Blood and Loss (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (10 page)

“Why do you allow him to treat you like that?”

Good question. “He was just being honest.” It felt strange to defend Declan when I was mad at him too, but I had a right to be.

He made
an angry sound. “That man is doing a lot of things, but being honest is not one of them.”

“
Lucius, what happened out there was really humiliating and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“
He’s the one who should be embarrassed. You asked him how he felt about you. He’s the one who mauled you and then threw you on the ground.”

I realized I was still just wearing my quilt.
“Now that we have had a recap of what’s happened tonight, can you turn around? I want to get dressed. I think you’ve had more than an eyeful today.”

He turned and when he felt me get in the bed
, he turned back. He pulled the covers up over me and tucked me in. “I think you deserve to get your magic back, find a good guy, and leave all this supernatural drama behind you.”

“
Is that what you think will make me happy? Settling down is the furthest thing from my mind. I am about to get my magic back. I’ll be whole again and that opens up a world of possibilities. Life is just getting good.”

“You call almost dying good.”

“I only have another 50 or 60 years max. I want to pack it with as many things as I can. I don’t have the luxury of time. My gifts may get me killed tomorrow. I wouldn’t be good for an average guy. Declan did himself a favor tonight.”

The anger bled from his face. “
I don’t see it that way.”

He looked like he was going to say something else. Then he rolled over and started to read. “Goodnight
, Goldilocks.”

“Goodnight
, Lucius.”

Chapter 10

The next day, Declan was gone before I woke up. Lucius was back to his brooding, quiet self and I was anxious about seeing Quintus. I didn’t want him to fuss over me and I really didn’t want an “I told you so.” I did want a nice quiet night at work. What I want and what I get is all too often a very different thing.

Lucius kept up the silent treatment on the way over to Quintus’. When I turned off the car in the driveway, I
couldn’t stand it anymore. “Spill it. What has got your panties in a knot?”

He glared at me
. “My panties are not in a knot. I am not looking forward to going in there and facing Quintus after I failed to protect you.”

I felt like a big jerk. Did I have to think everything revolved around
me? This had nothing to do with me. I put my hand on his big mitt. He looked down at it, but didn’t move. “Quintus just has to know you saved my life, which you did. You didn’t do anything wrong. Do you think you are a God and you can control everything in the universe? Sometimes shit happens. Believe me.”

He took his hand back, but he nodded in semi
-agreement. “Fair enough, but even if I don’t tell the whole truth, I will still know I failed.”

“To me
, failed is if I was dead. I am still very much alive. I find it hard to believe that you have never made a mistake before last night. Why are you being so hard on yourself?”

“
You are very important to him, Cass, and I almost let you get killed. I just don’t like to disappoint him. He is my sire; he is the reason I walk this Earth. It is hard to explain. A bond between sire and his offspring is very complicated.”

“
I don’t understand, but Quintus is proud of you and I don’t think he would have asked you to be my bodyguard if he didn’t trust you. I’m a big deal, you know.”

He gave me that cute half smirk I
had already grown to like. “Well, that’s true.” He squeezed my hand and we headed inside.

Quintus met us at the door. Obviously, Lucius had given him a heads up. He wrapped me in his strong arms. “When Lucius called for a clean-up, I was beside myself. I wanted to come over right away, but I was advised that you had enough to deal with.”

Well
, isn’t my bodyguard quite the gossip? “I’m fine, thanks to Lucius. Really, you don’t have to worry.”

He held me at
arm’s length and inspected me to make sure I was telling the truth. “Are you sure? I want to treat you tonight. There will be no work.”

“No
, please, I need to keep busy.” I needed my mind to be occupied so I didn’t think about what had and hadn’t happened yesterday.

“
I didn’t say you wouldn’t be busy.” He spun me around like a ballerina. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “We will go shopping. I need a long coat and I haven’t treated you in so long. I will buy you something for your graduation. You need a new outfit.” He pulled me to him and we waltzed around the foyer.

“You don’t have to do that. I don’t need anything.”
I had never seen Quintus in such a carefree mood.

“She does
; her closet is full of synthetic fabrics and cheap stitching.” Lucius said it like I kept dead animals in my closet.

