Claimed by you vranthian.., p.1
Claimed By You: Vranthian Vampires – Book 2, page 1
Table of Contents
Also By K.A. M’Lady
Dedication:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
K.A. M’Lady
Published by Mojocastle Press, LLC
Haymarket, Virginia
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Claimed By You: Vranthian Vampires – Book 2
ISBN: 978-1-60180-201-9
Copyright @ 2013 K.A. M’Lady
Cover Art Copyright @ 2013 Fiona Jayde
All rights reserved.
Excluding legitimate review sites and review publications, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Copying, scanning, uploading, selling and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without permission from the publisher is illegal, punishable by law and will be prosecuted.
Available online at:
http://www.mojocastle.com/
Also By K.A. M’Lady
Get Lucky
Song of the Wolf
Realm Book One: To Tell of Darkness
Realm Book Two: Shadow Slave
Realm Book Three: Illuminated Death
Faith Savage, Demon Huntress Series
Ramshackle Castle: Bent Poetry and Other Altered Verse
Rational Animals
A Walk in the Black Forest
Bound To You: Vranthian Vampires – Book 1
Dedication:
For Tad, for being my light, and my magic.
Chapter One
Cyn was forcefully dragged from her best friend’s brownstone and out into the shadows of the nearest alleyway. Irritation and fear battled inside her. Darkness surrounded the neighborhood, the quiet unsettling.
In an instant, a blaze of lights filled the streets beyond, glinting from end to end. The rough sound of wailing sirens pierced the quiet night. Each yowl beat through her chest, and then was gone. The rush reverberated off her bones, amping up her angst. The thrum reminded her of the peril of her current situation. She clenched her teeth in worry and a hint of fear.
And yet, she couldn’t withhold the slight twinge of rage that stirred in the pit of her belly. What she really wanted to do was smack her best friend, Leah, upside the head for dragging her into whatever crazy hell her life had suddenly become. The moment she’d put her spare key in that damn lock to Leah’s apartment and turned that stupid brass knob, everything had changed. Good thing for Leah she wasn’t close enough to smack. With a growl of annoyance, she trudged through the darkness.
Being dragged behind her pale alien warrior like a recalcitrant child or a slave bound for the auction block didn’t help her mood much. Neither did the fact that he clutched her arm a bit too harshly; a sense of ownership somehow, as he escorted her through the darkness. It was weird. And it just made the fury coil tighter inside of her.
She knew she couldn’t yell for help, there was a big damn blue guy traipsing along behind them, for cripes sake. The police would probably shoot them all on sight. So instead, allowing her rancor to get the best of her, she dug in her heels, attempting to make each step more difficult for the both of them. There was no way in hell she was going to let him drag her along like a rag doll on this journey. The least Leah could have done was tell her what the hell was going on.
Grinding her teeth, she reluctantly slogged along. Without any warning, her captor suddenly stopped, shoving her against the rough exterior of the nearest building. The hard brick scraped against her shoulder blades. Pressing his large frame against her, he glared down at her with his cold, pale, predatory eyes. “If you wish to make it to our destination whole and hardy, you will cease with your defiance,” his rough, deep voice rumbled.
His warm breath fanned against her neck, causing a chill of awareness to run along her flesh. His spicy scent washed over her; far more appealing than she even cared to consider, while sparks of awareness ricocheted through her belly. Startled, Cyn blinked her muted reply. Holy hell, she trembled as desire and annoyance warred inside of her.
“Cyn, please don’t cause any trouble. We have to get out of here.” Leah’s plea crept through her fog-filled brain while she silently continued to blink up at her captor. He stood well over six and half feet in height, his frame solid, and his bulk dwarfing her. But it was his pale blue eyes that drew her. That, and his long, shimmering white hair that hung loosely past his shoulders. His strength, and the silent intensity that surrounded him. His rough and rugged frame mixed with the knowing gravity and integrity staring back at her. The man was positively gorgeous. And incredibly intense. Cripes, Cyn, he’s flipping abducting you! Get a grip on your hormones.
“You will do everything that I say and not utter a sound. Do you understand?” The question was a command, his body flush against hers and apparently happy to be there. His words were a harsh whisper against her ear, and all Cyn could do was nod in muted agreement. There was no doubt that she was scared shitless. She had no idea what the hell was going on. No idea where her friend had been for the past few weeks, or why she was now being dragged from Leah’s home like some thief in the night while they hid in the shadows from speeding cop cars and blaring sirens.
“I swear I’ll make this up to you,” Leah whispered, but her words quickly faded as Cyn’s captor pulled on her arm and hauled her from the shadows of the building. He took off at a jog across the street toward the tree line, forcing her to keep up. Beyond, lay the park that abutted the street near Leah’s home, and beyond that...she had no idea.
Taking three steps for each of his one, Cyn had to run to keep abreast, his long legs making this appear a jaunt and all the more difficult. She was thanking her stars that she chose to wear flats today instead of the chunky sandals she normally would have thrown on for her shift at the bar. At the last minute, she’d had an odd inkling to run by Leah’s on the way to work. Figured she’d just stop and check one more time. Stupid gut instincts!
