Jade (Rare Gems Series) (9 page)

“Yes
, love. What can I do for you on this fine morning?” She skipped across the room toward them and crawled up into Jade’s lap. Quentin could get used to this and decided he would.

“I need to go school shopping.
I don’t have any pants to wear to my new school, and Emerald gave me a list of supplies I would have to have. She said I could catch up with the other kids when I get them.” Angie snuggled into Jade’s throat as she continued. “I don’t suppose you can take me, can you, Jade? Daddy doesn’t like shopping for little girl stuff. He told me it’s unmanly.”

Both of them laughed.
“What I said was it’s unmanly to have to go into those stores with all those screaming little preteens that have no idea what they’re wearing is nothing but cheap merchandise with a brand name on it.” Jade looked at him with a frown, as did his daughter. “What? It’s the truth.”

“Maybe
, but don’t be a father.” Jade looked at Angie. “We’ll go tomorrow morning if you want. I think I can convince my sisters to go, too. Not all of them but some. We can get a gift for Sapphire, too. She’s going to tell us they’re going to have a baby soon and I want to be ready.”

Quentin had a thought of Jade large with their child. He wondered if he could have a
child with her and decided the next time he had some time, he was going to read that book that Thad had told him about. Other than skimming over it, he’d not had a great deal of time to read much. When someone knocked on the door, he lifted both the women off his life up and sat them on the chair. Sloan stood there with a large file, a laptop, and several bags of food.

“I came bearing gifts.”
Quentin took the food and then invited him in. He’d nearly forgotten about that until Sloan cleared his throat.

Jade and Angie came
into the room a few seconds later. Angie went straight to her favorite uncle. Jade was still a little standoffish, but she was coming around. Quentin told Sloan what she’d done about the prison. He was laughing even before he got to the part where the email was being sent.

“Good job.
I had to go and steal what little I have.” They sat down to eat the Chinese food while Sloan explained what he had. “Your father was released thirty-seven days ago and went to see Thad. I’m not sure what he wanted with him, but I think it was to find out where you were. He eventually made his way to here. And as of yesterday, he’s off the grid.”

“Off how?”
Jade was eating an egg roll dripping in sweet and sour sauce, and Quentin wanted to lick the droplets off her. When she growled at him, he felt his cock fill. When she touched his mind, he nearly took her to the floor.
“Behave.”

“I can’t.
Christ, you look good enough to eat. And I want to. Starting with your pretty pussy and working my way up your body to your breasts. I love how your nipples harden when I touch them.”
He looked at Sloan when he cleared his throat. Fuck, he’d forgotten they had company. “Sorry. I get wrapped up in her.”

“Understandable. She’s very beautiful and smart.” Sloan looked at her
, then back at him. “I’ve taken the liberty of having your new home warded. I know a few…
people
let’s call them, and they have done this to keep you guys safe for me. The only way a person can enter your home is if you both allow it. Angie will need to be cautioned about this, too, as she won’t be able to have her friends over until you okay them.”

Quentin thanked him.
“We’re moving in tomorrow. Most of the furniture has been delivered from Texas, and Jade and I have to decide what we’re keeping. Then we’ll need to fill the rest of the house out. There’s a suite in the basement that has your name on it if you want it.”

“I saw it. It’s a lair.”
Quentin nodded at him. Jade had told him that several vampires had stayed there, but none were killed. Nor did she believe anyone had been killed down there by them. She’d only smelled small amounts of blood.

“There’s something
else you should be made aware of. There was a murder, and I believe your brother was involved in it. I don’t have your father’s scent, but there was a male there as well. As well as Debra’s scent.” Quentin looked at his daughter and soon-to-be wife and wondered if he could keep them safe. “Quentin, we’ll get him. And your father. They won’t be able to hide from me.”

“I know you will. Blair said the same thing to me yesterday when I told him about my brother.
He seemed to think he’d be dead by now. Silver kills their kind.” Quentin started cleaning up the mess as he continued. “I hate to wish this, but I wish Roger would just simply go away. I’ve never forgiven him for the part he played in Isabel’s death.”

