Night Seeker (6 page)

“What do you mean? It’s only been a year.”

“No, so much longer than that.” But when I asked what he meant, he only shook his head as his mouth covered mine, pressing his hard, lean body against me as he drew me into the kiss. The world began to spin. The pact was made as I handed over my heart to Grieve that day. And I knew that I’d never be free—no matter whether I was three thousand miles away or in the next room, I belonged to Grieve. And he belonged to me.

As Lannan left the room, I glanced at Grieve.

He motioned to me. “I have something to show you. It won’t take long.” He held out his hand and I took it, as he led me through the room. The others went on cataloguing our finds.

“Lannan is an ass. Don’t let him goad you.”

“I’d like to run him through, but you won’t let me. But someday, I won’t be so congenial and the vampire will find himself subject to a stake in the heart. For now, however, I will accede to your wishes.” He led me to one of the doors near the back of the large room. “Close your eyes or I’ll have to blindfold them.”

Curious and cold, I obediently closed my eyes. I heard the door squeak open, and then Grieve led me through and the door squeaked again and closed. “We’re almost there,” he said. “Just a little bit farther.”

And then I smelled something—it smelled like vanilla. Grieve took both of my hands in his, holding them by the wrists. He leaned close and whispered, “Open your eyes.”

I blinked. We were standing in a small room and in its center was a claw-foot bathtub—it didn’t look hooked up to plumbing, but there it was, filled with steaming water, piled high with fragrant bubbles. The room was lit by a
good twenty candles, all white, as the scent of vanilla and gardenia wafted through the air.

“How—where…?”

“While you were gone, I decided that you needed a hot bath to relax. I know you hate being stuck here, and I know how much the Veil House meant to you. And you do love your baths.” He pressed against my back, wrapping his arms around my waist as he nuzzled my neck. “The others know—we won’t be disturbed for a while.”

I sucked in a deep breath. As the fragrance of vanilla and gardenia washed over me, I couldn’t resist. I shed my clothes, shivering in the chill of the room. “You are the sweetest, most loving man I’ve ever known, Fae Prince or not.”

He smiled, looking satisfied. “I was hoping you’d let yourself enjoy this.”

“Are you kidding? Miss out on a bubble bath? With you, I hope?” And then I turned, pulling him to me by his collar. “Grieve, I love you. I hope you know just how much I love you.”

He took my hands in his and grazed them with his lips. “Trust me. I do, Cicely.”

“Join me?” I crawled into the big clawfoot tub, sinking into the water with a long sigh. Luxury—pure, simple luxury.

“In a moment. I have another surprise for you.”

He moved over out of the reach of the candlelight and I heard him tinkering with something as I leaned back in the tub, reveling in the delicious touch of the water on my skin. It felt like I was being cradled, rocked gently by the waves.

After a moment, Grieve returned, carrying a TV tray that he set next to the tub. It held a plate of Swirl-Delight Cupcakes, and a thermos of what smelled like peppermint tea.

“I’m sorry it’s nothing more than some junk food but…”

Grinning like a crazy woman, I wiped my hands on the towel next to the tub and grabbed a cupcake. “Are you nuts? These are golden! Now get in here.”

Grieve laughed, and just like that, he was naked. He crawled in the tub with me and sank back, a wicked smile on his face. “This is what I like. You and me in hot water together.” He shook his head. “How can you eat that? It’s nothing but sugar and fluff.”

“I like sugar and fluff.” I bit into the cupcake and closed my eyes. The next moment, I felt a hand under the water, rubbing my leg. “That feels so good. I just want to float here in the warm bubbles forever and forget the world outside.”

“I’m afraid we cannot do that, but for the moment, we can ignore the world.” And then he leaned forward between my legs, kissing me, pressing me back against the tub. The kiss went on and on, dizzying and deep and filled with his hunger.

Before I realized what we were doing, he slid inside me, moving slowly, the water rippling at our sides, splashing over the sides in little drips and drops. I closed my eyes, thrilling to our slow rhythm and the comforting scents and the candlelight.

“This night was not meant to be for sex,” he whispered. “This was meant to give you a rest. But I need you now. I need to be inside you.”

“Sex is okay.” I kissed his nose. “Sex is good, and sometimes sex in the tub is the best.” I popped another bite of the cupcake into my mouth. Feeling almost giddy, I laughed. “And sex and chocolate are really good.”

“Give me a bite.” Grieve’s starlit eyes flashed and his teeth shimmered in the dim light. He was dangerous and fierce yet…yet…he was my Grieve.

“I thought you didn’t like sugar and fluff,” I teased him, holding the cupcake just out of his reach.

“The sweeter the bite, the more delicate the blood.” And then he snapped at my fingers, playfully nibbling on them, drawing the cake into his mouth. A crumb stuck to the corner of his mouth and I moved forward, my gaze never leaving his, and licked it off. As I leaned back, with him still filling me full, he moaned and shifted, moving inside me, thrusting deeply.

I gasped, pushing against him, my clit rubbing against the base of his cock. “Don’t stop. Just keep going forever.”

“Sugar and fluff have their place, but Cicely, for you, I would give you black raspberries and honey, and rich, warm roast beef cooked rare and juicy. I would serve you beet soup, and rich cream puddings…” He nuzzled my neck. “And dress you in a silken gown, to wear under the moon, with a circlet of silver for your hair.”

I began to cry, so aware of him, so aware of
us
. “Will we ever get out of this mess? Will we ever make it out of the dark and the snow?”

