“You don’t understand. I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t mean to.”
“I know,” said Marcus quietly. “I know you wouldn’t knowingly hurt a female. It wasn’t your fault. It was Gage’s. He’s the one who tried to get his body guard to kill you.”
“I know, but he’s not going to see it that way. He’s going to want retribution. You should have seen the look in his eyes when he said he would see me pay for her death with everything I hold dear.” And nothing was dearer to him than Katrina. Fear for her safety pressed in, making it hard to breathe.
Katrina stood in the kitchen rinsing the dishes from their first meal and loading them into the dishwasher. After eating, Stephan and Marcus had immediately gone to the library behind closed doors. Even her human senses recognized the tension in the penthouse. It hung thick in the air like wet concrete.
As Kat squeezed a Teflon pan into the back of the rack, the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find Nicholai and a very extremely large burly man on the other side.
“Hello,” said Kat hesitantly as her gaze shifted between the two men.
Nicholai glided fluidly into the foyer when she stepped to the side to allow them to enter. He bent, kissing her on each cheek. His lips were soft and warm.
“Good evening, Katrina,” he greeted, the “R” rolling off his tongue. “Allow me to introduce to you my cousin, Demetri Romanoff.”
Nikko stepped aside and made a grand sweep with his arm. Kat watched Demetri turn sideways and step his thickly muscled physique through the door. Built like a professional wrestler, his shirt stretched tight over his massive chest, giving Kat a very good idea of what lay underneath. His mammoth body boasted wide shoulders and biceps the size of Kat’s thighs. With his tall frame, he looked like he could be a contender for the Mr. Universe title.
The dark silk shirt he wore tightened further against his shoulders when he extended one of his super-sized hands toward Katrina and took her hand with a gentleness she did not expect. He raised her hand to his lips, laying on a quick kiss.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Katrina,” he said and bent at the waist in a deep bow. “I have heard much about you from my cousin.”
Demetri’s accent, though much more subtle then his cousin’s, allowed Kat to discern he too originated from somewhere in Russia. With his thick body and the way his R’s purred from his mouth, he reminded Kat of a tiger. A big, strong, deadly tiger.
“We were summoned by Stephan. He is here, is he not?” Nicholai looked around the room.
“Yes, he’s here. He and Marcus are up in the library. Follow me.”
After she closed and locked the door, Kat turned and led the men up the stairs to the library. The two vampires followed her silently, reminding her of just how deadly the breed could be.
Answering her knock on the door, Stephan called out, “Come in.”
Marcus opened the library door before she could turn the knob, and she flinched in surprise. He stepped aside so that the men could enter.
“Kitten, you should come in and hear this too. You also need to know what happened last night,” Stephan said quietly, the foreboding thick in his voice.
Katrina settled herself on the arm of the wingback chair where Marcus sat. Nicholai parked himself in the other chair as Demetri took up his stance leaning against the bookcase with his arms crossed. From behind his desk, Stephan relayed the events of the previous evening to the assembly. Kat had the feeling he excluded some of the gorier details, probably to keep from upsetting her. And that was a good thing, she decided, because what he did share made her stomach churn.
When Stephan finished the story, Katrina sat motionless, tears sliding down both cheeks, hand over her mouth. “Oh my god,” was all she choked out around the lump in her throat. “Oh, Stephan, that is so sad. She and the baby both died?”
Stephan nodded solemnly, looking downtrodden. She could tell how much the situation wounded him and wanted to go to him, comfort him, but looking around the room she decided doing so in front of all his fellow warriors was neither the time nor place. “You know this is not your fault. You didn’t mean to hurt the woman.”
Demetri straightened, placing his arms by his sides. “But still this is very bad. The female was his heartmate. There will be hell to pay.”
“I don’t understand.” Kat laid her hand in her lap and looked questioningly at Stephan. “What is a heartmate?”
