Lucifer (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 11)

by D. B. Reynolds

  “What the fuck’s in Vancouver?”

  Lucifer grimaced. He was going to have to man up and tell Aden about Eleanor. He respected his lord too much to deceive him, and, in any case, he was too proud to lie. But he didn’t have to lead with that. There were plenty of other reasons to go to Vancouver. Beginning with what else he’d read in Kasimir’s thoughts. Or rather, what he hadn’t.

  “I don’t know exactly what’s in Vancouver. And that’s the problem, my lord. I was inside Kasimir’s head while he was dying. I could read everything, Berkhard’s strategy, their duplicity with Yamanaka, their history together. But he was hiding something. Something important enough that he spent the last of his power to keep it from me.”

  “Has that ever happened before? That you couldn’t read someone?”

  “Never. Especially not when a vamp’s dying, and I’m in his fucking head. Kasimir gave up his own defense at the end to protect his secret.”

  “Did you get any hints at all about what it might be?”

  “Something to do with the fighters Berkhard has with him in Vancouver. I know he’s turning new vampires to create an army, but there’s something more, and I don’t know what it is.”

  “All right, you convinced me. If Berkhard springs a surprise, and you save Sophia’s ass, she’ll owe me. Now what aren’t you telling me?”

  Lucifer stifled a groan. Dealing with powerful vampires was a pain in the ass sometimes. “Well . . . there’s Eleanor.”

  “Who the fuck is . . . ah, shit. That little blonde?”

  “We have a history, my lord. I knew her long ago, before she was made vampire.”

  “Damn it. Tell me I’m not losing you over a woman.”

  Lucifer thought privately that Aden didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to a woman disrupting a vampire’s life. He was one of the toughest, most humorless men Lucifer had ever met, except when his mate, Sidonie, was around. She softened Aden up like cheese left too long in the Sicilian sun.

  “My loyalty is yours, my lord, but Eleanor . . .” He didn’t know exactly what to say. He and Eleanor hadn’t made any decisions yet. He only knew he couldn’t lose her now that he’d found her again.

  “Well, shit,” Aden cursed. “What’re you planning? And don’t tell me you don’t know. You’re always three steps ahead.”

  Lucifer cast a glance in the direction of the sitting room, then stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water. “Darren Yamanaka was the master of three cities, and I killed him. It could be argued that his cities are now my cities.”

  “Except they’re in Sophia’s territory.”

  “Right, but Sophia needs a new lieutenant.”

  “Damn it. I am losing you over a woman.”

  “My lord,” Lucifer insisted. “You will always have my respect and my gratitude. You showed me that I could be something more than I was, and I will never forget that.”

  Aden grunted wordlessly, so Lucifer continued. “And nothing is certain. None of this has even been broached with Sophia, but if it worked out, you would have a solid ally on your northern border, and my services would always be available to you.”

  “For a price.”

  “With a substantial discount.”

  Aden laughed. “All right, I’ll deal with it if it happens. In the meantime, you go ahead and help Sophia stop those fucking Europeans. A plague on all of them.”

  Lucifer smiled. Aden was tough as nails when he needed to be, but he respected those vampires with whom he worked closely. And while Lucifer had never been in the innermost circle of Aden’s advisors, he’d consulted one-on-one with the vampire lord enough times to be convinced that Aden valued him for more than just his abilities.

  “We’re leaving for Vancouver within the hour, my lord. Eleanor and I will be daylighting on the plane, but Cal Christensen and his team are traveling with us, so he’ll be providing security at the airport.”

  “Keep me informed,” Aden snapped, and hung up, leaving nothing but dead air.

  “Well,” Lucifer said out loud. “I think that went well.”

  “What did?” Eleanor asked, as she opened the bathroom door.

  Lucifer turned off the water. “Lord Aden. I briefed him on the operation so far.”

  She gave him a sober look. “Is that why you had the water running? Does he want you to come back?”

