Ancient Blood: Infernal

by Kate Hill

  “I’m sure there are plenty of drawbacks being married to a lawyer,” Matthew said. “For instance, when you get divorced, she’ll take you for everything you own.”

  Simmons laughed.

  “I think it must be fascinating having Dulcie,” Jay stated. “Not everyone marries a beautiful, creative woman. As I said last night, her work will live forever. I’m sure of it. There’s been Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, and one day everyone will come to know Dulcie Evans.”

  Dulcie smiled with feigned sweetness as she swept out of office. “You’re too kind. However, I’m sure they won’t.”

  Once she’d gone, Dr. Simmons left Jay alone with Matthew, who conducted a tour of the hospital, spending most of the time in his own labs. He knew instantly that Nancy didn’t like Jay. She abandoned her usual bubbly manner and replied as briefly as possible to Ashford’s questions.

  Around five o’clock, Ashford finally seemed ready to depart.

  “Do you have a few minutes, Matt?” Jay asked. “I’d like to speak with you in private.”

  “Yes, and it’s Matthew.”

  Jay offered a slick smile. “I apologize. Some nicknames just kind of stick, don’t they?”

  “Only if you let them.”

  Jay laughed. “I like your attitude, Matthew. I like how you work. You’re self-motivated, but you’re also a team player.”

  Matthew resisted the urge to yawn. Ashford wanted something. That was certain.

  Back in the office, Matthew sat behind his desk while Jay lounged in one of the comfortable chairs across from him.

  “Now we’re alone, so let’s get down to business.” Jay leaned forward, his palms flat on Matthew’s desk. “I’m conducting private research at a brand-new lab I’ve built just a few miles from here. I want you to work for me, studying our kind.”

  Matthew lifted an eyebrow. “Strictly our kind?”

  “Yes. You know as well as I do how many vampires are in the sciences, trying to peice together bits and pieces of studies while hiding from the mortal world. It’s about time we had a place of our own to better ourselves. True, we live for thousands of years, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t affected by physical diseases and psychological disorders. We need somewhere to study freely.”

  Matthew couldn’t disagree. Jules allowed him a great deal of freedom to pursue vampiric research, however it hadn’t always been so simple. The idea of a center that focused strictly on vampires was almost too tempting—and too good to be true.

  “What do you say, Matthew? I want to put you in charge of the entire center. You’re the best in your field, and I know all about the contributions you’ve made to vampire society. The cure you discovered several years ago to combat the poison deadly to our kind… Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

  “That wasn’t all my work. I had a psychic friend who contacted a person who’d known about the cure for centuries.”

  “Wasn’t it something crazy? Like the mortal with the tainted blood who infected the vampire had to become a hybrid and the victimized immortal had to drink her tears? Crazy. Absolutely insane. You were able to create synthetic tears that produced the same results. Easier. Quicker. Brilliant. You’d be doing the same type of thing without the hindrance of researching mortals.”

  “Mortals aren’t a hindrance,” Matthew said, irritated. “I enjoy working with mortals. I was raised by mortals—”

  “Wait a second. Wait a second.” Jay held up his hands in defense. “I have nothing against mortals, Matthew, and I certainly meant no offense to your family. I just think that an Immaculate with your skills and intelligence shouldn’t have to perform closet research for his own kind. This could be an amazing opportunity for you. You know I’m right.”

  Matthew glanced at his fingers as they twisted the edges of his desk calendar. He couldn’t disagree with Jay. It would be a fantastic venture, one he’d never dreamed possible.

  “You don’t have to answer right away.” Jay stood. “Give it a few weeks.”

  “How do I contact you?”

  “Don’t worry, Matthew.” Jay smiled as he walked to the door. “I’ll be in touch with you.”

