by V. A. Dold
His ears picked up the sound of a female gasp. The scent of fresh blood destroyed his carefully planned attack.
As if choreographed, they moved in sync with each other. Xander swung low. In one fluid motion, he cut off the closest vampire’s legs at the knees. The fighter’s sword dropped to the ground, clattering across the grungy asphalt. He went down hard, screaming in agony.
Before he could scream a second time, Xander relieved him of his head.
Max did the same to the vampire closest to himself. Within seconds, two of the four attackers were dead. He left the third fighter to Xander and turned on the bastard holding his woman.
Terror widened the vampire’s eyes. He shoved the woman away and made to flash from the alley. Max was on him before he took his third step. He tackled the runner, pinning him to the ground with his knee planted between his shoulder blades. As much as he wanted to send the bastard to hell, Etienne would want at least one survivor to interrogate.
Max glanced to where Xander stood over a third decapitated body. Well, at least they had one still breathing. He turned to ask his muierimei if she was all right. Perhaps inquire as to her name. Before he could utter a word, she rushed from the alleyway and out of sight.
“Xander! Take over for me,” he shouted, unwilling to lose their captive but needing to chase down his woman.
Xander slammed his foot into the small of the downed vampires back and pressed the tip of his sword into the back of his neck. “I have him. Don’t take too long, we have things to handle here.”
Max gave him a nod as he flashed to the street. He ran down the sidewalk in the direction she had taken, but she was nowhere in sight. Where the heck had she gone? He slowed his pace, looking into bars and shops. He’d made two circuits around the block before he had to give up and return to the alley.
“Did you catch her?” Xander asked as he tightened the silver infused zip ties on their prisoner’s hands and feet.
“No,” he growled. Then he noticed the twitch of Xander’s right eye. He only did that when he was upset. “What’s wrong?”
“The woman wasn’t their first victim. Jonas Smith, the vampire visiting from Las Vegas, is behind the dumpster.”
Max glanced behind the dumpster and swore a blue streak. “There is going to be hell to pay for this. Whoever sent these vampires into Etienne’s territory is going to pay. We may have a war on our hands.”
Xander nodded at the prisoner. “Watch him.” He searched the pockets of each of the dead vampires, tucking their wallets and cell phones into his pockets.
Having collected all of the possible evidence, he withdrew his phone and called for the cleanup crew. It had been a while since they had used the specialized team. Things had been quiet for over a decade. It looked like that reprieve had come to an end.
As soon as the crew arrived, Xander and Max hauled the prisoner back to the mansion’s basement. Max tossed the bastard into an empty cell and slammed the door shut. He was one huge mass of aggravation. His muierimei was somewhere in the city, terrified, and bleeding. She was bleeding! Why hadn’t he taken that into consideration when he had searched for her?
“I have to go,” he shouted over his shoulder to Xander as he rushed up the stairs. The scent of her blood had been strong even though she had been a solid twenty feet away. A cut like that would require stitches. He would check the emergency room at the hospital, first. If she wasn’t there, he would check the police department. Someone had to have seen her and gotten her name and address.
Chapter Thirteen
Etienne had just escorted Willa back to their private section of the club when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at Willa. “Excuse me for a moment. I have to take this.”
“Okay. I’ll get us a round of drinks.”
“Perfect.” He walked a few feet away and answered the call. “You had better be at death’s door, Xander. You are interrupting my date.”
“I’m sorry about that, boss, but we have a problem you need to address.”
“Details?” Etienne growled.
“That group of unidentified vampires who went after Willa, are now attacking humans and your guests in the French Quarter. They killed Jonas Smith and had a human woman when we engaged them. Max and I dispatched all but one. He’s in holding cell B.”
“I see. Apprise Darius of the situation and have him contact Hans at the Vegas compound. I will be home shortly to have a chat with our new guest. Thank you, Xander.”
