Dangerous Misery (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 3)

by Kelley, Morgan

  “Oh really?” Jolie loved a challenge. Pulling his mouth to hers, she tried to kiss him into submission. When she broke away, he was still holding his ground. “What if I told you what I have on under this artfully draped sheet?”

  Oh, he was enjoying this. “Maybe.”

  She grinned triumphantly.

  “Show me.” His mind started wandering to all the fun things that were going to happen when they got home.

  She sent him little snippets of herself getting ready. When he closed his eyes, Jolie knew she had him. “So, will you dance with me?”

  He would have anyway, but now he could continue the sexy little fantasy. “Here, General, hold my jacket,” he said, slipping out of it. Now, he was more comfortable, only wearing his dark blue shirt, and gun filled holsters.

  Mathew only hopped that one day he would be as fearless and unwavering as Jolie’s mates.

  She took his outstretched hand, almost giddily. She knew how hard this was for him. Flynn didn't like to be the center of attention. As a cop, he liked to blend. Once on the dance floor, Flynn kissed Jolie softly before whispering into her ear. “I love holding you,” he admitted.

  “Are you happy, Flynn?” The last thing she wanted was to upset him.

  “I don’t think happy is the word I could use right now, but it does start with the letter H...”

  Jolie laughed. “There’s my mate. I see he’s still in there.”

  The music slowed dramatically. “Now this is nice,” he whispered in her ear.

  Jolie agreed. When he dipped her low and slow, she knew something was up. This wasn’t the same man who danced with her last time.

  He was leading.

  Confident.

  Less stressed.

  “Everyone’s watching you because you’re the most amazing woman in the room,” he whispered in her ear.

  That wasn’t exactly the truth. What Flynn didn't see was how all the women were checking him out. The man was sexy as sin. With Jacques, she never worried he’d stray. Vampyres mated for life, but humans…

  It scared her.

  A wave of possessiveness washed over her. Jolie wanted to chain him to her side for all eternity.

  He was meant to be hers.

  Flynn spun her out and back into him, enjoying her being close.

  Jolie laughed as she went against his body. “Have you been practicing? You seem to be more confident than last time.”

  “Maybe,” he replied.

  She knew the truth. Her mate had been learning to dance--for her. Jolie’s heart swelled.

  “You’re good, Flynn.”

  “I’m average.”

  She disagreed.

  “Let’s just say that maybe until now, I never found a woman I wanted to dance with. You bring it out in me,” he replied, letting his lips linger against hers, barely touching. It was a promise of what was to come.

  Jolie rubbed against his body. “That was the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard from you.”

  “I have a lot of competition. I’m up against Mr. Suave.”

  “Do you feel threatened?” she asked, hoping he understood their relationship. Neither man was loved more than the other.

  Flynn swayed with her in his arms before looking over at his mate who was standing with Mathew. “Sometimes.” He figured he may as well be honest.

  “There isn't a reason to be,” Jolie reassured, as she reached up to touch his cheek.

  “Baby, it isn’t that. I just don’t think I can compete in the romance department. He’s known you six centuries, and I have six months. I’m at a disadvantage, and let’s face it--he’s the king of wooing the girl.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said, resting both hands on his cheeks.

  “And now there’s Mathew.” While he wouldn’t share his insecurities with Jacques, he would with Jolie. An open and honest relationship was important. This was as close to a wife as he was ever going to get.

  “Flynn, you’re irreplaceable to me. As for Mathew, I’m like a mother to him. He’s nothing more than a lost little bird.”

  “Who wants in your nest in the worst way.”

  Jolie was appalled and amused at the same time. “Well, you have nothing to worry about. It seems that my nest is well guarded by two big, sexy hawks.”

  Brogan grinned, and then dipped her very low. “Very mean ones.”

  Jolie didn't even flinch when she practically hung upside down. Flynn would never drop her.

  “Not in this lifetime, baby,” he admitted, hearing her thoughts. He lifted her up, so she could slide down his body until they were lip to lip.

