There'll be Hell to Pay (Hellcat Series Book 6) (14 page)

“
Evan is okay. I don’t think he’ll do anything stupid,” she
told Julius, “but we need to keep the security detail on high
alert, just in case he tries something unexpected. He really is
worried about Mum.”

Julius appeared
in front of her, pulling her towards him, but she resisted, putting
her hands on his chest to keep him at arm’s length. She didn’t need
to break down again; now it was time for business. No more weepy,
emotional Gabi; it was time for cold, hard Hellcat to take the
reins.

“
Byron will call off the human police,” she told them both.
“It’s pointless them focusing resources on something they’ll never
resolve. He’ll tell them she had an undiagnosed medical condition,
got disorientated for a few hours, and that she’s under medical
care at a private clinic. They’ll want to talk to her to confirm
she’s alright, but it’ll buy us some time.”

“
We can always send Fergus to plant memories in the
investigators’ minds if we need to,” Julius said. “Come and sit.
Tabari is on his way up.”

“
I am not a Vodun priest. I swear I’ve never been able to make
any of the rituals work as my mother did; I just never had the
gift.” Tabari’s voice still resounded with the richness of his
African roots. His brown eyes were serious as he handed the missive
back to Julius. “But I will do anything to aid in the return of
Gabrielle’s mother.” He was sitting on the very edge of the sofa,
the unaccustomed informality clearly making him uneasy.

“
We know you will, Tabari,” Gabi told him. “I’m sorry you’ve
been pulled into this. We will do everything in our power to
protect you. If we had any other choice…”

“
No, Consort.” Tabari’s eyebrows lowered, his expression
darkening. “It is not for you to protect me, but for me to serve
and protect you and my Sire. It is what I live for. My life would
be meaningless if the Clan did not exist to be my family, my tether
to the world. I owe Julius my life, and I will give it freely and
willingly. Please do not belittle my position and my
responsibility.”

Gabi swallowed
back the automatic apology as Julius flooded her mind with a gentle
warning, and simply nodded her understanding instead. She wasn’t
sure she’d ever get used to having people who were so willing to
die for her. She’d grown up knowing that she would be the protector
of others; this incongruity was difficult to adjust to.

“
Stay close to the Estate,” Julius told him. “Rest, feed and
prepare yourself. We’ll let you know as soon as we receive word of
where and when we’re going.”

Tabari bowed
his head and left the room without another word.

“
That goes for the rest of you as well,” Julius said, glancing
around at Alexander, Mac and Fergus. “There are only a few hours
until sunrise and nothing more we can do right now. Benedict will
contact us if he turns up anything relevant. I will rouse you all
at sunset.”

As the others
rose to file out, Alexander lingered. “I can stay awake and oversee
things while you rest,” he suggested. “I assume I won’t be going
with you, so at least I can be useful this way.”

Gabi’s chest
squeezed a little. Alexander had tried hard to keep his voice
neutral, but she knew it hurt him, almost like a physical pain, to
remain behind every time they left on a new mission. Just a few
months ago his biggest concern was not being strong enough to take
over Mastership of the Clan if something happened to Julius. Now he
had achieved Master level and he’d become the cosseted second in
command, relegated to staying behind while Julius ran headlong into
dangerous situations, without the company and protection of his
long-time right-hand man. What did they say about being careful
what you wished for…?

“
No, go and get some rest,” Julius repeated. “Tell Murphy and
Trish to take a break as well. I’ll have Gabi wake you early if we
need you.” He held out his hand. “Thank you, Alexander, you know
how much it means to us to have you here as our backup, stabilising
and reassuring the Clan. I know it’s difficult.”

A half-grin
pulled up one side of Alexander’s mouth as he clasped Julius’s arm,
hand to elbow in the age-old expression of solidarity and
comradery. Brothers at arms. “Freely and willingly, Sire. Freely
and willingly.” Then he was gone.

In the sudden
solitude Gabi walked to Julius, letting him wrap his arms around
her.

