Desire After Dark: Lords of Pleasure (23 page)

Tossing the cloth into a laundry bin in the corner, he assisted her in standing. Then he scooped her into his arms and carried her all the way up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Bath, baby?”

“Too tired…Later…”

“Take a nap, beautiful.”

His arms came around her, and she burrowed into his chest.

And she tried to forget the coming hours that would wash away all their beautiful promise with lies.

Luc awoke alone.

Frowning, he sat up and stretched. He’d wanted Kass beside him when they got up from their nap because he had something really important to say. His frown curved into a smile.

Tonight he’d tell her that he’d fallen in love with her. That she was his mate.

Where would they live? Could they have children? It was rare among vampires—and perhaps Kass wasn’t able to bear children if she hadn’t in all this time. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t want any. He decided it didn’t matter. None of it seemed worth the worry right now, their love being new and bright with possibilities. Everything would work out the way it was meant.

Unconcerned with his nakedness, Luc returned to his own room. After showering, he dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt and went in search of his mate.

On the way downstairs, he noted how quiet the place seemed to be. There was always someone bustling here or there, but the
corridors were empty. He hadn’t even seen Taryn lately and wondered about that, too. The only person he passed was one of the twins, but he couldn’t tell them apart. When he paused to ask her where Kass might be found, she turned and teleported away.
What the fuck?

“That was rude,” he muttered. “I
know
she saw me about to speak to her.”

As in-laws went, he supposed the cosmos had a grim sense of humor in giving him these particular ones. Annoyed, he set about conducting a search. Methodically he went room by room, peeking inside and finding most of them empty. He came across a servant who was cleaning and straightening. But she hadn’t seen Kass, either.

Through their bond, he felt that she was somewhere in the house. But it was just an impression.

Finally, as he neared a set of double doors that led to a room he remembered to be a parlor, he heard voices raised in argument. Female voices, one of which belonged to Kass.

Not sure what to do, he paused outside. He didn’t want to interrupt a discussion that was none of his business, but he wasn’t about to let one of the sisters harass his mate.

“I don’t know why you don’t just tell him, Kass.” The voice was Serena’s, sharp and disapproving. “He’ll have to find out sooner or later.”

“There’s no reason for Luc to know anything just yet,” she replied coolly. “Not until absolutely necessary.”

“You can’t keep lying to him. It isn’t fair.”

Luc’s heart began to pound in dread. Lying to him? About what?

“What’s fair about any of this? I’m trapped in an impossible
situation with no way out. Luc is going to get hurt, and I can’t stop that from happening.”

“Then just let him go now, before he finds out.”

Before he could check the impulse, Luc pushed into the parlor. Startled, the two women jumped in their seats and faced him, wearing expressions of guilt. Then Kass’s expression closed, resembling cold stone as she rose from the sofa. Her eyes were flat.

Ice formed in Luc’s stomach. “I was outside,” he admitted. “I heard you two talking. Guess you’d better tell me what you’ve been lying about.”

Seconds ticked by as she seemed to try to find the right words. “All right, Luc. I didn’t want you to hear it like this. But you deserve to know.”

“Know
what
?” He waited, feeling a little sick. Kass walked toward him but stopped a few feet away. The distance seemed like a canyon as she went on.

“The day the werewolf attacked you, I didn’t just happen by like I told you.”

“I’d already figured as much, but why lie?”

“I didn’t know how to tell you the truth: that you were fated to die that day, and that I had been ordered to retrieve your spirit.” Her voice wobbled, but she quickly got it under control. “I was to take you to Valhalla to serve Odin.”

The import hit him hard. “You disobeyed orders?”

“Yes.”

“That was why Odin wanted to see you the other day? That’s what your heavy discussion was about?”

She flinched. “He wasn’t happy, to say the least. I don’t know whether he’ll call you to Valhalla now or not.”

At the moment, he didn’t care about Odin or his damned soldiers.

“Why did you defy the gods to save me?”

“I—I don’t know, really. I guess you could say it was an impulse.”

“Impulse?” The word curdled his gut. “That makes me sound like a pastry you saw in the bakery window and had to have.”

“Well, that’s what you were. A tasty sweet I picked up to enjoy until I’d had my fill.”

He stared at her, at a complete loss. “I…What? I don’t understand.” He glanced at Serena and saw sympathy in her face.

Kass smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Honey, I was playing with you all along—don’t you get it? I was bored and needed a way to pass the time. You fulfilled my desires perfectly, for a short while.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said softly. It couldn’t be true.

“Why do you think I’ve been alone for two thousand years? Males come and go.” She waved a hand. “They serve their purpose, and then I dump them wherever I found them. You’re no different, vampire. It was fun, but now I’m done with you.”

Agony lanced through him, deep and crippling. He grabbed his chest, certain his heart was ripping in two. “You can’t mean that. Kass, tell me what’s really going on here!”

“Serena, would you return the vampire to the place where I found him?” She nodded to Luc. “Good-bye, and have a nice life.”

“Wait!”

But Serena took his wrist and they vanished. In seconds he
found himself standing in the woods. Familiar smells touched his nose, and he recognized his surroundings. He was home—very near the spot where he’d been attacked, but not quite.

“Why?” he croaked.

“It will all make sense, eventually,” Serena replied sadly. “Take care, Luc.”

And then she vanished as well, leaving him alone. Far too alone with so many questions and with far too much pain.

Gradually, the pain became anger. He stood and let it come, the debilitating rage, and he sucked in a deep breath. Screamed to the heavens until he was hoarse.

