Raife brushed the hair off my face and tucked it behind my ear, his fingers barely grazing my jaw.

  “I’ve never felt like this before. Never at any point in my long life have I felt this way about someone. I love you Jules.” His eyes blazed with a fierce intensity that took my breath away and all I could do was stay locked in their fiery depths. The bond connecting us beat with our hearts, warmth spreading all around it.

  “I’ve never been loved by anyone. I don’t even think my parents loved me and I’ve wondered what was lacking in me, that no one wanted to love me. This love scares me, because I feel it too. Every part of me loves you Raife, and I’m so scared, because I know that if I lost this it would be the end of me.”

  I could feel tears slipping from the corners of my eyes as he lifted a finger to brush them away. I held his gaze and opened up all my feelings, let him see everything, all of me. This feeling was terrifying. I knew I would not survive without him.

  “My love for you will never end Jules, as long as I draw breath I will love you, and in whatever lies beyond that I will love you.” He kissed me with everything inside him and I answered. Our bodies were fused together and he began pumping slowly in and out. I gasped as he sucked on the sensitive spot below my ear, grazing his teeth lightly over my skin. I raked my nails down his back as another orgasm crept up on me, and when I fell apart he was right there with me.

  We lay with our foreheads pressed together, breathing returning to normal.

  “I really should take a shower, but my legs feel like jello.”

  Raife sat up and pulled me with him, we were still entwined and he was still inside me. It didn’t feel like his hardness really went away. I wrapped my arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses. He stood and walked us into the bathroom without putting me down or pulling out. He walked us right into the massive shower and turned the water on, all while holding me up with one arm! I really had no idea how strong he actually was! My back to the tile wall, he pounded into me, our slick bodies sliding against one another. His thumb found my clit and I moaned, arching my back as his teeth found my nipple and bit down. I screamed as the orgasm ripped through me, my legs quivering where Raife held me. He drove into me and stiffened as I felt his hot cum drenching me inside.

  Slowly Raife lowered my legs to the floor as he held me tight to his chest. I didn’t think my legs would support me. Raife kept one arm around my waist as he reached for the shampoo and began to massage it into my scalp.

  “Mmm, that feels so good.”

  He walked me further under the spray before working the conditioner through my hair. When he’d finished my hair he sat me on the bench and picked up the sea sponge and shower gel. Starting from my toes, he lathered every inch of my body. His thumbs spread my folds open and he ducked his head, swiping his tongue from my opening to my clit. He speared me with his tongue before lifting his head and groaning deep in his chest.

  “One more Jules”, he growled. He swirled his tongue over my clit before pumping it into me. He nipped and sucked and lavished my clit with attention before I threw my head back, my fingers digging into his wet hair as I orgasmed.

  “Oh my God!” I breathed out shakily. He grinned at me and stood, washing his hair and I was transfixed as the soap ran down his body, his muscles glistening in the water, begging me to touch them. I stood and pressed myself to him. He was fully hard again and I had to wonder how many times he could go! I couldn’t help myself and licked my way up his abs, running my hands over the firm ridges.

  He turned the water off, wrapped me in a big towel and deposited me on the bed. He stood back and motioned to the closet.

  “I brought some of your clothes over.”

  I just sat there, unable to tear my eyes off him. The towel was wrapped low on his hips, showcasing that amazing v of muscles and the trail of dark hair that dipped below the towel. Water droplets still clung to his chest and his beautiful dark, wet hair was pushed back off his forehead.

  “Jules?”

  “Huh, did you say something?”

  He laughed and the smile that lit his face turned him into a God! He was perfection.

  “Sweetheart, as much as I want to stay in bed with you all day, sadly I cannot. The way you’re looking at me is making it very hard for me to put clothes on, literally”, he said with a regal arch of his brow.

  I shook my head, hoping to clear my lust filled brain enough to make complete sentences.

  “Right, clothes.”

  “Yes sweetheart, yours are in the closet.”

  I stood and dropped the towel, walked slowly to the closet, adding a little sway to my hips. When I felt his gaze burning into my back, I looked back over my shoulder and arched one brow before sauntering into the closet. The loud groan from Raife made me giggle.

  Chapter twenty-two

  Raife

  I looked through the downstairs but caught no sight of Dallas, so I headed to the bunker. He was there, overseeing the installation of a new door. People were busy rewiring, patching the wall and installing steel posts into the frame of the door.

  “No one’s getting through this fucking door”, Dallas all but growled at me. He barked out instructions to his men before stalking off up the stairs to the kitchen. I followed and parked my butt on a stool just as Jules came down the stairs.

  She looked stunning in a deep royal blue sweater and black jeans. Even Dallas’ mood seemed to lighten as he looked at her.

  “Jules”, he reached out to pull her into his chest.

  “Good morning”, she murmured.

  “Food”, Dallas announced as he deposited her on the stool next to me.

  He went about his food preparation and Jules slipped off her stool to stand next to him, offering her help.

  I took that moment to slip out the backdoor and took off for my house. I hadn’t fed in almost two days and fighting off the urge to feed from Jules was taking every bit of strength I had. Especially when she was moaning in my arms and every cell in my body screamed at me to taste her!

