Revelation of Blood (7 page)

The shiny gold elevators opened as soon as we
stepped up to them and a man wearing another red suit stepped out
of it and held the doors open for us.

“Mr. Rhys,” he bowed his head once to Archer
and then once to me. “Welcome back. Penthouse, sir?”

“Please, Fernando,” he nodded politely as he
pulled me to him, his arms encircling my waist from behind.

I glanced over and watched as Fernando
inserted a key into the control panel and pressed an eight digit
code in before hitting the round white button for the
33
^rd
floor.

Archer nuzzled my neck as the car started to
move. “Curious yet,
cion
?” he whispered so quietly that if I
hadn’t been a vampire, I would have never heard it.

Very
, I answered silently.
This
place is really swank, Archer
. Looking down at my ripped jeans,
chucks, and tank top, I added,
I kind of feel out of
place
.

Taking my first breath since entering the
car, my fangs descended as Fernando’s scent hit me full force.
Archer obviously heard the tiny
snick
and tightened his grip
around my waist. Thank goodness Fernando was facing the front of
the elevator car or he would have seen my nostrils flaring as I
drew his scent in deeper. He smelled good…really, really good.
Spicy, exotic, and his blood begged to be tasted. Not since Jason
had I had such an immediate reaction to a human. Archer had taken a
great deal of blood from me during our lovemaking earlier and my
body was begging to be fed.

I started to reach out to Fernando and Archer
quickly grabbed my hand and put it behind my back, right on top of
the hard bulge in his trousers. “Occupy your thoughts with that,
baby,” he growled in my ear. “We can’t have you biting the help.” I
sighed rather loudly, unhappy, as I rubbed my hand up and down his
hard length.

Fernando took my sigh as impatience and
quickly spoke up. “Only ten more floors, madam.”

“She’s just tired from the flight, Fernando,”
Archer answered for me. “No worries.” Leaning further into my ear,
he whispered, “Don’t pout, love. I’ll call and order you a donor as
soon as we get up there.” I nodded, appeased, and slid my hand
lower to cup his sack. Archer took a deep breath in and I smiled at
the effect I had on him.

The elevator slowed and chimed as we reached
the 33
^rd
floor. As the doors opened, I saw that we were
at the beginning of a long hallway. Archer thanked Fernando and
kept a tight hold on me as we exited; I guess he was afraid I’d try
to taste Fernando despite of his warning. Reaching the door, he
withdrew a key card from his wallet and slid it down the card
reader.

“Welcome home, baby,” he smiled as he opened
the door for me.

I glanced up at him questioningly before I
stepped into the massive foyer. “Home as in our temporary home
while in Boston, or home as in this penthouse belongs to you?”

“Us,” he corrected. “This penthouse is our
Boston residence, Skye.” He pulled me into his arms and softly
nuzzled the tip of my nose with his. “The whole floor is ours.”

“Holy…,” I breathed as I turned my attention
to the foyer. The floor was Italian marble and it had a small
sitting area, a table, and mirrored walls.

Archer chuckled and grabbed my hand. “Come
on, I’ll give you the nickel tour.”

I followed him into a spacious sunken living
room and I felt right at home. Archer had a very specific taste
when it came to decorating and I was happy to see that the
penthouse was true to character. Dark hardwood covered the floors,
the furniture was a rich, warm mahogany, and the color scheme a
mixture of creams, tan, and browns. Off to the right of the room
stood a fully equipped kitchen complete with dark wood cabinets,
marble counter tops, a breakfast bar with barstools, and two large
stainless steel refrigerators.

“Why do all of your houses have fully
functioning kitchens? You don’t really need them.”

“Two reasons,” he explained. “One: I
sometimes entertain human guests. They have needs. Two: I can’t
very well sell a home if it has no kitchen.”

“Practical as ever, my love,” I tilted my
head as I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Speaking of needs,
you took a lot of blood from me earlier and unless you want me
succumbing to my desires and hunting down Fernando, I suggest you
call up a donor for me. I’m ravenous, baby.”

Archer chuckled and slid his hands down to
cup my bottom. “I’m feeling a bit ravenous myself.” He squeezed
each cheek then lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as
my arms encircled his neck.

