An Unholy Embrace Read online

She grabbed his wrists. “I see that you can kill. But I also know what else you are capable of. You saved me ... twice.” She lifted her hand and traced her fingers over his sensuous mouth. “You are gentle and caring and strong ... passionate and loving. The only risk I can see is living my life without you. I've done that for the last month and I can't take any more. I would have come back to you, I swear it. I was dying inside, Sebastian. Please don't send me away now."

  He shook his head slowly, still not able to believe what she was saying. “How can I send away the one thing that makes me want to continue my existence? You were not the only one who was slowly dying, Teran. My arms have never felt so empty. I have not tasted human blood since you left me. I would have no other, but you."

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You haven't fed?"

  "Not on humans. You are the only one who can satisfy me."

  Her eyes glistened with tears. “You could have died."

  He touched her face gently. “Without you ... death was preferable."

  She buried her head back in his chest. They'd come so close to losing each other. She thanked God she'd been sent out on a wild goose chase. She didn't know she had spoken aloud, until she felt Sebastian stiffen.

  "Wild goose chase?"

  "My mother.” Her voice was bitter. “She wants me in the family business. When I told her to forget it, she set me up. Sent me on an errand. But instead of shirts, I found those men waiting for me."

  Sebastian growled deep in his throat as anger welled up in him. Vampires were thought of as monsters. But a human's talent for cruelty surpassed anything his kind would ever do. “Your mother did this foul thing?"

  She nodded. “I have no one else, Sebastian. No one ... but you. Please let me stay with you. I love you."

  His eyes darkened and he pulled her against him, plundering her mouth with his own. They both groaned at the taste. It had been so long since they had touched each other. When he raised his head, his look was totally male and possessive. “You are mine."

  Teran smiled shakily. “Then take me home, Sebastian. Take me home."

  * * * *

  She stepped out of the shower, straight into Sebastian's arms. Without speaking a word, he lifted her and strode straight to the bed. His body was hard with urgency when he came down on top of her. She felt the throbbing of his cock against her thigh, signaling his readiness to mate. More than anything she wanted to feel him deep inside her ... but ... there was something she needed to do first. She pushed against his broad chest.

  "Wait!"

  He froze, staring down at her. Anger and need warred in his face. “You would not deny me now!"

  "No, Sebastian. Oh no ... no.” She kissed him. “I'll never deny you again."

  "Then why do you stop me? We do not have much time.” He trailed his hand down to the curls at the apex of her thighs. “Soon, they will come for me."

  She clutched at his shoulders, distracted by his touch. “What are you talking about?"

  "One of the scum that attacked you got away.” His eyes darkened with regret. “He will tell the townspeople what I did. They will seek to destroy me. I cannot stay here any longer."

  Teran's heart pounded in sudden fear. “You don't mean to leave me behind?"

  His eyes gazed sadly into hers. “When you came to me, you dreamed of being safe in this place. I cannot give that to you now."

  She narrowed her eyes at his words. “My dream is to be safe in your arms, not in this house. I love you. As long as we are together, I will be safe.” She swallowed, not knowing how he would take what she next had to say.

  "I want you to turn me, Sebastian. Make me like you are."

  Sebastian stared at her, torn between surprise and joy. Part of him longed for her to say those words, so he could keep her and spend eternity with her, but she didn't know what she was asking. What she would be giving up. Gently, he gathered her to him, searching for words.

  "What you ask of me, I want more than anything.” He bent and kissed her, his need to do so overwhelming him. “But becoming a vampire will not be easy for you."

  "I don't care,” she said stubbornly. “I want to be with you forever."

  He nipped the pouting lower lip. Then his eyes turned serious. “If I turn you, Teran, you will belong to me forever. As your sire I will always hold sway over you. As a fledgling, I could take away your ability to choose, make you do what ever I desired. Do you understand what I am saying? It is only as you mature in your abilities that you would be able to stop me.” He squeezed her tightly. “Think carefully before you say yes to this. It was only upon the death of my sire, one hundred years ago that I was truly free."

