Fires Of Solstice Part 28

"Frightened-no, terrified. Of me."

Tears welled and she blinked. She was afraid. A wave of dizziness enveloped her. Shuddering, she dropped the poker and pulled her knees to her chest. Maybe she was the crazy person. Here she was, naked, sitting on a cold floor with the serial killer she'd been searching for not three feet away. And he was a werewolf.

Meredythe stared at the brown specks on Bleddyn's chest. "You killed Morton Anderson tonight, didn't you?"

He nodded. "He would have killed me-and you."

Meredythe sighed. Well, that was true, at least.

"You're the killer I'm trying to find, aren't you?"

"Yes."

The small bubble of hope tucked away in her heart burst. Bleddyn was a murderer. This man who was so gentle with his wolves and cared enough to try to save a dog anyone else would put down was a murderer. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded strained and foreign. "How? How could you just murder innocent people?"

His voice was dry. "They were far from innocent."

She shook her head. "That's not the point and you know it."

Bleddyn pushed himself to his feet and began to pace. "d.a.m.n it, Meredythe, it's not that simple."

She watched him pace, struggling to a.n.a.lyze him with the instincts she trusted the most, her reporter's instincts. He paces like a wild animal locked in a cage. She rubbed her itchy chin with the back of her hand then chewed the nail she'd broken freeing the wolf. Again she tasted his blood. "Enlighten me."

He raked his fingers through his hair again. "Would you believe me if I told you I was either defending myself or someone else each time?"

Her reporter's instincts blared a warning. She shook her head.

Again he sank to his knees before her. "Please, hear me out."

Why was she listening to him? Why didn't she get out of here? Because there's a wolf with very sharp teeth outside the door. She squirmed, trying to find a more comfortable position for her bare behind on the cold floor. What choice did she have? "I'm listening."

He rubbed his chin. "Most of the time, I'm no different from anyone else, except for being a little stronger, a little faster than the average person. However, there are times when the urge to hunt, to kill becomes almost impossible to deny."

She nodded then shook her head. What was that roaring in her ears? She shook her head again. Heat pulsed through her veins and anger surged. How could he sound so matter-of-fact? So nonchalant? He killed people! "Yeah. The full moon rolls around and you have to go eat somebody."

His nostrils flared and he bared his teeth. A shiver raced up Meredythe's spine and she wondered if she'd gone too far. Her hand dropped to the poker at her side. What made her say that? A good reporter never antagonized an informant.

Barely three feet from her, Bleddyn stiffened, clenching then unclenching his fists. After a long, shuddering breath, he continued, "I have never eaten anyone, nor do I ever plan to. Once a month, however, the urge to hunt, to enjoy the thrill of the hunt, becomes almost overpowering. It's almost impossible to control."

Her voice trembled. "But you can control it?"

He nodded slowly. "I have learned to, most of the time."

She dropped the poker and he relaxed.

"Then what happened in New York?" she asked.

"A friend developed a new medicine that was supposed to subdue the urges. Instead it shot my control to h.e.l.l."

Meredythe tried to focus to what he was saying, but her concentration kept slipping. Something was interfering with her thoughts. She struggled to maintain a reporter's detached objectivity, but her emotions were rocking on a crazy roller coaster ride.

She struggled to ask a logical question, but her roiling emotions got the better of her.

"So you went out to find someone to kill."

Anger blazed in his eyes. "d.a.m.n it, Meredythe! I am not a cold-blooded killer."

His anger inflamed Meredythe's already muddled emotions. Throwing her hair back over her shoulder, she rose to her knees, leaned toward him and jabbed her finger into his chest. "If you aren't a cold-blooded killer, then what are you?"

But Meredythe didn't hear what he said. The coppery taste of the blood she had swallowed remained on her tongue. Fiery warmth spread outward from her stomach until her entire body was tingling. She shook her head. What was happening to her?

