This Blood (31 page)

“If you keep this up, I’ll be a puddle on the bed.” The reaction to his body’s closeness was magnified by the scent of his skin and the feel of his nails lightly scratching my skin. I had to stop him or he would put me in an even more confusing position. We needed to figure things out, not complicate them.

I rolled off the side, evading his hands. “Thank you, I feel better now. I couldn’t have extracted myself from that thing without you.” I tried to smile away the sexual tension that was threatening to choke me.

Lucian seemed to enjoy my obvious unease.

“I’m happy to help. You know I’d do anything for you, Grace.” He leaned over. Pulling his soft boots off, he lay them on the floor next to the bed. “You don’t mind if we talk in here, do you? The benches out there aren’t very comfortable.” He scooted his large form back until his shoulders sunk into the pillow. I watched him, my mouth dry and slack.

I shook myself from my shocked stupor. “Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, this is where I’m going to sleep.”

“Are you afraid I might jump you in the night? Or are you afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?” His smile was boyish and wolfish at once.

“Both, I imagine. But if you’re strong enough, then I am too.” I folded the long panels that formed the skirt of my gown, trying in vain to cover as much of myself as I could. The chest, however, well, it was so skimpy, it covered little else than my nipples.

He watched me adjust myself awkwardly. I could tell he was amused by my efforts at modesty.

“I don’t see a change of clothing in here, and it’s obvious you’re uncomfortable. Here.” He pulled his shirt over his head in one swift movement and handed it to me.

“You can use this. It will cover you much better than that dress, and then maybe we can relax and actually talk.”

I stared at his chest. Yeah, now I could relax. Strong pecs and hard muscle dusted with downy blond hairs. My eyes were glued. I had been around him shirtless more times than I could count, but seeing his bare chest, in the privacy of a bedroom was a totally new feeling. I sensed his power, not to mention his maleness.

I hopped off the bed, turned on my heel and bolted for the small bathroom, shutting it behind me I leaned against the door.

Get a hold of yourself!
I mentally chided.
What is wrong with you?
I placed the silver and blue tunic on the floor and went to the basin. Splashing water on my neck and cheeks to cool my racing blood, I released the clasp that held the gown on and it fell in a pool at my feet. I stood for a moment in nothing but a white silken pair of panties.

The tunic was soft and still warm from the heat of Lucian’s body. His scent filled me as I pulled it over my head, making my head swim. I was beginning to think they put something in the water.

I hadn’t been this randy since Seth invoked the ring to get me in bed. Only this, well, this was a pure attraction, a natural attraction.  I stood for a moment, trying to collect myself. I blotted my chest and face with the discarded dress and opened the door.

He lay on the bed, his feet and chest bared. He wore only a low-slung pair of soft black pants. His strong body looked comfortable and at home. None of my frustration appeared to be lost on him. He was completely at ease.

“Better?” he asked calmly.

“Yes, thank you again. You’re my knight in shining armor tonight. I would be a mess without you.” I was more of a mess with him. I walked to the bed, curling my legs under me as I sat. “So, let’s talk.” I said, my voice cracking a little.

He sat up, his expression suddenly serious.

Great, I was in for a blow.

“I know you went through hell with Seth. I know he forced you to do things,” his voice broke a fraction. “I also know you had little choice.” He leaned closer, taking my hand in his, and continued. “I look at you and I see a beautiful fragile woman. A woman, who needs to be cared for, protected. But then, you prove to be something else entirely. You’re smart, very smart. You think quickly on your feet and you are loyal to your friends. You can take care of yourself.” He released my hand. “I know that now. And before we continue with our talk, I want to apologize for any and all of my prejudiced assumptions. I was being unfair and selfish.”

I stared at him, torn between hugging him and kicking him in the ass. “Lucian, please, you did no more or less than any man would have done. It’s okay.”

“It’s just that I want to be there for you, I want you to turn to me before any other man. I can’t explain it.” He cleared his throat, “Grace, I need to ask you something. It’s for my piece of mind and you don’t have to answer me if you choose not to, but, when you were with Seth, were you ever attracted to him? Were you ever willing? Chloe and Eden said you were. They said your moans would wake the undead. They tried to torment me with tales of your bed play. They said you willingly let him feed from you. Then, the night of the party, when I saw you covered in vampire bites everywhere, I went mad inside. I wanted to kill Seth. I hated you.”

