A Gift of the Darkest Magic (8 page)

pillowed on the limb, looking up into the face of her dark angel. His fingers went to her breasts and he pinched her nipples very hard. She allowed it, relishing the unpredictability of his actions.

Deep inside she longed for more painful pleasure to atone for enjoying him fucking her.

“Do you truly want punishment, my sweet?” The light in his eyes made it clear he wanted

to give her what her body craved.

“Yes.” The word slipped from her lips with anticipation. “Please.”

He smiled as he watched her expression. “Have you ever been spanked, sweet?”

“No.”

A positively evil look filled his face. She caught her breath. The moment of fear renewed

her desire.

“Stand at the foot of my bed and put your hands on the posts,” he ordered.

She gently ran her hand over his chest, unable to look at him. She knew he could see into

her mind; see her twisted need for punishment.

“Your request is a gift. There is nothing wrong about needing atonement, after all that I

have done, I understand this much more than you can imagine. You will hurt and you will

come.”

She slipped from the bed with his sinister promise echoing in her head. He lay

comfortably as she stood in the position he’d requested, looking down at him. He sat up and

reached for one of her breasts. His thumb slid over the nipple. “You’re so lovely,” he told her.

She stood quietly, willing him to reawaken the wildness in her again.

He gave her a grim half smile. “Will you be able to cage the beast once it lives? I will

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awaken you, but I cannot undo it once you’ve discovered this side of yourself. Do you truly want sexual punishment, Clarissa?”

“Please punish me.”

“You are the perfect gift, sweet.” He stood and walked to a cabinet against the wall.

She heard him moving around, but didn’t move from her position. He was beside her

with unnatural speed and she felt him binding her hand and wrist to the post. When he moved to the other side, she tested the bond; there was no way she could escape. He repeated his actions so that both her hands stayed tied tightly to the posts. She stood looking at the rumpled bed and her pussy began to ache.

She’d heard about people getting off on whips and chains, but she’d never considered it

sexy. An epiphany filled her brain. It wasn’t the implements of punishment that were sexy, it was the punisher. She could think of no one more suited for savage sweetness than Braden. As she

stood in anticipation, Clarissa realized everything about being in the same room with the vampire screamed danger.

He chuckled against her ear, his lips hovering close to her neck. “I am danger.”

There was a stinging slap on her buttocks. The pain caused her to jump. Another blow

fell where the first landed and then another. She gasped. He stopped and she had a moment of

disappointment.

“Fear not, sweet, I am not finished with you yet.”

She received another stinging blow. The vampire adjusted her so that she leaned forward

as far as her bonds would allow. He looped her hair around his hand and tugged her head back

against him as he slid his cock inside her wetness. Growling like a feral animal, Braden pumped into her. His height made taking her from behind a perfect fit. He roared his pleasure as he thrust.

Startled, she realized he’d been holding back his inner animal, but now allowed himself to

express the untamed need. Braden sank his fangs into her arched, exposed neck, drinking deeply from her.

The sharp, intense pain quickly became a mind-blowing, throbbing pleasure. She came

with an agonized scream, bearing down on her powerful orgasm. She grunted her enjoyment as

she came against the hard cock thrusting rapidly into her from behind. He yanked her hair, filling her with his release. His teeth let go and then his tongue was licking at the wound he’d caused.

When they’d finished, he untied her, catching her limp body and pulling her gently with him

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onto the bed.

She closed her eyes, exhausted and sated. Braden caressed her hair and face. He

whispered softly in the lyrical language, but she was too tired to care what any of it meant. The animal he’d awakened slept again and she lay limply in his arms. Clarissa fell asleep, forgetting the danger of letting down her guard in the lair of a predator. The last thing her mind registered was his cool kiss upon her brow.

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Chapter 9

Clarissa’s eyes opened. She gasped loudly. The room was dark, and she struggled to

remember where she was. She fought with an abundance of blankets, sitting up with alarm.

“You’ve been asleep for ten hours, sweet Clarissa. I’m afraid you slept most of our time

away, but fear not, your gift was more than satisfactory. You’re safe and free to go, unless you’d accept one more gift from me.” He was suddenly kneeling beside the bed. “Stay.” The pleading

agony in his voice barely registered as her mind seized from the horror of his request.

Looking around, desperately trying to focus, she battled the claustrophobia of the dark

underground room. Her mind wasn’t fully awake. “No, please don’t kill me,” she murmured with

terror.

His eyes flared red in the darkness, and she scooted away from him.

“Disappointing.” The pleading desperation left his voice and he was once more the suave,

timeless creature she’d first met. His eyes returned to their surreal normal. “You may go, but if you ever need me, all you have to do is call to me and I’ll find you.” He whispered the words into the darkness. She could tell he wasn’t looking at her.

“Thanks.” She didn’t know what to say to his claim. “You don’t mean call you on the

phone, do you?”

He gave a dry laugh. “I’ve tasted you, we are linked. If you need me, you just need to

think it and I will find you.”

“Okay,” she said lamely, feeling awkward. He’d forced her into adultery, but she’d come

willingly in his arms. Knowing that she’d never felt like he’d made her feel before, not even with Matt, was a strange, bittersweet realization. Her husband was good in bed, but Braden was

supernatural. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, the room

appeared dimly illuminated again.

“I took the liberty of seeing you had fresh new clothing. It is folded and ready in the

washroom. There is a shower and clean towels if you’d like to cleanse yourself.”

