Her Secret (36 page)

“If I were him, I would have suspicions by
now, too,” he said jovially. He picked up the phone. “Danial, how
good to hear from you.”

“Yes, I’m with her,” Devlin said, shooting me
delighted look.

“Yes,” he answered, deeply satisfied.

“Yes,” he repeated with even more
satisfaction.

“Since Tuesday,” he said, enough relish
dripping from his words that some spattered on the table.
Instantly, I heard Danial shouting at him as he held the phone away
from his ear.

Devlin cut him off, his voice velvety.
“Listen before your jealousy overloads your mouth. She was dying.
All your lofty plans would have been for nothing. You owe me a
thank you, Brother.”

“You’re welcome,” Devlin continued. “Best of
all, not only is the marking all done for you, but you’re Oathed
again.”

There was a pause, then Devlin became
irritated. “I’m not lying,” he said, miffed. “Sar can tell you
herself.” He handed me the phone.

“Hello—?”

“Is it true?” Danial shouted. “Did you swear
to me or only to him?” His tone was tumultuous: tears, anger, hope,
jealousy and love all mixed together.

“I swore to both of you. He accepted on your
behalf.”

“You will tell me everything, all of it on
Friday,” Danial said furiously. “You will not leave out one Goddamn
detail, is that understood?”

“Of course,” I said, irked. “I planned to
tell you, Danial, but I wanted it to be in person where we could do
more afterwards than me telling you more words over a phone.”

Danial let out a loud stream of swear words,
most of which I’d never heard him utter before. I held the phone
away from my ear, grimacing.

Devlin took it back. “Restrain your
frustration. Remember, you are Oathed.” He hung up, then shot me a
wide grin. “Well, that went well.”

“You are incorrigible,” I said, smiling.

The waitress brought my tiramisu. As I
devoured that, Devlin finished his wine, then paid the bill, asking
the waitress to seal the bottle for us to take along.

On the road home, we passed a small bar on
the outskirts of town. The parking lot was half-full, a live rock
band inside singing loudly. “Want to go in?” Devlin said, giving me
a daring smile.

“Okay,” I said, taking his offered hand.

The place was a dive, but the music was
great. Devlin and I went to stand with the throng at the front of
the stage, swaying to the beat. It had been a long time since I’d
seen a live band in a bar. It was larger than life, the loud music
engulfing us, the energy of the people around us intoxicating.

“Like it?” Devlin said in my ear.

“Yes!” I said loudly, trying to make him hear
me. He laughed, though I felt the vibration of it through my back
more than heard it.

“Devlin?” a voice called questioningly.

We both turned. An African American man was
making his way through the crowd to us. He looked about twenty or
so, well dressed for his surroundings.

“Stay silent, no matter what,” Devlin said
quickly to me. He moved away toward the man. I watched worriedly,
understanding he’d both recognized the man and expected trouble.
They met about ten yards away, just close enough for me to make out
their loud words under the music.

“Devlin,” the man said again in surprise, his
manner friendly. “What are
you
doing here? I heard you were
in Europe. Are you going to the Gathering?”

“I’m trying to get laid,” Devlin said,
glancing over at me pointedly.

I looked at the floor, appalled, pretending
to be oblivious.

“She’s cute,” the man replied. “Does she do
doubles? I could go for a double team tonight.”

It was all I could do not to reach into my
pocket and wrap the choker around my neck. I forced my eyes to
remain on the ground, even as my face turned scarlet.

Devlin said something else, and then they
both laughed. Looking up casually, I saw a quick flash of fangs.
Scary as that was, it was also a relief: Devlin had been adamant
about barring me from other vampires.

“No,” Devlin replied. “I’m not sharing her
with you, Nate. Get your own; there are plenty here.”

“Why not?” Nate persisted, annoyed. “We’ve
done it before—”

“Because I want to drain her during,” Devlin
said, giving Nate a cool smile. “You know well how good it feels,
how they jerk at the end. When they finally realize what’s
happening, and they are trying to get away, but no longer have the
strength. This one loves vampires.” He bared his fangs slightly.
“She’s in for a big surprise with the real thing.”

My dinner shifted in my stomach. I swallowed,
trying not to throw up.

