Crimson Heat: 4 (Vampira) (6 page)

Lisbeth’s breaths quickened as her body tensed with awareness. Three males having sex with her. All at the same time. They’d been such sexual vampires, using any excuse to get into bed with her. Yet her bed had been in a slave quarters area of Queen Crimson’s mountain palace. Windows and doors had been barred.

But Lisbeth had defied the Queen by accepting help from an unlikely source and then she had hidden in the human world. She should have remembered that no one got away with disobeying the Queen. Ever.

Oh sweet vampires
! She would never be at peace, would she? She’d had a good run of it though, making herself believe she was free.

From the corner of her eye, a flash of red caught her attention and Lisbeth froze. A lone crimson rose lay on her wooden bench. Had it fallen from her rose bush that was on the other side of her house? Or had the males placed it there? Memories zipped through her mind again. Of her males lavishing her with crimson roses, knowing it was her favorite type of flower.

The air around her grew hot and she knew instantly what was happening. They’d used the rose to keep her attention off dematerializing. A flurry of movement erupted to her right side. They were here. She had to leave! She was about to dematerialize when something stung her arm.

She cried out in surprise and shock.

Everything went black.

* * * * *

“Your sleep dart is impressive, Luca,” Jaymes commented as the three of them tied an unconscious Satin’s wrists and ankles with soft leather bindings to one of the beds in her upstairs rooms. He couldn’t get enough of touching her satiny skin or gazing upon her luscious body and gorgeous face. Her brown hair was splayed out across the pillow like a fan. Her cheeks appeared a bit more prominent so he assumed she’d had cheek implants, and her eyes were made to give her a bit of an Asian appearance. Her nose was different too, a bit smaller and narrower.

“Thank you.” Luca grinned. “I knew my studies into potions would pay off one of these years.”

“How long is she going to be out?” Tristan growled as he sat on the edge of the bed and tenderly massaged the inside Satin’s elbow. His fangs had dropped in the heat of finally capturing the female they all loved. Jaymes shared in his excitement with his fangs lengthening and the hot pulse of need flowing freely through his body. He was barely able to restrain himself from tearing off her clothing and gazing upon her naked body as he’d once enjoyed doing.

“Give her a few more minutes,” Luca replied. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a delicate gold collar.

“She won’t be able to dematerialize as long as this is around her neck.” He nodded to Jaymes to raise her head, which he did. Tristan lifted her brown hair so Luca could snap the collar onto her neck. As it clicked closed, it whirred.

“Does that collar contain another one of your concoctions?” Jaymes asked as he sank into a nearby sofa chair, trying desperately to suppress the growing need to reclaim her.

Luca nodded. “Electronic collar and yes, it is infused with a potion that prevents a vamp from dematerializing. She won’t be able to remove it without the right code input through a computer. I have to keep up with the human times, you know. And as to the potion lining the collar, the Queen used a similar potion on Tristan during his stay in her prison after he tried to kill her. I had a chance to analyze the contents after Tristan smuggled it out to me upon his release from his punishment.”

Tristan nodded. “It was powerful. The contents of that potion were double insurance for her that I didn’t find a way through her mind veil so I could dematerialize from the prison cell and kill the bitch. The minute that collar came off I would have slayed her. But the only reason she released me is because I found a way to deflect her from searching the area of my brain where I keep my intention on killing her. And because she didn’t die when my father plunged a stake through her heart, I figured I would have a similar result if I tried.”

“I guess she should have used that potion on Satin and she would never have left us,” Luca said softly as he ran a finger along the velvet-lined gold collar.

Jaymes smiled and shook his head. Luca had always acted tenderly toward Satin. Unfortunately, it was his human side that inclined to dominate him at the most inopportune times, such as now.

“Well, the Queen didn’t. Our loss was Satin’s freedom,” Jaymes replied as he nodded at her sleeping figure. “She looks good, although different.”

Tristan nodded but Jaymes noted anger reddening his cheeks.

“Plastic surgery, hair color, makeup. Human airs,” Tristan grumbled. “I just hope the rest of her hasn’t changed.”

“No matter what happened to her outside, her inside will be the same. Kind and tender-hearted. And I for one am reacting to her nearness,” Luca stated.

Jaymes had been fighting his overwhelming response to being so close to her again too. Her sweet scent drove him wild. Always had. Her sexy appearance and curvy body didn’t help with his self-control. Just touching her satiny skin again brought too many hot visions flashing inside his mind.

He swallowed and forced himself to look away from her. The vamp mesmerized him even while she slept. It irritated him that she could still affect him in such a way, especially knowing she wanted the human realm over the three of them.

“She appears to have done good for herself in this world,” Tristan commented as he gazed around the extravagant room. This was the largest bedroom with the biggest bed. It was why they had picked this room shortly after taking her down with a sedative dart outside on the deck.

“Multimillionaires can afford to be comfortable,” Jaymes replied as he gazed around the room. “Crystal chandeliers, silk red sheets and plenty of sex toys.”

Luca arched an eyebrow. “Sex toys?”

“The top drawers in that bureau over there are full of them along with plenty of condoms. All kinds of them.” Jaymes detected fury in Tristan’s voice and rage welled inside him too.

“She must be sleeping with males. I will kill every last one of them,” Tristan growled. His gums throbbed as his fangs dropped and he glared at Satin, who continued to sleep.

“I don’t smell any of their scents here in this building or on her. Come to think of it, I didn’t smell any males in any of the other buildings she’d materialized and dematerialized in along the signature trail we took while following her,” Luca said as he gazed between Jaymes and Tristan. “Although, she is a very sensual female, it would not surprise me if she is having sex with human males.”

