Zane’s Redemption (28 page)

“What are you saying? What happened to her?” The impatience in Lewis’ voice was instantly replaced with panic.

Gabriel immediately realized that he cared for his daughter. After the things Samson had relayed to him about Zane’s bizarre claim that her father wanted to keep her a virgin for some perverted reason, Gabriel hadn’t expected him to show the kind of concern that was now evident in his voice. It only cemented his own belief that Zane had to be wrong.

“She’s still in our care.”

“What does that mean?” Lewis yelled into the phone, prompting Gabriel to move the handset away from his ear.

“What Mr. Woodford means is that no harm has come to her,” Gabriel interjected.

“Get her on the phone! NOW!”

“Uh, Mr. Lewis, there’s something I need to discuss with you before you can speak to your daughter.”

A snarl ripped through the line. This wasn’t going well, and why should it? The man had a right to speak to his daughter, and he knew it. No amount of stalling was going to get them out of this quagmire.

“Your daughter has made certain claims, and I’m afraid that we’re compelled to investigate these alleg—”

“What lies has she been telling you?”

“We’re not sure at this point whether they are lies. Your daughter has convinced at least one of our employees to take her allegations seriously, and considering the seriousness of her claim and the potential implications on your daughter’s future, we have decided to look into this.”

Look into this? Samson was twisting the truth just a little more than usual. The one who was looking into this, or more likely
thrusting into this
was Zane, Gabriel thought with a bitter laugh.

“You have no right to deny me access to my daughter! She’s a minor, and by law, she—”

“There is more than one law that governs vampires and hybrids,” Samson interrupted, a dangerous edge to his voice now. “And while I understand very well that the right of a father is a primary one, it does not override the laws of our society.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your laws. My daughter is mine! All I asked you to do was protect her. And what do you do? Listen to her stupid blabbering.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched. So much for the care for his daughter. It wasn’t concern for her wellbeing that had shown through early in the conversation, it was something else entirely. He pushed the thought away, not wanting to follow it to its conclusion.

“Mr. Lewis,” Samson continued undeterred. “We can discuss this—”

“Oh, we’ll discuss this!” Lewis yelled. “As soon as the sun sets, I’m on the next plane to San Francisco, and my daughter had better be waiting for me, or some heads will roll!”

With his threat, the call disconnected.

Samson exhaled on the other line. “You still there, Gabriel?”

“Yep. This didn’t go well.”

“I didn’t expect it to go well. But at least we have a few more hours before we have to face him. Anything new on Zane’s location?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Our contacts have come up empty. Lauren hasn’t heard from Portia either, even though those two are thick as thieves. But Thomas is working on hacking into Zane’s accounts to see if he can find something.”

“Good. And Quinn? He must know something.”

Gabriel rubbed his neck. “I thought so too, but I can’t get anything out of him.”

“Has Zane used his credit card anywhere?”

“He’s too careful for that. Even if he needed gas for the car, I’m sure he paid cash. Let’s face it, if he doesn’t want to be found, we won’t find him.”

“Then we have to figure out a way to draw him out.”

“And how are we gonna do that?”

There was a pause of quiet contemplation before Samson replied, “Get me Quinn. He went to see Thomas last night. I want to know what it was about.”

“Why not ask Thomas?”

“Because Quinn knows something nobody else does. I just have that gut feeling about it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“So do I.”

A click in the line told Gabriel that Samson had disconnected the call.

He sighed.

Behind him, a sound alerted him to the presence of his wife. He turned and smiled at Maya as she floated right into his arms.

“You look worried, baby.”

Gabriel sank his face into her long dark hair and inhaled her intoxicating scent. “That’s because I am.”

“Do you really think Zane will hurt her?”

“If she lied to him, yes.” For Portia’s sake, he hoped she wasn’t hiding anything from Zane.

“But that’s not why you’re worried. There’s something about her father, isn’t there?”

There was little he could hide from Maya, and not just because of their blood-bond. Even without it, she would have known when something was wrong.

