Maslow's Needs

by Sheri Gilmore

  “Where’s Drayden?”

  “Gone after his brother.”

  “His ... brother?”

  “He’s the one who attacked you in astral form.”

  That’s why he refused to help me find the killer. He had purposely hidden the killer’s identity from her. Her mouth pulled tight, but she ignored the hurt she experienced at his lack of trust in her and his lack of concern over her cousin’s death.

  She sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to find him and his brother.”

  “You are in no condition to do anything.”

  Jessi wrapped the sheet around her and stood.

  The room dipped and swirled around her, but she managed to stay on her feet with a gasp. A strong hand gripped her elbow, but she pulled away to search for her clothes.

  “You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”

  She heard the warning in his voice, but ignored it. “Don’t tell me what to do, Konstantinos. I’m a cop.” She snatched the thong panties from the bedpost and turned toward the goth.

  She waved the black fabric at him. “I’ve got a damned job to do.”

  “Why? Why do you have to be the one to catch the killer? There are other detectives on this case, just as capable and right now in better condition.”

  “Because she was my fucking cousin, that’s why!”

  Jessi sat down hard on the side of the bed, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. God, she hated to cry. She swallowed hard and blinked back the moisture gathering behind her eyelids. She bit her lip to stop the telltale tremble, which always indicated the extent of her loss of control.

  She flung the sheet away and pulled the underwear over her legs, not caring if the man beside her finally saw her naked. Then she grabbed her shirt.

  “It’s my fault she got messed up with this vampire shit in the first place. If I’d paid more attention to her instead of trying to be the best female cop in Hattiesburg history, she’d be hanging out at the local burger joint with the high school quarterback instead of hanging around creeps like Drayden Maslow and his brother.”

  “You don’t mean that about Drayden. You’re upset.”

  “You’re damned right I’m upset. I’m pissed as hell that I’ve been wasting an entire week on this case, fucking a man who knew all along who the killer was, when I should have concentrated on my job and arrested the bastard by now.”

  “You had no control over what your cousin did. That was her decision, not yours. You weren’t her mother.”

  Jessi stopped in the process of pulling on her boots. She couldn’t stop the tears of anger that rolled in big, fat drops down her cheeks. “No ... I was the closest thing to a sister she had, and I let her down.”

  Konstantinos moved beside her on the bed, his heavier weight pushing the mattress down. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

  Jessi let herself give in to the comfort of his touch for a second, but remembered what she had to do. She pushed away and stood. Looking around, she spied her purse, which held the gun she’d been afraid to use earlier. She pulled the weapon free.

  “Call the police and ask for Detective Joe Selenka, or Kyle Bishop. Tell them I need backup ... here ... ASAP, okay?”

  “Okay.” His acquiescence sounded resigned, defeated.

  She reached out and touched his cheek with a lone finger, tracing the cleft in his chin. “I should’ve fallen for you.”

  A black eyebrow rose, and his expression looked disgusted. “Are you saying I’m safe and boring?”

  She laughed in spite of the situation. “You’ll never be boring, but I do feel safe with you.”

  He snorted, then pulled her close.

  She knew what he intended, but didn’t stop him. Their curiosity about each other had boiled beneath the surface long enough. His lips were warm and firm, searching and coaxing at the same time. He tasted of some type of liqueur she couldn’t place. His scent surrounded her, spicy and clean. She returned the kiss with eagerness, but although she enjoyed it, the fire she felt with Drayden couldn’t be duplicated.

  Konstantinos pulled back and stared into her face with narrowed eyes.

  “Still just friends, huh?”

  “’Fraid so.” She couldn’t admit the depth of her emotions for Drayden, but she could acknowledge the trust and friendship she felt for this man.

  “Be careful.” Konstantinos kissed her cheek, then released her.

  Jessi strode out of the apartment, searching for any clue that would lead her to Drayden. Although the narrow hallway lay deserted, the door at the end creaked.