“
Do you think she’s scared?” she whispered.

“
She’s strong, Lea. If there is any hint of you in her, she’ll
cope with this,” he told her.

“
But you didn’t see her. After my dad died…you didn’t see her.
She isn’t good at handling stressful situations. I’m worried what
this will do to her.”

“
That was a long time ago, Lea. She’s had time to build herself
back up, gain confidence and get to know herself. A few years can
make a lot of difference to resilience and emotional strength. I
think she’ll surprise you.”

“
Actually she did surprise me today.” A small smile tugged at
her unwilling lips.

“
Really? What happened? We haven’t had a chance to speak about
your lunch date with her.” Julius was genuinely
intrigued.

“
I think I finally said something she understood. She finally
listened to me, to what I’ve been trying to tell her for years. I
think I could even introduce the two of you now without risking
world war three.” She was blinking back tears, but they were happy
ones this time.

“
She accepts you want to be in a relationship with a Vampire?”
His tone was cautious.

Gabi nodded.
“Yes, and that I’ll always be running around trying to take down
bad guys. I think she’s finally beginning to see me as I am, not as
she wants me to be. It’s a huge step for her. Not that I think
she’ll ever give up the hope that one day I’ll present her with a
grandchild.”

Julius
stiffened beside her, and Gabi suddenly wanted to grab those last
words back. They’d never actually broached the subject of children
before, but he’d told her once that he’d been looking forward to
becoming a father before Simone entered his life and changed
everything.

He put a finger
under her chin and tipped her face up towards his. “And you? Have
you given up on that hope, my Lea?” His voice was rough with
emotion, his gaze intense. She could see forever in the sapphire
depths of his eyes; they swallowed her whole.

She tried for
another smile. “I haven’t had that hope for many years, my love.
I’m sure you’ve noticed I don’t have periods.” The smile had
failed, so she grimaced instead. “Hell, you probably know I don’t
ovulate. I’m sure as hell not cut from mothering material anyhow.
It’s something I’ve long since come to terms with. Besides, could
you imagine the world with a couple of baby Hellcats running around
in it?” She snorted at the terrifying thought, but Julius didn’t
seem to share her sentiment.

“
There are doctor-assisted ways of having children these days,
Gabrielle.
I
think
the world would be an infinitely more interesting place with a
couple of baby Hellcats in it.”

She broke his
gaze and began to shake her head, but he leaned in and captured her
mouth with his, effectively breaking off the discussion. Something
told her that this would not be the last she heard about it. She
would just have to convince him that they, the Clan and him, were
more than enough family for her. And then she gave in to the demand
of his mouth and his tongue.

The lock on the
door made a distinct click and the gas fire sprang to life as the
lights in the room dimmed. Julius’s hand had travelled from her
chin to the back of her neck, and now he held her firmly in place
as his tongue explored her mouth, hot and demanding. Gabi shivered
as the gentle brush of his power touched her skin, light as a
whisper, warm as spring sunshine. She breathed in his scent: exotic
spices and rain-damp forest, so familiar, so arousing. The sense of
invisible touch increased, wandering from her bared flesh to that
hidden beneath clothing. The touch intensified and it brushed over
her nipples, drawing a gasp from her and breaking their kiss as the
sensations arched her back. His lips found her neck, cool and soft
against her quickly heating flesh. The ethereal tingle edged
torturously down her body, over her ribs, around her navel and then
speared into the warmth between her thighs, spreading up inside
her, finding her core and strumming her like a well-tuned guitar.
The orgasm engulfed her as a hoarse scream ripped from her
throat.

She came down
from the high to find Julius stretched out on the overstuffed sofa
beside her, her body pressed close against his, his golden eyes
watching her hungrily.

“
No…fair,” she whispered between rough breaths.

“
I know.” He smiled, a predator’s smile. “Ready for round two?”
He moved and Gabi’s boots and socks were gone, swiftly followed by
the rest of her clothing. Then he was back, stretched out alongside
her, and it began again; the shiver of power an excruciating
pleasure, this time beginning at her toes.