“Have a good time,” Nate said regretfully.
“Shoot me an email later and tell me how long she lasted.” He gave
me one last hungry glance. “See you around, Dev.” He turned and
began making his way back though the crowd.

Devlin came over and put his arms round me.
“I apologize deeply for that,” he said quietly in my ear. “Nate was
the last person I expected here. He Rules Tennessee. He’s en route
to the Gathering.”

The vampire that Leri had threatened to
take me to. Shiver.
“We should have put the choker back on me,”
I whispered back angrily. “Then I would have been safe meeting
him.”

“That was not an option,” Devlin replied.
“Everyone needs to think you belong to Danial, not to me. No one
can see you in my choker.”

“Then why give it to me?” I yelled angrily.
“Why get my Oath?”

Devlin scanned the crowd. “We can’t risk
talking about this here. Come.”

I refused to budge. “I’m not leaving.”

Devlin picked me up in a smooth motion, then
strode with me to the exit. He set me down by the car, still
fuming.

“Get in, or I’ll throw you in,” he said
angrily. “We don’t have time for your tantrum.”

I curled myself into a corner of the truck
cab, and stayed there all the way home. I couldn’t get the words
Devlin had uttered to Nate out of my head. He had killed a woman as
he had her and savored it like the wine we’d drunk tonight. How
could I let someone touch me who had enjoyed such a loathsome
act?

When we arrived home, I went inside quickly.
After checking on the dogs, I went into the bedroom and took a long
shower. No matter how I scrubbed, I still felt unclean. Tiredly, I
put some salve on my mostly healed tattoo, dressed in pajamas, and
went to face Devlin. To my surprise, he was nowhere to be found,
though his bike and leather clothes were still in the basement.

He had to be outside walking. Maybe he’d left
in my truck. Either way, I was too exhausted to care. I checked on
the cats, let the dogs out and in, and then went to my bed, setting
the alarm for dawn so I wouldn’t forget to feed my pets in the
morning.

I awoke an hour later, when someone slid into
bed next to me.

“Dev?” I said softly.

“Yes, it’s me,” he said, sliding his fingers
down my arm. “I wanted to give you some time alone.”

“I don’t need time alone,” I retorted. “I
need to know what your plans are for me.”

“What you want is an assurance I’m not going
to drain you during lovemaking,” he said, annoyed. “I thought
Oathing would have settled that.”

“You’ve done it before,” I said accusingly.
“You enjoyed it, too.”

He was quiet for a moment, his hand on my arm
still. “I have done it before,” Devlin said grudgingly. “What I
said to Nate is true: it feels exceptionally good while it lasts.
But it makes you feel disgusting afterwards, to know that a woman
trusted you enough to let you inside her and then to take her life
along with her body. I had a taste for that once, but that was
decades ago. Nate is younger. This is just a phase he’s going
through.”

“These are people’s lives,” I said, appalled.
“I understand vampires need blood, but they don’t need to kill for
it.”

He turned me toward him, embracing me. “Nate
likes to do that. He does it on a regular basis. Tennessee has a
high murder rate for a reason. He has to get rid of the bodies with
no one the wiser.”

Leri hadn’t threatened me idly. Something
to remember
. “Then he’s a monster and a serial killer.”

“He is,” Devlin agreed. “But you’re really
accusing me of the same. My answer is that I am a killer, Sarelle.
I freely admit it. I revel in both killing and lovemaking, but I
don’t mix the two. It is enough to take a woman’s blood and her
body. It’s wrong to take her life as well, when she’s given herself
freely and utterly.”

“Did you kill someone earlier tonight?”

“Yes,” Devlin replied. “It was either drain
someone or leave you sitting in that restaurant alone until it
closed. Rest assured that I picked a deserving candidate.”

I didn’t reply.

“Sar, I’ll have to leave in a few hours. I
want to make love.”

I didn’t reply.

“Don’t deny me, Sar,” he said, kissing my
face. “Not when you know I love you.”

“I can’t understand how I could love or want
someone who scares me as much as you do,” I whispered. “Sometimes
you horrify me, Dev.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, as he kissed
down my neck. “I don’t mean to. I’m not as gentle as Danial is, I
don't have his patience. Mine has always been a darker temperament.
I have a taste for violence, and I can be cruel. My patience is
easily lost, and I say whatever I am feeling, strike out in anger
before thinking.”

