Luther's Return (Scanguards Vampires Book 10) (22 page)

“I’m all yours,” he assured her and started to move inside her.

Katie’s interior muscles held him tightly. They wrapped around him like a vise. On every descent she relaxed, on every withdrawal she clamped around him as if she didn’t want him to leave. He felt the pressure inside his balls build and had to use every ounce of his strength to ward off an imminent orgasm. It was difficult not to give into the pleasure that she gave him so freely. Not to let himself go and accept everything she offered him. Because for him, too, this moment meant forgetting the past. He, too, needed to make new memories to deal with the old ones, the ones that haunted him in his sleep.

He whispered sweet nothings to her, telling her that he desired her, that she made him feel good. That she was perfect.

She thanked him with gestures: a tightening of her delicious channel, passionate caresses with her hands, and her ankles crossing below his butt to imprison him. And unlike the prison he’d inhabited for twenty years, this was a prison he didn’t want to flee. It was a prison of softness and warmth, of tenderness instead of cruelty, of belonging instead of loneliness. With every plunge into the center of her body, he felt himself drawn deeper.

Had it really been over two decades since he’d felt such joy? How had he survived without the warmth and comfort only a loving woman could provide?

Eager to gobble up what Katie gave him, knowing that soon all this would come to an end, he unleashed his passion on her. Soon he would turn his back on San Francisco again, but until that happened, he had to fill the void in his heart with the illusion that there was somebody in his life who cared enough about him to grant him a few hours of bliss.

What had Katie said earlier? That Hollywood had been one big stage, a pretty illusion. Maybe this here was the illusion he needed to go on with his life. To lay the demons of his past to rest. To forgive Vivian and himself.

He gazed into the passion-drugged face of the beautiful woman beneath him and found her looking back at him. Her gaze was open, and he felt as if he could see into her soul.

“Oh, Katie,” he rasped. There was so much he wanted to tell her, to give her, to make her feel.

It was then that he felt her clench around him. Her orgasm caught him unaware, and it was too late to hold back his own release.

With a guttural moan, he thrust into her again and joined her in ecstasy. Before his eyes everything blurred. A sensation akin to floating gripped his body and carried him away to a place where nothing mattered, where the world was in order. Where everybody was happy.

35

Katie pulled the pizza out of the oven and placed the hot baking tray on the stove.

“I’d almost forgotten what it smells like in a kitchen when somebody’s cooking,” Luther said from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder, smiling. Luther was leaning against the kitchen island, wearing sweats and a T-shirt, both belonging to Haven, for whom she kept a small closet in her house in case of emergencies, while Luther’s own clothes were in the dryer. Katie had slipped into yoga pants and a T-shirt after they’d slept for a few hours. But a text message had awoken them.

“That’s not surprising,” she said. “You haven’t been around humans in a long time.” She turned to switch off the oven.

“My wife liked to cook.”

Katie froze, surprised that Luther was revealing something from his past. She hesitated, but then asked as casually as she could, “Vivian?”

“Yeah, she would spend hours in the kitchen. I think she always found it a pity that I couldn’t eat what she concocted.”

“Well, I’m not much of a cook,” Katie admitted. “I didn’t make the pizza. I get it frozen from Pasquale’s, and just shove it in the oven.” The sound of the garage door interrupted her. “Just don’t tell them. They think I actually make it from scratch.”

Luther’s hands were suddenly on her shoulders, and he turned her to face him. “Another illusion? That of the perfect aunt?”

“Don’t we all try to show others what they want to see?”

“Are you doing that with me, too? Showing me what I want to see?”

Slowly she moved her head from side to side. “I can’t pretend with you.”

“Good.”

Luther gripped her chin between thumb and forefinger and dipped his head to hers. His kiss was gentle, but full of heat nevertheless.

The door to the kitchen was flung open, and Luther immediately released her.

“Mmm, pizza!” Cooper said, charging in. “I’m starving!”

The closing door almost hit his sister Lydia in the face. She stopped it with her palm and thrust it open again. “Cooper, you have no manners!” she chastised her younger brother, then tossed a long suffering look at Katie. “Sorry, Aunt Katie, he still hasn’t learned to knock. I keep trying, but he’s a lost cause once he smells pizza.” Her eyes darted to Luther, then quickly back to her. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“Hey, Lydia, so good to see you!” Katie greeted her with a smile and pulled her into her arms. She squeezed her niece tightly and ran her hand over her long red hair. “How are you holding up?”

