Trained in Blood [Lords of the Expanse 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Lowering his head over hers he held her to him. “I love you, too, Violet,” he murmured softly. Leaning back he shifted her gently and settled his hand over her belly. He couldn’t help it. He always seemed to have to touch where their child was growing.

  She grinned and laid her hand over his. “He really likes when you do that. But for now though I really think that we should feed him.” Again she nuzzled at his neck and breathed in. “Have you fed recently, love?”

  “Of course I did,” he said, shifting his head to give her more room. “I fed very well this morning and had just finished another bag before you came to join me.” Stroking her hair lightly he nuzzled her cheek. “Take what you need, love,” he whispered to her.

  She smiled and nodded. “Have I mentioned just how much I love being able to feed from you, Titan? I don’t know if I will ever be able to do bagged blood, but taking from you…” She licked the side of his neck even as her hand moved his from her face to her breast. “It’s so erotic, I need you.” She always needed him, not just sexually, but in all ways.

  Gently kneading her breast he let out a groan as she shifted in his lap rubbing against his hard cock. His hand slid up and he began to undo her top, pushing it aside to stroke her skin and then cup her breast once more. “I will always need you, Violet, if you don’t ever wish to feed from the bag, you know I won’t force you.”

  She paused in the middle of removing his shirt and looked at him. “Are you sure? That won’t weaken you too much, to be the one I fed from?” She hoped that it wouldn’t because she wanted, she needed to be with the man she loved, and no one and nothing would or could get between them.

  “As long as I know, I will ensure I am always well fed,” he promised her softly leaning in to kiss her softly. “You are mine to care for and it is my right to offer this to you.” Titan smiled gently at her. “Just say the word and you can take from me for all time.”

  “I want that, Titan. I accept the gift you’re giving me and will hold it close for all time.” She was so touched by him, by his unwavering ability to see just what she needed and give it to her at any given time. “I love you, Titan, so much,” she whispered against his skin only a second before she bit into the side of his neck and fed hungrily.

  Pressing a hand to her lower back he held her still as he ground against her. “And I you, my Lady wife.” He groaned softly leaning further back into the chair. Stroking her hair lightly he held her tight to him as he closed his eyes.

  She drank of him deeply until her body and that of their child was satisfied and then licking the two small holes with her tongue she sealed it off before moving to kiss him. Violet kissed him with all the love she had for him, pouring into the kiss the hope she had for the both of them.

  Nibbling on her full lips he breathed her in as he enjoyed her slight weight on his lap. Pulling back he kissed her lightly and brushing the hair from her eyes looked into the bright orbs. “Come walk the gardens with me?” he asked softly, needing to move for a bit and wanting her with him.

  “I would like that, Titan.” She moved from his lap with the grace of a cat and stood by waiting on him. On the last moment she grabbed the sweet cream still left in the bowl and grinned. “Can we walk by the kitchens first so that I can drop this off?”

  “Of course,” he told her with a half smile as he straightened his clothing so he looked presentable. Taking her hand in his he led her out of his study and down the long halls to the kitchens. Nodding to the staff within he waited with amusement as she assured the cook that the sweet cream was delicious but she was going for a walk and needed to keep it chilled.

  Finally she accepted the wrap the cook thrust at her and smiled. As they moved out of the house she wrapped it close to her. “Are they always so…” She paused and then with a grin said, “Bossy?”

  “Yes,” Titan said with an emphatic nod that looked as though his head would fall off at any moment. “Trust me, once they know everything about you, they will be even more so. That…” He waved to the house and then the wrap she wore about her shoulders. “Nothing compared to when they start doling out advice,” he said, rolling his eyes as he remembered some of the things he’d received well-meaning advice on over the years.

  “I know that they do it only out of love so I can live with it, darling.” She touched a leaf as they walked by and smiled. “You should have heard them telling me about being pregnant. The ‘advice’ they gave me for when to feed.” She gave him a hot look and then held back the giggles. “They said never feed when we are making love.”

  “They are all fired,” he announced darkly. “Why exactly did they advise against feeding while we make love?” he asked as he directed them down a path toward the flowering shrubbery. He was partially curious and also trying to figure out how to hire new staff in under two days for the house…maybe.

  She was laughing so hard that she tripped over her own feet and only his hands steadying her kept her from falling down on the path. “Well it seems”—she looked over the flowering shrubs and smiled—“they are concerned because we are both so”—she paused—“vocal about our loving.” She did flush. “It seems that you and I are very loud and very rough with our loving. They were concerned that we would get carried away.” She shrugged. “I don’t think they really meant it though because they all began to laugh uncontrollably with that.”

  Titan eyed her and shook his head. “You know, I don’t have a sense of humor. One would think since they all have worked for me for a very long time and know me personally, they’d know not to pull that sort of thing.” He didn’t really mind that the staff knew they were vocal when together. He liked knowing that they knew he was satisfying his wife. But the unsolicited advice had to stop. It was giving her ideas and embarrassing her, unacceptable.

