In her book, it was well worth it.
Staring down at her spent mate, lying beside her, Belladonna was ambivalent. When the beautiful gift of death was returned to her, she would have no need for him.
Sad but true.
She would be able to have any man, or vampyre, she wanted. In fact, Jolie Harcourte had a very sexy specimen that would look delicious in her bed.
There was a budding curiosity about the human detective. While she was accustomed to using the living around her, there was something sexy about the other vampyre’s mate.
Maybe it was his rugged good looks, the tan flesh, or the fact that he was dedicated to his mistress.
That was a worthy trait she could admire.
After taking away Jolie’s dark gift, Belladonna would have the human too.
Repeatedly.
Sliding from the bed, she headed to the book case and opened a secret cabinet. Inside, she ran her fingertips over the book inside.
It contained the black magick spell that they had used. Thinking back to it, she knew what she needed to get for the magic to begin.
First she would have to find Vanth. After that monumental task, she’d need a blood sacrifice from a human.
She grinned.
Okay, maybe her plan would have to be altered a little. The sexy human wouldn’t be in her bed after she repossessed Death.
She’d definitely need him, but it wouldn’t be for sex.
It would be on her altar.
He’d be the first blood offering.
After all, someone had to die.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Across Town
Detective Montclair sat at his kitchen table drinking his coffee. So many things were racing through his mind. As he stared out the window, he tried to organize his thoughts, but it was getting progressively harder.
His mind was racing.
There had to be a way to get the incredible Doctor Harcourte to come with him to the crime scenes. Just spending time near her, he was filled with overwhelming lust and need. It was something so powerful that he couldn’t fight it.
Yes, he was married, but this feeling of want was something he didn’t feel for his shrew of a wife.
The doctor was canny and a genius. Her mind would make tracking the vampyres so much easier. She would be able to pick them out by their deviant behaviors, and that alone.
All he needed was to find a way to isolate her from the men who surrounded her. Then he could convince her. If she would only listen to his logic, she would see the truth.
Vampyres were dirty, evil, and needed to die.
With her on his side, the killing could continue. He was sure of it. At that moment, Paris was on the cusp of falling to the evil creatures. With her assistance, they could win.
They could be victorious.
He would go down as the greatest hunter of all times.
All he needed was to find a way to get her to see the truth. Once she did, her sympathy would be his greatest ally.
This was his mission in life.
How could he tell her that he was born to kill?
There had to be a way so that Jolie Harcourte wouldn’t think he was crazy!
A sound got his attention. When he looked up, his once beloved wife entered into the kitchen with her coffee. Lately, she had become a liability. The last slaying almost got them discovered. He warned her to watch their prey carefully first, killing only one pair and observing to see what the outcome would be. But no, she went crazy, hacking them to bits.
Don’t get him wrong--the humans deserved death--but it left him with a dirty mess to clean up. He would need to find a way to eliminate her since she was a growing problem.
“What are you thinking about?” asked Jenna suspiciously. He had been locking himself away in his private study a little too much lately, and she was barred from entering.
There was no doubt that he was scheming.
“Nothing important, Jenna,” he said, barely giving her any notice.
There was no doubt in her mind that he was slowly pulling away. Something was causing the fracture between them. Now, it was up to her to find the source and eliminate it. Jenna Montclair would remove it like a cancer. She’d carve it out of him, getting her beloved hunter husband back.
“Who’s next on our list?” she asked, sitting across from him.
“I’m working on finding the next family,” he replied. When he glanced over, there was a sparkle in his wife’s eyes.
It pleased and scared him at the same time.
She was crazy as the Mad Hatter.
He knew that he should be scared of that evil, but as long as he could point it in the right direction, he would be safe. He’d trained a killing machine, and for what was coming…
He’d need it.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Wednesday
Mid-Afternoon
Death finally set her free.
Jolie enjoyed the dreamless rest. As she floated up, she could feel her mate beside her. When she opened her eyes, her heart began skipping in her chest. Only one man rested in bed beside her.
Flynn wasn’t there.
Then, she heard it.
He was in the bathroom, moving around.
Jolie relaxed. He was safe. Slipping out of the bed, and into a short silk robe, she headed toward the door. As of late, she enjoyed showering with him when they woke. There was something intimate about spending her first minutes with him in a steamy bathroom.
Since she didn't hear the shower, Jolie figured that she’d already missed that part of the morning’s festivities.
Opening the door, she saw him in the mirror. Her sexy Flynn was leaning over the counter--shaving. While Jacques had offered to show him a few vampyre tricks to eliminate that task, Flynn had refused.
It was a piece of his humanity, and he wasn’t ready to let it go.
She didn't blame him.
Staring at his body, Jolie found it hard to think. There were still a few scars crisscrossing his strong back. They’d been a gift from Genevieve when he had been taken. Even her ancient blood wasn’t able to heal them. That wasn’t surprising, since the evil bitch had cut chunks of his flesh from his sexy body. If that was the only damage left…they were damn lucky.
