One With the Hunger Page 7

  “Where do you want me to touch you?”

  “Everywhere.” In the mirror, she watched as he stroked her aroused flesh through thin silk. The feel of his hands against her chemise and exposed skin was shocking, erotic.

  He chuckled. “That’s not specific enough.”

  “Touch my breasts.”

  He cupped their full weight, gently plumping and squeezing while making no attempt to caress their aching tips.

  “Please,” she panted, torn between pulling away from his tormenting touch and leaning into him for more.

  “Please what? Tell me what you desire, Shai.”

  “I—” Her cheeks colored at the thought of whispering such explicit requests.

  “Come now.” His tone was gently chiding. “Don’t be embarrassed with me, my love. There’s no room for modesty in the bedroom.”

  “Touch my nipples,” she whispered. He complied by caressing them into full arousal, gently pinching and teasing until she bucked against his increasing erection. “I want you to use your mouth,” she gasped. “Suckle me.”

  “I thought you would never ask.”

  He unlaced her hands from behind his neck and moved. Placing her hands on his shoulders, he lifted her into his arms until her breasts were level with his mouth. Slowly, he drew one silk-covered nipple into his mouth and rolled it with his tongue.

  She cried out at the sensations he was creating through the delicate cloth. Warmth rushed to her vagina, raising her temperature to a fevered pitch. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, her fingers tangling in his hair, urging him closer when he transferred his mouth to her other breast. He nipped, sensations of pleasure and pain mingling to bring her to raw, mindless need.

  He released his grip on her waist, allowing her to slide down his body, before resuming his former position behind her and replacing her hands behind his neck. He withdrew the jewel-handled dagger from his waist.

  Holding the knife in full view, the candlelight gleamed brilliantly on the colored stones and wicked blade. Her breath caught. He moved the dagger and gently pressed the flat of it against her silk-covered stomach, then slowly began to draw it upwards.

  Shai couldn’t tear her gaze from the blade. Half of her was afraid he’d cut her while her other half was turned on beyond belief. Jewels glistened and she ached to feel them against her skin.

  As if reading her thoughts, he removed the blade to slip it inside the low neck of her chemise.

  “Is this what you want, my love?” He nipped her earlobe before catching it, tugging on her trapped flesh. The blade dipped lower and sliced through the silk with a whisper. “I won’t let it score your skin. It’s only here to tempt and tease, not maim.”

  The knife continued its path, separating the silk down to her belly button. Shai quivered, her breath catching when it reached the top of her panties. He didn’t stop until he reached the hem and her chemise hung limply on her body, the front sliced neatly in two. He raised the blade to the delicate shoulder straps. Dipping the blade under the first, his eyes met hers in the mirror.

  Should she want this? Was she being incredibly brazen?

  Holding her breath, Shai nodded and he cut first one, then the other. The chemise fell in a silken swoosh, leaving her bare except for the matching panties.

  He slipped his hand over her stomach, his fingers lightly brushing the elastic waistband. “Shall I?”

  “Please.” She arched against him, his erection pressing into her lower back. If she didn’t get him inside her quickly, she’d explode.

  He brought the knife around and cut the panties away, allowing them to drop to the floor. When they slipped away she had to quell the urge to cover herself. In the mirror, reflected in the golden candlelight, her skin looked creamy pale. For the first time in her life, wrapped in this man’s arms, she almost felt beautiful.

  “Spread your legs for me.”

  She hastened to comply, moving her feet apart ever so slightly. The air felt warm and alien against her damp, exposed flesh.

  “More.”

  She took a shaky breath and parted her legs further. Her gaze met his in the mirror and he smiled.

  “Watch closely, my angel. I want to see you come apart for me.” He dipped his fingers inside her warmth and a cry wrenched from her as he touched her aroused clit. “Does this please you?”

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak coherently. She arched as his strokes increased. Her breathing grew labored and her legs more wobbly as he quickly brought her to the edge and tumbled her over. She fell back fully against him and he effortlessly swept her off her feet and carried her across the room.

