BittenandDefiant Read online

  Bitten & Defiant

  Barbara Huffert

  Frankie’s life is over. Her family is gone and she has nothing left but the desire for revenge against the person who destroyed everything. But to accomplish that she needs help. And who better to enlist than the hottest vampire around?

  Kellen doesn’t know the woman who is stalking him, but he sure wants to—intimately. He’s allowed her to watch him feed, something that simply isn’t done. Even with all his senses heightened he still can’t tap into her thoughts. Maybe after indulging their insatiable hunger for each other she’ll loosen up enough to share her secrets.

  Inside Scoop: The book opens with a very brief sexy scene between a male vampire and another male.

  A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Bitten & Defiant

  Barbara Huffert

  Dedication

  For Lori, the sister I always wanted.

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to the staff at the World Famous Pike Café for taking such good care of me while I worked on this book.

  Chapter One

  “Mmm,” the pretty blond moaned. “Fuck, yeah,” he whispered, arching his groin against the one pinning him firmly against the stacks. His eyes drifted closed as an expression of pure bliss settled on his soft features. The young man, barely older than a boy, tilted his head, allowing complete access to his delicate neck without seeming to realize what was going on.

  The boy’s essence was as sweet as expected when the vampire zeroed in on him. Feeding from him was extremely satisfying. Still, it wasn’t exactly what he wanted. No, ever since he noticed he was being watched, followed, all his prey had lost a little something. And it was all her fault. He’d hoped that altering his routine, choosing a male, might draw her out but so far, it hadn’t.

  Where was she? Usually he felt her presence, scented her, soon after he led his morsel into the far reaches of the library. Tonight, nothing. Had his choice backfired, repulsing her instead of luring her closer? Or had she simply lost interest in pursuing him? Perhaps something had happened. Could it be that she wasn’t following him at all? Was it pure coincidence that she tended to appear soon after he secured his hosts? Idle curiosity that had her stopping to watch him feed so frequently? He didn’t think so but he could be wrong.

  With that thought his hands clenched. The boy’s ecstatic moan was punctuated with a gasp. Almost instantly the vamp willed himself to ease up, loosening his grip so as not to bruise as he coaxed the young man back into silence. His other hand caressed the silky flesh covering the boy’s ribs. It wouldn’t do to break anything.

  Much better to leave his victims willing, wanting more, even though he made a point not to tap into the same source more than once. After all, he never knew when unexpected trouble might rear its ugly head, leaving him in need of a fast meal. Yes, it was always good to have those who sustained him ready for another round, just in case an emergency happened.

  The young man squirmed. Damn it. He had to focus on what he was doing. What was wrong with him? He didn’t even know her. Or what she wanted, for that matter. Maybe she didn’t want anything. Maybe it was an old-book fetish that had her in the forgotten volumes area when he was feeding, more often than not lately. He concentrated on the boy in his grasp.

  Suddenly he felt her. She was there. Watching. Closer than usual. The knowledge that tonight would be the night they finally had contact thrilled him. His jaw worked, tightening his hold on the neck his fangs were sunk into. He could practically feel her vibrating. More so than ever before. Gods, if only she were the one in his arms.

  The boy trembled as he came and nearly swooned, as if sensing the vamp’s growing pleasure at her presence. It took everything to ease away from the boy’s neck in order to release him. The vampire licked the punctures, sealing them with his saliva, before kissing the young man deeply and sending him on his way.

  Then he turned, facing the spot where she waited in the shadows. “Well?”

  “Well what?” she countered.

  “Don’t you think it’s about time you explained your continued presence? Or do you just make a habit out of lurking in the dark basement with the forgotten volumes where very few ever venture?”

  “No.”

  “No? No what?”

  “No, I don’t do this all the time and no, I’m not quite ready to explain.”

  “Ah. So you are here for me then and not just the smell of aged leather book covers?” When she didn’t respond he added, “You owe me that much at least.”

  “Oh. I guess.” She shrugged.

  “Come closer,” he requested. “Into the light.”

  “You can’t see in the dark?”

  He chuckled. “Somewhat. Better than you can but not enough to see you as clearly as I want to.”

  When she complied he felt as if he’d been punched. She wasn’t what he’d been expecting, not that he had a clear image of her formed in his mind. For some reason he’d crafted the impression that she’d be more Goth than she was. Oh the clothes were almost right. Black skirt, black hoodie over a dark-purple shirt, black tights, black Doc Martens. Her hair was dark, short and he guessed naturally straight. And her eyes, her eyes were the oddest shade of gray. Violet almost. Huge. Without the aid of makeup. No, definitely not a Goth girl up close. So who was she?

  “What’s your name?” He began with something simple. If she failed to respond to that there was no way he’d learn her purpose.

  “Frankie Morgan. You?”

  “Kellen.”

  “Kellen? Kellen what? Or is that your last name?”

  “Just Kellen.”

  She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Just Kellen? Like Madonna or Usher? Do you sing too?”

  He laughed. “Occasionally but never professionally.”

  “Hmm.”

