by Kym Grosso
“What about you? Where are you going to shower?” Samantha was hoping for a repeat performance of today. She’d love to see the strength of him that she’d only felt in the slippery cool water.
“There’s a men’s locker room downstairs. I’ll shower there. See you at the bar.” He waved and shut the door. Luca took a deep breath and blew it out. For a long minute, he’d been ready to take her in the elevator and now she was asking about the shower. She was fucking killing him. Shit. Looks like I’ll be having a cold shower.
Samantha watched Luca leave with a puzzled look on her face. She knew what she’d felt in the lake had been real chemistry. But now Luca seemed like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. She knew she shouldn’t trust a vampire, but she felt safe with Luca. Lying back in his arms in the lake felt like the first time she’d relaxed for weeks. He was so strong yet gentle. They’d talked like old friends but felt like new lovers. She’d never experienced such a passionate kiss in her life. Sure she’d had a few lovers, but no one that had evoked such a fiery, passionate reaction in her. And certainly no man had kissed her with such fury, naked beneath azure waters.
Samantha poked her head into the bathroom and found it surprisingly clean for a bachelor’s. She looked on the shelf and saw herbal shampoo but hoped for a razor and if she got lucky, a toothbrush. She pulled open the vanity drawer: condoms, a single toothbrush, straight edged razor and deodorant. This bathroom definitely belonged to a man, she mused. Opening the second drawer, she found a stash of disposable pink razors and new toothbrushes. A ladies’ man’s bathroom, she corrected herself silently and laughed.
After taking the most delightful shower in a strange bathroom, Samantha dried herself with a clean towel. She heard a door open, and butterflies danced in her stomach. Luca had returned. She checked her face and rushed out with the towel wrapped around her.
“Hello there.” A stunning, tall female held up clothing with a smile. “It’s okay, Samantha. I’m Kat, Tristan’s sister. Tris said you could use some clothes, so here I am,” she chirped.
Samantha walked over to her, extending her hand. “Hi Kat, I’m Samantha. I really appreciate you bringing me something to wear.” She was disappointed Luca hadn’t returned for her but hid her feelings from the stranger.
Kat shook her hand and placed the clothes on the desk. “I brought you a choice: yoga pants or sundress. Tris said you were a petite little thing, and he’s right. I co-own a shop a few blocks over, Hair and Heels. We’re a beauty salon and spa but also sell clothes and accessories. I’m pretty sure both will fit. So what do ya think?” She put her hands on her hips, waiting for a response. Kat played with the red sundress, holding it up to herself by the spaghetti straps.
Kat was naturally beautiful; an exotic woman with long auburn hair and deep brown eyes. Even though Tristan had platinum blonde hair, he and Kat had the same intense eyes and straight nose. Samantha wouldn’t have known they were siblings if she hadn’t been told, but now saw a slight resemblance.
“Since I’ve been in yoga pants all day, I guess the sundress will work. But I don’t have any shoes except sneakers,” Samantha answered.
“No problem. I’ve got some flip-flops in my bag,” she added, smiling.
“Thanks so much. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to help us.” Samantha used the word ‘us’ as if she and Luca were a couple, even though a more accurate description would have been traveling companions, or friends due to circumstances.
“Like I said, not a problem at all. A friend of Tristan’s is a friend of mine. We take care of each other. Especially us girls,” she winked.
Oddly, Samantha felt at ease with the lovely woman and wondered if she was a wolf like Tristan. She smiled at Kat. “Well, thanks again.” She waited on her to leave.
“Come on now, Samantha. Don’t be shy. Lord knows, us wolves aren’t. I’m staying; at least until I make sure the dress fits you. I’ve gotta get back to the shop soon, but I’ve got time for a bit of a chat,” she said, plopping herself in the overstuffed leather sofa.
Samantha never thought of herself as shy, but she didn’t know the woman in front of her from Adam. But she really didn’t have much choice, given that Kat wasn’t moving. Deciding to go with the flow, she stripped off her towel and pulled the cotton sundress over her head. Looking down and feeling around to make sure it wasn’t too tight she smiled over at Kat. “It’s lovely,” Samantha declared, running her hands down her sides. “Thanks again.”
