“Second Death? What—Second—Death?” Sophie asked behind him, nudging his shoulder once for each word. When he didn’t respond, because he knew it would only make her more fearful, she turned to Julian and sighed. “Tell me. Please. Mr. Can’tsharemysecrets won’t talk.”
“I’m sorry I brought it up,” Julian mumbled. “Did I say death? I meant Second Debt.”
“Nice try, Julius Caesar.” Sophie said, using the nickname she’d bestowed upon him since they’d left the hotel.
“My name’s Julian, not Julius. Caesar was a spineless—”
“Hold up!” Sophie said, from the backseat. “You knew Julius Caesar? Like the real Caesar? The guy with the leaves on his head? Exactly how old are you?”
“A man never divulges his true age,” Julian rebutted, sounding injured. “And he didn’t wear leaves—”
“Sweetcheeks!” Ric interrupted, his arm hanging out the window, the buzzing voice on the restaurant’s drive-through intercom grating on his nerves. All he wanted to do was get their food and get back on the road. Why was that so difficult?
“What? Have I told you how much I hate that nickname? I don’t have sweet cheeks.”
“That’s a matter of opinion. What do you want to eat? I think the woman in there is either going to fall asleep waiting for us to finish placing our order or kill me with annoying feedback from her microphone. Please, forget about that other thing. Give me your order.”
“I’d like the truth, please. With a side of patience.”
“Funny. Now what do you really want? You’re the only one here who needs to eat this stuff. Do you want me to leave?”
“No, no. I’m starving—thanks to having to be the food source for the likes of you. I’ll have a burger, fries, milkshake. Do they sell strings of garlic, by any chance?”
Two not-so-amused vampires scoffed at her joke. Ric shouted her order into the metal box serving as a speaker, then made several corrections to their messed-up order—how hard could it be to get two burgers, a couple orders of fries, one milkshake, and one soda correct?
Once their order was confirmed, he pulled up to the second window to pay and collect the paper bags full of food.
“If you want to pull over, I’ll take over the wheel while you eat,” Julian offered, sending Ric’s suspicions to the fore again. Was it an innocent offer, or an underhanded attempt to either delay their arrival in Chicago or make sure they arrived at just the right time to be greeted by the lamiae welcome wagon?
Although Julian hadn’t done anything all night to prove he was a threat, Ric wasn’t about to just accept his seemingly new friendship with open arms. Put on an act? Sure. But he had too much at stake to completely trust the Ancient One, even if they were known for always speaking the truth. There were lies by commission and omission. There was nothing stopping the reportedly 2,100-year-old vampire from committing the latter.
He just needed to keep any vital information from reaching Julian’s ear, not easy with Sophie asking questions.
“I’ll be fine. Thanks anyway.” He steered the car back into traffic, heading toward the freeway entrance ramp. Once on the highway, it was no problem eating and driving. That was what a knee was for.
The food didn’t keep Sophie quiet for long, ten minutes tops, and then she was back to asking the kinds of questions he knew she wasn’t ready to hear the answers to—and questions he definitely didn’t want Julian to hear the answers to either.
“What’s the Second Death?” she asked again.
Julian gave Ric a guilty shrug. Was that honest guilt or feigned? “Sorry. Wasn’t thinking.”
After swallowing a sigh of irritation, Ric said, “It’s the final death.”
“What made Julian ask you if you were dying?”
“Because I can eat food and walk in sunlight,” he explained.
“Interesting. Let’s talk about that eating thing,” Sophie said, wedging her body between the two front seats. “This is the first time I’ve seen you eat and it raises some interesting questions. For instance, I thought you said if I turned into one of you vampy types, I wouldn’t be able to eat food anymore.”
“You won’t,” Julian said.
“Why not? If he can eat, why couldn’t I? That doesn’t seem fair.” Sophie sounded sulky.
