Rivals: Episode Two Read online

  I moved away from her and towards the door, arriving in seconds and leaving Kimberly behind by the car. I could hear her surprised gasp of air as I left her behind. She still must not have been used to the powers that vampires brought with them, but she would grow accustomed soon enough. I unlocked the door and opened it. Kimberly made her way up the steps and entered into my foyer as I held the door open for her. Another trail of her sweet scent was left behind as I entered, making my cock twitch and strain against the confines of my pants.

  “I’m going to need a serious session of ice-cream and Netflix pretty soon.”

  I cocked my head. “Is that your way of de-stressing?”

  She scoffed. “It’s my way of living. But yes, also de-stressing.” She walked over to the black leather couch sitting underneath a huge window. Her body sank down into the soft cushions as the leather conformed to her shape. She closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. I fixated on her fingers, suddenly imagining the way her hand would feel sliding down past the waistband of my jeans.

  Vampires lived on danger, but they also lived on sex. Netflix and ice-cream weren’t as important to me.

  “Let me get you some water.” I sped off to my kitchen in a blur. Water was always a kind gesture but I also needed some space. Kimberly had an intense effect on me, even after all the shit that had just gone down. We were finally in a safe place and all I wanted to do was bed her. My muscles ached to wrap around her, take her upstairs, throw her onto the mattress, and absolutely ravage her supple body. Her taste was almost like a mythical figure to me. I craved her sweetness on my tongue.

  The water pitcher was cold in my grip as I slowly poured her a glass. My cock twitched in anticipation of being in the same room as her again. I placed the pitcher back in the fridge and made my way to Kimberly. Slowly this time. I needed to bring myself down from the horny high Kimberly put me in, which was difficult seeing as my cock was only growing harder the closer I got. Her sweet smell was becoming stronger and stronger as I wound through my hallways and moved towards the foyer. I looked down and noticed the huge bulge that did nothing to hide the intense erection trying to burst from the confines of my pants. I readjusted myself so that my cock was held tight against my waistband before I re-entered the room.

  “Thank you,” Kimberly said as I handed her the water. Her soft voice was even softer now as she took the glass and brought it up to her supple lips. I could see her mouth glisten in the moonlight streaming in from the huge windows that surrounded us.

  It was going to be an interesting night.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  GAIGE

  Rick’s house was a small single-bedroom apartment in the seedier part of Miami Beach. The hottest clubs were a taxi drive away but the local gang-meetings were only a block away. He maintained the apartment well enough for a bachelor shifter who had been living alone for nearly all his life. He was a rough-type, being orphaned right from birth and having to adapt to a world where family ties were non-existent and friendly-ties were just thin facades. He was a tough shell to crack, but we had developed something of a bond a few years back. Ever since then, I found that Rick was more than reliable and he had the capability of caring for others underneath that scarred exterior.

  And it wasn’t just emotional scarring, he was physically scarred too. A large, raised and pink gash ran from the top of his cheek to the bottom of his chin, making him seem even more imposing and hardcore. He was someone that caused woman to cross the street at night based off appearance alone, which was a shame because he would never hurt anyone that wasn’t deserving of his anger.

  “The fuck happened?” he asked, his low voice cutting through the quiet of his kitchen.

  “You’re guess is as good as mine.” I sat back in his wooden dining room chair. It creaked under my weight, the wood bending a little.

  “Fucking vamps, man.” He took the seat across from me. “Recognize any of them?”

  “Xavier Thorn.”

  “You’re shitting me?” He leaned in, his fists held tight and resting on the top of the light brown table. “What the fuck was a vampire king doing there?”

  “He was after me.”

  Rick leaned back and crossed his arms across his burly chest. His white t-shirt was stained yellow underneath the pits. “Do you think he knows?”

  I shook my head. “No, there’s no way. This has to be some sort of fuck up. And now he has Kimberly.”

  Rick cocked his head. The wrinkles on his forehead grew larger as I realized I hadn’t told him about Kimberly yet.

  “She’s a girl,” I said.

  “Girl, huh?”

  I sat up in the chair, the wood creaking even louder as my weight shifted. “Well.. more than just a girl. Rick, I imprinted on this woman. I found her.”

  “Fuck off,” he scoffed and brushed a hand up into the air, waving off the whole idea of imprinting in one quick movement. “That imprinting is all bullshit. You just saw some hot piece of ass and your dick decided it needed to be inside of her. None of that fate bullshit was involved.”

  “Listen, this one was different. I know you don’t listen to the whole shifter ideology, but imprinting is real. It’ll happen to you too someday. And you’ll know when it does happen. It was like a fucking meteorite crashing right into me. The feeling is undeniable and it’s strong.”

  “So what, you turning soft on me now?”

  “It’s not about being soft or not. It’s about finding that other piece of yourself. The one that fate had intertwined with you. As fluffy as this sounds, it really did feel like destiny had led me straight to that point. Every decision in my life was made so that I would be on the road at exactly the right moment so that I could bump into her—well, have her bump into me.

