“When I am finished you will no longer have to worry about such things,” he said reasonably.
“I know. I just…” I frowned at him. “Why did that…why did having you heal me feel so…so strange?”
He gave me a sharp look. “You had other sensations than just my mouth against your skin?”
“It felt like…cool tingles running up and down my arms and all over my body,” I said.
“What else?” His eyes were as penetrating as a laser beam.
“What do you mean, what else?” I said defensively. I wasn’t about to tell him how my nipples had gotten hard or my…other symptoms for want of a better word.
“You know very well what I am talking about. If we are going to enter into this partnership, you need to be truthful with me.” Corbin sounded positively stern and his eyes flashed angrily, reminding me for a moment of why he was considered the most powerful and ruthless vamp in the entire state.
“Fine.” I lifted my chin. “I felt…how can I put this without feeding your already massive ego? I felt some symptoms of…of sexual arousal.”
“Such as?”
“You’re really going to make me say it?” I looked at him in disbelief but he simply nodded. “God…” I could feel my cheeks burning. “All right, fine. I…my nipples got hard and…and…”
“And you got wet. Here.” One large hand brushed lightly over the sensitive V between my thighs and was gone again before I could stop him.
I glared at him and then looked away, embarrassed. “If you already knew, why did you make me say it?”
“Because it is time that you start acknowledging what is between us—that there is a connection waiting to happen. I am standing on one side of the chasm, holding out my hand to you, yet you refuse to reach for me.”
“And I’m going to keep refusing,” I said through tight lips. “All the cheap vamp tricks in the world won’t change that.”
“Addison.” Corbin lifted my chin with one finger, forcing me to look at him. “There is no trick to this. It is simply the way your body reacts to mine. If you had no attraction to me at all, letting me heal you would have felt much the way allowing your friend to drink from you does.”
I knew he was referring to the weird, bugs-crawling-all-over-my-skin feeling I got when Taylor bit me. The way I had felt when he healed my wrist was pretty much the exact opposite. With Taylor, I could hardly bear the queasy wrongness of the situation. With Corbin, I could barely stand the strange pervading pleasure that seemed to build and build every moment we were connected. But that didn’t have to mean anything… did it?
“Look, just because it felt good when you healed me doesn’t mean we’re soul mates. Now can we get on with this?”
Corbin sighed, looking more exasperated than I’d ever seen him. “Why must you be so stubborn? I need every minute of my four centuries of patience to deal with you sometimes.”
I didn’t know what to say to that so I just held out my other wrist. “Do you want to do this one too? If not, I can go now.”
His eyes flashed. “Oh no, my darling. You aren’t going anywhere. It is almost dusk and you are coming with me to rescue your stupid little friend from Celeste. I want you to know just how much trouble you are causing in case you’re tempted to forget our bargain.”
“I wouldn’t back out of our deal,” I said, stung by his implication.
“I didn’t say that you would. But I have seen for myself how willfully blind you can be when the occasion suits you. I think you need to meet the Area Inquisitor firsthand to have an idea of what is at stake. No pun intended.”
“Very funny,” I muttered, irritated. Damn it, I had the right to stand up for myself and deny this supposed connection he was saying we had! So why did I feel like a sullen little girl when I did just that?
“Let me heal your other wrist,” he said. “And then we must hurry if we wish to catch Celeste before she goes out for the night.” He eyed my sober black pants suit. “It is a great pity we don’t have time to change you into something more appropriate.”
“What do you mean? Look at how you’re dressed,” I said, gesturing to his olive green t-shirt and jeans. “You’re not exactly wearing a tie and tails.”
“I have no need to dress for the occasion. My consort, however, must be resplendent at all times.” He shook his head. “Never mind. We will see to getting you a new wardrobe soon.”
I opened my mouth to protest but by then he was already licking my other wrist and sending warm sparks of desire through my entire body. God, how could I stand it? I tried not to fidget but I couldn’t stop myself from pressing my legs together, as though by keeping them tightly closed I could stop the rush of sensation that made my pussy wet. I thought at one point that I couldn’t get any wetter if his tongue was actually between my legs instead of on my wrist. But that thought and the accompanying mental image made me blush so hard I felt dizzy and I quickly pushed it away.
Corbin must really have been in a hurry or else my second wrist wasn’t as scarred as the first. For whatever reason, it didn’t seem to take as long this time, which was a big relief to me.
“There,” he said finally, lifting his mouth from my arm. “All better?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I made myself say. I tried to look him in the eye but I couldn’t quite manage it. My nipples were aching to be touched…to be sucked. And my pussy was so wet and ready my clit was throbbing like a second heartbeat.
“You are very welcome, Addison,” Corbin murmured. “Now, is there any place else you are in need of healing?”
I thought of the inner bend of my elbow where Taylor had bitten me just the night before. It was still red and raw and painful, almost as though I’d been bitten by an animal instead of my friend. Not that it was her fault. I opened my mouth to tell Corbin about the fresher wound and closed it again. I couldn’t have his mouth on me anymore tonight. Not if I didn’t want to embarrass myself by coming right in front of him.