Ric peered in the rearview mirror. Oh, yeah. She was pouting. He adored the way her bottom lip protruded just enough to be tempting when she pouted. He could imagine the effect it must have had on her parents when she was a child. He knew for a fact that if they had a beautiful little girl with her glistening mahogany hair, expressive eyes, and full lips he’d be powerless to do anything but give her her heart’s desire.
Good thing they weren’t going to be producing any children. They’d have to complete all the steps of the marriage ritual before they could do that. And that was not going to happen. The second step was as far as he would let them go, if he had any control over it.
No marriage. No children.
“You wouldn’t be able to eat because you would be a young Wissenschaft and as a young Wissenschaft you would lack the power to do so,” Ric explained.
The bottom lip slipped back into place. What a shame.
“Okay. But eventually, I’d be able to eat again, right? Like in a few months or so?”
“No, not months. Many, many years.” He wadded up the wrapper for his sandwich and crushed it into the bag. “Remember, I’m no infant. I’m several hundred years old.”
“And don’t look a day over thirty,” Sophie said, leaning over to nibble on his earlobe. The French fry that was halfway down his throat stopped at midchest level, and one certain part south of the waist went rock hard in two seconds flat, putting thought of anything but sliding it into her slick canal from his mind. He swallowed. Hard.
“Just wait until I get you alone,” he growled, trying to make some adjustments down below while driving—no easy task. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
“For what?” she whispered in his ear. “This?” Her tongue rimmed his outer ear, then plunged inside, making his body rigid from scalp to big toe.
“Hmmm. Does this mean you’re finished being angry with me for earlier?” he asked.
“Not on your life, buddy. I’ll be furious for at least another ten seconds.” She giggled, letting him know she wasn’t even remotely close to being furious. “Actually, it means I’m trying to use my feminine wiles to get what I want.”
“Ah, I see.”
Giggling again, she sat back and resumed her line of questioning. “So, eating real food leads to death?”
“No, not exactly,” Ric said, wishing she’d be distracted by something, anything. Wishing he was in a position to distract her. He could think of a thing or two that would take all thought of eating and clear it from her mind.
“That’s all you’re going to say?” She sat forward again and ran her tongue down the side of his neck, and he sucked in an audible gulp of air.
“Yes,” he said, his voice wavering. His will, too.
“Nothing more?” she asked, now nibbling on his neck. Nipping, licking, driving him crazy. His erection pushed against the front of his pants. His testicles became heavy.
“No,” he half spoke, half ground out through gritted teeth. “It’s very complicated and I don’t think now is the best time to talk about it.”
“Nothing like a vague answer to annoy me. I hate it when people won’t say what they mean. Julian?”
“Don’t ask me to explain. I’m no good at explaining anything.”
“Coward,” she taunted.
“I’d be an idiot to get in the middle of this,” Julian countered.
Sophie let loose with a sharp “Ha!” then added, “You weren’t afraid to get in the middle of things earlier—when you snuck into my room.”
“Yeah, well, that was before,” Julian said.
“Before what? Before we left? Before we slept? Before we what?” she asked.
“Before you took the se
cond step with Ric.”
“What’s that have to do with answering a question?” Sophie pushed.
“A lot.” Julian looked out the window, stabbing out at the dark. “Oh, look. Pretty cows.”
“Chicken,” Sophie grumbled.
“No,” Julian said, with a shake of his head. “Those are much too big to be chickens. Yep, they’re definitely cows. Or steer. Hard to tell from so far away.”
Ric smiled at the grunt of frustration that blasted from the backseat.
His dear, sweet, sexy, annoying, delightful—and did he say sexy?—Sophie. He knew she wasn’t the kind to keep up her silence long, had proven it by spending the past several hours questioning him about some very intimate details of his existence as a vampire, right down to the most sensitive ones, things he couldn’t afford for Julian to hear. If only he could get her alone, even for a second, he’d be able to explain, tell her he’d answer her questions when they had more time. And had more privacy.
