He pushed the slick tip past the taut muscles and then stopped. They were both
breathing hard now. This was a lot different than having two fingers inside her. He was
wide and thick and she wasn't sure she could take him.
"Yes, you can," he murmured. "Now that you are changed, you can take me much
more easily than if you were still human. Your body will accommodate mine much
more quickly." He flexed his hips and his cock slid forward. Sophia sucked in a breath.
It burned and hurt slightly, but it felt so good too. Zane started moving then, ever-so
slightly. He rocked gently backward and forward, pressing himself deeper with each
forward motion. Time didn't matter to either of them. Nothing existed but the two of
them and how this was making both of them feel.
Zane continued to touch her, stroking the folds of her pussy and her clitoris, sliding
his fingers into her slit and then withdrawing again. The heat within her was like a
fever burning out of control. Every molecule of her body was focused on reaching
climax. She felt poised on the edge, unable to go over. "Now, Zane. Don't make me wait
any longer."
It was like releasing a whirlwind. Zane began to flex his hips slightly harder and
faster, withdrawing farther before pushing himself deep. He thrust three fingers into
her pussy, and began to fuck her with them. She felt filled to overflowing with Zane.
And she loved it.
The hard press of his cock as it squeezed into her ass, the way the muscles relaxed
and contracted around it was the most erotic sensation she'd ever felt. "Harder," she
begged.
His hips hammered harder, his strokes shortening. His balls slammed against her
sensitive folds with each heavy thrust. His fingers toyed with her cunt and his thumb
brushed her clitoris.
"Come for me, Sophia. Now."
She wanted to protest that she couldn't come on command, but her body reacted
immediately. Everything within her tightened and then let go. Convulsions shook her.
Cream flooded her pussy and she automatically squeezed her ass muscles tight.
Zane yelled as he pumped himself into her. She felt the hot flood of cum and the
heavy pulse of his cock deep within her as he came, sending shivers of sensation back
though her own body.
He eased his fingers from her pussy and she shook. She didn't know how much
more she could take. Then he leaned over her and scraped his teeth over the sensitive
nape of her neck. She tilted her head to one side.
"I love you, Sophia," he whispered as he sank his fangs deep. Her body arched as if
it had been hit by a jolt of electricity. Her pussy tightened and she felt another orgasm
overtake her. She was nothing but feeling and sensation as Zane drank from her.
It wasn't long enough, yet it was almost too much. So many conflicting sensations
filled Sophia as Zane retracted his fangs and licked her neck. Then he eased his cock
from her ass. She cried out.
"Fuck," he muttered.
"I thought you just did that," she managed to quip.
He chuckled and flopped to the mattress beside her. Her legs slowly sank to the bed
and she groaned. "I'm going to be stiff and sore."
His large hand patted her behind. "Now that you're a vampire, you'll heal faster. A
nap and you'll be as good as new."
"Really?" She turned her head so that she could see him. His hair was plastered to
his forehead and looked totally debauched.
"Really. And you look totally debauched too, by the way."
He was reading her thoughts again. Self-consciously, she swiped at the hair sticking
to her forehead.
Zane grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips. "And you look totally beautiful."
He stared at her for so long, his gaze so somber that she began to get worried. "Thank
you, Sophia. You've made my life whole with your courage and your love. You are
mine now. For forever and beyond."
Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them back. She didn't want to cry. Now was
a time for celebration. "Forever." She batted her eyelashes at him and smiled coyly. "A
quick nap, you said."
"No, not a monster. Just a woman who loves you."
He brushed the curve of her jaw with his hand, tilting it upward. "Maybe that nap
can wait."
Just before his lips touched hers, she whispered. "Maybe it can."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sophia fidgeted as they headed up the walkway toward Lucian's house. It had been
several days since her conversion and Zane had received a phone call almost as soon as
they'd opened their eyes tonight, practically demanding a command appearance in
front of the family. He'd seemed more bemused by it than anything. Neither of them
had ever had much family to talk about, so this was new territory for them both. Sophia
wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but she had the feeling that now that the Dalakis
family had claimed then, there would be no escape.
As always, the door opened before they had a chance to knock. The man standing
there was not one she recognized, but he looked familiar enough that she knew that this
must be the eldest brother, Cristofor. His green eyes examined her from head to toe and
she could feel Zane bristling beside her.
Down, boy. She could tell she'd startled Zane, which pleased her greatly. She was
rapidly getting the hang of all her new powers, including being able to communicate
telepathically with him.
Cristofor transferred his gaze to Zane. "It is good to see you again, cousin. I see you
have brought your woman."
