Season of Sin Read online

  I turn and see him pulling the door shut.

  The color of the grass matches his eyes.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this… but are you… did you come from here?”

  “What do you mean?” he asks with a sly grin, knowing what I meant.

  “Like, did you die here and rise up from the ground?”

  “Are you calling me a zombie?”

  “You are undead, aren’t you?”

  “No. I am dead. Just like you.”

  “But we’re walking. Talking. What does that mean?”

  Kyran steps up to me, standing two feet taller than me. It should scare the living hell out of me, but all it does is threaten my legs to quiver and my panties to get soaked.

  “We’re on the other side of death, angel,” he whispers to me. “A side that many fear, all want, but few have.”

  “Is this where you tell me to consider myself lucky?”

  “No. Lucky is a comfort blanket to those who breathe in the living air.”

  “And what is this around me? It looks real. It smells real.”

  Kyran looks up to the crusted, brown vines above our heads.

  Of course, he’s able to reach up and touch them. Me? I’d need an eight foot ladder to get up there. The tip of his finger touches one of the vines and there’s a bright spark of green. A moment later the brown color comes to life, a richer color. There’s a small, cloudy orb dangling off the vine and it suddenly begins to fill, like a balloon attached to a faucet. The color is a beautiful purple. It stops when it’s the size of a marble. Kyran then plucks it from the vine and brings it down to my lips.

  He touches it to my lips and it’s cool, soft, a flirting hint of juice.

  “What is this?” I whisper.

  “A grape, angel,” he says. “Created just for your lips and your taste.”

  “I’m dead but I’m able to eat,” I say.

  I already ate pizza and it was delicious. But a grape? I really didn’t enjoy the whole fruit thing. Then again, I had a seven foot tall vampire wanting me to eat the grape. Maybe in death I could take better care of myself. Balance my diet with pizza, grapes, and four men who wanted to tear me apart.

  I open my mouth and flick my tongue forward, knowing I’m teasing Kyran.

  His eyes go wide as my tongue slips along the soft skin of the grape. He parts his mouth, showing his fangs. To be fair, I’m torturing myself too. Because I can’t help but imagine my tongue sliding around his…

  I shut my eyes and inch forward, taking the grape from him.

  I bite into it and the explosion of juice makes me jump. I reach for Kyran and he quickly holds me as my knees lose feeling. It’s the most delicious grape I’ve ever tasted. But more so… it’s almost orgasmic. The feeling rushes through me. I stare up at Kyran, knowing he’s done something to make this happen.

  “Walk with me, angel,” he says.

  “Can I have more grapes?” I ask.

  He laughs. “In time.”

  He forces me to turn and slides his hand into mine.

  We begin to walk along the path and I’m slowly getting lost in the garden.

  “This was once all mine,” Kyran says.

  “Once?”

  “Still is. I don’t care as much as I used to.”

  “Why not?”

  “I just don’t,” he says. I feel a surge of sadness go through me.

  I turn my head and let out a yelp when I realize what’s happening. Behind us, everything that was once green is now blooming and then dying. Within seconds of one another. A beautiful green stem bends toward Kyran as he walks. The closed bud quickly opens, showing off a bright yellow flower with a purple center. The petals reach for him and begin to wilt. They curl, twisting into themselves. Droplets of water and nectar fall to the ground. The ones that hit the black stones sizzle, smoke, and are gone in a second. Then the flower itself turns brown and dies.

  All of this happening within seconds. And it’s happening to every single plant we pass by.

  “Who are you?” I ask Kyran.

  That’s when he stops. “I’m only in existence because of you, angel. If you weren’t here, I would no longer be here.”

  “Everything dies around you. It blooms and it dies. What does that mean?”

  “It means I’ll give you my everything. From beginning to end, Astrid. Darick showed you the hall. He explained the history of the hunters. Of the blood that was never able to be found. I was murdered for the blood.”