  Suddenly, I could sense something else in the air. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but it felt wrong. Like there was an energy present that shouldn’t have been there...Wait,” I said, lifting a hand. “Do you feel that?”

  “Feel what? The pussy growing between your legs?”

  “Yes, that and something else. Like someone’s watching.”

  Rick shrugged his shoulders lazily. “I didn’t hear anything and I can’t smell anyone either. It’s probably your adrenaline making you ready for a fight.”

  I nodded, still uneasy. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “So this is the one, huh?” Rick asked, going back to the original subject.

  The bare bulb hanging above us flickered as a huge fly swatted into it. “There was definitely a connection,” I said, nodding. It felt odd saying it out loud, especially to Rick, who thought things like love and imprinting were just ways that society managed to keep shifters in check, whether they knew we existed or not. He was one for the conspiracy theories and would often rant about how all of life was some videogame level or something. I’m not sure, I would stop paying much attention whenever he would start on his tangent rants.

  “What are you going to do?” He swatted at the fly, catching it with his quick reflexes and crushing the bug in his closed fist.

  “Get her back from that fucking vamp first and then tell her what’s going on. Imprinting is never one way so she must have felt something too.”

  Rick scoffed. “Never say never, kid.”

  I hated when he called me kid. He wasn’t that much older than I was.

  “I’ve never heard of a shifter imprinting on someone and those feelings not being reciprocated. That’s the root of imprinting, it’s something so undeniably strong that both people are instant matches. I get you don’t believe in the idea, but that doesn’t discredit everyone else’s experiences.”

  He sat back in the creaky chair. His fist opened above the table and dropped the fly. The crumpled body hit the table with a thud so light that only my shifter ears could have sensed it. “You ever wondered why I don’t believe in the imprintin’ bullshit?”

  My eyes narrowed. “No, I guess I haven’t.”

  “It’s because what y
ou’re saying doesn’t happen was exactly what happened to me. I imprinted, Gaige. It was around four years ago. Feelings I couldn’t even being to fucking describe, kid. It felt like it was a different fucking world when I was around this person. My dreams were consumed with their face, that smile, the fucking dimple, that ass. Shit felt right, and I didn’t think I needed anyone else.”

  “Damn,” I said, knowing where this story was heading.

  “Yeah, so go fucking figure, kid. It was only me feeling those things. When I confront him about it, he says that there was nothing between us and that I was a fucking freak for falling so hard. It was just a one-night stand, he said, and that was it. What would he say to his parents, he had yelled.”

  “I, uhm—” I shook my head, “—and yeah, I’m gay,” he said, cutting me off.

  “Well, it sounds like maybe he wasn’t ready to come out?” I said. I had no idea Rick was gay but it didn’t bother me. Shifters never got hung up over sex or preferences. “Sorry it went down like that, Rick. No one deserves to have an imprint ripped away like that. That’s just fucked up.”

  “So you can see why I don’t exactly believe in all that imprinting bullshit. But, hey, if you think you found the one and she feels it too, then go get her back. My ship sailed but you’ve still got a chance, kid. You can actually be happy with someone for a change.” He pushed the chair back and got up from the table. Rick made his way over to the small window above the kitchen sink and looked outside. I half-expected a police officer to be waiting on the other side, shining a bright flashlight through the glass and landing right on me.

  “Fuck,” Rick said.

  “What?”

  “Just saw a vamp speed off somewhere. He was hiding out in the shadows.”

  I shook my head. “That must have been what I sensed earlier. We need to go after him.”

  “Not yet,” Rick said, a siren piercing through the night and punctuating his point. It wasn’t safe to go out there yet. The only thing we could really do was wait.

  “Fuck,” I said, slamming a fist down onto the table, almost splintering the wood in half.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  KIMBERLY

  I rested my head back on the couch, unable to believe how my night was turning out. Things were legitimately crazy and I was the last person anyone would have ever expected to be caught in the middle of it all. I was just a regular girl looking to settle down with a large bank account and a nice six-pack attached to that bank account.

  Ok, that sounded a little vapid, but I mean come on, who doesn’t have those fantasies? That’s what they were anyway, fantasies. I knew my bar shouldn’t be set so high.

  And yet, here I was, sitting in the mansion of an incredibly successful vampire who just saved me from my apparently murderous date. Seriously, I could barely even process it all. And so I just sat there, letting my body sink into the couch as Xavier went up to his bedroom and disappeared for a bit. I considered getting up and leaving, but none of my muscles seemed to work. It was like my body had checked out for the night and the couch was becoming more and more comfortable as the seconds ticked by. It became so comfortable, in fact, that my eyelids started to droop shut. My head rolled back involuntarily as sleep started to wrap its soft, comforting grip around me.

  “I have a guest room,” a deep voice said, jerking me out of it.

  “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry. All this running really tired me out. I’m not used to it,” I said, giggling through the grogginess. “I should be headed home anyways.” I looked around the couch and grabbed my purse which I had somehow managed to keep throughout all the commotion. And there was only one long, jagged tear across the front! How lucky.

