by Mary Hughes
Elena knew sarcasm when she heard it. “No, really. Good-guy vamps protect humans from rogues. In exchange, humans give the vampires the blood they need.”
“Sure. And sex has nothing to do with it.” I pictured Julian surrounded by his new “donors”. Six lovelies, his mouth at their throbbing arteries…oh, sure sex had nothing to do with it.
“It’s not about sex, Nixie! Good grief, what has Julian been telling you?”
“Come on. Why would anyone want to get bled, if not for the sex?”
Elena’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed dangerously. “I’ll tell you why. Fear.” She ticked up her index finger, directly in my face. “My sister Gretchen was attacked by a vampires. They killed her husband. She feels safer at Bo’s.”
“Oh. That makes some sense. But—”
“Security.” Elena raised her voice and ticked up a second finger. I had to turn my face not to get my nose roto-rooted. “Rogues often raid funeral homes for blood. Josiah Moss has to live with Stark just to stay in business.”
“But—”
“Tradition.” Another finger and a very dirty look. “Daniel Butler grew up in a vampire household. It’s his way of life.”
I couldn’t let that one pass. “Puh-leeze! Butler ‘donates’ blood because his father did? How medieval is that?”
“Householding’s been going on since Victorian times. Earlier. Think castles and manor houses. Hasn’t changed much since then.”
Huh. Daniel Butler really was a butler.
“There weren’t very many households, up until recently. But lately, the number of rogues has skyrocketed.”
“Because…?”
“No one knows, though we have some theories.” Elena shrugged and stepped back, finally out of my face. “But, bottom line, it means we need more protection. So Julian’s starting a new household.”
“In Boston.” I said it out loud this time, surprised by how much it hurt. The beer had pretty much numbed everything else. Why not my baka heart, too?
“No, in Meiers Corners.” Elena looked surprised. “On the southwest side of town. I thought you knew.”
“But…” I should have had a joygasm. Instead I felt awful. Julian was staying. He was staying and he hadn’t told me.
“The housewarming party’s tonight at eight.” Elena tugged on my arm. “C’mon. We need to put a move on or we’ll be late.”
“No!” I jerked away. “Not going nowhere.” Why wouldn’t Julian tell me he was staying, unless he didn’t want me anymore? I was no longer numb, just heavy. My legs, my heart…my head felt like a sixty-seven Chevy. I let it hang. “I don’t think I’m invited.”
“Of course you’re invited.” Elena tugged harder. “Now let’s get going before all the good party eats are gone.”
“The party,” said a cultured baritone, “was supposed to be a surprise.”
Julian! My head rose like a dying plant given a deluge of water. Or maybe my head was just attached to my heart. “What the hell, Law Boy? Where do you get off packing like you’re leaving and not saying goodbye and then not even leaving—” Anger burned off the last of the alcohol.
He grabbed me and kissed me. “I love you too.”
Damn. My lips flapped but nobody was home.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Julian repeated, his eyes intent on mine. “A good surprise.”
“I thought you were gone.” Forever, my heart added.
“I apologize. No, I’m sorry. I thought you knew I couldn’t leave without”—and here he rubbed his delectable hips against me in a blatantly sexy motion—“at least one more time.”
“Well, what do I know? Maybe I wasn’t that special.”
“Not that special?” Julian put me at arm’s length, a flabbergasted expression on his face. “I can’t even begin to explain how much you mean to me.” He shot a look at Elena. “At least not here.” He raised one eyebrow suggestively. Like he would do some explaining later…lots of hot, wet explaining. “Anyway, I have a present for you.”
I perked up immediately. “Present?”
“At home.”
“Okay.” I set off toward Elena’s.
“Our home.”
My stomach dropped. “Um…we have a home? As in, you and me?”
“Yes.”
“As in, four walls and a roof and a yard for the dog to play?”
“Yes.”
“As in, mortgage and responsibility?”
“It’s paid for,” Julian said. “And it’s more of a multi-family dwelling.”
