Embraced by Blood

by Laurie London

  Knee? Treated? Energy transfers? He was too groggy to figure out what to say or ask, especially when he was completely consumed by what she was doing to him.

  She took his hands and positioned them along either side of her face. An unseen electrical shimmer passed from her body to his, sizzling along his thumbs and fingertips, up his arms and into his core, making him feel more alive. With his eyes closed, he reveled in this very intimate contact, absently stroking her temples with his thumbs. As he took in what she offered, he pulled her close, felt the press of her breasts as they flattened against his chest. He kissed her softly, undemanding, so as not to disrupt what flowed between them.

  After he’d taken enough from her, he removed his hands from her face and ran them over her shoulder, along the narrow channel of her spine, and down to her backside. She trembled beneath his fingers. His cock swelled impossibly harder inside her.

  “Thank you. Although I’m still…I’m still…” He wasn’t sure what he was, his mind was hazy and the words wouldn’t come to mind. “I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.”

  “My goal from the start,” she said against his lips.

  With the most powerful thrust he could muster, he began moving again, her warmth tightly hugging him. God, this was heaven. His loud groan echoed off the walls and floor.

  “Shhh,” she whispered playfully. “Do you want everyone to hear?”

  What was she talking about? The darkened room was quiet. They were alone. “Everyone?”

  “The clinic staff. I hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, but I can’t do anything about people walking down the hallway and hearing what’s going on in here.”

  Of course, the hospital.

  Wait. A hospital? He’d been thinking they were in a hotel room. He always made love to her in hotel rooms or various hideaways he kept.

  “What am I doing in a hospital?”

  “Your knee, remember?”

  My knee? Aware now of the bandages around his leg, he remembered the bright lights of an O.R. and a female in a surgical mask asking him questions. Oh yeah, he’d had surgery. “You’re having…sex with me…in a hospital room?” That didn’t make sense, did it? Surely he had to be dreaming.

  “You’re so amazing, love,” she whispered breathlessly in his ear as her body moved over his.

  His chest swelled with masculine pride. He opened his eyes, planning to tell her he felt the same way about her, but when two plump breasts bounced inches from his face, teasing him, taunting him, he forgot about saying anything coherent. Reaching up, he lifted one with his fingertips, quieting its movement and feeling the weight in his hand. Then he rubbed a thumb over an aroused tip.

  As if on cue, she stopped moving her hips. Her whole body trembled, waiting for him to continue. He lifted his head and guided the dusky pink flesh into his mouth again. With a quick intake of breath, she arched toward him, making his task even easier, and he leaned back on the pillow. On top, she probably thought she could control him, but in reality, her body responded to him like a finely tuned instrument, waiting for him to strum the right strings.

  Lubricating each nipple with his tongue and delighting in her little sounds of pleasure, he softly pinched them between his thumbs and forefingers, and although he’d closed his eyes again, his tongue told him they’d peaked even further. He angled his hips up and pushed the tip of his shaft even deeper inside her.

  Oh, she was almost there. He could feel it. Almost soft enough, but not quite. Wait for it, he told himself. Wait until she was totally ready. It will be so worth it.

  He tried to ignore the pressure building in his loins, the highly sensitive nerve endings igniting along his length, but his willpower was running on fumes. He could feel this steady friction was bringing her to climax. Would she make her soft moaning noise that matched the rhythm of his hips?

  Oh God. Yes, she did.

  Just as he had hoped, she cried out, her voice throaty and so damned sexy. “Alfonso, I’m…I’m…”

  Her internal muscles tightened around his erection in successive waves of pleasure.

  Ah, yes, it was time. Her body was signaling to his that she was ready.

  Pressure surged instantly in his balls, and his fangs stretched out to their full length. The primitive call became too powerful, too urgent to ignore any longer.

  Using his tongue to guide him to the place on her neck where the artery was the closest to the surface, he quickly found what he was looking for. Her pleasure had given her blood a sweet, intoxicating scent—it pulsed beneath his lips, beckoning him like a siren’s call.