  “I insist, I’d rather make sure you sleep through the night safely than risk going back out there. I have a feeling those shifters aren’t going to be too happy.”

  “You have a point,” I said, not yet realizing that I was now a wanted woman, and not exactly for the reasons I had always dreamed of. “Ok, I may take you up on your offer then.”

  He smiled, stepping away from the couch and giving me room to stand up. I let my eyes dart across his body as he stood underneath the bright moonlight that was streaming in from the huge window behind me. It was a quick once-over, the kind you give to that one incredibly hot hunk riding on the bus, with his bulging biceps stretching as he held onto the steel bars for stability. Xavier must have changed while I was dozing off because he now wore a simple black t-shirt and navy blue gym-shorts that did nothing to hide his package, the size of it outlined by the thin material. He was one hot vamp, and I was about to sleep under the same roof as he was.

  My thoughts started drifting into fantasy territory. Suddenly, I was imagining him knocking on the guest bedroom door, opening it and revealing that he was wearing nothing but those shorts, his excitement clearly visible by the huge tent his erection was creating. He would make his way to the bed where I would be lying, waiting. It was incredible how quickly the thought of sleep was pushed away by a quiet but growing lust, spreading from the small of my back to the moistening spot between my thighs. A pressure began to build up inside of me and was beginning to ache.

  “Just follow me,” he said, grinning. He connected eyes with me, practically sucking the air right out of my lungs. I could have sworn I noticed a knowing glint in his gaze. The rush of blood to my cheeks felt like a warm red flag, giving away my secretly naughty thoughts in an instant. I managed to smile and get up off the decadent couch as Xavier turned to lead me through the labyrinth that was his mansion. I followed behind, unabashed in the way I stared at his perfect ass. It took everything I had in me to not reach out and grab those solid buns. It almost looked as though he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. I was practically salivating by the time we reached the guest bedroom. I didn’t even notice where we had gone, which meant I was going to have a hell of a time finding my way out of here come morning.

  “Here you go,” he said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. He flicked on the lights and revealed a massive bedroom with a california king-sized bed smacked right in the center. Four huge oak posts sprang up from each corner of the bed, framing the luxurious white sheets that covered the mattress, making it look like the most inviting of clouds.

  “The bathroom’s attached in case you need it. There are also fresh linens in the closet and a television that comes down from the ceiling when you turn the remote on.”

  “So basically paradise?” I said, stepping into the room with a look of awe.

  “For some, it could be. Although my paradise requires a little bit more.”

  My fingers ran over the maple wood dresser that almost stood taller than me. “Really? What else would you need besides a bed that big and a tv coming from your ceiling?!”

  “Someone to lay with in that bed,” he said, his voice dropping a tone and sounding silky smooth all of a sudden. It was as though he took a soft velvet blanket and wrapped it around me. A shiver crawled from the base of my neck and down my back.

  “I’m sure you have your fair share of house guests,” I said, not turning around to face him. I made pretend I was busy examining a small figurine resting on the dresser. It was a man carved out of wood, its edges smooth and supple, the wood light and expertly molded. He was holding what appeared to be a staff with a sapphire set into the end of it.

  “None that demand my attention,” he paused. “Unlike you.”

  My heart started racing. “You’re flattering me, Mr. Thorn. You don’t have to lie to me though,” I laughed nervously. “Girls like me don’t turn on guys like you.” My self-confidence, or rather lack there of, was beginning to show. Yet, it was true. Life seemed to slam that reality in my face every chance it got. No hero ever gets with the big girl, there’s always a skinny blonde princess waiting off to the side, ready for his manly, testosterone-fueled attention to swoop her away into blissful, tantric sex. Me? All I got were a few pumps and a cigarette, if I was lucky.

  “On the contrary, Ms. No
lan, I’ve never been around a woman who turns me on as much as you.”

  My breath hitched as my heart skipped a beat. I didn’t hear him move closer but he definitely was. So close that I could feel the warmth of his soft breath caressing the top of my ear. Close enough to feel something else now, pushing hard against the center of my cushiony behind. A hand came across my hip and rested there, his touch gentle yet demanding all at the same time. I let out a soft breath, one I didn’t realize I was holding back.

  “I…”

  “Kimberly, the moment you stepped into this house, I knew I had to have you. I craved you more than the life that has eluded me through centuries. I desired you the instant I sensed you. An aching filled me harder and faster than a rocket coming at full speed. You’ve ingrained yourself in my future without even knowing it, and I need to have you.”

  I felt my hands start trembling. I was confused and taken aback by his proclamations, but I also couldn’t deny how incredibly turned on I was. It was like a switch had been flipped and every part of me roared to be with him. I wanted to let him take off my clothes and take me wherever he wanted, as long as he did it while he was buried deep inside of me. My pussy throbbed, almost painfully, with a yearning to be filled. And judging by the thick cock pressed up against my back, I knew he would be able to hit my every spot.

  He turned me around now. He stood taller than me, so I had to look up to stare into his hungry gaze. His hands now wrapped around me and grabbed a handful of my ass, leaving a lot more ass to be grabbed.