Léopold's Wicked Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans) (15 page)

Panic gripped his chest as he spied fiery red eyes near the dock. The horned creature transformed into a naked man, but he immediately recognized it. A demon? Merde, it had been centuries since he’d seen one out in the open. He cursed as he caught sight of it stroking its dick as Laryssa defensively clutched a towel to her body. The barbarian was jerking off in front of her? Jesus almighty. Léopold readied to materialize to them, and saw the creature lunge toward Laryssa. She flailed a branch at it, and then kicked at its gonads, leveling the beast into the grass. Léopold’s heart dropped as she fell screaming to her knees. Enraged, his fangs lengthened and he disappeared into thin air, transforming, intending to kill the beast. But by the time he reached the dock, the demon had dissipated. A revolting smell of rotting flesh lingered in its wake.

“Laryssa!” Léopold screamed out into the yard, unable to find her. Met with silence, he scanned the area, but saw nothing. He raked his hands through his hair, devastated at the possibility that Laryssa had been abducted. A roar of frustration tore through his lungs. He pulled out his cell phone, intending to call Dimitri, when he caught a glimpse of the lambent glimmer rolling through the black waves.

“Laryssa! Laryssa!” he yelled, kicking off his shoes.

Léopold dove into the brisk, murky water, exploring blindly with his hands. Unable to find her, he surfaced, gasped for air and called her name again. Returning into the depths, he plummeted deep into the nebulous reservoir. His body troweled through the vegetation in darkness until a luminous aura appeared.
Laryssa.
Léopold could hardly believe what he was seeing. Her entire body was emitting a fluorescent gleam and her chest moved up and down as if she were breathing on land. Like a firefly, she was lit up, glowing from her forehead over the pale skin of her abdomen to her toes.

He reached for her, concerned that she was dying. As his hand brushed her cheek, her eyes flashed open in alarm. Léopold wished he could somehow communicate that he was attempting to help her as she began to claw at his face and kick her legs. He tried to secure her arms, but she easily slipped out, swimming upward and away.

A touch to her face startled Laryssa’s bioluminescent meditation. Renewed terror surged through her mind at the thought that the demon was in the water. Her glow faltered as she used all of her energy to escape. Temporarily unable to see, she shoved at the creature. Frantically swimming, she crested up into the night. The water in her lungs spewed forth and she gasped for breath. She treaded water, swiveling her head side to side in panic, searching for the horned demon.
How did it get in the lake?

A blood-curdling scream released from her lips as it, too, broke through the watery cloak. It clutched at her arms, and she instinctively brought her knees to her chest and then extended her feet, kicking its chest. Unable to get traction in the aqueous environment, her feet slid downward. She twisted her body, squirming to free herself from its grip. Its hands held tight, and she heard it call her name.

“Laryssa,” Léopold grunted as she continued to thrash. Goddess, the woman was strong. “Laryssa, stop,” he commanded in a strong, dominant tone. “Enough. It’s me. It’s Léopold.”

“Léopold?” she croaked, forgetting how angry she’d been with him.
Not a demon.

“Oui. You’re safe,” he lied as they drifted further away from the coast. Perhaps the demon was gone, but he knew that Lake Ponchartrain could be a dangerous place for even the most experienced swimmers. Besides the treacherous tides and currents, the basin was littered with trees, logs and even glass.

“Is it here?” she cried.

“The demon is gone,” he assured her.

Exhausted and relieved, she sagged into his arms and rested her forehead against his chest. It was gone.

“You saw it?” she whispered against his skin.

“Oui, I saw it. Come, let’s get inside, ma chérie. It’s cold.”

Using one arm to paddle, Léopold brought them to the dock. By the time they reached it, Laryssa had begun to shiver uncontrollably and wasn’t speaking. Léopold held tight to her, pulling her up the steps with him.

“I can walk,” she stammered through chattering teeth. Laryssa wasn’t sure what was happening. Normally she never got cold. She reasoned it was the shock of the demon that had done this to her.

“I’ve got you,” Léopold insisted, easily lifting her into his arms.

He cursed, realizing that she was naked save for her panties. Cradling her against him, he knew his own body heat wouldn’t sufficiently warm her. He was soaking wet as well, laden down with sodden clothes. He should have asked her before he transported them into his bedroom. But she’d never agree, so he’d made the decision without explanation. Léopold was not surprised when she began mumbling into his chest, complaining about what he’d done. He placed a kiss to her hair, intending to explain to her later about his special ability.