“No problem.” Kat came over and stood in front of Samantha, admiring the smooth fabric and the fit of the dress. “Looks great on you. That plastic bag over there has the flip-flops in it and a pair of undies. Good thing the dress has a shelf built into it ‘cause I don’t sell bras. Well, I better get going.”
Samantha waved as Kat opened the door. “Thanks again, Kat. I actually live in Philly too. Maybe when I get back, I’ll look you up,” she offered.
Kat just smiled and waved back as she shut the door.
Samantha walked back into the bathroom and began to comb out her wet hair. Thinking about her conversation with Kat, Samantha felt quite relieved to have a normal conversation with a human-looking woman…even if she really was a wolf. She smiled to herself wondering if all wolves were as friendly as Tristan and Kat. Taking one last glance at herself in the mirror, Samantha felt satisfied with her attractive new dress. Clean and clothed, she was refreshed and ready to go downstairs; she wanted to find Luca and get something to eat.
Shaved and showered, Luca walked into the main club room and sat at the bar. From behind it, Tristan faced the wall and reaching up, grabbed a bottle of Martell Cognac off the top shelf and two glasses, and set them on the brass bar.
“So, long day, huh?” Tristan asked. He poured two fingers into each snifter. Even though it was four in the afternoon, happy hour started early in Eden on a Friday night. Patrons were already starting to pour through the front entrance, but no one had come to the far end of the bar yet.
“Yeah, you could say that. Someone torched the cabin and left our witch a little message. Something about a periapt.” Luca took a long draw of his drink. “It was written in bat’s blood. Real bat’s blood. But I didn’t scent any supernaturals so it must have been a puppet. Haven’t told Samantha yet.”
“A periapt, huh? Could be for anything, but what does this one do and why would someone want it so badly and why would Samantha have it?” Tristan mused.
“And those, my friend, are all very good questions I’ve asked myself. Perhaps Ilsbeth can help us. I don’t know. To be honest, I really just need to feed right now and maybe fuck. This whole situation’s wearing on me, and I need to blow off some steam, before I get onto that plane and head down to New Orleans.” He tapped nervously on the edge of his glass.
“Yeah, about that…” Tristan hesitated and looked up at his sister. She bounded down the stairs toward them, silently signaling to Tristan to be quiet, obviously wanting to surprise Luca.
Luca spied a female refection in Tristan’s eyes. Immediately recognizing her scent, he spun on his bar seat and held out his arms. “Kat!”
Kat jumped into his arms as he spun her about as if she weighed nothing. “Luca, baby!” she cooed. “I’m so glad to see you. I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve only got maybe twenty minutes ‘til my next appointment, but I’ve been looking to go down to visit ya. ”
Things were about to get interesting. Luca and Kat had met years ago when Kade’s ex-lover had kidnapped and tortured her in the mid-eighteen hundreds. Luca had been there that day to rescue her and bring her back to Tristan. As the years passed, Luca and Kat had had their fair share of romantic moments, but it was always free and easy; neither of them was looking for commitment.
As they hugged tightly, Kat kissed him on the cheek, and pulled away, leaving her arm around his waist.
“You knew she was here?” Luca questioned Tristan.
“Yes I did. And you know, if you’re goi
ng to New Orleans tonight, I’ve been thinking maybe you could take Kat with you,” Tristan suggested.
Luca looked at Kat and then back to Tristan. “What’s up?”
Kat looked at her shoes, not wanting to recount what was happening.
Tristan’s eyes narrowed. “Kat, here, has an unwanted suitor. And it’s none other than Jax Chandler, the Alpha from New York. Now, he’s been told that he can’t have her, but he’s not one to take no for an answer. I don’t want anything happening to her.”
“What? Are you afraid he’ll kidnap her?” Luca asked.
“Well, that I’m not sure of, but I think if she takes a little trip down to see our brother Marcel, it’ll help to bolster my verdict on this. I don’t want him thinking he can get stupid and try and take her.” Tristan hopped over the bar and put his arm around his sister. “Kat wants Marcel to call the pack out on this, and I agree. So what say you? Can you take her with you?”