Etienne ended the call and returned to Willa. “After this round of drinks, we will have to call it a night. I have things I must attend to at the mansion.”
“Oh, all right. Tonight was magical, but I’m a little tired after all that dancing. An early night sounds great.”
Twenty minutes later, Etienne escorted Willa to his car and paused after helping her in. He narrowed his eyes, looking deep into the shadows at the edge of the small parking lot. “Lock your door,” he said softly as he closed her in.
Once she was relatively safe, he flashed to the edge of the shadows. The vampire who had been there seconds before was gone. Etienne inhaled, taking the watcher’s scent into his nose. The scent was the same as the one at Willa’s apartment. Why was it familiar? When and where had he met this vampire before?
Willa headed upstairs as Etienne made for the basement. She had wanted to go with him but thankfully didn’t throw a fit when he put his foot down. He cocked a brow at the crowd of men awaiting him. Nick and Derick leaned against the wall. Sean and Rafe had taken seats on the floor. And Xander, Trey, and Gray stood shoulder to shoulder in front of cell B’s door.
“I don’t believe it takes seven men to guard one prisoner.”
Nick pushed from the wall, his eyes glowing bright with his need for vengeance. “We have a vested interest in what he has to say. He killed one of our friends from Las Vegas and is a part of the group that is after our queen. Derick, Sean, Rafe, and I offered to beat the information out of him. But as you can see, these three took issue with that plan.”
He clapped Nick on the shoulder and gave him a squeeze. “Thank you for the offer. I also knew Jonas well and thirst for retribution. I’ll handle this and get the answers we seek. This cell has a two-way mirror. Around the corner, you will find the observation room.”
“Fine. I’ll stand down. If you need anything, I’ll be watching,” Nick groused as he headed around the corner.
Derick, Sean, and Rafe followed closely on Nick’s heels, grumbling as they went.
Etienne sighed and turned his attention to the three guarding the door. “Thank you for containing the situation. Stay on guard while I’m inside. Nick may lose his temper and make another try.”
“Yes, sir,” Xander said as he stepped aside for Etienne to enter.
The instant the cell door opened, Etienne bellowed in rage. There would be no interrogating the prisoner. The vampire stared up at him through lifeless eyes. He had lengthened his fingernails into twin six-inch blades, cut himself free, and stabbed himself in the temples. That was tantamount to cutting off his head. There was no coming back from that.
“God damn it! We finally had one lead to who is after my woman and we lost it. Clean this shit up!” Etienne barked and spun on his heel. “Fuck that.” He spun back around and shot a bolt of blue fire at the body, threw back his head and bellowed again. He was in a foul mood and frustrated as hell. He needed a stiff drink or two before he saw Willa.
Etienne knocked back three whiskeys on the rocks before he felt steady enough to head up to his bedroom. The last thing he wanted was to take his foul mood out on Willa. Now that his temper was cooled to a low simmer and he had a minor buzz, he felt capable of joining her and speaking rationally.
Quietly he opened the door to ease in. He’d left her alone for close to two hours. The odds were good she would be sleeping. His brows furrowed when, instead of darkness, the glow of candles cast a soft light throughout the room.
His gaze shot
to the bed and he froze. Willa lay sprawled sexily on top of the sheets. NAKED. His body reacted fiercely. A brutal inferno heated his blood, and his breath caught in his lungs.
He stopped at the foot of the bed and drank her in like a dehydrated man faced with endless water. His hands pulled his shirt from his pants and went for his zipper, but his gaze never left her. Thunder roared in his ears, and his cock pounded with his need to possess her. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
She smiled at him and eyed the skin he was exposing. “I love that you see me that way.”
Etie’s growl pulled her attention to his face. His eyes were suddenly like windows to his soul. He had never let her past his protective shields before. Her breath caught in her lungs. For the first time, she was able to see beyond his outer shell to the true man within. There was a vulnerability and profound loneliness he never allowed anyone to see. Her heart ached for this incredible man who had stood alone for so long. She was going to make sure he was never alone again.