  Jessi’s steps slowed, and she gripped the gun tighter. She wouldn’t be blindsided this time. She glanced around before she eased to the hinged side of the door. Freezing gusts of air caused the door’s motion. She wrapped her hand around the knob.

  Taking a deep breath, she shoved the door wide and peered into the dark recesses of a stairwell. The air closed around her, forcing the edges of her peripheral vision to waver. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. You can do this, Tanner.

  The sound of Drayden screaming “Nolan!” brought her out of her moment of hesitation and into action. She took the steps two at a time. When she reached the top, she found the roof door opened wide.

  Across the distance, she saw Drayden sitting and staring over the edge of the short wall around the perimeter of the roof. Jessi glanced around, but didn’t see any threat. Slowly, she stepped onto the rooftop, which had turned into a veritable skating rink.

  Her feet slipped and slid, but she inched across the concrete to Drayden’s side. Snowflakes coated his hair and eyebrows. Like her, he wasn’t wearing a coat.

  “Drayden?”

  He didn’t respond, but sat staring into the night with an empty look on his face. She reached out to touch his shoulder, holding the gun at an angle with one hand. His shirt lay damp and plastered to his body. She could feel the cold of his skin through the material. If he stayed out here much longer, he’d suffer from hypothermia.

  “Drayden, where’s Nolan?”

  Dark eyes turned toward her, like he registered her presence for the first time. His gaze narrowed on her face, then on her weapon. Anger flooded his features. “Dead.”

  Jessi released her grip on his shoulder and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat at the look of hatred he’d given her. She eased closer to the edge, keeping an eye on Drayden and a firm grip on the gun. His expression indicated he’d like to kill someone. She couldn’t be sure he didn’t have her in mind.

  A quick glance down at the crushed and crumbled body verified Drayden’s statement. Blood pooled around the head. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and turned her focus to the man beside her.

  “You need to come inside with me. You’re going to freeze out here.”

  “What do you care? You’ve gotten what you came here for.”

  She flinched at the angry, hurtful words he hurled at her. She recognized the pain he felt at losing his brother. She had experienced the same anger and hatred when she’d viewed her cousin’s butchered body. But, as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t share that with him. No one here knew of her connection with Molly Jones, except Konstantinos.

  At that moment, Joe and Kyle arrived with weapons drawn and ready. They moved forward, slowly, surveying the scene.

  “Drop your weapon, Jessi.”

  Jessi blinked, then looked at the gun in her hand. Her fingers, numb and reddened from the cold, opened slowly. The weapon clattered to the cement below, sliding from the impact with the ice.

  Joe moved over to her and Drayden, with Kyle close behind. He peered into her face. “You okay?”

  Jessi nodded, the weariness and weakness of earlier catching up with her.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. Somewhere in her mind she registered Kyle pulling Drayden to his feet and clamping cuffs on
his wrists before reading him his rights. She frowned, not sure what was wrong with the picture in front of her.

  She blinked, as if in slow motion. Joe’s voice sounded like he spoke to her from a tape played backwards.

  “Booooj doooog.” His hand descended with a hearty thump across her shoulders, scattering shards of pain into her head. Blackness crept around her peripheral vision, but she couldn’t stop the vacuum that sucked her into a deep, dark void.

  * * * * *

  Jessi wiped a muddy hand on her jeans as she worked the spring flowerbed at her Aunt Mae’s house. Birds twittered in the trees, and the sun bathed warmth and life over the newly turned earth. The sound of crunching gravel caught her attention. She turned to watch a cab with tinted windows pull up in the narrow, circular drive.

  The passenger door opened. Black combat boots touched the ground, then a long-legged vampire stepped out. He held up a black-tipped hand to shield his eyes from the bright midday sun. “There’s a lot of fucking sunshine down here in the south.”

  The deep voice, soft and sensuous, tingled over Jessi’s skin. She stood, not believing what her eyes beheld. She hadn’t seen or heard from Drayden for three months.

