Blood Betrayal

Chapter Nine

Zion's mouth opened than closed. It wasn't that he looked bad out of a shirt, in fact, he knew he looked damn good. It was more that he didn't know where it was going and for the first time in a long time, he felt inexperienced and unsure.

He had spent countless hours thinking about vampires, dreaming of a moment just like that. None in real life had ever asked him to disrobe.

"Off?"

Nodding she pulled at the fabric. Hesitating his hands hovered at the hem of his shirt before swallowing his apprehension and pulling it over his head.

Once his black long sleeve shirt lay crumpled besides his tee-shirt on the floor he was naked from the waist up. Leaning against him she hugged him close. The tackiness of the still-wet blood that clung to her front made him want to recoil but the feel of her soft arms clinging to his shoulders overrode the urge.

The metallic scent of blood still hung in the air but when he dipped his head down to her hair all he smelled was sweet roses, exotic spice and something pleasantly musky like cut sandalwood and clean fresh earth.

Her lips brushed the swell of his chest making him shiver despite the heat of her mouth. The quiver brought a small eager noise from her.

She started to nibble her way from his chest to where the curve of his neck met shoulder. The exquisite softness of her lips on his skin had him forgetting the feeling of tacky blood and his earlier hesitation.

A sharp stinging pain where her mouth met his body brought him back into himself for a moment before the pain was gone replaced with a warm glowing wave of contentment and pleasure.

It felt as though her mouth firmly planted on the curve just above his clavicle was actually suckling at much lower more private bits.

Each tug translated into pleasure. Aching for more his hands on her back pulled her in closer pressing her stomach into his throbbing lower body. She felt just as delicate in his arms as she looked.

Figure-hugging pants trapped him at an odd downward angle that should have been painful but the pull of her feeding mouth was muting any pain.

It wasn't long before he lost control. Hot steam, his own guttural cry, the feel of hot wetness down his leg and too much bliss was the last thing he was aware of before darkness fogged his mind.

Zion's eyes opened. Why was it so bright? He tried to roll over and pull blankets over his face to dim the brightness but the bed beneath him was too hard. The blankets in his hand were silky, too small and sort of sticky.

Squinting he turned his head away from the light above. His shirt was in a pile beside him. Cool tile sat under his back. The air was thick with steam. A white and red camisole lay haphazardly over his hand. Awareness sank in.

The sound of running water that had thundered in his ear seconds ago only became obvious when it ceased. It was replaced by the milder sound of water lapping at the edge of the tub and a light splashing sound. With that audible cue, he remembered where he was and what had happened.

He automatically reached up to touch where her mouth had been. There was nothing under his hand but smooth skin and slight dampness.

He muttered an obscenity then pulled himself up to his knees. She sat in the middle of the large tub pouring hot water over her naked body with cupped hands.

Embarrassed he quickly scrambled to his feet and turned his back to her. Glancing down at his naked chest he saw that his front was smudged with sticky redness where she had pressed herself into him. His hand went to the still wet spot down his thigh.

"You are awake," she said from behind him.

Slowly turning he found that she was watching him. Her lips turned down at the edges. Those inconceivably breathtaking black eyes were back to being edged in white. No, they weren't really black. In the bright light, he saw that they were black yet blue. The way the dusk sky is so deeply blue it's nearly black.

"You bit me," he whispered his voice barely audible.

"Yes, and I am better now." She wiggled her perfectly intact naked shoulder at him. "See?"

"Yeah, I see," he said absently rubbing his arms. He was cold despite the wet heat. He had wondered what it was like to be bitten for so long. The experience had been overwhelming. He expected to like it but it had been far more intense than he had ever imagined.

"You have very strong blood. Though I may have taken a bit too much." She stood up in the tub with water beading down her skin.

"I didn't expect you to faint. Do you forgive me?" she added while wiping at the dripping water down her stomach bringing his attention to the scant flash of hair between her legs. His eyes lingered and his cheeks flushed before he averted his gaze.

"Fine... I mean... I forgive you but don't do it again," Zion sputtered trying to keep his eyes anywhere but on her nakedness. Don't do it again? That wasn't what he wanted at all. He itched for it to happen again.

"All right." Sounding less than sincere she sat down again in the hot water her hair pooling out around her in a dark cloud. "You should clean that dead blood."

"I'm gonna wait for you in the other room," he said quickly exiting. He firmly shut the door.

Feeling the cool air touch the sweat on his brow made him want to go back in and take her up on the offer to get in the tub. Instead, he went to the next room and used that bathroom to take a very quick very hot shower. He needed to wake up properly. He felt a bit dizzy.

Hot water streaming down his sticky blood-stained body was cleansing but he couldn't shake how she affected him.

Her scent hung in his nose even after he washed with soap. The touch of her body still lingered against his even after he scrubbed until his skin was red.