Vicente (6 page)

“I think he’s at Hawk’s new house. The man is renovating a storefront into a home. Vinnie is helping him with that.” Abbie nodded and sat up more on the seat cushion. “Ye want me to find him for you?”

“I need to ask him about…something.” Kennedy wanted to ask her what, but she didn’t want to offend this girl, and she didn’t know her well enough to bully her into answering her questions. Instead, she finished her tea and cookies.

“I need to go and find Hawk anyway. We’ve a shipment coming in soon, and I need to have him there to unload the furniture I’m having shipped here.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. The shipment was coming in and Hawk was going to help with it, but it wasn’t due for another month. “Would you like to go with me?”

“Face to face?” Kennedy nodded and almost felt sorry for the girl when she paled. “He won’t be happy with me. I mean, the last time I saw him, my brother told me…do you know what he is? Vicente, I mean.”

“Aye, I do. He’s a dragon. And if I don’t miss my bet, you are as well.” The girl looked at her with such fear that Kennedy stood up to go to her. “There now, it’s not as bad as you think it might be. I’m a lion, did ye know that? Not a bit of knowledge did I have when Samuel first told me. But I survived.”

“We were to be married once.” Kennedy hadn’t heard that and looked at Abbie as she continued. “On our wedding day, he simply disappeared. I didn’t find out until the other day that my brother Graham knew and had threatened him. He told me that he’d seen him change and knew what he was. Graham said he had other clients that were able to shift, so he knew that it was possible. But he didn’t want me married to one. He didn’t want me to be one, is what he said. I never…I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for that. And I talked to the little person, Yve. She said that…she told me that Vicente was…she said he’d not wanted to leave me.”

“Your brother is an ass. But I don’t know anything about the rest. I’ve only known Vinnie for a few years.” Abbie nodded. “I’m sure you have some questions. I know I did. But I canna answer them for you. I’ve no idea what a dragon might or might not be able to do. Vinnie is a little on the quiet side. He keeps to himself. I’ve never even been to his house, not once. Just his offices.” Kennedy realized she was babbling and shut up.

“I guess I really need to talk to him. I don’t want to, but I have…this mark that frightens me in that it moves.” Kennedy nodded and stood up, calling for Samuel, and he moved into the room as if he were surprised to find them there. She winked at him.

“I didn’t know we had company. How are you, my dear? You’re getting around better, I see.” Abbie nodded as she stood, leaning hard on the cane again. “I wasn’t aware that you’d been released from the clinic.” She told him she’d left. “I see. Is that wise?”

“Graham, my brother, might have found me there. I’ve moved into a little house on London that I’ve rented. They are letting me hide there.” Kennedy knew where it was and was glad that she’d taken the little house. It was run by their pride, and she asked Samuel to call them to make sure she was guarded well.

I’ve done that already. I wasn’t sure it was her, but I’d been told someone that had been hurt was staying there. She told them her name was Joanie Mitchell. I wonder why no one thought that was strange.

You think all manner of names are strange. Why should this be different?
Kennedy moved toward him and kissed his cheek as she spoke aloud. “We’re going to see Hawk. I think Vinnie is with him. Can you be assured of that for us?” He nodded and winked. “I’ll be back in a bit then. The babe is sleeping.”

They were out the door before Abbie could change her mind. She did try a few times on their way over, but Kennedy told her it would be fine. And it had better be or she was going to kick some dragon ass.

The moment the car stopped, she saw Vinnie. He was staring at the car as if it might be loaded with a bomb or something. Finally Hawk poked him in the back and he moved forward. Kennedy got out on her side and waited for whatever was going to happen to get on with it on the other. Vinnie opened Abbie’s door and stood looking down at her.

“You look good.” Kennedy rolled her eyes. The man was daft was all she could think about. The poor girl looked beaten up, and her face was still badly bruised. She wondered, too, why she’d not healed like she had when she was changed. “I hadn’t heard you’d been released.”

“I wasn’t.” Vinnie helped Abbie out of the car, and when she stumbled slightly, he picked her up. “Put me down, you moron. Do you want to hurt your back?”

