Purple Magic, Page 6

  At the same time, an unfamiliar desire to comfort slid into his mind. It was a dangerous feeling that could get them both killed. If Alex suspected Drago wanted anything more than sex and submission, they’d be in the ground. That thought brought a needed dose of reality. There could be no comfort offered this night. Jolene had walked into Purple Magic knowing what to expect. He could save her from the others. But he couldn’t save her from the game she’d set in motion.

  Drago stared down at Jolene, no compassion in his voice, only command. “It’s time to prove your surrender.” He paused and set her free. With a nod of his head, he motioned to the silk-covered king-size bed. “Knees on the mattress.”

  She stared at him, eyes wide. There was no more time for comfort. We won’t leave this room until he’s satisfied that I completely dominate you, Jolene. Alex expects no mercy so I have none to give.

  Eight

  Jolene’s legs trembled as she eased her knees to the mattress, her back to Drago. She felt uncertain and exposed, her body displayed for any who wished to see. Being free to touch Drago, to be with him, was one thing. To expose herself to all those watching felt quite different.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the wild array of emotions filling her. Hating that she actually felt a bit aroused by this. Telling herself the burn of desire came from Drago, not from knowing they were being watched. Her stomach fluttered as she faced what felt like some darker side of herself. The part that seemed to revel in the erotic nature of her exposure. Was this what had happened to Carrie? Had she gotten lost in the erotic high and couldn’t find her way back home?

  “Bend over. Palms in front of you.”

  Drago’s voice, deep and commanding, came from closer than she’d expected. She started to turn, and his hand pressed in between her shoulder blades. His touch felt like an electric charge. She shivered with reaction.

  Suddenly, his body pressed against hers, hips fit to her backside. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  “I—”

  “Don’t speak,” he said, planting a firm hand on her ass. “You’re here now and you have to pay.”

  “I—”

  Drago cut her off by palming her ass again. Hard. Not so much that it caused pain, but she damn sure knew it was meant as a warning. “Don’t speak,” he said.

  She swallowed the words of explanation she wanted to speak, biting her bottom lip as she waited for what came next. For whatever “pay” meant. Why did he suddenly seem so angry with her? She reached for him with her mind and found he’d shut her out.

  Before she could consider reasons, he was gone. It was the last thing she’d expected, and she didn’t know how to react. With a sideways glance, she saw him moving to the end of the bed.

  “Get in the center of the mattress,” he ordered, pointing.

  She scooted forward, doing as he said. A mixture of sexual heat and dark menace radiated from him like a second skin. Electric. Potent. He wanted to take her. Jolene felt it. Knew it. Hell, she wanted it. Yet, there was more to his mood than lust. Drago had an animalistic quality, primal and not quite human or vampire. The ancient Slayer in him brought an element of danger and command. She’d felt it before, but now it oozed from his presence, filling the room with its dark quality. And as crazy as she knew it to be, this quality turned her on.

  Drago stood at the foot of the king-size bed. Tall, broad, gorgeous, his long hair a bit wild, he looked more sex warrior than Slayer right now. And Lord help her, as her eyes slid over that broad chest and rock-hard cock, she wanted to be claimed. She swallowed, thinking of what it would feel like to have him touch her again. To touch him.

  When her eyes lifted to his, she found him looking at her with a narrowed gaze. For long moments, they simply stared at each other. And though he said nothing, the anger from before was gone. Instead, she found warmth. Heat. A silent promise . . . of what, she wasn’t sure. Though his mixed signals were confusing, Drago made her feel she could get through this.

  He broke the silence, his voice holding authority. Cold almost. Not at all matching the warmth in his eyes. “If you truly mean to surrender, I need proof.”

  “O . . . kay.” Jolene swallowed against the dryness in her throat. Then in a stronger voice. “How?”

  “Spread your legs,” he ordered. “Let me see you.”

  Jolene didn’t move. Surely, he didn’t want her to just open up and give him a view. It had been hard enough sticking her ass in the air. To do this . . .

