Unafraid Read online

  Suddenly, and without a sound, a menacing male figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light of a street lamp. He stopped and stared down at her. The wind gusted and carried stray pieces of newspaper around the pavement between them. He was every bit as handsome as she imagined him to be. He was tall and broad shouldered with dark hair bearing white highlights in the front that hung over his forehead. The highlights reminded her of birthmarks she’d seen on a few people in her life, but these were more numerous and looked as if they’d been purposely placed in even intervals throughout his bangs. It was breathtaking. Tessa smiled. The tension of the past week and a half melted away when she looked into his stunned sapphire blue eyes. This was her destiny. He was her fate. Tessa no longer feared the tall, muscular stranger. Now she longed to touch him and verify that he was real and not just a figment of another dream.

  She could see the shock on his face at finding her waiting for him. She was amused by his dumbfounded expression. The poor thing was at a loss. The streetlight closest to the alley shone down on them and he looked deeply into her pale blue eyes. Many people had complimented her on her eyes. To her they were a reminder of all that she’d lost. Her eyes were the same color as each sighted woman in her mother’s family. Her mother believed the lack of pigment in their eyes made it easier to see the future more clearly. It seemed the two traits went hand in hand. She finally found her voice and seemed to surprise him yet again.

  “I was wondering when you were going to show up.” Tessa rested her hands on her hips and waited for him to get it together. He looked so confused when he whipped around to search the vacant street behind him, as if she were possibly speaking to someone else.

  “Are you waiting for someone to meet you?” The deep rumble of his voice rolled over her exactly as it had in her dreams.

  “No. I’ve been waiting for you. You are the man of my dreams, so to speak. Would you like to walk with me?” She cocked her head to the side and waited for a reply while he examined her from head to toe. They had met so many times in her mind that speaking to him now felt natural, easy.

  “I promise I won’t bite,” she joked as she started down the alley, turning her back to him. It was a risk and she knew it. If she were wrong about him, giving him her back was a mistake, but she knew down to her soul that he wouldn’t hurt her. So she put all of her effort into a relaxed stride that conveyed a complete lack of fear she didn’t possess. Tessa refused to begin this relationship on uneven footing. She could not show him fear now.

  At first he followed obediently, but the air around her changed in an instant before she was spun around to face him. He was clearly annoyed at her dismissal of the danger he presented to a lone human. The tension of her dream tightened the air. His fangs were extended and his dark blue irises were solid black. Terror threatened to overtake her best intentions until confusion and regret flashed over his face. She had completely taken him by surprise and his brain was struggling to catch up. Tessa reminded herself that she had had over a week to come to terms with his existence. He was playing catch up and likely warring against whatever instinct drove him to hunt. He would not hurt her.

  “I don’t think I’m the male you were waiting for, little one,” he hissed into her face.

  “Of course you are. You just don’t know it yet.” Her voice wobbled.

  “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, little one. I’m not one of your timid males.” A growl came from deep in his throat.

  Tessa put both her fists against the hard muscles of his abdomen and pushed with all her might to put space between the two of them. The big vampire didn’t move at all, but the motion forced Tessa back against the cold brick wall behind her.

  “I’m not afraid of you! If you wanted to hurt me I’d be dead by now, or at least unconscious from blood loss,” she stuttered.

  He stepped in closer so they were chest to chest. Tessa had to crane her neck up to look into his black eyes. Holy shit, he was tall. The fangs he now had on display for her to admire and fear were just inches from her face.

  “Are you quite sure about that, little one?” he hissed.

  The fear crept back into her mind at the threat in his eyes. She inhaled sharply and fought for calm. She composed herself instantly and laid her head back, turning her face to the side in order to bare her neck. Her hair fell down her chest from her shoulder. He breathed deeply, seeming to inhale her scent and savor it. Tessa prayed she didn’t smell like dinner.

  “Do it then,” she challenged. “I don’t have all night to hang out in a dark alley with you,” she said, facing the direction they had come from. Her breath suddenly sounded too rapid.

  She stayed very still for several moments, her neck splayed out, daring him to bite her. He didn’t. Instead he stared at her with longing and a hunger she could be sure wasn’t entirely about blood.

  “I didn’t think so, tough guy,” she whispered as he allowed her to push him away. She gave him a smug glare and his body stiffened. Yeah, he wanted her and she would be more than happy to provide for his needs. She would find out very soon if her decision to confront her dream man head on would come with the cost of her life.

  There was a noise on the street. People were beginning to filter out of the various watering holes and nightclubs in the area. She stepped around him and began to walk again, expecting him to follow. He did so without pause. Now what? Tessa hadn’t thought past finding him, or letting him find her. She had only one place to go, home to her crummy one room hole in the wall. Judging by his designer clothing and air of authority she guessed they were about to add culture shock to the list of things he hadn’t expected to experience this night.

