The Vampire and the Scorpion (Blood and Venom Saga #1)

21. Twenty-One

Twenty-One

D ominic’s hand was like a battering ram as he shoved me into the caravan. I collided with the bathroom door, smashing my face into its plastic handle as I tumbled to the floor.

“Keep your filthy hands off me,” Madigan said from behind, his face twisted into a grimace as he slapped Dominic’s hand away. He glided up the steps, and Dominic slammed the door behind him.

Madigan stood over me, one of his eyes twitching, a tight expression on his face. I looked at the floor, his judgemental stare hurting far more than the welt now forming on my cheek. “Oh, Miss Monroe...”

I chanced a look at him through my eyelashes, to see he was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes shut, head bowed.

“I’m sorry.” My lips mimed the words, but my voice had disappeared. I turned my face downward again, unable to look at him. But he pulled me to my feet by my forearm, gentler than Ivan had ever been, but strong enough that I couldn’t resist.

“What did you do?” he asked, voice breaking as his perpetual frown deepened.

“I... I...” How could I possibly put into words what I had done?

I helped Dominic kill Greg. I broke the rules. I lied to you. I betrayed you...

My lower lip quivered as I clutched at my chest. “I’ve killed us.” Saying the words out loud made my head spin. As my knees gave way, I grabbed the front of his tailcoat to stop myself from falling and he seized my arms in return. I peered up into his face. He was still frowning, but now his eyes glistened. “I’ve killed us!” My face contorted and a stream of tears cascaded down my cheeks. Madigan pulled me into his chest and within seconds, I’d drenched the front of his shirt.

Still supporting my weight, Madigan assisted me towards his end of the caravan and sat me down on the edge of his bed. He sat reclined, arms outstretched, inviting me to sit between his legs. I accepted, curling myself into as small a ball as possible, my shoulders shuddering with my sobs as I rested my head on his chest, held within his embrace.

“Take deep breaths,” his low voice said in my ear. I complied, closing my eyes, trying to match his own steady breathing, focusing on the rise and fall of his chest. “Tell me what happened.”

Though the tears still trickled down my face, I told him of how I’d harvested from Chloe and Greg, how Dominic had tracked me down, and how I’d assisted in Greg’s death. His murder . By the end of my story, I’d stopped crying, but my heart was heavy, each dull thud aching within my ribcage.

I hid my face in my hands. “All of this is my fault. The only reason I harvested from Chloe was because she was an easier target. I’d originally been going after Greg. And then when the opportunity to harvest from him arose, I took it.” I emerged from behind my hands, sitting up to face Madigan, though his arms remained locked around me. “That’s how I got into this whole situation. I danced with Austin to make Greg jealous, and then had a one-night stand because I stupidly thought that getting with someone meant I was winning the breakup, like it was a game. I was too bitter to see that the way to win is to be happy.” I looked down at my hands, feeling Madigan’s pained expression bore into me. “Perhaps if I’d grasped that a bit sooner, I wouldn’t have taken your rejection so badly and got us into this mess.”

Madigan brushed a few stray strands of hair from my face. “I didn’t want to reject you.” He paused, pressed his lips together for an instant, then sighed. “I did—no—I do have feelings for you. That’s why I tried to retrieve your blood sample tonight. To spare you from the transformation. I cared too much.”

Even now, during my last hours, butterflies fluttered in my stomach at these words. “I shouldn’t have asked you. I didn’t mean it—my temper was doing the talking.”

He took a breath, briefly looking away, steeling himself, then returned his gaze to mine. “Do not think everything is entirely your fault. Given that we have such little time left, it only seems fair that I give you an explanation.

“The night I rescued you from Dominic, it was because I knew I shared some blame for your situation. I hadn’t mentored Austin as well as I should have, causing him to take drastic action. The truth is, I was afraid. Afraid of growing attached to him, only to witness his eventual execution, like every other familiar I’ve had while part of this wretched coven. So, I distanced myself from him.” A pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. “In the end, I couldn’t help but grow attached. But it wasn’t to Austin. It was you. And it was more than mere fondness.” His blush deepened. “I guess even those of us in our hundreds can still have a crush.” He snorted a humourless laugh. “How childish...”

My stomach squirmed. “Oh, Madigan, I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“You’re going to die because of me.”

“No. I am going to die on my own terms. I knew the risks of getting caught.” The flush in his cheeks had vanished, replaced with a glare of defiance. “I told you there were two methods of escape; to retrieve the vials, or to kill Dominic. But there is a third option.” He looked into my eyes to see if I’d understood. I didn’t need it spelled out for me. “Supernaturals join a coven for safety, for a sense of belonging and family. What I’m a part of, right now, is enslavement, and I’m choosing freedom.”

I smiled in admiration. I wasn’t about to ask him to bring up his painful memories, but I knew this wasn’t the first time he’d faced death. Perhaps, to him, this was another storming of No Man’s Land.

“Miss Monroe, can I ask you something?” He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes now averted, but I reached out, tilting his face to look at me, brushing my thumb across his cheek.

