She flipped her hand from her mouth.
“You shouldn’t be so uncomfortable about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
The teeth retracted and she frowned. “I’m a monster.”
“You don’t look like a monster.”
“That’s what makes it worse!” She shifted in the seat and gave up on getting comfortable. “Your furniture sucks.”
“Come here.”
Lauryl stood at attention in front of him. He took her hand and she tried to shake loose from him. However, she found that she couldn’t. The grip wasn’t painful. It was consistent. The grip let her know that it was pointless to fight him. She allowed him to pull her down on to his lap, although she sat woodenly.
“Now, this isn’t so bad.”
His soft voice next to her ear melted her irritation. “No, it’s not.”
Eamon moved her hair away from her neck and kissed her. “This doesn’t have to be hard. It’s simply a matter of letting go.”
“Letting go of what?” Lauryl turned her face to his. She licked her lips, parting them slightly for him to kiss her. Eamon’s lips touched hers lightly at first, testing her reaction. The kiss deepened as she opened herself to him. Desire raced through her body when he kissed her before but this time, there was no comparison. Everywhere he touched tingled and hummed. When he pulled away from her for a moment, she looked at him like a greedy child, wanting more candy. He bent down to continue but stopped just above her lips.
“What am I supposed to let go of?” she whispered as she ran her fingers along his cheek. An anxious gasp came from her as his hand slid between her thighs.
“Yourself.” His mouth covered hers and his hand continued up her thigh until her hand slammed down on his.
Lauryl struggled to break free of him. His hands that seemed to be everywhere but she was no match in strength. Finally, out of ideas, she bit down on his lip with her fangs. Hot blood shot into her mouth and the palm of his hand slapped her jaw. The force of the slap knocked her loose and he bolted to his feet, dumping her to the floor. Blood trickled from his bottom lip. Eamon touched it and then moved his hand. Two perfect punctures just under his lip line sparkled red. Eamon loomed over her. For a second, a surge of almost morphine like euphoria and power resonated in her. She shook her head to clear the feelings and wondered if maybe his slap had been harder than she first thought. Her mouth tingled with a feeling she could only equate to when she would rub her teeth and gums with the coke left after she had snorted up the rest. With a feline movement, she hopped onto her hands and knees.
He reached out to touch her face where he had slapped her, but recoiled and dropped his hand to his side instead. “What you’re feeling is the effect of my blood in you,” he said curtly. “Another vampire’s blood is different than a human’s blood. Especially a vampire of my…years.” He rubbed his lower lip again. The wounds were healed. The only evidence of her assault were two pink circles.
“I’m not going to say I’m sorry. I mean, what did you expect? You wouldn’t let me go and I didn’t know what else to do when you said that.”
He sat back down in his chair. “My suggestion is not to be contrary to me,” he said after a long pause.
Lauryl stood up. “I can’t believe you expect me to let go of who I am just to make you happy. Until you let me come to this on my own, we’re going to keep fighting.”
“Not to threaten, but as your maker I can make you do or feel whatever I choose.”
“Is that what you want?”
“It’s what I can do,” he replied. “If I wanted to, I could have you worship me and do anything to please me.”
“Is that what you want?”
He lifted his eyebrows in a challenge. She stared back at him, unmoved.
“No, I want you willingly. I’ll wait.”
She walked out of the study and stopped after she closed the door. Would he do that to her? How would she know? Maybe I should lock my bedroom door, she thought.
“A lock won’t stop me, darling,” he called through the closed door.
I bet me telling you to go fuck yourself would.
He didn’t have anything to say to that.
CHAPTER TEN
Let’s Face It, Your Social Skills Suck
Lauryl frowned at the empty mirror in front of her. She wondered if she would ever become accustomed to not having a reflection. Just another one of the perks of being a vampire, she thought sarcastically. She finished dressing and sighed. Eamon would be expecting her downstairs and she knew if she didn’t show up, he’d come get her. The past two weeks she had been indoctrinated in her new routine; wake, dress and report down to him for whatever he had planned. Usually it was just feeding or sitting and watching him work on his business, although he had been promising to tell her more about being a vampire. Maybe tonight would be the night.
