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He lifted her off the bed, making her face him so he wouldn’t be towering over her.

  “Why didn’t you come to me? I could have prevented all of this. Protected you. That was my job.”

  She shook her head.

  “Katie is a first-generation witch and you’ve been hiding her from me.”

  Sophie paled, unsure what to do or say.

  “She was attacked tonight. William—my brother—saved her. She blew up a wolf, Sophie—a wolf. You came to the Council for protection. I saw your memories. I understand why you did it. I understand that you wanted to protect your friend. What I don’t understand is why you’d keep from me the reason she needed protection. Why didn’t you tell me she was a witch?”

  Sophie was shaking as each revelation came to light.

  “Is Katie okay?” she asked.

  “Katie is fine…for now.”

  “I didn’t know she was a witch. We knew she was different, but not that she was a witch. We wondered, but…witches don’t exist,” Sophie tried to explain.

  Robert cursed. They’d been terrified young women, unsure what was happening, searching for some protection.

  “I’ll have to take you before the Council—”

  Sophie was shaking her head. “They’ll kill her.”

  “There is a way.” That got her attention. “You’ll both be punished, but I can stop them from killing either of you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “We complete the bond. Once the bond is finished, you will be my mate and by the laws set out I will have to follow through in protecting you and Katie.”

  “We complete the bond… That means we have sex.”

  “We connect with each other and share blood.” Robert tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “This is the only way—trust me.”

  Sophie nodded. “When should we finalise the ritual… I mean, bond?”

  “Tonight.”

  * * * *

  Katie woke up crying, her hands shooting out to ward off her fear. The coffee table blew up. She screamed at the noise, startled. Next to go was a sofa. That was why, in her small house, she only had minimal furniture.

  “Hey, hey. That stuff is vintage.” William trapped her hands together with his.

  She screamed again. She didn’t know where she was and she was panicking.

  The clock exploded.

  “Shit.”

  William kissed her. So unprepared was she for the kiss that Katie melted beneath the onslaught. His lips, firm to the touch, brushed over hers. Katie didn’t know if her lips were soft, but she welcomed the gentle press of his.

  This was her first kiss. She didn’t know whether she liked it. She hadn’t been prepared for it and by the time she was ready to deal with it he had moved away. Katie wanted to reach out and ask him to kiss her once more. She wanted to know whether she liked kissing or if she wanted to be kissed. But William Valentine was not a man you begged attention from, even if she did like the way he spoke and looked.

  “The best way to deal with a witch is to confuse her with kisses.” The vampire in front of her gave her a cheeky smile.

  Ashamed of her reaction, she lashed out at him, but he caught her fists in his hands. She would love to see how he reacted to being blown up instead.

  “Be careful. I bite as well,” he warned, flashing his fangs.

  Katie wasn’t repulsed by the pointed teeth—if anything she was intrigued by them. Was it because she was a witch, and in a way understood his differences? She didn’t care.

  Katie flung herself away from him.

  “You disgusting monster.”

  “Uncontrollable witch,” he retorted.

  Katie couldn’t help it. She lashed out again, but he was too fast and too strong. He dodged her hits, then grabbed her flailing fists, stopping her attack altogether. A battle of wills. Katie had never fought anyone who was as strong as she was. In truth, the only thing she’d managed to destroy in her whole life was the odd clock and vintage sofa.

  “You’re a fiery one, all right.”

  Fuming at her inability to hurt him, she pulled away and stormed into his kitchen. The only way she could think of to dispel the growing tensions was to walk away.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” He stopped her as she reached for his coffee pot.

  “What have I done now?”

  “Besides turn my life upside down? Until you gain some modicum of control over your hands, stay away from the coffee pot.” He pushed her out of the way and proceeded to make up a pot of coffee. In no time at all, the rich aroma filled the house, calming her nerves.

  Katie sat down at the table and watched him moving around his kitchen. He filled two mugs with coffee.

  “Cream and sugar?” he asked.

  She nodded. He handed her a steaming cup. It was too hot to drink so she balanced it between her numb fingers.

  “I thought vampires only drank blood,” she said, to fill the silence.

  “I thought humans were nice—I’ve since learnt differently.” He appeared to have a witty retort for everything. He didn’t seem bothered by the heat, and drank some of the steaming brew immediately.

  “Sorry. I was just making conversation.” She looked down into her coffee.

  She heard him sigh. “Drinking blood keeps us strong, but we don’t need it every day. Depends on how strong the person we feed from is, the connection to that person. It’s very long-winded and I don’t feel like talking about it.” He took a sip of his coffee.

  “Am I human?” she enquired.

  He remained silent until she looked up.

  “Well, am I?” she asked again.

  “It’s not a simple yes or no answer,” he finally said.

  Katie frowned. “How can it not be a simple answer?”

  “Witches, like vampires and werewolves, existed even before humans. Witchcraft is different from coven to person to family. Magic isn’t straightforward. I’m a vampire, which is pretty simple—I kill things. Witches love being complex. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met a witch who wasn’t a pain in the ass.”

  Katie took a sip of coffee, trying to absorb what he’d just said, ignoring his insults.

