Irresistible Nemesis (10 page)

How ironic. Here I am about to hand over evidence
implicating one of my own and all I can think about is seducing this
city’s most notorious vampire hunter. There’s something very wrong
with this picture.

The brakes of the limousine came to an abrupt halt and jostled Andreas in his seat. They must have reached their destination. Still blindfolded, the driver led him to an elevator, and they began the seemingly endless ascent. He could still sense the limo driver’s presence in the compartment, even though he hadn’t uttered a word since he picked him up at
Miravale
. Finally the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival.

This wasn’t his first time at one of these proceedings. He knew the drill. The five members of the board of trustees would be seated behind a two-way mirror, while witnesses both for and against the accused testify one at a time. No one will ever get a glimpse of the council or anyone else for that matter. The only evidence of their existence projected via the speakers in all four corners of the room as they asked questions and handed down judgment.

His patience wore thin. Andreas waited in the small room he’d be placed in until his turn to testify. And the wait was killing him. He knew the answers they sought would infuriate Natasha and get Ivan deported. More likely, Andreas’s testimony would incriminate his head of security and get the poor Russian bastard executed. But what else could he do? If he didn’t exert his position, he’d have vampires beating up innocent women and leaving dead corpses all over town.

The media circus generated from that would certainly stir some major drama. Not only would he have to the face the ire of the super-secretive board of trustees, he’d also hand the BPA his head on a silver platter. And while his fierce attraction to Eva seemed genuine, he was by no means blinded by it. Andreas understood that their little cat and mouse game was a ploy. It was a way for her to bide her time, while she waited for him to fuck up. She’d pounce on Andreas when he least expected it.

Suddenly, the door to the room flung open, as footsteps neared. “Mr. Kristopolous, the members of the board of trustees will see you now.” It was a man’s voice. His shallow breathing and languid gait echoed that of the limo driver. Andreas would bet his last dollar the men were one and the same.

The man ushered Andreas into another door and sat him on a hard stool at what felt liked the center of an interrogation room.

“Please keep your blindfold on until after you hear the door close behind me.”

Andreas turned his head toward the sound of the doorknob click shut. A loud, authoritative voice came over the speaker system.

“You may now remove the blindfold from your eyes.” Andreas obliged without question. His eyes squinted as he adjusted to the light. Then his vision cleared. A two-way mirror covered an entire wall and four speakers hung from the ceiling, one in each corner of the room.

“Mr. Kristopolous, we’re in a rather precarious situation. As the leader of our coven, it is unprecedented to have you called as a witness. Would you mind explaining your presence to this body of governance?” inquired another nameless articulation.

He needed to appear impartial if he wanted to have any sway with the board. “My esteemed colleagues, I have allegiance to neither the prosecution nor the defense. I am merely here to ensure that the individual responsible for this heinous crime receive due punishment.” Andreas twitched uncomfortably in his chair. He hated talking to the walls.

“Would you be so kind to tell the board how you became acquainted with the accused, a Mr. Ivan Olshanskey?”

“Of course. Mr. Olshanskey is employed by one of my business establishments. He’s worked for me for the past eight months at
The Crypt
, a nightclub I own here in the city.” A pregnant pause raked against Andreas’s nerves. It was an eerie silence. Finally, another voice spoke over the PA system. “Are you aware of the crimes Mr. Olshanskey is accused of?”

“Yes, I am aware of the accusations. I have seen the photographs of the human he abused. I have personally spoken to the victim and tried to make amends on behalf of our people.” Andreas pinched the bridge of nose and forced blood into the area to keep him calm. He’d done nothing wrong. So why the hell did he feel like he was on trial? “Mr. Olshanskey must be punished by the authority given to this council. If our coven does not act swiftly and harshly, it will leave us vulnerable to attack by outsiders.”

“Well said. It is good to know we are all in agreement on this matter,” echoed another member of the group. “If you don’t have anything else to add, Mr. Kristopolous, you are dismissed.”

“I do have one more concern I’d like to address with the board.” The words burned at the back of Andreas’s throat. “I want to make it clear that Mr. Olshanskey’s actions were his and his alone.

No one else is responsible for this incident, whether direct or by association.”

