A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) (15 page)

Chapter 11

We arrive at the beautiful restaurant and Christien sweeps me inside. I feel no regret for the hit I performed here not that long ago, but I cannot stop my gaze from glancing at the table where the woman was sitting. Christien’s hand tightens on my waist as we move into a private dining room. The room has lavish burgundy wall coverings with gold trimmings. The dining table covered in a cream tablecloth gleams with fine china. I take the seat to the right of the head of the table. Christien takes his seat at the head and motions for a waiter. The waiter promptly steps up next to him and offers to take our drink order. He orders us each a glass of fine wine as he takes my hand.

“You are nervous.” He states while squeezing my hand gently. “You have no need to be.”

Not even realizing what I am doing, I look down at my other hand clutching a cloth napkin I do not remember grabbing. “I guess I am.” I place the napkin on my lap. “I am weary about walking into a vampire lair. I have made a point to interact with vampires as little as possible my entire life. Within a few weeks, I am neck deep in vampire politics.”

“I will keep you safe,
amour
. You have no need to worry. There will be no fighting this night. I would not want you to ruin the beautiful dress you are wearing. I am looking forward to peeling it off you tonight when we return home. This will only be a meeting to figure out what he wants in return for me and mine to stay in the city.”

“Don’t say that there will be no fighting. You never know what to expect from vampires.”

“You have such a strong disliking of vampires.” Christien muses. “I am beginning to understand why you would not talk to me when I first approached you. No matter, I will do whatever necessary to keep you safe tonight.”

“The Master of the City has granted you an audience. He wishes to see you and the mistress within an hour. He says that each of you may only bring one guard.”

“I understand. Please return to the house and have Pantor and Brigita return with blood for Jessica. They will be our guards tonight.” Christien demands.

The vampire nods and leaves the room without a sound.

“Who is Brigita?” I ask.

“She is your new bodyguard. She is a powerful vampire and very well trained in security. Anywhere you go from now on, she will join you.” Christien announces.

“Wait a minute...”

He raises a hand to stop my protest. “Anytime that I am unavailable to join you, she can accompany you. I understand that you are a very independent woman and need your privacy. She will remain at a discreet distance if you wish. In effect, she will become your shadow. As a mate of a master vampire, you must understand that you will now be a target. I do not have many enemies, but there are some. Do not forget that Hassan is still out there. If you do not approve of my choice of bodyguard, you may choose another from my get. I have several women to choose from that are more than capable of guarding you in the city. They will obey you as they obey me. If you are working, she will allow you to do your job and not interfere unless you are in danger. Please, I beg you not to fight me on this Jessica.”

“You really expect me to have a baby sitter forever? Look, I do appreciate what you are offering, but I have been fine on my own for a long time. Just because I have decided to stick around you for a while, it doesn’t mean that you are going to control my life.” I rant angrily.

Christien’s jaw tightens. The waiter returns with the dessert cart.

My eyes widen and my jaw slackens with awe. I look over at Christien with my pleading eyes and he nods. I point to a piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and a lemon tart accompanied by a lemon mousse. The waiter places them in front of me and I fight hard not to drool.

I take a bite of the cheesecake and moan. “This is perfect.”

His anger dissipating, Christien watches me with an amused look.

It does not take me long to finish the cheesecake and work my way to the lemon tart. I am about to take a bite of it when my hand freezes halfway to my mouth. Pantor and a young, gorgeous, blonde bombshell step into the room. Pantor is wearing a dark gray Armani suit with matching tie. His shirt is blood red. The woman is wearing a skintight, gold dress adorned with expensive gold jewelry. They both bow and curtsy respectfully before the woman approaches my side.

“Hello mistress. I am Brigita.” She offers her hand to me. I put my fork down and accept her hand. “I will be your guard. You may count on me to keep you safe.”

Her accent is strange to me. It is not strong, but I can tell that she is not American. I let go of her hand and give her a second look. Christien and Pantor are watching me carefully. “I can keep myself safe. I don’t need a bodyguard. This is Christien’s idea, not mine.”

She giggles. “Good, my job will be easy then.” She holds out her hand to Pantor and Pantor gives her some type of moneybag that people strap across their waist. “Here is your blood mistress. I understand you do not like it cold so I warmed it before arriving.”

I stare at her for a few moments before accepting the bag. True to her word, I can feel the warmth of the blood through the material. I rest the bag on my lap, under my napkin as she claims a place near the wall on my left. I take a final bite of the lemon mousse and rinse my mouth with water.

“I’m ready to go. I think I’ll save the blood for later.” I state confidently.

“I would prefer you drink before we arrive. I would not want your blood thirst to rise while we are negotiating.” Christien counters.

All eyes are on me. “I would like a little privacy then.”

Christien nods and everyone leaves. Only Christien and I remain.

