The Reluctant Vampire (16 page)

Harper stood in the center of the wall of windows, dressed in his shirt and pants, staring out over the lights of the city. She would have bet a lot of money that he wasn’t seeing anything outside, however. There was a moroseness about his pose and expression that convinced her he was lost in thoughts, and not pleasant ones.

“We’re life mates.”

Drina stiffened at the grim announcement. Apparently, he’d heard her approach despite her silence. Or perhaps he’d simply seen her, she realized as she spotted her reflection in the glass. And then his words sank in.

Crap. He knew.

Of course, she supposed she should have expected as much. As it was fabled, life mates did apparently faint after sex. No doubt he had too, though it appeared he’d recovered more swiftly than she had. And she’d obviously been deep in it. He’d not only carried her to bed but tugged those boots off without her stirring. She’d been out like a light.

Sighing, Drina continued forward, crossing the room toward him. “Most people would be happy about it.”

“I am,” he said, and she snorted in disbelief.

“You don’t sound happy,” she pointed out, pausing beside him and considering his face. “And you definitely don’t look happy.”

“Did you know?” Harper asked.

Drina turned to peer out the window. “Yes. I tried to read you the night we met, and then there was the eating and . . .” She shrugged.

“And you didn’t say anything.”

Drina sighed. “Marguerite said you might have some trouble accepting it, and it was better to let you figure it out on your own.”

“Marguerite,” he muttered wryly.

“She said you feel guilty about Jenny’s death and have been punishing yourself.”

“It was my fault,” Harper said wearily.

“I know you feel that way, but—”

“It’s true,” he barked. “If she’d never met me, she’d still be alive.”

“Or she might have had a heart attack jogging. I mean, it was her heart that gave out, wasn’t it? Some unknown defect she had?”

“Still, it was the turn that—”

“Harper, I do understand,” Drina interrupted quietly, and he turned on her sharply.

“How the hell could you understand? Have you killed a life mate?”

Drina’s eyes narrowed, and she said dryly, “Not yet, but there’s still time.”

He blinked in surprise.

“Don’t yell at me. I know you’re upset and hurting, but don’t take it out on me,” she said firmly. “It’s one thing to punish yourself for what you think is your fault, but I won’t be your whipping boy.”

Sighing wearily, Harper ran a hand through his hair and turned away, muttering, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped.”

“No, you shouldn’t. And whether you want to believe it or not, I
do
understand your guilt over Jenny. I have my own guilt.”

“For what?” he asked with surprise.

“Hello. Were you listening when I told you my history? I’m pretty sure I mentioned Beth and the girls in detail.” Mouth flattening, Drina turned to peer out the window again. “I’m pretty sure Jimmy only picked them for victims because of their connection to me. If I’d never entered their lives, they might have lived to a ripe old age and never endured the horrors that twisted them at the end.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” he said quietly. “You can’t blame yourself for that. You did your best for them.”

“Just as you did your best for Jenny,” she pointed out. “But the fact that we were doing our best, and had no idea how that might play out, won’t make either of us feel less guilty.”

Harper turned back to the window and sighed wearily.

They stood like that for a minute, and then Drina shifted restlessly. “Marguerite said that you are so determined to punish yourself that you might do something foolish like avoid me to keep from acknowledging we were life mates.”

“A little late for that,” he muttered.

“Only because you weren’t given the opportunity,” Drina said with certainty, and then added, “She said not to confront you with it, and to let you realize it for yourself, but to be prepared for you to try to push me away once you do realize it . . . which, of course, you’re doing.”

“I’m not pushing you away,” Harper denied, glancing around with surprise.

Drina rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, I’m standing here not six inches away, naked as the day I was born, and it feels like there are miles between us.”

She felt his eyes glide over her, and held her breath, hoping he’d bridge the emotional gulf he’d created between them, but she wasn’t terribly surprised when he turned away and looked out the window again.

“I just need time to adjust to this,” he muttered, leaning one arm on the window and pressing his forehead to it.