  Chapter Four

  Dulcie stepped out of the shower and reached for a tube of lemon-scented lotion. Naked except for a pink bath towel wrapped around her head, she walked to the bedroom and smoothed the lotion over her skin. She always felt good after she worked out. For the past couple of hours, she’d used the stair climber and free weights in their home gym. Though Matthew ran on his own—his alpha male speed and stamina exceeded hers—they usually exercised together in the early morning hours before she retired to sleep and he went to the lab. She’d missed him tonight, particularly when he called her at eight-thirty and told her not to expect him until eleven. Jay’s interruption earlier that day had pushed him behind on his daily goals, and he had to make up for it.

  So Dulcie had refrigerated the dinner she’d prepared and spent the night alone. Occasionally she wished he’d spend a little less time at work and a little more at home. He usually spent seven days a week at that lab, and nearly as many nights. The crazy hours weren’t a surprise to her. She needed her own freedom to work on her art, and the time they spent together was always wonderful. Still, that night she’d really been looking forward to Matthew coming home early.

  She lifted her chin and inhaled, her heartbeat quickening and clit tingling with impending desire. Matthew’s scent drifted through the window. Moments later, she heard the front door open. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was only ten.

  Smiling, she slipped on a black robe and hurried down the stairs.

  “Matthew?”

  Dulcie shrieked as strong arms wrapped around her waist and hauled her to a bare, sweaty chest.

  Dulcie slapped Matthew’s wrist hard. “Are you trying to scare me to death?”

  He nipped her earlobe. “Not to death.”

  “I’m so glad you’re home,” she purred, turning in his arms and kissing him. Her fingers stroked the mat of damp curls covering his rock-hard pecs. “How was your run?”

  “Warmed me up for you.”

  She sighed with mock annoyance and stepped back, her gaze raking his sleek torso and long legs hidden by black jogging pants. “You know, I did just take a shower and you’re getting me all messy.”

  “Sorry. I’ll go wash up.” He released her and headed for the stairs.

  Dulcie leapt at him, her claws raking over his chest and abdomen. “Don’t you dare walk away from me until I’m satisfied.”

  “I love a woman of authority.” He grasped her wrists and tugged her to the kitchen.

  “Hungry?” she asked coyly. “Dinner is in the—” She paused, gasping as he ripped off her robe and devoured one of her nipples. His warm, moist tongue lapped the rosy peak and circled the areola. “Refrigerator.”

  She closed her eyes as he dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach. Soft lips roamed over her waist. The tip of his tongue tickled her ribs and swirled inside her navel. Grasping one of her firm bottom cheeks in each hand, he lapped her inner thighs until her legs almost dropped from under her. She grasped handfuls of his damp hair and murmured endearments.

  “Matthew, oh, God. That’s it, darling. It feels so, so good!” she purred as he licked her clit and tugged the delicate flesh with his moist lips. His tongue ran down one side of it then up the other while his hands kneaded and squeezed her smooth posterior.

  Dulcie’s hands moved from his head to his shoulders. She clutched the big, solid muscles, feeling power ripple through him. He exuded raw strength like no other vampire she’d ever met. He allowed her a taste of it, enough to steal her breath, but never enough to harm her. Matthew loved her ferocious appetite. He gained as much pleasure from her exuberance as from the sensations of his cock buried deep in her pussy or filling her warm, wet mouth. Power was inside him. He was a man sure enough of his inner strength and masculinity not to carry dominance into the bedroom. He loved feeling the full brunt of
Dulcie’s passions. Anything less than a full-blown alpha female would bore the hell out of him and she knew it. Most of Matthew’s life was spent maintaining control. He cut loose in his sex life and needed a woman with as much enthusiasm, vigor and strength of will as he possessed.

  Lifting her onto a stool beside the stove, he pressed her against the wall. Dulcie shivered as much from the coolness of the tile against her back as from the marvelous sensation of his thick erection sliding, inch by thrilling inch, inside her.

  “Matthew!” She panted against his neck. The flesh was damp from his run and grew hotter, the tendons and arteries bulging as he thrust fast and hard. He growled close to her ear. His chest rumbled with the animal sound. Clinging to him tightly, her claws sank into his back. She ran her palms down the slick flesh, feeling the muscles flexing.