“You can ask me anything. I’ve nothing to lose,” I said, my voice a whisper.

“Well, given that these will be our last hours”—his breath was hot against my skin as he leant closer—“might I be so bold as to ask... to kiss you?”

My insides melted, heat radiating up through my body, to my heart. I looked deep into his grey eyes and could sense the emotions trapped behind them. His hurt. His desire.

“Yes.”

I brushed his lips with mine, closing my eyes. They were as perfect as I remembered.

I breathed him in, devouring his vanilla scent, revelling in every sensation. One hand was in my hair, caressing with a tenderness I didn’t think possible from a creature with such strength. The other was at my back, pulling me against his firm body. I clutched the front of his coat, like I was afraid to let go as I deepened the kiss, slipping my tongue into his mouth, tasting him. He mirrored me, his tongue sweeping against mine, the hand at my back sliding to my thigh as I straddled him, grinding my hips into his. Even through the kiss, Madigan couldn’t stifle the soft moan that escaped his lips as I felt him stiffen between his legs. An electric excitement pulsed through my body. I wanted more.

“Can I do more than just kiss you?” Madigan whispered against my mouth, his grip on my thigh tightening with need.

“Oh God, yes .”

His hands found my hips, pulling me tight against him, rolling with each of my grinding movements. There was no mistaking the bulge in his trousers now, bigger than before. He watched my reaction, eyes wide and unblinking, as blood rushed up my neck, into my face. God, I wanted him. I wanted to see him. All of him.

He traced his hands up my back, beneath my shirt, the heat of his fingertips making my skin tingle on contact. He helped me pull my top over my head, then sat back, his eyes roaming my body, gliding his fingers over my arms, shoulders and then my stomach, setting my skin aflame, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. I shivered, my skin prickling from the way he looked at me, like he didn’t know if he wanted to fuck me, or eat me. And then, where to start? He licked his lips again as his eyes settled on the soft flesh of my breasts.

I placed my hands over his, guiding him upward until they reached my bra.

He tore his gaze from my cleavage long enough to catch my eye, as though asking permission. I nodded. My body shook as he unclasped my bra and cast it aside, his eyes widening as he hungrily inspected my exposed breasts.

My surroundings fell away as in a movement too swift for my mind to follow, he seized me and lay me back on the bed, palming one breast and planting hot, wet kisses across the other. Slow at first, but then faster, more desperate, as though ravenous, and only my flesh could sustain him. My nipples stood erect, begging for attention, and like he could read my mind, his tongue flicked over one, while his fingers plucked the other. Once . A soft moan escaped my lips, my pussy aching with need—and he knew it. A vibration coursed through me as he pressed his lips to the plump flesh of my breasts again, letting out a low chuckle at how I melted at his touch.

“You’re a tease,” I gasped.

His lip curled. “I’m just admiring you. Your body. How it reacts to me.” He rolled his thumb over a nipple as he pressed his hips against mine, his cock longing to be freed.

“I want to see you too...” I reached up to pull off his tailcoat, but he took hold of my hands and escorted them down to his hips as he straddled me. Even hidden beneath his clothes, his body was gorgeous. Lean. Firm. The front of his trousers was straining, unable to conceal his erection. My heart skipped a beat as my mouth filled with moisture, imagining what it looked like. How it would feel . Either at the tip of my tongue or buried within me; it didn’t matter.

“Allow me.” He pulled off his tailcoat, painfully slowly, before getting to work on the rest of his layers: removing his waistcoat; sliding down his braces, one at a time; unbuttoning his shirt. All the while, his eyes darted from my face, to my breasts, and back again, his expression starving with lust. He finally shrugged off his shirt, revealing the bone-white skin of his bare chest.

I brushed a hand up his stomach to his pectorals, sliding my fingers between the grooves of his modest, but toned muscles. Save for his scars and the dark hair beneath his bellybutton, his skin was silky soft, searing with heat. Begging to be touched; to be kissed; to be licked.

But before I could, he was bearing down on top of me, the warmth from his chest almost burning against the coldness of mine as he nuzzled at my neck.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered in my ear, with more emotion in his voice than I’d ever heard before.

“So are you.” I wrapped a leg around his hips, drawing him closer, the bulge in his trousers pressed against my inner thigh. I dragged my nails down his back, making him shudder, before exploring lower, sweeping over the curve of his firm arse.

“You’re making it difficult to take it slowly,” he said, his voice a low growl, nipping at my ear.

“Then don’t.” I squeezed his ass, making him jump and pull back.

His eyes bored into mine as a smirk split his lips. “As you wish,” he said, in a voice so low it reverberated through me.

He leant back, unfastened his belt, and slid out of his trousers, now down to his pants. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the curve of his cock straining against the thin fabric. He chuckled when he caught me staring, his eyes alight with devilish mischief. Then his hands were at the front of my jeans, unfastening them and pulling them—and my knickers—off with a flourish.

I felt his eyes on my naked body. And I wanted it. I wanted him to see me. Just as much as I wanted to see him. I’d waited long enough.