“I work in construction. I’m a dragon, and I’m pretty sure you don’t weigh enough to strain me overly much.” He pulled her closer to his body when he looked at Kennedy, who smiled. “You planned this.”

“Nay. I wish I could take credit for it, but she didn’t know how to get in contact with ye, and I needed to see Hawk here.” As if she’d conjured him, Hawk was standing next to her. “You have a minute or two? These two have something to talk about, I’m sure.”

“I do, but I’d like to talk to them first if you don’t mind. There is something…it’s their dragons.” Hawk walked around the car and Kennedy noticed how careful he was not to touch it, even going so far as to nearly fall back when the rough ground got the better of him. She decided to ask him about that as well.

“I’d like to know what you’ve done to me.” Abbie flushed as she was set on the car hood. “I’m not…my injuries aside, I’m able to do things I’ve never been able to do before. And I have this mark that I’ve never had—”

A little faerie landed on Abbie’s lap, then two more landed near her legs. Soon, in a matter of seconds, there were close to fifty around her, each of them vying for a chance to touch some part of her. Vinnie held her to his body, not seeming to care that he, too, was being covered by the wee folk. More of the little things made it hard for anyone to see either of them. Kennedy had started forward when Hawk grabbed her.

“Don’t touch her. They’ll kill you without meaning to.” Kennedy nodded as the faeries swarmed Abbie and Vinnie. “They’re looking for her match. One of them will be her dragon faerie, and they all want a chance to see if it’s them. Vinnie will decide if there are more than two, but I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. It looks like one has been selected.”

“I don’t understand.” He nodded but said nothing. “You mean she’ll have a faerie like I do, like the rest of us do?”

“No. She’ll have a match. A faerie that will be her….” He took a deep breath and smiled. “I think Vinnie can explain it better. I knew this might happen, just not on the scale that it has. I think Vinnie is a little more than just a simple dragon to them. It’s what I wanted to talk to them about.”

It looked like it, too, the way they hovered around him, seemingly in awe of him. When several of the faeries moved away, Vinnie held Abbie closer to his body than ever. He looked to be protecting her, but from who or what, Kennedy didn’t know. Abbie looked…well, exhausted came to mind. When Vinnie started toward his truck, Kennedy had the urge to follow him but Hawk stopped her.

“He won’t hurt her, will he?” Hawk shook her head and smiled again. “You know, you might get yourself a mate one of these days, and may need me to chat you up.”

“Never going to happen, my lady. I’ve no desire for a mate, and it’s doubtful any would want me when they find out I’m not such a nice person.” He looked away but not before she could see his pain. “I’ve a mind to go into town for a few days. There are some pieces for the house I’m going to need.”

He left her standing there, and she realized she was all alone. A few of the faerie were still in the air around her car, so she walked up to them and asked if she could get some answers about what had happened.

“She didn’t pick us. Her dragon picked another.” Kennedy started to ask him why that was so important when he answered her unspoken question. “The faerie that has been picked will be her magic in all things. Not to shift, mind, but he can do that. He will be there to help her heal, be well, and to make her hide herself when a human or other beings are around. And when they fly together, because of his magic to her she will be able to see heat where…the heat of a body when no one else can. They will be matched for life.”

“You mean like a heat signature?” The little man nodded. “So Vinnie has one too. A matched faerie, I mean. Did he always have one?”

“It is said that he did not. And his dragon was sick as well. That he wished to die, as his heart had been given to someone and returned to him. His colors were dulled when Yve found him, and his wings were a mess. He could fly but not like he can now. There is so much that a faerie, the right faerie, can do for a dragon.” Kennedy had a feeling that the little person wasn’t telling her all, either. There was something more to this than a simple dragon finding his mate. This was more magical, and she wanted to see what happened.

Getting into her car, she reached for her mother-in-law. She’d been the head of the council for a little while, but she had been trained on all the creatures in this realm, as well as a few that might be moving in. She would know what this meant.

Of course I do. And you’re right, Vinnie is more than a dragon…he’s the king of them. Or he would be if he’d just take the job. When his sire passed a few months ago, we did not know the connection. It took us until a few days ago to figure out Vinnie was his child. He was told just today, by me. But he’s being…Vinnie was told that he was going to have to take over his sire’s duties. He said that as he didn’t know who he was, he wanted no part of his afterlife. I think he will be stubborn in this.