  He would have total control over her. Her right to choose was once again in danger. She ran from him once because of this. She stared into the dark eyes that were banked with red fire. She hadn't trusted him before and because of it, they both nearly died. They needed each other.

  Oh, she knew that there would be times where he would expect her to obey him without question. And there would be times they fought about it. But this time, he was giving her a choice. And that choice had been made the second she walked back into his arms.

  She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I trust you, Sebastian. You would never knowingly hurt me."

  His arms tightened. “Are you certain? Once I start, I will not stop.” His eyes searched hers.

  "Please, Sebastian.” She wriggled under him, feeling his body harden even more. “I love you. I want to be with you. Make me yours."

  He'd given her every chance to say no. She freely made her choice, even if it meant giving him access to her mind. Joy filled him and desire flared anew. “Then you will have your wish, little one. I will make you immortal."

  She bit her lip. “Will it hurt?"

  He shook his head and smiled. “No ... just trust me, remember?"

  "I do ... because I love you."

  Sebastian growled low in his throat. His eyes brightened with red fire. Her words, the feel of her body beneath his, the smell of her blood, made him shake with lust and hunger. He crushed her mouth beneath his and with one strong thrust, joined their bodies together.

  She cried out in surprise and pleasure. It had been so long and he filled her so completely. When he started to move within her, she forgot everything but the sensations he wrought inside her. His kisses ravaged her mouth as his hands moved swiftly over her soft aroused flesh. She touched him in return, tracing her way down his sides and then back up to his masculine nipples. He shuddered beneath her hands and Teran knew her first taste of feminine power.

  The need built quickly. Soon, all the nerves in her body were screaming for release. He pulled almost all the way out of her and then slammed hard back into her. She sobbed out his name, crying for him to take her over the edge. He pulled out again, this time tilting her head to the side before he drove himself deep in her clinging heat. He ground his hips against her and her orgasm hit her so hard she screamed.

  As her body convulsed, he bit down into her throat, his hunger for her taking over him. As he fed, he numbed her mind so she would feel no pain. He continued to drive in and out of her.

  It only took a few more thrusts before he too, climaxed. Even as he shuddered against her, he continued to drain her life blood. He felt the magic of the change sweep over him. It filled his lonely, hungry soul.

  When he judged he'd all but drained her, he stopped feeding. Looking down at her, his stomach clenched at her waxy face and blue lips. Quickly, he bit into his own wrist and then placed the bleeding arm against her mouth.

  "Feed, little one. It is your turn to take my blood."

  It took a few moments, so long, Sebastian was afraid he'd left it too late, but suddenly Teran's mouth clamped down on him. He grimaced in pain as she fed, sucking down the blood that would make the change complete.

  Suddenly, noise and sound filled Sebastian's head. He stared down at her in astonishment. They were connected! He could hear her thoughts, read he
r mind. He sensed her groggy excitement and sleepy joy at what was happening to them. Felt her surprise at the knowledge he could share all she was feeling. She tried to speak through the mind link, but she was too weak from lack of blood. He instinctively soothed her ... smoothing her hair and kissing her sweat dampened forehead.

  He held her as she fed, until she went limp in exhaustion. He licked the blood from her lips and then pulled her back into his arms. He lay back in the bed, cradling his precious burden carefully. She would sleep now. When she awoke, the change would be complete. And she would be his ... forever.

  Epilogue

  They stood on the roof of the house watching the flickering flames of torches draw nearer. As Sebastian had thought, the townspeople were out in force to destroy the monster.

  "Do you regret?” He turned to her, his voice whisper soft.

  She faced him and smiled, her new fangs shining white in the moonlight. “How could I regret loving you? You have given me new life."

  Sebastian turned and cradled her face in his hands. His throat tightened at the adoration he saw in her eyes. How could he have lived without her? He bent and gently kissed her. “And you have given me something I never thought I would ever have. I have lived over four hundred years and never knew what it was to love a woman. But now ... now I do. I love you, Teran."