“
I hope you have a good reason for knowing what kind of clothes I have in my closet.”

He just shrugged. “I
was wondering why I was developing a rash and I realized it was all the cheap clothing in your closet.”

“
Ahhh! Ooooh” Oh yeah! I had the snappy comebacks.

Quintus stopped dancing us around
. “Come, we will make a night of it.”

He got in a shopping mood every once
in a while. I usually ended up with a few outfits I would never have bought for myself. Unfortunately, my upbringing brought on a whole heap of guilt if I spent too much on my clothes or anything else for that matter. So I tended to choose quantity over quality.

We were leaving just as the stores would typically be closing. Fortunately
, my boss had pull and when he went shopping, he always did it after hours. He was a regular at a few high-end shops. It made him their favorite customer and he always made staying open late worth their while.

We pulled up in front of one of Quintus’ favorite s
tores. I saved all year so I could buy him something special from there. I knew he didn’t care where I got his gifts from, but it felt good to give him something I knew he would like.

A man with closely cropped salt and pepper hair and a slim build unlocked the door when he saw the limo pull
up. “Good evening, sir. I am so glad you decided to come tonight. Mr. Ngyuan sends his regrets he couldn’t be here himself; he is at the ballet tonight with his wife. I am Charles. Please let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“Of course
, Charles, I am looking for a new winter coat. I need something to keep the chill away during our damp winter months.” As a vampire, he could have walked down Robson in the nude and not feel the cold, but no vampire likes to stick out in a crowd. Their survival depended on fitting in with the masses. Charles scurried off and returned with an armful of possibilities.

Quintus tried on a few coats that just weren’t him.
They were all too bulky for his build. Then he tried on a long wool duster. It was cut to hug his slim, tall frame like a second skin. It was a work of art. He caught me looking at him and I blushed. He modeled it for me. It was so silly and unlike him. It made me want to throw my arms around him and give him a big hug.

“It was made for you. You look even more distinguished if that is possible.”

“Your wife has excellent taste
, sir. It really does fit you perfectly.”

He took my hand and kissed it
. “Yes, she does. It is one of the reasons I married her.” He pulled me to him like we were about to do the tango. I giggled. Did I really just giggle? “I will take the camel, grey, and charcoal. Did you want anything, Lucius?”

He grunted and mumbled something about it being
too dangerous to be so exposed. I felt like if I wasn’t protected in between these two, then I wasn’t safe anywhere.

Before we set out again
, Charles insisted that each coat needed its own set of matching gloves and scarves. He had dollar signs in his eyes. I am sure his commission for the night helped take the sting out of staying open after hours. Charles smiled and waved to us as we left, locking the door behind us.

The night was chilly and damp
, a typical fall night in Vancouver. Christmas decorations surrounded us on all sides. It gave the evening a festive feel and seemed to put everyone in a good mood. People passed us smiling and joking with each other. Quintus put a protective arm around me as we strolled to our next store. I leaned into him. The memory of the day before seemed distant. My boss had a way of making my worries and cares seem far away. I had never felt more grateful to have him in my life.

The salesman
at our next destination stood at the door, awaiting our arrival. The store was ultra-modern. It almost didn’t even look like a store. A couple of sparse racks lined one wall, while a small army of mannequins lined another. Their outfits ran from business chic to something I can only imagine you might wear to a dungeon. The middle of the store was a runway. The fitting rooms were at the back and had glossy black leather curtains to keep the privacy of anyone on the other side. White leather and chrome chairs were placed on either side of the entrance to give those waiting a comfortable place to rest. One glass of champagne sat on a cube Lucite table beside one of the chairs. The salesman must have known exactly who his customers were. To top off the whole experience, instead of the harsh lighting you found in most retail stores, the lights were dimmed. Being extremely fair, that was something I could appreciate. Fluorescent lighting on me was not flattering.

Quintus
gracefully sat in one of the chairs, while Lucius plunked down in another. I think I heard it scream for mercy. They were not made for people over a certain size, then again neither was the store. The salesman swooped over and grabbed the champagne glass, handing it to me with a flourishing bow. “I am Kenneth my beautiful lady, please let me know what it is I can do for you.”

