liam too long.

Regan felt panic rise in her body and adrenaline kick into high gear as she stuffed articles of clothing into her suitcase that sat open in a rocking chair beside her bed. It swayed erratically as she shoved each item into the growing pile. She didn’t have any idea what she was packing, she simply opened drawers and threw things into the case until it was nearly too full to close.

She should have left Liam to his day sleep immediately after the success of her spell had thrown him into an early slumber and taken her ass straight home, but she hadn’t been able to leave his side and had fallen asleep curled into his body, not waking until an hour ago.

Regan shot a nervous glance at her bedroom window and noticed that the sun was setting. She had to get away from here, as far away from Liam as she could possibly get before he woke. He would track her, find her, and she couldn’t risk that.

Sitting on the suitcase to close it, she grasped the tab and zipped it closed. Screw it. If she didn’t have everything she needed, she would buy it when she was away from Colorado, away from Liam.

Regan wanted to throw herself on the bed and weep, but she didn’t have time to give in to the sorrow that was trying to devour her soul. To protect Liam, she had to leave and get herself so lost that she could never be found…by anyone.

Her only other option was to try to convince Liam to reject her, release her. It was an alternative mentioned in The Book Of The Vampire Healer, a choice given only to healers. Somehow, Regan highly doubted that Liam would agree. She knew him well enough to be fairly certain that he would see her as a new responsibility…and he would take it seriously, whether he wanted her as a mate or not. The threat of the league of mage assassins wouldn’t even budge the judgment of her stubborn vampire. Actually, it would probably cement his decision, claiming that she needed protection.

Regan grunted as she hefted the heavy suitcase off of the chair and dropped it in an upright position. Her hands were trembling as she attached the pull strap to the case so that she could wheel it. The mage were strong, stronger than a humans, but the suitcase felt like it was filled with lead. Or maybe it was the fact that the task was abhorrent to her and it was her heart that felt like lead. The thought of never seeing Liam again was tearing her apart, but what other option did she have?

“Going somewhere?” The low, growling voice sliced through Regan like a knife and she spun around to see the object of her thoughts leaning against her bedroom door.

His stance was casual as he rested one shoulder against the door frame, but Regan could sense the tension in his hard, muscular body. Her mouth went dry and her whole body froze. Just this morning she had been pinned beneath that enormous, powerful body and kissed to the point of insanity by those perfect lips that were now forming a small, mocking smile.

“I-I-have to go out of town.” Lame. Very lame. But it was the truth…sort of. She looked away, unable to meet his angry gaze. She licked her dry lips and stared at the cream colored wall off to his right. Be strong. Be strong. If he knows the truth he won’t let you leave.

“And what might that truth be, mate of mine?” Liam snarled as he advanced into the room. “That I’m good enough to have as a friend, but not as a mate?”

Oh, shit. She had forgotten the mental telepathy between acknowledged mates. She shielded her thoughts, slamming a barrier down to contain her rampant emotions as she answered, “That’s not true. Get out of my head, Liam. I don’t appreciate having my thoughts read and analyzed by anyone but me.” Her eyes shot to his face, furious at his invasion. Big. Mistake. Regan had never seen his face so intense, his eyes so stormy. Instinctively, she backed up as he slowly moved forward like a big cat stalking prey.

“Yes, obviously you don’t want to share much of anything with a lowly vampire,” Liam snarled back as he crowded her, his body stopping as he literally had her back up against the wall. “Sorry to disappoint you, but you aren’t going anywhere.” His index finger traced her lips and slowly glided down her neck, stroking the lines of her collar bone. “Discovering my mate has put me in desperate need of a f**k, and I plan on getting what I want.”

Regan shivered as his tongue replaced his finger and he licked over the places his fingers had just traveled. His denim-clad thigh slid between hers and she was dizzy from his masculine scent that assaulted her senses. Even angry and uninformed, she wanted him. She should be feeling insulted by his blunt language and his I’m-taking-what-I-want attitude, but honestly, it heated her blood.

No. No. I can’t give in to him. Remembering all of the reasons that she had to flee, Regan pushed hard against his chest. “Liam, stop.”

It was like a insect swatting at an elephant. Liam grasped her wrists in one of his hands and trapped her hands over her head, leaving her helpless. Her lower body was ensnared by his strong thigh and she couldn’t keep a moan from escaping as his mouth came down on hers, sweeping her into a dark tunnel of desire and need.