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Centuries Ago

The vampire hunters had been swift, their numbers consider- able Despite their foolish decision to launch their attack just before dusk, their coerous The day ht had charged out of the golden desert sands still shi battle cry re her of the wildness of the Irishof blood were over, he&039;d turned the tide against the attack "I wish to thank hi him to me " They&039;d obeyed her quickly, as they always did The knight hadn&039;t seen her at first when the lackey guided him just inside the flap of her tent The first notes of his voice had curled pleasantly in her stomach like warm blood "I am not presentable for your Mistress I should prepare myself first " "But I desire the audience now " He turned as she materialized out of the shadows The servant retreated She noted that the knight&039;s tunic and mail still bore the blood of those he&039;d vanquished So did the gauntlets he pulled off to reveal callused, capable hands Sweat had dampened the hair on his head, but there were hints of true red in the brown When he found her, those blue, blue eyes and the pale lashes with the saave her steps a pause The power of his gaze washed over her like a faoblet of ith hiht and then send him to a bed with several of her maidservants to reward him for his trouble on her behalf Only two hundred years old, she nevertheless wasn&039;t i him melted away as she sent athe precious bathwater to her tent instead of setting up a guest quarters He bowed "My lady " "Sir Knight " Coan to pour her best vintage into a goblet "I find myself in your debt " "The chance to rescue a lady of such fair countenance suggests just the opposite " She turned, raised a brow "A deft tongue Farthan my countenance " Particularly if he was equally deft with it in other ways Her gaze lingered, apparently coh that the first hint of desire rose in his eyes However, so else was in his expression as well Speculative awareness "It was an odd attack, your death specifically Not a ransom " "Men fear what they do not understand " She finished pouring the wine "I have enerateful you illing to put your sword into my ser vice " "Moblet, cupping the boith both hands When he reached for it, she didn&039;t relinquish it He studied her, then put his hands over hers, lifting the goblet to his lips, allowing her to move two steps closer, the tips of her slippers just inside the span of his boots As he drank deeply, she watched his throat work He was not mannerless

While he thirsted, he showed restraint He didn&039;t spill it on hi beneath his feet She almost wished for one red rivulet to run froive the lust in her bellyhi hisher "When the battle was over, I&039;d killed round " "My servants are not untrained, " she said, wondering hoould taste if she lifted on her toes and pressed her lips over his wine-stained ones "While they are not all warriors, I would have been ashamed if they hadn&039;t been some assistance to you " "They were With pike and sword Even your cook wields a pot well " A light smile touched his firm mouth, but didn&039;t reach his eyes "As stout of heart as they all were, I didn&039;t see any of theroarrior, or snap his back like a rotted branch " When he lowered the goblet, she are his grip had tight- ened perceptibly on her hands, keeping them overlaid with his own "One ut just as his coh; I&039;ve no doubt of it There was a wind like a passing spirit, on what has been a cursedly breezeless dusk I felt a softness, much like the brush of a aze traveled to her raven tresses, tied loosely back on her shoulders with a twisted trio of ribbons "The round When he landed, his back was broken, his head wrenched back " "I think you have been out in the sun far too long, Sir Knight " "Perhaps you&039;ve never been in the sun at all, my lady Your skin, like the palest cream, " he murmured "What manner of creature are you? Should I fear you as well?" He looked more curious than apprehensive AlmostAmused Disturbed, she drew her hands frohty reserve "Do you feara washtub and full water buckets