“Addison?” he asked again, frowning and I realized I’d been taking too long to answer his question.
“Uh, no. No, that’s it for scars,” I said, which was technically the truth. I’d only recently had Taylor start using the inside of my elbows because the much-abused veins in my wrist were getting too hard to find, so there weren’t really any scars there yet.
He looked at me for a moment more and then nodded. “All right, then. Let’s go. I want to surprise Celeste when she is just waking up.”
I followed him out of the office and into the purple Tampa twilight with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I ought to be glad—we were going to get Taylor out of her life of bondage, after all. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had bitten off more than I could chew.
Chapter Five
Celeste’s house was exactly as I remembered it. Decorated in a dramatic black and white motif, it seemed like something you’d see in a fashion magazine, not an actual place you’d want to live.
I had been wondering how Corbin planned to gain entry to the house. If he would knock politely or blow the door open with some kind of as-yet-unexplained vampire mind power. After the way he’d healed my wrist I wouldn’t put anything past him. However, he surprised me by doing neither. He just turned the knob on the ornate, blood red door and walked into Celeste’s living room as though he lived there. He must have seen the surprise on my face.
“What is your question? Ask, Addison.”
“Well…” I looked around nervously. I didn’t exactly have the best memories of this house. “I guess I thought you’d, uh, make more of a dramatic entrance. You know, to get Celeste’s attention.”
Corbin shrugged. “What could be more dramatic than bypassing all of her carefully constructed wards and entering her home without an invitation?”
I looked back at the blood red door which he’d left standing casually open. “You mean we shouldn’t have been able to just walk in like that?”
He shook his head. “No. And pleas
e do not ever attempt to enter a powerful vampire’s home unannounced without me—the result could be nasty to say the least.”
“I didn’t know,” I said, feeling like I should have.
Corbin shrugged again. “How could you? You prefer to harass us at our places of business where such wards are not possible, do you not?”
“Hey, buddy, that harassment is part of my job.”
He smiled. “I am not complaining. I never would have met you if you hadn’t come to the Fang to harass me.”
I opened my mouth to shoot back some smart reply but at that moment Celeste herself appeared and I forgot what I had been going to say. She was dressed in a long red silk robe that draped around her dramatically and made her pixie-cut blonde hair look almost white. Her dark eyes were filled with rage.
“You.” To my great relief she was talking to Corbin, not me. “What are you doing in my house at this time of day?”
“It’s twilight outside, Celeste, no longer daytime. Or are you unable to go out until full dark?” He shook his head. “Such weakness. What a pity.”
“What are you doing here?” she repeated and then she saw me. “And why ever did you bring that annoying little non-glam with you?”
“I have come for a fledgling you created. I understand you have been abusing her.”
“What? Why should you care what I do with my creations? Unless…” Her eyes narrowed and she glared at me. “You are speaking of Taylor, aren’t you? She is the one you have come for.”
Corbin inclined his head gravely. “Indeed. So if you could please produce her, I will be on my way.”
“It’s not so easy as that,” Celeste spat. “I don’t know how this little human has bewitched you into taking her side but Taylor is mine. I brought her over and I am not willing to let her go.”
“Come, Celeste—this isn’t worth your time or trouble. I understand the one in question—this Taylor—has been a grave disappointment to you. You should be happy to be rid of her.”
“I am never happy when someone invades my home and tries to take what is mine,” she snarled. “And besides, I am not done with Taylor yet. So is so sensitive—I quite enjoy tormenting her.”
I saw Corbin’s eyes harden. “You must forgo that pleasure in the future. Produce the fledgling at once or face the consequences.”
“How dare you!” She rushed forward, her hands hooked into claws, but it was me she was headed for, not Corbin. I was already reaching for my Glock but I would have been too late—much too late—if Corbin hadn’t stepped in front of me.
He caught Celeste in his arms and bear hugged her until I could hear her ribs creak. Considering that a real bear couldn’t have gotten that response from a vampire’s body, it was pretty damn impressive.
“Let me go. It was that stupid little human who put this idea in your head—I know it was. I never should have let her leave here alive in the first place.”
“Are you threatening my consort?” Corbin growled.
Abruptly she stopped struggling. “You’re serious? You actually claim a human as your consort? I could understand using her as a snack or even a fuck if you’re feeling destructive but a consort? Even a shifter would be better than a human.”
“It is true it would be better if she were brought over,” Corbin said. “Nevertheless, Addison is my consort and as such she is under my protection both day and night. I will kill anyone attempting to harm her. Is that clear?” He shook Celeste once, like a rag doll before depositing her almost gently on the ground.
Celeste looked up at him, her eyes still glowing with rage. “It’s clear. Clear that this human has you under her spell somehow. How she has done it, I don’t know. But now I must pay the price for it.”
“What price?”
The voice belonged to a new vamp who was suddenly standing behind Celeste. He was dressed like a gentleman from the Civil War era with a waistcoat and a white linen poet type shirt and his hair was in loose, dark waves over his shoulders. But what caught my attention were his tattoos. Beneath his left eye were four tiny blood red stars. And beneath his right eye were two more.
