by S. L. Gavyn
There was a split second where the entire room was silent before the chaos started. Some were cheering on the show, some were screaming in outrage while some were just freaked out. I would fall under the last category but I wasn’t screaming. Instead I just sat there looking at the Vamp I had killed. A hand came into my vision and I expected it to be Roman’s so I grabbed it and they helped me up. I turned to see Augustus standing there.
“Are you alright, Sunny?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
He turned to the crowd and I could see he still had a mic in his hand. “That was quite a show. It’s not every day you are able to see such entertainment. Thank you Sunny.”
Really? He’s thanking me for killing a Vamp. I refused to say you’re welcome so instead I left the stage. Augustus motioned toward the back of the stage and several Vamps came forward to drag the body away while the band got back into position.
Roman met me at the bottom of the steps leading from the stage. “Are you alright?”
“She’s fine. Our little Thief is quite the killer,” Augustus said from behind me.
Roman nodded. “Sir, I request the rights of all of Erik Roberson’s holdings.”
“Why? It was I who brought him along for the show,” Roman’s bitch of a sister said.
So she did bring him on purpose because she knew I would be here.
“Desiree, you always bring the nicest gifts.”
“I aim to please, Augustus.” She slid up beside him and began kissing his neck.
Oh Gods. I think I might be sick.
“He attacked my guest and was subsequently killed by my guest. In the laws of battle, any opponent killed by me or one I consider to be mine is considered my kill. As his killer I wish to claim his holdings.”
“Just earlier you said she wasn’t yours to give.”
“She is not mine. She is merely my guest therefore my responsibility for the evening.”
“Semantics, Roman. Very well, you can have his holdings. Your little Thief earned it,” Augustus winked at me.
Desiree stopped kissing Augustus’ neck and began to pout.
“Don’t be saddened darling. I have a surprise for you later.”
She smiled seductively and I wanted to puke again.
“We will take our leave then, my lord. I don’t believe Sunny is feeling like celebrating any longer.”
“Oh, yes. You must take care of the abomination,” Desiree snarled.
“Please do take care of her Roman. Lucian would have my head if anything were to happen to her,” Augustus said to Roman then turned to me. “Sunny, as always, it was a true pleasure to behold your beauty tonight.”
“Thank you for a most memorable evening, Augustus. Desiree.”
I turned and walked off. That was as nice as I could possibly be and to be honest I’m surprised I managed to be that pleasant. Most memorable evening indeed. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. Or that bitch Roman calls sister. Call me an abomination will she. I’ll kick her ass to Timbuktu and back then see who the abomination is.
“Are you going to stew the whole way home?” Roman was standing beside me while we waited for the limo.
“I’m not stewing, I’m planning.”
“I truly feel sorry for those involved in this plan.”
“You should.”
“Am I to be involved?”
I looked at him with one brow raised.
“Look on the bright side. I got approval for Tristan. He will be welcomed into the Vampere nation.”
Oh my Gods what have I done to my beautiful boy? I’ve cursed him to have to deal with this for the rest of his days.
“Don’t look so horrified, Sunshine. I will always protect what is mine.”
I looked at my arm where the scratches were still visible. They were bleeding slightly but with luck there will be minimal scaring.
“Really? Where the hell were you tonight?”
“I wasn’t expecting such a public affair. I will know better next time.”
“I sincerely hope you know that next time will not involve me because it will be a cold day in hell before I go to another Vampere soiree.”
He looked at my arm for a second. “Don’t freak out?”
“Don’t freak out? Freak out about what?”
Roman bent down and licked up my arm. Taking the blood and sealing the wounds at the same time. Vampere saliva has healing abilities as well as a numbing solution. It won’t do anything for internal bleeding unless you drank it but who wants to drink Vamp spit. For exterior cuts it can work some miracles. My cuts will be fully healed by the time I get home.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Not tonight. I’ve got a headache.”
“So, your sister’s a real peach, huh?”
We were sitting in the back of the limo and I was trying to massage away the pain that had begun pounding in my head. Between taking the Witch’s magic this morning and the Vamp’s tonight I felt like my head might explode.
“She is not without issues just like the rest of us.”
“Oh, I would say she has more than her share.”
“Her biggest fault is that she tries to please everyone.”
“It sure looked like she wanted to please you alright.”
“We are nothing but siblings, Sunshine.”
“I’m sorry but where I come from siblings don’t rub themselves all over each other.”
“It is not her fault.”
“Then whose fault is it? I didn’t see anyone holding a gun to her head.”
“She wasn’t given the proper upbringing a Vampere child should be given. Our sire raised her to be what he wanted.”
I took a shot in the dark. “A piece of ass?”
He gave me a warning look. “A tool. That was all we were to him.”
“The Roman. That sounds more like a title than a name.”
