He reciprocated.
Let me tell you, that boy is hell with a bar of soap.
Chapter 29
I knocked on Jackson’s apartment door. It was a little past nine. Connor waited in the parking lot below. I had to do this alone, at least for now.
Jackson opened the door, his eyes red rimmed and his features gaunt. He dropped the beer bottle that was in his hand.
“Phoebe?“
“Hi,” I said. “I need to talk to you.”
And I closed the door behind me.
Chapter 30
When I woke up, I realized two things:
1. The sexy male presence pressed against me was naked.
2. Today we were getting married.
“Connor,” I whispered.
“Danny’s fine,” he murmured as he moved my hair to kiss my neck. “He’s with Jackson, remember? They’re moving into the same neighborhood as Jessica and those sexy Wiccans.”
“Sexy Wiccans?”
“I mean those poor, butt-ugly witches.”
I laughed. “They’ve been a nice addition to the town. Their herbal shampoo is da bomb.”
“I dinnae know if I can wait for our vows…” He trailed off because his mouth got busy with my ear, then my throat.
It figured my almost husband knew I’d ask after Danny and had answered the question before I could phrase it. All three of us were paranoid about his safety, but had agreed we couldn’t live in fear.
Even now, Dr. Michaels and Brady were consulting with all the paranormals to search for ways to make the Invisi-shield more invulnerable. There was talk about creating sensors for the ground.
If Queen Patsy had her way, a gnat wouldn’t be able to squeeze by the perimeter without setting off an alarm.
Then there was, of course, renewed talk about finding Amahté and Shamhat. Larsa was the leader of that cause, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if some kind of paranormal search party were launched soon.
Connor lifted up and cupped my face. “You’ll make a lovely bride.”
“You’ll make a handsome groom.”
He kissed me, and my undead heart skipped a ghostly beat.
“You know,” I said, walking my fingers up his impressive chest, “who’s to say we can’t have our ceremony now?”
He grinned. “I cannae believe you’d suggest such a thing, lass.” His hand dipped underneath and palmed my buttock. “I’m an honorable man.”
“I know.” I tugged on his shoulders. “I’ll totally take the hit for this, I promise. Besides, we can have two ceremonies if we want.”
“You’ve talked me into it.” He rolled on top of me. His muscled form warmed mine instantly. I explored the hard contours of his back, right down to his awesome butt.
I writhed under his touch. His fingers slid between my thighs, one finger stroking my clit and stoking the flames. Pleasure spiked. I moaned and rubbed my slick flesh against his palm.
He trailed soft, slow kisses down the curve of my stomach. I quaked under his tender assault.
He parted my trembling thighs, knelt between my legs, and placed his mouth over my swollen clit. He tugged the sensitized nub between his lips and suckled.
I moaned, my restless hands plundering his hair.
He slid his hands underneath me and pulled me close. He stroked me with his tongue, torturing me with tiny, brief suckles. I moved against his mouth, taking pleasure in every movement.
“This is sinful,” I said.
“I’m a demon. ‘Tis my nature to sin.”
He nipped and the sharpness rocketed, a blend of pleasure-pain that made me gasp. Now, that was a feat, since as I’ve pointed out, I can’t use my lungs.
Connor continued to torment me until I was at the edge of bliss. I grabbed at his shoulders, digging my nails into his flesh.
He growled. That sound vibrated through me, rumbling my core. Now it was time to do the traditional vampire marital rites. I was excited to share these with Connor, to truly become his in body, mind, and soul.
“The claiming,” I managed. “First the claiming.”
Connor knelt on the bed and helped me to sit up. I put my hand on the back of his neck. “I claim you, Connor Ballard.” I frowned.
Heat flared, and my symbol – the heart – imprinted on his skin.
“The word-giving?” he whispered. His eyes were bright. He swept a thumb over my cheek.
“I love you,” I said simply. “I want to be with you forever. You are my family.”
“And you are mine.” He kissed me. “I love you.”
“Okay,” I said. I flopped to the bed and spread my arms. “Take me.”
