I was wearing jeans and no makeup when I arrived at Nathaniel’s posh apartment at Canary Wharf. When he opened the door for me, the desire yet again rushed to my core. My palms sparkled.
‘What would you like to drink, my firecracker?’ he asked, smiling.
‘Wine, if I may.’
His apartment smelled of whisky and burned wood. The white sofas and mesmerising view of the city sent a long, cool shiver down my spine. Nathaniel looked even better than I was expecting. He was wearing a black evening suit, and his skin was gleaming. He handed me the glass.
‘I think you’ll be excited about your outfit,’ he said, looking at me with fire in his eyes.
Someone is horny. Shut up, Julia. You want him as much as he wants you.
‘I can pick my own clothes. If you must know, I’ve been to business dinners before,’ I told him, ignoring the sparkles that were running down my back. I took a generous sip of my wine, but I had to be careful; drinking on an empty stomach wasn’t a good idea at all.
‘I don’t doubt that, but when I saw this dress, I imagined how perfect it would look on you,’ he said. ‘Let me show you.’
The first time I was in his apartment was after I got drunk during the Christmas party. Since he undressed me then, there was no point being shy around him; he had already seen every part of my body.
‘Is this your bedroom?’ I asked, looking around the large room with high windows. His bed was probably king-sized. Everything was clean, no clothes on the chair, no books on the floor. When I saw what was lying on the bed, I gasped. It was a sleeveless Georgette Maxi dress, with a bias cut skirt and structured underbodice embellished with embroidery and beading.
‘Yes, this is my bedroom and this is the dress you are going to wear tonight,’ he whispered in my ear. The dress was silky and beautiful and it was my size. There was no price tag but I assumed that it probably cost a fortune. At the bottom of the bed, I found jewel-embellished platform peep toe killer heels.
‘Oh my God, this stuff is gorgeous. I don’t think I can accept this,’ I said, approaching him.
‘I bought these for you so be careful about making me angry. Otherwise, my fangs might pop out and you will be in a lot of trouble,’ he teased, cupping my face in his hands.
But I pushed him away. ‘I’ll wear it today, but I won’t keep this. I work, earn money and I can afford to buy my own clothes,’ I said. He narrowed his eyes and tensed his jaw, looking at me as if I just insulted him.
‘Whatever, Julia. I want you to have this dress. Let me help you to get ready,’ he suggested, grinning.
‘I’m able to get ready by myself.’ I gasped as his hand caressed my shoulder.
‘I’m a gentleman, Julia. Besides, I’ve already seen everything, remember? What are you protecting so much?’ he asked, amused. ‘Just trust me. I know what I’m doing.’
He was behind me and when his hands slipped underneath my jumper, the energy inside me twinkled. He caressed my stomach for a few seconds before he pulled the jumper off. I wanted to touch him, but I restrained myself. Then he pulled off my T-shirt and I was standing in front of him in only my best bra and jeans. His chest heaved as his eyes moved to my breasts, and his hand caressed my neck.
‘You are beautiful,’ he whispered and pulled me closer to him. My pulse raced and I wondered if I’d able to take this kind of torture much longer. Soon, I was standing in front of him in only my knickers and bra, waiting with anticipation for his next move.
‘Now let’s put on this beautiful dress.’
A few minutes later, I stood in front of his large mirror, amazed at how elegant I looked. The dress fit me well.
‘Now I want to take you out of this dress.’
‘Leave those dirty thoughts and let me do my makeup,’ I said.
‘First let’s relax in my bed,’ he said, kissing my neck.
‘Be careful, because if I concentrate enough, I can read your thoughts.’
‘I know, my firecracker.’
I used his en suite bathroom to sort my makeup. My fingertips charged with energy and I knew that if I didn’t cast a spell soon, I might blow up something else. By the time I’d made myself look better than usual, Nathaniel was sitting on the sofa, drinking champagne. When he saw me, his eyes widened and a large smile spread over his face.
‘I'm a lucky vampire. You can’t imagine how much I’d like to fuck you right now,’ he said.
Then let’s just have sex already!
