Tigress (Night Hawk Series) (10 page)

Chapter
Twenty-One - Damian

The garage wasn’t exactly warm, but it was miles beyond the frigid slap the box of the moving van contained.

I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders before resuming the web design I was already late delivering. My client wasn’t happy with the delay, but when I explained we
’d moved across country and had run into complications that I hadn’t foreseen, they graciously gave me a couple of days more.

My fingers flew over the keyboard and I concentrated on the code string I was creating instead of the flurry of information I had obtained over the last two days. It was easier to drown in work instead of dwell on the possible scenarios for the future. All of them bleak and lonely.

My hands curled into fists and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and shifting my weight, forcing the thought brigade back.

“If you want this thing done by sunset,” I muttered, reminding myself again of the self
-imposed deadline I set.

I opened my eyes and the creak of a door caught my attention.

“Hey,” Valerie said when she stepped out of the house.

“Hey,” I replied and looked behind her at the empty space. “Where’s Naomi?”

“Crashed,” she said and crossed the distance, hopping up onto the tailgate before settling down on the end of the truck bed. “Are you okay?”

This conversation was going to take longer than normal and I sighed, glancing down at my screen. I saved my work and put the computer aside, still trying to figure out what to say to Valerie’s question.

“Not entirely,” I said, opting not to bullshit her. She always could read through it anyway and I could see from the pity written in her expression that Naomi must have done some talking before sleep tackled her.

She just stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

“What do you want me to say?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.

“I don’t know.” She shifted so her back was against the tire
-well. “Maybe you should start at the beginning?”

I narrowed my eyes and bit the inside of my lip against a snide remark. Valerie wasn’t the enemy and I couldn’t aim my anger in her direction. “What exactly do you know about me?”

Her smile accompanied a challenge in her eyes. “Everything.” She crossed her arms to punctuate her meaning.

“Bullshit,” I called her bluff. It had been ages since I’d had a mental spar with Valerie and I believe the last time she had just turned sixteen and we had a debate about cars. And the girl won.

“Son of Gabriel. Protector to my bloodline. The only vampire who can shape shift and the only one who looks like a normal human, even though you’re older than dirt.”

I felt the snort of laughter burn my nose. “Sweetie, knowing my history and knowing me are worlds apart,” I returned. “And dirt was around before I was born.”

All humor faded from her features. “I know you love Naomi and not being able to touch her is slowly killing you.”

I
started to speak and paused, closing my mouth because she was right.

“I’ve seen th
is recklessness in you before,” she said and I cocked my head. Before I could ask, she continued, “A couple of nights before all hell broke loose here. I saw you stalk out of the house and the expression on your face is the same one you have now.”

“Excuse me?”

“You have the expression of someone who has nothing to live for.” She put her hand up to stop my argument. “There’s anger, just like you had back then, but underneath it, you’ve already given up.”

I pressed my lips together and stared at my feet stretched out in front of me.

“What the fuck is that all about?”

My gaze snapped to hers and whatever sympathy she displayed earlier was replaced with a harsh anger.

“I...”

“Don’t give me a fucking excuse. If you really love her, you’ll find a way to make this work.”

“I love her,” I snapped, my defenses going into overdrive. “I love her so much it feels like a blade’s been shoved in my chest every time I go to reach for her. And it’s only been a fucking week. What kind of a basket case am I going to be after a year? Besides, how fair is this to her?” I pointed at the door, my voice rising with the fury filling me.

“And you don’t think it’s driving her
just as crazy as it is you?”

“She’
d be happier without me,” I growled.

“
Oh, that’s bullshit and you know it. True love is much more than a good fuck,” she said, shocking the hell out of me. The Valerie I left didn’t talk so bluntly or crudely.

“I know that,” I muttered.
“But I can’t even hold her hand.”

“
It’s winter, wear driving gloves and hold her hand. Jesus, Damian, it’s like you were born yesterday. You’ve got a creative mind, why the hell aren’t you using it?”

“Because I’m angry right now. At every fucking little thing. It took twenty-five hundred years to find my soul mate and
that bastard has succeeded in tearing us apart.”