Nineteen-year-old Lydia drew her head back and sniffled. “I miss Isabelle. She’s my best friend.”

“I know, honey, I know.”

“We’ll get her back,” Luther said from behind them.

Katie released her niece and turned sideways. “This is Luther, he’s been helping us. Luther, that’s my niece Lydia, and—” She pointed to the sixteen-year-old hybrid already cutting the pizza in slices. “—my nephew Cooper. Haven and Yvette’s kids.”

Luther offered his hand to Lydia. “Your mother is Yvette? But that’s impossible.”

Lydia hesitantly shook Luther’s hand and quickly released it. “I’m adopted.” Then she pointed to Cooper. “But unfortunately Mom had
him
later.”

Cooper grinned, chewing on a slice of pizza. “You’d be bored if you didn’t have me to boss around, sis.” He stretched his free hand out to Luther and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Luther looked quizzically at Katie. “I guess we’re not talking about the Yvette I knew a long time ago, because she’s a vampire.”

“Oh, Mom’s a vampire,” Cooper said casually. “That’s also why she sucks at cooking.” He grinned at Katie and pointed to the pizza. “This is amazing! You’re the best cook in the world, Aunt Katie!”

Katie rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you at least sit down while you’re eating?”

She turned to the hanging cabinets and pulled three plates from it, then placed them on the table, while Cooper put the baking tray with the pizza in the middle of the kitchen table.

Luther pulled the chair back for her and motioned her to sit. She could sense that he was still baffled about Cooper’s comment and looked over her shoulder. “Maya, Gabriel’s mate, is a doctor. She pioneered a fertility treatment for vampire females. It was successful.” She ran her hand through Cooper’s dark mane. “And this boy here is one of the results.”

“Hey, I’m not a boy. I’m a man!” Cooper protested.

Lydia laughed and scooped a slice of pizza onto her plate. “Yeah, right.”

“So vampire females don’t have to be infertile anymore,” Luther said, clearly digesting the news. “How does it work?”

“I’m not a doctor, but the way Maya explains it is that when a vampire female wants to conceive, Maya injects her with human stem cells to prepare her body,” Katie started. “You see, conception was never a problem for a vampire female. But as soon as a fertilized egg tries to implant itself into the womb, the vampire’s body perceives it as an injury and heals it, killing the egg. So by injecting human stem cells, Maya in effect creates a human womb. During the entire pregnancy Maya monitors the vampire female and continues injecting human stem cells to keep up the right environment for the fetus to thrive until it’s time for the birth.”

“That’s amazing,” Luther said.

“Guess they don’t keep you up to date in prison,” Cooper said.

“Cooper!” Katie chastised, but Luther immediately squeezed her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Luther said.

Lydia looked up at Luther. “Dad filled us in. So we volunteered to bring Aunt Katie’s car back.”

“Thanks, honey, that’s nice of you,” Katie said and smiled at her niece.

She bit into a slice of pizza, ravenous now. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten something. Oddly enough, she hadn’t even noticed until now. Maybe the fact that Luther had given her his blood to heal had kept the hunger at bay.

“Though Dad did say that you can’t go anywhere,” Cooper added now and glanced at Luther, looking him up and down.

Luther sat down on the chair opposite Katie’s, not saying anything about Cooper’s obvious curiosity. For a moment there was silence.

“Have there been any developments?” Luther asked, directing his question at Cooper, treating him like an equal.

Cooper immediately sat up straighter and pulled his shoulders back. “Nothing new. They’re looking into all the leads they have. Thomas and Eddie are going through all the databases to see if they can find any other hideouts this Forrester might have.” Cooper sighed.

“Did they match the voice on the recording to Forrester’s to get a positive ID?” Katie asked.

“Not yet. They’re trying to get a sample of Forrester’s voice from prison records.” Cooper tossed a look at Luther. “But apparently there’s been a bit of an incident at Grass Valley.” His eyes shone with admiration now. “So you’re some kind of badass, huh?”

“Cooper, please!” Lydia hissed. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“How am I embarrassing you?” her brother griped. “I’m just stating a fact. Everybody’s saying the same.”

