Hanging on the same hanger that the dress had been on was a small black pocketbook with a long strap. I don’t usually carry a purse but in this case, I decided to make an exception because it was just large enough to fit my Glock inside. True, this was just supposed to be some civil trial kind of thing but with vamps, you could never tell when things might turn violent. And I would be damned if I’d spend time around a vamp Roderick’s age without some kind of protection.
There was a light rapping at the door. “Addison?” I heard Corbin say. “Are you ready to come out?”
I sighed, smoothed down my hair, and settled the small purse firmly on my shoulder. “I guess so.”
“Let me see it.” He sounded impatient, almost like any human man would be, waiting for his date to get ready.
Only I’m not his date—I’m nothing to him but a prop, I reminded myself sternly. Slowly, I came out of the bathroom and stood in front of him with my arms spread.
“Well?”
Corbin sucked in a breath. “You look lovely. I knew that color would suit you.”
“It’s not bad,” I said grudgingly.
“It is beautiful, as are you. We need only one more thing. Here.”
Before I could ask what the one more thing was, he was suddenly kneeling in front of me with a box in his hands. He opened it, revealing black, strappy heels so high I was surprised they fit in the box. The open-toed design made me glad I’d had a pedicure recently.
“Are those Jimmy Choos?” I asked, as he took one out and reached for me.
“Manolo Blahniks,” he said absently. “Here, let me put them on you.”
“Let me sit down first, I’ll fall over,” I objected as he lifted my right foot.
“You’ll be fine. Just hold on to me.”
I was forced to do just that, holding on to his broad shoulders as he slipped first one shoe on and then the other. They had a simple yet elegant design with a single strap over the toes and another around the ankle. Corbin’s long fingers seemed like they would be too large to buckle the delicate ankle strap but he managed with no problem.
“There,” he murmured when he was done. I expected him to get up but instead he remained kneeling at my feet, looking up at me. “Perfect. Addison, you are a goddess.”
“Stop it.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot and it occurred to me that I was still holding on to his shoulders although both my feet were planted firmly on the ground. I caught a whiff of his scent—that cool fragrance that reminded me of the ocean somehow. I wanted to step away but I couldn’t.
“Why should I stop?” Corbin growled softly. “Why should I not say what I think? When was the last time a man told you how beautiful you are?”
Actually, it had been so long I couldn’t remember but I wasn’t about to tell Corbin that. Instead, I forced myself to take my hands off his shoulders and move away.
“So you expect me to walk around in these all night?” I asked gesturing down at the shoes. “I mean, I wear heels but these things are stilts.”
Corbin rose smoothly and looked down at the shoes critically. “They complement the dress perfectly. And they have the added advantage of making you tall enough that I can bite you without stooping too much.”
“Bite me? Wait a minute.” I took a step back, teetered, and would have fallen if Corbin hadn’t caught my arm and steadied me. “I know you said you might have to when we made the original agreement, but—”
“After the display you put on last night at Celeste’s house, I must show beyond a doubt that you are mine. Biting you and feeding on your blood in front of Roderick is the quickest way to do that.”
I could see that what he said made sense—fresh fang marks are seen as signs of dominance and ownership in the vamp community. But I still didn’t like it.
“Fine,” I said. “But you can use my arm or my wrist—not the neck.”
Corbin frowned. “None of those areas are where I need to bite you—I will be taking blood from your inner thigh. Which is where the added height from your new shoes comes into play—when I am on my knees before you, I don't want to stoop too far to get a good bite.”
“What? No!” I exclaimed, pressing my thighs together. “Why my inner thigh? Why would you need to do that?”
“Taking blood from a more intimate spot shows my ownership of you.” He cupped my shoulder in one large, warm hand. “Don’t worry, I know you’ve had pain in the past when your friend bit you but I assure you I can make it a very pleasant experience.”
“There’s no way I’d consider letting you push up my skirt and sink what amounts to two sixteen gauge needles into my inner thigh in front of a bunch of sadistic vampires a ‘pleasant experience’,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Corbin’s eyes narrowed. “Nevertheless, you will have to submit to it. And other things as well.”
“What other things?” I was beginning to dislike this more and more. What exactly did Corbin have planned for me?
He sighed again and a look of frustration passed over his face. “You will not like this, Addison, but you must let me glamour you—at least a bit.”
“No,” I said at once. “No, absolutely not. I told you before, that’s a deal breaker. I’m not letting you into my mind.”
“Yes, you will.” Corbin took me by both shoulders, moving too fast for me to step away. “Look at me, Addison,” he demanded. “I have told Roderick I can glamour you and he will expect to see me do just that.”
“You also told him you could…could fuck me without breaking me,” I shot back. “And we saw how well that went last night when you nearly lost your cool.”
“Were you harmed?” Corbin demanded. “Other than the tiny scratch on your throat, which I healed, did I hurt you in any way?”
“Well…no,” I admitted grudgingly. “But I still don’t want you inside my head. Why can’t we just pretend to let you glamour me?”
“Roderick has been on this Earth for over six centuries,” Corbin said grimly. “He will know if we attempt to deceive him. Addison…” He cupped my cheek in his hand and looked into my eyes. “Don’t make me force you, darling.”
