Clearing his throat a little, Christian released a heavy sigh as he shook his head. "You must remember, my love." He bent down and kissed the top of her head, speaking in a tone that made Addison’s body turn to mush. His voice was smooth and buttery, the master seducer was living up to his name. "I have had many lovers before you."
"Only before me?" Addison sat up, the soft sound of the water swishing with her movement.
"Only before you." Your body is all that I need to be satisfied."
"You’re all I need too." Addison giggled as he pulled away, her shy eyes looking down at the water. She waved her hand back and forth under the water, her eyes following it’s movements. "So that picture is old?"
"I would not say…old." Christian sat back lazily in the bath, his arm going back around Addison’s shoulders. "But it was taken before I met you."
"So…" Addison’s eyes narrowed on her hand under the water and though she tried to sound like she wasn’t jealous, it showed in her voice anyway. "When was the last time you’ve been with a woman besides me?"
Letting out an annoyed sigh, Christian looked at the ceiling, "I do not want to get into such discussions with you, my love. Let us speak of something else."
"Like what?"
"Like…" He reached his hand to her face, lifting up her chin with his index finger so she would look at him., "Our new rules."
"New rules?"
"Yes."
"You will no longer be able to move freely around the manor. You must be with a member of the family at all times."
"What about in town? Do I—"
"You may only go into town with me." He dropped his hand from her face, his stern eyes watching the annoyance grow in her eyes.
"Okay." Addison nodded, her eyes wandering down, but Christian quickly lifted her chin again and made her look at him.
"I’m not finished." The look in his eyes was not playful, the seriousness on his face making Addison’s smile quickly melt into a frown. "You’ve lost your phone privileges." Addison’s mouth opened, and she was about to say something, but Christian held up a single finger. "You are going to get along with your sisters…no more fighting. I want you to establish good relationships with them. Darien is a hunter as is Josh."
"Josh—"
"Josh…is a hunter." Cutting her off, Christian put his hands on her shoulders and made sure she was focusing entirely on their conversation. "You are a mate. You may visit with your brother, but you must become a more active part of your sisters’ community rather than that of my hunters. Because I know you dislike hunting, being with your sisters will be a way to shelter you from that. As long as you are following the rules and being a good girl, I will never make you hunt."
Pulling her hands to her chest excitedly, Addison beamed, her mouth opening to speak.
"But." Stressing his next words, Christian’s grip on her shoulders tightened a little. "If you disobey me, I will. You must work on establishing strong relationships with our family. Your bond with them needs to be more solid. Understood?"
"Yes." She nodded her head, her hair falling around her shoulders and fanning out under the water. "I will be good I promise. So is that it?"
"No." Shaking his head, a small smile appeared on his face that Addison mimicked. "I never want to hear another word about being human…or Zak…or anything negative about your life with me."
"You won’t." Addison wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Good." He placed his hand on the side of her face, gently rubbing her cheek. "And what is your desire, my love?"
"You want to know what I want?" There was a great confusion in Addison’s playful expression, her eyes looking down at his lips and then back to his eyes.
"Yes." Turning toward her more, Christian’s arms went around her waist.
"I don’t want to hunt."
"Okay." Christian looked down at her lips as she spoke, a satisfied smile on his face.
"I want you to protect Josh. My brother is very important to me."
"Okay." His voice was softer now, his hands slowly moving up and down her back.
"And I—" A sad smile crept into Addison’s face as she paused, her eyes looking down at the water rushing from the jet near her.
"You what?" He leaned forward, rubbing his nose along the side of her face, his lips brushing against her skin. "Tell me."
"I—" She paused again, pulling away from him and making him look into her eyes. "I have to tell you something, Christian." She pouted her bottom lip, her arms going around his neck and hugging him tightly. "I’m—"
He rubbed her back gently as he spoke into her ear, "I know about it already. The nurse at the hospital told me."
"She did?" With her hands around his neck, she let her fingers play in his dark hair. "You’re not angry with me, are you?"