Until his heart and soul ached.

And tears ran down his face.

Kass was still standing in the same spot, staring at the place where Luc had just been, when Serena reappeared.

“I did as you asked,” she spat. “But I think you’re a fool.”

She blinked at her sister. “I’m going to die. It’s better that he believe the worst of me so he can get on with his life.”

“Says who? I say you fight together and let him make the choice to be with you instead of forcing him to suffer from those lies you fed him!”

“But they weren’t all lies. I
did
save him from death against Odin’s orders.”

“You’re an idiot,” her sister declared. “Mates don’t come along every day, and you just threw yours away.”

“I spared him the pain of my death!”

“Whatever. Just don’t involve me in this anymore unless you decide to come to your senses.”

Stalking from the parlor, Serena slammed the door so hard, the walls shook.

Kass slumped to the sofa, hand over her mouth. But she couldn’t stop the sorrow that darkened every corner of her heart.

And so she sobbed for their loss. Until the night deepened, and she couldn’t make another sound.

Several weeks later

L
uc stared out over the vast expanse of La Petite Mort. Home. Where he belonged.

Anger ate at his soul and corroded his guts. From the beginning, Kassandra had played him for a fool. She had lied to him and laughed it up at his expense.
By her own admission!

Gods, it hurt. So badly, he almost wanted Atropos to go ahead and cut his life thread. Then he could leave this world and all the liars in it far behind him. Except Kass would have won, and his sense of self-preservation was much more deeply ingrained than to let him simply roll over and die. Not over a scheming female.

Not for anyone.

“Luc?”

He turned to see his brother Soren crossing the veranda toward him. His middle brother was worried about him, and Luc
couldn’t fault him for that. In the days since Luc had arrived back in his own realm, they’d all been through too much.

Mere minutes after Serena had dumped his ass back on the resort’s property, Luc had been taken hostage by Leila Doucet, the witch who’d tried to take total control over Soren while Luc had been absent. She’d wanted Soren’s children and Aldric’s seat on the Council, and she had planned to use Soren as her tool to achieve both. Fortunately, her plan failed, and everyone, including Harley, Soren’s mate, was safe.

But all of that was a nightmare ended.

Since then, his brothers hounded him constantly for details about his time with the Valkyries—which he was extremely reluctant to discuss. And apparently they had no idea how to mind their own business.

Soren stopped a couple of feet from him, dark hair blowing across his face. He pushed it away impatiently and sighed. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but is there anything I can do?”

“I wish there was,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “I was an idiot, and I paid for my stupidity twice over. What else is there to know?”

“A lot, from where I stand.” Soren clasped his shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this bitter. It scares me, bro.”

“I’ll get over it.” His smile felt ugly and wrong on his face. “And I’m going to love every second of it.”

Soren looked alarmed. “What are you going to do?”

“You mean
who
.”

“Crap. Come on, Luc,” his brother protested. “Revenge sex is never a great idea. If our guests here get wind of your attitude, or are dissatisfied with their stay, we’ll lose business.”

“Has anyone complained?”

“Not yet, but you’ve been pretty surly. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic to your pain, but the economy is in the toilet. We can’t afford to take our success for granted by pissing off the clientele.”

“Thanks for your concern,” he snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “That didn’t sound the
least
bit unsympathetic. I’ll make sure I keep my sucky attitude far away from our paying guests.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Fuck you, Soren.” He gave his brother a nasty smile. “Hope you don’t take that as being too
unsympathetic
or anything.”

“Dammit, Luc—wait!”

But he was already striding away, putting distance between himself and his brothers, and the whole gods-damned resort, as fast as possible. He’d retreated to the outdoors in the first place because the walls were closing in. But it hadn’t helped. It seemed he was trapped in an invisible box, and the universe wasn’t big enough to let him breathe.

He skirted the edge of the pool area, flashing what he hoped would pass as a flirtatious smile to the guests lounging there. Two of them were the couple for whom he’d played a “naughty neighbor” fantasy last night, watching while they fucked. An easy-enough scene that didn’t require him to participate when his heart wasn’t in it.

The couple returned his smile. All he really wanted to do was snarl at them and all of the guests to bite his ass. For once, sweet and sunny Luc had left the fucking building.

The fake smile fell off his face the instant he was out of their sight. He kept walking, eyeing the tree line at the edge of the
sculpted property and wondering whether there were any more werewolves running around. He almost wished there were so he could tangle with something that would put up a good fight. That he hadn’t brought his sword and would promptly get eaten—with nobody around to save him this time—was a huge drawback to that sort of thinking.

He walked past the edge of the trees, inhaling the scent of fresh earth, animals, and the swamplands not too far away. This was his home, and he wouldn’t leave here again—not ever.

Suddenly his anger drained like air from a balloon. Despair almost sent him to his knees. Despite his sense of self-preservation, he knew that one day before too long, his brothers would lay his body to rest for good, right here in New Orleans, in the family crypt. Because he couldn’t face living alone for eternity. Not after having tasted love and knowing he’d never have another mate.

But that day wasn’t today.

Should you ever find yourself in need of me, simply call my name. I’ll hear you, no matter where you are.

Leaning against a tree trunk, he froze, staring into the dappled sunlight. He shouldn’t do it. The demon was a friend of Kassandra’s, and as such should be off-limits. It was unwise to cultivate any connection with her realm and the fucked-up people in it.

But the demon might have some answers, such as why she’d been so cruel and how she could’ve been so false. Again, he replayed those awful moments in the parlor, recalling how suddenly she’d turned on him.