“What did you do? Where are we? Please…” Nausea rose in her belly. Laryssa looked around and realized that Léopold had moved her somehow…without walking. “How did you do that?”

“A conversation for another time, love. Take a few deep breaths. You’ll feel better in a minute,” he assured her, refusing to put her down. “No time for walking, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t feel so well,” Laryssa slurred. She clumsily pushed at his chest.
How did I get in the house?
Confusion and fogginess blanketed her brain. She swallowed and her breath quickened.

“You’re a bit hypothermic is all. Nothing severe, though. Let me look at you.” Léopold noted her glassy eyes and the pale color of her skin. Her lips were slightly grayish but not blue. He snatched the comforter off the bed and wrapped it around her.

Reluctantly, he set her into his bed so he could get undressed. He stripped, throwing his lake-soaked clothes aside. Walking into his bathroom, he started a lukewarm shower and then returned to her side.

“How’re you feeling?” He asked, gently bending down to eye level.

“Help…help me,” she stuttered.

“It’s gonna be okay. Easy now.” Léopold carefully scooped her up in his arms and took her into the bathroom.

“What’re you doing?” she asked, aware of the warmth caressing her skin.

“You’re just a little cold from the water. Not surprising given that you were under so long.” He unraveled the bedspread, dropping it onto the floor.

“I don’t get cold.”

“Yeah, you do,” Léopold disagreed, stepping into the spray.

“I can go in any water,” she insisted. “No matter the temperature.”

“See that? You’re starting to warm up already,” he said, ignoring her comment. He bit his lip, resisting the urge to ask her, ‘How’s that workin’ out for ya?’ Yeah, not so well. She could go in any water? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Part of him wanted to scold her. But he knew in her current state, it wouldn’t help the situation. Glancing down, he couldn’t avoid noticing how incredibly beautiful she was. Her swollen breasts pressed against his own naked skin, her pink nipples beaded into ripe tips. Goddess, what he would give to take one into his mouth, teasing it further into hardness. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing his dick into submission.
Jesus Christ, already, the woman is suffering and I’m thinking about sex?
He knew it was wrong, but his passion was scarcely controlled.

“Léopold,” she whispered, tilting her head upward so that her eyes met his. “I think I can stand. Please.”

“Careful.” Slowly he let her slide out of his hold but kept his hands on her waist.

“Warmer.”

“Hmm?”

“The water. Can you make it warmer?”

“Oui.” Léopold reached around her, turning the spigot to the right.

“Ahhh,” she purred. Laryssa began to remember what had happened by the lake.
Demon. Rejuvenation. Léopold.
But no matter how hard she racked her mind, she couldn’t figure out how he’d brought her to the bedroom. She glanced down to her skin. Realizing she was nude, she covered her breasts with her hands.

“Don’t,” Léopold told her softly. He reached for her shoulders and slid his hands slowly down her arms, bringing her hands to her sides.

“But I don’t have any clothes on…” Her voice was weak. Embarrassed but fatigued, she let him guide her.

“Oui. Nor do I. But we’re as we were meant to be. Nous sommes naturel.” Léopold let his hands fall to her hips and hooked his thumbs over the sides of her panties. With great patience, he tenderly but deliberately dragged them downward. His lips passed mere inches from her bottom as he bent to remove the dripping undergarment.

“I can’t…” she began.

“Don’t fret, ma chérie. Let me take care of you,” he breathed into her ear.

“No one cares for me.” She shook her head, still looking down.

“You’re wrong. You have me.”

Laryssa exhaled heavily as his breath warmed her ear. Whether it was out of need or defeat, she believed his words as truth. Tendrils of steam poured into the air as she nodded in acceptance.

Léopold removed his hands from her skin and reached for the loofah and soap. Laryssa went to turn her head to see what he was doing when his voice stopped her movement.

“Stay,” he directed with a smile, aware that she’d be none too happy with his command.

“I’m not a…”

“Oui. I know, ma chérie…not a dog.” He laughed. “You’re a woman. A beautiful one at that. Someone who needs lessons in trust, I fear. Will you allow me that much?”

