by Alisha Basso
“I told you, no other women have entered this room, and I have never wanted to keep any other female for any length of time.”
He stepped into the room, walking toward me, viewing his powerful body naked, his midnight hair long and free, he looked like a preternatural god.
He knelt beside me. “This is all for you.” He reached out and pushed on a section of the wall. It slid out with a slight “whoosh” of air.
My eyes locked on the objects inside. A fortune in jewels and gold lay in various display boxes and little velvet-lined compartments. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches and strange, long pins filled the slender drawer.
“For you as well,” his eyes sought mine. “Just because you are here against your will, does not mean I need to treat you like a prisoner.”
“How? When?” I stammered. “When did you do all of this?”
“I prepared for you long ago. I had a separate room set up for you to occupy, that is, until the night you gave yourself to me.” He smiled, obviously remembering his conquest. “I knew then that I could never allow you out of my sight, not for any length of time. And now that I have seen other men around you, I will not be leaving you alone in a bed.”
“But Arian will watch over me. Surely you don’t mean to keep me here all the time?”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “Arian? Could it be that she has captured your interest?”
Okay, now what?
“No, no, she just seems normal, that’s all. I just don’t want to be cooped up in this place with no one to talk to but you. And another female, however twisted, is a nice change from the relentless innuendo I seem to attract from the males around this place.”
He seemed amused at that. “Well, perhaps you do need some female company. I do not quite understand it, but if it is what you wish, then I will arrange for you to spend a few hours with her. I can use that time to meet with my council. We have many things to discuss.”
He stood and began rummaging through the clothing on the racks meant for me. He pulled out a crisp white blouse and a pair of gray slacks. They were stylish and chic. Then he pulled out a pair of black sling-back heels. A thin black belt was suddenly in his hands. He bent down and selected a diamond tennis bracelet and a pair of large diamond stud earrings.
“So, I guess the look today is rich sophisticate?” I inquired as he handed the clothes to me without a word and went to select his own clothing. “I mean, I appreciate your fashion sense, I really do, but I think I can pick out my own outfits. Thank you very much.”
He snorted. He actually snorted.
“I have seen what you consider good taste, and with the exception of the clothing you wore when you magically popped out of my sight that first night, I would have to say your taste leaves much to be desired.”
He continued to lay garments over his arm, being careful not to bunch the fabric.
“You take such care in your clothing; yet when I got here your bed looked like you had a wrestling match with your sheets.”
“I take care in my appearance, because it pleases me. I sleep in an unmade bed because it pleases me as well. You will find I am a creature of pleasure.” You could say that again, and again, and again.
“So, are you going to send Nadia in to make me all snazzy, or do you at least trust me enough to brush my own hair?” I batted my eyes at him, but apparently my sarcasm was lost.
“I will leave you to it. I know that if a woman has hair of your length and health, she must be doing something correctly.”
“Well, thanks, I think?”
He gathered his clothing and brushed past me. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Coming?”
Oh, boy! What else could I do? I didn’t see any evidence of the safe he kept the ring in. It was probably behind another door in the wall. And something told me pushing on it wouldn’t make it budge.
I held the pants and shirt away from my body and the jewelry in a protective fist. I shouldn’t care about it, but it was probably worth more money than I would see in my lifetime, so I instinctively took greater care.
I rushed to catch up with him as we entered another room just off to the side of the closet. It housed the shower, which was yet another marvel. This man had bathing down to an art. Water streamed from a dozen heads and steam quickly filled the room. We were already naked and he stepped in without hesitation.
I hung the clothes he picked out for me on a long rod at the other end of the room and slowly approached the shower. I was feeling a little insane. I giggled to myself. If someone had said to me that I would soon be showering with a sexy vampire on a regular basis, I would have checked them for drugs. This was so surreal, and the more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed.