“Interesting you would bring that up.” The voice hummed the words with distinct curiosity. “You seem to be implying that this committee is looking to pass down judgment to someone in addition to Mr. Olshanskey?” By the response, Andreas sensed that the board was already mulling around the idea of what to do about Natasha.

They, too, were worried about her sphere of influence.

Andreas had to put in a good word for Natasha. It was now or never. “No, sirs. I would like to make it clear that my head of security, Natasha Blagovich, with whom you are all well-acquainted, had nothing to do with the matter. I wouldn’t want her ties to the Russian community to be used against her in this court proceeding.” So much for appearing impartial. “She has served our coven well for nearly a century with both bravery and fidelity. I want to be certain that her good name is not soiled because of her close involvement with the case.”

“But Mr. Kristopolous, she is the one person who failed to act swiftly in the first place. Her refusal to seek justice for Mr.

Olshanskey’s victim is the very reason we are here today. Her Russian compatriot clearly has anger issues directed towards humans and your head of security was well aware of it. If she had done her job, we would not be wasting our time with this trial.” He took a deep breath to still his reaction. “You realize that Ms. Blagovich could not have known what he was capable of. You must lay the blame for this on Mr. Olshanskey.” Andreas chose his words carefully. He formed each utterance with cold, calculating precision like a lawyer cross-examining a witness. “With all due respect, please don’t make this into a witch hunt just to save face.”

“I think we’ve heard enough of your testimony. Thank you for your time, Mr. Kristopolous. We will take your words into account before we make our decision. You should hear back from us soon in regards to Mr. Olshanskey’s fate.” With that said, Andreas placed the blindfold back over his eyes. He’d been dismissed. Both literally and figuratively.

Moments later, he was escorted out the door and back into the waiting limousine. He wasn’t sure if his support of Natasha in front of the board of trustees had helped or hindered the situation. But for now, all he wanted to do was forget about his obligations to his father, to Natasha, and especially to his coven.

Chapter Eleven
The Betrayal

“Sorry to interrupt your patrols. You know I wouldn’t pull you out of the field if it weren’t important.” Oliver reassured Eva as she sipped on her latte at their usual hang out. The eclectic Rue Orleans Coffee House in the heart of Lower Manhattan. With voodoo dolls suspended from the ceiling and love potions for sale, this wasn’t your typical New York City hot spot. But then again, Eva wasn’t your typical girl next door either.

“No worries, boss man. I was starting to get a little loopy anyways. I need another cup of joe to make it through the rest of the night. What’s up?”

Oliver looked guilty, like he’d just lost his rent money in a game of cards. Whatever he was about to tell her, wasn’t gonna be pretty. “Our sources inside the coven contacted me about an hour ago.

The board of trustees convened this evening to hear testimony and pass judgment on Ivan Olshanskey. You know what this means, right?”

“I do.” Eva rubbed the kinks out of her tense shoulders. She knew exactly what he referred to. It was time to leak information about Olshanskey to the press. In turn, she’d have to implicate Andreas, and make him susceptible to interrogation by the police, the INS, and God knows who else. Eva expected this. But when it came right down to it, she didn’t anticipate feeling like such a cowardly traitor.

Oliver grabbed her hand. A friendly gesture of comfort intended to settle her skittish nerves. This part of the job was far from easy. “Are you sure you can handle this, Eva?” Clearly, Oliver had taken advantage of her vulnerable state of mind. The son of a bitch used his gift to read her thoughts.

Naturally, Oliver picked up on their mutual attraction and incredible sexual chemistry. But did he know the extent of her feelings? Could he see that she started to fall for Andreas Kristopolous? Had he seen the past the façade Andreas created for the world? The wealthy playboy. The self-centered socialite. The bloodthirsty vampire. The beautiful monster. Over the last few weeks, Eva began to see the real Andreas. He was a loving son. A philanthropist. A scholar who studied literature and the arts. A fierce, yet gentle lover. Eva didn’t quite know when kicking his ass turned into kissing him senseless. Somewhere along the way, her feelings for Andreas changed. Big time.