  Konstantinos had come to talk to her before she’d left New York. He had tried to get her to come down to Club Arcadia with him and speak with Drayden, but she had refused. Each of their lies had injured the other. She hadn’t been willing to forgive Drayden for hiding the killer’s identity from her at the same time he’d made love to her. She had committed the same offense, hiding her true relationship with Molly from him. They had both hurt the other, and their stubborn pride prevented either from admitting their guilt.

  Now, out of the blue, Drayden stood in front of her. Her lip trembled. She swallowed the emotions that threatened to take over. She squared her shoulders, pushing her sunglasses further up her nose. She’d be damned if she would cry in front of him and show any weakness. Whatever his reason in coming here, Drayden would know he had the upper hand.

  She swallowed hard and refused to walk over to him when what she wanted to do was run and throw herself into his arms.

  “Yeah.” The single word sounded shaky. She drew a deep breath. Her fears eased. He’d come this far; he could walk a few extra feet. She watched a wary expression cross his face.

  Oh, hell. Maybe she could make those few feet a little easier to bear since he’d come all this way. Drayden Maslow was nothing if not a proud man. She didn’t want him to change. Her rigid stance weakened.

  “If you stick around, we have a lot of stars and moonlight, too.”

  “Hmm, well, that can definitely be arranged.”

  Jessi narrowed her gaze. “What do you mean?”

  In three long strides, he had her in his arms. He pulled her head back with a growl. The kiss he gave held no sign of gentleness. His lips and tongue sucked, bit, and caressed for several glorious minutes. Then he allowed them to come up for air.

  “Goddammit, woman, don’t leave me like that again.” His angry voice broke, revealing a deep level of emotion swirling within that didn’t have to do with anger, but what sounded like fear.

  Her own anger and fear surfaced. “You could have called.” The words were out before she could stop them.

  His body stiffened, and his arms loosened their grip. A look of total dejection flashed across his face before a wall of stone erected itself. He turned and took three steps back to the vehicle.

  “Wait.”

  He stopped, but didn’t look toward her. “Why?”

  She walked up behind him and reached to touch his shoulder, but drew her hand back, frightened of his possible rejection and of the dark desires he aroused in her for him. She’d gone down the road of love before, but never quite this hard. She didn’t know for sure if “love” described what she felt for Drayden. She craved him. His need had become her need. “I missed you.”

  “Enough to go out with me?”

  “Like, date?” Jessi couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

  “Well ... yeah.”

  She frowned and angled her head to catch the elusive impulse that flashed across her mind, then disappeared. “Did you leave the vamp community?”

  “No.” He shifted his feet, looking uncomfortable. “I’ve been reprimanded and have to perform community service in New Orleans for a while.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Jessi experienced a surge of anger for the unknown council. Nolan had been at fault, not Drayden.

  “They feel I should have addressed Nolan’s problem instead of ignoring it. I agree with them.” He stepped closer and skimmed a finger across her cheek. “But thank you for being indignant for me.”

  The back door opened, and a little old lady dressed in a blue-and-white gingham day dress overlaid with an apron bustled onto the porch. She shaded her horn-rimmed glasses with her hand. Her white hair shone pristine as virgin snow in the bright sunshine.

  “Jessica, who’s that hippie out there with you? Do I need to call the sheriff?”

  Drayden’s gaze caught hers; his eyebrow lifted.

  Jessi bit her lip, knowing he waited to see if she would deny any association with him the way she’d refused to touch him the first night they had met.

  “No, Aunt Mae. This is ... Drayden ... the man I’m dating.” She gripped Drayden’s hand, curling her fingers through his and kissing the black nails that brushed her skin. She stifled a groan at the memory of what those nails could do to her. She glanced up into his gaze and whispered, “This is the man I’m falling in love with.”

  Drayden closed his eyes for a second, then pulled her into his arms, holding her so tight she thought her spine would snap. Behind her, Aunt Mae clutched her heart and let out a squeal of utter horror.

  “Sweet Jesus, I knew it. You’re going to end up in Hell, girl. Mark my words!”

