The Thorndykes 1: Dispossessed (11 page)

“Yes, I believe you.” Although she wasn’t sure it was because she desperately wanted to. She needed to know her connection with him wasn’t all one-sided.

His relief was evident by the way he swept his hands over her back, one high, one low. His gentleness overwhelmed her as well as the waves of comfort he sent into her mind. No false promises and no overprotective bullshit. He’d told her the truth as well as giving her a shoulder to lean on when she wanted it.

She appreciated that.

A soft tap on the door informed them their ordeal, at least this part of it, was over. Jay took her hand and led her out of the suite and into the next one.

At first glance, nothing had changed. The sheets were fresh, and so were the bandages that covered the top half of Drew’s body. He still lay on his back, that barely there rise and fall indicating he was breathing.

Lucille choked back her instinctive response to rush to his side. The doctor faced her, and she needed to know everything first. “Will he live?”

“He has a good chance. I won’t lie to you; he was badly hurt. One bullet had been in him for a minimum of twenty-four hours. The other was fresh, and that’s what caused the bleeding. He’d fought before that one. Someone had tied him up so tightly he must have lost the use of his hands, but if he recovers from the wound, then that will heal itself too.” The doctor glanced at his watch. “The sun should set around seven thirty. It’s barely noon, so we have seven and a half hours to get through before sunset. Once he comes into his powers, he’ll mend much faster. If he survives until then, he’ll need another full night of healing and then maybe a week to get his strength back. He’s going to need to feed.”

“No problem,” Jay said. “I’ll ask the staff to help out. Some know about me.”

The doctor nodded. “I don’t have to add that he’s particularly vulnerable. Silver bullets means someone is after him. Otherwise, why use them?”

“I got that.”

“I’m a dragon,” Nathan said. “I have round-the-clock powers. Isn’t there anything I can do?”

The doctor shook his head. “He needs the resolve to bear the pain. If he weakens, force yourself into his head and stay there. Find his consciousness, wake him up, and keep him awake so you can share his thoughts. Understand?”

Both men murmured their thanks. “I’ve done this before,” Jay said. “But aren’t you staying?”

“I can’t. I have surgeries to do. We have to perform one before nightfall, and it’s a doozy. The other I’ve scheduled for later, but both are critical. And no, neither of them involve silver in any way.” His sympathetic gaze encompassed Lucille where she stood in the circle of Jay’s arms. “He’s in the best place. Safe and secure. I got the bullets out and gave him what drugs I could, but I can’t give him narcotics because that would send him under. Take care of him. Call the hospital if he gets worse, and we’ll get someone else out here. We’re very shorthanded. Houston has a bigger population of Talents than ever before, and there are so few medical staff stationed there. I really have to get back.”

Lucille wanted to tie him up and keep him, but she couldn’t. Talents needed their doctors. Their physical differences couldn’t be trusted to regular medics. Regular doctors knew nothing about the extra organ in vampires’ bodies or the cells that might at any moment morph into scales or feathers on a shape-shifter.

All she could do was wait.

Chapter Seven

“I can’t believe you didn’t rush back to open the bar.” With the irritating but strangely comforting recuperation powers of a young vampire, Drew was sitting up in bed, consuming a huge plateful of food. He had bacon and scrambled eggs, toasted English muffins, and cheese.

It was the morning after the night Lucille thought would never end. She’d sat by him, waiting, pushing her strength into him, able to do nothing else but watch and pray. Although weariness made her bones ache, Drew had gone through worse.

They’d woken him, and he’d screamed with the pain, but he’d survived. He’d endured until his body had healed the worst of his injuries and expelled the poison of the silver. With their help. Lucille was so proud of him.

She was exhausted, relief at his recovery making her even weaker. Jay and Nathan appeared unaffected, but she knew better. Jay had let her deeper into his mind, so his weariness affected her too. An edge of cynicism overlay his fatigue. He’d seen situations like this before, something she broached with him as they ate.

“Too many times.” He exchanged a knowing glance with Nathan. “People have persecuted us for as long as we’ve been around.”

“How long is that?”