Stephan met her eyes. “When a male finds his heartmate, they are truly two halves of the same soul. They complete each other. They must be together, be connected mentally and physically. If one is lost the other will be lost as well. Sometimes when one dies, the other chooses to meet the sun or have someone kill him. If the heartmate who is left chooses to remain alive, then he will usually become despondent, lose his mind.”
“You mean heartmates literally can’t live without each other?”
Stephan nodded. “When one finds his heartmate, she becomes his reason for living, Kitten. Without her, he will lose his desire for life. Some will even seek out danger in order to find a way to ease the suffering permanently. As I said, for those who do not die, but are forced to exist without their heartmate to complete them, they go insane from the dismal abyss of depression in which they swim night after long night.”
Katrina shifted in her seat, unease creeping up her spine. “So, when Andrea died, Gage blamed you?”
“It would seem so. Yes.”
“And you apologized then just dematerialized out of his home?” Kat asked hesitantly.
“Yes.” Stephan watched her carefully.
“So,” Kat swallow the lump of fear in her throat, “would it be possible for Gage to materialize into the penthouse to get revenge on you?”
Stephan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Yes.” He nodded his head. “It would be possible.”
Demetri raised an eyebrow. “You mean you do not have this place fortified with titanium so it is impenetrable? Do you not have at least one room lined?”
Marcus shook his head. “No. We’ve had no need to go to such lengths until now.”
Demetri tsked. “That is a problem. We’ll need to find a way to make this place secure.”
“Maybe not,” suggested Marcus. “I don’t believe Gage knows where Stephan lives. Stephan dematerialized from Gage’s home, so no one could have followed them. And I was very careful, made sure I was not followed when I did the surveillance. So I think we are safe here. I don’t see how Gage could know our location, unless they followed Nicholai.”
Nicholai shook his head. “I do not believe they did. I watched carefully every time I left the house.”
Demetri nodded once in acknowledgement of the statement, but a skeptical look remained on his face.
Stephan looked at Kat, his steady gaze unnerved her. “Would you please excuse us, Kitten? We have some other issues to discuss which are strictly for Alpha ears.”
“Of course.” She stood and hesitated, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she looked into Stephan’s eyes. Trepidation crept up her spine, and she shivered. “Do you really think we are safe?”
Stephan seemed to steel his features before answering. “You are safe. I would never let anything happen to you.”
Katrina could hear the steely resolve in his hard voice and knew she could trust him, believed he would always protect her. With that one declaration, though he did not say the words aloud, she heard how much he loved her. It calmed her like nothing else could.
Chapter 25
Once Katrina quietly closed the door behind her, Nicholai looked at Stephan, “You know there will be retribution. Gage is not the kind of male who will let this go. The anger he feels at her loss will fuel his revenge.”
“I know,” Stephan acknowledged softly. “We’ll have to do whatever we can to make sure he doesn’t get a chance to take that revenge.”
The four warriors spent the rest of the night discussing possible strategies and trying to guess how Gage might
try to get his retribution on Stephan.
Just after dawn, Stephan crawled into bed beside Kat. He looked down on her and contentment filled his soul—the sort of contentment he wanted to last forever. The feel of Kat snuggling next to him stifled the haunting memories of Andrea’s death. He gathered her into his arms, and tucked her against his side. As long as she lay safe in his arms, he could face whatever turmoil might come.
“I need you,” he said, his voice a low masculine rumble of hunger.
Katrina looked up at Stephan from under her long lashes. She loved this strong, proud man. In his arms she felt protected, secure. The fear from earlier receded replaced by wanton desire and love.
She melted against him, her slight curves fitting against his firm body. The evidence of his lust pushed against her soft thigh. His hands were on her, seemingly everywhere all at once. His warm, long fingers caressed her skin as he took her mouth in a deep kiss. Her own hands found sinewy muscles when she ran them along his lean physique.
Their kiss continued, hard demanding, filled with desperation.
