One secret he managed to bury deep, so she wouldn’t see it in his mind. Donovan loved her. It was hard maintaining a block. She was almost always poking around in his brain.
All the vampires were looking for their lifemates now. The idea crossed his mind that he could be Noblesse’s, but he was never that lucky. He just didn’t think he was. That meant her real lifemate would show up at some time.
Donovan shook the thought away. He wanted to focus on the here and now with Noblesse. Her fingers on his chest trembled. Did she feel his heart beat racing? He enjoyed mindreading with her. They shared a lot of private conversations that way. It was a good thing Laura had taught him how to block his thoughts, or Noblesse would know everything he fantasized. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable and ruin their friendship.
Donovan. Her words in his head were soft and sweet, sending sparks of excitement throughout his system. I’m hungry.
What are you hungry for, Sha? He hoped she would say him.
Peking Duck. While we were looking at furniture, I sent a message to Lee to start cooking. We could pick it up and then go back to my place and have dinner. I hope you don’t mind.
Sounds like a fine idea.
He stopped at a light, and tiny flutters of snow began their descent. Noble, I can drop you off at the Arnhem Society and then get our dinner.
No, mon cher. I love the snow, and I want to stay with you. The waiting won’t bother me. The setting sun sparkled on the snowflakes.
The closest parking spot was two blocks from the Ming Duck Restaurant, so he took it. As soon as they walked in, Lee, the owner of the place, personally greeted them and led them to a private dining room. The sole table was set with fine linens, porcelain, crystal, silver, and an array of appetizers.
“This isn’t necessary. We’re doing take out.”
“Princess, it is our pleasure to have you here. Your garlic free special duck is nearly done. Here, please, enjoy some refreshments while you wait.” Lee poured a blue wine into a crystal goblet and presented it to Noblesse. “This is called Octo. It arrived today.”
Noblesse took a sip. “It is exquisite.”
“What is it?” Donovan asked.
“Octopus blood.”
“It’s blue?”
“Octopus blood is copper rich to survive the cold depths, instead of iron rich like a human’s red blood.”
Lee presented a burgundy to Donovan, poured a little into a crystal goblet for him to taste for approval. “It is a great pleasure to see the father of our Queen Evelyn again.”
“Thank you.” Donovan smiled and breathed in the bouquet before taking a sip. He’d spent the last four weeks hanging out with Noblesse, going to plays and museums, shopping, and eating out. Whenever they were in a human establishment there was no reaction, unless Noblesse bought something. She was the ward of the industrialist and CEO in Max’s absence. The name Noblesse Vander Meer was famous. In vampire establishments, the recognition was faster. Their reaction was to bow. He had learned the proper protocol of being in her presence.
“The wine is excellent.”
Lee smiled and poured some more into his goblet.
Turning back to Noblesse, he said, “Your Majesty, I will leave you and Monsieur Dupre, and return when your duck is prepared. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ring the bell.” He indicated the crystal bell on the table. “A waiter is standing outside.”
As soon as they were alone, Noblesse smiled. Her teeth biting her lower lip was a signal to Donovan of mischief to come. “You are curious?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Have you ever tasted blood before?”
“Sure I have. My own. I’ve been punched in the face before. It’s not a big deal.”
“Octo is a very different taste, mon cher. Very strong. An acquired taste even among vampires. Do you want a sip?” She eyed him seductively, handing him her glass.
While blood never appealed to him, especially when it was his, Noblesse made him break all rules. He accepted her glass and sipped. A strange cold numbed his tongue for a moment then a sweetness so intense it was almost sour. He shivered involuntarily.
Noblesse laughed, and it was good to hear. They nibbled on the Fantail Shrimp and the Crab Rangoon, at times feeding each other. Donovan noticed the appetizers all tended to be shrimp, lobster, or crab. “Lee is aware of my fondness for seafood. If we keep going at this rate, we will be too full to eat the duck.”
Donovan laughed, and that lonely desert road slipped even further away. A few minutes later, they finished what they could of the appetizers and a waiter packed the rest. The duck was packaged into a special container, and Noblesse handed the large parcel of delicacies to Donovan. She asked for the bill, and Lee waved her away with his good wishes.
Even encumbered, Donovan held open the final door for Noblesse. She stopped and he almost ran into her. A young couple stood outside in the cold looking at the framed menu.
“Is the food good?” the young woman asked.
“Amazing,” Noblesse said.
“Is it expensive?”
“Not today.” Noblesse took out one of her business cards, wrote on the back, and handed it to the young man. “Give this to the maître d when you go in. Please, enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you,” they said, smiling.
Donovan offered his arm, and she took it. They were only seconds from his Harley. The sun set, and the lights blazed golden over the city.
A gunman jumped in front of them and pulled Noblesse into the alley. Dropping the food, Donovan charged the man. In a blur, she pushed Donovan away, broke the man’s grasp, took the gun, and shoved him up against the wall.
Her fangs were out. Noblesse was in full Arnhem Knight battle-mode.
