Page 4 of Feeding Frenzy (Crimson Coven #3)

FOUR

catalina

That was why they kept saying I would live a long time at their side but never mentioned turning me. I’d sat midway down the steps and the hard surface was uncomfortable and making my butt go numb.

I thought they were being considerate about my past with vampires, not that it was literally impossible for me.

I couldn’t have forever with them, just extra decades, if I drank their blood.

My lip trembled, but I forced myself to my feet to descend the rest of the way. I left my slippers at the entrance of the basement living room. My door was ajar. Doubts festered liked a fresh wound with Imogen here. I nudged the door the rest of the way open.

Bastien’s flowing white hair moved like a wave. He stood and took a step toward me. The chain rattled. They’d installed chains to the wall above my bed. They were the same color and blended in well.

His head tilted and his eyebrows furrowed. Seeing the concern on his face punched through the wall I’d erected around me, and I ran to him. He swept me to his chest and his palm rubbed against my back.

Another gut-wrenching sob escaped.

“Shh, Little One,” he croaked.

“It hurts.” I sniffled. Then I froze.

Bastien spoke?

I had to be hallucinating.

“You can talk?” I gasped, pulling back enough to look up at him.

His expression rippled and there was none of that awareness that he’d been staring at me with. I untangled myself from his grip, and he kept hold of my wrist. I pressed my palms into his hard stomach.

“Sit down, you’re making me nervous looming like that.” His huge body followed my guidance.

He only stared at me, his gaze focusing for a spilt second.

I speared my fingers through my hair. He watched me through pensive, expressive eyes. Each day he seemed more aware, and I was noticing he got the clue about things faster than normal. He was reacting less immediately than usual . . . but only when he was alone with me. “You can understand me, right?”

Bastien stared steadily, and I held my breath. Finally, he nodded.

“I knew it,” I breathed.

Bastien cocked his head and then tipped it forward toward me.

With the speed of snapping my fingers, the awareness fled his gaze.

Bastien gripped my hip and dragged me close, until I stood between his widespread legs. His palms slid up my sides, stopping at my hips with a squeeze. He set his cheek on my breasts, nuzzling me.

His fingers delved under Asher’s shirt I wore, and his cool hand slid up my side.

Their temperature tended to change, if they didn’t feed after a while.

“Don’t rip it,” I breathed and pressed my palm over the back of his large hand. Mine was laughably tiny over his. I pushed it down until it spanned across my belly so I could yank the shirt over my head. It landed on the edge of the bed. My bra landed on top of it. Bastien hummed, his thumb rubbing against my belly button. He made me breathless. I hooked my fingers into the hem of my undies and pants and shoved them down my ass. They pooled at my ankles.

Bastien ran his nose over the swell of my breast, and he hummed against my skin. His shoulders moved with his inhale. His red eyes flicked up to mine.

He sank his teeth into my nipple, and my knees gave out, with a smooth motion, he pulled me onto his lap with my legs spread around his thighs. He pulled me close, until I was flush against him. Chains rattled with the movement of his arms.

I slid my palms between the split robe and smoothed my hands over the steel-like skin as I pushed the robe back to expose his shoulders. My fingers played across the thick muscles that twitched at my attention. His cock flexed under my ass, and I pushed up a bit to pull the tie from his midsection. The end flicked against my wrist with how hard I yanked it free. I settled on top of him, feeling his hard shaft nestle against my core.

His head tipped back with a groan. Slickness throbbed from my sex, making me glide against him.

I groaned, moving my hips to grind down on him. I sank my fingers into his hair and arched my spine. He held me up as he leaned me back, so his mouth covered the tip of my breast. He sank his fangs into the soft flesh. He sucked, causing lust to flare to a painful level. A shiver coursed down my body, and my pussy throbbed from the need to be filled.

“Bastien,” I moaned. His hands flexed against my back, clasping me so tight.

He held me with such possession—almost verging on desperation. In a sudden movement, he pulled his fangs from my flesh. Droplets trickled from the wound, painting my skin. Bastien’s bright red eyes scanned my face. He stood with me in his arms. I squealed, scrambling to hold onto his shoulders. He tossed me on my back, high on the bed.

I popped onto my elbows. Bastien was already prowling up the mattress, his gaze focused on me, and very aware. A smile curved his lips, edged with madness.

“Bastien?” I whispered.

“Yes, Little One?” Again, his voice sounded rough.

I licked my lips.

“How can this happen? They said being blood-mad made you irreversibly ill.”

He stiffened and shook his head side to side. I pressed my fingertip to his shoulder.

“Bastien?”

He hissed, eyes on me. He grabbed my waist and flipped me to my stomach. I grunted upon landing. I didn’t have a chance to get my hands under me, because he grabbed my hip and yanked me up, presenting me to him.

The bed jostled with all our movement.

“Bastien!” His thickness slammed into me. I gasped. His hips pumped, and he slid his cock in and out of me with a smooth glide. I was so wet. His thighs hit the back of mine with a loud smack. I curled my fingers into the bed sheets. He rammed into me again and again, rutting me hard.

Bastien took hold of my hips and lifted them even more. It changed the angle, and the tip of his cock nudged something inside me that immediately made my legs shake. I cried out as he continued to batter against me with hard slaps. It took all my strength to hold myself on my elbows and not fall onto the mattress like a noodle.