She hurried down to Eamon’s study and stood in front of his desk.
“Good evening,” he said, not looking up from the paper he was reading.
“Yeah, hey. You’ve been saying you’re going to tell me more about what we can do.” Lauryl fidgeted with her nails.
Eamon put down his reading and thought for a moment. “As a vampire?”
She nodded and found a seat. “Yes.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You want to know more about being a vampire?” His eyes widened in feigned shock.
She nodded. “Look, I said I accepted it so knock off the jokes and tell me more.”
He reached for his drink. “I’m pleased that you want to know more about your new life.”
“There’s got to be more than just offing people.”
“You’ve killed one person and that person would have been killed by someone sooner or later.”
“I haven’t been able to get that girl’s eyes out of my head.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. It was one person. You haven’t killed anyone else. In fact, it’s more elegant if you don’t kill them.”
“I don’t get it.”
“What I’m saying is that it’s better if you remove the memory of feeding. Do you recall when you were still human and I came to your apartment to apologize?”
She nodded.
“What do you remember after you came?”
She only remembered waking up alone. “I don’t really remember anything except you coming by and getting some.”
“And after?”
“Nothing.”
“You don’t remember because I used my mind to take away part of that night. While you were lying in my arms, I was taking your blood.”
Her eyebrows snapped together in a scowl. “That’s f… messed up.”
“On the contrary, I think it’s quite generous of me. Would you like to have remembered me leaning over you with my fangs bared?”
That image came to her mind and she shivered a bit. “Not particularly.” The image lingered and soon, a familiar warmth increased between her legs. Her hand slid down her thigh. She stopped when she realized that it was Eamon.
“Sorry, I was just having fun.”
Lauryl scratched her face with her middle finger.
“Anyway,” he continued. “I’ve been helping you by mentally erasing the memories of the humans you’ve fed from these past weeks, but you’ll need to learn soon.”
“I guess.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, why don’t we leave marks on people when we bite them?”
Eamon shrugged. “When we bite a human, the saliva that lingers in the wound speeds the healing process. Usually all you will leave is a bruise, which can be explained as overzealous lovemaking or a love bite.”
“A what?” She cocked her head to the side.
“A love bite. A bruise left when a lover sucks on the skin.” Eamon frowned.
“Oh, you mean a hickey!” Lauryl laughed. “I never heard it called a love bite. I guess for us, it fits.”
“I believe it’s unrelated to us.”
He cleared his throat. “Do you have any more questions?”
Aggravating Eamon was fun. His nonexistent sense of humor was an easy target. She perked up and swung her legs, skimming her feet against the wood floor. “We really don’t age?”
“No, we don’t.”
“Why don’t we sleep in coffins?”
“Because we don’t need to. That came from long ago when vampires hid in crypts and cemeteries during the day. You only need to shield yourself from the sun. Beds in darkened rooms are far more comfortable.”
“And I already know the whole no reflection thing,” she mumbled. “No changing into a bat or a wolf?”
“I’m afraid not. But your senses are enhanced dramatically now. Also your human abilities such as strength and speed have increased.”
“Can we fly?”
“On an airplane.”
“Crosses? Holy Water? Are they dangerous to us?”
“I was a practicing Catholic until the Church of England was created.” The historical reference sailed over Lauryl’s head. “When I do visit church, I attend Anglican services.”
“Are any of the movie things true?”
“A few. The invitation part is true. A person must willingly allow you into their life. Once they do, you have free reign over them, especially if you’ve taken their blood. You can read their thoughts and manipulate them. If you concentrate enough, you can accomplish just about anything. You can even unlock doors with your mind.”
“What?”
“You’re capable of certain telekinetic powers. Vampires are very cerebral creatures, darling. They rely on their mind quite a bit. Stupid or dull witted vampires are few and far between.”