‘Let’s just go before you get ahead of yourself,’ I said.
Coward.
This time Nathaniel didn’t drive. Instead Roberto gave us a lift to the most posh hotel I had ever seen. An elegant butler opened the door for us when we entered. Nathaniel explained he was often invited to these kinds of dinners, because it was the best place to meet new business partners.
This dinner was organised by the Supernatural Business Association. Nathaniel mentioned that among the guests would be creatures from Asia, Europe, and the United States. The elf director he was supposed to introduce me to had unfortunately missed his flight. A long-legged fairy who was wearing a long, elegant silver dress took us to a large room where drinks were being served. Soon, I found myself among the most beautiful vampires, mermaids, wizards, and fairies imaginable. I spotted one or two giants and trolls as well.
‘Nathaniel, you old git, where have you been hiding?’ asked a tall vampire approaching us. He had dark glossy hair and incredible grey eyes, but his skin was ashen, as if he hadn’t fed for a while.
‘Bruce Reynolds,’ said La Caz and they embraced each other with a short hug. ‘This is my girlfriend, Julia Taylor.’
Did he just call me his girlfriend?
The vampire took my hand and kissed my palm. He was wearing an old-fashioned suit, way out of this century. I assumed he had to be in his thirties when he was turned.
‘La Caz Junior finally settled, huh? This is unbelievable. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, seeing a beautiful elf like you,’ he said, smiling, and he licked his upper lip.
‘Julia, this is a friend of my father’s, and of course, one of mine. We did some travelling together a few years ago,’ Nathaniel explained. ‘It was in Rome when I saw you last. What are you doing here?’
‘I met your father in Paris a week ago, and he mentioned you are doing well.’ Bruce patted Nathaniel enthusiastically on his back. ‘I heard about Magic Shot. You are a clever bastard. I wish I’d listened to you earlier.’
‘So you are here for business?’ asked Nathaniel.
‘Of course. London is always exciting and there is a lot of money to be made in this city.’
The waiter approached and I took a crystal flute of champagne, looking around. I saw a beautiful Japanese mermaid; she was talking to a large giant. A group of wizards were standing in the corner, drinking beer and talking with enthusiasm among themselves. The air was infused with magic and the room was crowded with supernatural human beings.
Chapter thirty-nine
Get your hands-off him, you bitch! Otherwise, I will cast such a powerful spell, you will be sent flying across the room.
‘Bruce, you don’t mind staying with Julia for a moment, do you? I just saw a Romanian vampire I need to speak to urgently,’ Nathaniel suddenly said. ‘Do you mind?’
‘No, no, go ahead, I’m fine,’ I said.
‘Come on, my dear Julia, let’s get a real drink,’ Bruce suggested, taking me by the elbow. We went to the bar, where two tall, young-looking female vampires eyed me from head to toe. ‘So how long have you two known each other?’
‘Three months or so. We met during a meeting where I was trying to sell him the services of Paranormal Personnel.’
‘The recruitment firm? Oh my, I shouldn’t be surprised. Nathaniel was always clever. Did you know that he studied business and economics at Oxford?’
‘Oxford?’ I gasped. The older vampire laughed.
‘Well, he did, but don’t tell him I told you. I should have as
sumed he doesn’t like talking about it,’ Bruce said. ‘So you are in the recruitment business then?’
‘Yes, I work as a recruitment consultant,’ I replied, still amazed by this sudden news.
‘And you have elf blood. I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you smell divine, darling. I'm three hundred years old, but I can smell blood even from a few miles away.’ When the waiter put a shot of red liquid in front of him, he drank it straight away.
‘I’m only half elf,’ I muttered, staring at his mesmerising grey eyes. I spotted Nathaniel; he was talking to a tall female vampire. She must have been that Romanian vampire he wanted to talk to.
‘Well, if you are an elf, then I'm surprised you agreed to date him. Nathaniel graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree and everyone knew he was going to do well. Besides, I knew his mother; she was an academician.’
‘I did meet his father a few weeks ago,’ I said, still wondering why Nathaniel never mentioned he finished at one of the most prestigious universities in Britain.