When she had seen all of the lights on in Leah’s apartment, her stomach fell to her knees and her heart had slammed into her throat. It had been weeks without any word. Hell, she’d been the one to file the missing persons report. Everyone had thought that the guy with the scar had abducted her and killed her. Guilt and remorse had plagued her for weeks.
The last thing she expected to find when she’d opened up that door was some weird looking blue guy, regardless of how hot he was. Not to mention two huge, beefy stud muffins sprawled out in Leah’s living room like permanent fixtures. If Tall, Pale and Gorgeous wasn’t dragging her through shrubs and brushes right now, she might consider throwing him to the ground and doing unspeakable things to him.
“Move faster,” he growled.
“Asshat,” she muttered. “Just goes to show that they’re all idiots once they open their big damn yaps.”
“What was that?” he growled, glaring at her over his large shoulder.
“Nothing,” she mumbled.
Within moments they were in a clearing, her feet moving at an incline, clanking up what sounded like metal, and yet all around her still looked like trees and darkness. They entered some sort of…something. It had to be a ship of sorts, and beautifully annoying was towing her down a corridor, the glare of bright lights and soft gray walls flashing by at a rapid pace.
“Draven, take the com,” her captor ordered. “The cloaking device is activated, shields are up and coordinates are already set. My crew is at your command.”
The beefy dark-haired man nodded, briefly brushed his lips against Leah’s and told her to go with Ook—apparently the blue alien-guy, Cyn surmised, blinking rapidly, trying to take it all in. We’re on a fucking spaceship?
“Leah, what the hell is going on?” she questioned, a note of panic in the rising pitch of her voice.
“Everything is going to be fine, Cyn. I swear to you.”
Turning to glare at her captor, she pulled back as hard as she could. “No. Everything is not going to be fine. Let me go right now.”
“Kuthar won’t hurt you, Cyn. Just calm down. I’ll explain everything as soon as we get clear of earth.”
“Get clear of earth? Have you lost your fucking mind? I am not getting clear of earth. There will be no getting clear of earth!” she bellowed, digging in her heels against the floor and yanking on her arm again, despite the death grip pulling against it. When that didn’t set her free, she tried to pry his fingers loose one at a time. “Let me the hell go! There is no getting clear of earth. Do you hear me? We are so not getting clear of earth.”
Her captor spoke. “Ook, take Leah down the corridor. There is a room for you and Draven, where she will be safe. I will deal with our guest.”
“Kuthar...” Leah whispered, her eyes filled with worry, and what Cyn could only describe as regret.
“Have no fear, Leah,” he assured her. “Your friend is highly valued. I will take the utmost care of her.”
Cyn’s feet suddenly left the ground, and she was staring at a very nice ass from upside down. Her stomach dug into his large shoulder, where he’d wrapped his arm around her legs, keeping the
Fear and excitement spiraled as one. “Put me down this instant,” she finally admonished.
“No.”
“I swear to God, if you don’t release me I will make your life a living hell. Now let me go,” she ordered, pushing against the wall of his back.
To her utter annoyance, he didn’t even flinch. It was like shoving against solid stone. The only thing she hurt was her fists, and she swore she could feel him laugh. She thought about grabbing a hunk of his hair and yanking on it.
“Do not even consider it, Cynthiana,” he growled. A light shushing noise sounded, and he strolled through an opening. Turning abruptly, he dumped her unceremoniously onto something large and relatively soft. Skittering backward away from him, Cyn quickly took in her surroundings.
Soft-haloed light filled the semi-small enclosure. Pale walls and shining metals in smooth lines made up the room. She’d landed on a fairly large bed in what appeared to be some sort of lodging on his spaceship. Just thinking the word spaceship completely freaked her out. “What the hell are you going to do to me?” she hedged, putting as much distance between the two of them as she could get. Fear knifed through her as the seriousness of her current situation crept around the edges of her mind.
Her back smacked the wall, and she pulled her knees tight against her chest, glaring at him. To her dismay he just stood there looking at her; tall, pale, sexy as hell and deathly still. He was the epitome of gorgeous in all his delicious, pale glory. Her heart hammered loudly in her ears, while uncertainty coiled in her stomach.
The moment stretched, and still he said nothing. Silently, he watched her, seeming to take everything in.
Slowly, her heart rate began to calm. “What?” she whispered.
He canted his head, and pale eyes the color of moon glow glittered with hunger while a smug, dangerous and determined smile spread across his delectable mouth. Cyn knew she was in trouble. Her wayward heart accelerated.
“Take off your clothes,” he ordered, his voice soft, yet firm. His eyes glinted like flashes of lightning.
Cyn blinked, trying to process his request. “Oh, hell no,” she replied, shaking her head despite the flutter that crept through her belly.
“You can do it by yourself, Cynthiana, or I can do it for you. But one way or another, you will be naked in this bed. Now, take off your clothes.”