Connor chuckled as he covered me; then he surprised me. He lifted me and entered me with one swift stroke. He kissed me, his tongue mimicking the movements of his cock.
He was relentless.
I couldn’t hold on.
I flew over the edge, and as I soared, Connor shattered with me.
I rode another wave with him, into the bright bliss that was ours.
———
The ceremony presided over by Queen Patricia was held in the backyard of her massive home. The garden was lush with multicolored flowers and big, leafy trees. At least a hundred or so chairs were set up, and every one was filled. The demon hunters chose to stand like sentinels behind the back row.
With the stars out and the moon shining bright, I married my demon.
It was short and sweet. We’d asked for an abbreviated version, and mimicked our earlier commitment (save the mating ritual, of course).
We wanted to include Danny in our commitment to each other, so he stood close and we held our son in our joint embrace.
After the vows were over, everyone cheered. Jackson picked up Danny, gave me a kiss, and shook Connor’s hand. All in all, he’d handled the transition from Tulsa to Broken Heart rather well. Now that I was training with Connor and Larsa, we needed every demon ass-kicker we could get; it only made sense for Jackson to live in town. We would share custody of Danny, and he would watch over him when I had to go deal with demon and/or talisman business. The schoolteacher girlfriend was already history, and Jackson seemed to like living in town, though it had certainly changed since our childhood days.
It meant letting go of managing the café, but Astria and Jennifer were doing trial runs as waitresses, and seemed to really like it. Astria’s body-guards, not so much. Still, Ren seemed to like to cook, and Anise was a hell of a manager. They made a weird team, and an even weirder family, but at least Astria was safe. It seemed that getting Turned had stripped her of her prophetic abilities. I considered that a good thing. Jennifer was living with us, though she was hanging out with Astria for the next couple of days. Connor promised to build a new addition to the house; and he also said he’d redo the kitchen, complete with dishwasher.
Gabriel had been shocked to learn that he had a brother and a sister – there was a lot going on there that no one had revealed to the rest of us. Like why Ren and Anise hadn’t tracked him down before now, and what they wanted, and why they’d been protecting a Vedere prophet.
Broken Heart still had its secrets.
I guess we all did.
Damian avoided Anise, who was probably the only female who could kick his ass, and whenever she was mentioned, he would mutter something about insufferable women, and go elsewhere.
My thoughts were interrupted when Connor kissed me until my legs went watery, and I forgot about everything else except him naked in a big, fluffy bed. We hadn’t even moved from the altar yet.
“Excuse me,” said a soft female voice.
I pulled away from Connor. Before us stood a woman I knew was a donor.
“Leslee, right?”
She looked relieved. “Yes.”
Next to her was a vampire who looked vaguely familiar. I’d probably seen him around town or at the café. We’d had a lot of influx of parakind hoping to settle down here.
“This is Avery,” she said. “He mo
ved here about a month ago. Um, we understand you can break bindings.”
“And goofer you, as soon as I figure out the ingredients for the dust.”
She blinked at me.
Then I realized what she’d said. “Oh. You’re bound?”
“Things got out of hand,” said Avery. He looked uncomfortable. “We… you know.”
“He’s a nice guy,” said Leslee quickly. “But I don’t want to be a vampire. This is just my summer job.”
“Say no more.”
I put my hands on each of their shoulders and invoked the magic of the talisman. Heat flowed between us and then I heard the familiar snick.
“Done,” I said.
“Thank you,” gushed Leslee. “Thank you so much.”
Avery smiled and nodded. Then they both took off in opposite directions like their pants were on fire.
“You’re going to be a popular girl,” said Connor.
“Don’t remind me.”
He drew me into his arms and smiled. “I could remind you of other things, lass.” He leaned down and whispered a few into my ear.
“Hmmm.” I looked at him coyly. “Actions speak louder than words, husband.”
He tugged me close and kissed me; then the wily bastard popped us right out of our own reception.
We arrived in the bedroom of our house.
I stood within the arms of my husband, who had a very lascivious look.