Stephan moved atop her, his weight pushing her into the mattress. He bent his head and placed a trail of hot kisses down her jaw, then followed the curve of her collar bone, until he found her generous breasts. There, as if starved, he laid a line of hard kisses and gentle bites between the two mounds. Kat held his head to her breasts while he suckled, drawing her deep into his mouth. She arched fisting her hands in his long silky hair; a few strands escaped tickling her sensitive flesh.
He lavished his attention on both breasts. One he teased with his hot mouth, the other his nimble fingers kneaded. His tongue drew one nipple into a hard peak; he rolled the other between his thumb and forefinger until it too hardened for him.
Katrina’s writhed under his attention, her body surging with waves of pleasure. Stephan drove her need higher, feeding her pleasure, until she thought she might die from the sensations he gave her. A low keening sound filled her ears, sexy, sensual, as sinuous sensations continued to drive through her.
“I need you,” he whispered against one of her taught nipples.
“I need you too. Now. Please,” she demanded trying to raise his head back up to meet her own. He lifted his head and looked at her from between her breasts. He laughed, the sound somewhere between a moan and a chuckle.
Her head dropped back onto her pillow as he rose to cover her body with his own. Her legs fell wide welcoming his hips. He slid inside her in one possessive thrust. Her eyes closed, lashes creating two dark crescents on her cheeks. Into his powerful shoulders her fingers dug, seeking an anchor to the earth. They bit into his flesh. Pleasure consumed her with each hard thrust.
She inhaled a sharp breath when he increased the speed of his hips, her body tightening around him. Stephan rose to his knees, grabbing her knees in his large hands, spreading her wide as he continued to drive into her welcoming sex.
His body invaded hers, a thick, hard fullness that brought waves of pleasure so intense she struggled to keep from floating away on a wave of ecstasy. As he moved, everything faded except the passion he built within her. Katrina’s eyes locked with Stephan’s. His dark eyes drank her in, watching her as she went higher, closer to the precipice of pleasure. It was sexy as hell.
“Come for me,” he growled pistoning faster.
Her vision blurred to pinpricks of light, blood thundered in her ears. As commanded, Kat fell over the edge. She convulsed around his shaft, milking him. Her head thrashed back and forth on the pillow, hands fisted in the sheets.
Stephan continued to buck against Kat, unwilling to stop. Not just yet, even though he thought he might go up in flames from her scorching heat surrounding him.
She reached between them and cupped his balls with one hand, gently massaging them. The feel of her grasp tightened his body, sent a surge of pleasure through it that made every muscle harden. She felt so good surrounding him, touching him. As soft as velvet, she was enough to drive any man to his breaking point.
But he wanted more, wanted to be surrounded by her moist heat forever. To have her surround him inside and out. He heard her blood rush through her veins. It called to him, begged him to taste her. His fangs threatened to lengthen, but he pushed them back ruthlessly. He’d not give into the temptation, not until she’d willingly gave him her trust, her blood to take.
Need to pleasure her spurred his hips, and his pace quickened. He pushed deeper into her deliciously hot and tight sex, until his shaft touched her inner most sensitive spot, rubbing against her, driving her need as high as his own. She fit him so perfectly that he knew then she’d been destined to be his.
His face tightened as his own climax built. He looked down, watching her pleasure build through narrowed eyes. A soft mewing sound escaped her throat. Her head back, lips parted. Her fingers flexed against his back, nails drawing blood. It felt lusciously painful, a perfect manifestation of his tumultuous emotions. The combination of sight, sound, and touch drove him over the edge, with her next climax.
He threw back his head and let a roar escape his lips, his face tightening when his own release came. His body collapsed over Katrina, as he pulsed into her. She held him in her arms until he was totally spent.
He fought for breath, inhaling her honeysuckle essence deep into his body. His head rose, his gaze meeting hers. The look on her face mirrored how he felt—completely replete and sated.
Stephan rolled the two of them so Kat rested atop of him. The last shudders left their bodies, leaving only their heavy breathing as evidence of their encounter.
