Part 4

I felt a shudder run through her, and her remaining tension melted away.

Her hand went from my neck to cradle the back of my head, her fingers tangling in my hair. She tugged, rough but not painful. My body was responsive to her touch, arching against her, my head falling back to expose my neck.

I expected the immediate sharp prick of her fangs, so I was startled when I felt her lips gently press against my hidden scar. Pleasure spilled out, doubled by the pheremones, to fill every part of me. I made a pathetic noise, and Ivy replied with a low growl.

I felt her lips part against my neck, her breath hot against my skin. Sharp canines replaced the soft velvet of her lips, teasing me as they scraped lightly across my skin. She bit down, not hard enough to break my skin, and when I groaned into her ear, she drew back.

Her lips replaced her teeth again, and I felt a line of carefully placed kisses send a bolt of pleasure right to my core. My knees buckled as my body struck into overload, but she caught me in her strong grip, holding me to her with her impressive vamp strength.

And then I felt her teeth slide into me, just above my demon-given vamp scar, the pain quickly overcome by pleasure as she pumped vamp saliva into my blood and soothed the hurt.

There was the immediate burst of desire that made me groan, and then she pulled on me.

I felt like we were reliving the incident in the van, except this time I knew what I wanted. So as she pulled, I gasped, clutching her to me. The desire pulsed again, and I knew Ivy smelled it.

She dug in deeper, and I forgot how to breathe.

I could feel her one hand at my waist still pulling me possessively against her, one thigh pressed between my legs, her incense consuming me, her teeth like twin barbs driving me to the brink of madness.

There was a tingling on the edge of my awareness, and I knew she was beginning to take parts of my aura. I wanted her to have them -that's why I was doing this, right? Or had I merely used this as an excuse?

Her teeth dug harder, pulling my blood from me and into herself, taking my aura with it. Another spike of desire drove into me, deeper this time, and I sobbed into the silence when she pulled away. My mind reeled, not completely understanding why she'd stopped. I tried pulling her back to me, unable to see clearly through the stars dancing in front of my eyes. With the fumbled encouragement, she drove her teeth into me again, and I found myself tangling my hands in her short sin-black hair. She gave a muffled moan, her breath on the ragged edges of my skin pure ecstasy.

I had never quite been able to seperate blood from sex when it came to vampires. To me it was one and the same. Kisten had tried telling me how different they were, that they could mean completely different things, but I could never fully seperate them in my mind. Sure, I knew vamps could bite for the sheer fun of a bite, but I also knew bites almost always led to sex. How could I not seperate them?

And, poor Ivy, she had tried telling me the same thing so many times, but she was the one I'd always worried about the most. She had had to shackle her hunger with love or risk killing people; she couldn't take blood without the sex. Maybe that's why I provoked her constantly, knowing I could very easily find myself dead or at arm's-length with a rather randy vampire. Ivy had said I was an adrenaline junkie... that I needed the feeling of danger to feel alive. Jenks had said it. Kisten had said it. Hell, I think my mother had even said it at one point!

Was that what I was doing now? Pushing her, pushing myself, to get my kicks?

Did it matter?

Of course it did- I wasn't about to hurt Ivy because I wanted to get my rocks off. I was doing this for myself, but I was also doing this for her... to prove to her that I'm not always the tease I pretend to be, and that she's worth loving, flaws and all.

She sensed the change in me the moment I realized how much I'd wanted this, and she pulled back to look into my eyes, the black of her pupils frightening... but she was still there. She hadn't lost control.

I felt the hand at my waist snake under my shirt, and she watched me carefully for a reaction. She was afraid I was going to push her away like I had before, that I really hadn't meant 'all or nothing.'

My mind buzzed, my head feeling light, stumbling at the edge of this immense canyon we had skirted for so long. I knew I had to take the leap, we had come to far to go back, but I was afraid I was going to regret this later... she would regret this later. What if she decided tomorrow that this had all been a great hunt? That since she had taken her prey she would be done with me and free to move on? Why did I care?

I love Ivy, I thought to myself. Well, of course I did! I'd always known that. I'd told her that many times before... but, now... I was sure that I loved Ivy.

I almost burst into tears at the thought. I felt them well up, and I shut my eyes to hold the tears back.

"Rachel?" Ivy's voice cut through my thoughts, and I heard her worry. Worry? Oh, no, she had misunderstood. I opened my eyes, letting my tears fall, and looked up into her face, so close to mine.

Her hand on my stomach faltered, and I could almost feel her pulling away.

"Rachel?" I heard her begin again, as another couple of tears raced down my cheeks. She must think she'd hurt me with that last pull. Or that, emotionally, I was hurting myself.

But my hands were still in her hair, my body still pressed against hers, and when I saw that look of mingled hope and despair on her perfect face, her lips red with my blood, I broke.

"Ivy," I sobbed, a bit surprised she hadn't realized the change in my thoughts. She'd always been so keen on them before. Maybe my thoughts had never really changed, I'd only now come to realize them... "Oh, God, Ivy, I-" She was watching me, fear claiming her eyes as she waited for me to turn her away again. "I need you... back in me." Okay, not what I'd wanted to say, and definately not how I wanted that to come out -can we say cheap whore?... but the predatory, dominating look was back in her eyes, and she ducked to bite me again.

Her teeth slid in easily, forcing another wave of desire. This time I seized onto it, not afraid anymore.

I moaned heavily against her shoulder, and her hand slid higher until it played across the side of my ribs and dangerously close to the small swell of my breast. I pushed myself against the thigh between my legs, and suddenly my desire shifted to aroused need.

Ivy knew it, smelled it, and was freed by it.

She pulled again, and this time I could feel her tender reverence as she took my blood in. The way her lips worried at the wound felt like a worshipping prayer, a smoldering heat where her hands touched my skin.

At the end of another pull she pushed back, fresh blood on her lips, and before she could say anything (damn her, she was probably going to ask if I was still okay) I caught her lips with my own. I couldn't see her expression, as I'd closed my eyes to the haze of bliss that had me focused on the velvet of her mouth, but I heard her sigh.

After the first awkward, fumbling moment, she seemed willing enough to let me take what I wanted of her in the kiss. It was briefly tender, and then she parted her lips to let me inside. I turned it rough quickly, lost to the high of adrenaline. I could feel her sharp teeth and taste my blood on her tongue.

I'm not sure when one of my hands found her cheek, but it had.

My breathing was ragged as we pulled apart, and my arousal burned in my eyes even as hers were questioning. I think I was shaking, though I couldn't tell if it was from the desire or the pheremone-high.

Perhaps it was a bit of both.

Ivy studied me briefly, scenting my willingness. There was the beginnings of a smile on her lips, and I rushed in to claim it.

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