“Right,” Drina said. Her temper was stirring, but her voice was calm as she asked, “What exactly are you adjusting to?”

Harper straightened and frowned. “I need to wrap my brain around it, is all. This has taken me by surprise.”

She nodded. “And how long will that take?”

He shrugged helplessly, and then said miserably, “I don’t know.”

“Fine,” she snapped, finally unleashing the rebellion stirring within her. It was a familiar sensation for Drina, and she turned on him, and said coolly, “Well, first off, I resent that in punishing yourself, I too will be punished. And second, I should warn you, I don’t intend to take that punishment for very long. You may want to wallow in your guilt and shun what we could have, but that doesn’t mean I intend to wait around forever for you to ‘adjust.’ You have two weeks. Once Victor and Elvi return, and I leave here, I’m asking Marguerite to actively look for another possible life mate for me. One who will actually want me.” She smiled coldly into his stunned face, and added, “And I’m sure she will manage it. After all, I’m your second possible life mate in two years. With Marguerite actively looking, it might not even take that long.”

Much to her relief, Drina saw alarm flash across his face at the suggestion. Perhaps there was hope for them, she thought, but merely turned on her heel and started back across the living room, adding, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got two doses of Sweet Ecstasy still coursing through me and don’t intend to suffer any more than necessary. I’m going downstairs to give the doorman the night of his life. It won’t be as satisfying as it would have been with you, but you’re obviously more interested in wallowing in your guilt than me . . . and beggars can’t be choosers.”

Drina wasn’t terribly surprised to hear him curse. Nor was she surprised to hear the quick patter of his footsteps as he gave chase. She didn’t speed up or break into a run, simply continued on, making it all the way across the room and up the four steps to the hall before he caught her arm and jerked her back around with enough force to bring her crashing up against his chest. Catching his hand in her hair, he dragged her head back and slammed his mouth down on hers. She could feel his resentment in that kiss, his anger that she wasn’t going to sit sadly sighing and patiently waiting for him to fight his demons until he felt he’d suffered enough that he could allow them to enjoy this gift they’d been given. She could almost hear his conscience battling with his desire as he struggled between what he wanted and what he felt he deserved.

Drina stayed completely still and unresponsive as she waited to see which side would win, but when the caress turned from anger to passion, she knew his conscience had lost this round. The moment it did, she relaxed and reached for the buttons of his shirt.

“You’ll drive me crazy,” Harper muttered, tearing his mouth from hers to trail it along her neck.

“Probably,” she agreed, finishing with his buttons and turning her attention to tugging his shirt out of his pants. Pushing it off his shoulders then, she ran her hands over his muscled chest and sighed with pleasure, teasing, “For a cook, you have a good body.”

“Thank the nanos,” he muttered, sucking in a breath when her fingers skimmed down his belly to work at his pants. He caught her hands as she finished with the fastening and began to slide the zipper down, then waited until she’d raised her eyes to his in question before asking, “You wouldn’t really have gone downstairs and—”

“I never make idle threats,” Drina interrupted, dropping to her knees before him.

“Good to know,” Harper muttered, as she shook his hands from hers and finished what she’d started, drawing the zipper down.

Drina caught her fingers in the waist of pants and boxers, and pulled them down, smiling as he sprang free. Reaching out, she closed her fingers around him, her eyes closing at the shaft of excitement it sent shooting through her own body.

Shared pleasure. Another symptom of life mates.

This was really her first chance to experience it. Prior to this, Harper had insisted on doing all the—Drina’s thoughts died as she realized there was no way he couldn’t have known they were life mates earlier in the night. He would have experienced this both at the bar and afterward. What did that mean? He hadn’t run at the first touch. Was there more hope for them than she’d been led to believe?

Her ponderings scattered as he spoke.

“Maybe we should move to the—” Harper’s words choked off as she leaned forward and ran her tongue lightly along the side of his growing erection, sending little licks of excitement through them both.

Bracing his hands on both walls of the hall, he muttered, “Next time,” and then groaned with her as she took him into her mouth.

