by Jasmine Walt
Mom and JoAnn headed upstairs. Jeni hung back, staring at Paul.
"The sun will be up soon," one of Dorius' men said. "I think we'll head back to the hotel, Marcus. I'll order more blood as soon as we get there. It should be here sometime today before we leave." He headed for the front door, taking the other six immortals with him.
"I'll be back in a few hours, Jeni," Paul said. "I just need to get a few things from home. Will you ride with me to the compound later?" He paused at the door.
"That sounds lovely. I'm sure it will be a much more pleasant drive without having to witness everyone trying to tear each other's eyes out." Jeni gave him a smile, walking toward the stairs. Paul smiled back and walked out the front door.
Gibbie flew off the table to the sliding glass doors leading to the lake. "I'll see all of you this evening. I'm going to catch a few before we leave."
I turned away from Marcus' smiling face and stopped Resi in mid-step. "Resi, I need a word, please?"
"Okay," Resi said with curious eyes. "How about you walk Zaire and me downstairs?"
When she closed the bedroom door, I stared at them, chewing on my cheek. I sucked in a long breath and blurted, "Marcus says I'm his mate. He's been talking to me in my head and none of you seemed to notice. He also blocked JoAnn from pushing her thoughts at me. He knows everything I'm thinking and it's annoying as hell. How do I get him to leave me alone?"
"Why the hell would you want to do that? Do you know how hard it is to find a mate? God Mom, he's the oldest friggin' vampire in the world. Christ, this is great!"
"Well, at least it isn't Dorius," Zaire said, tossing her soiled shirt on a pile of clothes in the corner of the room.
"I don't want this. I feel… violated. I hate him knowing what I'm going to say even before I say it. How do I get out of it?"
"You can't, and I bet you feel drawn to him," Resi studied her face in a mirror attached to the bedroom door. "And once you mate, you're done for."
"You mean sex?"
"Not just sex. Didn't you read the same books I did? You need to drink from each other."
"No problem, because that isn't going to happen," I grabbed the doorknob.
"Wanna bet?" Resi grinned. "Did I tell you Zaire and I are mates? It's so damn cool. I know what she's doing at all times. I know what she thinks, feels, everything."
Zaire smiled at Resi. "Yeah, and that can be a real pain in the ass, but at least JoAnn doesn't rant in our heads."
"Well it isn't going to happen with me. I sure as hell am not sucking on anything of his, never mind having sex while I do it!" I didn't believe myself for one moment, but it sounded real good. Just the thought of Marcus up close and personal sent tingly sensations up and down my spine.
"Like I said, wanna bet?" Resi snickered.
I walked out the door and Marcus was standing in the kitchen waiting for me. I didn't give him time to say anything. He looked too damn cute. "I'm tired, Marcus. I'm going to bed. Alone. You can bunk on the couch."
"As you wish, my love." He flashed way too many teeth as he stepped back with a gracious wave of his hand, gesturing at the stairs up to my room.
I walked into my bedroom more drained than I had ever been as a mortal, with thoughts of the evening's events running around in my head. All I wanted to do was slide under my covers and sleep for a couple of days. No, what I really wanted to do was go downstairs, drag that immortal with his kissable grin and penetrating eyes up here to my bed, and find every part of his body with my lips. I headed for the shower instead.
I turned on the hot water and got undressed, staring at my reflection in the mirror as it began to fog. "You will not sleep with that immortal. Do you hear me?" I didn't look at all convinced.
I stepped under the tepid water, wishing Marcus was there to join me and hated myself for thinking it. Damn, but I felt lonely without him chiding me. I closed my eyes, saw his handsome face and immediately opened them again. Goddamn it.
I swore I heard him chuckle. I shook my head and grabbed for my shampoo, lathering my hair. The smell of lavender filled the shower stall, soothing me. I inhaled deeply trying to get the intoxicating need of having his body wrapped around me out of my mind. I rinsed my hair and grabbed the big brush from the rack on the wall. I poured a generous amount of rose scented soap on it and tried to scrub Marcus off my body and out of my mind.