Her words evoked a smile. “We don’t know. Probably as long as mortals have been alive. The stories of dragons from the Middle Ages suggest shape-shifters went to ground. Similarly, bloodsucking monsters like us seem to have always existed.” His smile broadened when he saw her indignation. “Don’t forget, I chose to become a bloodsucking monster.”

She longed to ask him why, and she sensed her brother listening from the bed. However, Nathan was an unknown quantity. Jay said he’d known him years ago. Did he know him well?

Jay got to his feet. “I did it because I was bored. Someone offered, a man I seconded in a duel. He was mortally wounded at dawn. No chance he’d survive until nightfall, so he offered to convert me. I accepted.” He shrugged. “A spur-of-the-moment decision that gave me hundreds of years to wreak havoc in.”

He walked toward Drew smiling easily, but the way he kept his inner barriers firmly shut and his mind even and calm told Lucille more than he might suspect. That regulation of his feelings, it meant he was hiding something. Maybe it was none of her business—for sure it wasn’t—but she didn’t like that clamming up.

He lifted the tray from Drew’s lap. “You did well. A couple of nights, and you’ll be fine.”

The terse praise meant a lot to Drew, Lucille could tell from the way her brother blushed fiery red. The curse of the redhead, when every emotion showed on the skin. Would she ever conquer that trait?

“Don’t even try. The way your skin flushes in passion is a fantastic sight.”

She smiled, glad the mood had lightened. She’d had about all the grimness she could take right now. “We should sleep.”

“We’ll go nocturnal for a while,” Jay said. “Do those night shifts you suggested.”

“Let me make a few calls. What do I tell people?”

“As near the truth as we can. Tell them Drew was beaten up by thugs, and you want to look after him for a while. Nothing for them to worry about, but he’s badly shaken, and you don’t want to leave him too long.” He spread his hands. “Tell them he’s here. I found him and brought him home. I’ve already let people know I’m interested in you, so it won’t come as a total shock.” His face turned grim. “And it will let whoever it is know I am here, and I don’t consider any attacks on Talents light matters.”

He glanced at Nathan, who nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ve done this before.”

Nathan’s laugh rolled around the room. “There were times we tossed victims from one to the other, and they thought they were in control. Besides, this is the safest place for Drew.”

Her attention went to the bed where her brother sat against a bank of pillows, pale but smiling. Yes, he was right. The security around this house, even on nonparty nights, far surpassed anything she could provide. While he was safe, she could think.

Jay winked at Drew. “Besides, I want to teach you a few tricks.”

“I can do that,” Nathan said. “You go. If we’re nocturnal, it’s time for bed.”

“Sure.” Jay reached for Lucille, and without hesitation she took his hand. Only then did she glance over to where Drew watched her silently, his face a picture of blankness.

She’d surprised him. Fuck, she’d surprised herself.

Jay pulled her up and into the curve of his arm. “You must be beat. You worked harder than the rest of us last night. Come on.” Without further explanation, he guided her out of the room, along the short length of hallway into his suite.

She hadn’t seen him give the order, but a tray of cold goodies lay on the table by the window, waiting for them. Pastries, fruit salad, cornflakes, and savories like ham and cheese. All beautifully arranged.

“Not,” he assured her, “brought by the housekeeper who did her best to part us. You won’t be seeing her again.” He went into the kitchen, and the faucet went on as he filled the kettle. Already the sound was familiar to her.

She couldn’t allow familiarity. Couldn’t let herself get too involved with this beautiful, complex man. He’d move on. His reputation said he was restless and averse to putting down roots. She’d read about him, looked at his online profile after he invited her to the party. That had come back to bite her in the butt as it was all she had to think about after he’d seemingly rejected her so ruthlessly.

“Come and eat. You won’t be able to once you wake up after nightfall.”

“What makes you believe I’ll sleep until nightfall?” She checked her watch. “It’s barely ten.”

“We’ll see.” With an enigmatic smile, he motioned to the table. “I’ll join you when I’ve made the coffee.”

She did as he asked. When she crossed one of the oriental rugs scattered around the room, she appreciated the shiny floorboards, then the richness of pure silk carpet under her lightly shod feet. That was luxury, to have the pleasure of touching nothing but the best.