  “I still don’t know what you mean.”

  “Okay. If you have a witch who is a direct descendent of…say, the devil himself, you’d naturally expect that witch to be evil. But the thing with witchcraft is that, no matter what, there needs to be a balance of power. Like vampires. We’re the undead—we are neither dead nor living, so we have a natural balance. Werewolves are neither a wolf nor a human, and that balance limits their power. Witchcraft is tricky, because the balance depends on the individual.”

  He gave her time for all the information to sink in.

  “So a witch has to be equally good and bad?”

  “Yes. The magic needs a balance to sustain itself. With that balance, witches can survive an eternity in which they never age or weaken.”

  “What happens to a witch who isn’t balanced?”

  “The power consumes them until there is nothing left of the person. In other words, they burn themselves out. It’s like one minute they’re there and the next they’re a dead shell. But again it is always different. Some take a while to burn out.” He stopped, turning away.

  “What happens to cause imbalance?” she asked.

  “We’ve been in a long-running battle with the wolves. They are destroying the balance by breeding humans—better known as mongrels—into the clan.”

  “Humans that have been turned into werewolves?”

  “Yes. Natural-born werewolves were like that from birth. Consider it an extra piece of genetic code.”

  Katie watched him refill her cup. “The wolves are disrupting the balance.”

  “Yes, and so the battle between the kinds commenced. Wolves have been wiping out witches and vampires for centuries. The furry little bastards have remained in hiding for a while. We knew they were in Beyer West, but unfortunately we’ve not been able to find them. The f
act that wolves can adapt to live among humans has made it easier for them to hunt witches.”

  “That’s why the vampires and the witches work together?”

  “Yes. May I say, you’re an excellent student?”

  Katie beamed a smile.

  “Witches have died in this fight. When they take on a pack, they use a massive amount of magic. They live on the balance of natural forces but in battle they pick up reserves of magic—both good and evil. It’s too much to balance. The body simply can’t cope. The witch might kill her opponents…but then she dies.” He choked out the last bit.

  Katie watched as he reached into one of his cupboards for the brandy bottle, opened it and took a huge gulp. She winced, knowing what the powerful liquor could do. Many months ago she’d tried the same medicine, only to be left with a bad head, upset stomach and a bitter taste in her mouth.

  “What about me?”

  “What did your parents tell you?” he asked, still with his back to her.

  “I kept my magic from them. It wasn’t until they died that they told me it wasn’t safe. I haven’t been able to control it and it just gets worse.”

  William nodded. “I take it they visited you in a dream because, you know, dead people walking around is going to get a lot of attention.”

  “It was left in a note. A note and a film. They’d taped themselves. Bizarre, really, I know. What’s going to happen to me?” She knew that it was going to be something bad. The news that vampires didn’t hunt witches to kill them had been a relief, but it didn’t change the deceit Sophie and she had perpetrated. Katie had been right, she should have just answered to the Council, then she wouldn’t have to be worried about Sophie.

  He turned to her then. “Do you want to live?”

  What a strange question. She nodded. “Of course I do.”

  He took the cup from her hands, helped her from her seat. He moved the hair away from her neck. Every touch made her gasp. Her nipples budded and goose bumps erupted on her flesh. “Do you trust me?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good!”

  He bit down into her delicate, exposed throat. Katie screamed, fighting to get away from him. William was feeding from her. She could feel the blood leaving her body. The strike from his teeth sunk into her neck. The points dug all the way into her collarbone. He would break her in two.

  “Let go, please,” she begged, the pain unbearable. The sounds in the kitchen were of his sucking and her whimpers.

  He was taking too much.

  It hurt.

  Little dots were playing in her vision. She was struggling to stay awake. Her body tensed.

  The pulling on her blood became too painful.

  Fading…fading…fading.

  Chapter Seven

  Robert looked at the clock. William should be doing his bit to keep Katie safe. Now it was his turn. He drank down his shot of vodka. It would stem the fiery attraction coursing through his veins.

  Robert was amazed by her bravery. He admired her. She’d had to deal with so much, terrified, scared and alone, with no one to run to for comfort, or to ask what she should do. And now he was going to complete the final part of the blood bond.

  He needed to remember that Sophie was a virgin, and that in order for this to work she had to accept him into her mind and her body.

  He glanced at the clock again. No matter how many times he stared at it, it wouldn’t change what he had to do. It would be easier if he could be angry.

  But two women hadn’t understood the consequences of being afraid. All they had done was try to keep themselves safe.

  It wasn’t a coincidence that tonight had been the night the wolves had planned their attack. They still had time to change Katie to their side.

  Innocence was so over-rated. If Katie had gone out and slept around, it would have just been a direct hit tonight. A quick, clean kill. But because her precious virginity remained intact, they still had a chance to manipulate her. To turn her into a mongrel-witch. No matter how much he dwelt on it, it wouldn’t change the fact that Katie was innocent and at risk. He couldn’t help her now.

  But he could save Sophie—he just prayed he could protect her against the wrath of the Council as well. Sophie was his one and only priority. He would have to trust in William. He gulped down some of his aged brandy and turned to the door.