He went for the buttons of his shirt as she rose from the bed. His eyes flared impossibly brighter with each sway of her hips and breasts. She moved with deliberate slowness, letting him look his fill. By the time she reached him, he’d ripped his shirt from his body and kicked his trousers and boxers aside. Etie was heart-stoppingly beautiful as he stood naked and proud before her.
She went into his arms, needing to feel him skin-to-skin. He yanked her against his chest, rougher than usual, but she liked him all caveman. She raised her face to his for a kiss because kissing Etie was as necessary as breathing. His mouth slammed over hers, and his arms tightened around her. His hands moved over her, burning his possession with each caress. His fingers played over her skin, gripping and kneading. Her heart reacted, hammering hard against her ribs.
He pulled back just enough to speak, his warm breath gusts across her wet lips. “Baby, we should stop. I cannot be the gentle lover that you deserve tonight.”
“Gentle is overrated. One way or the other, gentle or rough, I’m going to have you, Etie. You’re mine, tonight and every night from now on.”
“Damn, woman, you are not helping here. If I take you now, you may never forgive me.”
“If you don’t, I can guarantee I won’t forgive you. Don’t you understand? You’re mine. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Every aspect of you is mine to love. If you deny me any part of you, what hope do we have?”
He hung his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “Do not say I did not warn you. I am in a foul mood, and the need to exert my dominance is very near the surface.”
“Then let me soothe you. Give me all of you, Etie, and I’ll do the same. I’m not as sweet as you think. I have an inner vixen you haven’t even glimpsed yet.”
He groaned and then nipped her earlobe hard, making his point with his teeth.
As angry as he was, he felt happy as well. It was an odd combination and swirled in his gut like oil and water. His emotions were so tangled up, he couldn’t put them into words. How could heart-swelling joy exist side by side with the savage, primitive way he felt tonight? He wanted to make sweet love to Willa, and yet he needed to pound into her until they became one body. He needed to take her so hard, they broke the bed and didn’t notice until morning.
He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. “I will give you what we both want and need, but there will be ground rules. If at any time you are afraid or want me to stop, I will do my best to comply. It won’t be easy, but for you, I will stop. Promise me you will do that.”
She looked him in the eye and said, “I promise. I can feel your turmoil and anger. You’re afraid you’ll do something you will regret. You’re wrong. I know that whatever has you tied up in knots is not because of me. No matter what we get up to tonight, there will be no regrets and no blame laid. I need you to know that you’re my choice. All of you, Etienne Delacour. You will always be my choice no matter what we have to face.”
His dark scowl softened into a grin. “I’m counting on that to save me from losing you when, as you so eloquently described, I go all caveman on you.”
She pulled his head down and kissed him hard, then bit his lip to the point of drawing blood. When she licked the drops away, his cock throbbed and jerked. He needed to feel her sheath surrounding him, immediately.
Willa eased her death grip from around his neck and opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled at him. He swore she was an angel fallen from heaven who landed in his arms.
“I love the way you smell. All clean and spicy. Your scent makes my head spin in the most delicious way.”
His mouth twitched with amusement. How did this tiny woman take him from enraged to semi-in control so easily? “Since I have made you dizzy with my manliness, it would only be gentlemanly of me to carry you to the bed. I can’t have you falling at my feet, now, can I?”
Willa rolled her eyes playfully and started to turn away from him. Etienne was having none of that. The swat he delivered to her right butt cheek brought a gasp to her lips. Then he caught her by the nape of her neck, pulled her around, and crushed her against his chest. “I said I would carry you. That was not a request. If you are not prepared to listen and obey me, we will end this now. I am on the edge of my control and disobedience will push me over the precipice and into dangerous territory. I do not want to accidentally hurt you, Willa.”
She lowered her lashes demurely. “I will be a good girl,” her repentant tone sounded like she was trying to emulate a submissive. She didn’t pull it off. Being submissive was as natural for Willa as flying was for pigs.