  When she didn’t immediately respond, Drago seemed to lose patience. “Spread you legs.” The words were abrupt. Sharp. “Now.”

  Jolene jumped at the harshness in his tone. With her heart pounding in her chest at double time, she inched her knees apart. But he wasn’t happy with the small spread she offered. “Wider,” he said.

  With a deep breath, Jolene inched her knees as far apart as they would go. Drago reached down and circled his erection, his eyes catching on hers and holding. His deep, dark stare smoldering with passion, with the promise of satisfaction.

  “Touch yourself,” he said, sliding his hand up and down the length of his cock.

  She registered the significance of his hand wrapped around his erection. Registered the symbolic give and take it represented. Even without speaking to her in her mind, he’d told her he wasn’t asking what he wouldn’t give.

  Recognizing this offering from Drago didn’t stop the wild beating of her heart. She wanted him to touch her. She’d never gotten off in front of someone before. Certainly she’d had sexual encounters. Often she had even found herself the aggressor. Never, ever, had those encounters included her pleasuring herself for a man, let alone an audience. At this point, she ached with the need to feel Drago inside her, ached to touch him as he now did himself. She needed relief. Having his cock between her legs and then suddenly gone had left her throbbing with a need for fulfillment.

  Easing her hand between her thighs and past the dark triangle to her sensitive core, her fingers slid into the slick proof of her arousal and a moan rose in her throat. He had her so aroused, so hot, that the need for release called to her, easing the embarrassment and pushing her into a lusty fog.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, allowing that fog to take hold, working her swollen nub. Imagining him touching her as she was touching herself. Amazingly, she felt herself grow bolder, the aching in her nipples begging for her hands—even better, his mouth. She palmed her breast and pinched her nipple imagining his tongue lapping at the hardened tip. Still, it wasn’t enough. A spasm tightened her core, the pain of needing Drago inside her almost unbearable.

  As if he knew what she felt, suddenly, he was there, his fingers replacing hers, his hard body pressing hers against the mattress. She gasped as he stroked her sensitive core and sunk a finger deep, preparing her for his entry. She sighed as his mouth came down on hers, his tongue sliding past her lips, tender yet passionate. A reward for her show that quickly deepened into primal demand.

  Drago.

  He pressed her knees farther apart and then, in one deep thrust, he buried himself deep in her core. Before she could even let out a breath, he rolled and pulled her on top of him. She straddled him, on show for him and everyone else. For several seconds, it paralyzed her. Why, she didn’t know. She’d done plenty this night. The fear was fleeting, and then he grabbed her hips and anchored her as he gave a mighty thrust.

  Sensations rocked her body, darting through her limbs, and leaving her no option but to move. To ride him with a frenzied bucking of her hips. She slid back and forth, side to side, her breasts bouncing with each grind of their hips. His gaze was intimate. Hot.

  He ground his teeth and reached forward, plucking at her nipples. His head turned, his teeth scraping her arm, and she sensed the tension coiled inside him. Sensed him fighting, tumbling into complete erotic bliss. Knowing this ignited liquid heat in her core. She cried out, arching her back and thrusting her chest into the air. He sat up, covering her breasts with his hands, a
nd then suckling one nipple and then the next.

  Her fingers laced into the silky strands of his hair and their eyes locked and held. The connection she felt to him in that instant rocked her world, touching her soul-deep, tightening her chest. When his mouth found hers, she melted into him. He tasted like cinnamon and spice and masculine perfection. Like everything she wasn’t but needed to be a part of her.

  He kissed her deeply, passionately, the ache in her core spreading, building. His mouth trailed along her chin, her jaw, then to the sensitive area behind her ear. She tilted her head to the side, shivering with the scrape of teeth on her neck, the sensation darkly erotic. Again, his teeth scraped her neck, but this time they sunk into her skin.

  Jolene stiffened, shocked by the sensation, a hint of pain spiking and then disappearing, replaced by warmth spreading through her limbs. Sensual warmth. She eased into his bite, letting his hands behind her back hold her weight, her fingers sliding into his hair. The warmth in her body began to turn to heat, then to fire. Goosebumps raised on her skin as if she were cold. But she wasn’t cold. She was hot. Burning up hot.