Laryssa didn’t answer. The man was incorrigible. Simply unbelievable. But as he swirled the sponge over her back, she sighed, conceding that he was right.

“Yes, yes, I’ll trust you. Oh God, that feels so good.”

Léopold didn’t respond. He merely smiled, continuing to brush his fingertips over her slippery breasts, gliding them across her belly. Dipping further downward, he slid the loofah over her mound. His left hand massaged her shoulder, sloshing the bubbles down her back and into the crevice of her buttocks. Craving her touch, he pressed into her, his cock settling against her silky skin. Léopold dropped the sponge into its wall holder and reached with both hands to deposit a dollop of shampoo into his hand. He heard Laryssa gasp as he fingered the solution into her hair, frothing it throughout the wisps of her mane. Working from underneath, he tended to her scalp.

Laryssa shuddered in arousal, angry that she could feel this way for a man who’d treated her the way he had. Only earlier, he’d pushed her away, almost enjoying the way he’d played with his food in front of her. She tried to imagine the donor moaning on the couch, Léopold’s eyes boring into her. But as quickly as the picture came to her, it faded as he ground his hardness into her ass. Confusion swept through her. She hated herself for how much she wanted this man to touch her and was almost glad he’d finished soaping her skin. But as soon as his hands reached the nape of her neck and began to gently caress her hair, she melted, losing her fight to remain angry with him.

“We need to talk.” She couldn’t go on like this, naked with Léopold, craving his touch, without discussing what happened. Laryssa knew she’d risk making a fool out of herself, sharing how she felt, but the words began to spill out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Listen, Léopold, I don’t know what’s going on between us. One minute we’re kissing and the next you withdraw. That woman…God, I must be an idiot. I mean the way she was dressed. You can call her food or whatever the hell you want, but I’m a woman and she wasn’t gussied up just for dinner. She was practically wearing nothing for Chrissakes. But kissing you and touching you, it felt so good. I haven’t been with someone in a long time but you’re like this super-old vampire guy and I’m like…well, I’m not a vampire. And you know I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

Léopold smiled, knowing she couldn’t see his reaction. Articulating was an art, he supposed. And given she’d just been thrust into his world, had an encounter with a demon and almost drowned, he assumed he should cut her some slack and let her get whatever she needed to off her chest. He wanted to hear what she was, after all, and he knew she was precariously close to taking a leap of faith.

“It’s not like I get naked with every guy I meet and jump in the shower with him.”

“I should hope not.” He stifled his laughter.

“I was so mad at you. I have no right…I know that. I mean you have to eat. But you…she…and we’d just…you know what you did to me,” she sighed. “And what you didn’t do.”

“Ah, that.” This time he did laugh just a little.

“Were you going to sleep with her? Do you have sex with all your donors? I know we just met but I can’t do this with you. What I’m trying to say is that there is something about you…about us. God, I know I must be crazy. We just met but I was thinking if we could get to know each other better we could…”

“Make love,” he suggested, continuing to wash her hair.

“If you hadn’t stopped upstairs, yeah, I guess that could’ve happened. But you want to know what I am. And there are things I want to tell you. I want so badly to trust someone. I’ve been alone forever. Well, I’ve had friends but that doesn’t really count. The only person who really knows is Avery, my friend from the club. And now that thing…”

“The demon?”

“Yes. That.”

“You can say the word. It is what it is. When you described the eyeless dark ones, I wasn’t sure what you were talking about. Now a demon. Well, I haven’t seen many but I have seen them before. Nasty lot.”

“I don’t want to say it. If I say it, it’ll…” Maybe she’d watched the Exorcist too many times or maybe it was her lapsed Catholic upbringing, but she didn’t want to say its name. It was as though if she acknowledged it, she’d be asking it to show itself. “I don’t want it here.”

“Saying the word demon won’t bring it to you. What does worry me is why a demon would show itself to you in the first place. It wanted something, I take it? Something besides sex.” Léopold had a difficult time erasing the image of the beast touching itself in front of Laryssa, reaching for her.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“Do you want to tell me?”

“It wanted me to find something, to bring something to it.” She closed her eyes trying to remember what it had told her. She’d been terrified and not exactly taking notes as it threatened her. “It began with a T…Tamo? Teca? No it was Tlalco something. Dammit, I can’t think of what it was.”