“You couldn’t even if you tried,” I said, trying to ignore the way his gentle touch made my heart drum faster in my chest.
Corbin just looked at me.
“Could you?” I asked, my voice faltering just a bit.
“You have a strong shield around your mind but I could tear it down if I had to.” He caressed my cheek, his big hand warm and deceptively gentle. “I don’t want to do that. It would be very much like rape.”
“You wouldn’t,” I whispered, feeling cold all over.
“Do you know what will happen if we don’t put on a convincing display?” Corbin asked. “Roderick has the right to exact a tribute from every vampire whose territory he examines. I have prepared something for him that I think he will find irresistible but he could refuse it and name his own tribute instead. He could take your friend Taylor and give her back to Celeste or keep her for his own. Her torment would never end.”
“You’re just trying to scare me,” I accused him, my voice coming out breathy and high. “You’re holding Taylor over my head so I’ll cooperate and you’ll be able to keep your own territory with no trouble.”
“Do you really think so?” He shook his head. “I’ll admit I have no wish to lose my territory but I am strong—I could easily find another. However, no other territory that I could find would have you as its Auditor.” He let his hands drop and stepped away from me as his voice grew colder. “Also, it’s very tiresome to have to start from scratch. I don’t choose to do that, so you will let me glamour you, Addison.”
“But why do you even have to?” I asked, still arguing. “I mean, what will it really achieve?”
Corbin sighed. “It will help you do what needs to be done in a sincere and non-offensive way.”
I put a hand on my hip. “And what exactly needs to be done?”
“You’re goin
g to have to apologize to Roderick for your behavior last night and for speaking insultingly to him.”
“Like hell I will!” I said hotly. “He raped and tortured my best friend! He’s lucky I don’t put a bullet in his chest.”
“Your precious gun won’t help you with a vampire Roderick’s age,” Corbin said grimly. “And no matter what he did, he is still the Inquisitor and I am still under his jurisdiction.” He took a deep breath. “Therefore I will glamour you just enough to enable you to speak politely to him, even though we both know you have no wish to.”
“And that’s all you’ll do to me?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.
“That is all. After you speak your piece to Roderick, I will release you.” He looked at me sternly. “But—and I cannot stress this enough—even without my glamour on you, you are still acting as my consort. Your job is to strengthen my position and not jeopardize my standing with the Inquisitor. You will obey my every order without question or complaint while we are with Roderick. If you do not, there will be consequences. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” I said bitterly. “I have to play the good little consort and make nice with Roderick or you’ll make me pay.”
“I’m trying to save you—to save both of us.” He ran a hand through his hair in a very human gesture of frustration. “Why can’t you see that I have your best interests at heart, Addison?”
“Because no vampire I’ve ever met has,” I said. “Other than Taylor, that is. And she never wanted to be one of your kind in the first place.”
“And you think I did? You think I—” Corbin shook his head. “Never mind.”
“I just have one more question, Corbin,” I said, still glaring at him. “If I’m such a bad risk that you have to glamour me to keep a civil tongue in my head, why choose me to play your consort? Why not pick someone else entirely—someone more manageable?”
He looked into my eyes. “Because, Addison, I had hoped that one day reality would mirror this fantasy that we are playing out. And there is no one I would rather have by my side.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Did he really expect us to have some kind of long term relationship after this was over? Because that was ridiculous—an Auditor couldn’t date a vamp. And besides, I was furious with him and I was pretty sure he was fairly unhappy with me, too. We would be terrible together… wouldn’t we?
Of course you would, don’t be silly. Why are you even thinking about this? I scolded myself angrily.
“Roderick will be here shortly,” Corbin said, breaking into my inner debate. “Come, we need to go out and get ready to greet him.” He held out his arm for me and raised one eyebrow. After a long, cold silence, I took it and we walked out of his office.
This was not going to be fun.
Chapter Ten
We stepped out into the main area of the club, which looked deserted without the steady flow of human patrons looking for glam-sex and bored looking vampires looking for blood. The lights were turned up, although the area was still pretty dim, and the raised dais in the center of the club where Corbin usually sat was empty.
And then, suddenly, it wasn’t anymore.
In the blink of an eye Roderick was standing on the dais looking down at us. I didn’t even hear the door open and shut—he was just there without warning. The display made my gut tighten—not even Corbin was that fast.
I took a firmer grip on the strap of my purse, glad for my hidden Glock. No matter what Corbin had said about bullets being no use against a vamp as old as Roderick, I still preferred to be armed. And if push came to shove, we’d see how well a six-star vamp stood up to hollow points filled with silver nitrate. Since the bullets explode on impact and the silver eats into the vamp like acid, I was betting Roderick would have a little more trouble with being shot than everyone seemed to think.
“Good evening, Corbin,” Roderick said coldly. He was wearing an old fashioned suit that looked like a costume from a historical drama set in the eighteen hundreds and his dark hair was carefully coifed in place.
“Good evening, Inquisitor.” Corbin nodded his head in a kind of half-bow. “Where is Celeste?”
“Here.” She strolled up in a much more leisurely manner, smiling as though she didn’t have a care in the world.