“Can’t get enough of me now that you’ve had
another taste?” I asked as I teased the slit between his lips with
tiny, light licks of my tongue.

“Never, baby,” he growled as he flashed me up
against the wall by the kitchen. “Never.”

He claimed my mouth with a hungry moan and
ground his hips into my center. I gasped as he moved his attention
to my neck; his light, playful bites driving me wild. My fangs
descended again and I deliberately bit my tongue hard. Archer’s
head snapped up at the scent of my blood and his mouth was on mine
again, hungrily taking my tongue and sensually sucking the blood
from it until it healed.

We heard the door open and Archer pulled
away, but not without difficulty. He ran his tongue over the corner
of my mouth and cleaned a stray spot of blood before he set me back
down again.

“Mr. Rhys?” a woman called out and I looked
up at Archer curiously.

“We are in the kitchen, Beverly,” he replied
then turned his attention to me. “We’ll finish this later, baby.
Let me greet our guest and then I’ll call for your meal before I do
anything else. Why don’t you make yourself at home? The bedrooms
are to the left and the last one on the right is ours.” I nodded my
head and accepted a quick kiss before Archer took my hand and led
me back to the living room.

My attention was immediately drawn to the
woman standing in the foyer. She was tall, leggy, and really pretty
with her short, angled platinum bob and high end designer duds. My
back straightened as she began to walk down the three steps to the
living room.

I could smell that she was human and I
wondered what she was doing here. She stopped in front of us,
holding two black garment bags in one hand and a folder in the
other. “Stanley is on his way up now with your luggage, sir.”

“Thank you, Beverly,” Archer smiled as she
leaned forward and kissed each of his cheeks in greeting. My hand
involuntarily tightened around Archer’s and he drew a quick breath
in, from the pain I’m sure, before he introduced us. “This is Skye
Morrison, my life partner. Skye, this is Beverly Reynolds, my
personal concierge here at Back Bay Tower.”

Does she know we are vampires
? I asked
him silently as I nodded to her.

“Yes,
cion
,” Archer chuckled. “She
knows we are vampires.”

“That’s correct,” Beverly smiled tightly at
me. It seemed that her warmth was strictly reserved for Archer and
that did not make me happy; it made me suspicious. I decided to tap
into my powers of empathy and quickly scanned her emotions.
Jealousy and longing were pouring off her so strongly that I was
shocked I hadn’t picked it up as soon as she walked through the
door. I briefly wondered if my powers were finally starting to fade
before putting the thought aside and bringing my full attention
back to her. The woman’s feelings were very telling. They told me
that she and Archer had either previously had some sort of
relationship or she desperately wanted one. Regardless I was not
happy about my findings. Vampires tended to be territorial and I
most certainly was where Archer was concerned. He was mine.

“Well, Beverly, I’m glad I stuck around to
meet you,” I said, my tone sugar sweet, as my anger started to
build. I picked up a sudden spike of worry coming from Archer as I
stepped toward her. I felt my eyes flicker black as Beverly’s grew
wide with shock.

“Uh, Ms. Reynolds,” Archer said quickly as he
grabbed me around the waist and pulled me a good ten feet away.
“Before we get into business, I’d appreciate it if you’d call the
agency and have a donor sent up please? My companion is not herself
at the moment.”

“Yes I am,” I smiled widely at her, showing
my fangs. “I was just going to shake her hand, baby.”

“My arse, you were,” Archer growled lowly in
my ear from behind as he pinched my bottom hard. “Control your
emotions. We’ll talk about whatever the hell is upsetting you after
you feed.”

I narrowed my eyes at the stock-still Beverly
as I let his words sink in. “Anything you say, dear,” I smiled and
winked at her before turning around in Archer’s arms and letting
him see my eyes. “I want Latin for dinner; someone handsome who
doesn’t smoke.”

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I fisted Archer’s
hair in my hands and ran my tongue across his bottom lip,
requesting access. Archer tried not to respond, but after a second
he opened his mouth and kissed me with a heat that was normally
reserved for the bedroom. Instead of me making a point with the
kiss, he made one of his own. It told me that I was the only woman
for him and to stop trippin’.