You think?
By the time she closed the connection between them, Kennedy was more confused than ever. If Vinnie was the king of dragons, then it would stand to reason there were more. Why need a king of just himself? Then there was the faerie thing. She still didn’t fully understand what had happened, other than he would have more magic. Kennedy had a headache by the time she pulled into the driveway, and she thought of ways to relax enough to get rid of it. She was stripping off her clothing by the time she made it to Samuel’s office. She was very glad he was alone when she got there.

Chapter 6

Vinnie laid her on the bed and took the blanket from the bottom and covered her with it. She’d fallen asleep as soon as they’d left Hawk’s home and the faeries had done their thing. Vinnie was a little nervous about how soundly she was sleeping. If it wasn’t for the fact that Auggie said she was fine, he might have taken her back to the clinic.

“You’ve a powerful need for her to be well, my lord. I can see that.” Vinnie looked at the little faerie and thought of all people to have matched with her, it had to be this old man. “She’ll be coming around sooner rather than later. Then she’ll want some answers, I would imagine.”

“So would I.” Auggie nodded and laughed. “Do you think you can keep it down? I’d really like for her to rest up before we get to her questions.”

“She’ll be as right as rain in no time, I tell you. Mayhap you can find me a little brew of something strong to give to her when she does. There’s a good lad.” Vinnie was headed down to the kitchen when he realized he was fetching for the man. He started back up but went to the kitchen instead.

Doul was at the stove stirring a pot of something. He turned to look at him with a sharp nod.

“You’ve brought her home then.” Vinnie nodded. “Good. You need her now. There is something of a fuss about you not breeding as yet.”

“I don’t plan on breeding at all.” But the image of Abbie large with their child simply wouldn’t leave his mind. “Auggie has been chosen by her dragon. I’m betting we’ll not hear the end of his complaints.”

“He’s not so bad. If he gives me much, I’ll growl at him and turn to myself.” Faeries were terrified of trolls, and Doul was one of the biggest that Vinnie had ever seen. “You’ll be introducing her to your family here then, I would guess.”

“Christ.” Doul laughed. “She’s going to wish she’d never heard of me when I tell her who works here. Or what works here. She might run screaming to the woods.”

“She might. But I’m thinking she might be just the thing.” A cup of tea was sat in front of him and Vinnie stared at it, thinking of her reaction when she saw the entire staff here. Most of them were not too hard to see, but there were a few, Doul included, that would terrify most grown men.

He was a large creek troll. While that sounded small and inconsequential, it was anything but. Doul was nine feet tall, and there was the added few inches of his horns. They sprouted on either side of his head and curled around his head so that they nearly touched at the top. His skin wasn’t soft like a human’s, but a combination of both rock and gems that he’d been formed with when he was born. He sparkled with both rubies and diamonds, and was dull with the hard rock at the same time. His feet were so large that no shoes would fit them. Not only were they long at about two feet, but they were at least half that wide. It wasn’t really a bad thing that no shoes would fit him. His feet were harder than any shoe on the market anyway. The fact that he wore a silk shirt and wool trousers made him look scarier rather than normal. Doul wanted people to think he was just like them, but his face was what was what made men tremble.

His mouth was shaped much like a dog’s in that he had a muzzle, and his long teeth hung over his lips so that he looked like he would cut his own throat. But for all his size, Doul was the gentlest, most compassionate man he knew. And he told Vinnie daily that he was glad that he’d not killed him the day he’d found him.

“You know, my lord, that she will not be happy to find out that you have been less than honest with her. She will be most displeased when she finds that not only is she a mate to one such as yourself, but that she will reign as queen over all dragons.” Vinnie shook his head. “You have decided to refuse the job?”

“It was never mine to take. My father was no one to me until a few hours ago. Knowing that he was running a kingdom rather than seeing to me and my mother doesn’t make a bit of difference. You heard her. Summer told me that the kingdom wasn’t that bad off anyway. Other than his need to be in charge, that’s really all I know about him.” Doul hummed, which meant that he didn’t agree with him but would keep his mouth shut. For now anyway. Before he could say anything else, Auggie came into the room.