“My wife needs a whole new wardrobe. I want you to show her what you have from casual to formal. I am in a very generous mood.” If we had been a cartoon
, the sales guy would have had giant dollar signs ring up in his eyes. Instead, they just widened and gave off a greedy glow.

He brought out jeans that cost more than my mortgage payment. I tried to refuse. “
Cassandra, can you please indulge me tonight. I have more money than I know what to do with. I want to spend a little of it on you. It hurts no one and it will help this man’s bottom line.”

I looked to Kenneth. He was nodding his head and wringing his hands. How could I possibly upset Kenneth?
“Fine, but I am starving. Can we order in?”

“Now that is the spirit. Lucius
, there is a divine Japanese restaurant around the corner. Can you go get our fair princess something to eat?”

“I shouldn’t leave her.”
His tone was insolent.

“Do you think I can’t protect her?” Anger flashed across his face.
His eyes gave off a slight glow and I thought I might have to catch Kenneth before he fainted. Quintus did not like to be questioned. When you’re with one of the oldest vampires in existence, you don’t question his capabilities. I hadn’t seen him lose his temper often, but when he did, people did whatever it took to make him happy again.

“I’ll be back.”
Lucius looked at me for only a few seconds and went out the door.

I tried on so many things I couldn’t even remember half of what I had picked out and
, like usual, Quintus would include things I decided were too much. I was expecting Kenneth to come back to tell me I had tried everything on in the store, but he came in grinning, carrying a very small dress.

“Leather and bondage is very in this year. I know this pushes the limits, but I thought since your husband was being so generous, he deserved a treat too.”

I looked
at Quintus, who had a smile six feet wide. “Don’t you think the young man has a point, sweetheart? Just try it on. We don’t have to take it.”

Oh
! He was in so much trouble when we got out of here. I was going to refuse, but the night had been so much fun and I didn’t want to be the one who put a damper on things. “Of course, darling; anything to spice up the bedroom.” His eyes blazed at my choice of words. I blushed at what his expression conveyed. “Kenneth, can you help me? I believe the corset will need to be tightened after I get it on.”

The dress was little more than a corset
and a very tight leather skirt. Kenneth had brought in thigh-high fuck me boots to try with the dress. Once I had the dress on, it was time to cinch me up. He pulled hard on the laces that did up the back and I thought I was going to lose my ability to breathe at any moment. I wasn’t even thinking about doing up the boots. When the corset was in place, bending over was impossible. I looked down at my feet and they seemed very far away.

“Kenneth
, can you help with the boots? I can’t bend over.”

“Kenneth is in the back getting you a plate for your food.”

Lucius stood in the doorway to the changing room. He moved up behind me with one stride of his long legs. We looked at each other in the mirror. His eyes dipped down to my cleavage. The electricity in the room crackled around us.

“What about
. . . umm . . . ahh . . . Quintus?”

“He is outside on a call
.” He moved even closer, allowing no space between us. “I can help you.”

“You don’t have to
. I feel silly in this. I was only trying it on for a lark. I could never go anywhere like this.” I was babbling.

“I think it is perfect on you. Do you know the purpose for an outfit like this
?”

His body slid down
mine, to help me into my boots. “What is the purpose, to look slutty?” I tried to sound light, but inside my stomach was flip-flopping and I could hear my heart beating in my ears.

“No, it puts the female submissive in the perfect position. It leaves no question as to what her body was made for.”
My feet were gently placed in each boot and then he firmly held my thighs until I could gain my balance. His touch was cool against my hot bare skin. “The heels are extremely high to keep your steps slow and methodical. You must always follow and not lead. They also help accentuate your calf muscles.” His hands trailed up each boot, pulling the zipper with one hand, caressing with the other. “They also give her the perfect posture. The back is arched inward and the bottom is pushed out.”

He stood
, with a hand on each of my hips. “You are offering yourself to be spanked, the perfect angle to lay a stinging slap.” He brought one hand back to demonstrate. I held my breath, not knowing if I wanted him to do it or not. In slow motion, his hand moved closer until he gently placed it on one cheek, giving it a slight squeeze. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, trying to get control over myself.