I entered the shower, standing as far from him as I could. I wet my hair and grabbed a bottle of clear soap, squeezing a silky stream into my palm. I stepped out of the spray, sliding my hands along my body, and began to wash myself. I had just finished lathering my arms and was soaping my breasts when I felt his eyes on me.
I looked up from my labors and found him staring at me. His entire body was rigid, his silver eyes hooded with desire. I shivered; he was going to be the death of me, quite literally, if I wasn’t careful.
I turned my back to him and continued to wash the rest of my body, trying to ignore the feeling of his eyes on my back. I knew showering with him would be dangerous. Then, suddenly he was there, standing behind me, his pale hands coming around me to cup my breasts as he leaned over and placed soft kisses on my shoulder. I turned and his mouth caught mine. His lips were soft and demanding. His tongue was sweet velvet in my mouth. I shivered, despite the hot water. I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave myself over to the kiss.
He guided me backward a few steps until I was pressed against the wet marble. The movements made me wince with pain.
“I can’t do this. I’m too sore,” I said, and was thankful when he released me, nodded his understanding and stepped away.
“I am sorry, Sweet I was not aware that my attentions were a bit too much for your sensitive body, I will give you a reprieve, but only a short reprieve. However, I am afraid I have another need that you will not be allowed to deny me.” He lowered his head. “I must feed, sweet Grace, and yours is the only blood I crave.”
I shivered. Did I mention my life was surreal? “I know,” I said. “You haven’t been stingy with that fact.”
His teeth sank in, I gasped at the sudden shooting pain and my hands slapped hard against the wall, steadying myself as he took his fill. It didn’t take much time; and soon he was licking the new wound on my neck.
“I could lose myself in you,” he breathed along the sensitive punctures. I winced, the feeling of his breath on my skin made me shiver. He stepped away. Keeping to his word, he left me alone for the rest of our shower.
I found a glass of water and some vitamins on the counter next to the hairdryer. I sighed and swallowed them down. Picking up the clothing, which now included a pretty pair of panties and a bra, I dressed.
Seth didn’t speak as he moved about the room. He looked beautiful. His long hair was still slightly damp and combed away from his face. His strong jaw was clean-shaven and his body looked amazing, very GQ which seemed strange for a night-stalking fiend from hell. His suit pants fit in a way that made me want to kiss his tailor. His trim waist was emphasized by the slender belt he wore. His shirt was a dark blue and it looked wonderful against his skin.
I watched him as he stood in front of the mirror, taking his long hair and folding it over and over into that short, thick ponytail at the base of his neck. It looked very short by the time he was done. I never would have been able to do that to my hair. I just couldn’t figure out how it was done; he worked too quickly.
He turned to me, his eyes scanning my form with the same scrutiny I had just paid him.
“Now, Sweet, you shall meet the Council,” he said, “then I will summon Arian. She will be pleased to have a new companion for t
he day.”
I forced a smile.
We left his rooms, only then did I realize he was wearing the ring again. Ah, that must be why I was feeling so fantastic.
TWENTY FOUR
We entered the elevator and without a word, Seth sent it on its way. The doors opened and we stepped out into a small lobby. Several empty couches and a large reception desk furnished the area. The room was vacant except for Nadia who sat at the desk primly with her hands folded.
“Good evening, Mr. McPhee, Miss Allen.” She nodded her greeting, her face smiling as usual, “Mr. McPhee, the Council has already assembled and awaits you.”
“Thank you, Nadia. I will be meeting with them most of the evening. During that time, I will have Arian look after Grace. Please ring her room and arrange for her to be here in fifteen minutes.”
Nadia looked as if she were about to protest, but only nodded. “I will ring her right away, sir. Is there anything else you require?” She was obviously not happy about me spending time with Arian. Clearly, she did not approve of the woman, not that I blamed her but you know what they say about glass houses? Well, neither Nadia nor I had any right to throw stones.
“Not at the present time. Thank you,” he said, ignoring her irritated tone.