  Dropping her onto the bed in a flurry of petals, he stood over her, his breathing ragged, eyes dark with desire. He dropped to his knees and pressed her thighs apart, skimming his hands upward until he reached her pussy. Parting her damp folds, he licked at her clit, his dark gaze locked on her face. Shai arched against his masterful touch and her gaze never left his as he moved the blade into view.

  Surely he wouldn’t…

  “Is this what you want?” He lowered the dagger and teased her vagina with the cool metal of the handle. She quivered, horribly afraid, yet wanting it inside her all the more.

  Breathless, she nodded and he smiled in satisfaction. Gently he inserted the handle until the hilt was firmly pressed against her clitoris, the cool metal stretching her, filling her. He pressed her knees upright and together then rocked her back and forth as he retained a grip on the blade.

  The friction was incredible. When her body moved against the tenderly caressing hilt, the large jewels created delicious friction in her vagina. Shai cried out, barely able to draw oxygen into her lungs. Wild pulses of rapture ripped through her body, her senses concentrated on that magical jeweled handle and the man who controlled it.

  A low moan signaled the first spasm as her peak loomed before her. She writhed off the bed and her hands knotted in the silk sheets, crushing the fragile petals. Her cries escalated into a shriek as the power of her orgasm ripped through her.

  Gasping for air, she was limp by the time Val parted her thighs and removed her metal lover. She heard the rasp of a zipper and her head came up to watch him disrobe. His chest was broad and well-defined though he was as pale as a computer geek. His hips were trim and his thighs muscular. A thin line of dark hair ran down the center of his belly leading to—

  WOW!

  His proud cock jutted from a thatch of midnight hair. Thick and heavy, it gave a slight bob as if in greeting.

  “Have you seen enough?” His tone was teasing.

  “Not even close.”

  “Later, Shai. Much later.”

  She sighed when his weight settled between her legs. With a smooth thrust, he embedded his cock deep within her. Shai clutched his shoulders then shifted to take him deeper. He bit back a groan as his hips gave an involuntary thrust.

  She forced her eyes open and met his heated gaze. He held himself completely still within her and she drew her legs against his hips to urge him on.

  He caught her face between his hands. “You’re mine,” he whispered urgently as he began to stroke.

  She groaned, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, and met him motion for motion. “Yes,” she breathed as that awful, terrible tension began to build once more. “I’m yours.”

  “Forever,” he whispered.

  “Forever,” she sobbed as she reached her peak once more.

  With one final thrust, he dipped his head to her exposed throat. He peaked just as his teeth broke her skin and he began to drink.

  She was perfection. The vampire fondled her full white breasts and the redhead squealed in delight. She was giving him the king of all blowjobs and he was loving life. Maybe he would let her keep this up for hours. Little did she know that he wouldn’t allow himself to reach release until he drank her blood.

  He sighed and tangled his hands in her brilliant red hair, forcing her head to bob faster and faster on
his aching rod. She could easily wear herself out doing this and he could take her without much fuss. But did he want that?

  Usually he enjoyed the battle more than the victory. Too bad mortals didn’t have more stamina. He grinned as he imagined another redhead whom he’d just left with her dark lover only an hour before. Now there was a woman with stamina! Watching his old nemesis Valentin fuck her with the dagger had almost been his undoing. How he wished he’d been the one wielding that blade.

  Soon enough, though, she would be his. First he needed to deal with Val, her bastard lover. After that nothing would stop him from possessing her and Shai would be dangling from his rod and his alone. Maybe he’d let her suck him like an all-day sucker and, if she didn’t please, then he’d bind and whip her like a dog. He’d really enjoy that and he’d bet she would also.

  The image of her bound and waiting for the caress of his whip brought the vampire to a level of desire he’d attained only once before. His teeth snapped together as the delirious rush of lust and hunger made him dizzy with its virulence. Roughly he wrenched the woman’s head upward and tossed her back on the bed. She squealed in delight as he pushed her thighs apart and impaled her.

