Chapter 72
Katelina captured Jorick's lips in a passionate kiss and his arms wrapped around her and pulled her to him. She broke free to reposition herself. He watched as she gripped his erection and slowly lowered herself over him until he was buried in her hot, tight body.
It was his turn to moan low. A smile flickered over her lips at the sound, but she didn't have long to contemplate it before he grabbed her hips and moved her against him; gliding her back and forth as he thrust into her.
Pleasure radiated out from between her thighs and her eyes drifted closed. She quickly forgot that he was watching her and lost herself to the moment, her back arched and her mouth slightly open as their bodies moved together in a primeval rhythm.
Jorick growled low in his throat and she opened her eyes in surprise. She started to ask what was wrong, but he suddenly pulled himself into a half sitting position that nearly dislodged her.
She held tightly to his shoulders, her voice uncertain, "Jorick?"
He threw his arms around her and used her body for balance to maintain the odd position. With another thrust of his hips, he nuzzled his face against her left shoulder and clamped his lips around the mark he'd left weeks earlier. His tongue ran over the slightly raised scar and goose bumps danced down her spine. She moaned softly, then he pulled back and, with a quick motion, sunk his teeth into her.
She cried out as his fangs pierced her, and then she forgot everything. Jorick was everywhere at once; inside her, outside her, wrapped around her. He coursed through her veins and burned in her mind. Through it all she was drowning in waves of pleasure that threatened to drag her under the tide until she ceased to exist, leaving nothing but him and his hands and his lips and his hard body pulsing against hers.
She heard herself cry out, but the sound of her voice was foreign to her ears. He broke contact and dropped back to the bed. Slowly, the world started to come back into focus and she found him lying beneath her, his chest heaving and a satisfied smile flickering on his lips. Wordlessly, he pulled her to him and rolled over, dislodging her. He buried his face against her neck and held her tightly, both of them fighting to control their ragged breathing.
She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down before it exploded in her chest. His hand absently ran over her back and under the red nightie. She plucked at the straps and tried to put it back where it belonged, but it was useless. She'd have to move first and, just then, she didn't want to.
Moments passed with only the sound of their heartbeats, and she finally forced herself to speak. "So, does that mean you like it?"
"Like it?" Jorick echoed, his lips against her skin.
"The nightgown?" She tried to sound teasing. "Does this mean you like it?"
Jorick's laughter filled her ears and he tightened his hold on her. "Yes, little one, I think it's safe to say I'm very fond of it."
***
Katelina woke the next evening to find Jorick dressed and on his way through the door.
"You're awake early," she murmured sleepily.
He paused at the sound of her voice and smiled. "Not really. You're asleep late."
"If you say so." She rolled over in bed and snuggled under the covers. "So are you going to go-" she couldn't use his word for it, so she supplied her own, "-eat?"
When he didn't answer, she rolled over to find the doorway empty. He was already gone.
"Men," she muttered darkly but, with last night still fresh on her mind, she couldn't really hold onto the anger.
Roughly an hour later she'd showered, dressed and was snuggled up on the couch under a blanket. The front door opened and she glanced up from her book to see that Jorick was alone.
"Where's Loren?"
Jorick's face was dark with worry and anger, but he tried to act casual. "How should I know?"
So, he hadn't shown up for their morning - or more accurately evening - meal. It wasn't really hard to guess why, either. "He's probably still upset. I'm sure he'll get over it."
Jorick shrugged and stared down at the chair as though the upholstery was fascinating.
"Maybe you should go look for him?"
Jorick still didn't answer and she sighed heavily. She understood that Loren wanted to be acknowledged as an equal, but she really didn't understand why he was so desperate to go fight with Oren in the first place. That was one of the questions that had gotten lost in the shuffle last night.
"So, are Loren and Oren friends or something?"
Jorick looked up from his study of the chair, surprised. "Friends? No. To my knowledge they've only met once before." He seemed to suddenly realize what she was getting at, and his face clouded up again. "Loren just wants a war to fight. He's been that way since I found him."
Katelina blinked in surprise. "Found him?"
Jorick snorted. "He was hiding on the beach, covered in blood. His brother had just been murdered and they were coming after him."
She cocked her head at Jorick curiously. "Why?"
"His brother was an idiot." He snorted derisively. "He made his master angry, if you could call him a master. They were a rogue coven whose only rule was 'do as the master says'. They thought they didn't have to follow anyone. There was a lot of infighting and killing. They did what they pleased and made a lot of trouble until The Guild wiped out the ones who were left."
"And you took Loren?" she asked.
He nodded. "I brought him home that first night and killed the three rogues who came looking for him. When the Executioners came they assumed he was one of mine, and I let them because it saved him from suffering the same fate as the other rogues, but he isn't. His brother, who'd been a vampire for less than a month, turned him only hours before he died." A sardonic smile flickered on his lips "Why is it the first thing a new vampire does is turn everyone they know?"
She wasn't sure how to answer him, or if he even wanted an answer. "Um, I don't know. Didn't you?"
Jorick's smile disappeared. "No," he said quietly. He straightened and tugged at his shirt, as if to signal that the conversation was over. "He is none of mine. His fate is his own." Then he crossed the room and disappeared without another word. Katelina flinched when she heard the mysterious door close. Despite his words, his worry for Loren was palpable and she wished there was something she could do; not that he'd let her. Rather than seeking any comfort from her, he hid himself away.
She closed her eyes and clutched the book tightly, trying to squeeze all of her frustrations into its cloth cover. Why was he always so damn touchy? It wasn't as if she knew what would offend him! That seemed to be a secret, and he kept his secrets guarded. And not just his current secrets, but his old ones as well. He refused to discuss his life before he'd met Michael and Patrick. It was as if he'd just dropped from the heavens recently, a brooding fallen angel.
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