  Something tickled at the back of his mind. He tried to retrieve it, but it was like driving in a heavy fog, with indiscernible shadows just beyond his consciousness that he couldn’t quite make out.

  However, all that really mattered right now was this.

  He placed one broad hand on her hips, halting her movement. With the other hand, he pulled the back of her hair, maybe a little too roughly, he realized, when he heard her gasp.

  Two tiny thrusts were all it took as he sunk his fangs into her flesh.

  And the universe collided behind his eyelids.

  Time stood still as he released himself into her, his body functioning on autopilot, marking what rightfully belonged to him. The past and the future had no meaning—all that mattered was this precise, beautiful moment when he claimed her as his woman.

  Lily mumbled something, but the words were mere vibrations against his lips. For when he swallowed that first sip of her lifeblood, the magnitude of this simple act overwhelmed him. Something inside him moved, thawed, his brittle edges becoming smoother.

  Being with Lily defined who he was. She made him want to strip away the shield, the hard exterior he’d lived with for so long, and discover who he was inside. He wasn’t a killer, a traitor or an Agent. He was simply a man looking for a home, and he knew he could find it with her.

  JACKSON PAUSED WHEN HE SAW the handwritten Do Not Disturb sign on the patient room door. Was Alfonso asleep? He really didn’t want to come back later. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

  Why Santiago thought Jackson could talk Alfonso into coming to work for the Agency when none of his own arguments had worked was beyond him. If you asked him, it was a giant waste of time.

  Besides, Dom would be less than happy. It wasn’t like the two brothers were buddies. When he mentioned this to Santiago, his boss came unglued, saying Dom would just have to deal with his decision to bring his brother on board whether he liked it or not.

  One thing was certain, if Alfonso did agree to come work for the Agency, Jackson was going to make sure he was nowhere near Dom when he got the news. The field team leader had a habit of taking out his aggression on Jackson.

  Guess he’d come back later.

  The muffled sound of a woman’s voice came from inside the door. Oh, so Alfonso was awake after all.

  Jackson ripped off the note and grabbed the handle. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to convince the guy, but, hell, who was he to argue with the Region Commander?

  But when he heard the rumbling noise of a man groaning with ecstasy, he jerked his hand back as if he’d been burned. It definitely wasn’t the sound of someone getting a sponge bath.

  Shit. With his condition, that was the last thing he needed to hear. He was barely holding it together as it was.

  Crumpling the paper into a wad, he did an about-face and strode down the hallway, determined to get as far away as possible from the activity going on behind that closed door.

  He leaned over a water fountain, took a few gulps, then splashed his face. What if he’d opened the door and seen Alfonso banging some chick? Or Lily? Hell, it really didn’t matter. The guy could be humping that hot nurse Jackson had spotted earlier, for all he cared. The point was, someone was having sex and it wasn’t him. Despite his efforts, he felt his pupils expanding, and his gums began to ache. His control was slipping through his fingers like this
water.

  Come on. He needed to get himself together. What his body craved wasn’t possible right now.

  When he’d arrived at the clinic a short time ago, he recalled how the little redhead had given him a welcoming smile with those perfect white teeth. Although she wasn’t quite his type—he preferred them edgier-looking and a little less wholesome—he wouldn’t let that stop him if she wanted to hook up.

  As she’d escorted him to the urgent care wing, she kept glancing sideways at him, sizing him up, taking stock. Being used to such female attention, he was confident he’d be having sex with her before nightfall.

  God, he sure as hell hoped he’d read her right and that she was nearby. Otherwise he’d have to approach someone else, and he wasn’t in the mood for flirting, nor did he have the time. Stuck here in Region headquarters during the day, without the ability to get any human blood or energy, made him feel even more trapped. A poor substitute, yet more socially acceptable, having sex was the only thing that would help relieve the pressure he was feeling right now.