The orgasm rammed into me, and I screamed into the bedsheets, bucking. My channel squeezed around him with repeated throbs, but he didn’t stop. My legs shook so hard that I couldn’t control them.

His fingers dug into my hips and the smooth glide of his cock came with the suctioning sound of moisture. I sank my teeth into my lower lips, going limp in his arms. Bastien placed a palm under my belly and my torso lowered while he hiked me higher. The angle prodded his tip deep inside me and catapulted me into another spine-tingling orgasm.

Nonsensical sounds spilled from my lips, and I couldn’t control them. I yanked at the bedsheets like a crazy person. My channel’s sensitivity made me a twitching mess. Yet, the smooth glide of Bastien taking me didn’t abate, his pace remained hard and commanding. My arms gave out completely and my cheek pressed into the mattress.

My belly clenched. The growing swell working through my nerve-endings sucked the oxygen from my body.

“You’re going to break her,” a voice snarled. I peeled my eyes open to see Jax standing at the side of the bed. He swayed forward.

Bastien’s grip tightened on my hips, and he bared his fangs at Jax.

I kept my gaze on Jax. He stared at me with hints of anger lightening through his intense, blue lapis eyes that flashed red for a brief moment. His knees perched on the bed and his hand lifted, but just as suddenly he dropped his head, clenching his eyelids closed. Regaining his composure, he backed up a few steps. The edges of my vision faded, and the orgasm washed across my body. My toes curled, and I became weightless and although I could hear the muffled sound of my cries, I couldn’t have controlled them.

Bastien’s cock seized violently inside me, filling me up so much, his cum dripped out.

When I came back to earth, I lay flat on the bed with Bastien beside me. We lay diagonally and he had his palm on the small of my back.

My heart raced so much that I could hear it in my ears, drumming away ominously. I stretched my arms up, a small tremble coursing through my limbs.

“Come here,” Jax ordered, expression stiff.

I glared up at him. Why was he still here?

“No thanks,” I said and stifled a yawn.

“Catalina,” he said, not sounding happy. I rolled to the end of the bed to get away from him, but Bastien reached for my ankle right before I rolled off and yanked. I bounced on the mattress with a huff and my hair spilled over the edge of the mattress. Bastien dragged my legs wide open, and he fell on me, his tongue lapping at my sensitive, wrung out sex.

I met Jax’s eyes over his head. Bastien’s fingers on my thighs flexed. Tension seemed to radiate off him.

“Go away.”

Bastien’s shoulders flexed, the thick muscles bulging. His mouth settled over my entrance. His tongue flicked up my slit, lapping up our combined juices. I squealed, writhing under his tongue. A shudder worked down my spine.

Hands wrapped around my wrists, and I was yanked away from Bastien, my body sliding off the bed in a move so fast it made me nauseous. Jax cradled me to his body, huddling me close.

“No,” I shouted as Jax carried me away. Chains rattled, mingling with violent snarls. Jax slammed my bedroom door shut, effectively cutting Bastien off.

I shoved at Jax’s chest, writhing to get away from his oversized body. He wrestled me over to the white couch and dumped me onto the cushion.

I landed with a huff.

“What the hell!”

“Why are you fighting me?” he snarled.

“Because I have nothing to say to you.” My tone held no inflection, just pure disinterest.

He stiffened.

My body felt warmed up and limber. I felt good. Forget Imogen and her negativity. My vampires were mine, even if I wouldn’t have Jax . . .

My hand found its way over the sharp stab in my chest. I lifted my chin. I’d get over it.

“Well, I have things to tell you,” he said through gritted teeth. He usually looked pissed as a default, but right now? I could make a good case saying he needed some anger management classes. Were there any of those for vampires?

“You’re going to hear me out.” His words were laced with a threat. Bastien’s snarl echoed from my bedroom. “But I need to show you something.”

Suddenly, his back was to me, wide shoulder’s hardly moving as he strode toward the exit.

“Why?”

No response. I sighed and scanned the room. A silk robe rested across the end of the couch. I tugged it on, as I hurried up the stairs.

“Jax,” I called, reaching the kitchen. He stood diagonal from me at the furthest point, holding open a door I’d never noticed. I approached, frowning. As I neared him, I recognized why I’d never spotted it before, because the wall dipped into a small nook and hidden to the side was the door. I peeked into the dark hallway.

“What’s down there?”

“The vehicles.”

I mouthed my ‘ohhh’ my attention still on the dark, spooky looking hall. They mentioned the garage was behind the house, this must lead to it.

“Listen, Kitten.”

I put my hand up and amazingly he shut up.

“You always talked about her like she was some—” I stopped myself and took a deep breath. There was no point in spitting all my frustrations at him. “You have your Imogen back.” I forced through my tight windpipe. “What do you want?”

Jax raked his hand through his hair, mussing and making it stick straight up.

“What do I want?” His nose scrunched. He shook his head and sliced a hand through the air. “I want to explain why I’ve been by her side .”

I was being a petty bitch. I exhaled slowly and took a step away from him and the door. His eyes softened. He looked so worried it made my chest hurt.

“Jaxon,” Imogen shouted but her voice sounded far away. “Where have you gone?”

I narrowed my eyes at his stiff face.

“Yeah, go Kitten ,” I flipped my hair over my shoulder.

A hand wrapped around the back of my neck. “Let me go, Jax.”

“This is not over.”