“Let me love you, m’aingeal,” he whispered.
“Yes,” I said. “Yes.”
The Eight Ancients
(In order of creation)
Ruadan: (Ireland) He flies and uses fairy magic.
Koschei: (Russia) He is the master of glamour and mind control. He was banned to the World Between Worlds.
Hua Mu Lan: (China) She is a great warrior who creates and controls fire. She was killed during her attack on Queen Patricia.
Durga: (India) She calls forth, controls, and expels demons. She was banned to the World Between Worlds.
Velthur: (Italy) He controls all forms of liquid.
Shamhat: (Babylon) She controls all elements of earth magic, especially as it relates to all living things.
Amahté: (Egypt) He talks to spirits, raises the dead, creates zombies, and reinserts souls into dead bodies.
Zela: (Nubia) She manipulates all metallic substances.
The Broken Heart Turn-Bloods
Jessica Matthews:1 Widow (first husband, Richard). Mother to fourteen-year-old Bryan and nine-year-old Jenny. Stay-at-home mom. Vampire of Family Ruadan.
Charlene Mason: Mistress of Richard Matthews. Mother to one-year-old Rich Jr. Receptionist for insurance company. Vampire of Family Ruadan.
Linda Beauchamp: Divorced (first husband, Earl). Mother to eighteen-year-old MaryBeth. Nail technician. Vampire of Family Koschei.
MaryBeth Beauchamp: Single. Waitress at the Old Sass Café. Vampire of Family Ruadan.
Evangeline Louise LeRoy:1 Single. Mother to fifteen-year-old Tamara LeRoy. Owns and operates the town library. Vampire of Family Koschei.
Patricia “Patsy” Donovan: Divorced (first husband, Sean). Mother to sixteen-year-old Wilson. Beautician who owns and operates Hair Today, Curl Tomorrow. Vampire of Family Amahté.
Ralph Genessa: Widowed (first wife, Teresa). Father to toddler twins Michael and Stephen. Fry cook at the Old Sass Café. Vampire of Family Hua Mu Lan.
Simone Sweet: Widowed (first husband, Jacob). Mother to six-year-old Glory. Broken Heart’s mechanic. Vampire of Family Velthur.
Phoebe Allen:1 Single. Mother to two-year-old Daniel. Waitress at the Old Sass Café. Vampire of Family Durga.
Darlene Clark:1 Divorced (first husband, Jason). Mother to seven-year-old Marissa. Stay-at-home mother. Operates Internet scrapbooking business. Vampire of Family Durga.
Elizabeth Bretton née Silverstone:1 Separated (first husband, Carlton). Mother of seventeen-year-old Venice, who lives with her father in Los Angeles. Socialite. Vampire of Family Zela.
Glossary
Ancient: Refers to one of the original eight vampires. The very first vampire was Ruadan, who is the biological father of Patrick and Lorcan. Several centuries ago, Ruadan and his sons took on the last name of O’Halloran, which means “stranger from overseas.”
banning: (see: World Between Worlds) Any vampire can be sent into limbo, but the spell must be cast by an Ancient or, in a few cases, an Ancient’s offspring. A vampire cannot be released from banning until they feel true remorse for their evil acts. This happens rarely, which means banning is not done lightly.
binding: When vampires have consummation sex (with any living person or creature), they’re bound together for a hundred years. This was the Ancients’ solution to keep vamps from sexual intercourse while blood-taking. No one’s ever broken a binding. 2
Consortium: More than five hundred years ago, Patrick and Lorcan O’Halloran created the Consortium to figure out ways that parakind could make the world a better place for all beings. Many sudden leaps in human medicine and technology are because of the Consortium’s work.
Convocation: Five neutral, immortal beings given the responsibility of keeping the balance between Light and Dark.
donors: Mortals who serve as sustenance for vampires. The Consortium screens and hires humans to be food sources. Donors are paid well and given living quarters. Not all vampires follow the guidelines created by the Consortium for feeding. A mortal may have been a donor without ever realizing it.
drone: Mortals who do the bidding of their vampire Masters. The most famous was Renfield – drone to Dracula. The Consortium’s Code of Ethics forbids the use of drones, but plenty of vampires still use them.