  She moved closer to him to soak more of his heat into her body, as the rubbing of her arms continued. “They meant well. I think more than anything they were trying to see if I had a sense of humor.” When she glanced up at him she added, “Could be they are hoping I will rub off on you and soon you will be smiling and joking with us.”

  “With you perhaps,” he said quietly before looking away even as he shrugged out of his jacket and, pulling the wrap from her shoulders, slid the heat of the material around her knowing it would keep her warm. “But I was trained never to betray emotions to anyone. You are different though. I don’t seem to have the same safeguards in place with you as I do the rest of the society.”

  “I don’t understand why they beat the emotions out of you, Titan.” She took the seat on the large fallen log and simply looked at him. “Emotions are a necessary part of life. To show them isn’t a weakness but the Vampire nation thinks they are. I don’t understand.” She obviously wanted to know as much about her new life as she could and could only learn by asking him questions. “Does it make me weaker because I can show how much I love you or does it make you weaker to give me the love that you so readily give to me?”

  “Neither,” he said quietly as he straddled the log to face her, settling his arms around her waist. “For the Vampire we are trained to not feel so that we don’t touch. It all goes back to the plague we had infecting our world for so long. To not touch leads itself to not feel, if you can’t touch your lover’s face then you won’t feel pleasure, lust, need, or love for them. To not hold your child’s hand will lead you to not worry when they are shipped off to the Academy for military training and then placement in one position or another. It’s not as strictly regulated now since the disease is gone, but the old ways all serve us well until we meet the one for us, our soul tie. When she or he comes into our sphere of influence they rebirth the feelings inside and we give them solely to the one that woke them. It makes them all the more unique and special to us,” he said softly.

  “I think that’s the sweetest thing that anyone has ever before said to me,” she whispered and touched his cheek. Leaning in she pressed her forehead to his and asked, “And what of our children?
Of the children born to those who have a soul tie? Do they experience the parents’ love and touch as well or is that…” She didn’t know what she was saying so blundered into, “Will you be able to touch and hold our children, too?”

  Frowning slightly he looked into her eyes. “Why would I not?” he asked, sounding confused. “Unless you have no wish to allow me to, I would gladly hold our children and teach them anything,” he said hesitantly because he was clearly on unfamiliar ground.

  “Of course I want you to hold our children, to teach them and be a part of their lives but I didn’t know if you could because of the training you received and how touch seems to hurt you with anyone but me, Titan.” She sounded so relieved by what he’d just said. “Our children will be part of you, too,” he told her softly stroking her arm lightly before he cupped her cheek. “And the pain is a mental warning. It’s easy enough to override if I wish,” he said. Leaning in he kissed her gently. “Come on, love, let’s finish our walk and then we can go in for dinner.”

  “Oh, that sounds nice. Cook is making small game hens tonight for dinner as well as fresh vegetables.” Her mouth watered. “And chocolate mousse.” And now she was all but drooling. “I love chocolate and it seems your son loves it, too, because I crave it almost constantly now.” While blood was her main dietary need, she loved the fact that she could still eat the foods she craved. They might not do as much for her as they had when she’d been human, but it was still nice to sit for a meal and enjoy the textures and flavors of food.

  Standing he lifted a brow at her. “Oh really?” he asked with a hint of a smile. “I think that may be his mother’s influence over him,” he teased gently. Tucking her hand in his arm he stroked her fingers with his free hand. “I do like that you have that influence over him. Maybe he’ll grow up to be so much better than his father ever could be,” he said quietly as he guided her along a different path circling back toward the house.

  She stumbled in shock and shook her head. “Don’t say things like that, Titan. I happen to love his father very much and think that he is the most amazing man that has ever been created.” She grumbled and stepped over a log with his help before she said, “I think, however, between the two of us he will be the best man that he is destined to be, Titan.”

  “I hope so,” he said softly to her as he stroked her hand lightly as he seemed to purposefully ignore the first of what she said. Looking down at her he let his eyes move over her face. “I think that he’ll be amazing, his mother is an amazing and strong female,” he told her gently.

  “And his father is incredible, strong, intelligent, fierce.” She smiled. “Even if he doesn’t realize it, he really is.” She squeezed his hand and nodded. “Yep, he’s the best of the best but if he tries to tell me he isn’t”—she paused and placed her hands on her hips—“then I will just have to kick him.”

  Eyeing her defensive posture he smiled faintly and, leaning in, kissed her lightly on her lips. “I would never be so bold as to contradict my female and her stand. She is amazing and always right so I will have to believe in her completely and trust that what she sees is true,” he whispered softly even as he sheltered his heart from the pain of the knowledge that he’d never be anything like what she believed she saw.

  “Too bad your pretty lips say that you believe but your haunted eyes say that you don’t believe a word that I have said.” Shaking her head she touched her hands to his cheeks and smiled. “One day I hope you believe that what I say is truth, Titan.”

  He was still stuck on the first part. “You did not just refer to my lips or any other part of me as ‘pretty,’” he said in absolute horror that he couldn’t contain. Shaking his head at her he narrowed his eyes. “Tell me that you did not just say those words, Violet?” he asked, half demanding.

