The Dark Vampire: Last True Vampire 3 (35 page)

“You have no pack?” She’d draw out the conversation, learn as much as she could in the brief time she planned to keep him there.

Christian shrugged. “I’m not much of a people person.”

A rogue then. Carrig had been right about him. “A rogue in the city,” she mused. “If any of the local packs knew you were here, they’d hunt you down and kill you.”

His expression remained calm and the corner of his delectable mouth hinted at a smile. “Probably. But lucky for me that won’t be a problem.”

Siobhan’s eyes narrowed. “And why is that?”

He fixed a pleasant expression to his face and simply stared. It would take more than dragging the werewolf to her feet to uncover his secrets. And no doubt he had many. “Who do you work for, wolf? The Sortiari?” His scent changed slightly. Almost too faint to recognize. “What do you do for them? I suppose a rogue wolf could be considered useful to the guardians of Fate.”

Christian took a step closer. And another. Siobhan sat upright; the tiny hairs on her arms tingled with awareness of him. “Why not say what you really want to ask me?” Gold flecks sparked in the gray depths of his eyes, transforming his expression to something wild and untamed.

“And what exactly is it that I really want to ask?” Siobhan’s fingers curled around the armrests, anchoring her to her seat lest she be tempted to reach out and touch.

“You don’t care about who I work for or what I’m doing in the city.”

She kept her tone as bland and disinterested as he had: “Don’t I.”

“No.” A corner of his mouth quirked in a confident grin. “You don’t.”

“Then tell me,” Siobhan purred. “What do I want to know, werewolf?”

He took another step toward her. So close that the heat from his body caressed her in gentle waves. She leaned back in the chair and canted her head up to look at him. The dominant positioning of his body wasn’t lost on her as he leaned down and braced his arms on the rests at either side of her. “You want to know why I haven’t fucked you five ways north of Sunday yet.”

A lick of heat traveled the length of Siobhan’s spine and her pussy clenched around nothing. Her lips thinned as she regarded him. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Christian leaned in closer and ran the tip of his nose along the length of Siobhan’s neck. A riot of chills broke out on her skin and her breath caught in her throat as a wave of want crashed over her. He stopped below her earlobe and made a dramatic show of inhaling a deep breath. A low, seductive growl rumbled in his chest. “I can’t help but be flattered.” He nuzzled her skin and Siobhan was reminded that this male was every bit an animal. “Your scent tells me everything I need to know.”

Hiding emotions—anything really—from another supernatural being was problematic. With their heightened senses, changes in scent, body temperature, the dilation of pupils, and an increased pulse rate were much more noticeable. Siobhan cursed her weakness. That her want of this male was so easily betrayed. “I’m certainly too much for you, werewolf. I doubt you could handle me.”

When he pulled away, his eyes were no longer stormy gray but brilliant gold. “You won’t give that big bastard outside a second thought once I’ve had you.”

She found his overconfidence amusing. “Don’t be so sure,” Siobhan purred. “My appetites are voracious.”

“I’m more than capable of giving you what you need,” Christian assured her.

Siobhan quirked a challenging brow.

Christian moved in until his mouth hovered a hair’s breadth from hers. A slight shift would be enough to press their lips together. His heated breath mingled with hers as he whispered, “Try me.”

Gods, how she wanted to. What she needed was to get him out of her system so she could once again lend her focus to matters that deserved her attention. He was an itch that required scratching, just under the surface of her skin. Siobhan made no move to close the slight distance between them. “Tell me who you
really
work for, and why you’re following me, and I’ll consider it.”

His lips brushed against hers, a whisper of contact. Siobhan’s muscles went rigid and a rush of wetness spread between her thighs. “I think I like some secrets between us,” Christian growled as he pulled away. “So I suppose that for now, I’ll have to be content to watch.”

He pushed himself away from her and Siobhan felt herself lean forward as though unwilling to put even an inch of distance between them. The male’s effect on her was as powerful as it was disturbing. Siobhan forced her body to relax back in the chair and affixed a cold, emotionless expression to her face. “I’ll be sure to keep you entertained. For now. My offer to you will only be extended for so long, however. And I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.” Though he appeared to be unaffected by the moment that passed between them, Christian’s eyes remained bright gold. “I’ll see you soon, then?”