  He shrugged. “The water was so that he would know I could speak freely. And, no, he agrees I should go on to Vancouver, and offer my assistance to Sophia. We all want the Europeans gone.”

  “And then?” she asked tightly. “Will you have to go home?”

  Lucifer reached out and drew her into his embrace, leaning over to nuzzle her soft cheek. “You are my home, bella.”

  She pulled back far enough to look up at him, her big eyes wide with worry. “But—”

  “We’ll work it out, Elle,” he told her. “But right now I need you focused on the situation in Vancouver. Mark my words, Vancouver will soon be a war zone, and we’re going to be right in the thick of it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

  ELEANOR LIFTED THE jet’s window shade one last time. The sky was still black, but that inner sense that all vampires possessed told her the sun would soon be burning up the horizon. She was already feeling slow and tired, and definitely ready to retire to the special sleeping chamber at the back of the jet. Portions of the main cabin could also be made vampire-safe for daylight sleeping, but that wasn’t necessary on this flight. She and Lucifer were the only vampires on board.

  Lucifer was at the small table across the aisle, conferring with Colin Murphy.

  “Sophia and I have plans for our reunion tonight, so there’s no need for you all to rush to the estate.” Colin leaned back with a smugly masculine smile, and Lucifer laughed.

  “We’ll take our time getting there,” Lucifer agreed. “But we can get started without you. We’ll need a briefing on the military situation. We’ve been totally focused on Montreal these last few days.”

  Colin nodded in Eleanor’s direction. “Eleanor knows where to get that. She has full access.”

  Lucifer glanced over and must have noticed how close to sleep she was, because he stood, then reached over in front of her, and closed the window shade. “Time for bed, bella.”

  He extended both hands, and she could tell he was ready to scoop her up like a child, so she let him pull her to feet, but then held his hands tightly. He gave her a knowing smile, and turned her in the direction of the sleeping compartment.

  “We’ll see you tonight, Murphy,” he called over his shoulder. “Give my regards to Lady Sophia.”

  Colin’s loud snort of derision followed them down the aisle, with Lucifer’s laughter right behind it.

  The sleeping chamber was large for a private jet, with the bed filling the space wall-to-wall in the back two-thirds of the room, but it was still small by her usual standards. And Lucifer was a very big guy. On the other hand, once a vampire was asleep, comfort didn’t really come into it. He might wake with a crick in his neck, but it wouldn’t affect his rest.

  She pulled off her shoes and pants, and her bra, but left on her top and panties. As much as she trusted Cal Christensen and the other daylight guards, Eleanor wasn’t inclined to get naked with so few and flimsy walls between her and them. She knew it wasn’t logical. After all, if they really wanted, they could break into the bedroom and strip her naked, and she’d never know it. She thought Lucifer might know what was going on, though. Even in his sleep. And she knew he’d take revenge on anyone who dared to so much as enter the room during daylight, except in an emergency. But she didn’t find much reassurance in that either. So she crawled onto the bed, still half-clothed, and pulled back the covers.

  Being a guy
, of course, Lucifer didn’t care who saw him naked. He stripped down like he was in the most private accommodations on the planet, then slid beneath the sheets, and pulled her into his arms.

  “Sleep, baby,” he whispered. “I’ll be here.”

  She smiled as she cuddled close to his warmth, finding comfort in his assurances, no matter how illogical they were.

  “I love you,” she whispered, and then the sun rose, and she slept.

  VAMPIRES WEREN’T supposed to be aware of anything while they slept. But vampire lords weren’t your typical vampire.

  Sophia knew the moment Colin’s plane touched down on the tarmac. She felt him getting closer and closer as he left the plane and drove home, and when he finally slid into bed next to her, she was calmer and stronger than she’d been since his capture. With her mate by her side she was unstoppable. Berkhard thought he could steal her territory? Could torture her mate and kill her people? Thought she was weak because she was a woman? That European bastard was about to see just how wrong he was.

