Steal Me From Heaven (30 page)

I notice Jacob’s breathing is increasing, and he is having a hard time focusing. Maybe I should not have bitten him and let him walk in here with a time-released orgasm. When he looks me up and down, I know that he understands what is happening to him.

“The sun will be up soon. Go rest and recharge,” he says. Some people leave right away but others linger to discuss the operation in more details. Jacob’s pants are stretching in the front, and he is forced to take a seat. I come up behind him as he is listening to Ethan talk about the old days. I place my hands lightly on his shoulders and lean over to suckle his ear lobe. I slowly squeeze my injection site to release the hormones more quickly and to disperse them throughout his body.

“Everyone, please leave now,” he grits through his teeth. Several more people scatter towards the door. His warning is not enough. Malachi, Gerald, Ethan, and Shayne are all that remain in the room.

“Jacob, what’s wrong?” Ethan asks.

“I will not warn you again. If you choose to stay then you choose to watch. I am still on my honeymoon.” Jacob abruptly stands, and his chair flies against the wall. He grabs me and lifts me onto the dining room table. He is unbuttoning my shirt and his hands are inside my bra. His mouth covers mine, and I kiss him back. I find it erotic.

I unbutton his shirt as I see Gerald leaving. Ethan is no longer sitting in his seat. I slide his shirt off as he rips my buttons open and pulls my jeans down my thighs. When he lays me back onto
the table, I see Malachi and Shayne are still in the room. Jacob frees himself from his pants and is about to take me.

“Jacob, wait,” I say.

“They had their warning. Let them watch. It would do them both some good.” I feel Jacob push his way inside me as I hear the door open. Shayne walks out, but I make the mistake of looking in Malachi’s eyes as my body is rocked back and forth lengthwise as I am now making love to my husband. He closes his eyes and shuts the door behind him as he leaves.

“I’m sorry. I should not have injected you before the meeting.” I am close to tears as I remember the look on my former Guardian’s face.

“Don’t apologize for anything you do. Now let me show you just how thankful I am.” This time he goes extremely slow with my body. For someone who is about to explode, he shows great restraint. When I finally open the door to leave, Malachi is standing on the other side. He does not look at me. “I need to get my folder,” he says as he brushes by me and into the room. “Took you long enough. You may be too worn out to fight. It’s a good thing I pleasured you so many times as my prize for catching you that you know how to run with weak knees.”

Jacob slams him so hard into the wall that the chandelier rattles and falls to the middle of the table. “If you do not show Marion the respect that she deserves then you are forbidden from these grounds. You can treat me however you wish, but if you ever speak to her again in this manner, I will see to it that you never lay your eyes on her again.”

“You should show her some respect, throwing her down on the table in front of everyone. At least I savored her body for myself only.” Jacob raises his fist.

“No,” I say. “What happened in here is my fault. I enticed him to take me here. He could not control himself. Malachi, you should not speak in matters that you do not understand. I am available for his pleasuring anytime he wishes, and he is mine for the taking as well. We are Vampires. With you being a Fallen, I would think you would know the ecstasy of sex. You should try it again.” Jacob releases him from his stronghold. My words are enough to crush him. I will make him hate me if necessary.

He grabs the folder from the table. “Marion, just so you know, Jacob may not have taken Deborah to your bed, but he can’t say the same about Shayne. How long ago was that exactly and how many times did she lie with you?”

I grab Jacob’s arm before he can reach out to strike him. “I know all about her,” I lie to Malachi. “We have no secrets.” He leaves the door open, and Jacob and I leave for our bedroom.

I am about to start a conversation with him when I notice Nadia and Phillip sitting on the couch. I bite my lip when I see Phillip. He is tall and has the broad shoulders I find so attractive. He is also blond and has green eyes.

“You must be Phillip. I’m Marion. It is so nice to meet you.” He stands up to greet me and kisses the back of my hand. Jacob sounds off a warning. Good, he knows I like him.