Jaymes shook his head. “When we were mesmerizing that fashionista female named Zeena, I caught glimpses of her thoughts before she was able to clamp down her wall. Satin is hiding behind something called Vampira, a powerful group of females. They are protecting her. Their number-one rule is no sexual relations with males.”

Tristan frowned. “I have heard that Vampira is merely a legend. A thing of fiction for enslaved females to fantasize over.”

Luca shook his head. “I have heard this also, but lately I have also heard it does exist.”

“And if she truly is a member of Vampira? Then she has not been with a male,” Luca replied. He was always the one to protect Satin.

Tristan clutched his hands. “Despite this tidbit of Vampira, I am still going to kill any and all males that have had sex with her. It will send a message to everyone, she belongs to the three of us.”

“She belongs to the Queen,” Luca interjected.

“If we bring her back,” Jaymes said.

“If we don’t, the Queen will send bounty hunters after us too. Most likely with a death bounty on our heads,” Luca murmured.

“Let them try to kill us. We won’t go down without a fight,” Tristan growled.

A soft whimper escaped Satin’s pouty lips, making all three males snap their attention to their succulent captive.

“She will awaken soon. I suggest we make up our minds quickly as to what we will do with her,” Luca stated.

“I know exactly what I am going to do with her,” Jaymes promised. His cock and the rest of him was hardening with awareness as her eyelids began to flicker.

“As do I,” Tristan said.

Luca gazed at the female and nodded. “As do I.”

* * * * *

Voices echoed into her mind as if through a long dark tunnel. The males were angry. Their fury shred through her and ripped into her soul. Their scents were heavy and threatening and all she wanted to do was sink back into the oblivion of sleep.

But as she drifted upward toward awareness, their gazes raked hungrily across her body and even in her unconsciousness she reacted. Her breasts were fuller, her pussy damp with want and her ass craved penetration.

She wanted to see them again so badly, and her entire body hurt from that need. She blinked and was greeted to three sets of gasps. Surprise, relief, excitement and fear washed over her in rolling waves as the three males glared at her from various locations around her bed. Luca’s and Jaymes’ eyes glowed red with arousal and Tristan’s gaze was a magnificent dark-blue. Their powerful stares made her shiver with dread and their intriguing scents made her tremble with want.

“It has been a long time, our little slave,” Tristan said. He sounded so cold, she shook harder. Hurt dripped from his voice and anger flashed in his gaze. His disgust at her desertion sank deep into her bones. She should dematerialize. Now. She couldn’t handle the bitter disappointment emanating from them.

She concentrated on leaving. Nothing happened. Frustration made her sob. What had they done to prevent her from escaping? She should be able to dissolve even with her arms and legs bound the way they were.

“It won’t work,” Tristan said in that cold voice she hated.

“You wear a potion that will prevent it,” Jaymes informed. “It is fused inside your collar. The collar can only be opened electronically and by password.”

Lisbeth swallowed and the band around her neck constricted ever so slightly. It wasn’t tight or uncomfortable. But it was there.

Damn them!

“What do you plan to do with me?” she asked.

She yanked on the bindings that held her arms captive. The binds were too tight for her to be able to escape physically. She tried not to panic as fury and distress, thick and raw, welled.

“That is entirely up to you, our sweet slave,” Luca replied from his perch on the side of her bed. A crossbow was slung over his shoulder and a quiver of arrows peeked out from behind his back. The male always carried his weapon wherever he went. He never changed. The thought was comforting.

It was if they’d just popped out of the past. They still were dangerously sexy and smelled succulent and enticing. She could simply drown in those intoxicating male scents of her home clan. Scents of the Russian outdoors. The damp smells of the wilderness valleys that surrounded the Caucasus Mountain range where her clan lived. She could even smell a tinge of the mossy creek water that trickled along one of the camouflaged cave entrances. She missed her home, but she didn’t miss the Queen’s dominance.

Anger pushed away her arousal.

“What does
sweet slave
mean? I thought you cared for me. For what I want. To be free. I never expected the three of you to do
this
to me!” Once again she yanked against her bindings to show them exactly what she meant.

She held her breath as Luca tenderly brushed a callused finger along her jawline. His flesh seared tingling heat into her system and she desired more of his affectionate caresses. She craved all three of them touching her, making love to her, like the old days. She blinked as shock moved over her. She’d forgotten how potent these males were to her system and how easily they mesmerized her thoughts. She’d overlooked how easily she wanted to jump into bed with them. Desperation made her panic.

“How could you deceive me like this? Why would you send me back to the Queen? You know how she’s like. Controlling and nasty and…” She couldn’t tell them what else the Queen wanted from her or they would get themselves killed going after the powerful female.

“She’s promised us our freedom, if we return you to her,” Jaymes replied. The tone of his voice wasn’t as cold as earlier. Was he perhaps feeling some sympathy for her plight?

“I have been working on gaining her trust by being the most obedient slave to her,” Tristan said. “With you being presented to her, she may finally lift the materializing shield around her. I only need a second or two and that’s when I would strike. You know how much I want her dead.”

Oh vampires, yes, Tristan wanted revenge for the deaths of Bree, his father and mother.

“But she is indestructible or have your forgotten that fact? And why would you even believe her? She would never free you. She would kill you first.”

She gazed at each of the males. They appeared sincere in what they were saying. Had they gone stupid on her while she’d been gone?

Damn
.

“The Queen won’t give you anything,” she continued. “She’s dangling your freedom over your head just to get me. Then she’ll either kill you or enslave you again.”
And kill me too
.

Tristan growled with anger.

“I’m willing to risk my life to plunge a stake through her heart. This time I will try pure gold as opposed to a wooden stake my sire tried. Perhaps gold will kill her,” Tristan replied.