I was dragged past an obviously peeved mother hen and pushed through a set of huge wooden doors. They closed silently behind me.
I wanted to bolt the second I saw what awaited us.
The Council was made up of about twelve people. Well, that is if you define the word “people” loosely. Some of these members were so bizarre looking, I almost thought it was a costume party.
Seth strode forward on sure legs, but had to pull on my arm to get me to move. I was probably gawking rudely, but no one seemed to notice.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” he began. “I know you are all eager to meet the Madea, and as promised I have brought her here.” He glanced at me and a look of exasperation crossed his face. “I must apologize. She is very new to our world and thus is easily scared.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to the table where an empty chair stood. He was treating me like a frightened rabbit, or maybe I just felt like one.
“Therefore, she will only be present for a very short time,” he said. “Once you have made her acquaintance, she will be escorted away for I feel our business can best be discussed away from her sensitive ears.”
The Council, at large, seemed to frown at him. He squared his shoulders and continued, unfazed. “The Madea’s knowledge is not essential to the fulfillment of our wishes, as I have already discovered in several experiments.”
His sideways glance was almost a leer. Experiments, God what a schmuck! I was getting pretty annoyed. Not only had I been downgraded from Grace to “The Madea,” but now he was talking over me like I was nothing more than an object. God, how I wanted to slap his smug face.
Folding his large form into the leather chair, Seth sighed. Then turning in his seat, he had to stand up again in order to pull me closer to him.
I had to stand. Super. But, I guess it was better than sitting close to one or more versions of my worst nightmare. I was rigid, my eyes scanning the group. When Seth spoke of “The Council,” I figured it was a council of vampires, and only vampires. This group, however was comprised of several different types of monsters, some of which I had never encountered or could even imagine.
The man sitting at Seth’s left had yellow eyes and black slits made up the pupils. His lips were very thin and his skin was a pale grayish color. His strange eyes would flick to me, then away. His reptilian resemblance made it look like his mother might have gotten a little too frisky with a snake.
The man next to him was also strange. He was rail-thin and black as night. His flat black suit blended in perfectly with his skin. His features were hard to decipher, since he seemed to be a living shadow. I tried to catch his eyes and was startled to find they had no whites at all. They had that same strange empty blackness of an excited vampire. I had no idea what he was.
My mental catalog was interrupted when I heard Seth speaking again. The table settled down and the men were looking at him expectantly. Shaking his head, he reached over and grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly against the side of his chair.
“I will give you each a moment with her,” he said “but I must ask that you try not to frighten her. As I said, she is still new to our world.” He stood up and I found myself being led to a small couch along the wall when someone spoke.
“When you say you will allow us to meet her, what if it requires more than a moment? Will you deny us the opportunity of speaking to her? May I also ask if we are allowed to touch her? When we agreed to this meeting to discuss this new alliance, we were led to believe that we all would soon be sharing your power. However, to prove your sincerity, you must first invest your trust in us while we are around her.”
I didn’t know which man had spoken. His voice was a deep bass which resonated through the room. I looked up to see who it was.
The man stood. Wow and wow! He was amazing and ethereal, like some kind of elfin prince from a fairytale come to life. My eyes were frozen. I stood there all gaga, drinking him in. His long hair was yellow, the true yellow of a yarrow flower. It was plaited with silver beads. His skin was pale, but glowed with a golden hue. Not the golden bronzing you get from a great tan; he looked more like he was sprinkled with gold dust. His teeth looked even and bright white. He wore a silver tunic with a silver chain fastened around his waist that held what looked like a dagger.
I shifted, trying to see if his ears were pointed, but I couldn’t tell.
I looked at Seth, who was clearly not happy with my reaction to this man. I clamped my mouth shut. I hadn’t realized it was hanging open until I found it hard to swallow. Oh great, how embarrassing. All I needed was a little drool on my chin to really dazzle him.
