Salvation's Kiss (Tales Of Mython Book 1) by Kathryn Jayne (old books to read .TXT) 📗

would be any more pleasant. A sensual moan vibrated on his lips against her flesh, causing her to flinch. She felt his soft hand grasp her neck, pulling her back, exerting his control.

“Don’t,” she whispered breathlessly, feeling his other hand begin to trace up the jagged scar on her leg. She never thought it would be possible to relax when a syphon was placed upon her; not until she felt its damp presence on her thigh and his hand withdrew. Pulling her arms back through the gown, she tugged it closed, breathing a shaky sigh of relief. His hands returned to her shoulders, and she was thankful his unwelcome affections did not resume.

When the painstaking ordeal was over, he placed his lips to the free-flowing blood at her thigh, licking softly while his eyes looked up at her longingly. As he pulled away, she saw the wound had, as it had done before, healed.

“Kiss me,” he whispered in her ear as she stood. “Kiss me like you would if I were Conrad.”

Despite her attempt to resist, she saw his need as he looked down on her with fire and passion in his eyes. Her hands reluctantly lifted, tangling within his tousled hair as she pulled him close. She could feel the smile on his lips as they met hers with hunger, his hands moving over her greedily as he crushed their lips together.

He pulled back as if to savour the moment. “Until next time.” He smirked, his gaze once more tracing her every contour. She looked down, fumbling to fasten the nightgown’s cord. By the time she looked up again, he was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter 9

An unease had settled over her since Liam had left. Her trembling fingers checked the locks on the back door for what was easily the tenth time. Still locked, she assured herself. Yelping, she turned her gaze to the window as it rattled, relieved to see the overgrown privet scraping its branches across the pane. Her fingers went back to the lock, berating herself. She needed to be stronger than this but home no longer felt safe. He had sullied it, invaded her space and bent her to his whim. She knew vampires possessed a hypnotic thrall, but she had never expected it to be so dominating. She had tried to resist, to command her body to obey her own demands, but it had betrayed her. She was at his mercy, and with each visit he became a little more brazen, a little more possessive.

He had never used his thrall before, nor had he touched her the way he had tonight. Her mind circled, replaying the evening, recapturing the paralysis, the control, her weakness. Tonight he had been brazen, proving she was his to command. Clenching her fist, she glared to the darkness beyond the rain-streaked windows before focusing on her own reflection, determination setting her jaw. Just because they had an arrangement didn’t mean she should let him hold power over the rest of her life. She’d be damned if she let that monster suck all the joy from her. Her agreement with him was one of necessity, but she was determined to file it away in the back of her mind and continue on, dealing with him only when necessary.

Ashley had been staring out into the jungle of a garden, wondering if she was still being watched, when a tickle of electricity charged the air around her just seconds before Conrad’s sharp rapping sounded on her front door. She knew instantly who it would be. His presence always sung to her even before he came into sight. It was almost as though just being near him energised her, and burnt away all her problems. She thought back to that hateful kiss. Liam had seemed to savour it, but the only thing it had stirred within her had been the realisation of how much she longed to be held in Conrad’s embrace, to feel his lips, the only ones she would welcome, upon her.

“Ashley, I know you’re home.” She shivered slightly. Nothing could rob her of the appreciation of how her name sounded as it rolled from his tongue. “Open up.”

Flicking the kettle on, she shuffled towards the door. Rain hammered down outside, pouring from the blocked drain, sending a torrent of water drumming on the darkened paving.

There, in the dark, leaning breathlessly against the door frame, stood Conrad. Relief and fear mingled within her as she saw his intense gaze staring up at her through his dripping wet hair. His chest heaved, sending small billows of condensation from his lips into the rain. Rivulets of rain streaked his every inch, causing his t-shirt to cling to him. How she envied the t-shirt, wishing she could be that close.

He stepped inside, his faded jeans so tight that, now they were wet, they would need to be peeled off. She licked her lips, caught up in her relief at seeing him, allowing herself just one brief moment of indulgence as she imagined she would be the one to remove them. That was how a first time should be, wrapped in the embrace of someone you loved, someone who you could almost not breathe without. Not at the whim of a stranger who thought she was his property to play with as he saw fit. She had seen it in Liam’s eyes tonight, the desire, and it scared her more than she could ever hope to express. She had seen Conrad looked at her with the same intensity, but when their gaze met, all she ever wanted to do was melt into his embrace and leave the world behind.

He pushed the door closed, and she braced herself for what was to come, but instead of harsh words she felt herself being pulled forwards, his arms wrapping around her with such firm pressure it stole her breath. Closing her eyes, she melted into his embrace, the sound of his heart, the warmth of his