"No." He let the tip of his nose rest against hers. "A baby will be a good thing for us."
"Really?" Hers eyes lit up. "You want a baby too?"
"Yes." He laughed when she jumped into his arms and sat on his lap.
"Oh Christian!" She kissed him several times, a happiness filling her heart that was spilling out through her twinkling eyes. "I’m so…" She kissed him. "Excited…" She kissed him again. "I could scream!"
Leaping forward Christian bit her neck, and Addison did just that. She tried to say something more but couldn’t halt her giggles.
* * * *
The Vallores moved to the manor in Venetia, a grand city that was the capital city of Solan, where Zak lived. It didn’t take long for Addison to rekindle her love for blood and soon she was back to being Christian’s devoted wife.
Addison was excited to go to Venetia because her brother was living there with Darien, and she couldn’t wait to see them. Christian knew having her brother around made her bond with the vampires even stronger. His whole intention of making Josh an elite was to please his wife. Josh was Addison’s twin brother, and if he was a vampire, she would want to stay one.
Being around Josh was going to be a wakeup call for her, and Christian couldn’t wait for that moment. Josh and Darien were meeting them at the airport and were going to escort them to the manor.
Josh jogged up to Addison and Christian as they sauntered toward the limo. "Addison!"
Addison gently excused herself from Christian’s arms and ran toward brother. "Josh!" Her body slammed into his, Addison hugging him so tightly he could hardly breathe. "I thought you were dead! I was so worried about you."
Christian and Darien exchanged devilish smiles as they watched Addison interact with her brother. They all got into the back of the limo, Addison happily jumping inside and taking a seat next to Christian. She was carrying on a conversation with Josh that she had begun outside, both of them speaking excitedly like little kids.
Addison was sitting forward on the edge of her seat, Christian’s hand placed on her bare knee as he gazed out the window. There was a calmness in his expression as he sat silently.
"I’m glad you’re a vampire, Josh." Addison’s hands rested on the one Christian had on her knee, but she wasn’t paying very much attention to him.
"I love being an elite." Josh grinned, extreme excitement in his voice as he spoke with hand motions. "It’s the greatest feeling ever! And hunting…oh my god…" Letting out a huff of air, Josh had to take a deep breath because he was speaking quickly. "It’s amazing! I’ve never felt so powerful in my life! This is what heaven is like Addison…being an elite makes me feel like a god."
Addison giggled, covering her mouth with one of her hands as she watched her brother talk excitedly. The last time she had seen him so animated was the day he got his job at Christian’s manor in Caron. She knew he had always wanted to be a vampire and seeing him so happy made her ecstatic.
"I’m getting good at hunting, too." He glanced at Darien’s semi-annoyed face then back at Addison. "When we get to the manor, I’ll have to bring you some dinner back from the hunt and show you how good I am at it…" Josh
looked at Christian as he paused. "If that’s all right with you, Master."
Christian sighed, waving the subject away with his hand and didn’t answer. He didn’t get excited like Addison and Josh, his age making him more calm and cooler than the younger generation of vampires. With his refined personality, his emotions were never apparent and one always had to guess what was truly going on in his mind.
"I’m glad being part of the family makes you happy." Addison’s face was filled with a tender smile. She felt Christian’s hand slip from her leg and go into his pocket to retrieve his phone. She looked at him for a few seconds before turning back to Josh. Christian was texting someone, his lips slightly upturned.
Josh continued, "Thanks, Addy. Now that you’re here, I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone." Darien reached over and turned up the music before taking out his phone and fiddling around with it. "I love being a vampire. After living like this, I would never go back to being human."
Addison wrapped her arms around Christian’s waist, leaning her head on his chest. Christian returned the embrace, but his eyes were lost in his phone.
"My favorite thing about being a vampire is hunting and all the pretty girls." Josh laughed, a slight nervousness slipping into his voice as his gaze wandered over to what Christian was doing.