Her body trembled uncontrollably. Her heart felt like it was going to explode right out of her chest, and her throat was so dry she actually felt like choking. What the hell has just happened to my life? Fear and excitement jack-knifed through her. She’d spent three weeks worrying about her best friend and now, within twenty minutes, she’d been kidnapped, dragged across several blocks, hauled aboard what appeared to be a damn spaceship, and was about to be carted off to who knew where. And, to make her life worse—-or better, her inner-conscience prodded—her ultra-hot alien kidnapper wanted her to strip naked in front of him?
“There is no freaking way we are getting naked together,” she told him. “I swear, if you come near me…
She didn’t get a chance to finish her thought. Instead, with a squeak, she was yanked across the bedding, her ankles encased in his large hand. Shoes and pants, just suddenly gone. Before she could even draw a deep enough breath to scream, her shirt was over her head, and she was pressed back against the bedding with six feet plus of large, burly male resting on top of her startled body, his knee pressed between her legs, spreading her thighs, while he held her arms securely in one of his hands above her head.
Reaching into the drawer next to the bed, he pulled out some sort of cloth and proceeded to wrap it firmly around her wrists, attaching it to the headboard. “You will stay in this room,” he warned, leaning back to spread her legs further apart, securing her ankles at the bottom of the bed.
Shocked, angered and dismayed, she could only blink up into his pale, pale eyes, currently brimming with a fire so intense it stilled the breath in her lungs, caused her pulse to roar in her ears and her flesh to flush. Despite the array of emotion, tears filled Cyn’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she pulled hard on her arms, the cloth secure but soft against her wrists. “Why are you doing this to me? Please, just let me go,” she pleaded. “I swear I won’t tell anyone I found Leah. I won’t tell anyone I even saw you and your blue friend.”
“I’m sorry, Cynthiana. I will not let you go,” he told her. There was almost a note of sorrow in his voice. And yet, his eyes, once so pale, seemed to darken with need. They blazed with hunger as his gaze raked over her mostly nude body. At least he hasn’t stripped me completely bare. She watched his gaze skirt over her lacy bra and panties.
Cyn was fully aware of his large body pressed against hers. Aware of the deep, even breaths he took that seemed to match her own. His weight held her, and yet he wasn’t hurting her or keeping her from drawing breath. She considered his words. He said that he wouldn’t let her go, not couldn’t. So why was he keeping her?
“Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” she finally asked, drawing his gaze once more.
The feel of his fingers as they gently caressed her cheek was just about her undoing. His touch was feather-light. Her breath caught as he leaned into her. His breath was warm against her neck as he took her scent deep into his lungs. He shuddered and she felt the effect, as he leaned fully into her, his large frame fully encompassing her, breast to chest, hip to hip. His body trembled against her on his exhaled sigh.
Every nerve ending in Cyn’s body tingled with fire. She closed her eyes while the rich, warm scent of him engulfed her senses. He smelled of earthy, spicy things, the wind, and the earth. It was heady and strong, and tightened things in her body that had no business recognizing the need for him. Her nipples tightened and scraped against the lace of her bra. Her sex swelled with need.
Subtly, he moved against her, draping his leg over hers. She could feel the result of his desire where it now pressed against her outer thigh. “Look at me,” he whispered.
She blinked up into the drowning blue of his striking eyes, took in the high line of his cheekbones, the stern strength of his jaw and the full line of his sensuous lips. She wondered what it would be like to have them pressed against hers. Wondered what it would feel like to have them pressed against her body. God help me! She inwardly groaned, desire coursing through her. What is wrong with me? What has this guy, this hot, alien-guy done to me?
He nudged her naked thighs further apart and ran his fingertips from jaw bone to breast bone, to the edge of her hip. Cyn closed her eyes again, her breath trembling through her.
“I intend to have you, Cynthiana,” he breathed against her neck. “You are part of the key to my people’s survival, and I will not fail them. But that alone will not keep me from taking you. This look on your face, as I touch you,” he whispered, skimming his fingers along the curve of her neck, “the feel of you beneath me and the scent of your arousal. Yes,” he assured her. “These things I will claim.”
The certainty in his voice was startling. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she was no man’s whore. Not even a hot alien. “If you try to force me,” she whispered, staring into the dark depths of his hungry eyes, “I will kill you.”
Kuthar’s laughter reverberated through her. “There will be no forcing, my lovely night blossom. When I am done with you, you will beg for my touch. It is my name you will scream in release. Be most assured.” His eyes shone with conviction, hunger and humor. It fed Cyn’s annoyance, made her pull on her restraints, pressing her body into his, which only made him smile all the more. “Oh, yes, Cynthiana. You can fight yourself if you wish, but your body betrays you. Your fevered pulse as it thrums in your chest, and the scent of your need as it warms your blood...all this betrays you. Be most assured, you will be mine.” His lips and teeth grazed the flesh of her neck, and he whispered “Mine” against her collarbone.
His mouth continued its treacherous assault on her senses, and she burned in the flames of their mutual fire. Unwillingly, her body trembled. Desire coursed through, tightening her nipples, threatening to spill her full, aching breasts from their tight enclosure.