“She’s a bit on the…testy side, my lord. Threw a brush at my head. Nearly took it off too.” Yve came in the room the same way, sliding under the door as if it were nothing. “Miss Yve will tell you. My lady is spitting mad.”

“Perhaps if you had told her differently that you were to care for her every need, she might not have hit you. You are very lucky that she did not ask me to murder you. I would have in a hearth flutter.” Vinnie told her heart beat and she looked at him. “That makes much better sense, does it not? My lord, I would see to her if I were you. She has it in her head to leave this madhouse, as she called it.”

Vinnie moved out of the kitchen when he head Auggie start arguing with Yve. Doul was just piping in his two cents worth when he saw Abbie coming down the stairs slowly. He moved up the stairs and scooped her into his arms before she could get much further than a few steps.

“Put me down. Why are you forever picking me up as if I can’t walk?” He didn’t answer her but took her back to his bedroom. “And I want to talk to you, but not laying on a bed. Where am I anyway?”

“My room.” That shut her up as he laid her down, then sat beside her. “Are you in any pain? I can help you with that if you’d like.”

Her cheeks reddened and he wanted to tease her about her wayward thoughts, but thought he might see tomorrow if he didn’t. She looked around the room, anywhere but at him, until he took her chin and turned her to look at him.

“That little man said he was going to assist me with my bath.” Auggie was going to have to learn his place, and he told Yve to talk to him. “I haven’t had to have anyone help me bathe since I was a child.”

He wanted to help her bathe. Right now. And thinking of bathing with her had him shifting on the bed so he’d not break his suddenly stone hard cock. Abbie started to rise from the bed, and he pushed her back down. He wasn’t in the mood to fight with her, but she wasn’t leaving.

“I understand you have some questions for me.” She nodded and licked her lips. “You do that much more and the only thing you’re going to get from me is my cock buried inside of you.”

“You don’t want me.” He was shocked by her words, but before he could ask her what she meant, she continued. “That day in the hospital, you told me that you didn’t want me. I guess…what changed your mind?”

“I can see where you’d think that after what I did to you, but I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you. I had never had a reaction like that to a human before. The need to protect and love you was overwhelming at times. I thought it was…I have no idea what I thought it was, but I was willing to try and figure it out. Then when your brother found out what I was and told me to stay away from you, I did.”

“You left me.” He nodded. “Was whatever Graham had over you worth it? Because I’ll never forgive you for not loving me enough.”

“Love you enough? Christ, Abbie, I left you because I love you. Do you have any idea what I had to give up so that Graham wouldn’t…?” He looked away from her. He was trying to think of something else to say when she turned the tables on him and jerked his face to hers.

“What did he do? What did he say to you?” He tried to pull away, but he could see the tears in her eyes. She was the only person who had been hurt in this whole thing with her brother, and he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“He said that he’d kill you if you married me.” She shook her head, then stared at him wide eyed. “That’s right. The week after we were supposed to be married, you were hurt in that car accident. He did it. To prove to me that he could and would kill you rather than see you married to me. I couldn’t let him kill you. I know you hate me, but I—”

“He’d never do that.” Vinnie didn’t say anything. She’d, of course, believe her brother over him. Who was he but the man who had left her at the altar? She lay back on the bed and looked at the window.

“I have a dragon on me now.” He nodded and turned, lifting his shirt up as he did. He hadn’t expected her to touch him, and when she did, he felt his dragon tighten around his body. “I felt that. When I touched you, I felt…I felt my dragon move too.”

“You can feel what your dragon feels. My dragon is hers.” He turned back to her and wanted to lay her back on the bed and take her, but neither of them wanted that…which he had to amend. He wanted her, but not like this. “If I touch yours, mine will feel it as well. They’re connected now because of our faeries.”

“Auggie.” He nodded. “He’s very rude. And I’m not sure I want him to…what do you mean, because of our faeries? I don’t have a faerie.”

“You do now. When you came to the glen, they knew who you were and came to you. They will all be our servants, but only one will be your dragon faerie. Yve and Auggie are ours.” He could tell she was starting to panic, so he changed the subject. “You said you have a dragon. Can I see her?”

