An Invitation

by Jasmine Hill

  He grunted. “I’m faster than he is and we’re nearly there.”

  She wondered where ‘there’ was and turned her head to look in the direction they were headed. There was nothing before them. No forest or trees. Just a vast, never-ending nothingness.

  “Close your eyes,” Vincent shouted at her before he jumped over the edge, sending them both hurtling into oblivion.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Vincent clutched Bree to him as though his life depended on it. Because it did. If he lost her now, if she let go, or he did, she’d be lost to him forever. Doomed to walk eternity in limbo, belonging in no plane. Not in the heavenly nor the underworld, just the in-between. He hadn’t told her about that risk. Hadn’t wanted to spook her into not going with him. It had been her only hope of getting away alive, at least humanly alive. He didn’t think she would have liked the alternative any better.

  The air whooshed around them, gradually getting warmer as they descended closer to the ground. Bree still had her eyes squeezed tightly closed and she was clinging to him firmly, her arms and legs wrapped around him, her chest pressed to his.

  He’d been banking on the fact that Dante and the others wouldn’t follow him over and into the in-between. It was a risky move for all of them, although more so for Bree. The others would rely on the carriers, the same drivers who had delivered the guests. The carriers were the only demons who could pass safely through the planes without risk of getting sucked into the underworld. He hadn’t heard of it happening before, a supernatural being sucked back, but then he guessed he wouldn’t have. Who’d be around to tell the story?

  His feet touched the ground and he breathed a sigh of relief. Bree was safe and in his arms, where he wanted her to stay.

  “You can open your eyes now,” he murmured. “You’re home.”

  She fluttered her lids open and gazed around. “We’re at my house?”

  He nodded.

  “But how did you—” She cut off her question, obviously remembering his admission of watching her sleep.

  She jumped out of his arms. “I can’t believe I’m finally home!” She looked up at him. “Do you want to come in? I mean, it’s not like you haven’t been here before.”

  “Yes. I would like to come in. Thank you.” He was surprisingly relieved that she’d invited him. He hadn’t been sure what to expect when she was returned to her familiar and safe environment.

  He followed her up the garden path that led to her front door. The flowers that bordered the edge emitted a sweet floral scent into the evening summer air, a stark contrast to the mansion and its environment.

  She located a rock in the garden bed and pulled a key from beneath it. “My spare.” She grinned, holding it up for him to see.

  He frowned. “Really? You leave a spare for anyone to find?” How fucking long has she been doing that? Any asshole could walk in!

  “Trust me,” she muttered as she unlocked the front door. “It’s safer than me waiting around for my girlfriend when I’ve locked myself out.”

  Her house hadn’t changed. He studied the layout and the contents, concerned that one of the others could have arrived there before them, but everything appeared to be in order. It was exactly as she’d left it. Neat and elegant. Minimal decor with contemporary artwork and furnishings.

  She wandered through to the main bedroom, turning lights on as she went. He followed, closing blinds and curtains behind her.

  “I can’t believe it’s still Valentine’s Day,” she exclaimed.

  “Technically, it’s the morning after,” he corrected.

  She stretched and yawned. The power that his blood gave her would have worn off by now and her human limitations would once more be in effect.

  “I’m going to run a bath. I feel like I haven’t showered in a month! I have no idea how gross I look.” She threw him a flirtatious look. “Want to join me?”

  He wanted nothing more than to soak in a bath with her. To his eyes she was stunning, even coated as she was in sprays of blood and gore.

  “A bath sounds great.” He didn’t want her to look in a mirror and be confronted with the violence of their evening. Out of the two of them, she wore the brunt of the carnage. “I’ll run it,” he offered, hoping to distract her.

  He strode into the bathroom and turned on the taps. He selected one of her bath foams and poured some under the running water. It was one of his favorite scents because it reminded him of her.