His arms tightened around her. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” His deep voice vibrated with a determination which caused her to look up.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing, mein schatz.” Did she hear the strain in his voice? He pushed into her mind, needing to know.
Kat wanted to press the matter, but knew that now wasn’t the time. Their act was a desperate mating which left her both sated and deliciously sore. She didn’t want anything to ruin the moment. Thank the Fates, for he did not wish to ruin this moment either.
She laid her head on his shoulder and drew aimless circles lightly over his chest with her fingers, which brought a genuine smile to curve his lips. A smile that held an edge of male smugness for he could sense her fulfillment.
Tomorrow he could worry about Gage for tonight there would be only her, his Katrina.
Chapter 26
Gage remained as he had for the past two nights, on his knees cradling Andrea’s body—her blood long since dry on both her dress and his clothes. He refused to move or allow any of his guards near them. He knew his guards could feel his grief, it hung heavy in the air, causing his stomach to twist into knots.
With sightless eyes, he observed all of his guards come to him. His gaze lowered back to his mate, as they formed a circle around them and began to sing the death chant that had been passed down through generations of vampires. Their voices sounded soft and low, the deep timbre of their song gradually penetrated his mental haze. He blinked. Once. Twice. His gaze rose reluctantly from the beloved woman in his arms to meet the eyes of the guard in front of him.
Gage slowly rose with Andrea draped in his arms. The circle parted so he could carry her lifeless body into the dining room. Prepared by the guards, a plastic sheet draped over the table and one of Andrea’s prettiest gowns hung over the back of one chair.
Gage laid her gently on the table barely noting the sound of the plastic sheet crinkling beneath her. He smoothed her matted hair back from her ashen face.
Trace and Alvero walked in on silent feet and handed him two stacks of bowls, each containing an herb which would be rubbed onto Andrea’s body. The purpose of which was to help see her into the afterlife. After handing their bowls to Gage, they bowed in unison and backed from the room, leaving him to his painful task.
Tears welled in his eyes, clouding his vision, as he removed her stiff, bloodied cl
othing so he could wash her body before administering the herbs. A bucket of water sat at the head of the table. His hand plunged deep to grasp the sponge inside. No doubt warm hours ago, the water had probably cooled while the guards chanted around them. The temperature assaulted his skin, and Gage sucked in a deep breath. His first thought was to warm the water, but reality crashed down on him as he realized Andrea would not feel the temperature. She would never again feel anything.
A tear escaped his eye to roll down his face, hitting the water in the bucket.
He wrung the excess water from the sponge. With deferential hands, he washed all traces of blood from her pale skin. His tears fell as he worked, washing over her as much as did the water.
By the time he completed the arduous task, a calm determination had come over him, drying his tears. He put the sponge back into the bucket and turned to the bowls of herbs, looking down at them with a detachment for which he was grateful.
He reverently mixed the herbs with olive oil then, as dictated by tradition, and began with her feet, carefully rubbing on Agrimony and Curry for the protection of her soul. Next he rubbed her legs with Boneset to ward off evil spirits she might encounter on her journey. Then Gage massaged both her hands with Comfrey to ensure safe travel into the next world. His hands dipped into Coltsfoot before he worked them over her arms for peace and tranquility. Finally, he washed her face and neck with Basil for love.
He closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath, knowing there was one part of the ritual he had yet to perform. He needed to bathe her stomach in Chicory to remove all obstacles in the path to the hereafter.
His eyes tracked down her bare stomach and he laid his hand on the soft skin there. His fingers splayed wide, as if to shield the child cocooned within. Gage quietly hummed the death chant while he rubbed the Chicory in slow, worshipful circles, careful to make sure every inch was covered by the herb, to be sure both Andrea and their child had a clear path to the afterlife.
With the herbal ritual completed, Gage dressed Andrea in her best gown, a pretty white chiffon dress with an empire waist. Once he finished, he smoothed the chiffon folds and gazed down at his mate. She looked like an angel.
Alpha Mine (The Alpha Council Chronicles) Page 17