by Imogene Nix
“Holy shit!” Move the six of us? That would give them such an advantage. Now if only they could pinpoint Creedar’s location.
“I know. Pretty heady stuff, right?”
He cleared the excitement that now buzzed in his veins.
“Come on. We’ve still got work to do before we can go home.” She clasped his hand, gave a tug and he nodded.
* * * *
Cressida watched, her emotions banished for the moment as Daniel extracted every drop of intelligence from the creature.
“I… He’s in a warehouse near the Brooklyn Expressway. That’s all I know. It’s big. Used to have clothing, and it’s got a brick exterior.”
Samra closed in on the man. “That’s the best you can do?”
Exhaustion and his injuries had left the man with a gray tinge to his skin. “That’ll do, Samra and Daniel. I’m sure we can find him from there. Lock him in the cells.”
Kharisma appeared at her shoulder. “Excuse me, Councilor. May I have a word with you?”
“Yeah.” She watched as Samra unfastened the lock on her prisoner and he attempted to pull away. Samra merely clucked her tongue and tripped him. Tu es stultior quam asinus.
Cressida rolled her eyes and glanced back to Kharisma. “What’s up?”
“I have a theory. But I need access to the prisoners to prove it.”
Kharisma now had her whole attention. She leaned in. “And that would be?”
“None of these have been chosen to see how well they can assimilate the vampire DNA. I’m of the opinion that Creedar’s connection to them is weaker, as the virus hasn’t embedded itself optimally.”
A grin spread over Cressida’s face. Not an optimal transmission? Yet another chink in Creedar’s armor, hopefully.
“Fine, Kharisma. Take what you need and put a hurry on the bloods.”
“Oh, I’ve done better than that, Councilor. Xavier himself will take the samples and await the results.”
Cressida grinned. “I love it when we can all work together. Do it. Let me know the results as soon as you have them.”
“I will. I’m looking forward to it almost as much as you are.”
A quick glance at the clock reminded her that dawn was less than an hour away, so she gave the order for the vampires to return to their homes. They had done what they could to see the nest through the day. A quick glance in the direction of the sealed quarters showed her they hadn’t been breached. The remaining humans were prepared to guard the prisoners with their ultraviolet guns.
Finally satisfied, she and Daniel climbed into the last vehicle and headed for home.
They’d barely entered the hall and shut the door behind them when the first rays of daylight shone down.
Together they climbed the stairs, weary to the bone but triumphantly so. “It’s a shame we didn’t have time to find the nest.”
“Tonight, Daniel. We need to plan this carefully and our own vampires are tired, both emotionally and physically. We can at least celebrate that we didn’t lose any today.”
Daniel was silent for a while. Even as the door to their suite opened, he was immersed in some kind of silent battle with himself and she let him be, more concerned at this point with considering what they’d learned.
So Creedar has a nest in the warehouse district. We’ll have to organize a team, but if I don’t miss my guess, it will be too late. He’ll realize he’s lost quite a few warriors and we’ll be tracking him back. It won’t matter whether Creedar knows what abilities and trackers we have, he’ll be on the move. It just makes tactical sense.
They couldn’t send in humans, as they’d be slaughtered if Creedar still had a sizable army up his sleeve.
Tonight was the break they’d been looking for. All they had to do was run him to ground.
She scoffed at her own thoughts. Bring him to ground, indeed. He was a formidable foe, not some half-trained fool. He was dangerous and wily. They’d have to be careful and take in their best.
“Cressida?” His voice was carefully neutral and her hackles rose.
“What?”
“Your baby. Tell me about her.” His words gave her pause.
“You want to know about my baby?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Humor me. What was her name?”
“Her name?” She stared at him, wondering where this had come from.
“Yeah, her name.” She turned away as her feelings swamped her.
“Eleanore. Eleanore Rose. Why?”
“Did you see her? After she was born?”
The jagged edges of her memory caught at her, tearing her soul once again.
“Yes.”
“What did she…? What did she look like?” He held himself aloof, tense and wary.
“She was perfect. She had a tuft of white-gold hair. I never saw her eyes though. I always regretted that.” And she did. In her mind she’d always thought they’d be blue. China blue and sparkling in the sunlight.
“The girl in the room next door? Her name is Samantha. She’s four.”
Totally lost now, Cressida scrunched her face into a frown.
“What does this have to do—?”
“She’s an orphan. Like Marian, Rachel and Lucy. No family. No home.”
She couldn’t divine his thoughts much as she wanted to. He’d erected a barrier and that confused and hurt her.
“Why? Why are you telling me this?” Her mouth dried as she waited for his answer.
“We could be her family. The daughter you wanted. The daughter neither of us can have. We too can have a family like Javed and Celina.”
Her breath caught as her imagination ran madly ahead of her. A child. Their child.
“I don’t know. I mean, we live in dangerous times—”
“We’ll always live in dangerous times, until humans and vampires can coexist peacefully. But we don’t have to decide now. She’s safe here for the moment. I just, it occurred to me that she has no family and no home…”
The seed was already sown. It took root, digging deep into her heart and her psyche. The clawing need for family filled her with warmth and lightness.