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Please kiss me,” she whispered. “I want to taste you.”

  His heart skipped, even as his whole body went taut. That was one hell of a request, and one he would never turn down. His mouth raided, plundered, and stole. In his mind, Flynn heard her moan in pleasure. Yet, he didn't stop. What he wanted was to climb into her body by way of Jolie’s mouth.

  She held on to him, her feet suspended above the floor. When her hands found his hair, he was ready to pack it up and head home.

  He wanted Jolie.

  Needed her.

  Had to have his mate.

  When he finally came up for air, Jolie stared into his eyes. “Mmmmm,” she whispered. “Feel free to do that any time you want.”

  Flynn felt the heat flush up his body. He could feel everyone watching him, and for the first time, he didn't give a shit. “I think I will.”

  Jolie loved how self-assured he was now. This was something she found sexy in a mate.

  “I want to go home,” he admitted. “I really think we need to get the hell out of here. I have plans to unwrap you from that costume, and then spend hours making love to you.”

  Jolie watched the fangs peek from behind his lips. “Let’s go.” She wanted to get naked in the worst way.

  “Yes!” he hissed. With his hand tucked securely in hers, Flynn began leading her across the dance floor. Unfortunately, they only made it half way.

  Then, Jolie stopped dead in her tracks.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” Immediately, he went on alert, almost pulling his gun. He moved to place his body in front of her, yanking Jolie against the safety of his back.

  “That woman over there is wearing an amulet,” she began, pointing. “It’s around her neck.” Jolie looked like she’d seen a ghost.

  Flynn picked out the trinket. “Okay, it’s probably a piece of costume jewelry,” he reassured, patting her on the shoulder. He wasn’t sure what was upsetting her, but Jolie looked like she was about to weep.

  “It’s the real deal,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

  Then, she began backing away from the dance floor.

  “Flynn,” she whispered, glancing up into his eyes. “Please get me out of here.”

  He reached for Jacques. ‘Get over here. Something is wrong.’

  ‘Is she hurt?’

  ‘I don’t know, but she’s scared about something.’

  Jolie continued backing up, trying to put as much space as possible between her and the woman. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  It couldn’t be.

  He stepped up to the task at hand. It wasn’t going to be easy, but Flynn needed to get Jolie across a dance floor full of gawking vampyres.

  They were officially making a scene.

  Vamps could smell fear.

  In fact, so could he. Jolie was giving it off left and right. It made him edgy.

  Blocking her body as much as possibly, Flynn tried to protect her as the multiple primuses stared at them. He gave excuses as they pushed past the other people.

  When she finally made it off the dance floor, Jacques met them at the edge. “Mon amour, what’s wrong?” he asked, scanning for any kind of danger.

  Both men protectively surrounded her body. The Roman general and the gangster were doing what they did best--guarding their woman.

  Jolie turne
d into Jacques’s arms and buried her face in his shoulder. The scent of his cologne soothed her.

  “Come on, baby. You can tell us what’s wrong,” reassured Flynn, as he caressed her hair. “What is it about that amulet that freaked you out?”

  Jolie pulled away from Jacques and looked up into Flynn’s face. “It was my mother’s. After she was killed, I took it with me to Goethe’s. Once there, he took everything I owned away. I never saw it again. I always thought that he gave it to someone in his family.” She shook.

  “Shhhh, baby,” he crooned.

  “It was the only thing I had left of my mother, Flynn. It was a gift from my father to her when they had my brother.”

  The dam broke.

  Jolie couldn’t hold the tears back any more.

  While he wanted to tell her they’d get it back or would get one commissioned to replicate it, Flynn wasn’t sure either option would cheer her up.

  “Mon amour, I’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise,” offered Jacques. If he had to, and he’d even spend a small fortune to get it back. One way or another, Jolie would have that necklace.

  He had to make it happen. “We’ll solve this.”

  Flynn was just about to say something when his mates tensed.

  “What?” he asked.