“Yes, similar to the Thief.”
“Mine makes sense because I steal people’s magic. What does yours mean?”
“I am Roman. The last of a great empire.”
“Uh, you know Rome still exists, right?”
“Yes but the Roman empire is long gone. All that remains is a city and relics.”
I rubbed my head again. The aching was growing in intensity.
“So you’re the last Roman. That’s why they call you that.”
“That is part of the reason.”
“What is the other part?”
He just smiled.
“Fine whatever. I don’t care about your sister’s upbringing. She’s a royal bitch any way you play the cards. You were raised by the same man and you turned out…uh, not an insane bitch.”
“I will try to take that as a compliment.”
“You do that.”
I laid my head on the back of the seat. It hurt just to move. I couldn’t continue on at this rate. It was just last night I vowed not to see Doyle again but I would have to chance it. It would be better to beg Roman’s forgiveness that have my head explode.
“Are you alright?”
“Fine. Tired. I’m ready to go home.”
“You look as though you’re in pain.”
“Just a headache, Roman. I can’t imagine why.”
My head hurt just talking. I wasn’t going to make it to Doyle’s if I didn’t do something so I held out my hand and called upon the Witch’s magic to create a flame. Brennan would shit a brick if she saw me doing this.
“Are you cold? Because I can think of no other reason for creating fire in the back seat of a moving vehicle.”
“The flame soothes me.”
“Why do you need soothing?”
“Probably because some jackass Vamp keeps asking me a million questions.”
“Don’t try to turn this on me. Explain to me why you need the flame.”
My head was still pounding but I extinguished the flame.
“There. Are you happy? Now, leave me alone.”
“You are in pain. Why?�
�
“Stop nagging me. I told you I have a headache.”
“Yes, but what is the cause of the headache.”
“I can think of one big cause and he happens to be sitting next to me.”
“I did not do this.”
He reached forward to touch my head and I pulled away. The last thing I need is to absorb some of his magic too. It already felt like my brain stem was being fried.
“Don’t touch me. I just need to go home.”
He pulled back his hand. “We are nearly there.”
“Good.” That meant I was one step closer to having Doyle pull this excess magic out of me.
The limo pulled into my drive a few minutes later and I did my best to wait patiently for the driver to open the door. When he did Roman stepped out and held out his hand for me. I got out without taking his offered hand and started for my front door. I would wait inside until Roman was gone then I would go find Doyle.
“I am sorry for tonight. I didn’t think you would be attacked or I never would have taken you there.”
I took a deep breath and released it. “It’s alright Roman. It wasn’t your fault. Bye.”
“No goodnight kiss.”
I rolled my eyes and the pain in my head almost had me passing out.
“If it was a good night, I might consider it.”
I unlocked the door and entered the house effectively cutting off any more protests. I leaned against the door and took a deep breath. My brain felt like it was about to split in two leaving me a drooling puddle on the floor. I looked out the peephole and saw the taillights of the limo as it turned onto the main road from my driveway. I stumbled to the kitchen and grabbed my keys off the hook before returning to the front door since my car was parked there. I started out the door before I realized Roman was leaning up against my car still in his tux sans jacket.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” He started closer to me. “Where are you going in such a rush?”
“I...I just need something. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“What do you need, Sunshine?”
“Just something for my headache. You can go now.”
“Is it because of the Vampere you killed? Is that why you are in pain?”
“I told you, it’s none of your business.”
“You know, I spent an extremely large amount of time last night wondering what a lowlife like Doyle could possibly possess that would interest you. I know it’s not the sex. A beautiful woman like yourself could have any lover she wanted so why chose an incubus. What could an incubus offer other than sex? And then it dawned on me. He takes your excess. You absorb others magic but I’m sure there is a limit to the amount you can hold. Correct me if I’m wrong.”
I just looked at him.
“That is what I thought. And now you plan to run to this incubus to release the magic you took from the Vampere. You would risk never seeing your child for this?”
“You don’t understand. It wasn’t just the Vampere tonight but a Witch this morning. I was already at maximum capacity and now I feel like I might die if I don’t find release.” I was practically crying which really pissed me off.
He reached forward and stroked my chin. “You will tell me later about this Witch but for now I will ease your suffering.”
My eyes widened. “What?! No! You’re not. There will be no fanging tonight.”
He simply smiled. “You would rather feed your body to a demon that allow me to take from you.”
I crossed my arms and his smile widened. Before I knew what he was going to do he had pushed me back into the house. I thought he might attack but he just leaned against the door and crossed his own arms.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you to decide to allow me to feed from you.”
“I could drain you dry of your magic.”
“And I could have you tied to a chair before you ever managed to touch me.”
“Ha. You don’t know where I keep the rope.”