“Yes,” Siobhan replied. She resumed her relaxed position, letting her arms flop over the armrests. He turned to
leave and Siobhan let out a shuddering breath. She’d see him soon, and often. She could play his game. Seduce him. And once she’d snared him, once she made him irrevocably hers, Siobhan would cut his strings.

“Watch your back, werewolf. I’d hate for anything to happen to you between now and our next meeting.”

“And you watch yours,” he said too earnestly for Siobhan’s peace of mind.

Perhaps Carrig was right. Maybe she should leave Los Angeles in her wake and put as much distance between her and Gregor as possible. But as she watched Christian walk away his rolling predatory gait held her rapt. How could she possibly flee if it meant leaving the one thing she wanted behind?

“Lucas,
what are you doing here?”

Bria stopped midstep on her way out of the kitchen. Lucas flashed her a wide grin as he headed toward her from the hallway that led from the king’s study, all too pleased for someone whose life had been threatened mere weeks ago by one of the vampires currently in the house. “I had business with the king,” he said.

She fixed him with a suspicious stare. “What sort of business?”

“You’re not the only one who wants a life outside the coven,” Lucas replied.

No, she supposed she wasn’t. Her uncle had ruled over them all with a heavy hand. It would be selfish of her to not want the same freedom for the members of the coven that she’d found outside of it. Though she supposed “freedom” was stretching it a bit. At least, for now. “I’m sure whatever task Mikhail has set out for you, you’re more than capable of performing.”

Lucas beamed. A quiet moment passed between them and Bria shifted on her feet. Lucas’s gaze was too full of
emotion; his expression conveyed too many unspoken words. She hated to see him like this, but there was nothing to be done for it. She was tethered. To Jenner. And over the past couple of nights, their bond had become even stronger.

“I’ll be seeing you more often, then. Give my love to my uncle when you see him.”

Lucas’s brow puckered and he took a tentative step away from her. “I will. Have a good night, Bria.”

“You too, Lucas.” She gave him a soft smile and continued on toward Mikhail’s study.

She hated that she’d just treated a male who had been her dearest and closest friend as nothing more than a casual acquaintance. Her transition and tethering had changed so much in her life in such a short time. Lucas would understand . . . someday. And once she and Jenner settled more comfortably into their relationship she was sure that the tension between the two males would disappear entirely. Until then, Bria would have to endure more awkward moments like the one she and Lucas had just shared.

Curiosity burned through her as she made her way down the hall. What could Lucas possibly be doing for the king? And what reward did Lucas hope to reap in return? Her thoughts refocused on the low voices that came from the other side of the doors that led to the study, too low for her to discern their words. Which meant that whatever they talked about, they wanted to make sure none of the other supernatural inhabitants of the house would overhear.

What could the topic of their discussion be? she wondered.
Lucas?

The doors slid open and Bria looked up to find Jenner’s eyes on her. The heat in his expression nearly melted her where she stood. There was nothing playful or even mildly
pleasant about it. Instead, he devoured her with his gaze as it raked her from head to toe. Bria felt naked as his eyes wandered over parts of her body that his hands had touched mere hours ago. A rush of excitement chased through her and her fangs tingled in her gums. Why did either of them ever have to leave at all? They could simply stay in the guest bedroom forever. Naked. Bodies entwined, with nothing more than each other’s blood to sustain them.

Jenner’s dark and brooding perusal of her body left Bria addled and breathless, but she needed to stand strong against his seductive assault. It would be an easy thing for him to coax her back upstairs. A few kisses, the glide of his fingers through her sex, and Bria would gladly stay right where he wanted her to. The thrust of his thick erection inside of her would surely convince Bria to agree to anything. Even if it meant extending her own jail sentence.

She gave her head a shake. Why was she worried about Jenner’s power of seduction when her own traitorous mind worked against her? A narrow hallway separated them, though it might as well have been a vast canyon. He was much too far away from her.