  He slipped his hands around her throat and slowly began to squeeze as his thrusts increased. Her cries changed to pleas as she began fighting and clawing at his ice-cold hands. Strangled sounds emerged from her throat as she struggled to escape him.

  The vampire was imagining another redhead beneath him. Wild and willing as she’d been for Val, crying out in ecstasy, only it was his name that she sobbed. “Shai, Shai,” he screamed as his desire reached a fevered pitch.

  He wrenched his hands from the struggling woman’s throat and dropped full length upon her. Enjoying the feel of her full breasts as she struggled to breathe, he caressed her cheek tenderly then dipped his head to her throat.

  Her screams filled the night.

  Chapter Seven

  Shai awoke with a groan. The late afternoon sun poured through the half-opened drapes and hit her eyes with the delicacy of a truck through whipped cream. She clambered to her feet, staggered drunkenly to the window and clawed at the fabric until they shut out the blinding rays. Heaving a sigh of relief, she leaned weakly against the wall.

  Why in heaven’s name did she feel like this? Running a shaky hand through her tangled hair she noticed her tongue felt like cotton. She grimaced. How had someone gotten all these tiny fuzzy socks on each individual tooth?

  She pushed away from the wall to take a hesitant step toward the hall. Maybe breakfast would help? The thought of food sent her stomach rolling and elicited another groan.

  Taking a few calming breaths, her nausea slowly subsided. What in hell had she done last night? She frowned as bits and pieces of her evening and her fractured dreams began reasserting themselves.

  She remembered sitting on the couch with a bottle of scotch, polishing it off, and she must’ve fallen asleep. Then he’d arrived in her bedroom.

  Or had he?

  She frowned, and the pounding in her head increased. Had it been real? A flash of red caught her eye and she reached down to pluck a single red rose petal from her carpet.

  Nah…he couldn’t be…

  She lifted the petal to her nose and the fragile scent of roses teased her senses, evoking images from her dreams of last night. A slow itch began between her thighs and her breasts ached and the base of left side of her neck began to itch.

  What was going on?

  She shoved her tangled hair out of her face with a weary hand. Whatever had happened or hadn’t, she needed a shower and a cup of coffee right now. She dropped the petal on the dresser and walked toward the bathroom. The ringing of the phone slowed her progress. She grabbed the phone then groaned a greeting into it.

  “How soon can you be at the Celebrity Deli on Forty-Second?” Mariah barked into her ear.

  “Fifteen minutes. Why?” Shai stifled a yawn. The only thing she really wanted was to climb back into bed. Why was she sleeping so much all of a sudden? It was unusual for her to sleep more than seven hours a day. Was she coming down with a virus?

  “They found another one. Detective Henry is waiting for you on scene. He said you need to see this one in particular.”

  She frowned, trying to ignore the sudden tightening of her stomach muscles and the churning in her gut that had nothing to do with the scotch from last night. Henry rarely if ever asked for her specifically, whatever was going on could not be good.

  “Did he say why?” she asked.

  “Do I look like an answering service? Get your ass down there ASAP, find out what he wants and write it up. I expect your story on my desk within four hours.” With that, Mariah hung up the phone.

  Shai dropped the phone into the cradle and hurled herself toward the closet. She had a feeling this wasn’t going to be pretty. She’d learned early on that when faced with an unpleasant task it was best to approach the situation like taking medicine—take it quickly and get it over with.

  * * * * *

  The requisite crowd was crammed around the police barricade when she arrived a half-hour later. They craned their necks to try and see what was going on then whispered among themselves as if they were afraid death would hear them. Shai approached the nearest police officer and asked that he direct her to Detective Henry.

  Henry waved her over when Shai started down the dim alley, skirting piles of rotting garbage and toppled trash cans. She noted with amusement that his hair was more rumpled than ever. That and the rings under his eyes told the story and she knew this case was wearing him out. He wasn’t the only one.