  Jolie could hear the familiar voice in her mind, calling to her. It put her on alert. Mina wouldn’t reach for her unless there was a ‘Chloe’ issue.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Someone is here. I just saw a shadow creeping around the house. They were looking in the windows.’

  ‘Can you get out of the house?’

  ‘No, Mistress. I don’t think I can get Chloe out of here. Can you come home?’

  ‘Give us fifteen minutes, and we’ll be home. Don’t let anyone in.’

  ‘Hurry, Mistress, I’m scared.’

  Jolie and Jacques both opened their eyes. She knew that her mate had been with her in her mind. Now, her personal issues needed to be shelved. Jolie had bigger issues.

  Their donors were in danger.

  “Flynn, we have to get out of here,” she stated. Then she told him what was happening.

  Immediately, he used his bulky body to push thought the crowd of celebrating vampyres and mates. With Jolie behind him, he knew she was worried. Her hand was clenched in his shirt.

  Jolie sent a call out to Mathew and the women to meet them in front of the building as quickly as possible.

  Jacques brought up the rear. Mentally, he made a note to revisit the amulet issue. Now they’d have to worry about other more important things.

  Outside, the other three in their party met them. Jolie instructed Mathew to drive the two vampyres directly home, to stop nowhere, and to call her if something happened.

  He accepted the task, taking the keys from Flynn before hurrying the female vampyres to the car.

  Inside the other vehicle, Flynn took his spot behind the wheel. They tore out of there fast, heading toward the rental home. While they were focused on what waited for them, neither man could miss the fact that Jolie was incredibly silent.

  That worried them.

  Finally, she spoke, “If anyone touches her, I’ll kill them.”

  Flynn glanced up in the rearview mirror. His eyes met Jolie’s. “It can’t be Belladonna and Morden. They were there dancing not far from you,” he admitted.

  She was aware.

  “Could this be that irritating human detective?” Jacques asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jolie admitted, but she hoped it was.

  A pulse of energy burst through the car and both men jumped.

  “What the bloody hell was that?”

  Jolie opened her eyes. “That would be Death. She wants to feed. Apparently, when I’m pissed off, she shows up.”

  Flynn drove faster. After what happened in their room, he wasn’t risking another Death related episode.

  “If they get into the house,” Jolie began, unable to finish that horrible thought.

  Jacques reached back to pat her leg, despite the black energy pulsing off her. “They won’t.”

  ‘Unless they have a human with them,’ whispered the detective into Jacques’s mind.

  “I heard that, Flynn,” said Jolie calmly, already considering that.

  “Damn it,” he muttered. “How come I can’t keep her out?” he asked.

  “Blood,” they said at the same time.

  Jolie was about to add more, but then the house loomed up ahead. There were no lights on at all, and that made her very nervous. She immediately called out for Chloe and was met with a block. When she reached for Mina, the woman immediately opened for her.

  ‘Mistress, we’re in your quarters.’

  ‘Anymore attempts?’

  ‘Not that I know of, but Chloe is a mess. She’s convinced it’s ‘you know who’, and they’re coming for her.’

  ‘We’re home. It’s okay.’

  Jolie touched Flynn on the shoulder. “I need you to stay here and wait for Mathew and the women. I don’t want to have anyone jump out and grab them.”

  “Okay, but be careful.” Both looked at him like he had grown a third eye. “What? I’m not allowed to be concerned about your welfare?”

  Jacques grinned before taking Jolie’s hand. “Come, mon amour, let’s check on them. I want to make sure that our donors are safe, and then I need to get out of this armor. It is a bitch.”

  Jolie didn't really hear him.

  She was too busy focusing on Chloe. She had to wonder if they should ship her home. Maybe Paris was too much for her.

  Maybe it was too much for all of them.

  The coast appeared to be clear.

  Jolie and Jacques secured the house, making sure there was no current threat to their safety, but neither liked the idea that someone had been near their home.

  Now it was time to check on the donors. Inside her room, they weren’t there, but the closed bathroom door was a good indicator of where she’d find them.

