“Nope. I learned centuries ago that mixing the two was a pain in the ass. Besides, I prefer to fuck blondes,” I teased.
She stiffened and turned a glare on me.
“Relax. I’m giving you shit. As for Jules,” I scanned the other direction but didn’t see Daphne that way, either. “She’s a demon. Inter-species relationships are forbidden. Doesn’t mean there aren’t some back-alley hookups, but I’m the king’s second in command. I don’t bend rules.”
The crowd was moving toward us, everyone angling for the best view of the impending fireworks show, and I palmed Valor’s waist and tugged her close, sheltering her like we were an infatuated couple as I moved us backward, toward the edge of the crowd.
“But I’m human,” she whispered. “Despite the tiny drop of vampire in my bloodline.”
Of course, I heard her above the crowd.
“We’re not in a relationship,” I countered as we moved slowly down the terrace, keeping to the edge of the crowd in the darkened spaces.
“We’re mated!” she hissed.
“We’re mates. That’s not the same as being mated.” Just the thought of the act had my slacks fitting too tight. I’d have her under me the first time, her legs hooked around my hips as I drove into her, my cock claiming her at the same time my fangs pierced deep, joining us in every way imaginable. A groan worked its way into my throat, and I swallowed it back down where it belonged.
The lighting was brighter here, where people milled around the buffet tables, and I hurried us through, tucking Valor under my arm.
The fireworks started, colors exploding in the sky with thunderous booms to the ooh’s and ah’s of the crowd.
“I don’t see her,” I muttered as we reached a velvet rope that clearly marked the VIP area.
Valor climbed right over it. In heels. Damn. I followed, quickly getting ahead of her to block her from view. Her scent was tinged with the bitterness of desperation.
This area was better lit than others, but most of the crowd was gathered around the edge of the balcony, watching the show.
“What if she’s not—shit!” Valor stiffened at my side. “That’s Caleb Anderson coming this way!”
I followed her panicked gaze and saw a lanky twenty-something walking our direction, his arm slung over two different girls. Classy.
Valor’s hands fisted in my shirt as she tugged me toward the wall.
All he had to do was look up, and he’d see her—the op would be blown. I could wend us out, but that would break our foremost rule about hiding supernaturals from the human world. The same problem presented itself when it came to picking her up and running for the door. I could move faster than the human eye, but if anyone was glancing our way, they’d sure-as-fuck notice we’d disappeared.
Valor’s back hit the wall. “Kiss me.”
“I’m sorry? Didn’t you say that was never happening again?”
“He’s coming this way! Kiss me!” She laced her fingers behind the back of my neck and rose up, yanking my mouth to hers.
Surprise faded in exactly a millisecond, and I curled my body around hers, blocking her as much as possible as I sipped at her lips.
Keep it light.
Who the fuck was I kidding? This was Valor, and her soft lips parted beneath mine, her tongue licking lightly over the seam of my lips. My control slipped.
Caleb was still headed this way, his voice growing louder with every step.
“Fucking kiss me!” Valor whispered.
I palmed her hip, tucking her in tight against me, cradled her cheek, and did exactly as she asked. My tongue filled her mouth, and I moaned at the sweet taste of her. Perfect.
There were no preambles, no delicate touches. I tilted her head to adjust our angle and fucked her mouth with long, sensuous strokes of my tongue, rolling my hips into her as my grip tightened on her hip.
She whimpered, her nails scraping the back of my neck as she arched against me.
The crowd faded.
No one else mattered but the female—the woman—in my arms. Her breath was mine, her pleasure my only goal.
Need exploded between us, the result of denying the demand of our bodies for too long. This wasn’t even about want or gratification, it was primal hunger.
My hand slid to the curve of her ass, and I squeezed, cursing the fabric of her dress between us.
“So fucking hot,” one of the human women muttered as they passed by us.
“Damn,” the other one agreed.
I growled, low and long. No one was allowed to see the pleasure etched on every line of my Valor’s body. That was mine and mine alone.
Grasping her ass in both hands, I lifted her against my chest and carried her three steps to the right, then pushed open the door and took her inside, flicking the lock behind us once I shut the door.
The space was dimly lit and furnished with a loveseat, and a small bar before another door led to a private, VIP entrance to the mezzanine boxes.