He was sitting well away from me now, moving back as the memories spilled from his lips. I crawled forward, touching his leg. “Lucian, you should know by now that anything those monsters said were lies. They wanted to hurt you. My God! Seth wanted to kill you!”

He looked hopeful, but I pressed on. “But, in answer to your questions, at first, no. He had to use the ring to make me touch him. It was shocking. He’s a vampire. A creature I believed to be pure myth.”

I scooted closer to him, I knew this next part was not going to please him, but I wasn’t going to lie to him now. I had no reason.

“Well,” I began, “at first, he scared me, but at the same time he protected me. I was confused. I knew I had to get you and Ann out. I had to cooperate with him and I couldn’t get at the ring. Then there was the sex. I was under the power of the ring, but he knew I was already drawn to him. He used that to turn my lust against me and in the end, I went to him willingly. He was a passionate lover. He made me feel things I have never felt with any mortal man.”

I saw him flinch, and his pain prickled across my skin. But I would not apologize for it. “I regret many things, Lucian, but I can’t regret being human, nor needing a man. I guess that was my one betrayal.”

He looked stricken. His eyes were unblinking and a shadow crossed over his face. “Tell me, how did you finally get away?” his voice was soft, and his bland tone did little to hide his pain.

“I was locked in his room,” I said. “The Council decided Seth was too attached to me. I was a distraction that needed removal. They planned to transport me to some far off place. I knew if they had succeeded, I’d never be able to help you. So, I hid a large marble bust under his bed, and when he came back, I acted like I was falling apart and I cried. Seth came to comfort me and when his head was lowered, I smashed his face in with the bust. Then I staked Ael. But, that asshole managed to tear my shoulder apart before he finally fell. Thank goodness, Gavyn had the power to heal, or Ael’s last attack would have been fatal.” I stared blindly, my memories filling me. “I killed Thorak too. I stabbed him in the groin then blew his head off with a ’44 Magnum.” I could still feel the slippery gray matter pelting my face and arms. The putrid smell and the fleshy chunks that slid off my skin made an indelible impression on my memory.

“I had to get you out. I had to do whatever needed to be done. You can pass judgment if you want to, but I did what I had to do and I won’t apologize for it, not to you or anyone.  Now, Seth is angrier than ever. He knows I went with Gavyn. I’m sure after what I did to him and his people, he’ll want me even more. I can make a pretty good bet if he ever gets his hands on me again, it won’t be sex and diamonds, but torture and death.”

I was standing at the foot of the bed, although I didn’t remember getting up. Lucian was staring at me. The look of pain was gone from his eyes, replaced with something I couldn’t identify.

“What would you have had me do? Should I have refused Seth? Run away from the ring? From my friends? Would that have made me nobler?”  I was pacing, the tunic barley covering me as I walked. The cool night air was blowing in from an open window, chilling my skin.

“You went through four vampires, a troll and the entire Council to rescue us, Grace. How can I hold anything against you? Again, please forgive me. I’m sorry for judging you before I knew the whole story. I guess in the grand scheme of things, I’m not the most innocent traveler in this adventure either.”

He got up. I was so relieved he understood that I launched myself into his arms.

“Stay with me tonight, Lucian, not as a lover, but as a friend. I need someone to hold me, I need to feel safe. I need you.”

He hugged me tightly. Carrying me to the soft bed, he set me gently upon it, and then left to close the open windows as well as secure the doors. When he returned, I was under the covers. As he approached, I threw back the quilt on the side that would be his and he smiled.

“You look like an angel,” he said. “I wish I could keep you.”

I blushed and felt a pang of regret. I wished for that and more, but I was so scared that it would ruin everything.

He turned and quickly removed his pants. My eyes grew huge, since he wore nothing underneath. I started to stammer, trying to avert my gaze, his sex all but riveting my eyes as I stared, blatantly helpless.

“We will not make love. You’re in this bed as a friend. Why make things difficult?” I was hot all over; his body was perfect, strong, welcoming and oh-so-alive.