  She drew back slightly and gazed into his eyes, which glistened lavender as his desire heightened. The dark pupils expanded like a cat’s in the dark.

  “Your eyes are so beautiful,” he murmured breathlessly. “I love it when they glow.”

  “Yours remind me of fireworks.”

  “I’ll give you fireworks.” He increased his movements, that big, hard cock pumping in and out of her, rubbing her in all the right places. The pleasure built to astounding heights, almost unbearable in its tightening, pulsing magnificence.

  Closing her eyes, she unsheathed her fangs, feeling them slip from her gums. Her legs wrapped tightly around his lean waist, her heels resting against a taut male ass firm enough to crack walnuts with. She bit his shoulder, shuddering as the taste of his blood hurled her into an orgasm so long and intense that the world went black. Her pussy clamped around his cock, squeezing, throbbing, driving him to his peak.

  He groaned as his teeth sank into her shoulder, drinking deeply as he stiffened and rammed into her drenched pussy with a final savage thrust.

  * * * * *

  Dulcie sat across from Matthew at the dinner table, licking salad dressing that had splashed onto the back of her hand.

  “So are you going to tell me about it?” she asked.

  His gaze flew to hers. “Sorry. I’m drifting, aren’t I?”

  “A little.”

  “I got a job offer today.”

  “I didn’t know you were looking, sweetheart.”

  “I’m not. Jay Ashford made a proposal.”

  Dulcie listened in silence while Matthew told her about Jay’s offer. When he’d finished, she asked, “Do you want to work for him?”

  “It would be a very good opportunity to advance the study of our kind.”

  “But?”

  “I’m involved in my work at the hospital. I enjoy it.”

  “I know you like working with mortals, but you’re also pursuing the study of vampires. If you take this new position, you wouldn’t have to work quite so many hours to balance everything out.”

  “And that would leave more time for us.” He smiled softly. “That’s the biggest attraction.”

  “Matthew,” she reached for his hand across the table, “you know I love spending time with you, but I don’t want you to make the wrong decision because of me. I knew all about your schedule before we married. I want you to be happy, and I know how much you enjoy working with Jules and Nancy. You love your job at the hospital. You’ve done so much good there.”

  “I don’t like Jay Ashford.”

  “I don’t like him either.”

  “But this is a fantastic opportunity. Think about all we could learn with an entire team researching vampires.”

  Dulcie smiled, her hand tightening on his. “I know that look.”

  “What look?”

  “This really excites you.”

  “How could it not?”

  “Matthew, I know your temper. Do you think you could work for Jay Ashford and not lose it?”

  “I didn’t get as far as I have because I can’t hold my temper.”

  “I just know once you lose it, there’s no turning back. Face it, darling, you’re an animal.”

  Matthew cast his eyes down to his plate. Her words disturbed him. It had been hard for him to reconcile with his wild side. At times he still denied it. She didn’t like upsetting him, but she also understood the consequences should he and Jay Ashford have a serious confrontation. Not that she believed Jay would be foolish enough to taunt Matthew into a physical brawl—a common occurrence among vampire males— but she sensed a verbal blowout could cause Matthew professional difficulties.

  “When does he want your answer?”

  “A couple of weeks.”

  “Good. We’re going to New York for our vacation on Monday. You can talk to Adam about it.”

  “We’ll be lucky if we see five minutes of Adam. He’s a resident. He has no time.”

  “Mara’s told me.”

  “How’s she dealing with it?”

  “Fine. She misses him, but her job as a Network chronicler keeps her busy.”

  In truth, Dulcie looked forward to talking to her sister-in-law about her involvement with the Network. With the destruction of the First Father, a secret group of vampires led by Marina, a survivor of Atlantis, had approached Adam about becoming a leader among immortals. They asked him to head the Network, an organization formed to keep order among vampires. The Network ensured those who used their powers for evil were punished. It helped vampire society to exist secretly and peacefully among human beings. Dulcie had been surprised by the number of members in the Network. Even some of her own relatives were associated with the group. Matthew had offered his expertise in the sciences for their endeavors but refused multiple offers to join.