A half an hour later I was toweled dry, under my covers, dressed in my little red silk pajamas, ignoring the fact that I hadn't wore them in years.
It was still dark out. I couldn't see the sun rising from this side of the house leaving it darker a bit longer. I tried to relax, taking deep breaths. A soft breeze blew in through the screen of my sliding door, mingling with the flow of air from my ceiling fan, playing with my curtains. I smelled lavender, lake water, roses, and Marcus. Damn it.
I punched my pillow into submission, squeezing my eyes closed. I listened to the water on the beach hit the cypress trees and finally drifted off to sleep.
I was dreaming of my fantasy immortal, watching as he jumped over the balcony rail outside my sliding door. He stood for a moment, silhouetted in the early morning darkness. I heard him laugh softly as he stepped under the curtains. They slid from his beautiful body and glided across the floor at his feet as he approached the bed. I let out a long sigh knowing what was coming next. He would slowly pull the covers from my body and watch me sleep.
The covers caressed my arms as they slid from my body and the cool air from the ceiling fan played over my exposed flesh.
Then he would touch my hair, trailing a hot flame of heat down my neck and shoulder as his hand moved to my back.
I felt a trail of hot flames follow his fingertips as they pulled my hair back from my face and neck, lightly grazing over my cheek. His fingers lingered in their descent, softly playing over the skin at the nape of my neck. I felt another trail of warmth as his other hand slid under my silk top following it up my spine.
Shivering with desire, I knew that he would soon kiss my neck and graze his incisors across my flesh.
I felt his hand slide further down my back and over my bottom caressing my thighs, making my breath come in short, panting gasps. I heard a soft chuckle as he nibbled at my neck. Then he bit me as his hand slid between my legs, teasing me.
Wait a minute… Something pulsed in and out of my mind and vanished as quickly as it arrived.
I felt a soft sucking on the side of my neck. I was on fire, every fiber in my body responding to his touch as I wiggled myself over his fingers.
I heard him growl, taking his teeth from my throat for a minute, making me wish he hadn't. "I want you, Susabellaluna," my immortal dream lover whispered in my ear. He slid his teeth back in my neck and began to suckle again.
I blinked. What the hell? Did he just call me Susabellaluna? My dream immortal never called me that.
I turned over yanking his hand and teeth from inside me as I sat up in bed, now wide awake, to find Marcus over me with blood dripping from his mouth.
"Did you bite me? Did you fucking bite me? And you called me that infernal nickname, didn't you? Where in the hell did you hear that name? Did my mother tell you to call me that?"
"Susan, my beloved, I only answered your call. You invited me to your bed, my darling, and I did as you directed me to do."
"Oh, no you didn't. I did not call you, Fang-Boy. I was sleeping, for Christ sake, and you know it. Where the hell did you get that name? Is this how it's going to be?"
"I'm sorry, my love. I found the name tucked away deep in your mind. It's endearing. And you wanted me just as much as I wanted you." He frowned at me, reaching out to touch my hair.
"Oh, now that's rich. I suppose since you bit me, I have no choice in this matter! You marked me, damn it. Why didn't you wait? I wanted to talk. Just talk. I wanted to know what the hell this was about and make a rational decision. I didn't want you making it for me by seducing me with the most erotic moment I have ever had in my life. You pla
yed my dream immortal, damn you. But this was no dream. This was you seducing me—using me. I did not want to belong to you. But you just made that decision for me, you controlling son-of-a-bitch!" I glared into his eyes, wishing he'd kiss me and, at the same time, I wanted to slap the insufferable bastard.
"First of all, there has been no binding. We need to drink from each other while we mate, like mortals trying to produce a child," he said with a shy grin, as if he was talking with an inexperienced child about the birds and the bees.
I wanted none of it. I was pissed. "So—what—we just start all over again like none of this ever happened?"
"I don't think that's possible. Do you, my love?"
"No," I said, pouting. I even batted my eyelashes. I'm an idiot!