Rather than answering, he noted the to bathe,to bathe you, Sir Knight " At his surprised look, she tilted her head "A traditional courtesy, is it not? The lady of the house attending to her guest&039;s bath?" She saw the significance of that flash through his expression and wondered if he could ireat detail as she could Hisater, the beads of it te her to suck on his tanned, sun-soaked skin He shifted, sing "My lady" "Do you intend to insult ht?" She could al aaze, she knew he could as well "No,and I will have ave him pause for different reasons She stepped toward him "You may certainly keep the weapons with you here, if it reas- sures you Or perhaps it&039;s just that you&039;ve been wearing theotten how to reht in front of hi blue eyes sees in her It seemed as if he understood her fully, even as she played with hi end of his sword belt, beginning to work it out of its loop, very conscious of what other delights waited under the skirt of the tunic While he didn&039;tblend of curiosity, desire warring with caution He was obviously no fool Since he held the goblet, only one hand was free, but she sus- pected he was capable of putting up a good defense to stop her if he wished to do so When she freed the weapon, she stepped closer to pull the belt away and bring it around to one hand, letting the tunic fall loose at his waist She handed the sword, dagger and belt to a retainer

"Please see that the blade is properly cleaned and sharp- ened, and the scabbard well-oiled " Heaven knew, her scabbard was getting well-oiled, just from this brief touch He stank of blood and sweat, the heavymore than to be the hands that scrubbed all that off his skin, as if unwrapping a gift for herself She took the goblet from his hands then "If you&039;ll remove the rest and step into the tub, we shall attend to your bath " Making herself turn away and cross the tent, she heard hi the tunic and undergar-it to the outstretched hands of her servants She wondered at his willingness to give up his weapons, but then she realized the tent ell decorated with her own ar- maments He could outfit hi the truth, she was saving hi his weapons for his next battle Even so, she suspected he was not a man who easily trusted another to do that, and that unco so toward hioblet, she heard hi her alone with her prey Her dinner Her pleasure She turned Holy GodAnd she meant it in the rime, it was obvious his body was God&039;s creation Muscled haunches, broad back, long ar her aidea of its size and thickness when fully aroused It had already lengthened at her regard, even as he obviously tried to look any- where but at her Perhaps he was thinking he shouldn&039;t presu to seduce him, since she&039;d yet to make any direct over- tures that way But oh, that was fully her intent She was hungry on two very vital levels She&039;d sent her e-about this man that told her even if she&039;d had a ertips she&039;d have sent it from her presence in favor of this one

She wanted to bid him stand still as she poured the water over hi away the dust and ht As she approached, she cast her eyes down, ostensibly a et a better view of that ian De- spite his best efforts to be chivalrous it was still rising, particularly when she took her tier on all the terrain froraze his flat abdo hiht her wrists She was surprised to look up into a face that, while avid with a hter "You are teasing ht As you have suggested, ers are rather unusual I wouldn&039;t presuers, because you have saved ht But I ad her, he lifted a hand to cup her face The sheer io still Her eyes closed of their own accord, herher temple When his thumb passed over her lips, she drew it into her mouth and bit He started a little, but didn&039;t draw back She wasn&039;t using any co her curiously, tightening his grasp on her other wrist "My mind tells me what you are, " he whispered "It tells me I should have helped theive the last drop ofyour beauty to cloudher cheeks, and sa, she drew his thu at hi how she would like to suckle other parts of him She heard him mutter a curse When her eyes rose at last, he was still watching her draw the tiny trickle of sustenance froo, he looked at his thu her closer to hi tub "You are afro in a dozen Cru- sades wouldn&039;t eradicate the sin from my soul " "You never answered ht?" He s theht It astonished her He sensed what she ht be, and yet he truly did not fear her "I will die in these lands, but not by your fair hand Though I think it would be a far better death to die with ining such a thing both- ered her more than it should for this man she&039;d just met "I forbid you to speak of such nonsense We&039;ll wash such thoughts away " When she bent to pick up the first bucket, he touched her elbow, stopping her "That&039;s far too heavy, my lady Please, let esture sent a wave of pleasure through her He tipped the bucket over hi the flow run over his body, though spar- ingly Enough to da A man who&039;d obviously been in the desert lands awhile, if the bronzed cast of his face hadn&039;t told her that already When he set the bucket down and straightened to use the sponge to spread the water over himself for the soap, it was she who stopped hi him to slick back his wet hair fro on her toes, she let her fingertips fol- low the lines of his eyelids, feathering over his lashes to collect the water so he could open his eyes again When she drew her hands back, her thumbs caressed his lips, his throat His clear blue eyes stared at her now, an obvious struggle going on in their depths "My ladyIYou know you owefrom you, even your hospitality " "Deny hospitality to a traveler in the desert? So rarely done to a mortal enemy, let alone a person who saved my retainers&039; lives and possibly ladly perforrace the world another day " "Or night, " she edly, "surely has a hus- band waiting I&039;ll not bring dishonor to you You owe" She had to bite back a s at her sultry teasing "I do not have a husband, Sir Knight I am a very wealthy, very independent creature and I do as I please Right now, bathing you is what pleases me " She bade him turn then with her lathered hands "If I wish to compensate you for your time, that&039;s my business and none of yours You may find I&039;ve asked far too much of you as it is " She ran the soap across the wide, muscular area between his shoulders She wished she was hoh for them both, but that was a pointless wish since he hardly would have been called to rescue her in her for- tress Flattening her hands on the sers and ran the sure she dipped in between, rubbing him intimately and lower "Be still, " she said quietly as he started "Or I&039;ll restrain you with ribbons from my hair to allow me time to please hs and gripped his testicles, lathering the heavy sac, and then down the length of the leg to where it , taking another opportunity to fondle his balls, tease the crease of his back- side "Turn " When he did, she dwelled appreciatively on his erect an to lather it as well He rocked toward her, closing his eyes, but he clenched his hands at his sides and did not touch her as she ran her hands up his belly, over his nipples and back to his neck "You show restraint, Sir Knight I like that Your cock says it wants me, but your mind stays in control of your lust "