  She felt Drayden’s chest expand, and tightened her embrace. “It’s okay. I hear it all the time.”

  He stepped away. “No, it is not okay.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re loyal and honest. You live your life the way others only wished they could.” He headed for her aunt.

  Jessi knew a moment of panic. Not for her aunt, but for her lover. Aunt Mae was a God-fearing woman. With that brought a deep fear of Satan and anyone or anything deemed different. With Drayden’s dark looks and black fingernails, her elderly aunt would most likely attack him with her Bible and her cross, then ask questions later. Jessi turned to rescue him, but stopped at the sight of the two facing each other.

  Drayden’s hand extended to Aunt Mae. “Hello. I’m Drayden. It’s nice to meet you.”

  The old woman refused his hand. She clutched the cross around her neck. “Are you in league with the devil, boy?”

  “No ... ma’am.”

  Aunt Mae’s eyes narrowed and her chin lifted. “Are you a Catholic, then?”

  Jessi saw Drayden lower his head a second and bite his lip to keep from laughing. She had to admit she found the effort hard herself, especially hearing him say “ma’am” like he’d been raised here. God, she wouldn’t blame him if he ran screaming down the driveway at the suspicious, unwelcoming attitude of her relative.

  “Uh, no, Aunt Mae. I’m a ... sanguinarian.”

  Jessi’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t expected him to say that! Her heart stopped, waiting for her aunt’s response, not sure if the old woman knew what the term meant.

  Aunt Mae’s face held a blank expression. She sniffed, then smiled. “Well, as long as you don’t have fangs and suck people’s necks, I guess you’re just fine.”

  Drayden looked over at Jessi and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, I tried.

  The older woman waved them into the house. “Come on in out of the sun, boy, and get some iced tea. You’ll be burnt to a crisp in a few minutes.”

  Aunt Mae disappeared and Jessie heard, “... pale as a corpse.”

  She breathed and rolled her gaze to the sky. She hurried forward and grabbed Drayd
en’s arm. “Thank you, but you didn’t have ‑‑”

  “Yes, I did. She’s your family, so she’s also mine.”

  “But we’re not ‑‑”

  “What?” The look he gave her challenged her to say the rest.

  Jessi raised her chin. “We’re not married, so technically she’s not your family.”

  He turned his back to Aunt Mae and took Jessi’s other arm in his grasp, gentle but firm. His dark eyes burned into hers. “No, we’re not ever getting married in any church, or signing any paper at the city hall. I don’t need any of that to tell me we should be together.”

  He pulled her close, and his mouth crushed hers, leaving her in no doubt she belonged to him. His tongue snaked between her lips and entangled with hers. His teeth bit and his lips suckled until she trembled and moaned in his arms. Only then did he release her. “What if we date, and you decide you’d like to come back to New York with me?”

  “Well, Kyle did say he’d rather have me as a partner than Joe.” The words fell in a low hush between them. She looked at the gravel of the driveway. He’d come all this way for her. She would give him anything he asked for. Her head lifted, and she found him facing her ‑‑ staring at her intently, without a thread of softness on his face. He looked so serious.

  “If you came to New York with me, then we’d have to perform a blood bond.”

  “What’s that?” Her voice didn’t sound like her own. The husky, dreamy quality belonged to a softer woman than Jessi had ever been.

  “Vampyrecraft to bind you to me through the sharing of our blood.” He leaned down and nipped her earlobe with his teeth. His long nails eased under her ponytail to caress the nape of her neck. “Tell me now if you don’t want me, Jessi, because I can’t, or won’t, reverse the bond once we’ve cast it in place.”

  Jessi fisted her hands into his shirt, pulling him close. Their foreheads touched. She stood at a crossroads once more in her life, but this time with a man her society rejected. She knew if they were going to make it together, she’d have to learn to live in his. “A vampire wedding, huh?”

  “Yes, without the guests.” His hand tightened in her hair to draw her head back. “This bond would be between you and me. This is stronger than some ridiculous ceremony where you say that you’ll obey me forever.”