The ringing of a phone drew Drina from sleep and had her shifting grumpily.

“Yes?”

Blinking her eyes open at the sound of Harper’s voice, she peered at his chest, which she presently nestled on, then raised her eyes to his face. They were in his large king-sized bed. He’d obviously woken first, as usual, and carried her there again because they’d been in the kitchen when unconsciousness overtook her. Drina had gone there in search of food, but of course Harper hadn’t even lived here for a year, and while he had told her he had a cleaning service come in weekly anyway, he hadn’t eaten in centuries before the trip to Port Henry, so hadn’t had food in even then.

There hadn’t been a crumb in the kitchen. No blood either. Fortunately, Harper had woken and come to find her as she’d realized that and managed to distract her from both hungers with a different one. Really, kitchen counters were the perfect height for such a distraction.

“I’ll call you back,” Harper said, glancing to her when she began to draw invisible circles on his chest. He reached out to set the phone in its cradle, then turned, rolling Drina onto her back and coming down on top of her with his face at chest level.

“Who was that?” she murmured, stretching beneath him and smiling as she felt something hard press against her leg.

“The pilot,” he mumbled, catching her hands and pressing them down on either side of her head as he nibbled his way along her collarbone. “The storm’s over. We can fly now.”

“Oh.” Drina sighed with keen disappointment that this idyllic period was over. “We should go.”

“We will,” he assured her, his mouth moving lower now, making a beeline for one breast. “After.”

Drina hesitated, but her sense of duty made her shake her head. “I should—”

Harper released one hand to cover her mouth, then lifted his head and peered at her solemnly. “It’s midafternoon. We can’t land in the schoolyard until evening. It’s a school day.”

“Oh,” she said, and then smiled slowly. “Well, in that case . . .”

Turning abruptly, she caught him by surprise and managed to roll him onto his back again, and immediately rose to straddle him. Smiling down at his surprise, she said, “You should feed me.”

Harper peered at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing in calculation, and then he heaved a reluctant sigh. “Yes, I suppose. I
am
hungry.”

Drina blinked and managed to hide her disappointment. She’d rather hoped for some protest, maybe a little wrestling session, and then round six of mad passionate sex . . . or maybe it would have been round seven. She’d lost count. It didn’t matter anyway, it seemed Harper was more hungry for food than her.

Forcing a smile, she started to slip off of him, to stand beside the bed, and then cried out with surprise when she was caught around the waist and tugged back onto the bed.

Drina landed on her back on the mattress, and he was immediately coming down on top of her again. Harper did seem to like to be the one in control in the bedroom, she’d noticed. Oddly enough, Drina found she didn’t mind, which was kind of unexpected when she considered that she had spent most of her life struggling for independence and control in the rest of her life. But then, perhaps that was why. It was nice to lay down the burden and let him steer the boat, especially when it was such a pleasant journey.

“I thought you were hungry?” She laughed, as he set about pinning her legs with his own and pinning her hands down by her head again to be sure she couldn’t roll on top again, or even move really.

“I am,” Harper assured her, and then bent his head to flick the tip of his tongue repeatedly over one hardening nipple, before adding, “And we
will
eat. After.”

“After,” Drina agreed on a moan as he stopped teasing and finally closed his mouth over her nipple.

Chapter Nine

Drina glanced over the dark schoolyard they were hovering above and then to Casey Cottage on the corner across the street. She stared at the lit windows of the house, wishing with all her heart that the storm had continued, and they hadn’t had to return. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to see Stephanie, Mirabeau, and Tiny, or even Anders, but the closer they’d gotten to Port Henry, the more grim Harper had become. She very much feared the passion and laughter of the last twenty-four hours would soon be nothing more than a memory as Harper sank back into his guilt.

“Idiot man,” she muttered under her breath as the helicopter touched down, and then she sighed and moved along the seat toward the door when Harper shifted to open it. He got out first, and turned, raising his hands to help her out.

Drina hesitated, taking in his impersonal expression, then got out, her teeth grinding together when he took her elbow to usher her away from the helicopter.