  “Another one?” she asked without preamble.

  He nodded slowly. “Sure is. Another beautiful girl, slain and thrown aside like yesterday’s rubbish.”

  “Why did you call me down here, Henry?”

  “After your story last night I think you can help me on this one, Shai.” His sharp gaze was fixed on her face.

  Her brow rose. “So you believe me now?”

  He shrugged and looked away. “I’m fresh out of ideas on this one and I want you to take a look at this young woman and tell me what you see.”

  Sweat broke across her brow and her palms went clammy. She rubbed her hands against her worn jeans. “Okay.”

  He led her to where several detectives were photographing the scene and taking notes. Between their rumpled, suit-clad legs and scuffed shoes she caught a glimpse of bright red curls spilling across the pavement. A wave of dizziness hit her and she paused, placing her hand against the damp brick wall in an attempt to regain her composure. Henry ushered the men away then waved her closer.

  One glance told her more than she wanted to know about this victim.

  The corpse’s hair was tangled about her head and chills ran down Shai’s spine when a faint breeze ruffled the curls. The dead woman’s vivid green eyes stared accusingly into Shai’s and she had the feeling she was found lacking.

  Her eyes closed in an attempt to block out the sight of the victim but the vision danced against her eyelids.

  Why is this happening?

  She forced her eyes open, fixing her gaze on the woman who lay before her. This beautiful woman was dead because Shai had failed her and the killer was still on the loose gathering more victims with each passing hour. Sudden tears stung her eyes and she blinked them away. She wouldn’t—nay, couldn’t—make that mistake again. Bracing herself, she avoided the woman’s face and tried to view the scene impartially.

  Perfect pale skin and full red lips were parted in a death grimace to reveal even white teeth. Diamond earrings glinted in her ears and a heavy gold chain remained on what was left of her throat. Her nails were long, painted pale pink, and she wore—

  Her breath locked in her throat. The world spun wildly and she wondered why she didn’t fall to the ground. Henry continued to speak, but she could make no sense of his words. It wasn’t the sight of death that shook her, it was her clothing.

  The dead
woman was wearing the blue silk chemise that had been cut off Shai’s oh-so-willing body not twelve hours ago by a man she barely knew.

  She turned away as tears burned her eyes and bile scalded her throat. Henry caught her arm and led her away from the body to settle her on a battered fruit crate. She struggled to compose herself when he moved in front of her, his expression, concerned.

  “What did you see?” he asked.

  “Ummm…” Shai frantically scrambled for something. Anything. “She isn’t like the others, is she?”

  “No, she’s not. What’s different about her?”

  Her hands shook as she rummaged in her bag for a mint, anything to quell her restless stomach. “You’re the cop here. Don’t you know?”

  He snorted. “Of course I do. I want to know what you really know about this.”

  Defeated, she gave up her search and pulled her cotton jacket closer around her. “I tried to tell you what I knew last night but you wouldn’t listen to me,” she shot back.

  “Shai—”

  She was suddenly freezing cold. So cold that nothing would ever warm her again. “She has good teeth,” she mumbled into her jacket collar. “Diamond earrings, gold chain. She isn’t a prostitute.” She raised her head to look at Henry. “That’s it, isn’t it? She wasn’t a prostitute at all.”

  “Exactly. This young woman was a SUNY student by the name of Rebecca Leigh. She and her sister, Maeve, were reported missing early yesterday evening. Since rigor mortis hasn’t set in, she’s been dead less than a few hours. What could have happened in that twenty-four-hour period?”

  Shai stood and looked him straight in the eye. “I have no idea, Detective.”

  “You told me yesterday that you’d met the killer of these young women last night, and this was hours after these young woman were reported missing. What did you do after you left the police station?”

  She sucked in a startled breath. “You don’t think I—”

  Henry held up his hand, stopping her flow of words. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Shai. I’ve known you for many years and I know better than that. I’m simply saying, if you did indeed speak to the killer last night, why would he single you out?”