“Oh, goody. All of the responsibilities and none of the conveniences.” Flippantly, I added, “How can we have sex in the backyard with the neighbors looking?”
“Privacy hedge.” The tips of his fangs peeked out. Ooh.
Elena crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Are we going or not? I want to see what you’ve done with the place. And I especially want to see Nixie’s present. Is it sparkly and ring-like?”
“No.”
“Oh. Well, then I at least want to see what you’ve done with the place.”
The “house” turned out to be two side-by-side townhouses, four units each. A driveway separated them, leading back to a parking lot with garages. The buildings were two-storied, only the second story looked more like a roof. Shingles came all the way down the wall, and only a few small windows clued that it wasn’t actually an attic. Fortunately, picture windows on the first floor made the rest look open and inviting.
Elena eyed the setup critically. “Enough room for at least fourteen donors. That’s good. But if you’re in one building how will you protect the people in the other?”
“The buildings are connected at the basement level. There are a couple more apartments down there.”
“Oh! You’re taking on two lieutenants?”
“Since I’ll be out most nights, yes.”
“You’ll be out?” I thought he’d bought the place, decided to stay here, because he wanted to stay with me. Where was he going?
Julian smiled at me like he knew what I was thinking. “Guns and Polkas’ lead groupie.”
That made my panties twinkle. “Or Guns and Polkas’ lead viola da gamba.”
“Only if you add sixteenth-century bransles to your repertoire.”
“Sure, if you wear your twenty-first century leathers.”
Julian laughed out loud at that, surprising me. “Deal.”
A door banged open. Bo leaned out, a bottle of beer in one hand. “Hey you guys! Your party’s already started. Get in here!”
“Parties wait for no man.” I offered my elbow to Julian.
“Or vampire.” He took it and escorted me in.
The front room was crowded with bodies. It looked like Bo and Elena’s entire apartment building had shown up, along with half of Nieman’s. Julian introduced me to a few new people. An older couple with teenage sons named Mr. and Mrs. Hinz. Two young men, Richard and Andrew, who held each other and giggled.
“My donors,” Julian explained.
“Wow.” I yoinked a brew from a washtub of ice. “The mind boggles.”
“That I have donors?”
“That Doily Hartung isn’t the only gay in Meiers Corners. So are they donors out of fear, security, or tradition?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Elena gave me Donors 101. She said people don’t donate blood to you guys just for the sex.” Stashing the beer in a pocket I grabbed him by the ears and brought his head in close. “You don’t, right?” My eyes weren’t lasers, but I did try to bore through his head.
He blinked. “The Hinz family was attacked by rogues in Chicago. One of the Watch saved them. The Hinzes moved here because they’d heard about Bo. They were devastated that he didn’t have room for them and their kids. Practically mowed me down when they heard I was starting up a household.”
“And the other two? Richard and Andrew?” Rich and Andy were young and handsome. And they probably thought Julian was as delicious as
I did.
“Similar to the Hinzes. Rich and Andy had a run-in with some rogues in San Francisco. Sweetheart, my ears.”
I let go. “And your household in Boston? Won’t your donors there miss you?” I tried to keep the pathetic jealousy out of my tone, but wasn’t entirely successful.
“I don’t have donors in Boston, Nixie. Or a household. I’ve been a troubleshooter for the Ancient One for the last fifty years. Running all over the country. I’m not home long enough to be master of a household.” Rubbing his ears, Julian frowned at me. “Why all the questions? What is going on in that sweet, curly-haired head of yours?”
“No donors? You don’t get regular sex…I mean blood?” I blushed, having Janet Jacksoned exactly what was going on in my baka head.
Julian looked as shocked as Elena had. “Donation isn’t about sex, Nixie. And even if it was, I’m not. For your information, I drink mostly bagged blood. Sometimes the households I visit will offer their donors. But it’s a courtesy. And I would never take advantage of it by making sexual advances.”