“He gave me a chill. There was something in his voice that I didn’t like.”

Maya tilted her head, giving him a questioning look. “More than just a father concerned for his daughter?”

“Oh, he’s concerned all right, but the way he said she was his, it wasn’t right. He considers her his property.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Which means he thinks he can do with her what he wants.” And Gabriel wasn’t sure Lewis’ intentions were in the best interest of his daughter, whatever they were.

“Then you think that Zane might be right after all, that her father wants her to remain a virgin?”

“And if Zane is right, the only question is: why?”

Maya stroked her hand over the pulsing scar on his face. “What if it doesn’t matter anymore?”

He raised a questioning eyebrow. “My sweet wife, I’m not sure I’m following.”

“Whatever the reason for it was, it won’t matter anymore. After spending over twenty-four hours alone with Zane, do you really think she’s still a virgin?”

Not a chance
, Gabriel mused.

Exactly
, Maya responded, sending her thoughts directly to his mind.

***

“Listen, Samson,” Quinn insisted, pacing in his boss’ study, “if I knew where he was, I’d tell you.”

“Portia’s father will be here in less than twelve hours. What do you want me to tell him?”

“Tell him the truth?”

“And what is the truth, Quinn?”

“The truth?” Quinn exhaled, collecting his thoughts. “I baited Zane to come back. I dangled in front of him what he wants most.”

“Explain.”

“I left him a voicemail and sent an email with information he’s been looking for for years.”

“You made something up? He might have smelled a rat.”

 “He probably did smell a rat, but I didn’t make it up. I found what he was looking for.”

“Does this have anything to do with your visit to Thomas or was that a social call?”

Surprised, Quinn stood still. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t pry any further. I can’t tell you anything without breaking Zane’s confidence.”

Samson nodded his understanding. “And still he won’t come out of hiding? Why do you think that is?”

Quinn let himself fall onto the couch, more weary than tired all of a sudden. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

“Don’t make me guess. You know how I hate that.”

“He isn’t coming out of hiding because he’d rather be with Portia. Isn’t that telling you enough?”

“You can’t possible think that Zane … No, he’s not capable of …” Samson shook his head in slow motion.

“And why not? He’s a man just like any of us. Just because he’s never shown any feelings doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any. Maybe she triggered something in him. Maybe she’s exactly what he needs.”

Samson jaw dropped. “An innocent? You can’t be serious.”

“I bet she’s not that innocent anymore.”

“What do you think he’s planning to do with her?”

Fuck her, mate her
, Quinn wanted to say, but held his tongue. Samson could figure that out for himself. “How long until her twenty-first birthday?”

Samson dropped his head to the file in front of him, his eyes scanning the paper. “Four and a half weeks.”

“You asked me what I think he’ll do. Here’s my best guess: he’ll keep her hidden until she’s of age.”

“To keep her away from her father?”

Quinn nodded even though he knew it wasn’t the complete answer. If Zane had really fallen for Portia, then he would want something more from her. He’d have to wait until her twenty-first birthday before she was old enough to give her consent to mate her. Her father would never give it; that much was clear already. If he didn’t want his daughter to lose her virginity, he didn’t want her to mate the meanest vampire out there.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Zane turned his back to the computer and smiled at Portia. He hadn’t smiled as much in over sixty years as he’d smiled in the last twenty-four hours.

“Your pizza is on its way. Just explain one thing to me: the fridge is chock-full with human food, and you want take-out food?”

“It’s not any different from you wanting one particular type of blood. Don’t you ever have cravings?” she teased.

Zane rose and went for her, but she ran toward the door and swung it open. Z instantly came running from his place in front of the fireplace, wagging his tail.

“Oh, I have cravings, baby girl.” And right now he had a very particular one. Ever since he’d tasted her blood and confessed his love to her, something had changed. A carefree atmosphere suddenly filled the cabin, and his heart. They both laughed and joked more freely. Yet whenever their gazes met, the heat was instantly there, the fire between them burning brighter than before.