“You’ll have to ignore him. Vampires are the jealous type. Come, we will go into the other room for some privacy. Don’t worry. We’ve been together so long that we seek other people to join us in our bed. I’m sure married women have propositioned you before.” He nods as I lead him through the double doors and turn to close them. Nadia’s mouth is hanging wide open.

“Marion, this is a dangerous game you are playing. I could kill him for even touching you.”

“Fine, then, he won’t touch me. But I know that you want kill me so I plan to touch him plenty. I can’t promise you that I won’t get him aroused; you know to sweeten the blood. Isn’t that what you told me you used to do? Now you’ll know how it feels not to be the only man in our bed.” I slam the door shut as he runs towards me. I mentally lock it tight with my mind.

“I don’t want you to get into some kind of trouble. And I would like to keep all my man parts.” Phillip looks worried. He probably should be.

“He’s the one in trouble. No harm will come to you. Now take off your shirt and lie on that bed.”

He hesitates. “I could force you, but you will taste better if you comply without mind control, and trust me, you will want to remember this. He starts to remove his shirt and then takes off his pants as well. I take off what remains of my ripped top. “Remember, I can touch you but you will not touch me, you will not have sex with me. Can you obey my rules?”

“Yes,” he whispers as I pounce on him. He is quick to arousal, and I drink fast from him. All I need is Jacob’s imagination in order to drive home my point. I know that he will find a way in here. When I am full, I dress in a new outfit while Phillip lies on the bed catching his breath. Jacob comes storming out of the armory and throws Phillip out of our bed. He must have come in from the tunnels to breach the room. I anticipated his attack on my sweetened drink so I gave Phillip some of my blood. I also did it so I could call him to my side whenever I wish.

“You have no right to intrude. Do not touch him again.”

“The hell I don’t have a right.”

“He did not touch me, as you requested. Really, you should be one to talk about my jealousy watching you drink.” He marches up to me and smells my skin.

“I never once removed my clothes to arouse a female blood donor.”

“But you can’t say the same about screwing Shayne in our bed. Tell me, was that more than once?”

His silence answers my question. I walk over to the window and open it.

“Marion, please, we need to talk about this. It was right after you died. I was at a loss. I was not behaving like I should. I thought you were gone.” I grow angry. His words are only making things worse.

“I guess you couldn’t wait until I was cold and buried before you replaced me. Why did you even bother to bring me back? She’s beautiful, Jacob. Clearly she loves you. She is here for you even now, to size me up and see if she can steal you away. You couldn’t even look at her.” I climb out the window and fall to the ground. He leaps out after me and lands right in front of my face.

“Don’t go,” he begs me.

“It’s almost light. I can feel the sun rising. You cannot follow me. Let me go.” I break his hold on my arm. Remembering something else that Malachi said, I turn to ask him. “What did he mean when he asked you how long ago that was?” I watch Jacob’s Adam’s apple rise and fall as he swallows. “You wanted to talk, so talk,” I remind him.

“When you left with Malachi after the first committee meeting, Shayne came to my house once again…”

“You mean our house,” I interject.

“Yes, our house. I was hurting and dying inside because I knew that he was going to make love to you. When she offered me comfort in her arms, I sought it. When the time came to move to the bed, I couldn’t go through with it and I made her dress and leave.”

“Go back indoors. I need some time alone. I’ll be at the hotel.”

The sun is relieving the shadows across the lawn. “You do not need to be alone. I will call and have the staff remove the mirrors from the room. Keep the blinds closed on the windows.”

“Send Malachi to guard me.”

“I will send David.”

“No one but my Angel,” I say. Jacob stands in front of me. I smell his odor burning into my nostrils. “Go inside now.”

“No, not until I know that we are going to be okay.”

I cup his face in my hand. “You know I love you. You cannot keep things like this secret from me. Shayne is here for you now. Find your comfort there once again.” Tears are welling up in his eyes. I push too far, but he hurt me. I leave before I see the first tear fall to the ground.

