A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) (10 page)

“Why didn’t he freeze when all the other vampires did? Is he that powerful?”

“
Non, ma chatte petite
. I did not stop him deliberately. I did not want him to feel the extent of my power. Any strong vampire could stop his young ones on the spot. If I were to show my hand at how powerful I truly am, word would no doubt spread quickly about a powerful vampire coming to take over the master of the city.”

“You are the strongest vampire around. You kind of will be taking over the city.” I state knowingly.

He smiles. “They do not know that. You are young in the knowledge of vampires. I have been playing their politics for over a thousand years. In time, you will learn about vampire politics the more you are around me.”

“You assume I’m gonna stick around.”

“Come
ma chatte petite
. It is getting close to dawn.” He stands and offers his hand to me.

I accept his hand and stand. “Now that I have my car keys, I could return to my house and sleep in my own bed.”

He pulls me flush against his body and presses a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. My heart is hammering inside my chest, making my blood rush through me, flushing my bronze skin. Christien spreads kisses along my jaw, down my neck to my shoulder, then back to my lips. His fingers stroke my arms, causing the hair on them to stand up. He kisses me gently, at first. His tongue penetrates my mouth and I do little to resist. He lifts me off my feet and carries me to his bed. He undresses me deftly before climbing off the bed to undress. The sight of him undressed sends my libido into overdrive.

He positions himself over me and kisses down my body, starting at my lips, ending near my bellybutton. My hands find his shoulders and my fingernails dig into his skin. He growls in approval and moves between my thighs. Nibbling, biting and raking his fangs over my sensitive area send me into a violent orgasm. His fangs pierce my inner thigh, forcing another orgasm to shake me. He continues to feed until my orgasm subsides. Our lips collide as he lays his claim on me. Sliding between my legs, he pushes his hardness deep inside of me. I throw my head back wantonly as my fingernails rake his back. He grabs my ankles and raises them to his shoulders, exposing me fully to his affection.

My oncoming orgasm begins to build fast as he pounds my body furiously. I scream his name as my body bucks off the bed in ecstasy. Unable to resist, he plunges his fangs into my neck. The sensation of my orgasm forces his release. My legs drop to the bed in exhaustion. He collapses on top of me and licks the trickle of blood running down my neck.

Using whatever strength left in his body, Christien lifts himself off me and drops to the bed beside me. His arm wraps around my waist possessively.

We lay there catching our breaths for several minutes.

When I am able to speak without panting, I look into his eyes. “I need to take a shower.”

I push myself out of his bed and walk into the bathroom, closing the door for privacy. I turn on the shower and before the water has a chance to heat up, I shower quickly, careful not to wet my hair, wasting no time to linger under the water. Minutes later, I dry off and pull on a robe hanging on the back of the door. I work my way to the walk-in closet and dress in loose black slacks and red silk shirt. The red stilettos with silver spikes complete my look. I comb my hair with my fingers and reposition the silver stakes in my hair. I am picking up my purse and clothes when Christien’s hand touches my arm.

Startled, I jump back out of his reach. “Oh, I thought you were asleep.”

“Where are you going
ma chatte petite
?”

“Home.” I respond dryly as I pick up the last of my clothes and stand. “I can’t do this Christien. It’s too much for me. I’m not the one you are looking for. I can’t be your mate.” Tears fill my eyes. I sniff a few times to hold them back.

“Shh. I know this must be difficult for you to comprehend. Even for a vampire, it is unheard of for us to find a mate, the one we are to share our lives. I know I have been pressing this issue with you. It is unbearable for me without you around. I worry about you
chatte
. You live a dangerous lifestyle and it is in my nature to want to protect the woman that means so much to me. Understanding your need for time to grasp what is happening between us and giving it to you, seems to be an issue with me. I will strive to be more patient with you Jessica.”

“I get it Christien, really I do. Vampires are used to getting who they want, whether the person is willing or not. I may not be as powerful as you are, but I still have some tricks up my sleeve. Don’t try to force my hand on this issue. You will not receive the results you expect.”

Christien sighs. “I should know by now that when someone pushes you in one direction, you go in another. What can I do to get you to stay?”

“Let me go.” I tell him honestly.

We stare at each other for a few moments. Christien nods once and backs away from me. I turn towards the door. Just as I open it, he whispers loud enough for me to hear.

“I will await your return Jessica.”

Without responding, I jog down the stairs into the living room. Several vampires roam the lower levels of the house on their way to their rooms. Humans sleepily make their way towards the kitchen. I watch as a vampire approaches a woman walking with a little girl. The woman stops and smiles adoringly at him. Surprisingly, he only kisses the woman’s cheek and hugs the little girl before continuing down the hall. I watch as the little girl skips across the room and turns the corner out of my view. The woman, most likely her mother, stops to speak with another vampire. He does not look much older than I do. He must have been in his mid twenties when he transitioned or I could attribute my assumption of his age to the way he has dressed in baggy jeans, overlong t-shirt with sneakers. Curiously, I move closer so I can hear their conversation.

“That’s good. Did you hear about Ian and Logan? The doctor thinks that the vampire blood might have cured their sickness.” She excitedly rambles on. “If that is true, there may be hope for my little girl too.”

“I hope so. I want nothing to happen to either of you. You have been generous and we all appreciate your loyalty.” He brushes a stray hair out of her face. “It is close to dawn. I must feed before I rest.”