  Mara had often told Dulcie how much she enjoyed working for the Network, and her enthusiasm had recently made Dulcie consider learning more about it herself. During their vacation, she planned on discovering all she could about the organization from her sister-in-law.

  “She’s really glad we’ll be visiting,” Dulcie continued, “and I can’t wait to see both of them again.”

  “Neither can I.”

  “And it will be nice spending so much time with you.”

  Matthew traced her lips with his thumb and said, “I plan on making the most of it.”

  * * * * *

  “Will you go home already?” Nancy folded her arms across her chest as she stood in the doorway of Matthew’s office. “Your vacation has started. Begun. Is in progress.”

  “It’s only six o’clock.”

  Nancy raised her eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “How shall I say this, Doctor? Go home and have fun.”

  Matthew switched off his computer, replaced a file in one of his drawers and glanced at his desk one last time.

  Nancy shook her head. “It’ll all still be here when you get back, you know. I swear to God, your attachment to your job is unnatural. You’re not supposed to like working this much.”

  “You’re sure that’s the kind of thing you want to say to your superior?”

  Nancy looked a bit worried until Matthew smiled.

  “Just kidding,” he said, and followed her to the hallway. “Remember, you can call me if you need…”

  “No. I can’t. You’re away, remember?”

  “I’m only in New York”

  “It may as well be Africa. No one’s going to call you. We’ll survive the next couple of weeks without you, and believe me, you’ll survive better than you think without us.”

  “How would you feel if I didn’t come back?”

  Nancy laughed. “Oh, right. As if that would ever happen. You’ve already got separation anxiety because of two weeks’ vacation.”

  “I’m serious. Say I left. Would you miss me?”

  “You mean it, don’t you?” Nancy narrowed her eyes. “Matthew, you know how I’d feel, how most of the people in this hospital would feel. Come on, you’re one of the good ones. Pardon my language, but there’s a staff full of arrogant assholes around here, and you’re simply not one of them. People can actually come to you wit
h problems and not get their throats torn out.”

  Matthew offered a weak smile. Funny she should choose that particular term.

  “You aren’t really thinking about leaving, are you?”

  Matthew stopped walking, and so did Nancy. “I’ve been offered another job. A good one.”

  “Well,” Nancy drew a deep breath, “it must be for you to give up this one.”

  “I didn’t say I was going to take it. I’m just thinking about it.”

  “Well, if it’s something you really want, I think you should go for it. A person of your talent should have the best.”

  “You know I think this hospital is the best. I’m just considering all my options.”

  “And you should. Do what will be most beneficial to you, but if you decide to go, I’ll miss you.”

  “You too, Nancy. See you in a couple of weeks.”

  * * * * *

  As Matthew turned his car down his street, he noticed his parents’ truck parked in the driveway and smiled. Though they lived only a few towns away, his work prevented him from spending as much time as he’d like with his human family. Human family. Up until a few years ago, the Winters had been his only family. Then he’d met his twin and his birth parents, both hybrid vampires. Though the Winters would always be his true family, he did have affection for his biological mother, Mercedes. Adam, aside from Dulcie, had become his closest friend. In spite of their personality clash, Matthew had to admit he respected his biological father, Brett. Brett was everything Matthew was not—silly, juvenile, a bozo, but his heart was true. He’d spent centuries tracking and destroying evil vampires and had recently become a legitimate law enforcer in the Network. As he’d often pointed out to Matthew, he was also a medical doctor. Of course, he’d earned his degree in nineteen-twenty-something and learned his basic skills during the golden age of Rome…

  Matthew considered the differences between his birth parents and his adoptive ones. His adoptive mother was a fourth-grade teacher, and his father a plumber. Matthew had five brothers and sisters, which was how he met Dulcie. She and his sister Lisa had attended the same college.