He reached into the back pocket of his trousers and pulled out a length of twine about five feet long. It didn’t look very thick but I know looks can be deceiving.
“Do you always carry rope in your back pocket?”
He tilted his head to the side in a half shrug. “It’s nice to have in emergencies.”
“Like what? An emergency BDSM scene?”
He just smiled. The images that popped in my head made me smile back. I could just picture some busty blonde screaming. “Help. Somebody help me. I need tying up.” Enter Roman and his length of rope. “Don’t worry ma’am. I’m a doctor.”
I laughed out loud and the pain in my head had my laugh turning into a cry. Roman leapt forward and grabbed me.
“Please Sunshine. I can’t stand to see you in such pain. Allow me to take from you. I promise I will only take what you give.”
I slowly nodded. I just can’t stand the pain anymore and, although Roman is the last person I want to bite me, it isn’t worth the repercussions of going to Doyle. The only problem I have is the intimacy that comes with a Vampere’s bite. Their magic is designed to make their victim enjoy being bitten. Most claim it’s orgasmic. Since I’ve never allowed one to feed from me I don’t know for sure but given mine and Roman’s past I would guess this is about to get intense.
He pulled me closer to him slowly while he nuzzled my neck. I could feel his tongue as it slid across my skin and I tried to think of anything else but it was futile. He struck so fast I didn’t feel it. The numbing agent in his saliva probably helped with that. Or maybe it was the immediate feeling of euphoria that overtook me. I could feel his magic as it entered me and merged with my own. I tried to separate mine from both the Witch’s and Vampere’s but in the end it didn’t matter. He could sense the difference and began taking the magic that wasn’t mine. I was eternally grateful that I didn’t need to concentrate on which magic he should take because I was too preoccupied with the intense passion that was coursing through my veins. I could feel him through every inch of me and all I wanted was more. More of him, more of this, just more. I ran my hands along his back and every muscle was tense. He was driving me crazy with need so I ran my nails down his back over his shirt to prove my frustration to him and he moaned in response. I was panting and rubbing myself against him as my hands roamed over him. Gods he felt so good and I wanted him like I have never wanted another.
The orgasm overtook me so intensely I thought I might fall but he had his arms wrapped tightly around me and there was no way he would let me go. His name became a chant on my lips until it sounded as though he were a god I was praying to. I reached for his pants and he pulled back before licking the wound. I didn’t give him a chance to get away. My lips were on his before he could say anything and as our tongues entwined I gave a brief moment to realize that he didn’t taste like blood. All I could taste was the remnants of the magic he had taken.
There was no more room for rational thought. There was only one thing that had my synapses firing and that was him. His touch, his kiss, his hands running over my body, his body pressed against mine. It was at once a soothing balm for the fire burning within and an accelerant making me want more. I again reached between us for the waist of his pants but he pushed me against the wall and covered my body with his effectively blocking any attempts I could make to disrobe him. He put his hand in my hair and yanked it back causing me to bare my neck to him then he licked a path from my collar bone to jaw and took a little nip. I gasped and he pulled back letting up on my hair enough so I could look into his eyes.
“Gods, you make me want so much when you look at me like that.”
I smiled seductively. “You have me wanting too.”
He smiled sadly. “I’m not the monster you think I am.”
“I know.”
He released me and took several steps back. I was horrified. Did I do something wrong?
“I won’t take you
like this. How could I ever know if it was me or the magic that has you so wound up?”
“It’s you. Trust me.”
“I want to believe you but I need to know for sure. Later, if you still want me, I will not deny you.”
“What? You’re leaving?”
“For tonight.”
Now that pisses me off. He purposely got me all hot and bothered and now he’s standing me up.
“Fine. Go. I can assure you it will be a cold day in hell before I come begging for you to have me.”
“You won’t have to beg, Sunshine. A simple yes will do.”
“Get out!” I walked to the front door and opened it for him. “You wanted to know if it was you or the magic. It was definitely the magic. It made me forget temporarily what an asshole you are.”
He moved closer to me. “Good night, Sunshine.” He bowed slightly before walking out the door and I slammed it behind him. Then locked it for good measure. Gods I was such a mess. The truly sad thing is I miss him already. The one thing tonight made me realize is just how much I yearn for that man.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Drunk dialing”
I slept late the next morning primarily due to my lack of restful sleep throughout the night. It took me forever to get comfortable and when I finally drifted off I was plagued with dreams of Roman rebuking my advances. I’m not going to dwell on the implications those dreams hold about my psyche and what a gentle state it’s in.
It was three in the afternoon when my cell started ringing. I didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID.
“This is Sunny Dubois.”
“Hi mom. It’s me.”
I was shocked into silence for a moment. “Oh, my beautiful boy. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“I’ve missed you too.”