I reached forward to pull his pants away, but he’d already guessed what I was about to do. His hand a speedy blur, he tapped my hand away and leant down, first trailing kisses down my neck, my collarbone, between my breasts.

Lower.

Lower.

Down my stomach. Across my hips, that bucked at his touch.

Burning hands spread my legs, squeezing my thighs as his warm breath caressed my sex.

I trembled. Waiting. Waiting. And then he parted me.

“Madigan!” I gasped as his hot tongue brushed my clit.

“Shhh. Unless you want everyone to hear,” he said, looking up at me from between my legs, amusement in his voice. I clasped a hand over my mouth, biting my lip as his tongue swirled around my most sensitive spot. Slowly at first, but his pace quickened. Faster. Faster. Building to an impossible speed, his tongue did things to me I’d never experienced before. A pressure built inside me, and I bit down on my lower lip, clutching the bed sheets like they were the only thing keeping me grounded.

“M-Madigan... what are you... doing to me?” My back arched, hips bucking as the buzz intensified to such a peak that my body quivered, out of my control. My muscles contracted, wave after wave of pleasure throbbing through my pussy, and radiated through my entire body, causing me to thrash among the bedding. But Madigan’s hands gripped my thighs tighter. Caught in ecstasy, time fell away.

I caught my breath, panting, as I awoke from my orgasmic hypnosis, face flushed, sweat coating my prickled skin. Madigan was smiling, and my eyes homed in on his perfect mouth.

“I want you inside me. Now.” The words erupted from me, a primal growl, and before he could argue, I pulled his pants down, his erection springing forward. I eyed the length of him, as big and beautiful as I had always imagined.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“I’m certain.”

He leant down, leaning on his forearm, so that his body pressed to mine, and as he did so, I became hyperaware of how his cock slid up my thigh, then brushed against my aching pussy.

“How would you like it?” he whispered.

Hard. Fast. I don’t care how you give it to me, but I need it now. I just want your cock. I need your cock.

But no. If these were, indeed, our final moments, I was going to make it last.

“Slow. But firm.” I put a hand to his face, tracing my thumb over his lower lip, and said in a whisper, “I want every inch of you.”

He smiled. “Of course.” He ran his fingers through my hair, eyes locked on mine, and with a smooth movement, he entered me. I gasped, warmth penetrating through me from within as I took him, inch by inch, until I could take no more, and let out a soft moan. It didn’t matter if someone heard me.

Let them hear. Let them know what we are doing.

He slid out gently, until his absence was almost devastating, before gliding in again, extracting another moan from me as I basked in pleasure. The feeling of fullness, before it was teased away... and then returned.

His pace quickened, rhythmically gliding in and out, his skin slapping on mine with each thrust. His breath became ragged through parted lips, as he too, let out a low groan beyond his control, a blush spreading across his cheeks. I could have sworn he stiffened even further.

I tilted my hips upward, allowing him deeper, until he pressed against a spot that sent a spasm through my body. I gripped his shoulders, unable to keep myself from gasping as my chest grew tight. His blush intensified as another moan escaped his lips—louder than the first. He bowed his head, planting hot, wet, frenzied kisses across my neck, like being inside me wasn’t enough. He needed more. He needed me .

We made love until with one last thrust, he let out a long, shuddering gasp as his cock twitched deep inside me. I clung to him as tightly as he was holding me, my face buried in his neck as his body quaked with involuntary convulsions, his fevered breath burning my skin.

His grip slackened, and he pulled back to look at my face. His hair was slick with sweat, his chest rising and falling with laboured breathing.

“Sorry about that,” he said, cheeks now crimson.

I took his face in my hands. “You don’t need to apologise. I haven’t...” I swallowed, my own face burning. “I haven’t enjoyed myself like that before. Never.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow, not sure if I was teasing him or not.

“Well, not with anyone else. Just on my own. How did you do that thing?”

“What thing?”

I smirked. “That thing, with your mouth.”

He grinned, half-laughing, and shrugged, feigning modesty. “Vampire speed.”

I giggled, brushing his wet hair from his forehead. “It was kind of you to let me go first.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but his smile widened. “I have manners, Miss Monroe.”

He laid back, and I snuggled alongside him, resting my head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat, my skin soaking in the warmth emitting from his.

“I wondered—just for a second—when you asked if you could kiss me, if you were after my soul. I thought maybe that was your plan all along. To seduce me, take my soul and then be powerful enough to kill Ivan.”

“Then why did you let me?”

I turned my face to his, staring into his eyes. “Because I trust you. And besides, is losing my soul any worse than being stoned to death?”

Madigan’s grip on me tightened, pulling me even closer against his body, burying his face in my hair. “Don’t talk about that. Just savour this moment.”

I don’t know how long we laid intertwined, but it would never be long enough.

“You need to rest up before your fight,” I said after a while, sitting up and stretching, though doing so pained me. I wanted to spend every second I had holding him, but if he was going to survive, he’d need every drop of his strength. “Get some sleep.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“In that case,” I said, pulling on my shirt, “we should do what all British people do in times of crisis. Cuppa tea?”