Recovering a
second time, she revelled in the slide of smooth skin and muscle
against her own sweat-beaded body. His breath mingled with hers,
catching her mouth with his once more. She tangled her arms,
muscles heavy with arousal, around his neck and pulled him closer,
running her tongue over his elongated fangs.

She held back
from the inevitable, making him wait, teasing, licking, nuzzling,
running her hands over the dips and grooves of his abs and taut
stomach until a growl erupted from deep in his chest. She smiled,
satisfied, and then hungrily sank her own much smaller fangs into
his bottom lip. The heady richness of his blood flooded her mouth,
warm and tingly like a good scotch whisky, only a thousand times
more addictive.

He groaned, the
breath leaving him in a long, gusty sigh as she gently suckled from
the tiny wounds. Beneath her hands his nipples grew rigid and his
cock bucked against her upper thigh. In the blink of an eye she was
under him, his body hovering over hers. He pulled her hands from
his body to stretch them out above her head, kissing his way down
the sensitive skin on the inside of her arm as his knee spread her
legs apart. His mouth reached her breasts, spending time
worshipping each before roaming up towards the heavily beating vein
on the side of her neck. Her core pulsed with the need to feel him
inside her, and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him
closer, demanding the joining of their bodies.

He obliged with a
low roar, sinking his fangs into her skin just as he sank his cock
deep inside her welcoming wetness.

CHAPTER
8

Distant music
woke Gabi. Persistent, annoying, heavy metal music. Her phone was
ringing, she realised groggily. She cracked open an eyelid,
thoroughly confused for a second. The ceiling above her was not
their bedroom, nor did it look like the inside of any hotel she
knew, and it was definitely too high to be the inside of Julius’s
private jet. She swallowed and cracked the other eye open, lifting
her head to look around.

It was the
entertainment room. She was on the thick shagpile rug on the floor
near the fireplace. Julius was curled around her, spooning her from
behind; from the heaviness of his arm he was in daysleep. It was
daylight. A small rug covered them, though just barely. She moved
his arm and sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her clothing and
Julius’s was strewn haphazardly around the room. She groaned as
reality flooded in and threw herself towards the jacket hanging
over the back of the sofa to find her ringing phone.

“
Kyle,” she rasped before clearing her throat. “What’s
new?”

Razor yawned
and stretched, rising from where he’d been sleeping on one of the
single sofas.

“
You managed to get some sleep?” Kyle sounded surprised as she
switched to speakerphone and put the phone on the nearest table
while she searched for the rest of her clothing.

“
Yes, a bit,” she hedged. “What’s the time?”

“
You sound like you could do with some more,” Kyle commented.
“You haven’t sounded this grumpy for ages.” She was groggy enough
that she knew she’d had less than three hours’ sleep. She was
pretty lucid on four hours these days and could get by on three,
but less than that wasn’t good. She located her undies, a minor
triumph, but her bra was AWOL.

“
Kyle.” She put all the deadly warning she could muster into
her tone.

“
Okay, okay, kid gloves today, I promise.” But she could hear
the grin in his voice. “It’s just before seven.”

“
AM?” she groused, her voice going up several octaves in
indignation. “This better be good.”

“
Benedict called me,” Kyle said. “Apparently he couldn’t get
you on the phone and needed to get on a plane.” The mention of the
Princep sent a shot of adrenalin through her, clearing the last of
the fuzziness from her brain. She found her bra behind the bar
counter.

“
Does he have any information?” Gabi asked, anxiety taking up
residence in the pit of her stomach again. “What did he
say?”

“
He’s dug up some rumours about the Decuria and their Number
One,” Kyle explained as she pulled on her rumpled blouse and pants.
Her sensitive nose told her that she urgently needed a shower and
some clean clothes. “He found out about a secret online forum that
Trish is trying to crack into. I figured you’d want to come down
here as soon as possible. We’re at CenOps.”