  “Murdered…”

  “The nectar,” Kyran whispers. “They wanted it. They thought it was something like a holy liquid.”

  “They?”

  “Vampires.”

  “You were human.”

  “We all were at one point.”

  “You’re not like the others, Kyran. You have a story in your eyes. Seth is cold. He embraces who he is. Layre is just here to be here. Darick thinks he belongs on a motorcycle, attacking people. But not you. You’re different.”

  “Be careful with assuming,” Kyran says.

  “Do you even want me like the others?”

  “I kissed you.”

  “So what? A kiss is nothing.”

  He touches my waist with one hand. “Astrid… you’re in my garden. The world I’ve created and the world I can destroy.”

  “Then destroy me, Kyran,” I whisper. “Show me what you are. Tell me your story.”

  “Again, with the commanding.”

  “Fine. Then I’ll force you.”

  “How so?”

  It was a stupid move to make, but I stepped one foot off the black stone and onto the grass. As though I was going to squish and mess up the luscious grass.

  Little did I know that it was the exact thing that would set Kyran off for good.

  7.

  “Try me,” he growls.

  “Try you? How about you try me?”

  I step off the rock completely and I’m on the grass. Even through my black flip-flops I can feel how soft the ground is.

  “Get back on the rocks now,” Kyran orders me.

  “No,” I say. “You all need me. You all want me. I have what you want.”

  “And we all have what you need, angel,” he says.

  He opens his mouth and shows his fangs. They’re engorged, throbbing with rage. I wonder what it’s like to watch him and the others feed. I have to assume they drink blood. It’s how they survive, right? What about my blood? If it’s so important, why don’t they just feast on me and live forever? Or maybe I’m just some kind of pawn in a bigger picture of things I know nothing about.

  “How did I die?” I ask.

  “Get on the fucking rocks,” he growls back at me.

  “Make me,” I say.

  I kick one foot forward, throwing my flip-flop at him. I repeat the move with my other foot, missing him completely, but oh well, the message is sent. I’m not standing down. The ground is the softest thing I’ve ever felt. I try hard not to show that I’m shocked and pleased at the same time. I keep my face in a scowl, wanting to hate Kyran for what he’s doing. And I want him to get mad at me.

  My instincts are telling me to keep pushing.

  “Don’t make me…”

  I reach back and grab a green stem. The flower hasn’t budded yet. I rub it between my fingers and smell my hand. It has a rich, earthy smell, an almost sweetness like the smell of the flowers on a tomato plant, if you’ve ever smelled one.

  “Don’t fucking touch anything else,” he says.

  I lift my right foot and drive my heel into the ground and twist.

  His entire body swells in size.

  Holy shit, he’s going to attack me.

  I’m still not going to back down from him.

  I lift my left foot, ready to do the same thing. My plan from there is to fall to the ground and start rolling in the grass and the garden. I’ll look a complete idiot, but I don’t care. I’m already dead. I have no idea where I am or what day of the wee
k it is. Or if time even matters anymore.

  I grit my teeth, staring down the seven foot tall hunky dead man-creature-thing. I feel the tip of a blade of grass touch my heel and that’s when Kyran makes his move.

  He jumps at me with speed and force. His arms go around me as I brace myself for whatever it feels like to die when you’re already dead. I don’t even bother to grab at him. Instead, I put my hands out and scream, purposely exposing my neck for him too.

  I hear him growl and feel as though I’m being shot out of one of those roller coasters that go from zero to sixty in like two seconds. The entire world around me is a blur of greens and browns, and my feet are no longer on the ground. I feel his hands holding my back as I’m tight against his rock hard body. And speaking of hard, the way I’m positioned, I can feel something against my belly. A thickness not so hidden from inside his jeans.

  I scream again, not sure if I’m loving this or scared.

  He makes another wild growling sound and I feel something against my neck.

  It’s his fangs.

  The harsh tips against my skin.

  “Take my blood,” I yell to him as we speed up.