“You’re a vampire!” He barely croaked out the words.
“And you’re an idiot.” She looked deeply into his eyes. “It’s time to get real, Jerry.”
“You know my name?”
A second later, his eyes glazed over. “No matter what is happening now, guns will make it worse, especially robbing people at gun point. What’s wrong, Jerry?”
“My wife died. We always made just enough to get by. I don’t really need the money, it’s just that. . .” Even mesmerized, the man looked like he would cry.
Donovan, what should I do?
I’m not sure. What kind of job does he have?
“Jerry, what do you do for a living?” She brought his feet back to the ground and released him. Whether she freed him from the mesmerization, Donovan couldn’t tell. The man spilled his guts right in front of them. “You have the gun now. You can kill me. I won’t care.”
“Jerry, I’m sorry your wife died, but robbing people and hoping to get killed isn’t the answer.”
Jerry looked down at the ground.
“What’s your occupation?”
“I was a sous chef at a restaurant. They let me go today because I’ve been making mistakes.”
“Do you know French cooking?”
“Mais qui!” Jerry perked up at the mere mention. “J’adore la cuisine française.”
Noblesse took a card from her purse and wrote on it. “Jerry, are you done with this armed robbery garbage?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me tonight. Life’s been too much being without Emily.”
“Still that’s no reason to rob someone. Ever. She wouldn’t want that for you,” Noblesse said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Looking at Donovan, he said, “You’re very lucky. Your wife is fast and strong and beautiful.”
“I am.” Donovan chuckled. This was the second time today someone thought Noblesse was his wife. He noticed that she did not correct them.
She handed Jerry a card. “At noon
tomorrow, you are to present yourself at Gustave’s Restaurant and ask to speak to the owner. Say that Noblesse sent you.”
“Oh, my God, really?”
“I’m keeping the gun since you don’t need it anymore. Do you belong to a church, Jerry?”
“I go to St. Patrick’s sometimes.”
“It’s a good church. Right now would be a good time to visit there and talk to a priest about Emily. It’s my opinion mind you, but I think you need to talk to someone for a while and any time you feel sad. Come on, we’ll catch you a cab.”
Jerry helped Donovan pick up the packaged food, as the three of them walked out to the street. Noblesse hailed a cab which stopped immediately at the curb. She said to the driver, “Please, take my friend to St. Pat’s.”
Donovan and Noblesse walked the short distance to the Harley. He put the food into the bag on the back and then climbed on. Noblesse wiggled on right behind him. Oh, man she was making him crazy. Her arms reached around to hug him. Then he started up and pulled into the street.
In a few minutes, he made the turn for the Arnhem Society and pulled up to the short drive. The garage door opened, and the two Arnhem Knights on guard greeted them.
“Hi, Hatcher. Hi, Cassandra,” Donovan said. In the month that he’d been at the Arnhem Society, he was beginning to know everyone.
“Yum. Is it another Peking Duck night?” Cassandra asked.
“Oh, definitely.” Noblesse handed a bag to Hatcher.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the Shrimp Delight for Two. I ordered for the guards on duty.”
“Well, I’m delighted.” Hatcher laughed, holding the open bag to his face and inhaling. “Do I really have to share?”
Cassandra punched him in the arm.
Noblesse and Donovan went through the door. Passing another checkpoint, they climbed the stairs that led to the grand marble foyer of the Arnhem Society. Deep blue granite tiles covered the floor, each engraved with the gold leafed word “eternity” in a different language. Marble and gold Corinthian columns held up a ceiling of a pale blue sky with clouds. The sun was missing. Funny how Donovan never noticed that before.
Noblesse paused at the front desk. “Hi, Curtis, is everything going well with you?”
“Yes, Ms. Vander Meer. I’ll be switching duty to the night shift for a couple of weeks. Toulouse said he needed the days. He’s taking an art class.”
“You’re a good man, Curtis.”
She signed them into the book. Waving to Curtis, they ascended the marble staircase to the higher floors. Vampires seldom used the elevator. Donovan recognized the fluttering of her presence in his mind, wondering if the stairs to the third floor were too much for him. He assured her he was fine.
Opening the door to her suite of rooms stunned him flat. “Sha, do you realize what you’re doing here?” He put the packed food on the dining table in front of the fireplace. Someone had started a fire to take the chill off. Though only October, the cold had set in.
“Oh, my! While we were away the new furniture arrived.” The mirror stood in the far end of the room. Partially opened packing sheets revealed the glass. Noblesse walked over and pulled off the rest.
Smiling, she gazed at their reflection. “It’s grand. Thank you for helping with that negotiation.”
Donovan stood behind her. “I still say it’s ugly.”
“Oh, look at that.” She was off across the room before Donovan turned around.
A glimmer of movement flickered across the face of the mirror.
“I saw something in the mirror.”
Noblesse hurried to his side, leaning up to peer into it. “I don’t see anything. What did you see?”