I decide to walk to the hotel. First so I can think and second so I can recharge. He kissed her and touched her naked body. I did a lot worse while I was away. It wasn’t like we were married. Did I think only I had a one-way ticket to pleasure and it did not apply to him? I was dead the first time. He did not know that I would ever return from the grave. I should not be angry at him.

When I enter the lobby, I see Malachi standing against the counter wearing black jeans and a gray V-neck shirt. His pale skin and blue eyes pop against the foreign dark colors. “Why are you here?” I ask.

“Jacob sent me to watch after you.” All my anger dissipates. I know how hard that was for him to do, and I did not expect him to follow through. This is his apology to me. I take Malachi’s hand and lead him to the elevators. Once we reach the door to the room and go inside, I let go of his hand.

He thinks that I forgot about his earlier comments to me. I just never had him alone to talk to him about it. “You are such a fool. How can you even think of giving up your life because you cannot be with me? Do you know what your death would even do to me? You say you love me, but Malachi, I would die if anything happens to you. I know that you think you cannot love anyone else, but I want you to try. You deserve happiness again, if not with Jessica, then with whomever and wherever you can find it. I will leave if you need me to. If being so close to me is driving you to this madness, which clearly your actions are indicating, then I will leave this estate and never come back.”

“No, I do not wish that.”

“Then what do you wish?”

“You, Marion. I wish for you.”

“We’ve already been over this. I cannot be with you.”

“You didn’t stop me last night from touching you, and I do not think you would have if Jacob wasn’t so close by.”

“No, I would have stopped you. I wasn’t clear in the beginning but let me warn you. The next time you touch me under my clothes, I will stab you myself.”

“Has it come to that? Threats?”

“If need be, yes.”

“Then goodbye, Marion. You will always have my heart even though you stab me through it now with your words. I will do as you ask. I will take Jessica to my bed and make her moan at my touch the way you once did.”

I open my mouth to let air move freely in and out. He moves in closer and grabs me by the shoulders. His tongue finds its way past my lips. I do not kiss him back. When he finishes, he slides his thumb across my swollen lips and stares into my eyes.

“Something to remember me by. I’m sorry. I had to make sure, but now I know. I will not bother you again.” He leaves me speechless.

I awake at nightfall to a knock on the door. Jacob is outside waiting for me to answer. Usually he would just storm in and attack whoever is in the room with me. I open the door wrapped in the blanket from the bed.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but Gerald has gone missing. Harrietta came to me late in the day. I thought Malachi would like to know.”

“He is not here,” I say. His face lightens and the corner of his mouth rises slightly before turning back into a frown.

“Then I guess I just missed him. I will find him back at the mansion.”

“Jacob, wait. He did not stay with me, you must know that.” I drop the covers. “Do you wish to smell me to make sure my chastity belt is still on?”

“No,” he quickly answers. “I believe you. If you would like, I would be happy if you can join me back at the mansion.”

“I need to get dressed. Do you want to come in?”

“No, if I do then we will never leave. I will wait out here.” I grab my shirt and throw it on. Carrying my pants, I hobble
through the hallway as I try to balance myself while pulling them on.

When we get back to the estate, Malachi and Jessica are heading out. “Where are you two going?” Jacob asks.

“We are going to see a movie,” she answers. I just look at Malachi.

“What’s wrong?” Malachi asks me.

Jacob answers. “Gerald’s missing. He was taken just before nightfall. Harrietta thought he was out recharging but he never came back. I’m afraid Lilith has him. Once she gets her answers, which she will, she will come for you,” Jacob warns him.

“I will not break.”

“You do not know that for sure until she touches you and burns off your flesh. It is a pain like no other. I bit my tongue off twice to keep from almost telling her what she wanted to know.” I turn and look at Jacob. I feel that he did not let me see all the things that she did to him. How can he control what I see?”