  The colors are slamming together around me. It’s as if someone has taken green, brown, yellow, and orange paint and is throwing it at Kyran, but it never hits him. He’s creating the colors. He’s forcing me… somewhere.

  His fangs are against my neck, but he never bites me. He never presses hard enough to draw blood.

  I’m angry. I hate him. I hate all of them. Yet I want them. I crave them in the same way they crave me. They’re the answers to my questions, just as I’m the answer to theirs.

  “Stop!” I finally yell.

  And everything stops.

  The world is no longer spinning in brilliant color.

  I feel myself thud against an object and turn my head to see it’s a tree. A large weeping willow tree, soft branches curled like arms and fingertips,dangling, creating a canopy for us.

  “What happened to you?” I whisper to Kyran.

  His fangs run up my neck to my ear. “They took everything. And now I live eternally in pain.”

  His lips suddenly brush against mine, stealing my next question - and any words I had after that.

  We kiss hard and fast, my tongue quickly darting into his mouth, wanting to find his fangs. The second my tongue touches one, I groan. I press my tongue hard, wanting to hurt myself. Why do I want to hurt myself? I don’t know. I press as hard as I can, but the fang doesn’t penetrate my tongue.

  Kyran pulls away from the kiss and shakes his head.

  I open my mouth and he kisses me again.

  His hands touch my waist, driving me harder against the tree. He’s rough, but that’s only by nature. He can’t control it. And I can’t control the way my hips buck at him, wanting him to take care of me. The swell of my body collides with the nature surrounding us and I begin to lose all control.

  As Kyran breaks the kiss, I reach for him. My hands graze the top of his jeans. I swear my fingertips touch the smooth, hard muscle laced skin under his shirt. He grabs my hands and throws them back. I quickly try to move my hands forward again but I’m restrained.

  “No,” I whisper as Kyran shows me his fangs again. “I want to touch you.”

  “Not this time, babe,” a familiar voice says.

  I turn my head to the left and Darick is standing there. He’s holding my left wrist back. I whip my head to the other side and see Layre standing there, holding my right wrist. He winks at me and puckers his lips and blows a kiss at me. I feel a sudden warmth spread across my lips and I groan.

  When I look forward, I see Kyran just a foot away from me. Beyond him is Seth. Standing there, tall and beautiful, his eyes crystal clear and blue.

  “Right now,” I say. “Right now. I need to feel it.”

  “Done,” Seth whispers.

  He snaps his fingers and when I blink my eyes, the scene changes.

  We’re all no longer outside in the garden that Kyran walked me through. We’re in a dark room with a very faint light. Just enough light that I can see the vampires but nothing else. I feel as though I’m against something soft, like velvet. I’m in another room in the house. Darick still holding my left wrist. Layre holding my right wrist. He uses his other hand to touch the palm of my hand. He playfully draws what I think is a heart.

  My eyes are laser focused forward. I see the blue aura coming from Seth’s eyes as he stands maybe ten feet away.

  Kyran touches me, his long fingers curling between my legs, over my jeans.

  I can smell the earthly scent of his skin, mixed with lavender and sadness. His green eyes are gorgeous as they melt into me, turning me into nothing but gooey honey between my legs. He brings his fingers up and with one quick swipe, my jeans are open.

  I pull at my hands, wanting to take my clothes off for him. For all of them.

  “Easy, babe,” Darick whispers. “You’ve broken Kyran down. Now you get what you want.”

  “We all get what we want,” Layre says with a wicked laugh.

  “No more talking,” Seth says. “The only sounds are our angel as she comes. We may not be able to drink her blood, but we will savor her nectar.”

  “Yes,” Kyran growls as he inches even closer to me.

  He bends his knees and lowers down to kiss me. We kiss hard and fast. I forget about the fangs for the moment. All I can think about is the raging need flowing through my body. I’m thankful I can still feel what I feel, considering I’m dead.