He smiled at me and drew me close to him in an embrace that had my frigging traitor of a body burning with desire for him again, and I sure as hell didn't want that. I eased away from him and held his chest firmly at a distance.
"I don't think we need to be this close just yet, either," I said, feeling that oh so special place zinging into action again.
"You want me, sweetheart. I can feel it. And I want you as much."
"Okay, down boy. Just back up and take your hands out of my hair. Let's just go to sleep. In separate beds. We can talk about this tomorrow on the four-hour drive to Miami. His face dropped and I felt just a bit guilty. That damn gene all Italian women seem to be born with was pulling me in his direction. I had no idea why I felt like this was all my fault, but damn it, I did.
"I have a few questions I want to ask you, later, on the drive, and you can tell me why you have chosen me to attach your teeth to," I said, trying not to answer the damn tingling sensation in my unfaithful crotch.
He let out a long sigh, eyed my king size bed, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a spine-shattering smile that made me want to kiss the other side up.
"The couch is not comfortable. I am much too big for it, Susan."
"There you go, bragging again." I smiled in spite of myself.
"If I sleep on top of the covers, can I stay here by your side?"
I was thinking that would last for about five minutes before he was all over me and I would be unable to stop it since my traitor of a body seemed to be doing whatever the hell it wanted to.
"I will not touch you again unless you ask. I promise my beloved." He chuckled because the damn man knew what I was thinking.
My teeth slammed together and I sucked in a breath, trying not to think of all the erotic possibilities. Well hell, I don't want him walking downstairs alerting everyone that he'd been up here with me, I told myself, trying to justify the wrong decision I was about to make.
"Okay, so let's discuss the matter of my asking for it. I didn't ask the first time. I was dreaming. There is a difference, okay? So, no touching unless I take my two hands and place them on either side of your face, look into your eyes, and ask for it. Got it?"
"I do. And I thank you," he said, making himself comfortable.
"Fine. Just stay on top of the covers." Oh God, this is so very wrong.
I slid back under my quilt, pulling it to my neck and closed my eyes tight. Thoughts of my mother undulating between Max's knees flashed across the back of my lids like a bad movie. That did it. The zinging in my nether parts did an abrupt halt, like a car smashing into a brick wall.
I heard Marcus chuckle as he rolled over. "Well, at least you are accompanying me on the trip to Miami. I will make sure we are alone."
"Did I say I was driving alone with you tomorrow?" I moved further away from him and prayed for dreams of hunting, fishing, disembowelment…anything but my handsome dream immortal.
"No. I did." He chuckled again. "Sleep well, my love."
29
I walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee pot, ignoring everyone sitting around the breakfast bar. My mother, however, was clearly going to start some shit before I could get there.
"She never wears a dress unless someone just died or she's entertaining a man. Who died?" Mom asked me.
Marcus laughed from the dining room.
I ignored him and turned to Mom. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. She glared at me, one long eyebrow doing a slow roll across her creased forehead. "Don't start, Mom. It's too damn early. Where's JoAnn?"
"JoAnn's still in her room," Resi pulled six bags of blood out of the refrigerator. As she passed them around the room, her head bounced in Marcus' direction. "And don't change the subject, Mother. You have good sex written all over your face. You slept with him didn't you?"
Marcus cleared his throat. I shot him a warning glance.
"Oh hell, you did, didn't you?" Zaire laughed. "Go Mom!"
I sucked in a lot of noisy air through my teeth, really working the spoon in my coffee cup.
Jeni raised an eyebrow in my direction. "Resi, let's not be obnoxious. I'm sure Mommy Dearest didn't copulate with anyone last night. So who died, Susabella?"
I took a big gulp of caffeine.
"Come on. Give it up," Zaire slid down the counter toward Jeni, waggling her eyebrows at me.
"Do all of you usually discuss your personal lives and who you do, or do not fornicate with, so openly?" Marcus asked from the picnic table in the dining room, his eyes twinkling.
"We have no personal lives. It's like living in a bee hive with six queens." Mom took a sip of her coffee. Resi handed her a bag of blood. She grimaced and pulled it toward her.