  She wandered in behind him, discarding her clothing as she walked. He leaned against the vanity and watched her as she undressed. When she pulled her hair out of the topknot and it flowed freely down her back, he couldn’t stand still any longer. He stepped towards her and took her in his arms.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he murmured against her mouth. He dropped his head to nuzzle the sensitive area of her neck, uncaring that she was still coated in sprays of blood. Her pulse fluttered against his lips as he kissed her, sending his mouth watering for a taste. “Hop in before I ravish you right here.”

  She giggled and stepped into the tub, moaning when she slipped beneath the scented water.

  He undressed quickly and slid in behind her, cradling her body between his spread legs. He grabbed a container off the ledge of the bath. “Lie your head back.”

  She tipped her head back and he poured water over her hair, ladling more over until it was wet through. Using the shampoo he’d found on the shelf behind him, he lathered soap into her hair, gathering the wet strands on top of her head. “Is your head sore? I yanked you by your topknot to get you out of that corridor.”

  “It is,” she murmured. “I’d forgotten about that.”

  He began massaging her head, lathering the soap and using his fingers to dig lightly into her scalp.

  She moaned. “That feels so good.”

  He looked down her body, admiring her plump breasts, the nipples peeking just above the water line as he massaged her scalp. His cock grew hard, blood flowing to engorge his erection until it pressed insistently against her lower back.

  She giggled. “You know, I haven’t met a man yet who doesn’t get a hard-on when giving a woman a massage?”

  He tensed, jealousy firing his blood and turning his eyes a ferocious red. He bent his head to hers and growled. “Don’t talk to me about other men, baby. You won’t like what I become.” He nipped her ear. “We’ve had this conversation.”

  She turned to look at him. “What do you mean when you say that? What would you become? Violent?”

  He tugged her back down so he could recommence washing her hair. After a moment of lathering and massaging, he answered her. “I would never become violent with you. I merely meant that as a vampire, sometimes my rage becomes harder to control than a mortal man’s. If some hapless guy is nearby when my jealousy rears its head, I don’t know what I’d do to him.”

  He rinsed the soap from her hair then started to work conditioner through the strands. “I’ve never had to deal with this emotion before,” he continued, sorting through his problem aloud. “It’s new to me. You’ll have to be patient. I’ll try to work around it.”

  She slipped farther down in the water as he worked his fingers harder into her scalp.

  “I understand,” she murmured. “It must be difficult for you and your…” She waved a hand in the air. “Proclivities.”

  He chuckled. “That’s a polite term for it.”

  “What’s it like? Being a vampire?”

  He stilled for a beat, surprised by her question. He recommenced his kneading of her scalp and thought about how to answer. He didn’t want to spook her with gory details but, conversely, he didn’t want to lie either. “It’s very different,” he finally responded. “You’ve experienced a little of what it’s like, when you drank my blood. Think of the strength, the sharpened senses and times it by ten. It’s hard to get used to at first, as is the fact that the only thing that can satisfy our hunger and thirst is blood.” He’d answ
er her questions, he decided, and wouldn’t provide too much information unless she asked. He didn’t want to overwhelm or scare her.

  “Are you the exception to the rule? The others are so evil, so heartless regarding human life. They treat humans like animals.”

  He worked a little more conditioner into her hair, enjoying the silky feel of the long tresses running through his fingers. “There are others like me. I hate to say it, but I used to be like the ones you’ve met. When I was first changed, my bonded vampire was like Augustus and Estelle and the others. I took my cues from him. I was confused and angry at first. And how you turn out as a vampire often lies with your bonded. Their blood makes you what you are, so if they’re evil…” He left the rest unsaid. “But it is possible to live amongst humans without the murder and mayhem. In fact, it’s necessary. We can’t draw excessive attention to ourselves. It creates complications. There are many others who live amidst society, carefully but largely without difficulty.”

  “You’ve proven that you can drink from me without killing me,” she murmured. “In fact, I liked it. So obviously it doesn’t have to end in death.”