Six hundred years old. I couldn’t help sucking in a breath. Holy shit, Corbin was the oldest vamp I’d ever met and this one—who had to be Roderick—was two centuries older and thus, considerably stronger. If things went south now, we were in very big trouble.
But even stronger than my fear was my fury. This was the asshole who had been forcing Taylor to do demeaning, disgusting things. This bastard had made her want to kill herself. My hand was still on the butt of my gun and my finger itched to pull the trigger. But if I killed a vamp in a non-official capacity, I was in for a shit-load of trouble and not just from the government. Vampires had been known to exact their own revenge for illegal kills and it was never pretty. Reluctantly, I kept the Glock holstered, hoping for a legitimate chance to use it later.
“What is all the commotion?” Roderick asked, looking between Corbin and Celeste. His eyes didn’t even register me at all. I guess humans weren’t worth his time or attention.
“Inquisitor Roderick.” Celeste bowed low to him and Corbin inclined his head. “Corbin here has taken it upon himself to come and take away one of my fledglings because he heard I was being cruel to her.” She laughed as though it was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard.
Roderick frowned at Corbin. “Explain.”
“Celeste has lived in my area for over a hundred years and though I am older and stronger than her, I have never tried to exact any tribute. Now, however, she has something I want.” Corbin shrugged. “So I am taking it.”
“He has no right!” Celeste exclaimed.
Corbin grinned, flashing his fangs in a way that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with menace. “Might makes right. It is the creed of our kind, as you well know, Celeste.”
“Enough.” Roderick held up a hand for silence. “Who is this fledgling you are so set on having, Corbin?”
“It is Taylor—the one I gave you to amuse yourself with,” Celeste answered quickly. “He wishes to steal her from under your very nose, Inquisitor.”
“I wish to remove her from a situation that is causing my consort distress,” Corbin said, nodding at me.
Roderick gave me a surprised look and I was sure it was the first time I had registered on his radar. “You claim a human as your consort?”
“I do.” Corbin gave him an unwavering stare.
“And you find that to be satisfactory? You are able to fuck her without breaking her?”
A small smile twitched up the corner of Corbin’s lush mouth. “As you see—she is still in one piece.”
“You must have surpassing control. That I would like to see.” Roderick was looking at me with much more interest now, as though I might do a clever trick if he watched long enough.
“Sorry, we don’t do private shows,” I snapped.
Roderick frowned. “It appears your consort needs some discipline, Corbin. She hasn’t enough respect for her betters.”
I wanted to say tell him to fuck off or ask how being a rapist and a torturer made him better than me but Corbin was suddenly between us. “My apologies, Inquisitor. She is a non-glam and so a bit more difficult to control than most humans.”
“I see. So you are unable to control her mind?”
“I said it is more difficult, not impossible.” Corbin put an arm around my shoulders and I forced myself to hold still though I wanted in the worst way to shrug it off. “I could break her to my will completely if I wished, of course. But I find that a broken mind makes for a boring bed companion. Do you not agree?”
“Not at all, actually.” Roderick sniffed. “Although in my estimation it is the breaking itself that gives the most pleasure, not the end product.”
I thought of how he’d been “breaking” Taylor and wanted to shoot him so badly I could almost taste it. Only Corbin’s heavy arm around my shoulders and his hand gripping my upper arm kept me from reaching for
my Glock.
“As I was saying, Celeste’s treatment of her latest fledging is most upsetting to my consort. She and this fledgling were friends before Celeste took her and turned her against her will.”
“Celeste, is this true?” Roderick turned to her, frowning. He spoke softly but there was a vast depth of menace in his voice. “You know turning a human without their consent is heavily frowned upon now that we are in the public eye, do you not?”
“The old ways were better.” Celeste sounded sulky. “One never had to ask who was willing and who was not. We just took what we wanted.”
“I remember that well.” Corbin’s eyes flashed. “A fine time for our kind. However, it was not always so pleasant for those that were taken.”
I looked at him in surprise. Had Corbin been brought over against his will? He had always seemed like the type to volunteer for vampirism to me but maybe he hadn’t. Maybe some vampire somewhere back in Scotland or Wales or wherever it was he came from had seen a big, strong, handsome man and decided he would make an excellent part of his or her entourage. It was something to think about—if we got out of this alive. The situation seemed like it could go either way.
“Cease this bickering.” Roderick looked irritated rather than enraged, which I cautiously hoped was a good sign. “Celeste, you have committed an illegal act. And you have made me party to it by giving me the fruits of your illicit activity as a tribute. I should kill you here and now.”
“Inquisitor, no…please.” Celeste’s dark eyes grew wide and terrified.
“Calm yourself. I said that I should, not that I would—yet, anyway. We must have a trial to determine your fate.” Roderick turned to Corbin. “We can hold it in your club. You will close tomorrow night in order that we may do so.”
Tomorrow night was a Saturday and I had an idea of the vast amount of revenue Corbin would lose by closing but he only nodded. “As you say, Inquisitor. But what of the fledgling I came for?”
Roderick sighed. “I will cede her to you. I was growing tired of her relentless sniveling anyway.”
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