His arms tightened around me, one sliding down my back to curve my body into his and with his face buried in my neck, he simply held me. I wrapped my arms around his waist, feeling the muscles in his back shifting under my hands and that delicious scent that was all Lucian filled my nostrils. We stood like that for a while, moments, minutes, I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or frightening. If anything it made me feel safe. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I let myself have a tiny glimmer of hope that I might have finally found sanctuary in the strong arms of this vampire.
Lucian
Reluctantly Lucian released her. As tempting as it was to hold her for the rest of the night, he couldn’t. He had to take her home. “Are you ready baby and I’ll walk you home? It’s late.” He turned to the clock. “It’s almost 4am. You must be tired.”
She looked surprised. “It’s that late? I had no idea. I guess I am a bit tired now.”
“Come then, I’ll walk you home.”
“It’s not necessary Lucian. It’s only across the road after all.”
“I’m still walking you home. I don’t care whether it’s over the road or in a different state. I took you out on a date; I take you home to your door.” He said using a tone which made it clear this was not open for discussion.
She didn’t argue with him fortunately, just gathered up her bag and he took her hand, leading her from his room and down the long corridor that led to the front door. There was no one in the living room when they walked past but Lucian already knew where most of them were anyway.
Francesca wasn’t there but she rarely was. She had her two men so she was obviously occupied somewhere with them, Adrian wasn’t home, he could hear moans coming from the communal room, so Damien had brought company back and his sire was giving Sirene a pretty good workout by the sounds of things. He grinned at the noises coming from their room but when Arissa suddenly asked him what he was smiling at, he wiped the smile off his face. “I think its better that you don’t know baby but put it this way, everyone’s busy tonight.” He said quietly, pulling open the front door, ignoring her inquisitive look.
Once they were across the road and at the old lady’s front door, he turned to her, pulling her towards him, his lips touching hers. He didn’t try to deepen the kiss. He didn’t want to get too turned on and he had trouble controlling his body’s responses when he touched her. He’d been in agony for hours and now the pressure was finally relieved, he wasn’t interested in suffering from the same condition again tonight.
He stepped back from her, one hand cupping her cheek. “Good night baby. Thank you for coming out with me. I had a wonderful time. It was very…enjoyable.” He smiled and watched her blush at his words.
“It was for me too.” She whispered before unlocking the door and stepping inside the house. She turned briefly to look up at him and he reached out, trailing his fingertips over her cheek and down her neck to where her pulse fluttered erratically.
“Bye baby.” He said and reluctantly turned away from her, hearing the door close as he walked across the road and let himself back into his sire’s home.
He walked quietly back to his bedroom and once inside, he stripped off all his clothes before making his way into the bathroom. He quickly cleaned the vanity and mirror before turning on the taps to his shower, watching the water spray out from all four heads. As the room began to fill with steam, he stepped under the water and with his hands braced against the tiles; he stood there with his head bowed, while the warm water cascaded down over him.
Arissa
Once Lucian was gone, I snuck into my room, quickly removing my dress and shoes before slipping on my nightie. I dug around in my clutch purse and took out the lipstick to put back in with my meagre makeup collection that Daisy had given me and found a card, just a small card, folded over in the bottom of my purse. I pulled it out and opened it up, my heart leaping when I saw it was a note from Lucian thanking me for tonight and he’d even drawn a heart on it. He’d written his phone number below and I stared at it, reading out the numbers over and over again. His number was very simple which was good, but I wasn’t sure when I’d need it in all reality since he only lived over the road and I had no mobile phone anyway. Still, it was sweet of him to do that, to sneak his note into my bag and I wondered when he’d done it without me seeing.
Smiling I headed into my en-suite bathroom to wash off the little bit of makeup still left on my face. I brushed my teeth and hair and was just about to climb into bed when I heard a soft knock at the door again.
I leapt out of bed and hurried to the door, a big smile on my face. He’d come back. Lucian had come back; he must have been missing me as much as I suddenly missed him.
I pulled the door open and was confronted by a big bunch of flowers blocking Lucian from me. I stared at the arrangement and frowned, wondering how he’d done that so quickly, and then it registered that something wasn’t right, he wasn’t tall enough. When he lowered them my heart skipped a beat, my blood freezing in my veins and my body breaking out in a cold sweat of sheer terror. It registered with my sleep deprived brain that it was my father. Bile rose up the back of my throat when I saw his face. His expression was a mix of rage and sadistic amusement; his grin more like a feral grimace, that pulled his lips back from his teeth. Slowly the grimace became a full blown, genuine smile and I knew it was his sick delight at seeing my expression. I knew I would be looking at him with a mix of sheer terror and horror, a combination guaranteed to please him.
I tried to step inside the house and slam the door shut but he grabbed my arm and I looked up at him again just in time to see his fist coming at me. Before I could react, it slammed into me, pain exploding in my cheek, blood spraying from my nose and I cried out, about to scream, desperate to do something but he hit me again before his hand closed over my mouth to muffle my cries. The pain built up, creating an incessant throbbing in my brain and it felt like an army of construction workers were inside my head as the pain radiated out, through my cheek, my jaw, even my skull.