  But first . . . the sun sank, and her eyes opened. And she was wrapped in warmth, soaked in the masculine scent of her lover, surrounded by his powerful arms.

  “Colin,” she said on a broken whisper, and he held her tighter.

  “I’m here, darlin’. And I’m sorry.”

  She pulled back to look at him, raising a hand to cup his stubbled cheek. “Sorry for what, meu amor?”

  “I should have suspected Yamanaka. Hell, I did suspect him, but I never thought he’d go that far. I thought I could handle him.”

  “I’ve seen Eleanor’s reports,” she said softly, stroking her hands all over his big body, reveling in the knowledge that he was here, that he was hers. She knew him so well, and yet they’d been separated for so long, and by more than simple distance. His captors had tried to break their mate bond. They hadn’t succeeded, but she felt as if she needed to reclaim every inch of him. He was so beautifully made, with his broad shoulders and narrow waist, the smooth definition of toned muscles. And his face . . . she cast her gaze over every beloved inch of it, noting each new scrape and scar. Anger built at the knowledge of where those injuries had come from, of who was responsible.

  “Sophie,” he murmured, stroking her in return.

  She tried to cast away her anger, knowing he was picking up on it, and trying to soothe her. But every time she thought about what he’d endured. . . . Tears threatened, so she went with outrage instead.

  “You’re still injured. Didn’t Lucifer offer to—?”

  “He offered,” Colin interrupted, brushing a kiss over her lips. “I refused. I’ve had enough strange blood for one lifetime, even if my life’s a long one. Yours is the only blood I want.”

  She gasped when his fingers closed over her nipple, pinching hard enough to send a sharp zing of arousal storming through her body. Colin took advantage of her gasp, pressing his lips over hers in a kiss and sliding his tongue between her teeth to explore every inch of her mouth. It was as if he needed to reclaim her body, just as she had his. He kissed her deeply, longingly. And she kissed him back, her hunger rising, and not only for his blood. She wanted his body. She needed him.

  Gripping him tightly, she used her vampire strength to roll them both over until she straddled him. She smoothed her hands all over his torso, molding the lines of muscles, the flat planes of his belly, and . . . his cock. Long, thick, and so very hard.

  She licked her lips, her tongue sliding over her fangs as they emerged from her gums. With her gaze locked on his, she crushed her breasts together between her arms, then reached down to wrap her fingers around his cock. Squeezing the thick shaft, she began stroking him, feeling the answering surge of heat between her thighs, the rush of arousal leaving her wet and aching to be filled.

  Colin groaned. His strong hands gripped her thighs hard enough to bruise as his hips lifted against her, driving his cock between her fingers, and scraping against her swollen pussy with every thrust. His eyes were blue flame as he stared at her breasts, until finally, he lifted up with a flex of his gorgeous abs and captured her breast in his mouth, his teeth closing on her nipple as his arms banded behind her back and he pulled her down over his chest until he could suck on her breasts at his leisure. And he did, his cheeks hollowing out as he filled his mouth with her tender flesh, sucking hard until her nipples were stiff peaks begging for his bite.

  With a growl, he closed his teeth over one nipple. Sophia choked on a breath as he bit down just hard enough draw blood, and a shot of insatiable lust shot from her breast to her clit, his strong throat moving as he swallowed her blood. He groaned again as the euphoric in her blood hit his nerves, and his cock stirred against her belly, growing impossibly harder, seeming to lengthen as his fingers dug into her ass.

  “Sophie,” he hissed, thrusting against her hungrily, demanding entrance to her soaking wet sex.

  Sophia closed her eyes, drinking in the waves of arousal rolling between them, her body undulating against his in sensual pleasure. Her breasts ached, crushed against his chest, and her pussy seemed to pulse with the need to have him inside her.