He backed away with a tiny smile. “Before we do anything else I need a shower and a drink. We can talk later—in bed?” As if realizing the emotional Pandora’s box he’d opened, Daniel gave a mock leer, lightening the atmosphere.
Her laugh broke the strained air between them. “You’re such a man! Go on. I’ll follow you in.”
For a moment she let her imagination carry her away. Pudgy arms around her neck, tiny baby kisses on her cheek. A single tear dribbled down her face and she wiped it away. It seemed in such a short time he’d learned to read her so well. How had that happened? He was caring, loving. The perfect partner. “How did I get so lucky?”
“I heard that!” he bellowed from the dressing room, and Cressida smiled.
Cressida raised her hands and, without conscious thought, stripped off the layers of her battle suit as she moved toward the bathroom.
“Lover boy? Are you naked?”
She felt his shock and smiled. Now this was something she’d never tried before. She opened her senses wide, so he could see inside her mind. “Maybe what you need, my love, is me. Wet and naked in your arms. And making love to you. What about you imagine my mouth…”
The rumbled laugh from the bathroom sounded carefree. “I’ve heard of phone sex, but telepathic sex? That puts a whole new spin on things.”
She rounded the corner and walked into the shower stall behind him. “I can think of better sex. Like when I do this.” She slid her hands around his waist, sighing against his skin as his muscles tensed.
“Or this…” Her hand slid down his soapy front to find his erection and grasp it firmly. “Or even this.” The last words were little more than a whisper, her mouth grazing his shoulder and she let her incisors drop into place then pierced him gently on the shoulder. He hissed as his body convulsed in orgasmic pleasure.
>
He locked his knees and she smiled.
Now it was her turn to need and burn, she thought as her sex pulsed. She moved and he made a sound of regret. “We’ve only just started, lover boy. Now come on, help me shower, then we can find the bed.”
Only instead of helping her bathe, he lifted her into his arms and kissed her. It was hard and hot, and every inch of her body felt molten by the end. Lost in the sensual haze, Cressida gasped for air, and when he carried her to the bedroom, leaving the water running, she could only hold on while he embraced her.
Her damp skin chilled ever so slightly in the air and she shivered.
“I’ll warm you up again.”
Now her body skittered with sexual delight, while her mind replayed scenes of their previous lovemaking sessions.
The satin sheets beneath her skin molded around her, a soft cloud shrouding them. When he kneaded her breast she arched with a cry, desperate for more.
Cressida keened, head thrown back, exposing the long line of her neck.
Her nipples peaked, hot sensitive buds of desire jutting against his touch, and every movement excited her further.
“Daniel!”
His breath warmed her, left her nerve endings singing, and the touch of his mouth and tongue on her body had her writhing.
“Hurry!”
He laughed at her demand, the rumble setting off tiny explosions as nerves quivered beneath her skin.
“There’s no rush, my love. We have all day.”
“You wouldn’t!”
His laughter echoed through the almost silent room.
“Well… Maybe not all day. But you know…” His eyebrows jerked up and down and she snickered until the intensity settled over his features once more, dragging her back within the web of desire.
He slowly dipped his lips to hers and she was sure she’d expire before the kiss began. The whisper of his breath had fanned her face and her eyelids drooped heavily.
Her awareness was consumed by him. She gazed over his body, taking in the strength of his shoulders and the breadth of his chest. His scent was spicy and wholly male. He felt hot and hard, yet his skin was silky soft.
The maleness he exuded made her feel feminine and desired. It left her constantly aroused, but never more so than now.
Once again she shifted, hoping and waiting for him to touch her. The urgency built, the need twisting tighter in her belly.
“Please!”
The kiss was barely a glancing brush of his lips against hers, even though she opened wide to welcome him and his erotic caress. Instead he dusted her jawline and down her neck.
She arched, giving him access to the vein at her throat, then he stilled as her breath caught. She knew he would break the skin in the most intimate and carnal act of their kind.
“Not yet.”
Her body jerked as the tug of desperation nipped at her. “Now!”
He merely settled himself closer, the heat from his skin scorching her, fanning the flames of desire to greater levels. She let her emotions dance in the conflagration while her hands shook wildly, clutching at his shoulders. She curved her fingernails over his flesh and pulled at him.
His soft touches, the act of him running his hands over her body, wasn’t enough. Not nearly.
The moan was torn from her throat, a vocal echo of her anticipation.
When he found the flesh of her belly, his hands splayed. “Womanly. Curved. Just as I like you to be.”
His mind relayed what he saw—soft white flesh, blonde curls peeking at the junction of her thighs.
He moved his fingers, inching them lower, and she shuddered.
“So soft. So beautiful.”
“Kiss me!”
He did, and it was hard, forceful.
He used lips and tongue to splinter her mind while he played with her body, caressing each dip and hollow, filling the emptiness that had nearly devoured her.
With his fingers, he finally parted her swollen flesh, finding it slick and damp.
“Ready. For me, all of this.”
He slid a finger deep within and she panted as her orgasm loomed.
“Not…not yet… Come to me!”