  So much emotion in such a tiny sound. “You’re not afraid of me,” he stated, stepping closer so there was no need to speak above a soft whisper. Gods, she smelled incredible. Her scent made his mouth water even though this was so not the time for that.

  “No.”

  “Well, you don’t impress me as a typical groupie.”

  “You have groupies?” The idea seemed to amuse her.

  “Unfortunately. Wannabes who think being a vampire is cool.”

  “It isn’t?” she asked quietly, apparently understanding the need to converse as softly as possible.

  “Not in the ways they think it is. Sure, there are advantages to it but it’s not nearly as romantic as they imagine. That’s why I don’t haunt the clubs looking for my next meal. Less of a chance of being spotted by them here than there.”

  “Hmm.”

  Again that sound. Usually he had no trouble reading people but Frankie Morgan was the exception.

  “Why don’t you fuck them? They obviously want you to. Don’t they?”

  “Yes. It’s not the way I work.”

  “Oh? You don’t want them?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “They seem to enjoy it when you, ah, suck their blood. After all, they do come. Are you inside their heads?”

  “As a rule, no. Look, the ones I choose to feed from are very open and obvious in their desires. I don’t need to read their thoughts to know what they want. I do project a little so no one freaks out if they realize exactly what I’m doing.”

  “I suppose that would make things messy if library security came running into the middle of it.”

  “To say the least. I prefer not to draw attention to myself.” He paused. “Yet you seem to have noticed me anyway.”

  “Yes. But then I’ve spent a lot of time searching for someone like you.”

  He couldn’t figure her out. She t
ruly wasn’t intimidated. She brought out something in him that had him talking about things he rarely discussed, and when he did it certainly wasn’t with a virtual stranger. Still, there was something about her that made him believe it was okay to do so.

  “You doing some kind of survey here, Frankie? Gathering a study group when you didn’t find what you wanted in a book?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?”

  “I can’t explain yet.”

  “But you will? Eventually?”

  She hesitated. The expression on her face turned serious. “Probably.”

  “What’s wrong?” A surge of protectiveness hit him out of nowhere. Frankie sighed as she shook her head. Clearly he would learn little from her this time. At least they’d spoken. Later, when he replayed this less-than-satisfying conversation he told himself he would hold on to that.

  “You really are very handsome in a rugged sort of way. No wonder people want you.”

  “Um, thank you. I think.” Without pausing to consider what he was about to say, he asked, “So what about you? Do you want me?”

  Frankie gasped. In surprise? He saw something flicker in her eyes. She did want him. Was that what she was interested in? He hadn’t thought so but maybe he was wrong. Kellen stepped closer. He used a finger and tipped her face to his.

  “Is that what you’re after?”

  “I, uh…” She trailed off.

  Kellen laughed. She’d been so self-assured. Now she was obviously thrown by the turn in the conversation. “Frankie?” he questioned just before his lips claimed hers. He’d meant the kiss to be simple. He hadn’t intended for it to be involved, but before he knew what was happening his mouth was devouring hers. His tongue invaded, his teeth nipped though not hard enough to draw blood. Much as he wanted to, he forced himself to resist. Gods, she was sweet. Sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted and he really wasn’t tasting her. Yet.

  “Is that it, Frankie? You want to fuck a vampire?”

  “No, I…” Her words trailed off as she grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him toward her so she could reclaim his mouth. This time, it was she who controlled the kiss and it was every bit as feral.

  He growled softly, fascinated by the change in her demeanor. He molded her tightly against him and his fangs lengthened but he retained enough of his mind to know how dangerous it would be to bite her. If he did he wouldn’t quit until he’d drained her dry. That was something he could not let happen.

  “Oh God,” Frankie gasped, wrapping her leg around his, undulating against him with her damp crotch riding his thigh.

  “Fuck.” Kellen tried to resist. He knew better than to give in to his baser desires in such a public place, especially in the one where he chose to feed. But there was something irresistible about this woman. “Stop now or I won’t be able to.”

  “No,” she said clearly as her hand covered the bulge of his cock straining against his jeans. When she met his eyes all the desire he felt was reflected back at him.

  “Then say it,” he demanded, deliberately pushing her.

  “I want you. Now. That good enough for you? Fuck me!”

  With that, he spun them so her back was to the floor-to-ceiling books. His hand went under her skirt as hers grasped his belt. He smiled against her lips. She was wearing thigh-highs, not tights. Her panties were soaked. Apparently watching him with the boy had turned her on. That thought had his already-hard cock throbbing. Her long, delicate fingers were soft yet surprisingly strong as she wrapped them around him, squeezing his rod. Damn, she was hot. If he didn’t get inside her wet core soon he’d embarrass himself just from her stroking. Thank goodness her panties were easily yanked out of the way. Otherwise she’d be going home without them.

  When he lifted her to gain better access to her slit, Frankie wrapped her legs around him instantly. Her moans echoed in the silence when he thrust his stiff cock into her dripping pussy. Gods, she was tight. He barely fit. The sensation of her velvety flesh stretching around his engorged shaft had him harder than he remembered ever being. He wondered briefly if he was too much for her and tried to slow down.