Christian still appeared absorbed in his phone, but his hand indicated otherwise. His hand paused on Addison’s knee before slowly slipping under her skirt and disappearing inside. Josh wasn’t uncomfortable around such things, but this was his sister.
Addison had been gone for the majority of time Josh had been living with the vampires and he gotten to know the Master vampire apart from her, seeing Christian as the dangerous and powerful man he was. He wasn’t prepared for this kind of awkwardness.
"What’s your…" Josh chuckled apprehensively, Christian sending him a slightly evil glare. "Favorite thing about being a vampire?"
"My favorite thing?" Addison giggled, her gaze moving to Josh briefly before turning to Christian. He was eyeing her now, his hand slowly slipping his phone back into his pocket. "Well, my favorite thing is…" Her stare became trapped with his and soon her conversation with Josh turned to a conversation with Christian. "Christian’s kisses."
Christian’s forearm was entirely up Addison’s skirt now, the fabric bunching near the bend in his elbow. "What else, my love?" There was a hungry look in his eyes as he leaned closer to her, his tongue pausing under one of his sharp fangs.
"There is nothing else." Addison’s arms moved from his waist and up to his neck as she changed her sitting position. His hand slowly slid down her leg as she moved and took a seat on his lap, her body slightly turned as she gazed into his eyes. Her voice was low and slightly husky. "All there is you, Christian."
A low, devilish chuckle escaped from Christian’s lips. "There is nothing else?"
Speaking in a playful, sweet voice, Addison spoke through her giggles. "There is, but—" She rubbed her nose against his, her eyes staring into his. "You’re the only thing that matters. I love you."
Christian began kissing her as she sat on his lap, her legs spread out onto the seat. His hand quickly ventured into her skirt again, this time getting a quick reaction from Addison. She tried to push his hand away, but he quickly pulled hers away with his other one. His lips went to her neck, nipping at it as Addison giggled and threw her head back.
Josh’s face was scrunched up in the middle, a horrified look on his face. When he saw Addison’s mouth open slightly and her legs stiffen, he let out a small grunt, a rumbling noise coming from his throat. Christian sank his fangs into her neck, drinking some of her blood.
Seeing Josh’s sickened expression, Darien looked up from his phone then over at Addison and Christian. A hissing sound escaped his lips as he studied the expression on Addison’s face, poking Josh’s arm with his elbow. "I’d give my right fang to be Christian’s hand right now."
"Eww, Darien. Shut up." Making a sour face, Josh put his hand to his brow, covering his eyes so he didn’t have to see them. "That’s my sister."
"Suck it up, Omega." Darien laughed, playfully punching Josh several times and forcing him onto his back.
"Stop it!" Josh put up his arms and tried to ward off Darien’s blows, which weren’t as light and playful as they should be.
Addison opened her eyes when she heard Josh’s voice, looking at him as Christian clung to her neck. Josh felt her eyes on him and glanced up at her as he sat back up in the seat. He was rubbing his arm and cheek where Darien had punched him, the whole side of his face slightly pinked. Her stare quickly turned from Josh to Christian as he pulled away from her neck.
"You taste like heaven, my love." Christian kissed her lips before wrapping his arm around her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. His eyes wandered over to Josh, a venomous look in his eyes. Christian licked the small traces of Addison’s blood off the corner of his mouth, the dangerous expression on his face similar to a dog growling when another gets too close to its bone.
"Hey, princess." Darien sat on the edge of his seat. "You excited to meet our family in Venetia? Emmie—"
"Who’s Emmie?" Her head was still laying on Christian as he held her like a father would his child, his calm hand running down the side of her head and stroking her hair.
"She’s…" Darien glanced at Christian, who was mouthing the word “no.” "Umm…" He watched Christian’s face for another reply, but Addison quickly looked up at Christian and ended their silent conversation.