  “I did.” She skipped away from him when they were once more in the open field before his home. “I do believe that I called them your ‘pretty lips,’ Titan, what are you going to do about it?” She grabbed the hem of her dress and began to jog backward from him.

  Moving toward her he smiled faintly. “I think I need to paddle your beautiful bottom,” he said. “I will strip you naked, bend you over my knee, and smack your bottom,” he added as he really began to stalk her, his head lowering and his eyes shifting to those of the predator.

  “You are you making promises now, my Lord husband?” She laughed and skipped backward again, looking over her shoulder briefly. “I think you will have to catch me first before you carry through with the promises that you are giving out.”

  “Oh, my sweet Lady wife, you should never taunt a predator,” he said with a low growl and, in a lightning move, charged her. He saw her eyes go wide and then she really took off running, her skirts held well up over her legs so she had lots of room to run. Growling under his breath as he closed in was the only warning he gave before he scooped her up into his arms and was rewarded by a shrieking laugh.

  She laughed and kicked her legs as she did so, losing a shoe in the process. Holding on to him tightly she laughed and let him spin her around and around. Leaning in she pressed the side of her face to his neck and grinned. “And what of that spanking, my Lord husband?”

  Growling at her with amusement in his tone he slid his hand up under her skirt to find her delectable bottom and gave it a light smack. “I must first find a bench to sit on so that I may drape you over my lap. And then I will be able to attend to your spanking, my Lady wife.” He breathed against her cheek as he smoothed his hand over her buttocks.

  Giggling madly she shook her head. “Just keep in mind that if you make it red, you have to kiss it better.” The heated look she shot him had anything but shame in it. “So please make sure that it’s nice and red.”

  “I shall try,” he said, scooping her legs up so he could carry her toward the bench in the arbor. It was sheltered from view and he’d be able to hear or smell any that approached, not that any would dare as they knew he was out with his Lady wife. Letting her legs down he settled on the bench and pulled her close and face-down on his lap. Slowly he slid his hand up under her skirt to find her bottom, pushing the material up out of the way. One little smack sounded before he stroked his fingers between her buttocks and then lightly smacked her again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The smacks were supposed to be punishment but she gasped and bit her lip. “Again,” she whispered even as she felt her body beginning to respond to the little love taps. “Harder this time,” she requested and felt another delicious sting that had her cry out in passion, not pain.

  Scenting her arousal Titan’s body began to respond in kind as he brought his hand down a little harder. As she jerked and moaned he felt his cock harden under her belly and smacked her again. Rubbing his hand over her bottom he slid between her legs and found her wet, which only made him all the more needy.

  “Titan,” she moaned and bit at his thigh. “I need you, now,” she demanded. She was trying to move but the iron bands of his arms held her in place.

  Smacking her bottom again he leaned over and bit her bottom. “That was for the bite you gave me,” he told her with a partial smile. Licking at the small wound slowly, swirling his tongue around he nibbled slowly over the lightly reddened buttock. “That is just because I have you at my mercy,” he teased softly.

  Her ass tightened and untightened as he bit and kissed her red butt cheeks. “Titan.” Violet gasped as he moved his hands between her thighs and rubbed her unmercifully.

  “Yes?” he asked softly as he teased her with his fingertips. Nibbling down the curve he slid his tongue back up her bottom and then, as she sighed, he slipped two fingers deep into her waiting cunt.

  “Oh god!” Violet squeaked as he slipped his fingers deep into her pussy. “Titan.” She gasped and viciously bit down on his thigh once more, not with fangs, just teeth.

  His leg jerked at her bite and he chuckled softly over her flesh before he carefully bit her, taking a lot of her flesh into his teeth careful t
o keep his canines from pushing into her skin. Moving his hand he stroked her very gently as he licked slowly at the marks he’d left in her buttocks.

  Violet screamed with the bite and began to orgasm. That fast and that simply she came. “Again. God, Titan, I need more, everything.” She wasn’t very coherent in her speech.

  Lifting his head he pulled his fingers free, and smacking her bottom once more, a little harder than before, he pulled her upright into his lap. “Straddle me,” he demanded even as he freed his cock from his pants. Pulling her down to him as she did as he demanded he tugged her slowly over his engorged cock even as he worked at the top of her laces and tugged on her bodice to free her breasts.

  Hands braced on his shoulder she began to ride him as roughly and desperately as she was feeling and he, too, was feeling. “You know what I need, Titan,” she cried out when he freed her breasts from her bodice.

  Without warning or even a sound, he bit into her breast to take her life’s blood into his body. Cupping her ass in his hands he helped her to ride him. Growling against her flesh he closed his eyes. His inner self, the beast, looked to be reveling in her, if the look on his face could be believed.

  She held his head to her breast and rode out the storm before she couldn’t take any more and screamed again, her body coating his in her pleasure heavily as she rode him there in the little gazebo covered with ivy.

  Holding her down onto him as he came he gave a fierce shudder. Pulling his teeth from her breast he soothed the little holes with his tongue gently before turning his face to nuzzle at her other breast.

  She dropped her head to his shoulder and just lay there in his arms gasping for air and shuddering from time to time with little mini orgasms. Finally she lifted her head. “I love you, Titan.”