“Please, allow me.” She tilts her head to the side in offering.

“You have already donated tonight. I do not wish you any harm. I will find another donor. Thank you for your kindness.” Simeon nods politely and walks across the room and down another hallway.

Before the woman can walk away, I step out of the hallway, startling her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She rests a hand on her chest to calm her breathing. “No, it’s fine. I forget sometimes how quiet vampires are. You would think I would be used to it by now.” She chuckles. “I don’t think we have met. I’m Patricia.”

I shake her hand. “I’m Jess. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh! You must be the master’s mate. Forgive me for not recognizing you. The others that described you to me, did not tell me how truly beautiful you are.”

I laugh. “I hardly believe that, but thanks anyway. I don’t mean to intrude on your conversation with the other vampire, but I overheard that your daughter is sick. What’s wrong with her?”

She waves her hand at me. “No, it’s alright. Simeon’s a sweetie. He reads to my daughter sometimes when she isn’t feeling well. Trina, my daughter, has a rare genetic disorder that causes bones to be very brittle. It’s similar to other bone diseases, but it is rare for her because she is only a child. Doctors could do nothing to help her. Master Christien found me at her bedside in the hospital and I agreed to bring her here for treatment. She is doing much better, but her bones still break from time to time.”

“And you? Are you sick too?” I ask cautiously.

“No. I am here because Christien needs blood donors and refuses to take blood from her. Consider me her surrogate. I am happy to do it if it means that she will be able to survive.” Patricia admits.

“Master Christien treats us very well. We want for nothing. I work for his get as a blood donor, in exchange, we live here rent-free and I can see my daughter grow up. I couldn’t ask for a better outcome, other than my daughter’s health.”

“What if your daughter was cured? What would you do then?” I ask curiously.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I like it here. With his get growing so rapidly, I imagine he needs blood donors more now than ever. All of the vampires treat us respectfully. I have not been in his service long, but I wouldn’t abandon them if they still had need of me.”

“So, you would stay even if your daughter was cured?” I reiterate disbelievingly.

“If he would permit me to stay, then yes I would. I have made many friends with the other donors and vampires. I would be very reluctant to leave.”

I nod in understanding. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your daughter. Thank you for speaking with me.”

She smiles at me and pats me on the shoulder. “You will be good for the master. I have never seen him this happy.”

I watch her follow her daughter’s path into another room. Grabbing my keys from the foyer table on my way out the door, I rush out of the house to think about everything she has said.

Chapter 9

My house feels empty and quiet when I walk inside. Thoughts about what Patricia said still bounce around inside my head.
She would willingly stay in Christien’s get even if her daughter were no longer sick.
Incredible as that may seem, I can’t help but be skeptical that maybe he might have brainwashed his donors for all of them to believe that it would be better if they stay under his roof. It would ensure their loyalty and he wouldn’t have to worry about their secret getting out. I make a mental note to talk to some of his other donors to see if they feel the same way. I may not like the idea of having blood donors, but not all vampires feel the same way. My reaction to the feeding process may be because of my angel blood. Maybe regular vampires don’t have the problem with stealing their donor’s minds while they feed.

The next three days pass by without a word from Christien. I spend those days shopping, cleaning my house, my weapons and withdrawing my own blood as Tyler has taught me over the years. No new jobs have come in and other little jobs do not look appealing so I log into the system and put my status as unavailable. With Roman still in Italy trying to find out information about Hassan for Christien, I wander around the city aimlessly. It is not surprising that I find myself entering Blixen by the third evening.

I take a sip as Blixen follows Henri to the other side of the bar, fussing at him for something. I smile as Henri looks in my direction and rolls his eyes. Directing my attention back to the small crowd around the room, I notice several men looking in my direction. Not in the mood to play, I turn back to my drink and ignore their blatant hints.

As the sun goes down, more creatures of the dark come out to play. Vampires, weres, fae and even a couple of minor demons all crowd the nightclub, looking to blow off some steam and have a good time. I accept a few offers to dance, but my heart doesn’t seem to be in it. They quickly lose interest in me, moving on to more willing partners.

Just as I am getting ready to leave, a familiar power trickles over my skin. My heart races as I spin around. Christien is standing right behind me smiling.

“I was hoping to see you here tonight
ma chatte petite
.”

“Christien...” His name is all I manage to say before he has me in his arms, kissing me thoroughly until I am breathless.

He releases my mouth to let me catch my breath. “Have you missed me
chatte
? I have missed you.”

I shrug trying to be blasé when what I want to do is throw myself in his arms. I have really missed him. I just didn’t realize it until now. Somehow, he has managed to worm his way into my heart, carving out a piece of it to make it his home.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. Suddenly self-conscious about my looks, I smooth my skirt and fiddle with pieces of my hair falling in my face. All of my fidgeting seems pointless after hearing his next comment.

“No need to worry about your presentation,
ma chatte petite
. It is not possible for you to look less than perfect in my eyes, regardless of what you are wearing.”

Feeling like a teenager with her first crush, I allow him to sweep me outside and into a waiting Lincoln.

“You didn’t answer my question.” I pull away from his embrace, but not far enough that he can’t keep his arm around me.

“I was hoping to find you. I know I promised to give you time and space, but I missed you. I thought you might miss me too. There are things we need to discuss, but I will admit my selfish desires came first. How have you been? Has anything happened with you?”