“You need a good
swift kick in the ass,” she glared at me.

“Why?”

“Because he isn’t the one tearing you two apart. You are,” she said and stood, hopping off the tailgate. “For such a smart man, you can be a fucking dumbass,” she added when her shoes slapped the garage floor.

“What the hell do you mean by that?”

She stopped halfway to the door and turned taking a deep breath. “Look at it as a challenge for you to overcome instead of a loss. It’s up to you to decide whether you will overcome it or not. If you don’t, Lucifer wins.”

My eyes widened at the drop of his name.

“Chill, the place is angel-proof, remember,” Valerie said before she turned, leaving me alone with the hum of my computer.

Valerie was always smarter than a human had a right to be
and as soon as the shock wore off, her words bit at my nerves because she was absolutely right. It wasn’t what was thrown at us that mattered; it was how we chose to handle it.

Naomi had rolled with it, even in Denver. Even with the building frustration of not being able to touch, she handled it better than I did.

I, on the other hand, resorted to the equivalent of a two-year-old’s belligerent rant.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” I muttered and pulled the computer back onto my lap, putting the answer to my question aside and focusing back on the web design.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The results of the day’s programming pleased me and I stretched, cracking my knuckles and shaking the cold ache out of my fingers. After I saved the program, I glanced at the clock on the toolbar. It was almost five and I glanced at the dark phone next to me.

Michael hadn’t checked in and I punched in my passcode, sending off a quick text to see if he was okay.
Now that the sun had set, I packed up the computer and grabbed my duffel bag, hauling it over my shoulder.

Before I reached the door, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the text and exhaled. The relief swe
pt through my tight muscles like an infusion of blood. They had just boarded a bus headed for Hartford and someone would need to pick them up around two in the morning.

I shot off a text
saying that I’d pick them up at the bus station and pocketed my phone. When I stepped into the house, I glanced at the L-shaped open concept kitchen and family room. Valerie sat on the couch with an array of books open; she didn’t look up from scribbling on her note pad until I crossed the room.

When she raised her gaze, she nodded toward the hallway.

“She is still asleep.”

I bit my lip and looked at the hallway for a second. “Your uncle wouldn’t happen to have driving gloves, would he?”

Dimples appeared in her cheeks. “I have no idea, but, I’m glad you’re starting to think outside the box.” Valerie leaned over and rummaged in the bag at her feet. She sat up with a package of micro-thin latex surgical gloves and handed them to me. “I can get more at the hospital tomorrow, so...enjoy,” she said and grinned.

I rolled my eyes, but I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to get creative and I took the box, heading down
the hallway she nodded toward.

“The last bedroom on the left,” she called as I rounded the corner.

I didn’t need to be told where Naomi was in the house. I could smell her sweet scent the minute I opened the garage door. Quietly, I entered the room and set my bags down, closing the door behind me. Naomi didn’t stir and I stared at her curled up on her side with her hand under her cheek, looking more like a child than the sexy woman I married.

The scratch of the gloves against the cardboard sounded like sandpaper against wood and I winced, praying she wouldn’t wake. I wanted to surprise her, wake her with something pleasurable for a change. Just the thought of it made my heart rate rise along with something much lower. A wicked grin formed on my lips and I slunk across the room, slipping one glove on and then the next, trying to not snap the latex.

The minute I lifted the covers, she rolled on her back, muttering in her sleep, but I caught my name on her exhale and I wanted to kiss her sweet lips, but I refrained, settling for running my gloved finger over them instead. Initially, she let out a soft purr, but then her eyes flew open, darting around the room until they landed on me.

I lifted my hand into her field of vision. “Medical gloves.”

She stared at the latex for a moment and then at me, the smile gaining traction as she pulled my fingers back to her lips. She sucked on my index finger in a way that made me long for her mouth and I almost said to hell with it all, but I stayed put, relishing the tightness of my jeans at this particular moment.