  Surrounded by those who could figure out that his energy requirements were way above what they should be was not at all comforting. Scarier than shit was more like it. He knew what they did to those who were slipping, and he wasn’t about to let it happen to him. The only relief he could hope for, now that his cravings had been triggered, was to have sex.

  The sound of female laughter came from somewhere around the corner. The nurses’ station? He hastily retied his ponytail, securing the leather band just around the upper portion, leaving the rest of his newly highlighted hair to fall loosely to his shoulders. Women loved the blue streaks, he thought confidently as he strode toward the voices. He was glad he’d changed them to blue again.

  Would Little Red be there? Maybe they could hook up in some supply closet.

  He felt his pupils dilating further, but thankfully, his fangs hadn’t broken through yet.

  The clip of his boot heels echoed off the sterile tile floor. Too bad nurses didn’t wear uniforms any longer. He could really go for a chick dressed as a naughty nurse, clad in a garter belt and hose with no panties underneath. After he had sex, he’d make himself scarce until dusk, then he’d troll for a little human energy on the way back to Seattle. Yes, the perfect plan.

  He turned down the hallway, but it was empty. Christ, where was that nurses’ station? He must’ve taken a wrong turn in this catacomb-like, underground facility. He tugged at his pants, trying to give his erection a little more room, and hurried back the way he’d come.

  In his haste, he rounded the corner too quickly and didn’t see the person in scrubs until it was too late. A clipboard and stethoscope went flying. He caught the woman by the elbow before she hit the floor, too.

  Oh shit, Lily’s mother.

  “So sorry, Dr. DeGraff. Wasn’t looking where I was going.” Keeping his gaze averted, he hastily stooped to pick up her clipboard. Would she notice the change in his eyes? She could probably tell just by looking at his expanded pupils that something was wrong.

  “No worries, Agent Foss. I was reading some test results, not paying attention, either. But I’m glad we ran into each other. I’d like to have a word with you. Got a minute?”

  Fuuuuck. What did she want to talk to him for? He was in no condition to be chatting with the head of the Region’s medical facility, let alone the wife of a Council member. Sweat beaded on the back of his neck, threatening to run between his shoulder blades. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to be good.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said reluctantly.

  With quick, efficient steps, she led him to an alcove furnished with uncomfortable-looking chairs, a small flat-screen tuned to a nature channel and a too-large aquarium that he didn’t want to look at. With his back to the fish tank, he slumped in a seat and pulled out his ponytail so the hair would partially cover his eyes. Was this going to be a come-to-Jesus meeting? An I’ve-noticed-something-strange-about-you-that-concerns-me meeting?

  He grabbed a magazine and flipped through the pages as she took a seat across from him. The possible explanations he could give her flashed through his mind. All of them lies.

  I’m just slogging, that’s all.

  I haven’t had any human energy in days because I’ve been working a lot and haven’t made the time.

  I haven’t fed from a live host in ages, but guess I’m overdue.

  My last feeding was cut short and I haven’t had a chance to get more.

  My girlfriend broke up with me, so it’s been a while since I’ve had sex to burn off my excess energies.

  Yeah, right. His excuses were endless.

  “What can you tell me about Mr. Serrano?” Dr. DeGraff asked. “I know he and Lily worked together and that he’s Dom’s brother.”

  This was about Alfonso? Not him? A rush of relief washed over him and doused the panic. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and crossed his legs. “You’ll need to talk to Santiago about him. I’m afraid it’s classified.”

  Few individuals inside the Council knew the identity of the Agent they had on the inside, so he was sworn to secrecy. In fact, some didn’t even believe there had been someone on the inside. He recalled the times Gibby had given Lily shit about her so-called contact. Jackson had only become aware of the guy’s identity when the Seattle field team’s operation had come to a head last year, and Santiago had thought the guy had been killed in the explosion. Until then, even Dom hadn’t known it was his own brother who’d been working for years as a double agent, supplying the Council with intel.