  Knocking, the door was flung open and Mina threw herself into Jolie’s arms. Jacques eyed the gun in her hand. The human was erratically waving it around.

  It made him nervous.

  “Let me have that, Mina. I am pretty sure that Flynn uses silver bullets in all his guns. I don’t think you want to accidentally shoot anyone.”

  Mina turned it over to him.

  “How’s Chloe?” asked Jolie, glancing over at the two women sitting on the floor. Jolie assumed the new woman was the donor that Jasmine had sent them.

  Mina’s face said it all. “It’s been rough. It was like some scene from a horror movie. She kept whispering ‘they’re coming’, over and over again. It’s freaky.”

  They didn't blame the woman for being scared. After today, they were wary of Chloe and how much control she had.

  Now they had a bigger issue. They had a stranger in their midst, and she was privy to the meltdown.

  Great.

  Mina knew why they looked concerned. Glancing over her shoulder, she lowered her voice. “Mistress, I don’t think Margharite has a clue. I brushed it off as a breakdown of sorts. I kinda told her that Chloe has a history of being touched in the head.”

  Jolie hugged Mina, “Good job. You handled this better than I would have,” she offered. “I’ll take over from here.”

  The donor looked relieved.

  Jolie moved cautiously toward Chloe, hoping to not have a repeat of earlier in the day. The energy felt safe, so she knelt before her and their company.

  “Bonjour,” offered the redhead. “I’m Margharite.”

  Jolie felt bad that the woman had walked into this mess, and on her first day as a donor with them. What a first impression that must have made.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Margharite. I’m Jolie, and I apologize for all of this. I’m so sorry that this was your first impression of our family.”

  The girl simply laughed, brushing it off. “That’s okay, Mistress. I like an adventure,�
� she stated, smiling.

  A sound of footsteps had their attention, right before the men entered the room.

  Margharite stared.

  “Wow,” she whispered, ogling Jolie’s mates. “Hello, adventure and excitement.”

  Jolie almost laughed. The woman had no idea.

  She realized that she was gawking at the men. “I apologize, Mistress.”

  Jolie couldn’t help but laugh. “No worries. That is definitely one way to describe them. Generally, I go with bossy and trouble.”

  The men grinned.

  She continued, “Since they’re here, let me introduce you. Margharite, the Roman general is one of my mates, Jacques.”

  He nodded politely, taking in the young girl. She couldn’t be more than twenty.

  “The gangster, the one who is scowling, is my human mate, Flynn.” Jolie held out the gun to him, knowing that he’d like it back for his arsenal.

  “Nice to meet you,” stated Flynn, absconding his weapon and then tucking it into the back of his suit pants. “Is everything okay, baby?” he asked.

  “Yes, handsome, it is.”

  The girl just kept staring, but then again, who could blame her? Jolie knew that she often found herself in the same position. The males around her were a spectacle.

  Jolie reached for Mathew’s mind. She needed him to babysit Chloe until she was done. When his instructions were given, she relaxed.

  “Mina, can you direct Margharite to her quarters after we talk?”

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  They dismissed the new donor to the other room, needing privacy to handle the rest of this mess. For now, they needed to get the whole story. If Chloe was going to be dangerous, they’d have to do something.

  Inside the bathroom, they found her sitting on the floor.

  “Chloe, are you okay?” Jolie asked. Yet, she didn't approach her. In fact, none of them did.

  They were wary.

  “I feel better now,” she admitted.

  Mina held Jolie’s hand tightly. “It was odd, Mistress. Everything was fine. I was just welcoming Margharite when I got this feeling that we weren’t alone. When I looked out the window, I saw this shadow moving around the house.”

  They listened. What she said matched the footprints Flynn had found.

  Mina continued, “I grabbed Margharite and pulled her in. I locked the house, and then got her upstairs to help me keep an eye on Chloe.” She glanced over at Flynn. “I’m sorry, but I rooted around in your things to find a gun.”