Authors: Amalie Howard
Bloodcraft (42 page)
“Yes.”
She tried to look away as he peeled his shirt off, but she couldn’t help herself. His sculpted shoulders and the sleek ridges of his stomach mesmerized her. Christian had a beautiful body with not an ounce of excess fat on his broad frame. His legs, like the rest of him, were lean and well-muscled. Her breath caught as he tugged at the waistband of his boxers and she dragged her eyes away. They only returned to him when she felt the slosh of the water as he entered the bath.
Victoria handed him the second wineglass and practically gulped the rest of hers. Her entire body felt like it was on fire at his nearness. He took the glass from her shaking fingers and drew her to him. When his lips took hers, she forgot everything but the exciting taste and the feel of him. The velvet touch of the water enveloping her body maximized every sensation and Victoria clung to him. But other than the decidedly passionate kiss, Christian didn’t make any other moves.
Instead, he grabbed the soap and started lathering her skin.
“What are you doing?” she breathed.
“Relax.”
His hands skimmed her shoulders, kneading the tension out of her muscles. She didn’t make a sound as he turned her around and pulled her back against his chest, his hands continuing their gentle ministrations. His fingers massaged her arms, her lower back, her sides, and wherever he touched, he left a trail of fire. She held her breath when his palms slipped around to her stomach and slid lower still to rest at the juncture between her thighs. All rational thought deserted her. He stroked briefly before kissing her again and then stood, taking her with him.
He stepped out of the bath and looked around for a towel, but Victoria whispered a word and within seconds, they were both dry.
“Handy,” he told her with a smile.
“I have my moments.” She stared at him, wondering at his ironclad control. He was still a vampire after all, and despite his new gifts, she didn’t want to hurt him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” Christian claimed her lips in a passionate kiss as laid her gently down on the chaise lounge sitting in front of the fireplace. He stretched out beside her. “You are beautiful,” he murmured, drawing his fingers through her hair and skimming the side of her body. “Like a Persian goddess.”
His mouth settled on hers once more and Victoria felt heat start to pool in her abdomen as his hands explored her back and her stomach. They fluttered lower. His fingers resumed their probing caresses, and soon, the only thing that filled her mind was desire. When his body hovered over hers, she braced herself, but Christian was inordinately gentle as their bodies met. He slid forward and her eyes widened as he began to move.
“I love you,” he said.
Those three words made her heart—and her body—melt. Her hands traced the ridges of his powerful shoulders as his body pledged itself to hers in an age-old ritual. A forever dance. Christian brought her skillfully to the edge and then nudged her over, his lips sealing to hers as she arched against him, pleasure streaking through her like a thousand falling stars. Christian joined her swiftly thereafter, cradling her in those unbreakable arms of his.
“Oh,” she breathed as he shifted to lie next to her. Victoria blushed and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. “If it’d been like that the last time, I’d have seriously reconsidered breaking up.”
He kissed her. “If it’d been like that the last time, I would have kept you under lock and key as my vampire concubine.”
“That’s romantic,” she laughed and then sobered. “Are you okay? Hungry?”
He reached for her playfully. “Always.”
“Not that kind,” she said, feeling as if her face were on fire. “Blood kind.”
“No.”
She eyed him. “No inclination, nothing? Not even when …” she trailed off, embarrassed, but he only shook his head. “Well, I guess that’s good that neither of us tried to kill the other.”
“It’s a start.” Christian grinned and kissed her nose. “You should get some sleep.”
“I’m not sleepy in the least.”
She eyed him, blushing, and he laughed low in his throat before pulling her to him. “I suppose I could think of something to keep us awake.”
Epilogue
Christian watched Victoria sleeping, her dark hair strewn across the pillow and the sheet resting across her slim back. He inhaled deeply as the scent of her blood reached his nostrils. It was alluring, seductive … and deadly.
He hadn’t been fully honest with her before. He
had
been affected earlier. In truth, his craving for her blood had not diminished, and he was beginning to realize that it never would. Yes, he was Reii, and he was strong. But her blood would always be his arch nemesis—torturing him, enticing him, and tormenting him at every turn. Christian closed his eyes, fighting his ravenous thirst.
He’d meant what he said—he would rather take the bad with the good than have nothing at all. The monsters within were always going to be there. Hers, his, it didn’t matter. What mattered was whether they gave in or chose to fight. He stared at the sleeping woman in his bed and felt something deeply protective flower in his chest. Deep down he knew he would always choose to fight.
She was life and death, darkness and light. She was the keeper of his immortal beating heart. She was
his
.
†††
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, this book is for my fans. So much gratitude goes out to those of you who fell in love with this series and waited so patiently (years) for this book. Thank you for not letting me give up on finishing Christian and Victoria’s story. To the reader who wrote me last year asking whether she should give up hope on waiting for book two, this one’s for you.
To Angie Frazier, who inspires me and keeps me off the ledge, thank you for being such an amazing colleague and friend. I adore you. To Damaris Cardinali, whose passion for books always astounds me and who always goes over and beyond—thanks for everything, babe! Huge thanks to Kate Kaynak who helped me come up with the brilliant idea of a plant toxin—you rock, woman! I’m sending some pixie dust your way. Don’t go crazy now. To Cindy Thomas, who is so generous with her advice and friendship, thank you for always being there no matter what. To Brianna Lebrecht, who did a fantastic job of keeping all my commas in check, thank you so much! Massive thanks to Alan Pranke, whose cover design skills are epic, and to the talented, versatile team at the Killion Group—you guys are amazing. To my warrior princess agent, Liza Fleissig, who is always in my corner, you are the real deal. Seriously, thank you. And to all the bloggers, readers, librarians, booksellers, and event coordinators who spread the word about my books and humble me with their enthusiastic support, thank you for everything that you do!
Lastly, to my wonderful family, thanks for making this ride worth every single second.
About The Author
AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. Twenty-two countries, surfing with sharks, and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.
She is the award-winning
IndieNext
author of Alpha Goddess, The Aquarathi series (Waterfell and Oceanborn), The Riven Chronicles series (The Almost Girl and The Fallen Prince), and the Cruentus Curse series (Bloodspell and Bloodcraft). Her novels have been critically acclaimed by Kirkus, PW, VOYA, and Booklist, and her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a
Seventeen Magazine
Summer Read. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her at
www.amaliehoward.com
.
Copyright © 2015
AMALIE HOWARD
Publisher:
RAH Media LLC
www.rahmediallc.com
Cover Design by Alan Pranke
ISBN:
Print - 978-0-9969584-0-0
Ebook - 978-0-9969584-1-7
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