Sun Tsu had coined the phrase “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Ric hadn’t been given the chance to explain that that was what he was doing there, inviting Julian along as they searched for the shield and spear; he wasn’t yet convinced of Julian’s unspoken suggestion that the shield was King David’s harp. He kicked himself for not taking the time to explain before they left the hotel, but he’d been anxious to get going, wanted to have several hours after they reached Chicago to find the dragon before sunrise. With all the bathroom and food stops Sophie kept initiating, they’d be lucky to get there by three. That would only give him about three hours to search.
As if she read his thoughts, Sophie chose that moment to announce, “I need to take a potty break. Was that a rest stop sign I saw back there?”
Humans! They had to eliminate every few minutes, especially female humans. Ric bit back a groan. “Are you sure you can’t hold it?”
“No, I can’t hold it. That’s bad for my innards. Causes bladder infections and then it feels like I’m peeing acid whenever I go. You don’t want to be around me when I have a bladder infection. Believe me. I’m miserable. My doctor said I should never hold it.”
“Okay, okay.” He surrendered with a lift of his hands. “I would never forgive myself if I were to cause you any sort of physical discomfort, at least if I can help it. We’ll stop. Again. But promise me you won’t get another giant-sized fountain drink?”
“Hey, first off, you’re the one who told me I was dehydrated and need to drink more. Plus, I’m so gosh darned thirsty all the time all of a sudden. What happened? Did that second step make me a diabetic or something? I only donated a drop of blood. Or did you take another drinky-drinky and wipe out my memory again? Because if you did, there’ll be hell to pay.”
Julian laughed, and Ric, unable to help himself, laughed too. Hell to pay was all too appropriate an expression. He followed the winding exit to the freeway rest area and parked, taking advantage of the stop to get out and stretch his legs. He watched Julian very carefully, waiting to see if he’d excuse himself, to go off and find a phone to contact someone in Chicago. He knew they could be walking into a trap going to the dragon’s lair. He guessed the dragon didn’t have either of the artifacts they were looking for. And expected they were being led astray, probably to keep them from defeating the lamia who’d sent Julian to visit Sophie in the first place. But lacking any information to confirm his suspicions, he wouldn’t ignore the possibility that Julian was telling the truth.
“By the way,” Julian said, looking innocent as ever, “I went ahead and reserved three rooms for us at the Marriott.”
“Perfect.” Ric figured he’d know which it was, very soon. Was Julian a friend or foe?
Chapter 13
“Let me help you with those, and then I’ll go find my own room.” Ric yanked Sophie’s carry-on from her and slung it over his shoulder, then picked up her suitcase with the other hand. He lifted it like it was light as feathers and trailed behind her to the elevator. As they waited for the car to descend from the fifth floor, she glanced around the lobby.
“Where’d Julius Caesar go?”
“Don’t know. Probably to his room. Since it’s approaching dawn, he’s probably anxious to get out of the sunlight.”
“Oh, yeah. Why is it you can walk around in daylight and he can’t?”
He looked nervous as he glanced around. “I’ll explain it later.”
“So many secrets.” A soft “ding” signaled the elevator’s arrival and Sophie instinctively stepped to the right to allow any passengers to pass. After watching several, including a few men in business suits, a couple with a toddler, and a woman, wearing a scowl and a bad case of bed head, she stepped inside and continued, “Have I told you how much I can’t stand secrets?”
“Maybe. I can’t remember for sure,” he said all nonchalant-like as he reached around her to push the number five. The cozy, albeit brief, contact between her shoulder and his chest made her knees a little wobbly.
The doors slid shut and the car lurched, climbing slowly to the fifth floor. She gripped the metal handrail on the wall for stability. “We’ve taken the second step. Doesn’t that entitle me to a little bit of insider information?”
“Yes. But here and now is not the place or time, neither is in a car with an Ancient One who’d tried to steal you away from me the night before.”