“But lore says vampires are like sex parties waiting to happen. Carnal-vals.” I had firsthand experience of that. “V-guys and gals can have sex with anyone. And make it orgasmic. So why wouldn’t they?”
“You mean why wouldn’t I.” Julian reached out to brush my hair tenderly from my forehead. “Yes, vampire senses are much keener than humans. Our skin feels pleasure on a level you can’t even imagine. We’re like walking erogenous zones.”
“Sounds painful.”
Julian threw back his head and laughed. He wore an open-necked polo shirt, and the sight of his strong bronzed throat nearly made me want to turn vampy, just so I could bite it. Not about sex, hah.
“Vampires can have sex with anyone. And many frequently do. But because of our heightened senses, some people are much more appealing than others. Scent, sound, feel. Taste.” He took me in his arms, bent to kiss my nose. A soft purr started.
“So I’m…appealing? Like a juicy burger?”
“You’re beyond appealing. You’re perfect to me.” Julian’s lips touched my cheek, temple, ear. His tongue swept lightly over the small hairs on the lobe, making me vibrate with anticipation. “You’re a delight to my senses, all of them. You’re sweet, tasty, and supple, and a balm to my soul. With just a bit of tart personality for tang. And there’s more.”
“Wait—there’s more,” I echoed, eyes closing. “If you order now, you get Hemoglobin Flavored Intimacy Gel with Tartar Control…for that special fangy guy in your life.”
He chuckled, kind of weird frosted with purr. “Nixie, have you ever wondered why, in all the times I did my ‘Obi-Wan’ as you call it, you were never affected?”
“Huh?”
“You were present at least twice when I used suggestion to alter people’s perceptions.”
“You mean your mystic mind-control thing?”
“That’s my artless Nixie.”
“Have I been insulted?”
Julian laughed again. He seemed to be doing that a lot, tonight. Like he was…happy or something. “I can’t manipulate you, Nixie. I’m old enough to compel most people and many vampires. Of course, I can’t manipulate myself. And I can’t manipulate you.”
“Is that important?”
“It is if we want to share the rest of our lives.”
My heart started to pound double-time. Fear? Or excitement? “Well. I guess. So, um…so you aren’t in it for the sex.”
“You’re the only one I have sex with, Nixie. And now that I’ve found you, you’re the only one I want to have sex with. Because it’s more than sex. It’s a joining. We’re two halves of the same whole, you and I.”
Thinking of how snugly his Tab A fit in my Slot B, I shuddered in agreement.
“Now let me show you around.” Julian took my hand and walked me through his…our new home. The townhouses had been modified extensively, with connecting hallways and several common areas. There were still separate entrances and the illusion of separate units, but he showed me the entire place without going outside once.
The most interesting thing was the bedrooms. Though there were windows galore in the other rooms, none of the bedrooms had windows. And the bedroom doors were reinforced so heavily they looked like entrances to a bank vault.
I ran my hand over one of the doors, feeling cool steel under my fingers. “What’s with the bedrooms? They’re like bomb shelters.”
“For protection. The vampire population is increasing rapidly. We don’t get a lot of rogues here, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“So when the bloodthirsty hordes attack, humans will have a safe place to sleep? I thought older vamps could mist in.”
“That’s why the walls are reinforced with metal. And electrified.” Julian drew me into a bedroom and closed the door. He shot a deadbolt with a quick twist. To my surprise, a green light flicked on, and the room seemed to hum. “Logan Steel discovered vampires can’t get through electrified walls. Not even as mist.”
“The bedroom walls are live?”
“Only when the locks are engaged.” Julian unbolted and opened the door.
“Oh.” I followed him out into the hallway. “How many people will base here?”
“We could fit as many as fifty donors, but that wouldn’t leave room for children and old ones.”
“Excuse me. Did you say ‘old ones’?”
“Children and the elderly can’t donate. Not safely.” Julian shrugged. “Have to think of things like that.”
“Responsibility.” I shook my head. “So how many people do we have to think of things like that for?”