“Then you understand why I fear you.”

“Know that whatever I might say or do, I
won’t ever cross the line and strike you.” He touched my cheekbone,
then gently kissed the tiny scar that remained there from Danial’s
ring. “The only scars you’ll have from me are the ones you wear now
willingly.”

“I believe you,” I said softly. “You’ve never
hurt me purposely, in spite of your threats.”

He took the choker off the bedside table,
then fastened it around my neck. “We are going to have a good
life,” he whispered. “That is my plan for us, Love. And I’m going
to do my damnedest to make it come true.”

I didn’t believe that, but made no reply.

“Tell me you love me,” Devlin said
tenderly.

“I do love you. But I’m afraid of how this is
going to end.”

“We are not at the end, only a new
beginning,” he corrected gently. “I love you, Sar, with everything
that I am.”

“Then promise me that you’ll never lie to
me,” I said, watching him carefully.

He didn’t hesitate. “I won’t ever lie to you
again.”

“Then love me again, please. Bite me gently,
and take what you need. Sing to me. Most of all, afterwards, hold
me and tell me I’m safe, that you won’t let anything happen to
me.”

Devlin did all those things with the grace
and sensuality that was his and his alone. When he told me I was
safe, that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt me, I believed him.

We moved to the basement at about five a.m.
Dawn came before I was ready for it, and I clung to him, afraid to
go back to sleep, and miss these last moments with him. He stayed
until eight, holding me tightly, neither of us sleeping. Then he
got up, and dressed in his black leather. I followed him to his
Harley in my robe, watching him as he checked over his bike.

“Do you need gas? I have an extra five
gallons in the garage.”

“It will save me a stop,” he said with a
tired smile. “I’m riding on fumes now.”

“Red can,” I said, biting my lip. “Yellow is
the diesel. Password is ‘lions’.”

He nodded. “Come to me, Love,” he said,
holding out his arms.

I came to him, and he hugged me, his leather
creaking. Then he took off my choker, and handed it to me. “Put it
on yourself.”

I held it to my neck, willed the ends
together, and felt the magic-laden metal fasten.

“Good. Wear my choker with you to the
Gathering under your clothes. Do not let anyone see it until then,
save Danial.”

“How?”

“Wrap it around your ankle twice. It will
stretch a little, if you ask it to.”

I remembered Elle’s necklace, how I’d
wondered if it had grown with her, and nodded.

“Be strong, Sar. No matter what happens,
remember, you are far too valuable to any vampire there for them to
harm you. Stay with Danial and Theo at all times. They will keep
you safe.” He embraced me. “Tell me again that you love my
eyes.”

“I love them,” I said simply. “The purest
gold is a poor shadow of them.”

“I will see you as soon as I can,” he said,
then leaned in to me, his hand gripping my robe in his leather
glove. He kissed me lingeringly, slowly. “My love goes with you,
Oathed One,” he said, pulling back reluctantly. “Take care.”

I backed away as he kick started his bike,
sliding on his helmet. As he backed out of the garage, he held up a
gloved hand in farewell. I blew him a lone kiss. He did a half
circle, and roared off down the driveway.

As I shut the garage, reality kicked me in
the ass. There was a hell of a lot to finish today before Danial
arrived.

The next hour was a flurry of activity. I
cleaned the woodstove, dumped the ashes, then started a fire.
Quickly, I stripped the upstairs bed, readying it for the
werefoxes, and did laundry. After feeding the pets and myself and
tidying up the house, I called Danial’s looking for Elle.

She came to the phone a few seconds later and
shouted into it, “Mom! Dad says you’re better!”

I winced, my ears ringing. “Yes, I’m better.
Do you feel like a little shopping trip?”

“Yes!” she said excitedly. “What time should
I be ready?”

I glanced at the clock. “How’s noon? Make
sure you are packed for at least a few days, as I’ll be dropping
you off at your grandparents’ right after.”

“Dad said to pack for a week,” she said in a
hushed voice. “He sat me down and explained everything. He said it
would be dangerous, but that he would make sure you were safe.”