“He’ll pay. I assure you he will.” Quentin nodded at his friend
. He was afraid. Not for himself but his family. Jade had enough stress going on with this Kent person. And now this. He watched her kiss Angie good-bye as she started out the door to work. He didn’t want her to leave.

“I have people watching her,” Sloan said after she’d kissed him and left.
“They’ll keep an eye on her all day while I rest. She’ll be safe.”

Quentin laughed.
“She’s going to be pissed when she finds out. And she will, mark my words. She can be a tad on the pissy side when she thinks someone is taking care of her. Trust me. I know.”

“They’ll be careful not to let her know it’s going on.”
Sloan nodded. “You’d be surprised at the kind of people I know.”

Quentin would bet
, but it made him no less happy to know that when Jade figured it out, he was going to watch every second of her kicking the big vampire’s ass. And Quentin had no doubt that she would, too. And he was going to laugh his ass off.

Chapter
9

Kent opened his eyes knowing that someone had come into his lair. Not that he was worried they’d hurt him. Seldom did anyone come to him with anything more than a need that they thought he could provide them answers for. Usually it was only a request to become a vampire, but lately….

“Who dares come to my chamber at this time of day?” No one said anything
, but he could hear them breathing. Sniffing the air, he could smell a great deal about this person. “A female human who is mated to a wolf? Can’t be good for him if you’re stepping out on him already. What do you want?”

“I want you to kill
someone for me. And I’m willing to do just about anything to make that happen.” She moved out of the shadows and he could see her now. “Even letting you have my body.”

“It wouldn’t be just your body I’d want
, and I’m pretty sure you know that.” She moved closer and he could see her. “And though it is a very nice one, I’m still not going to agree to anything without details.”

Kent rose from his bed,
levitated actually, and floated toward her as he lowered himself to the floor. When she took a step back, he smiled. Nothing made the blood better tasting to him than fear. And even though she was putting up a great front, she was terrified out of her mind.

“It’s not terribly smart of you to come to a
vampire’s lair when he first arises. I have little control over my hunger right now.” Which was a lie, but he wanted her more fearful of him. “Say what you want after I’ve had my fill of you.”

Leaning
to her throat, he licked her flesh. She was ripe for the plucking, he thought, and he wanted very much to fuck this bitch. Pulling her body to his, he felt her relax against him, but he wasn’t fooled. A dagger or a bit of wood could be hidden anywhere on her body. Jerking her head back, he looked into her eyes and captured her.

“Why are you here?”
She repeated what she’d said before. “And you found me how? I’m not exactly in the phone book.”

“I found you through a friend of a friend.
Your name was mentioned in connection with someone I know, the woman I want you to kill as a matter of fact.” Kent let his fangs show, and she swallowed hard. Fear and arousal now spiked her blood. “Are you going to bite me? I think I’d like whatever you want from me as much as you want it.”

Kent smiled and leaned
down to sniff her. No poisons, though it wouldn’t harm him, but he did smell the wolf. Licking the pounding pulse, he bit down on her throat and drank deeply from her. His cock swelled with the fresh blood.

She grabbed onto his shoulders as her climax took her.
He’d not given her that thought, but she’d come all the same. Moving her back toward his bed, he drank more from her until he had all his strength back. Lifting his head after sealing the wound, he looked at her again.

“Strip off all your clothes and stand before me.”
He sat on the bed to watch her. “Faster. I want to feel your pussy around my cock, and I want it now.”

She nearly tore her clothes off in her haste. When she stood before him naked
, he pulled her closer to him and took her nipple into his mouth and bit her again. Blood filled his mouth, and she curled her fingers into his hair and held him to her. Christ, she was as willing as he’d ever had. Pushing her away, he told her to drop to her knees.

“Suck my cock while I think
about what you want.” She eagerly did as he said and had his cock in her mouth almost as soon as she touched him. He surged up until she would either swallow him or choke. She swallowed. “I think I’m going to keep you for a while. You might prove to be quite entertaining.”

The
moan that spilled from her throat had him fucking her harder. She was good, and he found he wanted to know if her pussy was just as hot as her mouth. When he jerked her up from his throbbing cock she reached for him again, and he tossed her to the bed.