Portia giggled and snatched her jacket off the hook next to the door. “Then you understand.” She cast a look over her shoulder and winked mischievously. “And if you want me to satisfy your particular craving later, I’d better get my pizza to get my strength back.”

A rumble from deep in his chest left his lips as a suppressed moan. “I ordered you an extra large one.”

Portia crouched down and stroked the excited pup’s fur. “Come, let’s go outside and play in the snow.”

“May I join in the fun?” Zane asked and reached for his own jacket, not waiting for a reply.

Her thick dark lashes swept upwards in a graceful move. “Only if you behave.”

“Depends on what you call behaving.”

She chuckled. “I think I’m going to have my hands full with you. Your dog has much better manners than you.” She turned to the pooch and rubbed his neck. “Don’t you think so, Z?”

With two steps he was at the door, pulling her up and against him. “I can behave, but I’ll need an incentive.”

“What kind of incentive?” her voice was breathy, and despite the thick clothes she wore, he smelled her blooming arousal.

“A little treat afterwards.” Zane pressed his hips into her, letting her feel what he had in mind. He was used to his constant hard-on by now and had given up trying to hide it or trying to get it down. There was no point. Portia would get used to it, and by the looks of it, she didn’t mind his constant hunger for her one bit. She hadn’t turned him down once yet.

In fact, it appeared as if she’d bloomed and opened up like a beautiful flower in the summer. Everything about her was more feminine, softer, and more sensual than before. Even her movements had become more graceful. She was all woman now.

“I see you have a present for me.” She rubbed herself against him, confidently and seductively.

The dog’s impatient barking made him shift his gaze away from his prize. “I’m afraid you’ve spoiled him already. We’d better take him out, or he’s going to interrupt us later …”

“ … and we don’t want that,” she finished his sentence.

Minutes later, they were playing in the snow, chasing the dog and each other. There was sufficient light from the cabin to illuminate the flat ground in front of it, and Zane’s vampire night vision allowed him to survey the area, making sure they were alone. Despite his carefree attitude, he never forgot his training. He was still her bodyguard. But things had changed. Now he protected her because he loved her and couldn’t bear losing her. If anything happened to her, it would destroy him.

But there were still obstacles to overcome until he could make Portia his. She wasn’t of age yet, and from all he’d heard about her father, he knew he wouldn’t consent to a union between them. It left him no choice but to wait the few weeks until she turned twenty-one. Then she could make her own decisions.

Sure, he could mate with her now, but her father could appeal to the vampire council and nullify their union. And their decision would be clear: Zane would be in the wrong, and Portia would be taken from him. As a blood-bonded mate, it would mean certain death to him. While Portia as a hybrid would be able to continue eating human food, his body would only accept her blood as nourishment after the blood-bond. Deprived of the only blood his body would recognize, he would starve.

If Portia were a full blooded vampire, things would be different. They would feed off each other but not at the exclusion of other blood. But a hybrid’s blood initiated the same changes in a blood-bonded vampire male as a human’s blood did. Both Samson and Amaury had experienced this change when they had blood-bonded with humans. Now they were entirely vulnerable and dependent on the women they loved. At their mercy. At the same time, they had bestowed part of their immortality onto their mates: as long as their human wives drank their vampire husbands’ blood, they wouldn’t age. But they remained human.

And while he wasn’t bonded to Portia yet, Zane felt as much at her mercy as if he were. And strangely enough, the thought didn’t frighten him.

A snow ball hit him squarely in the chest. He stared in the direction it had come from.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Portia offered with a laugh that reached all the way to her eyes.

“Not for sale.” She would get into his head soon enough. Once they were bonded, they would have a connection more intense and intimate than any human couple could ever dream of. He could barely wait for that moment when their bodies and mind connected, never to be separated.

Bending down, Zane gathered some snow in his hands and formed a ball. His aim was dead on, and he hit her sweet bottom as she ran away from him. He chased her, knowing it was what she wanted.