  “Oh God, Drago.” She wasn’t sure if she spoke out loud or in her head. “I need . . . I need,” she didn’t know what. She didn’t know but she needed whatever it was in a bad way. Her mouth watered and she realized what that something was. She wanted to taste him as he had her. “I need you.”

  But she couldn’t explore that thought, couldn’t try to understand. Her body exploded in release, muscles clenching around Drago’s hard length buried deep inside her. In some faraway part of her mind, Jolene knew Drago eased her onto the mattress and that he shuddered in climax. She even knew when he sealed the holes in her neck. But she couldn’t react. Couldn’t move. Her body still shivering with the overwhelming release Drago had delivered her to. The all-consuming pleasure.

  Something had just happened between her and Drago. She didn’t know what. Only that it felt more than necessary. More than part of a show. Before she could analyze that thought, she felt Drago enter her mind, willing her to sleep. Sated and drained, she couldn’t find the will to fight him.

  Her lashes fluttered, her thoughts on Drago, on the unique way he drew her trust and enticed her desires. If they made it through this night, saying good-bye wouldn’t be easy. But it was inevitable and she knew it. Good-byes were part of a Slayer’s world.

  Nine

  Beneath Drago, Jolene’s soft curves warmed his body. Just as the sweetness of her blood now filled him. He told himself he’d tasted her for Alex, because it was expected. But he’d been lost in Jolene when he’d sunk his teeth into her neck. Alex’s expectations had been nowhere in his mind.

  He stared down at her pale face, her lashes resting on her cheeks. He’d ordered her to sleep with a mental push. Achievable because her blood now ran thick in his veins. Their unique connection added to his ability to influence her. Of course, she could fight him, but she wouldn’t. Not now, at least. He felt her surrender, her trust. And though she knew nothing of their mating bond, he did, and her body and soul did. As did his. He admired what she had done tonight. Admired her bravery to come here to save her friend. As a Slayer, he understood what that took. She had been willing to sacrifice herself to save her friend.

  Drago let a slow breath trickle from his lips. She’d put on a good show for the camera. Now it was his turn to do the same. It was time to convince Alex that Jolene was under his control enough to leave and still return of her own free will.

  Grinding his teeth, Drago thought of the cameras. He yanked at the silk covering and pulled it over their naked bodies. Then, and only then, he moved away, to the edge of the bed.

  His mind raced as he solidified his plan to get her out of the club. To convince Alex that Jolene wasn’t a risk. From there, he’d hide her until Alex forgot about her. Then, he’d come back and get Carrie. He’d save Carrie for Jolene.

  The sound of the locks popping open drew Drago’s attention. Catherine appeared in the doorway. She wore nothing but red thigh-highs and a tiny slip of silk between her thighs. Drago wasn’t blind to Catherine’s beauty. He’d chosen her as his frequent bedmate for that reason. He wasn’t blind to her pure evil either. She enjoyed this world as much as Alex did and not because of blood exchanges or mind control. She embraced it willingly. She wasn’t at the slave camps for a reason. Catherine enjoyed breaking the innocent humans. She lived for it.

  So taking Catherine, fucking her, had never felt wrong. Nor had making her submit despite her best efforts not to. For all the pain she caused so many others, it was the least he could do.

  “What do you want?” Drago demanded.

  Her dark eyes glistened with anger. “Alex wants you.”

  “Why?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t ask Alex questions.”

  Drago bit back another remark. She knew what Alex wanted; they both knew it. He shoved aside the blankets, ignoring his nudity and walking to where his clothes lay on the floor. Catherine leaned against the wall and watched him dress. Though Drago gave her his back, he felt the lust within her. She wanted him. She always wanted him. It was as if she needed the self-torture of desiring what she couldn’t have.

  Once he was dressed, Drago started toward the door, stopping shoulder to shoulder with Catherine. “Let’s go.”