“Stop that. You are giving me the heebie-jeebies. I do not want a Stepford Wife, but if I tell you to do something, I need you to do it.”
She giggled and nodded. Then she said in her normal voice, “All right. I can do that.”
The fury he had tamped down was edging close to the surface again. He either needed to leave the room or kiss her. For some reason, his muierimei in his arms, her lips on his, calmed the fury inherited from his father. A rage he had spent a lifetime suppressing.
His mouth claimed her lips. The kiss was a bit too aggressive with his desperation riding him hard. He sighed into her mouth as peace descended over him like a gauzy veil. Willa relaxed into him, kissing him just as fiercely.
Etienne closed his teeth on Willa’s lower lip and bit down gently, just enough for her to feel the tiny nip but not cause pain. Then he brushed his tongue across it, soothing the tiny sting and caressing before he dipped inside to taste her. She tangled her tongue with his, sliding and sucking him deep.
When she broke away to grab a breath, he kissed his way across her jaw and down the side of her neck. He closed his teeth with enough pressure to hold her in place yet not break the skin.
Willa gasped and writhed against him.
He did everything he could to show her how he felt and apologize for being more dominant than usual. Not that he could prevent his behavior until he had time to find his center again. He poured his love, passion, and the respect he had for her into every kiss and touch.
Etienne swallowed her moan. Tangling his fingers in her glorious rainbow-colored hair, he angled her head for better access. He dipped his tongue, retreated, then did it again, building her response until she growled in frustration. Chuckling, he plunged his tongue deep, giving her what she wanted.
Never taking his lips from hers, he slid one arm around the center of her back and tucked the other behind her knees to lift her into his arms. Willa wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed her way to his throat as he cradled her to his chest.
Holding her with one arm, he stripped the comforter to the foot of the bed. He lowered her to the cool silk sheets and paused to gaze at the beautiful picture she made. Her hair glistened in the candlelight. The long waves spread across the pillow like a halo around her. Her soft breasts rose and fell with each breath. She was the Venus de Milo come to life in his bed.
&nbs
p; “You are so beautiful, I don’t have the words to do you justice,” he whispered as he drank her in.
Willa licked her lips. Etie was a magnificent sight to behold. And she was beholding. Her eyes widened when his cock swelled impossibly larger. “Umm, Etie? I think you are bigger than before. I’m not sure that weapon of yours is going to fit.”
He wrapped his fist around the girth and stroked, a mesmerizing glide that held her attention, and laughed softly. “I will fit.”
She eyed him skeptically, and he chuckled louder. Then he moved to the end of the bed, pulled her legs apart and knelt between them. Now, this she could handle.
Mercy, he was stunning. Etie looked like an avenging angel ready to swoop down on her. His hips were narrow with that mouth-watering V she wanted to trace with her tongue. His chest was delectably broad and heavy with muscles that rippled with each breath.
Don’t even get her started on his six-pack. No, wait. He had eight! Why hadn’t she noticed that before? Because he was sending you to heaven and you were enjoying the ride. Duh.
Her gaze rose to his face again, and her breath caught. He was watching her with a shit-eating grin on his face.
He rumbled a sound deep in his throat, a hungry, sexy growl that made her body sizzle. Every nerve ending was on fire for him, and if he didn’t touch her soon, she was going to go up in flames.
Then he breathed her name so erotically, her sex clenched. Willa squirmed, mewling sounds of desperation spilling from her lips.
“Relax, sweetheart. I will give you what you want in a minute. First, I need to taste you.” He laid flat out on his belly, and his head dipped between her thighs.
She gasped, then lifted her head to make sure only the two of them were in the bed. She swore at least three men were pleasuring her. Etie was a man possessed. It was as if his mouth was everywhere at once. Licking, sucking, nipping, and all the while, his fingers surged in and out, tickling her G-spot in the best way.