‘Yes, I’ve known Phillip for a couple of years, but Nathaniel is more controlled than his father. But our Nathaniel likes women. He was very wild when we were travelling around Asia,’ Bruce revealed.
‘Asia? Well, he didn’t mention that either, that he’d been travelling so much before,’ I said, realising I didn’t know much about him.
Half an hour later, we all were asked to move to the tables because the first course was going to be served. Bruce couldn’t sit with us during dinner. Apparently he had a very important business meeting with someone else, so he vanished after Nathaniel returned.
‘How was the Romanian goddess?’ I asked.
‘Goddess? She is far from that, Julia,’ he said. ‘Besides, I couldn’t concentrate enough on what she was saying because I was looking at you.’
‘Don’t tell porkies.’ I chuckled. ‘Bruce told me that you were a naughty boy as a youngster.’
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and smiled. Our conversation was interrupted by the catering staff who began serving the first course. One of the older wizards joined our table with two Chinese elves, who looked as if they wanted to avoid the vampires.
‘Don’t listen to whatever he said. Those times are behind me. I don’t feed on humans for fun anymore,’ he said.
‘And you never told me that you went to Oxford,’ I added, not able to hold on any longer.
‘It’s no big deal, Julia. It’s just a good school, that’s all. There is a lot that you still don’t know about me, my firecracker,’ he whispered.
Sure, I don’t.
I was going to ask him to tell me more, but then the food arrived. The first course was delicious; it was a pumpkin soup with garlic croutons. The vampires were probably eating some kind of bloody imitation of my dish.
During the short break between the starter and main course, Nathaniel introduced me to another wizard, who was also a businessman. His name was Malcolm; he was American. He imported flying carpets from Egypt.
‘I don’t want to be rude, but I found out that your Magic Shot has been replicated. A few young vampires were trying to sell something similar to a friend of mine,’ he said after Nathaniel confirmed to him what he was doing. The waiters started to serve the second course, but Nathaniel looked angry. I almost choked on my drink and started coughing.
‘Mixed blood that allows vampires to survive without feeding on humans?’ he asked.
‘Yes, my friend was impressed with that replica. Other vampires feel threatened by you. They’re insulted that someone dared to introduce this sort of product,’ said Malcolm. ‘News in London is spreading fast.’
Nathaniel thanked the wizard who left our table in a hurry.
‘I can’t believe that someone copied your product! The replica must contain fairies’ blood. Maybe that’s why there are so many kidnappings?’ I hissed. ‘Dad mentioned that elf blood had been found in the injection that was found where my cousin had vanished.’
‘That changes everything. The person that I was suspecting is no longer relevant. I knew that many vampires were pissed off with me because of Magic Shot. They also know that you and I are together,’ he said. ‘Maybe someone targeted you purely by coincidence or maybe they tried to kidnap you because of me.’
‘Who is it you suspect now?’
‘There are a lot of possibilities, but we can’t talk about this here.’
The two Chinese fairies were glancing at me and then at Nathaniel, but I ignored them. I wasn’t going to eat any more. I lost my appetite. Nathaniel took my palm and kissed me.
‘Don’t talk to your father yet. I’ll give him some leads myself and tell him about the replica. You have to be very careful whom you talk to about this from now on. People know who I am and now they also know who you are, and they won’t hesitate to hurt you,’ he said calmly. ‘Now eat your dinner.’
‘I’m not hungry.’
‘I can hear your stomach. You only had a few spoons of soup and way too much alcohol that you can’t handle,’ he went on.
I pulled a face and started eating the second course, but I could barely swallow anything thinking that we finally had a lead. Nathaniel kept telling me everything was fine, but he looked tense. Someone was deliberately hexing his business, so I wasn’t surprised he lost his good humour. He spoke to a few more people and collected some business cards. Close to eleven, when we were discussing his experiences abroad, the Romanian goddess approached our table. Her skin was white, beautifully pale, and I wanted to pluck out her eyeballs. She had large green eyes and a tall, slim figure. When she walked through the room, everyone turned to look at her.