“Bria.”

Gods, when he said her name in that dark and rumbling voice it unraveled her. She leaned against the wall—it was the only thing keeping her upright at this point—and affixed what she hoped was a seductive smile on her face. “Jenner.”

Silver reflected in his eyes. The power she felt at knowing she could so easily affect him was almost as heady as his kisses. He crossed the hallway—two wide steps—and pressed his body against hers. His arms came up on either side of her, braced against the wall to box her in, and Bria’s breath raced in her chest. Such a male. And he belonged to
her
.

She looked up to find his expression tense. Almost pained. That intensity in Jenner never ceased and that aspect of his personality held her in thrall. “I’m dressed and ready to go,” she said in a honeyed tone. She’d win him over with sweet compliance. Show him that she could be agreeable to his demands. And then she’d tell him, just as sweetly, that from here on out their relationship would be a partnership.

Surely he’d be thrilled by the mandate.

A wry smile curved Bria’s lips. She reached around and scraped her nails along the back of Jenner’s neck. His lids drooped almost imperceptibly, but the rapid beat of his heart was all Bria needed to hear to know that he enjoyed the contact.

“Are you hungry?” she asked. Jenner had promised her a meal before he set out for the night. She planned to use the opportunity to convince him to bring her along.

He leaned in close and Bria shuddered as his mouth brushed the outer shell of her ear. “I’m
starving
.”

“For the love of the gods, get a room!”

Ronan’s booming voice broke the spell and Jenner pulled away. An arrogant smirk tugged at his mouth. He kept his gaze locked on Bria, so full of heat that she began to sweat. He reached out and feathered his thumb over her bottom lip before he turned to face the other male.

“I’ll be ready to roll in a couple of hours. Where do you wanna meet?”

A wide, mischievous grin spread across Ronan’s face. “Just a couple of hours, huh?” He cocked his head to one side and gave a cluck of his tongue. “We can’t all be rock stars in the bedroom, I suppose.”

Bria’s cheeks flushed with the innuendo. If only Ronan knew how they’d spent the bulk of the past two days she bet he wouldn’t be quite so smug. Jenner didn’t take the other male’s bait. He simply stared him down until Ronan
squirmed. “You know, I liked you better when you weren’t so gods-damned broody. Let’s meet at your place. That way Naya can work her mojo on your apartment.”

“You like me just the way I am, Ronan,” Jenner replied with a smirk. “A cranky bastard who doesn’t mind knocking heads together when you need it done.”

“Eh. You’ve got a point.” He flashed Bria a devilish smile and winked. “See you in a couple of hours.”

Jenner turned to Bria. He held out his hand in invitation. Bria placed her palm in his, reveling in the heat that soaked through her skin, the way his fingers wound with hers. “Where are we going?” She already suspected where, but she could barely contain her excitement that Jenner would actually let her leave with him. Threat of necromancers be damned.

“My place,” he said as he led the way to the foyer. “
Our
place. Go upstairs and grab the rest of your things. You won’t be staying here anymore.”

Ours.
The word sent an unexpected burst of joy through Bria. She’s never had a place that she felt she could truly call her own. That Jenner would finally take her to his home, that he considered it something they would share, caused her chest to swell with emotion.
Such a male.
With every passing day Bria lost another piece of her heart to him.

Sadness tugged at her that she’d be so excited simply to be taken from point A to point B. A sad reflection on the sorry state of her life up until this point. But like the gradual way that Jenner continued to win her affection, she counted these small victories as a step in the right direction.

The rest of her things turned out to not be much. Her backpack with her geocaching gear, a few clothes and books her uncle had brought, and that was about it. Her worldly possessions could fill the cargo box on the back
of Jenner’s Ducati. When she followed Jenner out to the driveway, she noticed that Alex waited with the town car. “Where’s your motorcycle?”

“Left it parked at Ultra.” Jenner opened the car door and waited for Bria to climb in the backseat. “I had to ditch it when the slayers spotted me.”

Bria wished she could erase that entire night from her memory. “Should we go get it? I hope nothing’s happened to it.”