This time it was her turn to bristle, but before she could say anything a woman
appeared in the doorway behind Cristofor. "Oh for heaven's sake, let them in." As
Sophia watched in awe, the woman with short brown hair and golden-brown eyes
shoved the large vampire aside and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Johanna, Cristofor's
wife."
Sophia liked the calm stare and forthright manner of the other woman. Delight and
Laurel Rose had had nothing but wonderful things to say about their sister-in-law. She
held out her hand. "Sophia Daring."
Johanna tucked Sophia's hand into the crook of her arm and led her past the men
and into the house. Sophia's stomach fluttered slightly as her nerves got the better of
her again. She glanced over her shoulder and calmed when she saw that Zane was right
behind her, his eyes narrowed as if he didn't like the separation any more than she did.
The library was crowded, but Sophia knew almost everyone there. Laurel Rose was
curled up on a cozy sofa with Stefan sprawled lazily beside her. Delight and Lucian
stood in front of the fireplace talking with a young man. That must be Delight's
younger brother, she reasoned, noting that his hair coloring was similar to Delight's.
Sam Cassidy was seated in a high-backed chair with Blythe in his lap. Obviously,
there had been a change in that relationship over the past month. Blythe smiled and
waved as they walked in. Sophia could hardly believe the change in the other woman.
She positively radiated happiness and there was a contentment surrounding Cassidy
that hadn't been there before.
All eyes turned toward them as Johanna led her farther i
nto the room. Sophia found
herself staring at the antique furniture, the books in the shelves lining the walls, the
artwork scattered around. Anywhere but at the rest of them. Johanna patted her arm
and then abandoned her to her fate. Knowing she was being cowardly, she squared her
shoulders and faced them.
A strong arm slipped around her waist and she was pulled back against a familiar
hard chest. Sighing, she felt his strength surrounding her both physically and mentally.
She could get through anything with Zane beside her.
She turned to Stefan and Laurel Rose. "I'm sorry about what happened." No need
to mention what night she was talking about. They all knew. "I want to thank you again
for putting your lives at risk to save me. I don't want you to think that I didn't
appreciate it, but I had to send you away that night and make sure you stayed away. I
didn't mean to seem ungrateful."
"Of course you didn't. We never thought anything of the sort." Laurel Rose's
immediate and obviously sincere response went a long way to settling Sophia's nerves.
Stefan strode toward her, looking big and menacing, yet she wasn't afraid. "You
were only trying to protect us, which is hard for a simple male mind to comprehend. It
is our nature to protect and we don't take it well when those under our care put
themselves in danger to shield us." He brushed the side of her face with his hand. "I
may not approve of what you did, but I understand why you did it."
Sophia burst out laughing at his display of masculine arrogance. The corners of
Stefan's mouth turned upward. "I can see that you do not appreciate my thoughtful
discourse on the subject." He glanced over at Laurel Rose. "Surprisingly, neither did my
wife."
Laurel Rose came over to stand beside her husband and was immediately
enveloped in his embrace. "You'll have to forgive them, Sophia. They're very old-
fashioned in their ways, but we love them anyway."
Sophia blushed. She hadn't meant to laugh at Stefan, but really, what else was a
modern woman supposed to do? And she really did appreciate the way that the men all
wanted to protect her. "I didn't mean to laugh." She chuckled when Stefan cocked his
eyebrow. "Okay, so I did mean to laugh, but I do appreciate what you did for me." It
was time to finish the rest of it. She faced the whole room. "I'm sorry for not contacting
any of you since that night. It's not that I didn't want to. It's just that I didn't feel as if I
had the right to. I'm not a member of this family. You barely know me at all."
Cristofor stepped forward, his mere presence instantly commanding every eye in
the room. "You risked your life to protect this family."
"But I'm still not a blood relative."
He stared down his nose, glaring at her. "I see you have been speaking with Zane
and Cassidy."
Now she was totally lost. "I don't understand."
Cristofor sighed as if pained. "Zane is our cousin. There is a blood link to our
family, and even if there was not, it would not matter." He whirled around to pin
Cassidy with his glare. Cassidy just crossed his booted feet at the ankles and glared
back. "Cassidy has become a member of our family as well. There is no blood tie there,
but it does not matter. We are brothers in spirit. Brothers in blood. And you as Zane's
chosen mate have the right to all our protection, all our caring."
Sophia was totally overwhelmed by Cristofor's words. She could feel the sincerity
and the force of his proclamation. He really meant it. For a woman who'd never been
able to depend on anyone in her past, her life had certainly changed in such a short
time, and definitely for the better.
Zane cleared his throat. "I appreciate everything that you've done for me this past
month. All of you."
Lucian smiled. "It is our pleasure. Our family is not so large that we can afford to
lose a single member. You are both welcome in our home and we look forward to
spending time with you both."