  “It doesn’t. Some of my kind take their supernatural abilities to extremes. It gives them a power they didn’t ever have as a human. We’re immortal. Some believe that places us above humans.”

  “I guess you are above us on the food chain,” she remarked dryly. “Survival of the fittest and all that.”

  He grinned. “There is that, but don’t forget. We need you too.”

  “Where do you get your blood?”

  “Various ways. Sometimes blood bags—only O negative, of course. Sometimes I use my powers over a human. They allow me to drink from them and I take just enough then close the wound. They’re none the wiser.”

  She turned her head and looked over her shoulder at him. “What about all those people back at the mansion? Can we do anything to help them?”

  “They’ll be dead, or if they’re not, they soon will be,” he answered bluntly, not wishing to sugar-coat the truth. “I can’t do anything to help them now.” He softened his tone. “It’s too late. My priority was always you and keeping you safe. If I’d had the time, I might have been able to gather some support, but…” He shrugged. “Madison might still be okay, though. She knew something wasn’t right and if she’s kept her head down and out of sight, hopefully she’s escaped their notice.” He hadn’t forgotten his promise to Bree to go back and look for Madison. It would be foolish, suicidal even, but he didn’t break his promises. Ever. And he was fast. Faster than the others, and their guard would be down. They wouldn’t expect him to return. They’d want revenge, though. He knew that. But they’d bide their time. Vampires had time in spades and they’d strike when Vincent would be least expecting it. They’d enjoy keeping him on tenterhooks. It was a depressing truth, that he’d be looking over his shoulder indefinitely unless he got to them first.

  “And what about Dante? Why do you hate each other so much?” Bree asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  He dropped his hands lower and started to knead the muscles of her neck and shoulders. “The woman I told you about? She chose me over him, and he’s hated me for it ever since. It doesn’t matter that Elizabeth’s been dead for over a century. My brother has an ego the size of a planet and he’s always treated me as a rival. I have to wonder if he ever actually loved Elizabeth, or if she was just another way to get to me. I was trying to keep you out of his sights, as stupid as that hope was, because I knew that once he realized your meaning to me, he’d do anything in his power to take you from me.”

  She shuddered and he dropped a kiss to her head. “I won’t lie to you, baby. We need to stay alert—constantly vigilant until I can form a plan to deal with Dante and the others. And you’re human.” He hated that she was so vulnerable, so susceptible to jeopardy. “I need to be by your side, or at least not too far away, until I can deal with them. They’re occupied now, busy reaping carnage at the mansion, but as soon as that distraction ends, so too does our current respite.” He sighed. He didn’t want to think about Dante and the others just then. There would be time enough for that when he worked out what to do about the threat they posed. “Have I answered enough questions for now?”

  “For now,” she agreed.

  He rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, scooping water and tipping it over her upturned head until he was satisfied that her hair was clean. He’d caught sight of something interesting on her shelf—cherry-flavored massage oil. His newly acquired sense of jealousy clawed at his gut and he wondered why it would be in her bathroom, or why she’d have it all. He made a concerted effort to tamp down the sensation. He picked up the bottle and dangled it in front of her face. “What’s this?”

  She laughed. “That’s a gag gift from a girlfriend. Her way of nudging me into trying to find some action. I haven’t used it, so I have no idea if it tastes like cherries or not.”

  He smiled, unreasonable satisfaction flowing through him. He bent his head to hers. “Let’s test it out, shall we?”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The scent of cherries hit Bree’s nose as Vincent squirted some of the oil into his palms.

  He smoothed it over her shoulders and up her neck, gripping the column of her throat lightly as he dug his thumbs into her tender muscles. She hadn’t realized how sore she was from all the action her body had endured.

  She groaned appreciatively as he kneaded the oil into her skin. “You have magic fingers,” she whispered. “That feels incredible.”

  He purred deeply, the vibration sending a tingle down her spine. “I’m glad I’m the only man to use this on you. And don’t forget, I’m the only one that has these magic fingers.”