"She lives at the manor in Venetia. Very nice lady. She’s been talking about meeting you all week. You’re gonna love her, Addy." Josh spoke up, and Christian sent him a dirty look for continuing the subject. "She’s also a dancer at the cabaret. Darien took me to one of her shows on the strip. She’s very talented." Josh tried to ignore Christian’s angry glare and focus on Addison instead.
"Talented?" Addison pushed Christian’s arm away and moved off his lap, sitting down next to him on the seat. "How so?"
Annoyed, Christian put a hand to his brow, covering his eyes as he tried to curb some of his anger. He knew exactly why Addison was asking about Emmie, and it wasn’t because she wanted to know more about her. She was jealous, very jealous.
"Her agility is amazing. That woman can move in ways I never thought possible." Josh briefly caught Christian’s angry glare. "Umm…"
"Princess." Darien tried to remedy the situation and pointed out the window. "There’s the manor, see?"
Addison looked out Christian’s window, her eyes watching the building grow bigger and bigger as they drove up the long, private road. "I…" She noticed the glare Christian was sending toward Josh. "Don’t look so glum, Christian." She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck as she whispered into his ear. "I’ll be good. You’re mine now, and I trust you."
He wrapped his arms around her waist. "But I don’t trust you, my love."
"Then maybe you need a lesson in trust." Addison wrinkled her nose playfully, her hands going to his perfectly starched collar and taking his tie out of his suit coat. "A little test, perhaps?" She yanked on the tie, making Christian lean his head closer to her.
"Will this test involve knives and rope?" Christian chuckled, his voice so low Darien and Josh couldn’t hear what they were saying. "Because I’d like that."
"Sure." Addison giggled, looking out the window as the limo stopped in front of the manor.
The servants quickly came over and opened the door for them. Josh was the first to hop out, followed by the others.
Christian chuckled as he took Addison’s hand and led her toward the front door with great haste. "I’ll meet with you and the others later. I have a challenge to win."
Chapter Twelve
Trust
"So Master Vallore…" Addison pushed Christian onto the black loveseat in their bedroom. "You don’t trust me?"
"No," Christian laughed, grabbing her hips and pulling her closer to him. He forced her legs open, makin
g her straddle him. "But I would love to participate in this test of yours."
"Okay," Addison giggled, her hands resting on his shoulders as she tried to keep her balance, so she could remain standing. "But you can’t laugh."
"I will not laugh at you, my love." There was a calm grin on his face as he looked up at her lovingly, his hands slowly moving up and down.
"Good." She ran over to the closet. "Just sit there a second."
Christian watched her rummage around inside. He smiled when he saw the annoyance on her face. "What are you looking for?"
"Rope."
"Under the bed."
Getting on her hands and knees, Addison searched under the bed, picking up the long comforter that lay over the top of it. She felt around but didn’t find anything. "Christian, there isn’t—" She glanced toward where Christian had been sitting, but he wasn’t there. "Christian?" Sitting up on her knees, Addison scanned the room again but still didn’t see him. "Christian, where—"
"Right here, my love."
Addison quickly turned to the sound of his voice. "You…" He was sitting in the same place she had seen him last, as if he had never left. "What’s that?" She pointed to the bag he was holding.
"Rope." Christian slowly pulled a piece out of the bag. There were old blood stains on it, the edges of it frayed like it had been used several times.
"Oh." She snatched the bag from his hands. "Thanks."
"You’re welcome."
"So, are you ready?"
"Yes." His cat-like eyes watched her every movement with great interest. "What will you have me do, my love?"
She tossed the bag and the rope onto the bed and walked back over to him. "First." Yanking on his tie, she pulled him to his feet. Her face lie inches from his, her words hissing off her smiling lips. "Take off your clothes."
"As you wish." Christian slowly removed her hand from his tie and began to undress. Addison sat on the bed and watched him closely, taking a seat on the edge. Carefully, he slid off his suit jacket before working on his white dress shirt. "Do you enjoy this voyeurism?"
Seed of the Master (Christian’s Kisses Book 2) Page 13