Blinking, she stared at Bleddyn. Beneath her finger, his chest was firm. His skin was hot. Logic deserted her as her emotions whirled and heat surged through her veins. She had to touch him. Her palm replaced her stabbing finger.

He froze as her fingers swirled through his chest hair.

"So soft," she murmured. Her hand caressed his chest. "And so hard." She lifted her other hand, cautiously stroking the shoulder she had bitten. "I'm sorry." Dried blood flaked away and fresh welled.

Bleddyn covered her hand with his and lifted it to his mouth. He kissed the blood off her fingers. "I've had worse." Leaning forward, he melded his lips to hers. His kiss was tender, searching. Lifting his head, he gazed down at her.

Meredythe licked her lips. Once again, the coppery taste of Bleddyn's blood caressed her tongue. Its warmth rolled down her throat. Her heart seemed to beat faster.

Bleddyn remained perfectly still, uncertain how she would react to his kiss. A few minutes ago she was ready to skewer him with the poker. His eyes were drawn to the leaping pulse in her neck as she closed her eyes and threw her head back. He shuddered as his c.o.c.k jerked. He wanted to crush her to him and bury himself deep within her.

The darkness in his soul raised its head.

But the moon was at her apex, bathing them with her soothing luminescence. Closing his eyes, Bleddyn lifted his face and absorbed the moon's tender warmth, focusing on the strength she gave him. He placed Meredythe's palm against his heart and opened his eyes.

"Trust me."

She stared at him, eyes swimming with a combination of fear, curiosity, hope and was that... desire?

"Who are you?" she whispered. "What are you? Why should I trust you?"

"I'm the man who loves you."

She remained very still and Bleddyn could almost read her mind as he stared into her eyes. Did he really love her? Could she trust him? Would he hurt her?

"d.a.m.n it, Bleddyn Glyndwr," she growled, "you better not bite me."

Launching herself against his chest, she laced her fingers through the hair dangling about his shoulders, pulled his face to hers and kissed him, long, hot and hard.

Bleddyn answered her kiss, opening his mouth to her questing tongue, mating his to hers in a pa.s.sionate dance. She moaned when his mouth left hers to trail nibbles down her neck. Lifting her in his arms, he stood and turned toward the bed. After another quick kiss, he said, "I promise not to bite-unless you want me to."

He dropped her on the bed and followed her down, nuzzling her ear as he cupped a firm breast. She stiffened.

He lifted his head.

"What?"

"There's something underneath me."

He rolled away, carrying her with him. Three groggy mice wiggled and squirmed amongst the folds of the bedspread.

Laughter burst from Meredythe's throat.

Bleddyn growled. "Methuselah. I'm going to strangle that d.a.m.n cat."

As if sensing imminent danger, the mice staggered to their feet, scurried in three different directions across the bed, fell to the floor and disappeared.

Still giggling, Meredythe cupped Bleddyn's face with her hands. "Later," she said and kissed him.

He didn't need a second invitation.

Heat and pa.s.sion thrummed through Meredythe's body, converging in her aching nipples and throbbing groin. She wanted him, wanted him more than she ever wanted anything in her life.

When he lifted his body from hers, she moaned a complaint.

"Patience, love."

He reclined on his side, bracing himself on his left arm. "You're so beautiful everywhere," he murmured. "But your b.r.e.a.s.t.s are especially lovely."

Leaning down, he kissed first one nipple then another. Rolling onto his stomach, he nipped her left nipple then sucked it gently into his mouth. Then he transferred his attention to her right nipple.

She arched into his mouth. "Oh G.o.d, yes."

Chuckling, he nipped her nipple as he slid his fingers between her legs. She was wet -very wet. Slipping his fingers between her glistening folds, he flicked the nub that swelled against his thumb. Her hips jerked and she dug her nails into his shoulders.

Raising his head, Bleddyn gazed into her face. "You like that, do you?"

She thrust her hips against his hand again. "More!"

