by T. J. Quinn
Still, did it really matter the why of it? His beautiful hunter had hunted him when no one else would. He was alive now, only because of her persistent diligence and dedication to finding him and he loved her. Hold the phone. Where did that come from? Did he love the beautiful hunter? Some small knowing in the back of his mind crept forward with the answer to that question.
Coming to his feet, he spread his arms. “Do I look presentable?”
Selene nodded like a bobble head doll. “You look fantastic. Good enough to be seen with someone famous.”
Alek’s chest deflated and his hands landed on his waist in the typical superhero pose. “I’m a famous war hero. I saved over five thousand lives and took out a mothership all by my own skill and cunning. You know that, right?”
Nodding much less enthusiastically, Selene slid to the edge of the bed. Flipping her long dark hair back primly over her shoulder, she stated politely. “Yes, you’re technically a war hero. But you are the hero we all read about in history class. The first time I saw a picture of you in my history book it felt really weird, by the way. The thing is, Dakota’s a nowadays hero. Most of my friends collect her posters and trading cards.”
“I had a poster once.”
“Jared’s been trying to find me one. He says it’s a collector’s item. The war was fifty years ago after all.”
“You’re making me feel really old.”
“You’re not old for a vampire. It’s just that most of us weren’t even born when you were a hero. Dakota, we see on the news all the time.”
Grabbing his overcoat, Alek intoned his favorite quote about heroes. “Once a hero, always a hero.”
“I suppose.”
Alek preened a bit. “The primary difference between the lovely hunter and me is I saved people en mass, while she saves the one at a time. It will take her a lifetime to save as many people as I have. You have to admit that’s true.”
“It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks, dad. You’ll always be my hero.”
Turning to look down at his daughter, Alek’s heart melted. “Thanks, sweetheart, that’s really sweet of you to say.”
“Can I ask you something really serious?”
“Sure princess, what’s your question?”
“If anything, ever happened to Jared or me would you please try your best to find us, no matter what Dakota thinks?”
Kneeling down in front of her, worry creased his brow. “I hope you know, I’d always come looking for you. What’s this about sweetheart?”
“I can’t say right now.”
“Secrets are like weeds, darling. They keep growing until they take over all the flowers and choke the life out of everything beautiful.”
“Leave it to you to have a good old-fashioned vampire saying for every occasion.”
“I'm being serious, Selene.”
“I can’t tell you what I’m not supposed to know.”
“If you tell me, maybe I can help.”
“Please don’t force me.”
“Fine, I’m leaving you with Kindra…”
“She’s our housekeeper, not my babysitter.”
“As I was saying, I’m going to leave you Kindra tonight and set the security alarm on my way out.”
“What about if Jared comes over?”
Waving his hand dismissively, Alek frowned at her. “Just use the security pad to let him in. Don’t open for anyone else though.”
Nodding, his young daughter hauled in a deep breath. “That’s for the best, I suppose. You always were one to overreact.”
“Guess I’ve been nursing my hero’s complex for the last fifty years or so.”
Selene’s giggles were cut short after hearing his next words. “You don’t leave the house without Arianna or me.” Her mouth dropped open. “What about if I’m with Jared? He’s a hunter in training, for crying out loud.”
Alek replied sternly. “Until I figure out if this new worry of yours is connected to Jared, I’m not taking any chances with my favorite daughter.”
Folding her arms over her chest, Selene glared at him. “Don’t try to fool me with that favorite daughter crap. Arianna says that you call her your favorite when I’m not around.”
Giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze, Alek grinned. “That’s because you’re both my favorite.”
The frown dropped from Selene’s face, and she rolled her eyes. “I knew that.”
Coming to his feet, Alek struggled into his fine wool overcoat. “I gotta go, princess. Be safe and remember my words. I’ll be back soon.”
“I love you, daddy.”
“You only call me daddy when you’re trying to get on my good side.”
Scoping up her phone and e-reader, Selene headed for the door. “Maybe that’s true, and maybe it’s not. Have a nice time with Dakota, old man.”
Alek’s head snapped up in time to hear her laughing as she skipped down the hall. Old indeed, he was no such thing. He was a suave, dashing, debonair vampire in the prime of his life. And a bona fide war hero, to boot.
Chapter 3
Pale Moonlight
~ Dakota ~
Her chauffeur dropped her on the red carpet, and she noticed Alek waiting patiently for her arrival. Her breath caught in her throat for a brief moment and she felt her heart skip a beat. He was breathtakingly beautiful with his hair down. She thought it sweet that he had stood outdoors waiting for her when most men would have had her come in and find them.
He came up and extended his arm, as he spoke. “Greetings, my beautiful hunter. You look lovely under the pale moonlight.”
Wrapping her arm around his, she teased him playfully. “I dressed with you in mind. Nice tie. I’ve seen it before.”
His eyes lit up. “I’m always surprised to find you notice me at all, much less what I wear.”
“Sexy vampires are hard to miss.”