“Certainly. But she can’t stay with me. She’ll have to stay with Kade or Marcel.” There was no way he was going to let two females stay at his house. He had a feeling that Samantha wouldn’t take too kindly to having him let a former lover stay with them. Nor did he want the two women ganging up on him. No, she’d have to stay with Kade or go to her brother’s.
“Thanks Luca!” Kat kissed him again; this time on the lips.
“Okay, it’s settled then. Now let’s see what I can do about a donor. I’ll go check the list,” Tristan announced.
Eden’s maître d’ kept a donor list at the front desk of willing human and shifter donors who wished to experience the orgasmic bite of a vampire, sex, or both. They wore beepers around their necks that buzzed should they be called to ‘volunteer’. There were private rooms upstairs for these activities that accommodated pairs and groups. The rooms were video monitored for the safety of guests to make sure all activities were consensual and safe. It was against the law to kill during a feeding, and Eden’s state-of-the-art security system kept things legal.
Kat stopped Tristan from leaving and looked over to Luca. “Luca, I’ll feed you,” she offered.
“You sure? I thought you had an appointment. And you need to get your stuff together. We’ve got to leave soon,” Luca said.
“I’ll call the shop and give Sherri my client. They’re expecting me to leave soon anyway. Now they’ll just have to rearrange the schedule a little more quickly. Call it a perk of being an owner. And I don’t need anything else but my purse and cell phone, which I have. As soon as I get to Marcel’s, I plan to go wolf for a while. Any clothes I need, he’ll provide from the pack,” Kat answered without hesitation.
“Tristan, you mind? This isn’t our first time, but she’s still your sister.” Luca was old-fashioned in many ways and felt it necessary to get her older brother’s permission.
Tristan trusted Luca with his life and his sister’s. Luca and Kat had been tight ever since Luca rescued her, and while he hadn’t exactly talked about sex with his sister, he was pretty sure that they’d been together several times over the years.
“No problem. Go have fun, kids. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he quipped.
Luca grabbed Kat by the hand and started up the stairs toward the private rooms.
As they walked down the hallway, looking for an open feeding room, Kat grabbed Luca’s arm tighter and giggled, hoping she’d have at least an hour to make love with him before they had to take off. It had been years since they’d been together, and she was looking forward to reminiscing.
Luca, thirsting for blood, could feel his fangs pushing through his gums. Kat’s blood, heady, woodsy and potent, would surely sate his thirst. As he went to turn the handle to one of the feeding rooms, he froze. Samantha. She stared straight at him down the long, dimly lit hallway. There he stood arm in arm with another woman after he’d kissed her only hours earlier. The instant he locked eyes with Samantha, he registered the pain he was causing her.
Samantha stopped dead in her tracks, observing Kat hold Luca’s arms as if they were long-lost lovers. Rationally, she knew that he needed to eat and that he’d use a donor. She hadn’t offered her own blood to Luca. After everything she’d been through, she just couldn’t bring herself to do that. She honestly thought that she understood what it meant for him to feed off of someone else, but there in the hall, seeing another woman wrapped around his waist, she felt jealous. Her anger flared.
She felt like a fool for kissing him, for believing that they could have possibly had a connection. At the cabin, he’d kissed her passionately. He’d acted like he was ready to make love to her. It must have all been a ruse to get her to go with him back to New Orleans, she thought. Obviously he hadn’t felt the same toward her if he was letting Kat put her hands all over him. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of him kissing that woman, holding her in his arms. But what could she do? He did need to eat. And a display of jealousy would be akin to showing weakness. She would not let herself be a victim again. Biting her lip, she steeled herself and began to walk toward them.
Luca watched her contemplate what was happening. He felt a strange, unfamiliar feeling in the pit of his gut. Guilt. No, he refused to acknowledge it. Just as Samantha came within twenty feet of him, he acknowledged her presence with a nod, opened the door, pulled Kat inside and slammed it shut.
Luca growled in hunger as he caged Kat against the door. In anger, he pressed his lips to hers, pushing his tongue deep within her mouth. Sensing his predatory nature in full force, Kat submitted, keeping her arms down and against the door, and kissed him back. Luca knew immediately something was off as soon as he kissed her. That damn witch had cursed him; he was sure of it. He had kissed Kat many times in the past, but now the only picture in his mind was Samantha. Luca bared his fangs, threw his head back and roared.