“A flash of gray moving inside the mirror.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a reflection of me rushing across the room?”
“You’re not wearing gray.”
Noblesse looked closer. “I don’t see anything except our reflections. There’s some wavy lines. But that’s common with older glass and they aren’t moving.” She took his hand and pulled at him. “Come on. Look at this.”
They walked together to a little alcove of windows that looked out over the city, where the French lady’s desk was placed. Noblesse sat in the chair. Donovan covered his smile with his hand. He couldn’t help admiring her beautiful shape.
“I love all the drawers, especially the almost hidden ones.” She opened up each and every one of them, as if looking for a prize but found them empty. Leaping up, she hugged Donovan.
“Thank you for my desk.” She kissed him on both cheeks and then kissed his lips. Donovan surrendered to every feeling from lust to tenderness and kissed her back. They lingered in this position, until he whispered to her mind, ma chérie, our dinner is getting cold.
She laughed and went over to the china cabinet to set the table. They unpacked their dinner into bowls and plates. Wonderfully, the food was still hot. Noblesse placed the insulated pouches on the sideboard to return later to Lee.
Now for the duck. It’s what they’d been waiting for. She fed him a piece, and he fed her. Her eyes closed savoring the taste.
Having eaten in all the best restaurants, he enjoyed watching the woman eat. His own sensory appreciation was enhanced in her presence. Donovan wondered if it was just because Noblesse turned him on in every way imaginable.
When finished, they cleared everything away and sat on the settee in front of the fireplace. He shook his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“This is not comfortable, Sha. Please, stand up.” He moved the antique Louis XVI settee against the wall.
Disappearing for a moment into the bedroom, Donovan emerged with a blanket and two pillows and plunked them down in front of the fireplace.
“Now this is comfortable. That’s the problem with most antiques, ma chérie, they’re too hard to sit on.”
Noblesse laughed and flopped down on a pillow. Donovan sat on his facing her.
“Noble, I’d like some truth now.”
She sat up straight. “What do you mean, mon cher? I always tell you the truth.”
“When you don’t want to tell me, you avoid the subject by changing it. Why does your apartment look like rooms from the palace of Louis XVI? I know you hated the royals, so why would you do this?”
A blood tear dripped down Noblesse’s face. “My mother went to Paris to get a job. She sent letters with money back to my grandmother for us, then the letters stopped. It hurts me to talk about it.”
“You’re still searching for her?”
“Yes.”
Donovan took off his boots and socks, laying with his feet near the fire to warm them. “I want to help you search. Do you think her disappearance had something to do with the royals of that time?”
Noblesse nodded, kicking off her shoes and doing the same. She wiped her hand across her face, not wanting any tears to escape. Crying only caused bloodstains and she hated that.
He bent downward and ever so lightly brushed his lips against hers. She leaned up accepting his kiss. They relaxed into each other. I wish his kiss could last forever. Donovan heard her wish and pulled her closer to his heart.
Chapter 2
For the second night in a row, Noblesse slept in the arms of Donovan Dupre.
Inside her dream, she screamed.
“Noble, wake up. Noble, you’re having a nightmare again.” He gently shook her.
Noblesse blinked and stared at him, confused for several moments. “Donovan,” she said half-in surprise, then hugged him for all she was worth.
“What happened, Sha? Last night you wouldn’t tell me, but tonight, please, you must.”
Biting her lower lip, she huffed. It was a habit she had tried to stop, because it revealed her f
eelings too well. Donovan, with that slight Cajun accent rolling off his tongue, made her feel safe and the floodgates opened.
“It’s always the same. I see and hear everything so loud, every word and sound as I stood with them and screamed. It was July 17, 1789 all over again. I was with the patriots waiting outside the Bastille. They refused to release their prisoners, and we stormed the prison with all we had. Gun and cannon fire struck us. Hundreds of tiny stars of light hit me and burned. I fell.
“At that very moment, Max walked through the mob to carry me away. He said he walked a distance to find a house both empty and far enough not to be fired upon. My heart could barely beat. I remember him saying, ‘I don’t want to hurt you. I want to give you another chance, my brave one, my noble one.’ The sky must have turned black. I couldn’t breathe. His fangs sank into my neck, but death was already there to claim me. I did not understand him but asked God for forgiveness. I died.”
Donovan frowned. “I remember you telling me this story before. Why is it suddenly so terrifying?”
“I saw something I’ve never seen before. When Max was carrying me, when life was swimming around me, we passed a doorway where a man concealed himself in a black cape.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. His face was covered. I don’t remember seeing him there. Could this be a restored memory?”
“Sha, I don’t know.” He breathed into her ear.
Noble hugged him but couldn’t stop trembling.
“It’s okay.” He held her tightly against him and rubbed her back. His calm melted into her, and the fear subsided.
Donovan smiled. “There you are, Noble. You know what I think? It’s two in the afternoon. It would do us good to leave here and get a pizza. I’m starving.”
Vampire Princess of New York (Arnhem Knights of New York) Page 2