The Oath (2 page)

“Is that because Tawny lives nearby?” I
jested.

“She lives in France,” he said uncomfortably.
“But she knew I was coming here, so she arranged to be in
town.”

“Are you serious?” I asked, before I
thought.

He gave me a confused look, then nodded, his
face smoothing. “Sorry, I didn’t understand what you were asking.
You want to know if she and I are an item, and the answer is it
isn’t any of your business.”

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to
pry.”

His only reply was to sip his coffee. The
longer I sat there, the more uncomfortable I felt with his silence
and what I had said. I finally got to my feet. “I’m heading back.
You’ll probably need your rest.”

“Where do you get off making comments about
my sex life?” he said angrily. “We aren’t friends. You’re my best
friend’s girl. Show some respect.”

I couldn’t get out the words fast enough, I
was so angry. “When I have to hear you and she so much that I’m
dreaming of lions, I’m allowed to comment on it. Besides, I wasn’t
making a crack, I was trying to be thoughtful. You’re going to be
up all night guarding Danial and I don’t want something to happen
to him because you’re too slow on the draw, jerk.”

I stalked back to the hotel. Theo tried to
catch me in the elevator, but I closed the doors before he got
there. When the door opened on my floor, he was in front of it,
waiting for me. I tried to walk past him, but he stepped into me,
pushing me back into the elevator, and jabbed the STOP button.

“Listen,” he said gruffly. “I didn’t mean to
snap at you.”

“Whatever,” I said sarcastically. “Tell Tawny
I’ll be waiting for her in the lobby near the concierge.”

“Don’t worry about Danial. I’ve been
protecting him for the last ten years. I know how to do my
job.”

“Then go do it and get out of my way.”

He moved back, and I abruptly hit the button,
closing the doors.

* * * *

Tawny appeared an hour later. She looked like
the cat that had eaten the canary, a goose, and about seven
swans.

“Good night?” I asked with a smile.

“The best ever,” she said, shivering a
little.

I reevaluated my opinion of Theo and then
told myself it wasn’t appropriate to be thinking of him like that.
“Let’s go.”

We went to see the concierge, who arranged a
tour of the closest chocolate factory. We were picked up by a limo
and taken to the Lindt factory within minutes. The hour-long tour
was interesting, but the chocolate tasting was the best part.

After we returned, we had lunch at a small
coffeehouse around the corner. As we waited for the bill, she
excused herself to visit the bathroom.

Sitting there, I noticed a man on the
sidewalk looking in the window at the baked goods on display. He
noticed me watching him and smiled. I looked away, not wanting him
to get the idea that I was interested. A moment later, Tawny’s
chair was pushed back as the stranger sat down across from me. “You
were watching me,” he said, his hazel eyes penetrating.

“Sorry,” I said, giving him an apologetic
smile, “I was just looking out the window. I didn’t mean to make
you think anything of it.”

“I think maybe you’re interested but you
don’t want to admit it,” he teased.

“You’re mistaken,” I said flatly. “I’m
engaged.”

“Yes, you are. You’re engaging and I’m
engaged by you. Why don’t we go back to my hotel?”

“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re
doing?” Tawny stood there glaring at him, hands folded across her
chest.

“I’m seeing if your friend is interested. She
claims not to be, but—”

“She’s not,” she said. “Leave.”

“Now, wait just a minute,” the man said with
slight irritation.

Tawny grabbed hold of the man and propelled
him toward the door. He broke free, gave her a glare, then stalked
out of the shop, not looking back.

She came back to the table. “What a jerk.”
She shook her head. “We should go back to the hotel. We both need
sleep. Come on.”

We walked back to the hotel, admiring the
lovely sunny day. I decided to turn in early, caught up in Tawny’s
lust for lovemaking. Danial and I were in a foreign city; we were
in love and we hadn’t been together like that for days.
Fantasizing, I undressed and got into bed naked. Just as I was
falling asleep, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I said sexily, baring one
shoulder.

Theo opened the door.

I pulled the covers around me quickly,
self-conscious. “Hi.”

“Danial is checking out one more lead and
then he’ll get something to eat. He said he’d be here about ten or
eleven.”