Sophie’s cheeks burned. Duh! Why was she so witless sometimes? And so willing to believe the worst about people? Ric wasn’t trying to keep secrets from her. He was trying to keep secrets from Julian. “Ohhhh. I didn’t think…I mean, I thought you and Julius Caesar were best pals. You two seemed to be hitting it off so well. And I didn’t know the stuff I was asking would be harmful. Sorry.” The elevator came to a bumping, stomach-jarring halt and the doors slid open. She stepped out of the car and glanced at the signs with numbers and arrows, searching for room five-twenty-two.
“Don’t worry about it. This way,” Ric said, turning right down a narrow passageway. “I’m guessing it’s down here at the end.”
He was right. It was way down there, the last room on the left. Good thing he hadn’t allowed her to carry a single thing, not that she wasn’t capable of lugging her own suitcases. She could. But her arms would be falling off by now. It was nice being treated with a little bit of respect, even if he’d been tight-lipped and stubborn about sharing information. At least now she had some notion of why he’d been acting that way.
Sophie swiped the card in the lock and pushed open the door. The curtains were drawn, the lights out. The room was completely dark. She made a beeline for the lamp she’d spied sitting on top of the dresser, but Ric stopped her.
“Wait.” The door closed behind her, shutting out the light from the hallway. There was a thud, some soft shuffling and then two hands gripped her shoulders from behind.
Instantly in the grip of illogical fear, she gave a shocked gasp and jerked. Her heart pounded in her ears like a bass drum. “What the he—?”
“It’s just me, sweetcheeks.” Ric’s deep voice cut through her fear and soothed her frazzled nerves instantly. He gently eased her around, then gathered her into a warm hug. “It’s safe. I just wanted to check the room first.”
She sighed, and even though she couldn’t see much in the inky blackness but a vague outline of his face, she tipped her head to him in a glare. “You can actually see in here? That is so unfair. Anyway, what’s the next step in our relic hunt? Are we going to pay a visit to that Guardian ummmmph…”
He slanted his mouth over hers in a hungry kiss. His teeth nipped at her lower lip; then he suckled it, pulling it inside. His tongue teased with shy, fleeting swipes.
Ready to throw herself mind, body, and soul into the kiss, she opened her mouth, inviting that naughty tongue inside for a party. It accepted the invitation, made itself at home by lounging on the right side of her mouth, then paid a visit to the left. After a second or two there, it grew restless and decided to dance a little
sexy tango. Her tongue joined the festivities, giving his a caress or two that had her rubbing against him like a cat in heat. She even purred, for which she received a rumbly chuckle and a pat on the rear end.
Now, seemingly on a mission to conquer, rather than merely pay a friendly visit, his tongue abandoned its gentle caressing motions for a rhythmic stabbing one instead. The change of pace awakened her desire, stirring it from its short nap until it had spread throughout her body like a fever. Parts tingled, her heart rate doubled, tripled, quadrupled. Her breathing quickened until she became breathless.
“You have no idea how much I want you right now,” Ric murmured as he nibbled a path along her jaw and then down her neck. “I’m burning up.”
“Me too.” She pressed herself against him as snugly as she could, molding her body to his. Her pubic bone ground against his thigh, creating a welcome friction. Her sex spasmed, wetness slicking her panties.
“We should get going sometime soon but…damn it…” His hands ran down her shoulders, then slid around to her back, where they found her buttocks. He pressed her into him, increasing the friction between her mound and his leg until she was sure she’d drop. Her knees turned to rubber. Her brain lost its struggle to remain afloat amid the desire flooding it and sent up its last warning flare before sinking like the Titanic. Her body tensed as the promise of what was about to happen reached her ears.
“To hell with the dragon. He can wait a little longer. I’m going to take you very shortly. Just a quickie.”
Sophie shuddered against him, then let him lift her off her feet. He turned, somehow found the bed, and laid her on it. She kicked off her shoes, then scrambled to blindly shuck off her top and jeans.
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