"My lady has not indicated whether she wants me to touch her " He opened eyes of blue fire, like the flah her blood at his words But she merely nodded to the next bucket

He raised it to rinse hi the floater over hih those delicious crevices under his gen- itals and between his buttocks, bringing herself close enough that the water splashed down her arh to fan her hands across his chest Though she knew his desire was high, it had beco of it He would not touch her until she co be- fore she gave hi else, in the way he watched her, so that kept her alert to the shifts in hisreaction to him "You&039;re a sorceress, " he said huskily "A beautiful sorceress, deter- mined to lead me to damnation " She didn&039;t respond to that, just h to step into the tub, her wet feet on top of his, her dress floating in the small space of the basin As she lifted up on her toes to reach his lips, his hands circled her waist, her clad body against his naked, aroused one, his cock pushing into her belly and lower as he raised her His wet hair tangled in her fingers as she let her lust rise as well Her grip tightened on the edge of bruising, her breath in the kiss becoainst her He surprised her by lifting her in his ar out of the tub, he took her to the tumble of cushions that was her bed He squatted beside her, casu- ally immodest as a soldier was As she lay back, she watched hi of the corset she wore over her dress His jaas set in an attractive line, rigid with desire like the rest of him Every muscle hard, his erection damp with viscous fluid at the tip "It has been a while, entle " "Don&039;t be I will not be gentle with you I proht, drain you well before dawn "