“Okay. Thanks for the heads up,” I managed,
flushing.

He nodded and closed the door.

A few minutes later, throaty growls began in
the other room. Thirty minutes later, it had become loud,
ear-splitting roaring.

I had to go somewhere else. While I was happy
for them—especially Theo—it was only nine. I couldn’t listen to
that for another two hours. The concierge had mentioned they had a
Jacuzzi.
It’s past time to go enjoy that perk of this fine
hotel.

I went to the closet, pulled out my swimsuit,
and put it on. I had wanted to try the Jacuzzi before we left. Here
was the perfect chance. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too busy down
there.

Grabbing a room key and towel, I locked the
door and took the elevator down, walked along a dark hallway, and
went into the Jacuzzi room. There was no one there.
Intense and
complete joy!

Laying my towel down, I settled into the hot
water, luxuriating in the warmth flooding my senses. I laid my
watch on the edge so I could keep an eye on the time and pinned up
my hair so it wouldn’t get wet.

Closing my eyes, I laid my head back on the
rim of the sauna. I stayed like that for the longest while,
thinking of nothing, just letting the water soothe me. When I
opened my eyes next, I looked up into a pair of familiar hazel ones
above me.

The guy from the café! What is he doing
here?
I let out a scream, splashing water as I moved to the
center of the Jacuzzi.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said
seductively, moving closer.

My danger sense went through the roof.
“Please leave,” I said, glaring at him. “I thought I’d made it
clear I’m not interested.”

“I’m interested. That’s what matters.”

It was time to leave. I went to the other
side of the Jacuzzi, but he moved to intercept me. I moved back to
the center, anxious and unsure how to make my escape.

“Stay right there,” he said, making it an
order. “We’ll have a nice time together—”

He was suddenly lifted from his feet by a
hand wrapped around his neck.

“She told you to leave. Leave now.”

I froze in the water. That cold voice didn’t
belong to Danial or Theo.

The man from the coffee shop dropped and
stumbled to one knee. He regained his feet, grabbed his robe, and
ran for the door without a backward look.

“I apologize for that male. His actions were
deplorable.” My rescuer came out of the dark, his face in shadows.
He was small for a man, only a little taller than I was, but
stocky. He tossed his robe off, revealing swim trunks below a
thickly muscled chest. As he walked closer, I was able to see him
better. His hair was light brown and short, no longer than an inch.
His blue eyes crinkled at the corners.
Kind eyes.

I relaxed a little. “Thanks.”

He slowly walked into the tub. Reflexively, I
moved away, cautious.

“Please,” he said, holding up a hand. “You
don’t have to leave.” He bared his teeth, revealing vampire
canines.

Definitely time to leave.
I put my
arms up on the edge to push myself out of the water.

“Why do you fear? I know what your choker
means, as well as those scars you wear so beautifully. I won’t come
any closer than I am right now.” The stranger tipped back his head
and sat in the water. “You are safe with me. Be silent and
calm.”

I watched him for another few moments before
I relaxed, deciding he’d meant what he’d said. Minutes passed and
we didn’t speak. There was a lot I wanted to ask, like who the hell
he was, but his request for me to be silent made me think the less
I knew, the better. It was wiser to wait a few minutes and then
casually leave.

Ten minutes later, I pushed myself up and out
of the tub, reluctantly leaving the hot water. I put my watch on,
then my robe, draping the towel around my neck. “Thank you.
Goodnight.”

He picked his head up, his blue eyes meeting
mine. “You are heading back to your room, yes? You should not roam
alone without an escort, Lady.”

I didn’t see where that was any of his
business, but he’d saved me from the jerk from the coffee shop.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Thank you again for your assistance.”

“It is good to see some of the old traditions
still alive. Too many humans feel The Oath is not worth taking
today, that wearing the choker demeans them. It warms this old
heart to see that there are still some beautiful women who are not
afraid to truly give themselves to a man.”

Danial had told me about The Oath; a promise
that a human gave to a vampire to be with them for the rest of
their lives. It was unbreakable once given, the sign of the pact a
choker with the personal emblem of the vampire. Danial had asked me
to give him that promise. I’d agreed to wear the choker with his
symbol while I made up my mind.