Jolie licked her lips as she let her gaze slide up and down his torso. She loved tracing her fingers over them when they were naked in bed. It turned her on to appreciate each and every one. After all, they’d nearly lost him.
Entering the room, he didn't flinch when she approached. That meant he knew she was there. Well, so much for a sneak attack.
“Hello, beautiful. You’re late today,” he said, motioning toward the shower with a jerk of his head.
And that was a pity. Jolie loved watching rivulets of water run down his chest.
She needed to focus.
Hopping up, Jolie took her place on the counter so she could watch his competent hands slide the razor over his skin. She could hear the sound of the sharp blade slicing through stubble. The shaving cream disappeared in even strokes.
“I’m sorry that I was. I like being in here with you.”
He glanced over. “You want to help?” he asked, rinsing off the blade.
“You know I do.”
He moved to stand in front of her, no longer needing the mirror. His mate was about to be his eyes and hands.
Jolie took the razor and began working on his throat as he stood between her legs. She noticed that he was in bat covered boxers, and her heart skipped. They were a gift from her. Each time she saw him with one of her little presents, her heart fell more and more.
“How was your rest?” he asked, not knowing what to call it. If there were dreams, wasn’t that sleep?
“Peaceful,” she admitted. “I guess I’m getting some human characteristics. I got drunk, tried to molest my mate, and passed out.”
He laughed, tucking his black, wet hair behind his ears. “Yeah, well, I love you
r chilly hands in my boxers.”
The razor paused from its path across his face.
Flynn realized that the gig was up. He’d just given the woman enough information to hang himself.
“Oh,” she said, stopping. “So, you didn't want me to touch you?” What else could it be? Flynn had never turned down her attempt to have sex with him.
He heard it in her voice. “Jolie,” he began.
“It’s okay, Flynn. You weren’t in the mood.” When she tried to get off the counter, he blocked her escape.
“Stop!” he said.
When Jolie couldn’t move, her eyes flickered up at him. She couldn’t even think. “Flynn.” This was a gift that vampyre mates shared. If Flynn was now privy to this…
The implications were huge.
He was well beyond a human picking up a few trivial tricks along the way. He was picking up the big ones.
“First, you need to let me explain. Yes, I was awake when you came to bed, and yes I faked sleeping, but you’re assuming something that’s way off base. I couldn’t roll over and have sex with you, despite wanting it in the worst way.”
She stared at him. “I don’t understand.”
Flynn took her face in his palms. “I didn't do it because I didn't want thank you sex from the woman I love. It felt wrong. Plus, I wanted Jacques to have the moment because his heart needed to heal.”
Her worry dissipated.
Of course Flynn would be thinking about Jacques’s feelings. The man was kind and caring.
“Back to the thank you sex. When you touch me, or I touch you, Jolie, I want it to be because we need each other. It should be because we want each other. It’s not a prize you hand out to reward me like I’m a trained pet.”
She didn't realize it would hurt him like this. “I do want you. You’re my Flynn. I’m the one who was given a prize the day I walked into your precinct.”
That made him feel better. He had to admit that all night he was bothered by what had happened. With each tick of the clock, his irritation had grown.
“When we make love,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. His lips moved across hers, plumbing the depths of her mouth to find the same heat which lived in him. When she moaned, he slowly pulled away to continue, “I want you to be thinking about us, and only us.”
She understood.
“I want you to need me because I’m your mate--not your problem solver.”
She wanted his mouth back against hers in the worst way. “Yes, Flynn.”
He set her free.
“Are we going to discuss that handy little vampyre trick that you’ve seemed to have picked up?” Jolie asked.
Brogan grinned. “Oh, I’m full of tricks.” Leaning down, he rinsed the shaving cream from his face. When he dried his skin, despite the fact that Jolie wasn’t finished shaving half his face, his flesh was perfectly smooth.
“Flynn.”
He stared over at her. “When I get blood regularly, I keep these little tricks. When I don’t feed, or go too long between feedings, I lose them. I think that’s the only caveat with my new skills.”
Jolie didn't know what to say.
“So, we need to decide, as a couple, if I should keep them, or stop drinking your blood. Does this make you uncomfortable?”
She could see the worry in his eyes. The icy blue was so striking when he was nervous or upset. Jolie grabbed his wrist. “You’re my mate. You should drink my blood whenever you feel the need to do so. If you don’t care that you’ve inherited these traits, then I don’t care either. I don’t see you as a human, Flynn. I see you as mine.”
He relaxed. “I don’t want to be an oddity, Jolie. I want to be whatever fate has deemed me. This is who I’m meant to be. I began this journey half a year ago, and I don’t want to regret a single second of it.”
She understood. “It’s a gift. You’re still human, Flynn. Maybe more of you is changing, but the compassion, the kindness--that’s human--and it’s still there. I can see it every time I look at you.”
He was glad he’d found the courage to have this conversation. “Great. I love you. So, can I have some blood?”
She laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder to bare her flesh. “Come and get it, big guy. You can put your mouth all over me any day.”
It was instantaneous. What Flynn lacked in finesse, he gained back in sex appeal. That fast change, a switch being flipped, was very erotic to her.
His eyes bled blue-black.
His fangs descended.
Jolie’s heart quickened as she prepared to be his morning snack.
He stared down at her in the silk robe, his body between her open legs. So many things went through his mind. Most importantly, how this amazing woman loved him for what he was, inside and out.
Leaning down, he brought his lips so very close to her skin. Flynn could taste her already. When her legs wrapped around his hips, Jolie opened for him.
Her heart.
Her mind.
Her body.
As her fingers wandered his back, pulling him closer, Flynn knew what he wanted. Before he tasted her, he needed to claim his mate. Tugging his boxers down, he sprung free. Just as he went to bite into her throat, he pushed his way into her body.
Jolie moaned.
The pleasure was amazing.
As his mouth worked over her throat, slowly sipping her in, his body pumped in and out. Jolie didn't know what felt better.
It was amazing, especially since she didn't expect it.
“Oh, Flynn,” she whispered, as he became more and more wild with his strokes. They were making her crazy.
‘So close,’ he whispered into her mind.
‘Claim me,’ she replied. ‘Claim all of me, mate.’
It was all it took. With one last thrust of his hips, their impromptu mating exploded around them. Both mates fell into the sweet caress of ecstasy. Flynn held her against him as he poured hotly into her body.
Jolie never wanted to move.
This was as close to heaven as she was ever going to get.
When she felt his fangs leaving her flesh, she whimpered in loss.
Immediately, that had Flynn’s attention.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, concern filling his eyes.
“I never wanted it to end,” she admitted, bringing her mouth to his. When she released him, Jolie shared her heart. “I won’t ever touch you just as repayment. From here on out, when I come to you, to enjoy your body and share mine, it’ll be because I have to have you. I promise, my love.”
He grinned, his fangs still peeking out. “Thank you for that. I promise next time you get some foreplay.”
Jolie told him a secret. “Watching you shave is my foreplay. It’s sexy.”
He kissed her.
“I take it back. I think it was the boxers that got me all hot and bothered,” she teased.
Flynn snickered. “My woman gave them to me. She’s really sexy. You should meet her some time.”
Jolie rested her head on his shoulder.
“Baby, you feel drained. I should have let you feed from me first. Do you need energy?” he asked, willing to do anything for her. After all, he just mounted his mate on the bathroom counter. There was no finesse in that.
It was the least he could do.
“I’ve already called Chloe and Mina. You can carry me into our bedroom if you want.”
Flynn tugged up his boxers and closed her robe, belting it at her waist. “Anything for you. I love you, Jolie.”
Her heart skipped. “I love you too, Flynn. I’m a lucky vampyre.”
With that, he swung her up in his arms. “We should tell Jacques about my gifts, and how I want to take blood every day.”
Jolie touched his cheek. “That’s not necessary. I’m sure he’ll figure it out, and besides…me sharing blood isn't shocking. This is what mates do. I’m just as much yours as his.”
He loved her so damn much. A part of him was worried that Jacques wouldn’t b
e happy. After all, he’d just accused him of trying to steal her away. Him wanting blood daily was pretty selfish on his part. Flynn knew that Jacques only drank from Jolie during sex.
“Thank you.”
Jolie left kisses on his cheek. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I should be thanking you.”
“For?”
“That quickie. It was very hot, Detective. Tomorrow, I’ll be up for the showering part.”
That made him smile. “Really? I’ll look forward to it.”
Once in their room, Jolie saw her other mate reading in bed. It was a common thing for him to do. When he saw them, he smiled.
“Hello, mates,” he offered, resting the book on the nightstand.
Flynn placed Jolie in her customary spot. Immediately, she moved into her other mate’s body. “Morning, Jacques,” she replied, nuzzling his cheek.
Jacques knew what happened in the bathroom, not because he was eavesdropping, but because Jolie was carrying Flynn’s scent. Plus, there was the trace of blood.
Someone had a morning drink.
“I called for the donors,” Jolie offered.
Flynn slipped into bed and moved to rest against them. His fingers played in her hair, even as he placed his leg over theirs, joining them together.
“Good,” he replied. “I could use some breakfast,” he added, “Speaking of which, Flynn, are you hungry?”
“Nope,” he replied. “I just ate.”
“Coffee?” Jacques asked, knowing that was pretty much the man’s routine, except, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen the detective drink any.
“Pass. I’m wide awake. Jolie is better than any caffeine hit.”
Jacques lifted a brow. “Well, as long as you eat or drink something,” he offered.
Jolie was about to say something when there was a knock on their door.
“Enter,” she called.
When the door opened, Mina’s cautious smile alerted her as soon as they entered the room. Words weren’t needed.
Dangerous Misery (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 3) Page 22