  Kyran’s strong hands touch my hips and he rips my jeans - and panties - down in one quick move. He steps forward and plants his massive foot to the center of my clothes down at my ankles.

  “Step out,” he orders me. “So you can spread your honeypot wide open for me.”

  “Fuck,” I whisper. I grit my teeth and turn my head a little, exposing my neck to him. “Bite me, Kyran. Taste my blood.”

  “I cannot,” he whispers.

  “None of us can,” Seth says.

  “You said you all bit me when I was sleeping,” I say.

  “We tried, angel,” Layre says. “But we cannot drink it.”

  “I want you to bite me,” I order Kyran. “Or else… GO.”

  At the word GO, Kyran stumbles back as though someone has pushed him hard against his chest. He lowers his gaze and curls his lip.

  I’m throbbing between my legs. My nub is tender and pulsing, almost like a signal, calling for attention. I pull at my hands again, ready to touch myself, just to explode. Darick and Layre have a really tight grip on me. I’m pretty sure I can escape if I want to. But truthfully, I like this. I like them holding me. I like being able to push Kyran away. I like the way Seth looks angry, maybe even jealous that I’m exposed and Kyran gets first crack at me.

  “You want me to bite you,” Kyran says. “Then I will.”

  “Brother, you know you cannot do that,” Seth says.

  Kyran walks toward me again. I show him my neck, ready.

  He touches my neck and licks his lips. “No, angel. Not there.”

  “What?”

  Kyran places his fingertips against me, between my legs, making small circles that steal my words and force every muscle in my body to tighten.

  He smiles, looking happier than I’ve ever seen him. “I’m biting you here.”

  8.

  He kneels before me, his hands resting against my curved hips. My bare ass is against the soft velvet behind me. For a quick second, Kyran looks up at me and flashes his fangs. I’m quivering in all the right (maybe wrong) areas for him. I look left to right, seeing Darick and Layre showing their fangs. Straight ahead of me is Seth.

  Fuck.

  Kyran comes forward and kisses my soft mound. I shiver and look down, demanding I see his tongue graze my slit. His tongue does come forward, slicing between my wet folds, quickly curling up, thrusting against my puckering center. I gasp as his tongue enters me. He swirls his tongue, fighting against my t
ightness, sending waves of pressure and pleasure throughout my body. I pull at my hands, wanting to grab his hair and pull him tighter against my pussy, but I’m being held.

  Kyran slides his tongue from me and moves up. His lips ease over my clit and he sucks. The noise is wet and sloppy, being done on purpose to make the pleasure instantly mount. My toes curl, feeling the softness of the carpet beneath my feet. I thrust at him, needing more.

  “More,” I manage to whisper.

  Kyran pulls back and his mouth makes a loud pop sound as he breaks away from my sex. His hands run up my body, under my shirt. He’s so fucking tall, his arms so fucking long, he reaches my breasts with ease. And then he keeps going. His hands find my neck, gently pressing my head back. That’s when I feel his tongue again. Unable to move my hands. Unable to look down at him. I’m at his mercy, yet I’m the one still in control. I can smell the desire coming off all four of them. It’s not my sweet scent that’s pouring from between my legs. I can smell something fiery, almost like cinnamon coming from Layre. To my left, a leathery smell seeps from Darick. Down between my legs, my honey mixes with the earthly honey of Kyran’s skin. And straight across from me is Seth and his icy, almost minty smell that attacks me.

  “Yes,” I groan as I thrust at Kyran’s mouth.

  My ass flexes as I pump at him, grinding against his face.

  His mouth suckles my pussy as his tongue darts in all directions. My clit is like a weak fighter getting pounded by the stronger man. I’m already on the very edge of climax, my insides feeling ready to explode. I squirm and writhe my neck, wanting to get free so I can watch him work me. When his hands do leave my neck, they inch down and pull at my bra, ripping it down below my breasts with ease. His soft hands slide against my tender nipples, making them stiffen.

  “Kyran,” I groan. I finally look down.