ETAC: The Ethics and Technology Assessment Commission is the public face of this covert government agency. In its program, soldier volunteers have undergone surgical procedures to implant nanobyte technology, which enhances strength, intelligence, sensory perception, and healing. Volunteers are trained in use of technological weapons and defense mechanisms so advanced, it’s rumored they come from a certain section of Area 51. Their mission is to remove, by any means necessary, targets named as domestic threats.
Family: Every vampire can be traced to one of the eight Ancients. The Ancients are divided into the Eight Sacred Sects, also known as the Families.
gone to ground: When vampires secure places where they can lie undisturbed for centuries, they go to ground. Usually they let someone know where they are located, but the resting locations of many vampires are unknown.
Invisi-shield: Using technology stolen from ETAC, the Consortium created a shield that not only makes the town invisible to outsiders, but also creates a force field. No one can get into the town’s borders without knowing specific access points, all of which are guarded by armed security details.
loup de sang: Commonly refers to Gabriel Marchand, the only known vampire-werewolf born into the world. He is also known as “the outcast.” (See Vedere prophecy.)
lycanthropes: Also called lycans. They can shift from human into wolf at will. Lycans have been around a long time and originate in Germany. Their numbers are small because they don’t have many females, and most children born have a fifty percent chance of living to the age of one.
Master: Most Master vampires are hundreds of years old and have had many successful Turnings. Masters show Turn-bloods how to survive as vampires. A Turn-blood has the protection of the Family (see: Family) to which their Master belongs.
PRIS: Paranormal Research and Investigation Services. Cofounded by Theodora and her husband, Elmore Monroe. Its primary mission is to document supernatural phenomena and conduct cryptozoological studies.
Roma: The Roma are cousins to full-blooded lycanthropes. They can change only on the night of a full moon. Just as full-blooded lycanthropes are raised to protect vampires, the Roma are raised to hunt vampires.
soul shifter: A supernatural being with the ability to absorb the souls of any mortal or immortal. The shifter has the
ability to assume any of the forms she’s absorbed. Only one is known to exist, the woman known as Ash, who works as a “balance keeper” for the Convocation.
Taint: The Black Plague for vampires, which makes vampires insane as their body deteriorates. Consortium scientists have had limited success in finding a true cure.
Turn-blood: A human who’s been recently Turned into a vampire. If you’re less than a century old, you’re a Turn-blood.
Turning: Vampires perpetuate the species by Turning humans. Unfortunately, only one in about ten humans actually makes the transition.
Vedere prophecy: Astria Vedere predicted that in the twenty-first century a vampire queen would rule both vampires and lycans, and would also end the ruling power of the eight Ancients.
The prophecy reads: “A vampire queen shall come forth from the place of broken hearts. The eight powers of the ancients will be hers to command. She shall bind with the outcast, and with this union, she will save the dual-natured. With her consort, she will rule vampires and lycanthropes as one.”
World Between Worlds: The place between this plane and the next, where there is a void. Some people can slip back and forth between this “veil.”
Wraiths: Rogue vampires who banded together to dominate both vampires and humans. Since the defeat of the Ancient Koschei, they are believed to be defunct.
Read on for a sneak peek at the next
book in the Broken Heart series
by Michele Bardsley,
coming soon from Signet Eclipse.
“You wanna make out?” asked the man standing on my welcome mat.
“You’re rather young, aren’t you?” I asked, fighting a smile.
“And?” He cocked a pierced eyebrow at me and leaned on the doorjamb, tucking his hands into his pockets. The gesture flexed his muscled, tattooed arms and drew attention to the six-pack abs defined by his tight T-shirt.
He was gorgeous and youthful and impetuous.
“Rand, you make me feel old.” I caved in to the smile flirting with my lips. “And I’m immortal.”
Come Hell or High Water Page 19