“I know, I’m here for you as a friend, but I can’t sleep in those pants, and we have nothing else for me to put on. Surely you’re not embarrassed by a nude man? Just keep all of your clothes on and we’ll be fine.”

Somehow I doubted that. Before I was struggling, now I was drowning. Oh yeah, he was perfect, huge and perfect. The light in the room faded to almost nothing as he blew out the candles. My toes curled as the bed depressed with his weight. I turned onto my side, offering him my back, fearing if I faced him I might give in. I was hoping for “out of sight, out of mind.”

He rolled toward me. The hard line of his body spooned me and it felt great. I knew we’d be fine. He was behaving himself.

“Good night, Gracie,” he whispered right before sleep claimed us both.

THIRTY-THREE

I was walking home in the dark, my heavy Doc Martins making little noise on the asphalt. The night air was thick. I turned around abruptly. My broken car gleamed in the spectral moonlight.

A sound echoed behind me. I hurried my steps as my small cottage came into view. The feeling that I was being followed tickled my back, making me want to scream. Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I broke into a run. My front door was ajar as I approached. Someone was already there, but I had to get inside before it got me. It would get me. I knew it, it was so close.

I took the steps in one leap and slammed the door behind me, flicking the deadbolt home as quickly as possible.

My eyes took in my small space as I fought to catch my breath.

Roses?

Hundreds of roses, so dark red, they were black. Everywhere.

Petals were scattered across the linoleum of the kitchen, my couch and my counters. Roses in vases soaking in blood-red water. My heart threatened to leap out of my chest. Something on the table sparkled, catching my eye.

I took a step forward. My mouth was dry as my body broke out in a cold sweat.  Lying in a small slender box was the diamond tennis bracelet Seth had picked out for me the very night I escaped.

I didn’t remember taking it off. I just assumed it disappeared in the chaos. I stared at it.  It was like an alien thing. I stepped back as my fear took over. A soft glow was coming from the hallway and I walked slowly toward the light. I turned and walked down the hall to my bedroom.

It was my room, but I didn’t recognize it. Fabric draped everything. My bed was veiled by a huge silken drape of black fabric. Red rose petals covered the mattress and floor. I stepped further into the room. Candles were blazing on every available surface, and thick pools of inky wax dripped in small rivers.

I smelled spice on the air. Fear paralyzed me and I was frozen, my feet rooted to the floor. Pale hands wrapped around my waist from behind, gently pulling me closer to the cool body that stood so close.

Impossible. 

A soft sob escaped me. Then, I was turned violently around. My eyes locked with his deadly gaze. Startling mercury eyes that held the promise of death.

“No!”

He lowered his mouth, swallowing my scream in a punishing kiss. My knees buckled and I began to fall to the floor. He caught me and carried me slowly to the bed. My clothing dissolved. I was draped in a soft, black scrap of silk.  

He bent over me, his hands caressing my face. His body tensed, I could see his neck flex as he prepared to strike. A scream ripped through me as his fangs sank in, white hot pain erupting through my body. I was screaming. I heard my name over and over as I tried to push him off my body.

I opened my eyes. Lucian was there, his eyes wild.

“Grace! Are you with me?”

The room was once again filled with the soft glow of candles. They were white and smelled like the forest.  I was with Lucian and it was only a bad dream. Lucian must have lit the candles while I slept.

I felt dazed. My body was humming with energy, as if I just got in from running as few miles. I sat up, my hand rubbing the new soreness at my neck. Lucian flinched as my fingers came away with fresh blood. He walked slowly back to me. Taking my hand in his, he stared at my crimson fingers.

“I smell roses.”  he stated. He was breathing heavily and fear laced his words. “He came to you, didn’t he? He can reach you no matter where you are.” That last comment was a statement of fact.

“What can I do? He wants me. He won’t stop tormenting me, I feel it. I can never escape.”

Lucian surprised me by placing my fingers into his mouth. They came out clean.

At my startled look, he said, “This is you, Grace, it’s not going to hurt me. I frowned at him. “I just want to be normal. I want my stupid job back. I want my shitty car and bad clothing. I want my old life back.”