  She smiled at his possessiveness. It didn’t bother her like she’d expected it would. He was a vampire, after all—she couldn’t expect him to be an accommodating, anything-goes type of guy.

  He worked his fingers into her muscles, kneading and massaging her into a languid fluidity. She floated in the water, her breasts bobbing, the tips peaking in the cool air. He worked his palms lower, smoothing them over her breasts and squeezing the flesh until her nipples extended achingly erect. He tweaked one then pinched it hard, sending a zap of electricity straight to her core.

  She gasped and arched into him, pushing her chest into his palms. Vincent dropped his head to her neck and nuzzled her throat, the growth on his jaw sending sparks of pleasure to her sensitive nipples. He tweaked them then pinched each of the little buds as he sucked her pulse point.

  She inhaled sharply, desire coiling low in her belly and dropped her head to the side to allow better access for him to suck and nibble her throat.

  “Open your legs,” he mumbled against her flesh.

  She flopped her legs wide and he used his own to spread them farther, anchoring her feet to each side of the bath ledge.

  He squirted more oil into his palms and swept them lower, down her chest, over her stomach to her aching pussy. He spread the lips of her sex and massaged the oil into her clit, rubbing the swollen bud of nerves between his thumbs. She gasped and jerked, pleasure rippling through her to tense her body and curl her toes.

  “Oh fuck,” she moaned and pumped her hips, working on his thumbs to heighten her pleasure.

  He purred into her ear and massaged the oil into her cleft, the vibration of his growly hum sending more electrical charges zinging through her.

  He buried two lubricated fingers in her channel, and she jolted, gulping as he thrust them deeply. He started pumping with two fingers then added a third, using his free hand to massage her clit.

  She threw her head back against his shoulder and groaned. Ecstasy swirled and gathered low in her belly, and her pussy spasmed around his fingers, her orgasm hovering just out of reach.

  His nibbling of her neck grew more frenzied and he fucked her harder with his fingers. She sensed the moment before his bite, anticipated the sting of his fangs as he pierced her flesh, and she
welcomed it.

  He bit deeply, his sharp teeth penetrating her pulse point with vampiric precision. Bree sighed as he started to drink, sucking her blood in long, fluid pulls on her vein. Her vision blurred and erotic bliss filtered through her.

  His cock thudded hot and insistently against her ass and she rubbed back against him. He tugged her closer, mashing the heel of his palm against her clit and sending stars bursting behind her eyelids. She’d never known such pleasure, never felt such erotic intimacy.

  She clutched his hair and forced his mouth harder against her neck, urging him to drink deeper, to take more. She trusted him, knew in her heart that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  He bit harder, sucked more forcefully and finger-fucked her until she couldn’t see straight. Bree pumped her hips and fisted his hair, splashing water over the floor with her frenzied movements. She was close, so close to the edge that she ached and throbbed.

  He drew away from her neck for a beat and she turned her head to look into his demonic red eyes.

  “Come for me,” he demanded, his voice guttural. “I want to feel you come on my fingers.”

  She moaned and spread her thighs wider, arching her hips to allow him deeper access to her pussy. He growled, clamped his mouth over her neck once more and thrust a fourth finger into her channel. She gasped at the stretch and clutched the porcelain edge of the tub, her knuckles turning white. He pinched her clit and that was all it took to set her off. Her orgasm barreled through her like a tidal wave. She held her breath, her body straining as everything inside her constricted and pulsed.

  “Oh, fuck,” she slurred, pumping her hips wildly and riding out her climax on his fingers. The pleasure was so overwhelming that her mind blanked.

  Bree slumped back against him, her heart galloping to keep up with her rapid breathing.

  He withdrew his fingers, licking her wound closed as he massaged her sex, gently caressing her and drawing out the blissful vibrations a little longer.

  “I sensed your orgasm,” he murmured. “I felt what you felt, and it was fucking amazing.” He nibbled the shell of her ear. “I like that I can do that to you. Remember, no one else can come close.”