‘Nathaniel, darling, we have to meet for a drink to discuss my proposition,’ she said, leaning towards him and caressing his arm. My stomach tightened.
Get your hands-off him, you bitch! Otherwise, I will cast such a powerful spell, you will be sent flying across the room.
‘I’ll see, Regina. Meet my girlfriend, Julia,’ he said. I gave her a faint smile. She looked at me with resentment, raising her perfect eyebrow.
‘Well, think about it, darling. Nice seeing you, Julia,’ she said. I didn’t like the way her strong Romanian accent pronounced my name.
‘What kind of proposition was she talking about?’ I asked, trying to sound casual.
‘Complicated one. It’s not worth talking about right now. Let me take you home,’ he said. I nodded. We said good-bye to Bruce, who insisted we meet for dinner. Nathaniel called Roberto, who arrived within ten minutes.
Soon we were sitting in Nathaniel’s limousine. I felt frustrated this evening had ended in such a gloomy atmosphere. As the excess magic slowed my pulse, the adrenaline washed out of me and left a numb feeling in its place.
The car stopped at my apartment. Waiting anxiously for my good-bye in the darkness, I looked into Nathaniel’s eyes, trying to guess what he was thinking. My mind was spinning and my body was drenched with sweat. My fingertips inflamed, causing every nerve in my body to push the magic out of my system. For a long moment, no one said anything at all.
Chapter forty
No more energy steering my mood again for at least a week.
‘Julia?’
‘Yes, Nathaniel?’
‘What are you waiting for? It’s late and you should be in bed,’ he added, but his voice was hypnotic, sending a violent tremor through my whole body.
Come upstairs with me and make love to me. That is what I want.
‘I...’ I began, but I was unable to finish, feeling his sweet breath near my cheek. I was a coward. I wanted to tell him to fuck me, but this forbidden word wasn’t going to pass through my lips. In the darkness, he could see how my energy was reacting to him being so close.
‘Tell me, what do you want, my firecracker?’ he asked, whispering in my ear.
‘Spend the night with me,’ I replied in a small voice.
‘Are you sure about this? After all, my self-control can only go so far,’ he said, st
ill in a low tone that made me want to forget about my stupid rules, about what was right and wrong.
‘Yes.’
‘Roberto, we won’t need you anymore. I will call you tomorrow,’ said Nathaniel firmly.
Roberto nodded. Excitement mixed with desire filled my stomach, but now I couldn’t control my flaming fingers. Despite that, he took my hand. My heart was beating like crazy as we got into the lift.
‘Do you want me to kiss you, my firecracker?’ he asked, pulling me closer to him. I nodded and pressed the button for the fourth floor. My hands were shaking with anticipation. ‘Well, I don’t want to ruin your lovely dress so I'm afraid you will have to wait a little bit longer.’
Every word was only making me feel more anxious, but I could tell he was doing this on purpose, torturing me and my magic. We reached my floor and outside in the corridor, I started searching for my keys.
Why this does always have to happen!
His palm was running over my back while I was shaking with eagerness. Finally, after a long moment, I found the keys and opened the door.
‘Fuck the dress,’ he said and before I knew what was happening, he had lifted me off the floor and pushed me forward. The doors to my apartment were still open, but I was pinned against the wall and he was between my legs, hard and ready. I pulled myself onto him and hitched my legs around his waist. His hands moved underneath my dress to my breasts. He licked my neck while my heart thumped in my chest.
‘Inside,’ I gasped, tangling his hair. He pulled away and then I saw it—a dark fire brewed in his eyes, a hint of unexpected danger. His fangs were fully extended. Instantly, fear filled me. His eyes were unrecognisable, as if he were ready to strike like a hungry lion.
‘Not to worry, my firecracker.’ He breathed out and then with a quick movement using his sharp fangs, he tore my dress in pieces. His fangs were inches away from my flesh. Before I knew it, the dress fell on the floor and he was carrying me inside my apartment.
Paranormal Personnel Saga Box Set - Books 1-3 Page 19