I ran my fingers down her
neck, stopping over the strong pulse, intrigued at just how much I could feel with the gloves on and for the first time since she collapsed in the snow, I understood what she had said about creativity. While this wasn’t quite the same level as skin on skin, it was close and I knew I had the talent to make her wetter than the ocean.

As my hand trailed lower, stopping to explore each ample breast, her grin widened.

“You have a pair of those gloves for me?” she whispered.

I shook my head. “Tonight it’s just about you,” I answered and I stopped just short of her clit, teasing her in a way that was just as powerful as my mouth
used to be. The roll of her eyes and the quickening of her breath guided me and I slid my gloved fingers over her clit, back and forth, like playing a particularly complex sting of chords and she replied with a musical moan that thrilled every nerve in my body.

Flush
filled her cheeks, deepening to blooming roses the closer she got to orgasm. Music filled the house and I chuckled.

“I guess you were being a little too loud,”
I whispered with a chuckle.

She just grinned and her eyes rolled back in her head. Her back arched and her hand grabbed the sheet, balling it in her fist. Now
, I had seen her cum before, but this time, her entire body trembled with the strength of it, reminding me of that first night when she had nearly drenched the bed she was so wet.

And her moan, god her mo
an almost sent me over the edge, but the lack of sensation when I slid my fingers into her slick canal tempered it. If I continued, I just might throw caution to the wind, so I backed off when her body relaxed and her pants softened. I pulled away, despite her whine of protest, and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling, trying to gain control.

Before I could even catch my breath,
Naomi swung her leg over me and smiled as she settled right on top of my throbbing cock. The jeans provided a layer of protection between us and when she circled her hips, I closed my eyes.

“God, Naomi,” I whispered.
My gloved hands grabbed her waist, guiding her motion and the friction it created started the spark in my soul, turning it into a burning need. The way she moved, grinding into me in that slow circular motion drove me over the edge.

As soon as my muscles relaxed, I opened my eyes,
meeting her gaze.

“I love you,” I whispered and pulled my hands away from her.

She smiled and climbed off me, curling up on the bed until her stomach growled. “I guess I should get up and eat something,” she said, stretching like a cat.

“I should too, but I need a shower before I go hunting.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” She patted my shirt-clad chest and rolled out of bed. I watched her dress before I got up and headed for the shower.

For the first time since Lilith’s visit, I actually felt like myself and I smiled under the warm spray. Naomi had been right, there were ways to get creative and still feed the fire of our passion.

It still wasn’t quite as satisfying as making love to my wife, but it was enough. For now.

When I walked out into the living room, dressed in my jeans and Naomi’s favorite bomber jacket, both she and Valerie gave me a cursory glance before going back to flipping page
s in a book in the kitchen.

“What are you two doing?” I asked

“Trying to figure out what we want to make for dinner,” Valerie said and glanced at me. “Sometimes cooking can be fun, but most of the time it’s just a pain in the ass.”

“You want some fresh venison?”

Valerie bit her lip and Naomi’s eyebrows rose in contemplation.

“You really shouldn’t go out just yet,” Valerie said.

“I have to eat,” I replied, stressing the point. She may have had Michael as a mentor over the last five years, but he didn’t understand the cravings that came with the virus. If I didn’t eat tonight, I wasn’t sure I could go a full day in the basement without stressing.

“Why don’t you take a look at the room downstairs. If you want to trade up the mattress, feel free, but I’m not sure you’re going to want to.”

“I’ll do that later,” I said and started toward the door.

“Michael said not to let you go out until he got back,” Valerie challenged.

“I’m picking him up at the train station in Hartford at two.”

“No. I’ll pick them up,” Valerie said.

Irritation snaked over my skin and I glared at her. “Am I a prisoner here?”

Valerie laughed. “If that’s the way you want to look at it...”

I crossed my arms and met Naomi’s amused gaze.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but your expression is priceless.”

“If I don’t eat...”

“Just go check out downstairs,” Valerie said, her voice filled with the same level of exasperation as her face.

I don’t know what made me hesitate but Naomi
pointed toward the door just to the right of the hallway leading to our bedroom. I rolled my eyes and stalked toward the door, nearly ripping it off the hinges in my aggravation. The stairway leading down looked like every other old New England basement, with barren wooden stairs leading into a dark and grey concrete cellar. I glanced over my shoulder and Naomi nodded for me to continue.