  TWO

  Griffin Vaughn looked around the dingy little space that was the beautiful human’s home and tried not to let the horror he felt at her life situation show on his face. He couldn’t imagine why a female so perfect, even a human one, would be living alone in a dump like this. She had led him down the alley and around the corner to a four-story brick building that should have been condemned and slated for demolition, in his opinion. The steps that led to the rusted front door of the building were crumbling and missing quite a few bricks. Her tiny studio was as run down as the exterior of the building but it was clean and tidy. With the exception of the sofa bed that was still open and unmade, its simple peach colored bedding still rumpled from the night before. The bed dominated what little space there was in the room and instantly Griffin imagined the curvy little human sprawled out there, awaiting his pleasure.

  Neither of them spoke. They had been standing there watching each other for ten minutes. She was a worthy opponent to be sure. It was normally Griffin who stared a person down until they cracked. He never had to utter a word. Eventually his adversary would collapse under the pressure of his unwavering gaze. His father and mother had taught him never to tip his hand before he was ready. Griffin was the only son of the current ruling member of the Council of the Vampire Nation from the House of Vaughn. He was a future leader and Councilman in his own right. It was another reason others tended not to oppose him. His parents had been preparing him for the position since birth. At twenty-five years of age he was already a force not to be reckoned with and nobody wanted to cross him. Griffin could intimidate everyone just with his presence in a room, but not this sweet little human.

  She leaned against the kitchen sink on the other side of the bed, watching him coolly as he watched her. Her eyes were a pale aquamarine blue that hypnotized him and stole all of his usual suave arrogance when it came to women. He had no idea what to say or even why he had followed her home. He had no clue why he was there or what she was waiting for. The only thing he did know was that the air that flowed between them was hot and thick with curiosity and desire. The first spark would set the tiny apartment aflame. No, he didn’t know why he had come. He knew he didn’t want to leave. He suspected part of the attraction was his need to feed, but there was more to it than simple hunger. From the moment he be
gan to follow those curvy hips and that long, blond hair toward the alley, he was intrigued. When he looked into her clear blue eyes he was captivated. After inhaling the sweet vanilla scent that clung to her skin while he restrained her in his arms, he was lost.

  Griffin wanted to take her then and there in the alley against a brick wall. Lust had ignited and burned from the moment he touched her, but he had to do his duty first. This human female had knowledge of his kind and that was a problem. The Council worked diligently to protect every member of the Nation through the use of strict laws with harsh punishments for those who broke the law. Griffin would need to find the source of her information and deal with them swiftly. The Council would not be pleased. He just hoped they didn’t want to eliminate this female. A simple memory scrub should suffice to appease them.

  Griffin moved to unbutton his jacket in the warm room and his pretty little temptress flinched as if prepared for an attack. Her pupils dilated slightly and her breath quickened. It seemed she wasn’t as unaffected by his presence as she pretended to be. Good. That was very good for him. He had the upper hand now.

  “Tell me, little one, how did you come to be so familiar with my kind?” He continued unbuttoning his coat. Her eyes shifted from his face to his hands, but she didn’t answer. She warily watched his movements while he slid the coat off and laid it over the tattered, old easy chair that was the only other piece of furniture in the studio. Griffin moved slowly, enjoying the feel of her eyes on him. He took a step in her direction and she moved a step farther away. God she was lovely. Her long, honey colored hair draped over her shoulders and hung like a shield down her chest before it stopped just above her tucked in waistline. She couldn’t be more than five foot four in height, which made her just shy of a foot shorter than him. Her demure stature made a foreign need to protect her from all other males creep into his head.

  A nasty thought occurred to him then and instantly he found himself irrationally annoyed. Did she have a vampire lover? Was she some lucky bastard’s regular blood donor? The thought of another male at her throat made his blood boil. Instantly, all of Griffin’s calm evaporated and he leapt over the bed between them to examine her neck. He would get his answers whether she wanted to speak or not, and if someone had been sampling this little treat he would put a swift and painful end to it as soon as he pried the information out of her.

  She had no time to react to his preternatural speed and no place to go in the small apartment. Her human eyes likely hadn’t been able to track his movement. Griffin lifted her onto the counter to give him a better view of her slim neck. A vampire bite healed very quickly but a bruise could be found for the first day or so. Her skin was smooth and flawless. No one had fed from her today, unless they found a more intimate location to take their fill of her. That thought had his temper flaring again. She struggled against his grip on her chin. Nerves and fear had her breaking into a sweat. The result was a more intense and erotic vanilla aroma hanging in the air around them. He could not have another male breathing her in, absorbing her sweetness.

  “Who is your lover?” He growled through clenched teeth. She stopped struggling and glared up him.

  “Who I’m sleeping with is none of your damn business!” she hissed, outraged.

  He was about lose his shit completely and couldn’t pull himself back from the edge. She was nothing but a human female who served no purpose other than as food or an occasional piece of ass. Why did her admitting that she had a lover make him want to rage and destroy everything in sight?

  “You will tell me the name of your vampire lover and divulge his location, as well as any and all information regarding our people you have learned from him.” He didn’t yell. The predator in him had taken over. He knew his suddenly descending fangs and black irises where frightening her, but he didn’t give a damn. She would tell him all and she would tell him now. He needed to find this hidden threat to his people and destroy him. He would decimate the male that had touched the beauty trembling in his bruising grip. She belonged to him now. The thought was illogical and impossible, but Griffin was no longer leading the charge. His instincts and raging hormones had taken the wheel of his mind and his body.