“Yeah, but not to his face!” Lydia snapped, and immediately slapped her hand over her mouth. Ashamed, she lowered her lids. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry for me,” Luther said evenly. “I deserve everything people are saying about me. Nobody should have to whitewash what I am or what I did.”

Katie locked eyes with him across the table, trying to tell him with her eyes that she appreciated everything he’d done to help them find Isabelle. But Luther averted his eyes and instead looked at Cooper.

“I’m an ex-con, Cooper. There’s nothing romantic or admirable about that. Nothing anybody should aspire to.”

To Cooper’s credit, the kid didn’t back down. “Do you regret it?” He held Luther’s gaze.

Katie felt her heart pound out of control. Luther’s eyes shifted to her. They turned darker, became unreadable.

“Eat another slice, Coop,” Lydia said and broke the spell. “And don’t ask questions that are none of your business.” She turned to Luther. “I’m sorry. He’s only sixteen. He really doesn’t know when he’s getting on people’s nerves.”

“You’re one to talk,” her brother protested.

Katie reached for another slice. “And people wonder why I don’t want kids.”

“See what you did now!” Lydia ground out, glaring at her brother. Then she put her hand on Katie’s forearm. “Sorry, Aunt Katie. It’s just… well, we’re all under stress. And we’re all taking it out on each other. The waiting… it’s just killing me.” Tears formed in Lydia’s eyes. “Are we gonna find her?”

“Oh, Lydia.” Katie rose from her chair and pulled her niece into her arms, hugging her tightly. “We’re doing everything to find her. We’ll get her back. We will, I promise you.”

Pressing Lydia’s head to her shoulder and stroking her long red hair, Katie looked past her to Luther. His eyes shimmered golden now, and she recognized the promise that lay in them. Luther would do everything in his power to help them get Isabelle back.

“I’m sorry, I’m normally not such a watering pot,” Lydia wailed.

“That’s okay, honey.”

Unexpectedly, Cooper rose from the table and approached them. “Come on, sis, I’ll take you home.”

“Did you bring a second car?” Katie asked.

“No, we’re taking the bus home. No worries,” Cooper said and put his arm around his sister. “Thanks for the pizza. Maybe you could give Mom your recipe?”

Katie smiled and hugged him. “And lose the reason you like visiting me? Not a chance.”

He pressed a loud kiss to her cheek, then whispered in her ear, “I’ll tell you a secret: I’ve been to Pasquale’s, and their pizzas taste oddly similar to yours.” When he released her from his embrace, Cooper grinned from one ear to the other. Then he winked and looked over his shoulder. “Nice meeting you, Luther.”

Luther, who’d gotten up, nodded. “Bye, Cooper.”

“Take care, both of you,” Katie said and kissed Lydia on the cheek.

“Thanks, you too,” Lydia replied and glanced back at Luther. “Thanks for protecting my aunt. I know you’ll keep her safe.”

“Let’s go, sis.” Cooper walked to the door. “Or Mom’s gonna get worried.”

Lydia followed her brother, but pivoted at the door. “Oh, almost forgot.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a manila envelope, handing it to Katie. “Dad asked me to give this to you. He said you wanted copies of the letters.”

“Thank you, honey.”

With shaking hands, Katie accepted the envelope and watched her niece and nephew leave. For a long moment, she just stood there, staring at the envelope, before she turned around and found Luther standing right behind her.

36

“They seem like good kids,” Luther said and cupped Katie’s shoulders.

“They are, and they drive their parents crazy.”

Luther chuckled. “I can see that.” He brushed his hand through Katie’s hair, loving the feel of it. “Is that why you don’t want children, or were you just pulling their leg?”

“Oh, no, I meant it. And they know it, too.” She sighed. “I love them to death, but I don’t think I was meant to be a mother. I don’t have the patience that Yvette exhibits. I don’t think I’m selfless enough to be a mother and put my own wishes behind that of a child. I didn’t have the best childhood, you know. I feel that I want to live my own life, now that I can make choices for myself. Not everybody should be a parent.”

She turned away and laid the envelope on the table, then started to clear the dishes.

“Let me help you,” he offered.

“Thanks.” She opened the dishwasher and placed the three plates in it. “Yvette wanted children all her life. Haven didn’t at first.” She looked up and gave him a sad smile. “He was too afraid of losing a child…”