When he withdrew, I was breathing heavily and
my eyes were back to their normal, colorless state. “Familiarize
yourself with the house, love,” he grinned sexily down at me. “I’ll
come find you in a few minutes. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I melted as I cupped his
cheek tenderly. I turned around and smiled over at our guest as I
walked toward the hall. “Better make that two Latin hotties,
Beverly. I’m going to need all my strength for tonight.” Her eyes
narrowed marginally at me before I turned and headed down the
hallway.

Archer’s penthouse was massive, and that’s
putting it mildly. The house had eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two
offices, a gym, a media room, and a game room, and all featured
floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the city of Boston or
the bay.

One of the larger rooms I went into was
obviously Jameson’s room. He had an acoustic and electric guitar
sitting on stands in one corner and the room smelled heavily of
him. I peeked into his closet and ran my fingers over the numerous
concert t-shirts and jeans he kept in there. My heart instantly
ached for the friend I had lost. I loved Jameson and wished more
than anything that I hadn’t messed everything up so bad when I
broke up with him. He was my brother now, my family, and I
desperately needed him to be a part of my immortal life.

I closed the closet door and left his room
before the tears that were threatening to fall actually did. There
was one last room to explore and that was Archer’s room, the master
suite. I opened the tall, wooden double doors and gasped at what I
saw. Archer’s room occupied the far corner of the penthouse and two
of the four walls were floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out
onto the beautiful blue bay. Sailboats with bright colored masts
and large motor boats cruised the water below. Watching them was
surprisingly calming.

Turning my attention to the rest of the room,
I loved what I saw. Archer’s king-sized canopy bed was made out of
a beautiful mahogany and draped in sheer cream curtains. Thick
pillows of varying sizes and a brown fur blanket adorned the top.
His bathroom had a double vanity, a walk in shower, and a big
Jacuzzi tub. The walk in closet was just off that and it was big
enough to be a bedroom of its own.

I decided to relax on the bed and stare out
into the blue waters of the bay until Archer was finished with his
business. I guess I got too relaxed because I fell asleep, awaking
to light kisses on my eyelids.

“The donors are here,
cion
,” Archer
whispered as he stroked my hair back from my face.

“Mmm,” I moaned as I stretched and opened my
eyes. “Good. I’m starving.”

Archer took my hand and helped me to the
door. Beverly was standing just outside with our suitcases and was
waiting for me to exit. “Ms. Reynolds is going to unpack for us
before she leaves. Do you need anything else before she does,
baby?”

I shook my head and gave her a sleepy smile
as Archer moved us out into the hall. “I can unpack my own luggage,
honey. She doesn’t have to do that for me.”

“It’s her job,” he explained. “Besides, you
aren’t going to have time to do it tonight anyway. After you feed
you need to get changed. Jameson’s concert is in two hours. I’d
like to get there early enough to visit with him before the show if
I can.”

“You miss him don’t you?” I asked, stopping
us at the end of the hall and looking up into his eyes.

“Every day,
cion
,” he answered with a
small, sad smile. “He’s my son, my brother. We haven’t spoken much
since he left.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, feeling horrible
for coming between the two again. “That’s my fault. I promise I’ll
fix this, okay? I-I miss him too.”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Archer shook his head
and went to say more but I silenced him with a kiss.

When I pulled away, I put on my best carefree
smile, hiding the ache and guilt deep down inside me. “Want to
share my meal with me? Should be yummy,” I said sing-song as I
wagged my eyebrows.

Archer shook his head and laughed. “No, baby.
Between your blood and Donovan’s, I’m set for the night. You enjoy
them though. Mind if I watch?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I winked
as I turned to the two new guests occupying the couch.

Javier was tall, dark, handsome, and hailed
from Portugal. His accent was thick and hard to understand but the
great thing about donating blood is that conversation isn’t a
requirement. The second man was Juan Carlos and he reminded me of a
darker Jesse Metcalf; he was absolutely gorgeous and could have
modeled for any agency in the world.