I empty several bags of blood quickly, careful not to dribble on my dress. Satisfied with my thirst sated, Christien pays the bill and escorts me to the waiting limousine outside. Pantor and Brigita are already inside waiting for us. Brigita is sitting directly across from me, Pantor across from Christien as the car lurches forward.

My respect for her climbs several notches considering that she can hide that many weapons in such a tight dress and not have them noticeable.

“I am also trained in several styles of martial arts. I heard you are also an excellent fighter. I would enjoy sparring with you sometimes. The men tend to be lenient on me even though I tell them not to be. It would be nice to have a partner that is willing to challenge me.” Brigita comments smugly.

Not only does my respect for her climb even more but I am also beginning to like her. “It’s a date. I look forward to challenging your skills and gaining more of my own.”

I pull out a mirror and refresh my makeup as we are pulling into the drive. If I thought the house would be large like Christien’s, I was sorely mistaken. The house we pull up to is in a moderate neighborhood with houses on each side. It looks like a normal family home. Two stories, probably three or four bedrooms. Nothing fancy like I would believe a Master of the City would be holding up in.

Christien and Pantor exit first, offering a hand to Brig and me to follow. An older vampire, probably turned in his forties or early fifties, greets us at the door and lets us inside. After seeing Christien’s lavish decorating, the moderate décor in the foyer does not impress me. I slide my hand under Christien’s arm and put on my game face. The vampire escorts us into a sitting room and bows out of the room. We all stand patiently waiting for someone to join us. We do not have to wait long. A vampire in his late thirties, early forties, enters the room joined by a few other vampires and takes a seat in a chair at the head of the room.

The man motions for us to take a seat. Christien guides me to the couch nearest to the man and sits down, keeping me close to his side. I cross my legs at the slit, allowing my leg to show up to my mid thigh. The vampire’s gaze locks on my exposed thigh and glides up my body to my face. His eyes flash with desire as they return to my cleavage. His gaze lingers a moment before he directs his attention to Christien.

“Master Christien Aleran. I understand that you have requested permission to stay in my city.”

“Yes. Did you enjoy my gift?” Christien asks with interest.

The master’s eyes wander over my body again before he answers. “Your gift is very interesting. I will admit that I was not impressed at first at your offering, but took your advice to taste it before holding judgment. I am curious about the substance within the wine.”

I tilt my head to the side, exposing my neck and slide my hand up to my earring. The master’s eyes snap to my neck and his eyes flash silver.

My hand drops back to my lap as I continue to flirt with the master of the city. I adjust my crossed legs and the master’s body leans forward slightly, mouth open, eyes silver with desire.

It takes several moments for the master to gather his composure and sit back in his seat. He crosses his legs and tries to keep his attention on Christien, but his eyes keep darting back to me. “One percent is hardly enough for me to consider.”

“I believe ten thousand a month is quite acceptable.” Christien replies.

I rest my head gently on Christien’s shoulder and put a fingertip in my mouth, sucking on it gently. I can hear the master’s growl of approval as my tongue circles my finger.

“Ten thousand a month does sound reasonable if you include one night with her.” The master offers.

My heart stutters in panic, stopping my tongue in mid stroke. Christien gently squeezes my other hand and I relax. I rub my wet finger across my bottom lip, leaving moisture in its wake before sliding my fingers down my neck and chest to return to my lap.

My eyes narrow in annoyance at Christien and soften as they meet the master’s eyes. It is clear from his body language that he is considering Christien’s offer. I glance at the guards on each side of him and they are both staring at me with lust in their eyes, oblivious to the negotiations going on.

“A vampire kiss and you have a deal.” The master finally replies.

“She may give you a vampire kiss, but you may not feed from her.” Christien responds firmly.

I raise my head up and run my tongue over my teeth, stroking my fangs with my tongue. The vampire’s breathing catches and he nods. “Deal.”

Christien extends his hand to the vampire and he shakes it quickly. I look at Christien uncertainly and he smiles approvingly.

“
You know what will happen if I feed from him Christien.”
I send telepathically as he guides me to the master’s chair.

“
I am counting on it.”
He sends back as he extends my hand towards the vampire.

Reluctantly, I take the Master of the City’s hand. He pulls me on to his lap and strokes my leg. I look back at Christien. His face is empty of emotions but his eyes are on the leg where the master is stroking.

I look into the eyes of the Master of the City and tilt his head to the side. He offers no resistance. Fully extending my fangs, I flick my tongue across the point on his neck and sink my fangs into his skin. The master gasps in arousal as he grips my leg. I take a long drink as I dive into his mind. I do my best not to influence him, but my blood thirst roars to the forefront and takes over. The master shouts as I feel wetness soak into my dress. I stop feeding immediately and lick the wound closed. Jumping up from his lap, I hastily return to Christien’s side with tears in my eyes.