  He entered the bedroom to see she was already in bed. She lay facing the window. The full moon shone down, highlighting her perfect face.

  “You know, I’ve spent years thinking about this moment. Wondering if I would do it with my husband or with a friend or someone I loved.” As she spoke, her gaze never left the beauty of the full moon.

  “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say.

  She rolled over to look at him.

  “I’m pleased my first time is with you. I know we don’t know a lot about each other and I’ve caused you many problems but…well, I’m happy it’s with you.” Sophie got up out of the bed and moved towards him.

  She took his hands, bringing them up to her lips, and kissed them.

  “You’re my husband. Since we bonded, I’ve felt a part of you. For the past three years. After tonight, I don’t want to be parted from you again.” She kissed the inside of his wrist. “I know I’ve done wrong, but I did it thinking only of doing the right thing. I can’t be sorry, because I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” She laid his palm against her breast.

  He cupped her breasts, feeling the hard nipples pressing against his skin, her pale mounds filling his hands.

  With one hand still pressed to her breast, he used the other to take her chin. “Your words mean a great deal to me, Sophie Ford, and there is nowhere else I’d rather be.” He leant down and kissed her on the lips.

  She responded to him, curving her hands around his neck. The kiss was hot, appealing to both senses, touch and taste. Sophie squirmed to get closer. To feel the contact of skin to skin. His palm never left her breast. He stroked the turgid nipple with his thumb, causing her to cry out. She opened her mouth on a scream and he plundered it, taking full advantage of her vulnerable lips. He filled her with his tongue, tasting her, exploring her.

  He fisted his hand in her hair, holding her to him. Her nipples pulsed for more attention. She moaned, lifting her leg up over his hip, trying to get more intimate contact. The warm glow of lust consumed them both. They were drugged. They fed from each other’s kisses. Sophie couldn’t get enough of him.

  He walked them backwards until they fell onto the bed.

  She giggled as he landed on top of her, knocking the wind from her.

  “You’re heavy.”

  He laughed, piercing her heart with his sinful smile. She gasped as lightning shot straight through to her clit. She was doomed if that was her reaction to just his smile. There was no way Sophie would survive the main event.

  He came off her, but pulled her up so that she was resting against the pillows again. He laid a kiss on her lips, then went down to her jaw and over her collarbone, making her gasp at the violent sensations running through her. She didn’t know whether to pull away or beg him for more. Her body was filled with an urgency to feel this man’s body between her thighs.

  She opened her legs willingly, silently begging him to move between them and assuage this terrible ache, to sate them both.

  Sophie was beginning to understand why people became addicted to sex.

  His lips left a trail of fiery ecstasy in their wake. Her body was alive and screaming for attention. His lips were at her breasts.

  “Give them to me.”

  She looked at him, dazed and confused.

  What does he mean?

  “Offer me a breast,” he told her. It was strange, as though he was reading her mind.

  Taking one of her mounds in her palm, she offered him a bite. She tensed, scared, but she wanted to feel him biting into her, feeding on her blood.

  He teased her nipple, playing with her body.

  S
he watched as he attended to her, his tongue flicking out. Her breasts looked wet and swollen in the moonlight.

  “Bite me,” she begged him.

  He bit down into her nipple and she watched him swallow. The pain was light, its sting delightful. Her nipples were so sensitive, taking a pulsing message down to her clit. She could feel the gathering orgasm she’d experienced many times before—but only at her own hand.

  She wanted to feel his hand between her legs. To know what it was like to have a male finger teasing her aching clit.

  She took his hand and guided it to where she’d been thinking about having it seconds earlier, to where she craved his touch, pressing one of his fingers against her swollen clit. Sophie moaned and prayed he would give her more.

  The merest contact had her almost dizzy with longing. She pushed her hand on top of his and she could already feel how wet she was for him. She should probably be embarrassed, but being embarrassed would take too much energy. Her energy was reserved for him.

  “What do you want from me?” he asked her.

  She looked up as his mouth left her breast, the cool air sending shivers down her spine.

  “I want you to make love to me. To show me what it’s like to be a proper woman. Your woman,” she spoke the truth.

  He stared at her for some time before she felt his finger move between her legs. She took her hand from over his, knowing he wouldn’t do anything to harm her.

  Sophie opened her legs wider so he could have complete access to her body. Her eyes closed of their own accord as she allowed her heart, mind, body and soul to be taken over by rapturous bliss.

  Robert watched her give herself over to him. She looked so stunning that she took his breath away. Or rather, she would have taken his breath away if he could breathe. Her bud, peeking out from its hood, was swollen and begging for attention.

  The smallest touch had her arching up to meet him, a cry escaping from her lips. He smiled. He loved the feeling of being able to take her past the point of no return. Robert didn’t just want to do that with his fingers. He wanted to take the time to explore and taste her.

  He moved down the bed, his gaze directly on her mound. The hairs were light blonde, giving a clear view as if she was shaved. Already her lips were filled with blood and opened wide. He could see her cum glistening all over, lubricating her—preparing her body to receive his. Her clit caught his eye, swollen, engorged and pulsing. He pressed his tongue against it, licking her. She smelt and tasted delicious.