He captured her mouth with a deep kiss as his fingers dipped and rolled and stroked. Her fingers danced up and down his spine as she stroked his back.

"Please."

"Not yet, love. Not yet."

His mouth left hers. Trailing kisses down her neck and shoulder, he paused and licked both rosy nipples. Then his lips and tongue continued wandering over her rib cage and abdomen, stopping momentarily to tease her navel.

He slipped a finger inside her.

She bucked against his hand. "Bleddyn!"

He chuckled. "Patience, love. I've waited hundreds of years. You can wait a few minutes." He inhaled deeply. "You smell of woman and pa.s.sion. I must taste you."

Hundreds of years flashed through Meredythe's mind only to be erased by his must taste you. The sensations rippling through her body stymied all logical thought.

"Taste, oh G.o.d yes, Bleddyn. Taste me, please."

After another deep kiss, Bleddyn slid down her body and buried his face between her thighs. First he trailed soft kisses along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, following them with delicate nibbles. Hot breath bathed her c.u.n.t as he blew gently. Then he lapped her moistness as if he were a wolf lapping water.

Arching against his mouth, Meredythe fisted her hands in the bedspread as he licked and suckled. He stabbed his tongue into her c.u.n.t, swirled it around, then sucked deeply.

"You taste better than honey. You're hot and sweet and ready for me."

Pressure built and pinpoints of pleasure stabbed her nipples as she writhed and bucked against his mouth. He pushed her thighs farther apart. His tongue swirled around her swollen c.l.i.t and then his mouth closed around it, pushing her over the edge. Her body tensed and exploded into a million pieces.

When she finally returned to earth and opened her eyes, Bleddyn was lying next to her, smiling down at her.

Meredythe stretched and smiled in return. "I always thought that line about fireworks going off was an exaggeration."

His smile became smug.

She arched an eyebrow. "Conceited, are we?"

His smile was his answer.

"Jacka.s.s."

Before he could respond, Meredythe shimmied down the bed and captured his c.o.c.k with her mouth.

Bleddyn jerked. As if a fist had been slammed into his stomach, all the air was knocked from his lungs.

Her busy mouth stopped exploring long enough for her to say, "That's for not telling me you were a werewolf."

She lapped his length. She sucked first one t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e then the other into her mouth.

Then she nipped the base of his p.e.n.i.s, hard.

His hips jerked off the bed. "Christ!"

"And that," she mumbled, licking the clear drops of liquid that seeped from the head of his p.e.n.i.s, "was for even thinking about forcing me."

Meredythe pushed herself up onto her knees and began ma.s.saging his t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es with one hand while she circled the base of his erection with her thumb and forefinger. While her hand pumped up and down, she sucked the engorged purple head into her mouth, swirling her tongue from tip to base.

Digging his hands into the bedspread, Bleddyn concentrated on the moon as Meredythe's busy mouth pushed him closer and closer to a complete loss of control. That nip at the base of his c.o.c.k had almost pushed him over the edge. Even the devil in his soul was powerless against the waves of pressure and pleasure building in his loins. Groaning through clenched teeth, he thrust himself deeper into her mouth.

When she practically swallowed him whole, he wrenched himself up, grabbed her under the arms and pulled her against his chest.

"You've proven your point," he growled, "but now I need to be inside you."

"Oh, yes," she moaned. "Deep. I want you deep."

He rolled her over and forced her hands and knees down onto the mattress. "Please, this first time, let me mount you." His fingers slipped between her thighs to tease and stroke.

Meredythe arched against his hand. "I don't give a d.a.m.n! I need your c.o.c.k inside me now!"

Growling with satisfaction, Bleddyn nuzzled her behind, kissing the rosy cheeks. Cupping her between the legs, he ma.s.saged her slick folds, pressing a finger into her as deeply as possible. He grew harder as he inhaled the rich musk of her arousal. Slipping a hand under her hips, he lifted her to his mouth to taste her pa.s.sion again.