  Griffin could take the information from her if he wanted. He could easily enthrall her into telling him everything she knew and where she learned of his people, but a primitive, dark inner beast he had never known lived inside his mind and demanded that she give him what he asked for of her own free will. It demanded that he erase the memory of any other male using his body, his hands, and his mouth.

  “I have no vampire lover,” she confessed with wide, frightened eyes so dilated with fear that only the smallest rim of pale blue was visible. She shook in his grip and a tear slipped down her cheek. The sight of the terror he had caused her helped Griffin pull back from his anger, but the lust and need remained. In fact, as his anger dissipated his primal need to claim his prize before it was snatched away overwhelmed him.

  He moved his hand up from her jaw to cradle the back of her head in his palm. She didn’t struggle to free herself, instead relaxing into his arms and staring up at him with those captivating eyes. She was so close her rapid breaths rushed over his face and he breathed her into his lungs. The beast now in control of his mind demanded to have her now. He didn’t give a shit what she knew. He would pry the name of her ex-lover, because the bastard would never touch her again, out of her later. For now, he wanted to swallow the rich flavor of her blood while plunging hard and deep into her body. He wanted to stake a claim to every lovely curve on her body and every sweet drop of her blood.

  Her hands came up to rest on his arms in what his lust clouded mind perceived as a sign of acceptance. Unable to hold back any longer, he took her mouth in a punishing kiss. There was no tender coaxing or gentle persuasion in his kiss. He was branding himself onto her mind and body. He nipped and sucked at her mouth before delving in deep to search out every hidden hint of vanilla she possessed. His lovely little human would crave no other man, human or vampire, when he finished with his lesson in dominance. Griffin pulled away from her mouth to instruct her on how the evening was going to go and what her duties would be.

  “You will give me your body now, little one. You will surrender to my need for your flesh and blood. Do you understand?” Black eyes bored into pale blue and demanded the answer he desired. She did not respond. Griffin clutched her hair in his fist and used his other arm to pull her lush body against the stiff evidence of his need. He ground his pelvis into hers and rumbled his approval when she sighed and pushed back with her hips.

  “I’m waiting.” She would hand over her body and blood to him. “You will give yourself to me now and take the pleasure I give you. You will give me your blood. I will take you into my body and as a reward I will make you climax until you no longer know who you are. You will know only me. Do you understand?” She nodded weakly and shivered. It wasn’t good enough.

  “Say it!” he barked. “Tell me your body is mine to possess. Tell me you freely give your blood into my body.” He had to hear it. The beast needed the words.

  “W-will I die?” She stuttered. The fear in her shaky voice pulled a bit of his rational self to the forefront. If a vampire had fed on her in the past, he had erased the memory of the bite, as he should have. She would only remember the sex.

  “I want to bring you pleasure, not pain. I would never hurt you, little one.” He brushed his fingers lightly over her face but his voice was harsh and impatient. “I will drink from you but my bite will bring you pleasure as well. You will not die.”

  She must have been as wanting and ready as he was, because as soon as he said the words, she brought her lips back to his mouth and tried to push her way inside. He gripped her face again and pushed her back against the cabinet.

  “No, no, little one,” he chided. “I said you will take what I give you. You will not take what you want. Do you understand?” She nodded. “You have not given me the words I need to hear.”
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  “I will give you my body and my blood…for tonight.” She qualified. Griffin did like that last bit at the end. She still believed she was in charge. She wasn’t in charge at all, but her consent was now given so he let the need take over.

  He didn’t understand why his instincts were driving him in this direction but he wanted, no, he needed to prove to her that he was a male worthy of being trusted with her body. He had to dominate her this first time. She needed to understand that his word was the rule. She gasped when her shirt was ripped down the front to expose creamy breasts encased in a simple white bra. The cups modestly hugged the generous globes. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Griffin had seen many a seductress in lace and satin that revealed all to a man, making him beg for a taste, but the voluptuous perfection of her body wrapped in blue jeans and a cotton bra blew his mind. He leaned in to suck the nipple of one breast through the fabric while palming the other and grinding against her pelvis.

  She writhed and panted for him. Nuzzling his face between her breasts, he used one sharp fang to free her breasts by slicing through her bra. When her nipples were revealed they were dusky pink buds, damp from his suckling and the sight was the end of his patience. He was afraid this first time would be hard and fast. He could take his time with her later, after he fed and took off the edge of his need to be inside her.

  His clothes were ripped away and he was tugging off her jeans and pink cotton panties before she had time to react. She grasped his shoulders and held on when he lifted her and turned to deposit her on the bed that waited a mere step away. Her eyes sparkled and reflected his hunger back to him from her sprawl on the rather uncomfortable looking mattress. Allowing himself a moment to take in the view, Griffin actually sent up a prayer that he could deliver on his promises. He was so ready for her.