“Get down on your knees and present me with your ass. I want to fuck you.” She scrambled to the middle of the bed and
assumed the position he wanted. Getting on the bed behind her, he could smell how hot she was. Next time, he promised himself, he was going to eat her pussy first. As he slammed into her, she moaned again and he leaned over her to take her like the animal she was.

Fucking someone like this was seldom for the person beneath him.
Kent took her hard and when she started to slide her fingers into her pussy, he let her. If she came, her blood would be all the sweeter for it. As soon as his balls began to fill, ready for him to come, he nuzzled into her throat again and bit her. When she screamed and tightened around him, Kent let his own climax roar out of him. But he wanted more.

As soon as he pulled free of her
, he rolled her to her back and moved down to her pussy. He could smell his own cum along with hers and he wanted to taste it. Dropping to her pussy, he pressed his finger into her ass at the same time he bit down on her clit. She screamed again and flooded his mouth with her cream and blood. Kent drank quickly, not wanting to miss a drop of either. He brought her to three more quick climaxes while he had his fill. Then he sat up and lifted her onto his cock. Taking her to the bed again, he came deep inside of her, biting her once again at her throat. Christ, he’d never had a human fulfill him so well before. When he rolled off her and sat on the edge of the bed, she didn’t move. Leaving her where she lay, he went to the shower to clean up.

“You said you wanted to keep me around. If that’s what I can expect
, I’m all for it.” Her voice floated over the shower doors and he had to smile. He would be deciding if that’s what she got or not, and the sooner she learned that the better. Kent threw back the curtain and told her to get in.

“
Wash me. I want you to wash every part of my body clean of your stench.” She licked her lips and reached for the sponge. “And when you’re finished with me, I want you to suck my cock until I come down your throat.”

Taking the soap off the shelf
, she filled the sponge with it. When she started to rub it over his chest and shoulders, Kent closed his eyes and let her. As soon as she had him turn around, Kent was thinking of ways he could take her in here when she pressed the sponge between his ass cheeks and then over his balls. His cock was aching again.

Turning around
, she dropped to her knees and began washing his thighs, then his hips. Fluid leaked from the tip of his cock, and she thumbed it off and put it into her mouth. He had to lean back against the wall as she scrubbed him clean. When he commanded her to service him, she took his cock into her mouth and sucked hard at his crown. Kent watched her as she bobbed up and down over him until he nearly begged her to finish him.

Curling his fingers into her hair
, he held her to him as he fucked her mouth. Cupping his balls with her warm, wet fingers, he cried out when she gave them a sharp twist. His climax nearly took him off his feet when it hit him, and he fucked her mouth until he was drained. Pulling her off him, he lay back against the wall and looked at her.

“Who do you want dead? And so you know
, the wolf you were sleeping with is not to touch you again. If I have to, I’ll kill him to be sure he doesn’t.” She seemed to consider this and nodded. “You’re okay with me killing him so that I can have you?”

“Yes. He fucked me
over, and the police are looking for me in question of the woman I’m pretty sure he raped and killed. The fucking bastard can rot in hell for all I care now for all the problems he’s caused me.” She looked at his cock that, despite coming four times, was still hard and ready. “Besides, I’m thinking you’re just what I need sexually. I’ve never ever come like that with him before.”

Kent picked her up by her throat and smiled when she struggled.
“And you never will again if you compare me to that bastard again. Understand?”

When she nodded
, he dropped her to the floor and turned off the water. Reaching for the towel that lay on the back of the toilet, he dried off and went to the bedroom. Kent was pulling on a shirt when she came out with the same towel wrapped around her body. The bruise at her neck was just forming.

He told her to tell him
just what she wanted. “Her name is Jade Erickson, and she’s mated to the man that I wanted for my own. I was with his brother, Roger, but as I’ve said…are you all right?”

“Jade Erickson
who has a sister named Sapphire and a few others?” The woman nodded at him. “Mother fuck, you’re kidding me. You want me to hunt down the one woman in the world that got away? Gladly.”