  “More, dammit! Fuck me harder, Kellen!” she demanded.

  When he gave her what she wanted a soft cry escaped her lips. He covered her mouth with his, swallowing her sounds. Her tongue caressed his fangs as his hands found her breasts. Her nipples hardened at his touch. Twisting them through the fabric was definitely not enough. One day he would explore them thoroughly. But not now. No, now was for hard and fast fucking.

  Animalistic was the only way to describe it. Out of control. Hot as hell. As if his nonexistent life depended on it. Thank goodness he held her to the shelving against the wall. Had they been in the middle of the room where the shelves were open back-to-back he knew books would have gone flying, which would not have been good. No way would he be able to interrupt things no matter who came running at the noise that would have made.

  She jammed her hands under his shirt to clutch him to her, urging him to be even more wild. He could feel her nails digging into his flesh. The slight pain was exquisite. Her legs were clasped around his waist, her pussy clenched as he pummeled her with his bulging cock. It had been far too long between encounters of this sort, something he hoped to rectify. With her.

  Her body went rigid, then dissolved into trembles in his arms. The spasms in her pussy as she came took him with her. He couldn’t have held off another second, not that he wanted to. He buried his cock deep inside, pumping his hot cum into her tight, velvety core His liquid heat filling her triggered another orgasm. By the time she finished coming he was drained.

  Kellen held her, pinned between his slumping body and the shelving. Her features were unfocused. Beautiful. Somewhere in the back of his mind it registered how tight a hold she’d had on herself during their discussion.

  “Hey,” he said, kissing her softly. “You okay?” he asked as he finally let himself slip from her body.

  Frankie’s face went from dreamy and soft to panicked in an instant. “Oh my God. What have I done? We didn’t even use a condom.”

  Kellen trapped her with his body as he quickly rearranged his pants. “It’s okay. Vamps don’t carry diseases. Nor can I impregnate you so you’re safe all around.” He didn’t know why but he had the feeling that the condom issue was the least of the things going on in her mind. For some reason he couldn’t latch on to her thoughts. Perhaps it was because they were racing and too scattered for him to get a handle on. “Calm down, Frankie. Talk to me.”

  “No,” she cried, straightening her clothes. She looked at her watch. “Damn.” She glanced at him, her expressive eyes too full for him to decipher. “I have to go.”

  “What? Wait? Go where?”

  “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  More than anything, Kellen wanted to hold on to her, protect her from whatever was going on. But he knew he couldn’t. He had to let her go until she was ready. He also couldn’t follow her as every instinct told him to. Without a doubt that would be a sure way to lose her.

  “It’s okay,” he assured her, touching her cheek. “Be safe. And come back.”

  After staring at him for an extended second she nodded. “I will.” With that she sprinted up the steps toward the main floor of the library.

  * * * * *

  Bursting through the library doors, Frankie raced down the steps. As soon as she reached the street she ran for all she was worth. She had to hurry or she would miss the opportunity she had been hoping for. The meeting that was about to go down was an important one for the drug dealers involved and she felt she needed to be there to witness the one arriving.

  Also she had to get away from Kellen to analyze what had just happened. Sure, she’d already decided to have sex with him if necessary. A means to an end. But that was not what it was. Or was it?

  When she was within a block of her destination she slowed her pace, letting her breathing return to normal. She didn’t know which had her
heart racing more, running full-out for blocks or no-holds-barred sex with a too-hot-for-her-own-good vampire. But she couldn’t dwell on him now no matter how much she might want to. She had things to accomplish that were far more pressing.

  Frankie paused in the shadows. She was pleased to see she’d made it before the start of the meeting. Her reckless behavior hadn’t ruined her plans. As she checked her pocket to make sure she hadn’t lost her camera at some point, the car she was waiting for arrived. It was black with tinted windows and looked damn expensive. Not that she’d expected anything less considering the business the owner was in.

  She flipped on the camera, snapping away as a man emerged from the back. After giving him enough time to get settled inside the building he’d entered she stepped into the street, still taking picture after picture.

  “Hey, what are you doing there?” one of the men standing around called. “Stop that. Get away from here.”

  Frankie ignored his directive, moving closer instead. “Don’t you just love historical buildings such as this one? I can’t tell you how often I’ve walked past here and admired it. The lighting makes it even more spectacular,” she gushed cheerfully, waving her camera. “Thank goodness I finally remembered to bring my camera for a change. I’ve been kicking myself every time I came by without it.”

  “Lady, you shouldn’t be here.” A second man joined the first.

  Frankie flashed her most charming smile. “Whyever not? Oh sure, it’s not the best neighborhood anymore but it hasn’t gotten that bad yet. Besides, you gentlemen are usually around. You’d come to my rescue if I started screaming, wouldn’t you?” She paused expectantly, giving them a wide-eyed, innocent stare.

  “Well…” Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the driver opening his door. “Move along now, ma’am,” he said instead. “You have no business here.”

  “All right but I still say it’s the most beautiful building. Gosh, I just love the huge windows. And the turrets! Amazing.” She gave them another huge smile with a tiny wave. “Bye now.”