Everything began to spin; I couldn’t see my father properly any more. Everything was fading, a grey haze rising, making me squint to try and see him. Again pain exploded in the side of my head as he hit me a third time and then I heard it, a loud roaring sound, like the waves crashing on shore at the beach, yet different. It frightened me, everything frightened me; my head hurt, my cheek felt like it was swelling to twice its size and when everything suddenly went black, I welcomed oblivion and let my body sink into it, taking away my worries, my fears and the terrifying sight of my father. Faster now, it pulled me down until I saw nothing, and felt no more pain. It was like free falling into an abyss. There was nothing, just blackness and with that one tiny part of me that fought the oblivion, I whispered his name. “Lucian.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lucian
It was the sound of insistent knocking on his bedroom door that finally woke Lucian. It felt like he’d only been in bed minutes but when he glanced over at the clock it was 10am. Fuck, daytime. He was vampire, he didn’t do daytime. Well not if he could avoid it.
Suddenly there was more knocking at his door and he threw the covers off himself and climbed out of bed, pulling the door open to find Fabian standing there dressed. Dressed? His sire was dressed? What the hell was he doing up in the daytime? What was going on?
“What is it father? What’s wrong?”
“Get dressed Lucian and come to the living room. We have a visitor and she is most insistent that she speaks to you.”
“Who is it?”
Fabian wouldn’t answer. “Just get dressed now.” He said and his tone was serious.
Lucian went and grabbed his jeans pulling them on and took a clean t-shirt from a drawer in his robe and yanked it over his head. He didn’t bother with shoes and padded barefoot after his sire as he followed him to the living room.
When he stepped into the room he was surprised to see the old lady from over th
e road sitting there. Then when he looked at her face, the worry in her eyes and what looked like fear, he felt a wave of dread flood his body. Something was wrong, very wrong and his head filled with images of Arissa only a few hours before as she’d brought him to orgasm with her hands. What had happened? What was wrong? It had to be bad. Mrs Appleby had never come to see them before, and he didn’t believe she was picking now of all times to make a social call.
“What is it Mrs Appleby? What’s wrong? Is it Arissa?” He asked, his stomach tightening as he waited for her answer.
“Oh god yes Lucian. I needed to check she’s not here. She’s not here is she?” She asked and he shook his head.
“She was here late but I walked her home around 4am. She went inside, she closed the door. Are you sure she hasn’t just gone for a walk or something?” He asked.
“No, no. I don’t believe she’s gone for a walk. I know she’s been home. Her bag and the clothes she wore out that you bought her are in her room but she’s not there. Her bed hasn’t been slept in and I think…oh god…I don’t want to think what it could mean but I think…I think there’s blood near my front door. I’m so scared her father’s found her.”
“You know about her father?” Fabian asked.
The old woman shook her head. “Not much. She didn’t say much about him. She seemed reluctant to tell me anything about her past but I got the impression he wasn’t a very nice man. Very controlling I think, strict with her, kept her under the thumb type. She’s such a sweet girl but she has that air of vulnerability, you know? She seems innocent, inexperienced with the ways of the world.”
“She is very innocent and she’s sweet, beautiful, kind but very fragile. She needs protecting. Her father was not a control freak in the usual sense of the word, and you must not reveal to her that I have told you this, but her father was a violent, abusive man who beat her, starved her, kept her locked up like an animal and raped her for years.” Lucian spat out. “Do you suppose that bastard found her? I’ll put on shoes and come over to your home; I want to see if it is in fact blood at your door.”
Lucian hurried back to his room to get shoes, his mind racing with all possibilities and none were good. God led her be ok. If that bastard had found her, he hated to think what he’d do to her for running away. He had to find her if she was gone. He had to save her and hope to hell that asshole didn’t touch her before he found her. The thought of what could happen to her made his stomach roll, and if he could vomit, he probably would.
Once he was ready, he and Fabian followed the old lady back over the road to her home. As Lucian approached her front door, he stopped, frozen, his nostrils flaring, his stomach tightening as pain lanced through him. He didn’t need to see it, he could smell it. The blood splattered near Mrs Appleby’s front door was Arissa’s. It was her blood, he’d know the scent of it anywhere. He’d fed several times from her. Fuck, fuck, if that asshole had her, he didn’t want to think about what he might do to her.
Slowly he approached the door staring down at the blood and he closed his eyes for a moment bracing himself against the searing pain he felt as his mind raced with all the possible scenarios of what could have happened to her. If that bastard hurt her or worse, if he killed her, god he didn’t want to think about it. He would hunt him down and tear the prick apart with his bare hands. He’d make sure he barely resembled a human being by the time he was finished with him.
Mrs Appleby was hanging around looking anxiously at them as they searched for evidence of what had happened.
“Can we come in and see Arissa’s room please?” Lucian asked.
“Yes but I don’t know what that’s going to do. She came home obviously but it looks like she’s been taken near the door here, there’s nothing in the house but come in anyway, both of you.” She opened the door and they all stepped inside.