“Go,” the stranger commanded. “My man will
shadow you until you reach the lobby.”

* * * *

As I showered off in my room, I bitched at
myself for impulsively going off alone when I should have stayed
there. The suite was silent enough now.

I dressed in the red silk sheath, unpinned my
hair, and lay down to wait. Danial came in a few moments later,
exhausted. When he saw me waiting for him, he perked right up.

“Give me a few minutes to shower.”

A few minutes later to the dot, he was back,
a towel wrapped around him, his dark wet hair falling to his
shoulders. Then he was in my arms, his lips burning as he
passionately kissed me. He molded my body to his, and I let out a
moan, feeling him moving so insistently against me. He slid the
straps of my sheath down as his fangs brushed my scars.

I wrapped my hand tightly around his
erection, making him gasp. I stroked him, rubbing with my thumb,
and he responded by taking my breast in his mouth. It was then my
turn to stiffen and gasp. His hands caressed up and down my
body.

He suddenly reached down and pushed up my
sheath as he sat me on top of him. The silk whispered over my hips
as he pulled my legs apart to straddle him.

“Tell me you want me,” he whispered. “Tell me
I’m all you want.”

“Yes. Oh, yes...” I murmured throatily.

He entered as I moved my hips to meet him. He
was so warm, I felt as if I were melting. We didn’t last long. I
came first, screaming my pleasure. As it ebbed, he kissed me again,
then rolled us over to resume thrusting. A moment later, the warm
rush of him filled me as he cried out his release.

He rolled off and pulled me to him, spooning
me. “You’re all I want, too,” he said lovingly. “Rest with me.”

I awoke some time later to find him kissing
my face.

“Did you have a good time today?” he said
affectionately.

“I had a great time.”

I began describing it, getting to the part
about Hazel Eyes—the nickname I had labeled the jerk who had
accosted me, since I had never gotten his name—when Danial stopped
me. “I have something for you. I forgot when I saw you in bed,
waiting for me.” He got up and came back with a small plastic bag.
“Open it.”

“What’s this?”

“Open it,” he instructed with a wide
smile.

I opened the small bag. Inside was a box—more
precisely, a square velvet box. I knew what boxes this size and
shape usually contained.

My heart racing, I drew the box out and
carefully opened it. Inside was a diamond ring, a half carat set in
white gold. Three strands of gold were woven over and under the
diamond, as if magic held it in place.

“It’s a tension setting. I had it designed
for you. I tried to choose something that wouldn’t hamper you, no
matter what the activity. Do you like it?”

“I love it!” I said excitedly, giving him a
big kiss.

He beamed and put it on my ring finger. I
watched it wink in the light for a few minutes, stunned. I’d never
expected to have another diamond ring on that hand.

“Why’d you give this to me?” I asked. “Are
you asking me to marry you?”

“No, but you’ve been so accepting of my
customs that I wanted to do this for you. You have friends and
family that will want to know I’m serious about you. You can’t tell
them about The Oath or what the choker means. They’ll understand
this. When you Oath to me, I’ll give you a gold band to wear, if
that’s what you want. And I’ll honor you under The Oath the way a
married man honors his wife.”

Now was as good a time as any to ask him. It
wasn’t going to get any easier. “Do you want me to keep my scars? I
know they mean something more than bite marks.”

“Coupled with the choker, they are the sign
of an Oathed human,” he said just as carefully. “If you want me to
remove them, I will. I know we are not Oathed yet and—”

“I’ll keep them for you,” I said softly.

He looked at me for a moment, then said with
heat and passion, “I love you, Sar.”

I opened my mouth to say it back, but he cut
me off with a kiss. Then he was inside me again, but this time he
was tender, gentle, as he hadn’t been before. He made love slowly
to me and it went on until I thought I might go crazy with
sensation. The length of him sliding inside my body, the muscles of
his chest contracting, his lips kissing my neck, his hands cupping
my breasts...The orgasm broke over us like a wave, my voice joining
his in exhalant rapture. We held each other tightly as we both
spasmed, shaking as he held onto one another.