Kent stood up and pulled his clean shirt off and tossed it to the bed. He
wanted to hurt Jade right now, but the woman in front of him would have to do. When she took a step back, he jerked the towel off her and pulled her to him. This time she would not find him as enjoyable as she had before. Biting into her throat, he lifted her over his cock and took her to the wall. When she moaned, he decided that he might be wrong about her. Maybe this woman would enjoy whatever he did to her. Christ, he hoped so, because he had a powerful need to fuck something hard and painfully.

~~~

“I don’t know. What do you think?” Jade looked at the outfit that Angie wanted, then at her sister Ruby. She shook her head and smiled. “I think it’s a little too…a little too….”

Words failed her
, and she looked around the store for some sort of help. The cashiers were running around like they were outfitting a group for war, and the mothers of the other little girls looked like they were on some sort of mission and damn you if you got in the way. Sapphire cleared her throat and leaned into Angie. The little girl’s haunted look disappeared, and she smiled for the first time since entering the place. Jade tossed the dress that was, as far as she was concerned, hideous and followed Sapphire and Angie out.

“What do you suppose she said to her?”
Jade shrugged at Ruby’s question. “Do you think we’ll have to come back here? Because I gotta tell you, this place is scarier than my first night in the emergency room.”

Jade agreed with her.
They caught up with the other two a few minutes later standing in line at the ice cream shop. Both of them were looking at the menu like it was going to give them the answers to all of life’s questions. When Angie took her hand, Jade felt as if the sun shone down on her and she could tackle most anything.

“I think Aunt Sapphire is right,” Angie told her when they sat down with their treats. “That place is for cows.
I’m not part of a…. What did you say?”

“Herd, sweetie, you’re not part of a herd but your own person.
I think we could go down to that new shop on Seventh Street and find you much better dresses and you could have your own style. Those girls in that shop are cattle and you’re going to run the lot of them.” Jade didn’t know if that was good advice or not but didn’t comment. A few minutes later both Diamond and Emerald joined them.

“I’m supposed to tell you that you’re not to eat dinner.
I guess we’re all getting together at your house later.” Jade looked around when Emerald pointed to her. “You did get a call from Quentin, right? He said he was going to call you.”

“I don’t have a phone.
And right now it’s on my list way at the bottom. I have to get some clothes for work, and there’s this car I want that Bubby is selling. It’s ugly as sin, but it runs great.” She looked at her sisters, who were staring at her as if she had two heads. “What?”

“Okay, you do know that the man who has just bought you a house has more money than both Thad and Blair does, right?”
Jade shrugged at Sapphire. “Not to mention he’s told you repeatedly that he wants to buy you a car and a phone and whatever else you want.”

“I can take care of myself.”
Sapphire snorted, and Emerald laughed. “I don’t know what you think is so funny. You didn’t want Blair buying you whatever he wanted either. I’m not used to having anyone want to buy me stuff, okay?”

“Come on, we’re getting you a cell phone right now.”
Sapphire pulled out her phone and handed it to her. “Call Quentin and have him tell you what company he has a plan on. We’ll hit them on the way out.”

The phone rang in her hand before she could tell her sister no.
She nearly dropped it twice trying to give it back to her sister when she kept saying for her to answer it. Jade glared at Sapphire when she finally figured out how to get the stupid thing to work.

“Just the woman I
wanted to talk to.” Quentin laughed as he continued. “I was wondering what time you’re planning to leave the mall, and also if you’d meet me at the house when you’re done.”

“
Right now we’re sitting in the food court having an ice cream and a drink. We just got started on the list but we’re going to the Munchkin on Seventh. A friend of Sapphire’s owns it and they specialize in kids clothes. Is that okay?” He assured her it was. “Then we have to go to Wal-Mart to get the list of supplies she needs. Do you need for me to bring Angie back to you now?”

“No. She needs this and the two of you need to get used to doing things together.
Besides, I think she’s having fun with you. She already loves you. I was wondering because I wanted to track you down. I’m having something delivered to you.” Confused, she asked him if he wanted her to come and get it. “No, love, there’s a man going to bring you a bag. It’s a cell phone as well as a few other things I would like for you to have.”