They do not know anything about last night. Marcus pushed at me. Although, you probably should have covered the two red marks on your neck with a little more of that foundation you have on.
I jerked my head in his direction and my hand flew to my throat.
Marcus laughed out loud; one of his sexy thick eyebrows looked like a cat ready to pounce.
I felt the need to be a bitch. Just a little bit.
"I am not, nor will I be any time in the near future, having sexual relations with anyone!" I spat, giving my disgusting underwear a tug. I may have a dress on, but underneath, I donned a pair of my old white granny undies, just in case. No one was going to see those babies.
"What've'ya got under the dress, Susabella?" Mom queried.
"Alright, everyone cut the crap. I didn't have sex with Marcus," I said.
"Dorius?" Mom asked. "Cuz, you're glowing like the morning after."
I heard Marcus growl in my head.
"Fess up, Marcus - she's lying, isn't she?" Resi said.
My lips went back in a snarl and I strutted to the sink, turning away from all of them. I peered out the window as Gibbie flitted out of his rock and hovered by the cypress trees for a few seconds before heading toward the hole in the screen door.
"God help me, I can't take another man in your life, Susan," Mom spat. "You turn into a sfatto, eat way too much chocolate and start throwing our good china around the-" Mom stopped abruptly as Gibbie came flying in with a flutter of wings. He landed next to Zaire and started making weird noises that sounded like the theme song from 'Boston Legal'.
Zaire sucked in a big breath and blew hard, sending his tiny body somersaulting away.
"Can you say mouthwash?" Gibbie landed on the edge of Jeni's coffee mug, dipped what looked like a half-thimble with a handle on it into the coffee, pulled it to his lips, sipped, and then asked, "What did I miss? I hate missing anything."
Paul walked onto the screen porch and through the sliding door. "What are we fighting about tonight?"
"We're not fighting about anything, Mr. Forrest. It seems they were trying to find out if Susan and I had sex last night. Much to my chagrin, we did not."
Paul looked shocked.
"She ain't wearing that dress for nothing'," Mom commented.
The front door opened and Dorius yelled, "What the hell do you mean he had a mortal with him, Dennis?"
All eyes turned to the front of the house.
"The mortal was out cold in a life raft attached to a surfboard. He was
evidently using him as fodder." Dennis' voice wafted from the phone.
"Where is he?" Dorius hissed.
I leaned across the counter and peeked down the hall. Dorius was pacing in front of the front door with his cell phone in one hand and his other hand raking through his hair.
"He's right here in my office, listening to you. He just finished kissing me on both cheeks," Dennis' said.
"He should be kissing your ass! Don't let him out of your sight."
I heard the phone slap shut and Dorius strutted into the dining room with Warren, Camillio, and a bad attitude. His eyes found my neck and then drifted up to join mine. He sniffed the air and smiled at me. "Sleep well?"
"Yes, I did, thank you," I said with as sweet a smile as I could muster. I didn't like the way he was looking at me.
"What's that on your neck? Cut yourself shaving?" Dorius asked. He didn't give me time to answer before locking eyes with Marcus. "Having trouble keeping your nose out of her undies?"
Marcus jumped up, snarling at his brother. "That's enough, Dorius!"
An excited squeal erupted from Resi's mouth, turning both men in her direction. "You bit her! Oh, hell yes! I knew-"
"He did not." I lied, staring at Dorius' smug face.
Mom groaned. Jeni started laughing. Zaire snorted and Gibbie and Paul both had their mouths open in a pre-statement gesture.
"Let me see your neck. Move your hand." Resi walked closer, evidently not ready to give it up.
I moved away. "No!" I yelled, thinking my choice of clothing wasn't as smart as I'd thought.
Dorius examined me with hooded eyes. "It seems my brother has found a distraction." He looked at Marcus with a scheming expression. "I smell your mark on her. I suggest you back off Marcus, before you are unable to preside on the council as mediator."
"He can't back off any more than she can." Resi jumped up and down. "They're Blood-Mates."