Delight was more effusive as she hugged Sophia. With Zane at her back and
Delight at her front, she found herself sandwiched briefly between the two of them.
"I'm so glad that we're going to be sisters."
Sophia licked her suddenly dry lips. Marriage wasn't something that she and Zane
had discussed. "Ah..." She trailed off, not quite knowing how to explain the situation,
but Delight was astute and seemed to grasp the situation immediately.
Propping her hands on her hips, Delight shook her head at Zane. "These men think
that claiming us is enough. You've got to let them know that you want a wedding. You
do, don't you?"
Once again, all eyes were on her. Sophia was beginning to rethink the whole idea of
family.
"Sophia?" Zane turned her so that she was facing him. She could see the concern in
his eyes and tried to smile and shrug it off.
"We can talk about this later."
But Zane was stubborn and shook his head. "We will talk about it now."
"Uh-oh," someone said behind her. She thought it might be Delight.
"Later," she said from between clenched teeth. The man was embarrassing her in
front of his family. She'd kick him in the shins except that would only make things
worse.
He cupped her face gently in his hands and stared down at her with such love that
her irritation immediately faded. "The connection that we have transcends what
mortals share. It goes deeper and is more profound. It is for all eternity. No ceremony
could make me feel more bonded to you. That is done." He smoothed his thumbs over
her brow, trying to wipe away her frown lines. "But if a wedding will make you feel
more secure, then it is my duty to provide one." His grip on her tightened as she
stiffened. "And my pleasure to give it to you." He paused and she could feel the tension
radiating through him. "Will you marry me?"
Speech was impossible. If she tried to say anything, she'd probably burst into tears,
so she nodded instead. Zane swooped down and kissed her. Their mouths melded
together, their lips parting and their tongues mating. Sophia could hear the vague
sounds of congratulations in the background, but even that faded under the onslaught
of Zane's kiss. Now that they were so connected, she could feel his love and lust as it
poured into her. She returned it to him, adding her own emotions to the mix. Her
breasts began to ache and she felt the familiar dampness between her thighs.
Someone cleared their throat. Loudly. Zane pulled back from their kiss but didn't
release her. He smoothed her swollen bottom lip with his thumb. "I forgot where we
were."
"So did I." Her voice was low and raspy, a seductive purr. She cleared her throat
and turned to the waiting crowd. She could feel the heat of embarrassment on her
cheeks, but she didn't care. She was too happy to care. "We're getting married."
The men hugged her, offering their congratulations, but the women dragged her
away from Zane, hugging her over and over as they excitedly began to chatter about
wedding plans. Even Blythe joined them and Sophia realized that she was totally
relaxed around the vampires now. As if she felt Sophia's perusal, Blythe offered her a
smile. "You're one of them now too, aren't you?"
Sophia nodded. "Yes, I am."
"So Cassidy and I are the only humans in the bunch."
"Along with Chase," Delight added, motioning to her younger brother who stood
talking with the men. "But you are still part of our family."
"I'm finally beginning to believe that. Sam and I are getting married." She glanced
over at him and quickly away. It was strange to hear Cassidy referred to by his first
name, but it sounded right coming from Blythe. "He doesn't know it yet. I haven't told
him. But I will. Soon. Maybe after you and Zane are married. I think one wedding at a
time is enough."
"That's wonderful news, Blythe. And I'm glad that you're okay." She hesitated, but
then continued. "Zane told me everything that happened."
For a moment at shadow appeared in Blythe's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "I'm
just glad it's finally over. And I'm glad that you're okay."
"I am sorry about not contacting any of you over the past month, but I just couldn't.
Not with things so uncertain between Zane and myself." She really liked these women,
but never having had female friends before, she wasn't sure how these things worked.
"Totally understandable." Delight took her hand and squeezed. "Our men aren't
the easiest in the world to understand and sometimes they'll drive you crazy." Her gaze
softened as she glanced over at her husband. As if Lucian felt it, he looked up and sent a
smile to Delight that would curl any woman's toes. Delight cleared her throat and
looked away. "As I was saying, they'll drive you crazy some days, but you'll never find
a man who will love you more."
"I know." Sophia was unable to resist finding Zane with her eyes. He was staring at
her and she could feel the brush of his emotions in her mind. Later. The whisper of a
promise flitted through her mind along with a highly erotic image of both of them
naked and entwined in her bed.
Later. She sent the thought winging back to him with a few images of her own. She
felt her body heating up under the intensity of his gaze.
"Earth to Sophia." Laurel Rose laughed as she tugged on Sophia's arm, a knowing
look on her face. "Save that for later. Right now we have a wedding to plan."
Zane watched the women as they gathered around Sophia, laughing and chattering,