Grieve paused, gently kissing away my tears. “I believe we will. I
have
to believe it. But Cicely, wherever we are, as long as we’re together, we live in the heart of Summer, where I am the prince and you are my princess.”

“I don’t need to be a princess. I just want to be your wife.” I rested my head on his shoulder, and he slowly began to move inside me again. We moved leisurely, without hurry, our breaths rising and falling with the ripples in the bath. Without warning, our passion flared and Grieve stared deep into my eyes as I came, crying out as my world expanded. Then, a moment later, Grieve moaned, his jaw clenched as he rode the wave. After he finished, he rested his head on my breast, and we stayed locked together, in our own private world, until the water cooled.

As Grieve helped me out of the tub and wrapped me in a thick towel, he slipped a box in my hand. “I have another gift for you, love.”

“More? The bath and cupcakes were wonderful.” I paused to look at the box. It was plain but held shut by a sparkling blue ribbon. “What is it?”

“Chatter hid it for me, and while you were out at the Veil House, he surprised me. When we escaped from Myst he managed to smuggle it out. Please, open it.”

I pulled on the ribbon and lifted the lid. There, on a velvet cushion, sat a necklace. A butterfly. Like
my
butterfly, only this one was sapphire and emerald and garnet—real stones, on a silver chain, gleaming lustrous in the candlelight.

“My butterfly—this is a copy of the butterfly necklace I had when I was little.” I looked up at him. “I still have it. You found it for me, and I’ve kept it hidden in Favonis since I bought the car. Safely tucked out of sight, where it can’t get lost.”

“That one was for your childhood, from your aunt. This is for your life as a woman. As my woman.” He gently lifted the necklace off of the pillow and draped it around my neck. “I still remember how much you loved that necklace.”

“How did you know I’d come back this time?” I gazed up at him, my eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Lainule promised me that you would. And in my heart, I knew we couldn’t be forever separated. I felt you decide—through the wolf tattoo on your stomach.” He fastened the clasp around my neck and the pendant fell between my breasts. I tucked it under my shirt.

“Hey in there! We need to plan! Hurry it up!” A pounding on the door startled us.

“Coming.” I quickly dressed, then stopped Grieve before he opened the door. “I want you to know something. I love the necklace and love what it represents. But most of all, I love the gift you handed me in the Golden Wood. You gave me your heart—and that means more than anything ever will. I’ll never stomp on it, I’ll never abuse it.” I held the necklace close to my breasts, feeling it warm my soul.

“I can take almost any torture. But I can’t take the thought of life without you.” He kissed me lightly on the forehead, then touched the necklace beneath my shirt. “Wear this charm, and I’ll always be near you.”

Someone knocked on the door again.

Grieve gave me a wry smile. “I suppose we should get out there, but before we do, do you want the last cupcake?”

I stared at the snack cake. “Leave it. A charm that our future will be filled with cupcakes and fluff and the lightness of summer.”

As the last of the candles died down, leaving us in darkness, I opened the door. Clean, ready to plunge back into the battle, we returned to the main room.

Lannan was still there but about ready to leave to do whatever it was he intended to do. He watched every move we made as we reentered the room but said nothing and vanished around the corner.

Grieve glared after him, whispering, “I hate that he can make your body respond to him.”

“But my heart doesn’t. Bodies are…physical. I can’t help my reaction—he’s a vampire and I’ve drunk his blood. But my love for you is never tainted by his touch.”

“I
hate
that he can make you enjoy his attentions. I know that you can’t stand him and I would do anything to put an end to his attentions. But there’s nothing I can do to stop it except to kill him and you won’t allow me.”

“You
can’t
. Not yet. We need him, as much as I hate to admit it.” Lannan was a necessary evil at this point, and we all knew it—especially Lannan. Which meant he could be as cocky as he wanted and get away with it.

“As you wish. But if he hurts you, I will stake him, brutally and with as much pain as I can bring to bear. You belong to me. And no one can sever our bond.” Grieve pulled away, shoving his hands in his pockets. He began to pace. “I feel cooped up, trapped here. But if I go out, Myst will hunt me down.”

Luna, who had been standing back, watching but saying nothing, stepped forward. “You know that my sister is one of the Akazzani. Maybe she can help us? I told you, they have a lot of ancient texts.
The Rise of the Indigo Court
can’t be the only treatise written on the Vampiric Fae. There
has
to be more information hidden away in the vaults of the Society. Maybe…maybe there’s something about reversing the process, if you aren’t born into the Indigo Court?”

We turned to her. She was a pretty woman, shorter even than I was, and plump, with long dark hair gathered back in a sleek ponytail. Her eyes were the color of her hair, ringed with silver sparkles. Luna was a bard, one of the yummanii—human, but her magical powers were stronger than the average person, and her voice was like a melody
scaling a mountain, crystal clear and ringing one moment, throaty and rich the next. Kaylin had been instantly drawn to her—I could see it in his demeanor, but I had no clue whether she felt the same way. Or if she even sensed his interest.

“Do you think there’s a possibility of finding something to change Grieve back?” It had not occurred to me that we might be able to reverse the process.

She shrugged. “I haven’t a clue, to be honest. But we can find out.”

“How would we go about doing that? I thought the Akazzani is supposed to be a closed society.” The thought of diving into those books, of perhaps gleaning far more than a cure for Grieve, lured me in. And what if we could find other vulnerabilities that we could exploit against the Indigo Court?