“I’ve told myself it’s because you are a hunter. You notice details others might miss.”
“Then why do other women stare at you?”
His head came up, and his eyes searched hers for a brief moment before responding. “They see me as a lonely vampire in need of feeding and think to use that to get to my one redeeming feature, which is, of course, my money.”
“I might be after your money as well. Didn’t that ever occur to you?”
“You’re wealthy in your own right. Plus, I don’t think someone as accomplished as you would be that crass.”
Dakota couldn’t hold the laughter in. It bubbled up and out before she could stop it. Alek liked making her laugh. She could tell because of the pleased expression on his face. He led her to his private box, and she was pleasantly surprised they were excellent seats. She loved the opera.
He reached out, took her hands and brought it to his lips. They held hands as they talked quietly.
“When we’re together, you ignore every other person in the room. I have to admit, I love having your undivided attention. Does that make me selfish?”
“There are other people in the room? I haven’t noticed.”
Bringing her hands to his lips, he kissed each and every finger. Alek was all kinds of sweet, even in a formal and somewhat reserved setting like the opera.
“Your friend Durk is staring at us. He’s got a thing for you.”
Leaning over, Dakota kissed him. “Don’t care, because I’ve got a thing for you.”
Finally glancing around, she noticed that they were attracting notice tonight. One person, in particular, caught her eye. He was an older human man wearing a turn of the century suit. That would have been enough to capture her notice, but the fact that he was giving them dirty looks made him even more noticeable. His stark facial features, salt and pepper beard and black eyes gave him a creep factor that was off the charts. Turning her back to him, Dakota didn’t care much for alien haters. They always hated to see human women with vampires.
“It must be annoying for you when people stare. I’ve gotten used to it over the years, bu
t you’ve spent most of your life wrapped in a cloak of anonymity.”
“Though I would prefer for us to go unnoticed, I’d be lying if said being seen with you is useful regarding them not still thinking you are available.”
“I know how to say no if another man approaches me. You don’t need to worry about sending secret coded messages to other males.”
“Still, it’s in my nature to lay claim to what is mine.”
“I’m not yours.”
“Yet.” Dakota knew he meant his response to sound ominous, so she didn’t roll her eyes like she wanted to.
Alek pulled her closer and laid a light dusting of kisses on her neck. She wondered if he could tell that she had sprayed herself with perfume but avoided getting it on her neck. The only purpose of that behavior was if a woman was hoping to get bitten by a particular vampire and knew he would be put off by the taste of the perfume.
Something was driving him wild. The sensual way he kissed her neck and his tongue slipped out occasionally to lap at her skin was the strongest form of vampire flirting used in the modern age. Knowing that he was aroused by being near her, and likely forcing himself to refrain from actually biting her, literally made her night.
He seemed satisfied snuggling her close and gently running the tip of his tongue down her carotid artery. His gentle ministering was affecting her in precisely the manner he intended, making her wet for him.
He mentioned, “Your color choice is dramatic and very appropriate for the evening. Did you choose it for any particular reason?”
She smiled and brought his wrist to her lips leaving a small smear of red lipstick where her kiss touched. It was the traditional spot that lovers bit each other when sharing the blood bond. He immediately brought her other wrist to his lips and kissed her there. His touch was sensual and electrified her entire body.
The moment the curtain closed, Alek stood and drew her from their seats.
“I’m glad you didn’t stay for the curtain call.”
“I usually do, but tonight I’m eager to get on with our evening.”
Strolling out of the darkened theatre and into the hallway, Dakota was surprised to see the creepy older gentleman standing quietly against the wall with what could only be described as a possible henchman. He was wearing a bowler hat and carrying a fancy walking stick. His head dipped down slightly in what she recognized was a hateful, antagonistic pose. What was wrong with the strange man? Alek drew her attention.
“I noticed him earlier. Why is it always the old men who exhibit such overt disapproval?”
Pulling her eyes from the older man, she glanced up into Alek’s handsome face. “I don’t know, but it feels like we’re wasting precious us time, talking about a stranger we’ll probably never see again.”
“True.” Wrapping his arm around her, he guided her out to the street where his car was waiting.
“Did you have something special planned?”
“I picked out a romantic restaurant. It got rave reviews from several humans I know. They say it has flowers, fine food, and delicious desserts. I was told human women enjoy such places.”
“Do you mind if I choose a place for us to talk?”
“I’d be interested to see how it stacks up to the one I chose.”
Dakota slipped his driver a card and slid into his vehicle. He got in, sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her.
“I’m thrilled that you are agreeable to spending additional time with me this evening.” His voice was calm but filled with the huskiness born of acute longing. Dakota knew it well since she was struggling with the same problem.
“Thank you for inviting me out tonight. I was eager to see you again.”
“I wasn’t sure you would want to see me again after the last evening we spent together.”
She smiled and whispered in his ear, “I am a little disappointed that you seem so tame tonight, but I guess you can’t have that sexy bloodlust going all the time.”