“Couple dozen, more or less. It won’t be so bad. I’ll hire a housekeeper and cook.”
“Live-in?” I asked, brightening.
Julian only smiled. “We’ll have plenty of people to share the burden of responsibility. A couple dozen adults. Two other vampires.”
“Vampires in the basement,” I said, remembering Ruthven.
“Not just vampires,” Julian replied, tracing a finger up my neck. “You and I will sleep in the basement.”
“Together? I don’t suppose you’d like to show me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He took my hand and led me down.
The double basement was divided into two sides. On one side were washers and driers, workbench and pool table. On the other side was a hallway.
“Over here.” He opened a door and flipped on a light. “I thought this could be our room.”
The room revealed was bright and airy. I poked my head in, saw a door off the side, open to what looked like Mediterranean tile. Another seemed to lead to a walk-in closet.
Like Julian’s bedroom at Bo’s, this room had soft, luxurious carpet. I stepped in, felt my feet sink in bliss.
After indulging a few moments, I opened my eyes and looked around. Not only the carpet was the same. I recognized that ocean-sized bed, two-foot thick mattress looking soft as cotton candy. “Is that from Bo’s?”
“Well…yes. You seemed to like it.”
“Oh, yeah. I had some ideas to try out. You did this for me?”
Julian shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “I didn’t know if you’d want to move in with me. I wanted to offer you some enticement.”
“Julian, this is the best present I could have asked for.”
“It’s not your present.”
“It isn’t? But—”
“Your present’s upstairs.”
“No. My present is right here. Or at least it will be.” And I pulled his yummy face down to mine and kissed him.
Chapter Thirty-two
We had all the time in the world, now. A lifetime. I didn’t tongue-dive immediately or push my hand into his pants. Instead I rubbed my lips slowly against his, just enjoying the touch of skin on skin. The warmth of his breath. The sound of his light purr. I licked his lower lip and got high on the taste of him, male and tangy and all Julian.
He folded me
in his arms and caressed me with his lips. He backed me toward the bed, kissing me all the while. When my hips hit comforter, he lifted me in his arms, never breaking mouth contact. He laid me reverently on the bed. Eased himself on top of me, letting just enough of his weight fall on me to be arousing. I pushed up with my hips, my pubic bone meeting an already-heavy arousal. Oh yeah.
Julian broke the kiss. Before I could moan a “no”, he began to scatter little butterfly busses over my face, over cheeks and eyelids and jaw. His square, competent hands came up to cup my face while he kissed my mouth again, deeper this time, but no less sweetly. All the while his hard and sleek erection throbbed against me.
He left my mouth to kiss down my neck. Gently, lightly. Heating me with tiny tastes rather than branding lust.
His mouth skimmed over the sunny side of my breasts. The nipples poked their heads up in curiosity. He breathed on one and I swear she began purring too. I kissed the top of his black head. His hair smelled like fresh rain, felt like silk.
Julian slid his hand under my cami top, pushing it off my breast. I caught a glimpse of my nipple, pink and alert, before he lowered his head and suckled gently. Little points of pleasure lit up all over me. Everything was so light and silky that when he scraped his teeth ever-so-slightly against my nipple I nearly shot off the bed.
Shifting down my body, Julian licked the shade side of my breasts. His hands skimmed down my ribs, onto my hips. He lifted himself just enough to unsnap and unzip, and to peel back my denim. His mouth followed his hands, burning a light trail down my belly to my thong-covered mound.
Julian kissed and tongued me through the silk until it was damp and clingy. I arched, following the waves of need rolling through my body. Anchoring his lips in the cloth over my pussy, he opened his mouth and breathed. Heat spread over me. I felt slick moisture dew the thong.
His nostrils flared. He smiled up at me from between my legs. His fangs were long and graceful. Bending his head he slipped one under the thong. Levered the thong up and out. Replaced it with his tongue.
Hot passion licked my lips, slicked my slit. I jerked against his mouth, unseating him. The thong snapped back into place. Julian let loose a frustrated oath.