  She shook her head, her breasts jiggling with the action. Drago expected she knew as much. “Alex wants me to stay and watch over her.”

  “What?” Drago asked. “There are cameras and locks.” He grabbed her arm. “You’re coming with me.”

  She smiled. Evil. “You afraid she might want me more than you?”

  Drago snatched the key from the wall and then grabbed Catherine’s arm, moving her away from the room. Once she was in the hall, he reached for the keychain around her neck and yanked it free, ignoring her objections. Next he slammed the door shut and locked it. He held the only keys that allowed entry to where Jolene rested.

  “I will have her, Drago,” Catherine hissed.

  He fixed her in a steely look. “Only in your dreams, sweetheart.”

  Drago started walking, giving her his back. She spat nasty words at him but he tuned her out, eager to talk to Alex and get Jolene the hell out of here.

  He’d die before he’d allow anyone to take Jolene but him.

  ***

  Drago entered the boxlike theater booth where he’d been told Alex awaited, knowing what to expect. Yet, as he closed the door and took in the images on the big screen directly in front of him, he wasn’t prepared for his reaction. The vision of Jolene sleeping took him by storm, the thought of how close-up and personal Alex had viewed their intimacy tearing at his gut.

  On either side of Drago similar scenarios played out, sensual scenes on smaller screens. He told himself to look at them. To divert his attention from Jolene for fear he’d show his attachment. But he couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked innocent and pure. Too pure to be here, a part of Alex’s dirty world.

  Drago stood, legs spread wide, arms crossed. “I ordered her to sleep.”

  Alex glanced at Drago over his shoulder. “So you’ve opened a mental path and control her will?”

  “Completely.”

  Alex’s expression registered approval a second before he eyed the screen to inspect Jolene a bit closer. “Such a lush piece of ass, that one.” He swiveled his rolling chair around to fully face Drago. “You’ve done well with her, but we must be careful. Ancient blood runs within her. She will be harder to win than the others.”

  A smile touched Drago’s lips. “You forget that same ancient blood runs within me. Jolene isn’t a problem. She will come to us willingly.”

  “Yes, well, she might be more of a problem than expected. As you know, I rarely choose women with family ties. I’d taken care to ensure Riker was dealt with in advance.”

  Drago gave a short nod, careful to keep his expression guarded. “Meaning?”

  “He was supposed to be dead and gone
.”

  Alex picked his recruits carefully, always ensuring they had no family to miss them. “And he’s not?” Drago asked, his brow inching upward.

  “Wounded, not dead.” He cut an irritated hand through the air.

  “I assume the men who failed you have been dealt with.”

  “I took pleasure in taking their heads,” Alex said, evil lacing his tone. His eyes narrowed on Drago. “You’ll need to deal with Riker before he comes for Jolene. He could easily expose our ways to the council through her.”

  Drago said a silent thank-you. He’d been handed a gift. Jolene’s father not only lived, but now Drago had a reason to get her out of here. “Easy enough. She’ll make damn good bait.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “She’s been trying to reach him over Carrie. I’ll make sure she does. When he comes to aid her, I’ll be waiting.”

  Alex studied him a moment, his dark eyes indecipherable. “Very well,” he said. “You have one week.” Alex studied Drago, uneasiness radiating off of him. “Don’t betray me, Drago. You might be a Slayer, but I have an army of men who outnumber you.”

  Drago feared nothing from Alex’s men or anything else in this world. Realization washed over him then, tightening his chest. Oh, but he did have fear. He feared for Jolene.

  “I have no reason to betray you,” he said, his voice steady despite how rattled these new emotions regarding Jolene had him.

  Soon Drago would make Alex pay for what he’d put Jolene and so many others through. He’d make Alex pay for his sins.

  Ten

  Hours later, Drago shoved open the door to Jolene’s apartment with her in his arms. He’d kept her in a deep sleep, determined to wake her in familiar surroundings, hoping it would lessen the blow of all she’d endured at Purple Magic.