Kat reached up slowly, pulled off her t-shirt and bared her neck to him. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with Luca but it wasn’t the first time she’d seen him upset. She could tell that she probably wouldn’t be having sex with him like she’d been anticipating, but understood that Luca had something on his mind.
“You’re sure, Kat?” Luca asked. No matter how many times he fed, he always asked his donor. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t taking someone against their will, no matter what their original intentions.
“Yes, Luca. Take me,” Kat whispered.
A split second later, his fangs sank deep into her neck. As he drank, he tried to block Samantha, but couldn’t stop thinking of her.
Kat pressed her flattened palms against Luca’s chest. Then her fingers clasped his shirt tightly as she felt an orgasm rip through her. She reached down to feel Luca’s hardness and had him in her grip, when he pushed her hand away and released her.
His eyes remained red as he fell down onto the sofa. “Fuck!” he yelled.
“Luca, what’s wrong?” Kat panted. She was still riding hard from the explosive release. She knelt before him.
Luca laid back with his head resting on a pillow and his feet up on the armrest. “I can’t, Kat. And I don’t want to talk about it, okay. Just don’t ask.” He closed his eyes, wiping her blood from the corner of his mouth.
“Luca, it’s fine. You know I want to, um, finish, but if you’re not into it today, that’s okay. Your bite is quite satisfying,” she teased and put her hand over his chest. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it later, when and if you’re ready.”
With a pat, she jumped up and put on her shirt. “Luca, since I have the time, I’m gonna run over to the shop and just check in before I leave. I’ll be back in forty-five minutes. I promise it won’t take long.” Kat leaned over and kissed her friend’s forehead.
Luca barely saw her walk out the door, but heard it slam shut. He opened his eyes, which had returned to green, and stared up at the stark white ceiling. He’d gone centuries feeling nothing, and it had served him well. Now he was good and fucked. Guilt. He was sure he felt guilt about being with Kat. And why? Because he’d had
a kiss and tickle with Samantha in the lake? No, he’d known there was something there between them ever since the first time he’d stroked Samantha’s hair in Kade’s basement. And now that he’d kissed her, he couldn’t forget the taste of her sweet, soft mouth and the feel of her breasts in his hands.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” he said aloud to himself. Feelings. Very human-like feelings could threaten his entire existence. Yet he knew in his heart that he was done for. It didn’t matter what his mind said or the logic it possessed; his heart spoke and knew what it wanted. He had to have the witch.
From across the room, Tristan could tell that Samantha had been crying. Her face was reddened from her attempts to dry her eyes. He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but pain washed over her aura. He knew that she’d been through a lot of trauma over the past few weeks, but she’d seemed relatively calm during their encounter at the cabin. Perhaps she was having a meltdown after watching the cabin burn? Or maybe she was just hungry? He knew he got cranky when he didn’t eat.
Deciding not to leave her to any of the sharks looking for a hot date, the Alpha strode over and pulled her into an embrace. “Come on, ma petite sorcière, whatever it is, it’ll all work out. What’d I tell you up at the cabin? Go to New Orleans for a little while and then come back. I’ll help you get settled back here at home.” He rubbed his hand over her hair. She was quite petite indeed, maybe five-three, he thought to himself. The top of her head barely reached his neck.
“Thanks, Tristan. I know it may not seem like it to you, but I’m a relatively strong person in spite of the fact that my life has turned into a living hell, and I have no control over what’s happening.” She spoke into his chest, pulling herself closer to him.
Samantha knew Luca had come here to feed, but couldn’t believe it when she saw him with Kat. They clearly were well acquainted with each other, and she knew damn well that vampires often had sex when they ate. She suspected more than feeding was going on tonight in ‘those rooms’. She couldn’t believe that after what they’d shared this morning, kissing and touching each other in such an intimate way, he’d take another woman to bed as if it was nothing. But then again, she didn’t really know Luca or any of the supernaturals that well. She was attracted to Luca, lusted after him, but all those feelings did not amount to a hill of beans when it came to men. Conflicted, she silently sighed. Even though they hadn’t known each other very long, Luca seemed honorable. He certainly didn’t seem like the kind of man that would touch a woman’s breasts and kiss her and then fuck a different woman less than six hours later.