Regardless of how she felt about him, she had a job to do. She tried hard to remember that. Eva had to follow through with this, if nothing else, for her parents’ sake. Their sacrifice demanded vengeance and what a better way to obtain it than through the blood of the leader of the New York City vampire coven? She didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“Yes,” Eva replied with renewed bravado. “I’ll do whatever needs to be done.” Determined to do the right thing, she pulled out her Blackberry and emailed the document she’d prepared beforehand to the editors of both the
New York Times
and the
New York Daily News
.

Eva placed the phone back into her jacket pocket and turned to Oliver for validation. But approval wasn’t what she needed. She needed her best friend. Eva doubted Oliver was up for the task. Good thing one of them had their head screwed on straight.

“Good girl. I knew you’d do the right thing.” Oliver consoled her with a half-smile. “And I’m sorry it had to be like this. Believe me, if there was any other way, I would never have asked you to get so close to the enemy. I can see that turning your emotions on and off so erratically, is taking its toll on you.” Eva shook her head in denial. “No need to explain Oliver. It’s just part of the job. But thanks for your support,” she said with gratitude. “I should really get back out there slaying vampires.” She stood and gave him a brief hug, trying desperately to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. Eva couldn’t say a word. If she did, she’d turn into a blubbering idiot. She hurried to pull away and headed toward the door before Oliver caught her crying. Then the cell phone in her pocket vibrated. She took it out and looked at the phone number on the screen. Andreas. Eva bit her bottom lip to stop herself from answering the phone. Pressing the “Ignore” button on the phone was her only option. With her emotions all over the place, talking to Andreas amounted to personal and professional suicide.

****

At nearly four o’clock in the morning, the limo finally pulled up to the sidewalk outside of Andreas’s Manhattan penthouse. As usual, he couldn’t force himself to go back to
Miravale
and face his father while he still reeled from the court proceeding. He was both angry and frustrated at how the evening had unfolded. Andreas could think of only one person who had the power to distract him. Before he could change his mind, he picked up his cell and dialed Eva’s number. It rang several times, before her voicemail answered. Just hearing her voice, made the corded muscles in his back and shoulders instantly more relaxed. Damn, he wanted to lose himself in Eva. Her golden-brown eyes. Her long, silky hair. The feel of her skin against his. And, oh God, her addictive scent.

“Hey, it’s Andreas. Call me. I need to see you. Tonight.” His voice burned with anticipation as it echoed through the receiver.

Before he could see Eva, he needed to get upstairs and take a hot shower. The strain of the evening made his head pound and his muscles twist into tight knots. Andreas opened the door and stumbled onto the pavement, as he wearily maneuvered toward the glass doors and up the elevator to the 32nd floor.

The steaming spray of the water felt good. But the longer he stayed in the shower, the worse his headache became. If only aspirin worked on vampires. Unfortunately for him, the only thing that ever really helped was sleep. Fresh out of the shower, he dried off and collapsed on top of the black satin sheets on his bed.

I’ll hear the phone if she calls,
Andreas promised himself as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

Like most nights, he dreamt of her. This time, he’d walked into his office at
The Crypt
and there she sat. Her voluptuous body draped provocatively over the velvet settee. In a lacy, red corset and garter belt to match, she looked good enough to eat.

“Hey baby.” Eva greeted him, the sultry tone of her voice made his cock throb and his whole body thrummed to live. The need to take possession of her overpowered everything. “Come over here and sit next to me.” Andreas obeyed without objection. He sat down, lost in Eva’s hypnotic, beautiful gaze. In gentle strokes, he moved his fingertips up and down her thigh with the skill of seasoned lover.

Goose bumps formed on her feathery-soft skin as she leaned close to place a scorching-hot kiss to his lips.

Already hard as steel beneath his linen trousers, he nearly exploded as she grabbed the hand he’d used to memorize the curves of her body. He brought it up to firmly rest against the wetness of her folds.

“Andreas, I ache.” Eva purred the words in near desperation.

“Please. Touch me.” He pushed aside her satiny-red G-string, and instantly felt her juices puddle in the center of his hand. Talented fingers rubbed against her clitoris. Soft at first and then more vigorous until she writhed and moaned in relentless pleasure.