  “Very well.” Using the eraser on the end of her pencil to help turn the pages, Dr. DeGraff scanned through the chart she held on her lap. “Can you at least tell me how long they’ve been working together?”

  Jackson stretched an arm along the back of the chair and gazed up at the ceiling, still not wanting her to look at his eyes too closely. “I think they’ve been working together since he moved to the States. Not long. Five, ten years maybe. Why?”

  She tapped the eraser on her clipboard. “Curious, that’s all. My husband and I knew she’d been involved with someone, but she’s been reluctant to share much. Seeing them together, I just wondered.”

  Although Dr. DeGraff seemed pretty involved in her daughter’s life, maybe too much, at least Lily had a family who cared enough about her to get all up in her business.

  “Thanks for the information,” she said, rising from her seat.

  Relieved that the interrogation was over and that he could now resume his hunt for Little Red, he turned a few pages of the magazine and wondered if the nurses’ station was to the left or to the right. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you more.”

  “No, you told me enough.” She paused at the doorway. “By the way, you’re pretty talented.”

  He gave her a quizzical look.

  With a tilt of her head, she indicated the magazine. “Don’t know many who can read upside down.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ALFONSO SLIPPED A PIN into the next weight slot down and leg-pressed another set. Sounds of his loud groaning echoed off the walls of the physical therapy room. It was a good sound, one he’d missed for quite a while, and although weight machines were for women and old men, it was part of his therapy, so he didn’t let it dampen his mood.

  His knee still hurt like a sonofabitch, but it was definitely getting stronger. He hadn’t been able to lift this much since before the accident. Despite his initial skepticism, Dr. DeGraff’s regeneration treatment must be working.

  After he finished his prescribed workout, he flipped a towel over his shoulder and sauntered into the steam room. Another part of his therapy. At least this one didn’t hurt. Thank God the place was empty, he thought, as he splashed water onto the hot rocks and heard the sizzle. Small talk with some guy from Region wasn’t on his agenda today. He climbed to the upper bench, rested his head on the cedar paneling and closed his eyes.

  Breathing in the eucalyptus-scented steam, his thoughts drifted t
o Lily. He couldn’t believe he’d been so delirious that he’d taken her blood the other day. It was foolish and reckless. And now that he had, he couldn’t chance things by staying around much longer. Despite how much he wanted to stay with her, as soon as this knee healed, he knew he’d need to leave. Maybe he’d head back to Europe, strengthen those false leads again. Or maybe he should go somewhere else entirely. Anyplace to keep the assassin off track until Lily’s blood faded from Alfonso’s system and she could no longer be linked to him.

  He took a drink of water and thought about how she’d walked through his house, admiring the work he’d done and taking a genuine interest in everything. They shared so many of the same interests. Like him, she seemed to connect to the history and significance of the objects he chose to place in his home and to the effort he was making by building it. She had even admired the headboard. He’d spent countless hours working on it, painstakingly carving every detail. A knight leading his soldiers into battle. He’d never been able to sleep in it and he doubted he ever would, although it warmed him to know Lily had. That would need to be enough.

  But God, his heart ached thinking of being apart from her again. At least she’d know the truth this time when he left. That if things were any different, he’d want to spend the rest of his life with her.

  He flexed his knee again. God, it felt strong.

  Maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to confront the assassin—far away from Lily—once it fully healed.

  The door banged open, bringing with it a whoosh of cold air. Annoyed at the disturbance, he cracked open an eye and checked the timer on his watch. Great. Another six minutes. Maybe the guy wasn’t a talker.

  “How’s it going?” The bench on the opposite side of the steam room creaked as the guy sat down and groaned. “Man, I love this place. It’s been way too long.” The guy coughed a few times. “Holy hell, it’s steamy in here. You got this place cranking. Mind if I turn it down for a sec?”

  “Knock yourself out.” Nothing like an interloper coming in, thinking he could call all the shots, but whatever. Alfonso wasn’t planning on sticking around for long.