Then he moved and she blew apart, mind blanking as the waves crashed over her senses.
The sensations ebbed away slowly and her body gloried in the feeling of him, the way he kissed her deeply, tongue thrust deep within her mouth. His hand… Oh God! How it pleasured her.
The determined moves were a pale imitation of the truly sexual act. She gasped as he drew away and he shifted, this time splaying her legs to find space to settle his body.
“Wait! Let me touch you…”
The laugh was choked. “If you do… I doubt I’ll last.” She scanned the hard planes of his face. His eyelids were drooping and the redness of his skin betrayed his arousal as much as the distended veins in his neck and the jut of his cock. They all told her just how ready he was.
When she glanced down, he hissed and his penis jerked before her fascinated gaze.
Sauce for the goose is the same for the gander.
Even as she moved to encircle the flesh he gripped her hand tight. “Next. Time.”
He seated himself at the entry to her body and she gulped, ready for the dance to begin again. In her mind she knew no one else would ever satisfy her, fill her totally the way he did.
As he slid deep she told him with her hands and mouth. Her mind continued the litany.
“Forever mine. The only one who will ever really see me and fill me completely. Heart, mind and body.”
His movements were controlled, rocking back and forth while they shuddered, fingers gripping flesh.
Her heart rate was like a freight train careering out of control. She panted and hummed. Needing more…
When he bit her neck, incisors sliding deep, she reciprocated. The rush of blood, hot and rich, pushed her while their bodies undulated wildly. Nothing to restrain them as ecstasy crashed down upon them.
* * * *
When he woke, he lay still. He turned slowly, not wanting to wake Cressida. Her skin glowed in the dim light and he reached out, touching the soft flesh he’d caressed the night before.
She was an amazing woman, soft and sensual when in his bed, but an Amazon in battle. Her mind reminded him of a steel trap, deep and sharp. She was quick as well.
She’d make a great mother, if everything worked in his favor. If only… He banished the what-ifs.
They were vampires. Much as he wished she could carry his child, that wasn’t in their future. Not biologically anyway.
He cupped her breast, loving the way it filled his palm. Perfectly sized with a nipple the color of ripe berries. It tightened beneath his hand and he sighed, not wishing to wake her, but unable to contain the sounds of satisfaction.
“You should, you know.” Amusement filled her voice and he grinned, relishing the playfulness he heard.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Enough to hear the echo of your thoughts.” He frowned as she continued, “Daniel, I can’t change…”
A thread of anxiety slid through him. “I’d never ask you to. I love you. All that completes me is you.”
She turned on a sigh. “Do you really think…?”
He saw the question in her mind and wanted to say yes. That absolutely the child sleeping next door would be theirs.
His mind told him that would be cruel. He would never abuse this woman’s trust, making rash claims he couldn’t keep. “We’ll inquire. If the stars align, she’ll be ours. If not, I know another option will raise its head someday. We have time, Cressida.” He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. The tension in her frame ebbed away and the worry and concern that filled him settled.
“We do. But right now, time’s wasting. We should be downstairs. I need to gather the warriors.”
He glanced at the clock beside the bed. “It’s not yet four. We have another hour…”
She laughed. “Much
as I can’t think of anything I’d like more, we need to plan and prepare. So come on, lazy head. Time to get up.”
They dressed in what had quickly become his regular attire of leather.
“It suits you, you know.”
Strapping on his belt, he glanced at her, watching as she gathered her hair to fasten at the nape of her neck. Then, together, without a backward glance, they made their way downstairs.
At the bottom, one of the nestlings was carrying the little girl, Samantha. She looked up fearfully, her face screwed tight, before sticking her thumb into her mouth.
“Mistress, Master, I was just about to take her upstairs to change.”
“That’s all right, Sarah. Leave her with us for a while.” Daniel smiled at the girl.
Cressida raised an eyebrow. She knew Sarah had been working with the child during the day. She’d spoken about the child’s lack of understanding of her situation. She and Daniel had discussed her future and he’d suggested he should talk to Sarah, so when he began Cressida didn’t countermand his words. Daniel reached over and plucked her from the woman’s hold. “Hello, little one. Have you had dinner yet?”
She popped the thumb from her mouth and shook her head. “S’ra said after bath time.”
“Sarah, can you bring her dinner through to us, and our wines?”
Sarah gave a tiny nod. “If you’d like, Master.” She shuffled away as Daniel settled the girl at his hip. They walked slowly across the hall and Cressida opened the door to her private sanctum.
He considered the desk, discarding that as a location in favor of the more casual meeting area. The deep chairs and small table would suit their needs better right now, he thought.
“I want my mummy.”
His heart constricted at her words.
“Sweetie, do you remember what happened at the house?”
She shook her head, her hair flying around like a soft, cloudy halo. “Jenn’fer took us to the kitchen and put us in the fridge. It was cold, then I sleeped.”
“Daniel? How do we tell her?” Cressida’s eyes shone and the band that constricted his lungs dug a little deeper.
“Honey, do you remember when the bad ones came?”
She nodded. “Jenn’fer said they’d hurt us. That’s why we hid.”