The man cleared his throat, drawing Seth’s attention back to him. I decided to look at my shoes. Yes, my lovely, lovely shoes.
“I will put no such restrictions on this Council,” Seth said. “I am true to my word. I want this alliance. The binding of the species is essential to our plans. I will not jeopardize our negotiations before they begin. Gavyn, you may take more time if it is necessary. You may speak to her as well as touch her. But I must insist that all of you refrain from using any magic. No glamour and no compelling her. I give my trust; however, you will do well to keep it. I do not treat this lightly.”
I was getting sick of looking at my shoes. I glanced up at the assembled group of whatevers and tried to cool my jets. Just knowing that this group could pull a glamour, a charm or be-spell me was not giving me the warm and fuzzies.
“Are there any more questions before we proceed?” There was a sudden cacophony of conversation and then silence. Seth led me the rest of the way to the couch.
The creatures were all standing up as I settled onto the couch. I was trying to regulate my breathing as soon as Seth left my side. I guess it wouldn’t be revealing much trust if he hovered protectively over me.
I wasn’t sure what to do - stand or remain seated? I had no dang clue. My question was answered almost immediately as the creepy snake man first approached. He took my hand in his and I flinched at the cold touch of his flesh. He stared at me for a moment and then bowed over our joined hands. I tried to smile and nod, but I’m not sure my body even moved. He introduced himself as Silvestre Beaumont and told me of his excitement and joy at my discovery. I wanted to laugh. My discovery, huh? It felt more like I was hunted down and run to ground by dogs. But if he wanted to pretty it up, I wasn’t going to argue. I watched him return to his seat at the table. He slid when he walked. I shuddered. Where was I?
I turned back to the assembled Council members and beheld a new man who was fast approaching me. I was a little puzzled when he sat down beside me. He smelled like fresh earth. A woodsy smell, as if he had just come in from running through the forest. His eyes were brown, a true brown that suggested a lit
tle ethnic blood. He was very handsome, but being handsome was in no way a guarantee of kindness, as I had already become painfully aware. He was some kind of monster. He had to be in order to fit into this little group. He made me nervous.
His touch felt warm, almost hot. I fought the reflexive urge to pull my hand away. He looked into my eyes before he spoke. “I am Patrick Camden. I have long awaited this meeting. I am pleased to find Seth was able to persuade you to come to our side, and join our cause.”
“What cause would that be?” I inquired. “I’m afraid I haven’t been privy to any plans. Seth tends to keep me in the dark about everything.” I was looking into his eyes, trying to decipher what this man was. He looked human, but he felt wrong.
His face told me nothing and his grip tightened. “Ah yes, well, I guess I find myself forgetting how you came to be in our company. I do not normally condone kidnapping or…,” he paused, eyeing the bite marks on my neck, “any other means of persuasion to reach our ends. However, in this case, with your power, we cannot afford to be too lax. I do apologize that you are being held here against your will, but I feel it is for the best.” He rose. Obviously, he wasn’t going to enlighten me with their plans. He continued to skirt my question with more distracting blather. He was good, no doubt about it. As he walked away, I noticed the next creature sitting beside me. I bit my bottom lip as Gavyn, the golden man, actually dropped to his knees before me. He took my hand in his and I had to really work on my composure. Fear was not an issue with this one, just attraction, plain and simple.
From across the room, he was stunning, but from less than a foot away? Holy-cow! He was beyond belief. His body wasn’t as powerful as Seth’s or Lucian’s. His small movements appeared angelic and graceful. His yellow hair fell around his shoulders, while bits of his bangs were held back by tiny braids fastened with silver beads. The braids were also decoratively laced throughout his unusual hair.
The beads shone like tiny diamonds, reflecting the light. His eyes were deep lavender, surrounded by lush, dark lashes. His face was beyond handsome. Full lips, touched with just a bit of color and flawless skin, he seemed to glow with an internal shimmer.