  I slammed through my backdoor and immediately went to the blood frig in the basement, where I sucked down two bags. God damn cold blood from a bag was miserable, but at least it would sustain my body. I emptied two more bags before I returned upstairs. I packed more of Jules’ clothes and whatever I thought she’d need, before throwing the bag into the trunk of my car and speeding back to Dallas’ house. It was painful to be away from her!

  They were finishing up their breakfast, so it seemed like a good time to talk over things.

  “So Jules, at midnight it will be your birthday”, I began. “We need to discuss what’s going to happen so you’re prepared.”

  She looked up at me expectantly.

  “We anticipate more attacks between now and then. We want you to know ahead so it won’t be a shock. We’ve been preparing for this, but we do expect them to try and get to you before midnight.”

  “The door to the bunker is being repaired, and we’ve doubled the number of people who are here to protect you”, Dallas added.

  She sat up straighter and tilted her chin up a little, and just that small show of strength made me love her even more. I glanced at Dallas and saw the same knowing look on his face.

  “I will do whatever you say”, she said with confidence.

  I smiled. “That’s perfect sweetheart.”

  “We’re going down to the bunker once I get the all clear, and one of us will stay with you there for now. Once anything happens, the door will not be opened again until the threat has passed, but someone will be with you the whole time.” Dallas took her hands in his as he spoke, pulling her to her feet.

  “Would you like to stretch your legs before we head into the bunker? I can show you the rest of the house.”

  “Yes, I'd like that.”

  She turned to me with a grin and added, “I’m pretty familiar with one room already.”

  I grinned back and gave her a wink. I liked playful Jules, a lot. Dallas just chuckled.

  “This way love.”

  As they went exploring, I headed outside. The anxiety of not knowing what we could be facing was killing me. I found Trey with another five vampires and motioned for him to follow me. He dismissed the others and followed me a short distance.

  “I feel like a fucking sitting duck here, just waiting for them to make a move! Have the scouts picked up anything?”

  I already knew he would say no, because if they had, he’d have come to notify me immediately. Just waiting for them to try and attack Jules was unbearable! If only we had some advance warning, we could lay a trap for them before they even made it this far.

  “Fuck!” I slammed my fist into a tree, cracking the trunk and causing the two halves to crash to the ground.

  Trey looked amused and I had to stop myself from punching his face!

  “You go that way, I’ll take the other side and we check back here after ensuring everyone is in place.”

  He nodded and took off through the trees. We were the inner perimeter, while the shifters ranged further out. We were here for the vampires who would invariably make it through their line. I swore to myself, no one would make it through our line.

  Almost an hour later I was ready to head back to the house when I stopped. Something was off. I strained to hear anything, but could not. I hugged the shadow behind a large tree and made myself completely still, and waited. There it was… the normal animal sounds had quieted and I heard the faintest rustle. Not a sound natural to the forest, something else. I waited, all my senses strained when I caught the scent of vampire. Not one of my vampires… others! They were barely moving, but now I could hear their stealthy footsteps creeping this way. Very carefully, I backtracked to where Trey should be, not giving away my presence. When he approached I held up a hand and motioned where he should go. We had been together for so many years that he knew what I wanted without question.

  I swiftly circled back so that we would come at them from both sides. As I got closer I saw six vampires trying to be stealthy, but not succeeding. They were young. Trey caught my eye and I gave him a quick nod that had us both rushing the small group. I had a dagger in each hand and immediately stabbed the first two in the heart. Trey grabbed one from the back of the group and snapped his neck before stabbing him. Two spun to face me, as the third sprinted away from the group with Trey right behind him. The vamps facing me tried to circle around to get behind me, but I quickly grabbed the arm of one and slung him off his feet, crashing him into the other guy. Before they could get up I dove on top of them, pinning my knee to one’s back while stabbing the other. I snapped the neck of the other before driving my dagger into his heart.

  I looked up to see Trey rushing back to me.

  “There are ten more coming. They’ll be on top of us in less than a minute.”

  I pulled my lips back and let my fangs show. “Let’s cut them off before they get here.”

  Trey and I cut down the group of ten vamps, and I shook my head as I looked around.

  “How are they getting past the shifters so easily?”“Definitely something off”, he agreed.

  “I’m heading back to the house to notify Dallas. You stay here and I will have the rest of our perimeter pulled in closer this way.”

  He nodded his agreement and I sped off through the trees.

  Dallas was still in the bunker with Jules and that made this situation even stranger. How could Dallas or any of the other shifters not be aware of the vampires approaching! I moved swiftly into the bunker.

  “We have a big problem.” Dallas stood abruptly and faced me.

  “What’s happening?”

  “Trey and I just took out sixteen vamps that made it through the shifters completely unnoticed. You obviously have not been made aware of anything. What the fuck is going on!”

  “How the fuck could that happen?” He stormed back and forth from one side of the bunker to the other.

  “I’m going to go kill whoever fucked up, stay here”, he growled before shutting the door to the bunker behind him.