Hmm, for someone on trial she doesn’t seem too terribly upset, I thought, giving her a blank look.
Behind Celeste trailed two human women, a tall black Amazon looking girl with cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass and a tiny petite Asian with a curtain of long black hair that fell to her waist. Both of them were dressed like me—which was to say, as if they expected to be attending a semi-formal party. Neither looked up at all but kept their eyes trained respectfully on their designer shoes.
I wondered if I was supposed to be acting the same way—respectfully averting my eyes, acting demure—but there was no way I was going to look down in such a dangerous situation. My eyes were trained on Roderick and Celeste, both of whom could tear me limb from limb in four seconds flat if I gave them half a chance.
“Welcome to my establishment,” Corbin said formally, making a sweeping gesture with one hand. “I would offer you refreshment but it seems you brought your own.”
“Indeed, we did.” Roderick smiled and beckoned to the tiny Asian girl who came to him at once. “Celeste has been most accommodating in satiating my needs.”
Thinking about how she had given him Taylor to “satiate his needs” made me grit my teeth. My fingers itched for my Glock but I had promised Corbin to be on my best behavior so I forced myself to say and do nothing.
“Before we get on with the trial, why don’t we all have a little snack?” Celeste suggested.
“A very good idea, my dear,” Roderick said. “These kinds of proceedings are always thirsty work.” He turned to the small Asian girl at his side and gave her a look. She seemed to understand his wordless command for she pulled her long black curtain of hair to one side and bared her throat for him. Roderick pounced at once, sinking his fangs deep in her neck and sucking savagely. The girl shuddered but made no complaint though it looked extremely painful.
To one side, the tall black girl was also baring her throat for Celeste. However, there was no way the petite vampire could reach her human snack’s vein.
“Kneel,” she snapped and the girl fell to her knees at once and looked fawningly up at Celeste.
“Yes, Mistress.” Clearly she was in thrall to the vampire—I could tell by the tiny red pinprick in the center of each of her pupils. I reminded myself to look for the girl next time I inspected Celeste and write her a very expensive citation. She would also have to go to court and the girl could be taken away from her—maybe before it was too late, as it had been too late for Taylor.
But before I could plan any more legal action, Corbin was taking my hand.
He looked into my eyes. “I’m going to drink from you now, Addison,” he said quietly. “Prepare yourself.”
“All right,” I murmured, my heart starting to hammer in my chest. I pushed my hair to one side, baring my neck, but he shook his head.
“Remember what we spoke of earlier.”
I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. Oh, right—in order to prove his true dominance over me he had to drink from my thigh. Well, this was probably going to be about as much fun as a pelvic exam and about ten times more painful. Still, I had given my word to behave and do as he said so I nodded.
“All right. But how—”
“Like this.” Corbin sank gracefully to his knees before me and placed one hand on my thigh. “Hold on to me,” he instructed, just as he had while he was putting the shoes on my feet.
I did as he asked, trying to keep my balance as he parted my legs and lifted my left thigh. I had a moment to be thankful I had worn my good black lace panties and then he was raising my dress and rubbing his rough cheek against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.
Suddenly my heart was beating even hard
er and the blood seemed to be rushing to all the most sensitive parts of my body at once. My nipples were tight and my pussy felt hot and swollen.
Stop it, I told myself furiously. Stop it and get ready, he’s about to bite. I was certain that the moment those long, sharp fangs I saw peeking from beneath his sensual lips pierced my skin, every trace of excitement I felt would fly straight out the window. I was both dreading and anticipating the pain—not because I’m a masochist—I’m not. But because I didn’t want to feel this warm, tingling feeling that made my palms damp and my breath come short when Corbin touched me. Didn’t want to acknowledge the effect he had on me, even in a room full of dangerous vamps when my attention ought to be focused on survival, not sex.
So I waited for him to sink his fangs into me but for some reason he wasn’t biting. Instead, I felt slow, hot kisses against the tender flesh of my inner thigh. He was getting closer and closer to my black lacey panties and I was beginning to wonder exactly how far up he intended to bite me. I squeezed my hands into fists and bit my lip as the excruciating pleasure continued. Was Corbin putting on a show for Roderick’s benefit? Or was he actively trying to drive me crazy just for the hell of it?
“Corbin,” I whispered at last, looking down at him. “Please just…just bite me.”
He looked up at me, his eyes dark with lust. “I will bite you when I am ready, Addison, and not before.”
I wanted to come back with a smart remark but Celeste and Roderick had finished their respective “snacks” by now and they were watching the little show Corbin and I were putting on. I bit my tongue and stayed silent even though I felt like shouting with frustration. God, he was driving me crazy. Was this never going to end?
At last Corbin reached the thin panel of black silk that covered my pussy. He had my legs spread so wide now that my inner folds were open and vulnerable beneath the flimsy little panties. God, did he know how wet I was getting? How hot he was making me? I didn’t want him to know—I didn’t want to know myself—but there was no denying the effect he had on my body. My breath caught in my throat as he looked up at me and then, very deliberately, laid a gentle, hot, open-mouthed kiss directly over my throbbing clit.
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