He laughed softly, as he gazed down at her. “When I left your place, I was seriously concerned that you would never want to see me again. I thought seeing me like that would frighten you.”
She leaned over, took his hand in hers and stated sincerely. “I loved seeing you like that. Your bloodlust makes you more attractive to me than you can possibly know. I hope that happens for me again at some point.”
He dropped the arm he had draped around her to her waist and pulled her closer to him. She touched the side of his face and pointed out, “I think we should take separate cars from now on though because I am having a hard time keeping my hands off you.”
He nuzzled his face into the side of her hair and whispered, “You and I both. Your scent is so intoxicating. I can smell it even through your very lovely perfume.”
Dakota realized he probably had acute senses being a full blood vampire but being able to smell her arousal was beyond anything she would have imagined. She didn’t know exactly how she felt about that. It was sexy, intimate and wrong all at the same time. It brought back all the feelings of being in his arms the last time she was at his house, and it created a surge of intense longing inside her body, heart, and mind.
Chapter 4
Pleasure Feeding
They arrived at a large brick building with no windows. “I recognize this place. It’s a bar predominantly for vampires.”
“It’s my favorite. I get treated like a person here, instead of a celebrity.”
As soon as they entered the hostess came to them. “Dakota you look beautiful tonight. What is the special occasion?”
Dakota placed a hand on the girl’s arm. “Opera date with a gorgeous guy.”
Her friend glanced at him and said, “I’ll say. Where did you find him?”
Dakota smiled and replied, “I hunted him of course.” The hostess giggled assuming it was a hunter joke.
By that time, they were at a small table in the back of the room. Dakota smiled but was not willing to answer any more questions about her attractive date.
A waiter came over and dropped a bottle of her favorite wine on the table and asked Alek if he would like a drink. Dakota said smoothly, “No, thank you. You can check on us later if you get a minute.”
Alek looked at her strangely. “This is not just a bar for vampires. In the evening, it’s apparently a couple’s bar for vampires with human partners.”
“I thought you might be more comfortable here. The vampires feed in the open here.”
Alek looked around. Dakota saw the understanding click on his face when he saw each human was drinking wine or a mixed drink, but each vampire was discretely feeding off their partner.
“Being in a room is thoroughly arousing. I can scent the blood of several dozen people in the air. I’ve had heard of places like this, but I never imagined they were this arousing.”
“They’re considered very intimate and romantic among your kind.”
“So why do you think the waiter was surprised when you sent him away? Would he not expect me to do as the others here are doing with their partners?”
Dakota looked amused, scooted her chair closer to him and held his hand. “He is a former gentleman friend of mine, and I don’t think he can quite get his head around me feeding for pleasure rather than necessity. We never did that in the time we were together.”
“I thought I explained that I don’t usually do that either.”
She reminded him, “I think I explained that ‘usually’ is not the same as ‘never.’ I very much enjoy bonding in that way with you. Have you ever considered taking a preferred feeding partner?”
Her new love seemed taken aback by her words. “I’ve actually been thinking of little else besides spending time with you and tasting your blood. Does that make me the stereotypical thirsting vampire in your mind?”
“Hardly. It makes you someone I’d love to feed.”
She lifted her wrist to his lips. His curious eyes found hers and seemed to be searching for something. He turned hi
s head to the wall and discretely and very gently bit her wrist. Dakota closed her as he began to suck and lick her wrist. It was intensely erotic for the both of them.
Running her hand through his hair, she pulled it forward over his cheeks. “It’s a pleasure to see you with your hair down tonight.” He was gorgeous with his fangs slightly extended and his eyes turned ever so slightly red.
“There are times when being a creature of habit really works against me. I’ve been pulling it back for so long, I don’t even think about it anymore. Tonight, I wore it down for you.”
“I do love your long hair.”
Wrapping an arm around her, he bit into her wrist openly. She nuzzled her face against his neck. Hearing a disapproving sound from nearby, they both looked up to see his daughter, Arianna and her human partner, John staring down at them.
It was awkward to be caught feeding by his older daughter. Alek was the first to speak. “John, I didn’t realize you were back. I’m surprised to see the two of you out on a weeknight. I would have thought you would be squirreled away together catching up on lost time, maybe studying advance nuclear mechanics or partial physics.”
Dakota noticed that the young woman did not look the least bit amused and her partner was thoroughly confused.
Dakota asked politely, “Won’t the two of you join us?”
Arianna replied, “Well, let me think about that for a minute. How would that play out? Would I feel quite comfortable pleasure feeding in front of my own father? More importantly, would he feel comfortable doing that in front of me? I think not. Really father, I do not think this is your kind of place.”
Alek immediately stood up, said “Please excuse us.” and literally walked off with his daughter by the arm. They stopped at the bar and Alek had pointed words with her.
Dakota stood staring at her mate and leisurely asked, “Aren’t you going to go over and make sure she’s ok?”