She nodded, sliding out of the enormous bed across from where he stood. She followed

the direction he indicated and walked into a large bathroom.
Washroom.
She smiled at his antiquated term, and as she was already naked, she quickly stood under a steamy hot spray from the large silver showerhead. It felt wonderful, but when she reached for the soap, his scent filled
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her nose and she shivered, realizing she’d leave smelling like him. She used the products

anyway, washing her hair twice and rinsing the scent of sex from her body. She noticed the bite on her breast had left a crescent moon shaped scar. It looked old and long healed, not as fresh as she knew the injury should be. Clarissa laid her head against the tile shower wall and cried

silently for a few minutes until she finally pulled herself together and turned off the water.

Stepping out, gooseflesh rose on her arms from the chilly air and she hurried to dry off

and dress. A new toothbrush and toothpaste sat on the sink, and she brushed her teeth. She also opened the new, long toothcomb and worked the tangles out of her damp hair. Standing in the

light from the vanity, she looked at her reflection, not recognizing the pale, sad face looking back at her. To her relief, the bite on her neck was completely gone without a single trace. If she had to have a scar, at least the one just above her breast would be easy to hide. She could hide it from everyone except Matt.
Matt.
The name reverberated in her brain like a shotgun blast. She hurried from the room.

“Franz is waiting to take you to the hospital.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say to him.

His face looked drawn and he nodded stiffly. She grabbed her purse and hurried out of

the room, forgetting her torn shirt and the skirt she’d worn, honestly never wanting to see the clothing again.

“I’m pleased to see you again, Mrs. Blair,” Franz greeted her at the top of the stairs.

“Thanks,” she said awkwardly, wondering what the man thought of her. Then she

remembered he’d inherited his job as a vampire go-for and realized there was a good chance he’d seen crazier things.

He opened the door to the car for her, and she was quiet and withdrawn as they drove to

the hospital. The driver kept glancing back at her from the rearview mirror in concern. She noted the clock on the radio said it was ten after ten at night and she’d gotten out of her twenty-four hours a bit early.

They pulled up to the emergency entrance of the hospital. Franz turned to her. “Are you

all right, Mrs. Blair?”

“I hope so. Thanks, Franz. You don’t have to wait for me. I’ll take a cab home when I’m

done.”

“Are you sure?”

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“Yes.”

He nodded and hurried to get her door before she could get out on her own. “It was a

pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Blair.”

“You as well, Franz. I appreciate the ride.”

She left the man standing stiffly at the car without a single glance back and went inside.

The hospital was quiet tonight; she didn’t even see a janitor as she made her way to Matt’s floor.

When she stepped off the elevator, a nurse came running toward her. Clarissa’s heart stopped, had Matt taken a turn for the worse? The nurse was out of breath when she stopped in front of the elevator.

“He’s—”

Clarissa didn’t give her time to say another word. She rushed off toward his room. Matt

was sitting up in bed, eating toast and drinking lemon-lime soda. His smile was beaming when

he saw her.

“Where have you been, sweetheart?” There was no censure in his voice. “I had such

strange dreams about you last night. I woke up worried about you.”

She gasped and faked a cough to cover the shock his words caused her. “I’m fine, it was

probably the meds. You look wonderful!” She sat down on the bed and hugged him. He set the

toast down and squeezed her back tightly.

“This hospital is amazing. I really thought I was going to die. The doctor said I should be

dead, but I feel good. I took a walk today, with some help. I haven’t been out of bed in weeks.

Just walking was wonderful. I actually had a real shower, and your mom brought the girls to see me. I know this has been hard on you, but where were you today?” This time she heard the hurt in his tone.

“If I told you, I don’t think you’d believe me. When you’re home and feeling better I’ll

tell you.”

“Home. The doctor said not to get my hopes up. He’s running tests.”

“You’ll be coming home. I think you’re cured, Matt.” Her eyes began tearing as she

looked at him. He still appeared frail, but much stronger than she’d seen him in months.

“You sound so sure.” He raised his eyebrow.

“I am. I know you’ll recover. I’ll tell you how someday, but just know I love you,” she

sobbed, truly crying; her voice broke as she said the last words.

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“Aww, sweetheart, don’t cry.” He pulled her to him, hugging her again. “You make it

sound as if you made a deal with the devil or something,” he teased.

“Something like that,” she whispered against his shoulder.

He pulled back and looked at her in alarm. “Are you all right?”

“I will be, once you’re home. You’re my life, Matt.”

He smiled at her, but still looked concerned.

She wiped her face on the back of her hands. Taking a deep breath, she gave him a big

fake smile. “It’s so good to see you sitting up. I haven’t had a good game of King’s Corner in forever. Where are the cards?”

He laughed and opened the drawer on the bed stand. “In here somewhere. I think I was

up a game last time we played. Are you ready to have your proverbial ass kicked again?”

“Bring it, baby,” she teased, her heart lightening. He was worth a little guilt. She’d

missed him so much. They played until her eyes were blurry and he began nodding off. She took the cards out of his hand, tucked the blanket under his arms, and then kissed him on the forehead.

“Goodnight, honey,” she whispered.

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Chapter 10

The weeks passed and Matt came home. His doctors were still amazed and kept running

tests to figure out how he’d cheated death, but Clarissa knew it was futile. Magic didn’t have a scientific measurement in the laboratory.

Their family was whole. Laughter returned to the house. She felt domestic again, her

daughters stopped having nightmares, and life was good. Only one thing kept getting in the way of her joy—Braden. She dreamed of him often, going to bed wearing pajamas, but waking up

naked and wet. Once in a while, she’d feel an echo of him in her mind. Usually she could

convince herself it was her imagination, but not tonight.

Come to me!

She closed her eyes, ignoring the demand.

I need you. Come to me!

She hadn’t imagined it this time. His voice boomed in her mind as loudly as if he’d

shouted at her. Clarissa’s eyes popped open. She sat up in bed. Matt was asleep, she began

sliding off the mattress when suddenly something gripped her arm. Shrieking, Clarissa turned.