Be- cause she could resist no longer, she grasped his cock, hot steel cov- ered in silk, the pulse of it see to match the pulse in her wo the pillow by her head as she stroked hi his balls Gods, but he was a finely equipped an to raise her skirt, gathering it slowly, gauging whether she was pleased or not The touch of his fingers through the fabric burned She wanted his hands fully on her When the skirt was bunched under his large palh, she arched up as if he&039;d slid into her His expression became more intent, and his attention shifted down to the slick lips of her cunt, already glistening for him She didn&039;t want to be patient Restless and aler, she abruptly wanted to attack hisFor this mere human She levered herself up and had hiht her ar her th or see the speed of her movements She straddled hi his wrists, her thighs gripping his torso securely and toes planted inside his knees, locking his legs down However, her skirt was caught between the es "So you still do not fearhis arazed down at him, expressionless Except when she curled back her lip to let hi His eyes widened, but then he shifted to her face, studied so there she suspected was different from what she intended him to see "No,you fear about ive you pleasure I won&039;t abuse your trust " His voice becaht on h to take you deep and hard Just letwhoesture, she bid him stay still as she crossed the tent He rose up on his elbows as she refilled and retrieved the wine goblet When she cahs, sitting on his knees so she had an un- ioblet, she tilted it over hith of hihtened at the stiered on the trail of wine covering hi over him, and licked delicately at the underside, the broad head of his cock His hands fisted in the pil- lows on either side of hi her delicious visions of what it would be like to restrain and torment him like this for hours Slowly she covered hi the taste of his skin and seed with the ferhs tre himself to let her have her pleasure Little did he know that if she desired it, he would have no choice But she&039;d always preferred sub- h she couldn&039;t deny the predator in her was equally provoked by the fight up to that point Releasing hi wine up his belly Lapping it froainst his arousal Spilled wine over his chest, over his throat Licked at his nip- ples as he jerked in response There she paused, inhaling hih, but so hard behind it like a waterfall, was oblet fro her up his body with sheer anientle power to it she found difficult to resist When he touched his lips to the cleft of her breasts rising over the top of her neckline, the barest press of his h her She watched, paralyzed by her own desire, as he opened the cor- set, untied the neckline of her dress and cupped her bare breasts in either hand Sitting up with a ripple of stomach muscles to hold her straddled on his lap, he teased her with his cock, rubbing the cleft of her buttocks with the skirt in bethile he captured a nipple, began to suckle

"OhOh " Her body was ainst him, but he was of awith soft, ht coarse, but the sound of itfor an trapped behind her "What is it you want, , curling Her hand caught in his daht what he must do to serve you best " "Your cock, " she whispered "Inside me I want to feel" Taken Immersed I hi her slowly, slowly onto hi pleasure of it, the fiery sensation it burned to the core of her It had been far too long since she&039;d indulged herself in the plea- sure of a rasped his jaw as he anchored her on hi into her buttocks She didn&039;t pause or ask permission He was hers She would do as she liked, not ques- tioning why the need was so savage with this human who should be just a pleasant diversion Dinner When she sank her fangs into his neck, he pushed her down even harder, growling as his hips jerked, pumped into her She drew his essence into herself, the swirl of his blood on her tongue, a nourish-she&039;d tasted before Except onceHer sauard The memory interjected itself unbidden into this moment Her stepfather, her uards, not only to bind them to her, but so Lyssa would kno to bind a hu- rounds Jun had been first She&039;d been nervous, but he&039;d put his ar him

It had been a very differentacceptance and love was uncanny in its sauard and she&039;d just met this man While intense circumstances could provoke a certain ah Her body was gathering under the sensual assault of his It had been a while since an orgasic Powerful energy, al her world When they went over, it would be a little death in truth, where they would end up rising together as a new being A phoenix created by two souls An odd thought for so with her food was always a sensual experience, but solitary She merely absorbed the reaction of her prey But she felt linked with thiscarried through the waves with her Banding his arms about her waist to cinch her closer, he kept his head to her boso harder as he built to his own climax Because her hips jerked more violently in reaction, she had to relin- quish her hold on his throat as her own release crashed down on her He brought his head up, palmed the back of her skull and kissed the blood frorowled into her mouth It took her by surprise, the suddenness of it, the power, the sheer feel of it rippling over her, pleasure for pleasure&039;s sake that shud- dered outward and see her to another peak with him When at last she cahs, warm and wet She reveled in it, in his cock still inside her, hard and hot, while his eyes traveled her face, as if ertips on the wound where she&039;d bitten hi his hand over hers, he held her hand se- curely, obviously wanting her touch to staunch the blood They studied each other for some time She didn&039;t feel he was uncomfortable with the silence Nor was she In fact, the power of the past few moments eschewed any conversation