  Her own throat clogged. Tears filled her eyes. “You do?"

  "I do. From the moment I saw you, though at the time I did not understand what I was feeling. I saw you and my world stood still. I had never felt that way before. I knew then that you were mine."

  She buried her face against him. “I am yours. For all eternity."

  "You will never escape me, little one. Not again."

  Teran laughed up at him. “Try and get rid of me."

  His eyes gleamed with love and humor. “I think I will pleasure you instead. I still have much to teach you."

  Her eyes glowed in answer. “And I promise to be a very good student.” She kissed him lingeringly. “We can begin our studies as soon as we are safely away from this place. But how do we leave without alerting them to our presence?"

  Sebastian cast a brief glance at the gathering crowd and then grinned. “Do not worry. Let me give you your first lesson. Are you ready?"

  When she nodded, he lifted his arm, wrapping her in his long black cape. “Come then, my little love. Let us find a new haven to call home."

  "Wither thou goest, so do I,” Teran murmured. “But I have already found my home ... and it is you."

  His eyes flared, but he made no sound. He pulled her tight against him and drew on his powers.

  The air shimmered. Where they once stood, two owls now perched. The darker one nuzzled the smaller bird with his beak. She answered with a soft loving hoot. In unspoken agreement, the two predators launched themselves from the roof. They circled once, over the house that had sheltered him for over four centuries. Then, they soared into the sky and disappeared into the forest and into their future.

  The End

  We hope you enjoyed CJ England's An Unholy Embrace.

  Stay on top of future releases by subscribing to the Aspen Mountain Press newsletter (sign up at www.aspenmountainpress.com) or joining one of our yahoo loops ([email protected]) or our announcement only loop at ([email protected]).

  If you enjoyed this tale of erotic vampiric love, you may also enjoy Aline de Chevigny's Blood Red, coming soon from Aspen Mountain Press.

  Now, for an excerpt from Blood Red:

  Over the centuries he'd become more feared then Dracula himself, all because he wasn't afraid to die. He'd learned to embrace death. Yet despite everything he now had, the power, the fame, and the money, he still lacked one thing: True Love.

  Five hundred years of searching, traveling the world over and finding nothing, had left him jaded, cross and bored. Those emotions made him dangerous and deadly. He hadn't earned the name Cerberus Gnosis, the knowledgeable dog of Hell, by being nice.

  Mikael De Wohlf was aware he scared people. He could see it in their eyes when they were called into his presence. He'd killed his own sire; no vampire in history had ever done that as viciously as he had. Now they weren't sure what to make of him. Women still came to him willingly his blond hair and teal colored eyes, inherited from his Russian father and Greek mother, got him all the female attention he wished.

  Any woman but her—the one he desired.

  Annabella Micelli knew who he truly was. She was among the elite of the human race with the knowledge of his kind, the knowledge of the undead. He knew his past actions disgusted her. He saw it every time she looked into his eyes. Clearly, she fought his advances because of his reputation as a vile ruthless demon without a conscience No other reason made sense, of her actions. She didn't approve of his tactics, or of the fact that he used his vast knowledge, painfully gained throughout the centuries, to assure the downfall of his enemies and their progeny at any cost. He desperately wished he hadn't given her grandfather his word that he wouldn't use his mental gifts on her. To be able to read her mind would simplify his life immeasurably.

  Yet he couldn't bring himself to break his word or kill her like he had all others who disapproved of him. She had a hold over him, over that thing that had once been his heart. Her mere presence soothed him; her aura washed over him like a calming breeze. Her smiles, though rare warmed his soul and made him want—life, love and family. With her around, many escaped his anger and their deaths. For that reason alone she willingly served as his secretary—nay, his personal assistant.

  * * * *

  Blood Red

  by Aline de Chevigny

  Coming Soon from Aspen Mountain Press

  * * *

  Visit www.aspenmountainpress.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.