  Jules looked at me with worry written across her face as I sat beside her on the couch. I took her hand in mine. “We will figure it out. You are not in danger here Jules… trust me.” She sighed heavily and leaned back against the couch.

  “I’m beginning to feel like I’m always in danger, and I don’t mean it’s your fault, or Dallas’s fault either. It’s just the way it is.”

  “You’re not wrong Jules, but we won’t let anyone harm you. Ever.”

  I wanted her to trust me so I needed to be truthful, always, even if my instinct was to protect her from everything. I couldn’t shield her from the truth even if it meant she would worry, and her worrying hurt me. The truth was more important. I could try and distract her, even if for a little while.

  “Tell me something about you that I don’t know”, I asked with a teasing smile.

  Her eyes sparkled and she rested a forefinger against her bottom lip as though deep in thought. “Hmmm, something you don’t know. I’m sure you don’t know I looooove caramel popcorn and have been known to eat a whole bag by myself.” She giggled and looked quite pleased with herself.

  “Okay, so tell me something I don’t know about you, oh big bad vampire.”

  I arched my brow, “Oh, so it’s big bad vampire, is it?” She giggled again. “Yes it is.”

  I adopted the same pose she had, tapping my index finger on my bottom lip before answering.

  “So, here’s a tidbit you might find interesting. I met George Washington.”

  Her mouth fell open and her comically wide eyes stared at me. She spoke in a hushed voice, “No fucking way!”

  I smirked back. “Yes fucking way.”

  I reached over and placed a finger under her chin, pushing up lightly to close her still gaping mouth.

  “Holy fucking shit! Tell me everything!”

  Her voice had risen as excitement gripped her.

  “So, it was in Virginia, after the war was over and I was close to his estate. Although we didn’t involve ourselves in human affairs, it was impossible to ignore this man who had won the Revolution and become the new country’s first President. I was just blending in with a group of men standing a bit away from Washington, when he noticed me and asked me my opinion of what it was they were discussing.” Jules watched my face with rapt attention.

  “What were they discussing, what did you tell him?”

  “They were talking about the beginnings of the Justice system for the new democracy, so I informed him that I was far from an expert, but that in my opinion for a new system to be Just, it would have to be equal for all men.”

  “Un-fucking-believable!” She still looked stunned, so I said, “Moving on, tell me something else Jules, something secret”, I added with a bit of a growl.

  “Oh”, she stuttered as her cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink.

  “I only ever had sex with one guy, you know before you and Dallas…and I never had an orgasm while having sex before.” Her cheeks heated up and her neck flushed with embarrassment before she added, “I mean, I had orgasms, but that was just with me”, she stammered. I couldn’t hold back my smile, knowing that we were her first, and I intended to keep giving her as many orgasms as she could handle. I pulled her into my chest and growled into her ear, “I love watching you come.” She shivered in response and I could smell her sweet arousal. I roamed my hands down her back, but refrained from going any further. This was definitely not the time, even if I was trying to distract her from worrying.

  “Ok, your turn next”, Jules said.

  “Right, so something secret hmmm.” I took her hand and raised it to my lips, brushing a kiss across her knuckles before I sucked softly on the inside of her wrist. I ran my tongue across her wrist before catching her eyes, desire shining through the deep blue. I lowered my voice to a whisper, “This morning, having my cock buried in your heat, your stunning body pressed to mine, it was the best day of my life. To taste you at the same time…” I trailed off, because I couldn’t finish that sentence. Just thinking about tasting Jules made me rock hard and I couldn’t afford to be so distracted right now. Her safety came first, above everything else!

  “Taste?” Jules eyebrows lifted as she looked at me.

  “You mean taste my blood, right?”

  “It’s not something we need to talk about right now sweetheart. Not until you’re ready.”

  “I…I think I might be ready now?”Oh fuck no, I could not have that discussion right now, not the way my body was craving the taste of her, and she’s questioning whether she might want to try now! I groaned as I willed my considerable control back into place. No way could I go there when we could be under attack already.

  I slid back further onto the couch, resting my head on the cushion and closing my eyes for a moment.

  “Are you okay Raife?”

  I gave her hand a squeeze and looked at her with a reassuring smile.

  “I’m perfect sweetheart. Just need to keep my focus on what’s important today, and that’s keeping you safe.”

  She snuggled into my side and rested a hand on my chest as we waited for word from Dallas.

  Chapter twenty-three

  Dallas

  Jay was just up ahead in a small clearing, his back to me as he scanned the forest. I needed to get his attention, but no one else’s, so I circled around to where he could see me. Staying out of sight I caught his eye and gave a jerk of my chin for him to follow.

  “We have a huge fucking problem”, I growled at him in a low voice, when we were far enough away from anyone else.

  “What?” He looked truly shocked by my statement. Good…I didn’t suspect him of anything, but his reaction just reassured me I was right.

  “Sixteen fucking vamps just waltzed right through our line like it was fucking nothing, before Raife and Trey took them down.”

  He looked stunned, then quickly schooled his features before savage anger took over his face.