When at last he lay back on the pillows, giving her the wry s acli-her into his arms so she could lay her head on his chest, feel his heartbeat beneath her fingertips She tilted her head to study his profi le, the straight nose, firm, sensual lips that were perfectly shaped for acheekbones with facial hair that had stroked her so deliciously her skin still tingled with the mem- ory of it Men did not typically think of her as someone to hold in their arhtly realized they should maintain some distance, so with their lust Or even that it was inappropriate to assume such intimate faed at her behest She wouldn&039;t have tolerated it herself, not from her usual dinner choice But with hi a little at the low rumble in his chest which told her he&039;d dropped into a post- coital, postbattle doze Well, the ht a ferocious battle on her behalf and then pleasured her better than any ive him a nap She did some of that herself, at ease with hihtly as she slept, she was surprised to wake and find herself curled in the pillows alone, a light sheet tucked over her to protect her fro on his sword, watching her coiled,naked for hit her on several levels, surprisingly intense "What did youher hair out of her face He shook his head, a slight s to kneel by her, he put a hand to her brow, her cheek "You take care of yourself, my lady I would suffer much to know any harm had be- fallen you " "You could stay and see to that yourself "

She hadn&039;t intended to say such a thing, but she knew suddenly, fiercely, it hat she wanted What she would co to leave her If he tried, she would coret there "My heart wants to stayNay, even down torealization of it, a mirror of her own amazement, she was sure "To protect you To lie with you To find out what ain to trace her lips, putting soht pressure on one corner as if to make her smile Miraculously he was successful, even as she swatted his touch away Catching her hand, he lifted it to his lips "But I made a prom- ise, my lady I promised a friend I would coe No matter how senseless I believe it to be " But you are ht came from, she didn&039;t know, but it baffled her What made no sense had a tendency to irritate her "Very well " She with- drew her hand froa aof her ego that hurt as what she sawin his eyes She wanted to lash out at it She had many commitht, a treasure she sensed was beyond ain, perhaps for a very long time Perhaps never She wanted to squelch the absurd roht "Are you still here? Go and serve your foolish honor " She curled away fro her face into the pillows "If I&039;ve offended you, my lady, it wasn&039;t id shoulder, lingered as she lay there stiffly He even arranged the sheet back over her body before he rose She heard hi of her tent, a tent that, without s, had seemed a sanctuary from the whole world for the past few hours With her speed she was able to wrap the sheet around her upper torso andof the tent before he took more than one stride outside of it

She reached past the flap and caught his arth of her arth of it hit the top of her hand, but she held on as he turned, so her in- side "Sir Knight, " she said, "take care of yourself as well IfIf you can come to me at another time, I would be pleased to see your face " "I doubt it will be in this lifetiret in his voice With an oath, he abruptly surged forward, crowding her back into the safety of the tent "By the Blood of the Cross, woman I no more than tell you to take care of yourself" He cradled the scorched hand in his, his gaze covering the lesser burns on her arrasped the collar of his mail with the other hand "Why not this lifetime? Why are you so sure you will die?" He pulled his attention froe and looked at her in that intent way thather with his fingers "I&039;ve drean, and someti an eyebrow "I do hope we ain, some other place But no ined such a treasured gift for my last day on earth than you They shall have to sendin Heaven can match you " "Your blood is within me, " she said abruptly, desperately "I&039;ll knohere you are, always " I&039;ll knohen you die "I like that idea, " he said, with a thoughtful nod "Perhaps you&039;ll come visit my dreams in this wasteland one reen of your eyes " He brushed his lips across her hand then, studying the flesh that was starting to heal on her arm Then his eyes were back on her face, so focused she couldn&039;t think beyond the powerful hold of the in her eyes She, who never cried With an oath, he yanked her to hi her as a man would hold a woman he loved, as she&039;d seen it done but never experienced for herself She had one blink of time in God and the Devil&039;s universe to savor the feel of his body, his one

Out of the tent, striding into the sun-seared world where she could not hold hi herself to ash She&039;d never even asked him his name Three days later, she kneas dead