  “Fuck me,” she whispered, then moaned when he first lifted her, and then lowered her body down, sliding his wonderful, thick cock between her swollen pussy lips, burying himself inside her, as her sheath tightened around him. They both groaned as the profound joy of being together nearly overwhelmed the sexual ecstasy of their joining. And, for just a moment, they froze, holding on to the moment, savoring it, as his cock flexed deep inside her triggering a responding contraction of her uterus that rippled up through her torso to her breasts, as if to caress her from within.

  His eyes flashed open, and he bared his teeth in a snarl as he began fucking her. Powerful arms held her above him as he thrust upward, slamming his cock into her, holding her as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing. Sophia closed her hands over her breasts and squeezed, pinching her nipples, relishing the sparks of pain left from his bite. Her pussy heated as his fucking grew more intense, his hips thrusting faster and faster until she thought they’d both burn up.

  Hunger struck without warning, a low growl searing her throat, as her gaze fixed on the pounding of his blood, the swell of the big vein in his neck. She leaned forward without warning, gripping his hair and wrenching his head to one side, straining his neck and tightening the skin until she could see the blood pulsing just below the surface, could smell the deep, rich fragrance.

  Her fangs grew longer, scraping against her lower lip as she opened her mouth and sank her fangs into his neck. Colin bucked wildly, as the full effect of her bite hit him. His cock seemed to swell and then he was coming, hot jets of release filling her as he gripped the back of her head, and held on, almost demanding that she drink.

  And drink she did, deep drafts of his blood, the blood of a powerful man, the man she loved, her mate. They were bound blood to blood, soul to soul, and in that moment, it was as if something clicked between them. It was love and lust, it was heat and desire. It was coming home at last.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she drank. All the emotion that she’d been forced to suppress, to hide lest others think her weak—it all came tumbling out when Colin’s blood ran down her throat, when his climax shot hot and thick against the walls of her womb.

  She barely remembered lifting her head, or retracting her fangs and licking the puncture wounds to stop the bleeding. She lost time for a moment, coming back to the sound of Colin crooning her name, to the warm stroke of his hands up and down her back, fingers digging in, soothing her muscles as the sound of his deep voice soothed her heart and soul.

  “Sophie, come back to me, darlin’.”

  She smiled against his neck, then surrendered to desire and licked his neck. “I never left, meu querido.”

  She heard the grin in his response. “Hmm, you want to stay here all night
and fuck? Or do we have to be all responsible and shit?”

  She laughed, but let regret color her response. “I doubt our enemies will wait. And I suppose I must deal with Aden’s Lucifer.”

  “He seems like a decent guy, Soph.”

  “And Eleanor loves him.”

  “She surely does that, but no more than he loves her. They go back a ways, you know.”

  “Yes, and you know,” she said, finger-combing his dark hair away from his face, before kissing the now smooth skin where cuts had bled earlier, “that I’m a sucker for a long lost love story.”

  He cupped the back of her head, bringing her down for a long, wet kiss. “I love you.”

  Sophia nodded, her throat too tight with emotion to speak, as Colin sat up suddenly, taking her with him. He kissed her forehead. “You want to shower together?” he asked, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows that made her laugh.

  Her fangs pressed into her lower lip, and she growled hungrily. She’d been starved for him when he’d been gone, and now she couldn’t get enough of his rich blood . . . or his delicious cock. “Definitely,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him toward the shower. “I’m going to need all of my strength to deal with Aden’s wonder boy.”

  PLEASURE ZINGED through Eleanor’s body like a lightning bolt, and she found herself on the edge of an orgasm. She bit back a scream, mindful of the humans only a few feet away, but couldn’t stop herself from moaning as sexual hunger jolted her wide awake. She blinked her eyes open, trying to figure out where she was and what . . . . She caught the flash of a dark head between her thighs, muscled shoulders holding her legs wide.

  “Lucifer,” she whispered, and his head came up. He grinned at her, his mouth slick with her juices, his fangs gleaming in the low light.