“I’ll distract her while you take something of hers son. Get an item of clothing, something that has her scent on it. It will help us track her.” Fabian whispered to Lucian.
“We should call the police.” The old woman said and Fabian turned those strange pale eyes of his on her.
“No, the police are not to be involved in this.” He said, his tone firm and Lucian watched that look of acceptance and compliance settle over Mrs Appleby’s face. Obviously his sire was putting her under mild control. They didn’t need the police involved in this because when they caught up with Arissa and her father, if he had her, there wouldn’t be anything left to hand over to the authorities.
“Come and sit down Mrs Appleby.” Fabian said quietly but firmly, leading the old woman through the house while Lucian entered Arissa’s room and stood for a moment looking around.
The first thing that registered was her sweet scent, it was everywhere. The second thing he noticed was the bed had obviously not been slept in. He walked around the room, opening drawers, rifling around through her underwear, looking for something that smelled strongly of her scent but none of it did. He moved into her bathroom and found the dress he’d bought her folded on top of the dirty linen basket and he lifted it to his face, breathing in deeply, her scent filling his nostrils. Without warning, tears welled in his eyes and he didn’t attempt to stop them, he let them fall as he hugged her dress to him like it was a lifeline.
Fabian walked in and Lucian hastily swiped at the tears but not before his sire had seen them. “We will find her son. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, we will find her. You care for this woman don’t you?”
“I do sire. She’s not like any woman I’ve ever met. She’s so sweet, kind, so innocent and she trusts me. Despite all that has happened to her she was slowly starting to come around, to let me touch her. She even asked to touch me, intimately. It took me by surprise that she has come to trust me that she is so accepting of what I am, of what we all are, and now this has happened. I’ve let her down. I couldn’t protect her and I told her I would. Several times I assured her that she would be safe from her father and I didn’t keep her safe. He got her. I have failed her. She will never forgive me and if that bastard hurts her, it might finish her. God we have to find her, we just have to.”
“We will find her Lucian. Now have you found something that carries her scent? We need something that smells strongly of her.”
Lucian began to dig through the dirty linen basket and found a pair of panties, red, silky ones and he didn’t need to hold them to his nose to smell her on them. Her sweet scent was strong. He took them and her dress that he’d bought for her to wear and they left the house, rushing back over the road so they could start planning how they were going to locate Arissa.
“What have you done with Mrs Appleby?” Lucian asked.
“Don’t worry about her. I’ve put her into like a state of suspended animation. She is aware of things around her but she had no memory of coming to see us or that Arissa is missing. I’ll leave her like that until we figure out what we’re going to do. I can’t risk her calling the police. I don’t want them interfering. We will take care of Arissa’s father once we find him.” The tone in Fabian’s voice made it perfectly clear it was going to be ugly. No way would her father come out of this alive.
“How the fuck are we going to find her? There’s nothing. I can’t smell her scent beyond the blood at the door and that scares the crap out of me. If she’s bleeding, what the fuck has he done to her? Why did this have to happen? She was just starting to let me in. God, what she did for me tonight. She went against everything that would normally terrify her and repulse her. She’s so beautiful, so strong and brave and she likes me. She did things to me, she let me introduce her to pleasure sire and now she might…she might be gone? Even if we find her alive, she could be so severely traumatised she’ll never recover. I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now. She must be so scared. I’m supposed to be protecting her. We have to find her; we have to find her quickly.”
“We will find her Lucian. I just don’t know how long it will take but I und
erstand how urgently we must find her. Come, we will speak with Sirene. She’s our best chance. Maybe she can do some sort of spell.”
When they got back inside the house, Fabian walked off to go and wake Sirene. He’d held off disturbing her until they knew what was going on but now that it was obvious this situation was serious, Arissa was gone and hurt, they needed her.
While his sire was gone, Lucian paced restlessly around the living room. He raked his hands through his hair over and over again, his head filled with images of what Arissa could be enduring at the hands of her father and he felt sick, anxiety twisting his gut into a painful knot. They had to find her, they had to find her soon before it was too late.
He heard footsteps and looked up to see Fabian entering the room with Sirene. She looked worried and her anxiety only fed his more. She hadn’t even bothered to dress. She was wearing a silk robe over her slim, petite body but it was obvious she was naked under it.
“Fabian has filled me in on what’s happened.” She said, her eyes filling with sympathy as she hugged Lucian. He felt tears well again at her tone and when she pulled back; he hastily tried to wipe them away before she saw them. “Stay strong Lucian. Your girl is going to need you. She is strong; she has survived so much already. Don’t be disheartened and don’t give up. I don’t believe that she will. She has been away from her father for quite a lot of weeks now. She has grown in that time. I feel she will not give in to her father without a fight. You have come to care for this girl and from what Fabian has told me, she must care for you too if she’s allowed some intimacy between you. She must trust you and has become comfortable around you. She will need you when we find her. I need you to be strong, stay strong for me, for her.” She said her thumb sweeping up one of his tears as it hovered under his lashes, about to make the journey down his face.
Passion Follows Pain (Passion Series Book 3) Page 17