“I’ve only seen bits and pieces of her. She’s on my back.” He started to ask her to turn for him, but she pulled her shirt off instead. Vinnie felt his entire body react to her nudity. “It’s not like you’ve never seen my breasts before. They’re just boobs.”

“They are not.” He ran his fingers up her ribs to just where their weight settled on her. He wanted to suckle them into his mouth, but not without her permission. “Shall I show you, Abbie? Can I show you how just not boobs they are?”

Her nod had him laying her back on the bed as he lifted the small orb to his mouth. They weren’t the largest breasts he’d ever seen, but they fit his hand nicely. Suckling the large tip into his mouth, he nipped hard at it until she was moaning. Lifting his head, he looked down at her.

“I want you.” She nodded. “If you tell me yes, I won’t stop this time until you’re mine. I don’t know what it will do to us to have sex, as I know very little about our kind, but having sex with me will not be like a human.”

“I’ve nothing to compare it to anyway, so if you suck at it, I’ll never know.” He rolled over her so that he was between her legs and his cock at her folds. “I’m a little afraid.”

“I won’t hurt you.” He buried his face between her breasts and licked a path from one to the other, suckling on a nipple with each pass. “And I’m glad to know that you have nothing to compare my love making to, but you’re going to have to know that as soon as I take you, there will never be anyone else. I’m very possessive.”

“You also talk too much.” She pulled his head down to her mouth and kissed him. He wanted to deepen the kiss, take her mouth as he did her body, but she was learning him as he was her. Vinnie knew that this was wrong and that somehow they’d be inseparable from now on, but he couldn’t stop now even if he wanted to. And he most certainly didn’t want to.

Moving down her body, he took each breast into his mouth and marked them. He had bitten her a few times; never enough to draw blood, but the small marks were his. Her navel was next, and he played there until she was dancing her hips under his chest so much that he wanted to growl at her to stop before she made him come. Sitting up, he sat on his knees and unsnapped his pants to free his cock. She leaned up on her elbows to watch him as he fisted himself.

“I could come on you like this.” She nodded and he laughed. “I’m not going to. The first time I come with you, it’s going to be inside of you where I can feel you when you come around me.”

“I think you might be too big. Are you…do you think we can work up to your size?” He shook his head at her, unable to speak around his lust for her. “You should also know that I’m really close to coming now even though you’ve not…you know, touched me. Maybe we can just make each other come like this, and you can be inside of me later.”

“You’ll enjoy this much more if we do this my way.” He reached down and pulled her soft pants down to her thighs. He looked up at her when he saw the small panties. “You have a lot of these?”

“Not a lot. They’re not really cheap, but I love the way they make me feel when I wear them.” She swallowed twice when he curled his fingers in the lace at her hips. “Are you going to tear my clothes from me, Vicente?”

“Yes.” They didn’t stand a chance. His need for this woman was much stronger than a few pieces of silk sewn together. When she started to close her legs around him, he moved back enough that he could lie down and have his mouth right over her. “I’m going to see if you taste as good as you smell.”

“I’ve never—” Her scream when he opened her wider and took her pretty clit into his mouth bounced around the room. Vinnie suckled her clit hard and then slid his tongue deep inside of her. When she cried out again, he looked up at her.

“I was so wrong about your taste. You’re much better than I ever imagined you’d be.” He licked her from gate to clit, taking the small nubbin into his mouth before looking at her again. Christ, she looked beautiful. And no matter what happened from now on, he was as much hers as she was his.

Vinnie slid his little finger into her and knew that when he did enter her, he was going to hurt her. Not because of his size, because he was large, but because she was so tight. He worked his finger in and out of her while he watched her face for any sign of pain. When she started to ride his hand, he slowly pressed another finger into her. She didn’t shy away from his intrusions this time, but moaned.

“Please, help me.” He moved back to his feast and ate at her. He wanted her to come, but he also wanted it to be explosive when she did. Sliding a third finger into her, he began stretching her, and nearly lost his seating when she wrapped her legs around his head. She was riding his mouth like he wanted to ride her pussy. It was time.