Skeptical, I climbed down the surprisingly solid staircase. Lights turned on and I glanced over my shoulder. Valerie and Naomi crowded in the doorway, gauging my reaction.
I stepped to the cold floor and glanced at the small space. The furnace sat on the far wall below a small window that I guessed faced the south. When I stepped closer, I squinted, almost laughing out loud. The window, while probably working was painted with a deep blue, so no sun would penetrate it, but I’m sure when light hit it during the day, it probably emitted a pleasant blue across the room. A massive electrical panel sat on the wall below the staircase and I followed the pipes from the furnace and the wires from the panel along the ceiling where they disappeared into the wall almost three feet from the end of the stairs.

The cellar I stood in covered a ten foot by ten foot square, which was a fraction of the blueprint of the house and I glanced up the stairs at Valerie.

“Where’s the rest?” I waved at the small space.

They traded a grin and pointed to
the generator panel next to the staircase.

I flipped open the panel and along with the generator switches was a separate keypad.
I bit my lip and looked up the stairwell again. The nod I got from Naomi confirmed the passcode and I punched my favorite four digit code.

The slow creak of the wall caught my attention and the concrete at the
base of the stairs slid inward. I hadn’t even seen the break in the concrete and I studied the construction, smiling at the ingenuity. The concrete seams bubbled inward, hiding the cut block. Several seams covered the walls at the same four foot intervals, so this set up wasn’t immediately identifiable. I stepped into the catacomb of rooms they built and let out a whistle.

Michael had said it was small.

His sense of space is truly fucked up, because just this single room was monstrous and I couldn’t imagine what lay beyond.

I scanned the room in awe, ignoring the shuffle behind me.
The opening dropped me into a massive great room that I guessed was roughly three-thousand square feet. The section to my left was an open concept office, with a great mahogany desk and all the modern gadgets laid out across the immaculate desk blotter, including a slick laptop that probably cost three times the one in my bag upstairs. Across from the office space was a large screen television with a plush, leather multi-section couch facing it.

But my gaze was drawn to the wall beyond the office. A full mural of an ocean-side beach. I crossed to it and ran my fingers along the peaks of the breaking waves and scanned the scene all the way to the ceiling. I turned, glancing at the entire expanse of the room and my eyebrows rose. The vibrant blue of an afternoon sky, broken by fluffy clouds covered the ceiling,
highlighted by randomly placed recessed lights. I dropped my gaze to Valerie and pointed to the fake sky.

“My idea,” she said with a wide grin.

My gaze dropped to the kitchenette at the opposite side of the room. But the little tiled alcove wasn’t what caught my attention and got my saliva glands running over. The clear glass refrigerator revealed a half dozen blood bags and before I was aware, my feet started moving across the plush sand-toned carpet.

As I passed Valerie and Naomi, I met Valerie’s gaze and nodded toward the refrigerator.

“Michael,” Valerie said as if that explained it.

“Really,” I didn’t wait for her to answer. Instead
, I stopped in front of the display and opened the door, pulling out a bag before the hunger overwhelmed me. Once I drained every drop of blood from the bag, I opened the cabinet under the sink and smiled. A lined garbage can sat exactly where I would have put it and I tossed the empty in the trash.

I closed my eyes and let the blood run through my system. I shivered as it cooled me from my core out. That was one of the dr
awbacks of bagged blood, while it rejuvenated me, it left a distinct chill that would take hours to shake.

I turned back to the spacious room and
I took everything in, stopping my inspection of the living space at the ornately crafted pool table with felt the color of the ceiling. I picked up one of the balls, studying the unique details before rolling it toward the corner pocket. It rolled true and before it plunked into the pocket I turned back to the two of them gawking at me from the doorway.

“So do you like it?” Valerie asked.

I chuckled and ran my gaze from one side of the room to the other and back to her. “What’s not to like,” I said and spread my arms out. “It’s amazing.”