He brought the coffee over, the wide white cups exuding a heady aroma.

“I thought you Brits liked tea.”

“We do. But we like coffee too. Would you prefer tea?”

She shook her head. “I can deal. You make surprisingly good coffee. For a Brit.”

With laughter in his eyes, he put the cups down and hauled her to her feet, taking her off-kilter so she fell against him. Without waiting for her to regain her balance, he kissed her and took his time about it. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, making little sounds of enjoyment, rumbling against her lips. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes were gleaming with untold promise. “That was celebration. That, and I was longing to do it ever since we knew Drew was out of danger.” He kissed her again. “Nice kid.”

“He’s over twenty.”

“Like I said, nice kid.”

She snuggled closer, pressed against his chest. “Do you think I’m a kid?”

He growled. “Not when you do that, no. Never. But you eat. Hear me?”

“We could eat later.” She emphasized her point by wriggling against his hard cock. “I want to celebrate too.” Euphoria poured through her. She had today, this beautiful room, this gorgeous man, and her brother was out of immediate peril.

“I meant to let you sleep alone.” His protest sounded halfhearted at best.

“No chance. After what you put me through? You’ve got to prove you want me.”

“That shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Without warning, he swung her into his arms and reached the bed in two strides before tossing her on to it, none too gently. She landed laughing, but he stopped that when he landed on top of her, surrounding her with powerful, hot male goodness.

He had them stripped in a minute. Maybe less, she wasn’t counting. Greedily, she spread her hands over his chest, stroking, the crisp hair abrading her palms. Before she could caress down to his groin, he had her spread-eagled below him, her arms pinioned under his hands. He glanced down at her, letting out a groan. “Fuck, you look good. I love that little red bush, and the pink below. It’s just so…inviting.”

Liquid escaped from her, soaking her pussy as he watched, licking his lips. “You deprived me of my breakfast,” he said. “I’m still hungry.”

Kissing his way down from her navel, he subjected her to the best kind of torment. He paused at her hips, tickling them with his tongue, building her anticipation. Then he dived in, releasing her arms to cup her breasts while he devoured her. He licked away the wetness before he sucked her clit, working it with rhythmic pulls. She squirmed beneath him, cried out, then caught her breath, remembering her brother next door.

He lifted his head long enough to say, “Make all the noise you like. Nobody can hear you. If they can, I don’t care. Maybe I want to make them jealous. Don’t hold back.”

When he returned to work, she couldn’t hold in her cries of pleasure if she’d wanted to. Pulling her clit deep, he thrust his tongue into her pussy, stabbing and then retreating. Waves of enjoyment mingled in her mind, in
their
minds. She let him in, and as she came in throbbing pulses, opened her mind another layer.

She’d never done that before, not with anyone. She felt safe here with Jay. That revealing made her vulnerable, but since he instantly did the same, he’d rendered himself that way too. Open to her. She could enter him, read him. Even their earlier feeding-while-fucking session hadn’t given them privileges like this.

Her breath short from her climax and the intimacy, she watched him as if in a dream, rising up and over her. He guided his cock to her pussy, twirled it at her entrance to lubricate it and mingle their juices, then pushed in. Slow and steady, as if they had all the time in the world, he slid deep, her body yielding ready to welcome him.

She spread her hands on his biceps, curled them around his upper arms as far as she could, and watched him pound into her. Ripples of sensation spread to waves, encompassing her whole body, radiating from her pussy. Arching her back, she pressed her calves against the mattress. Straightforward, frantic fucking, both of them with the same objective—to come and celebrate each other in joy.

She twisted and cried his name, urging him to come with her body and mind, and then he gave in.

He thrust deeply, held himself inside her while he gazed into her eyes, and then took his pleasure. The only words she heard were, “So good!” but he expressed himself better with his body, embracing her in hot waves of need and fulfillment.

At last she was safe, ready to let go.

He rolled to one side and gathered her up close. She snuggled in, prepared for sleep, her thoughts drifting already. He roused her with a sharp touch to her mind.
“Remember what I said. We have to eat. Although I’d rather sleep and then go again. I’m sorry I couldn’t be subtle, give you more, but I needed you.”