“I’m not exactly a genius.”
“You’re more intelligent than you realize. You haven’t uncovered the extent of your power. You’re still a young vampire.”
“There’s so much.”
“Indeed there is.”
“You could help some.”
“I want you to learn to use your own skills and judgment.”
“Thanks for nothing,” she mumbled.
“If you’d let go of some of that anger, you’d pick up these things a lot quicker.”
Lauryl bit back several insults and stared at him. “How come you don’t socialize with other vampires?”
Eamon loosened his tie as he walked to the sofa and sat down. “Why do I need to?”
Lauryl shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“You’ve answered a question with a question.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Just answer the question.”
“I see no need to socialize with vampires. I’m in the unique position of not having to rely on other vampires for survival or gain so I choose to keep to myself. I only associate with vampires of my line. They’re my family and responsibility.”
“That’s pretty snotty of you. I mean, you could just be friends with them because you share the same experiences or whatever.”
He shook his head and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Eamon dropped the cuff links in his shirt pocket. “I’ve been this way for a long time and see no reason to change. I’m content this way.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe other vampires might want to be friends with you or get to know you at least?”
“Yes, those are the ones that want something from me.”
Lauryl laughed. “It’d take them about ten minutes to figure out how you were and then they’d be gone.”
Eamon narrowed his eyes. “My limited social circle is through my choosing.”
She walked over to him, placed her hands on his knees, and leaned in close to him. His gaze settled on the enticing view of her breasts that her pose and blouse now afforded him.
“You just don’t have any friends. Let’s face it, your social skills suck.”
He took her hands and ran them up his thighs until she resisted. “Maybe,” he began in a soft, inviting tone. “However, my social skills were adept enough to get you on your back.”
Rather than jerk back, Lauryl didn’t move. Her green eyes glinted. “Too bad I was thinking of Anthony the whole time.”
“And too bad I had come from Jennifer Conrad’s bed to yours.” He let go of her hands and she backed away. He sat in silence for a moment. “Lauryl, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Yeah.” She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself. The image of Jennifer and Eamon together wasn’t one she wanted in her head but it wouldn’t leave. She looked over at him. He didn’t take responsibility for the nasty image. It lingered on its own.
“I have something for you.” He reached into his briefcase next to the sofa and opened a red leather Cartier box. A ring with large round emerald surrounded by diamonds shined against the tan suede interior. He slid it on her finger.
Lauryl stared down at the ring. “It’s beautiful.”
“Just like you.” He leaned forward and attempted to kiss her. She pulled away and turned her head. Unfazed, he continued, “If you don’t like it, you can select something else next time we go to New York.”
“No, this is great. Thanks.”
“Now, that makes it official.”
“Yeah.” She nodded her head and sighed. The ring suddenly felt heavier on her finger. She balled her hand into a fist.
“The stone matches your eyes.”
Lauryl looked away. “You shouldn’t buy me things like this. You’ll spoil me.”
Eamon pulled her onto his lap. “I want to spoil you. I want you to have everything you want.” He kissed the top of her head and played with a lock of her hair. “Will you let me do that?”
A smile appeared on her face for a moment. “Could you handle me as a spoiled little princess?”
“I think I would love you more that way.”
She tried to imagine herself as spoiled and overindulged. When she did, she saw herself as Jennifer Conrad. The image brought on a nauseating feeling and she pulled away.
“I’m not a princess. It’s just not me.”
He took her hand and kissed it, then turned it over and kissed the palm. The maze work of scars over her wrist caught his eye. Thin, red, jagged lines ran up and down her lower arm. “Lauryl.”
Regret and embarrassment tugged at her. With everything that had happened with Eamon, she had forced the memory of her past into the recesses of her mind. His inspection of her arms brought it back. She tugged her hand away, wishing she was wearing long sleeves. “Didn’t you know?”
“I knew, but I didn’t know you did that.” He picked up the other wrist and saw the same. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry for me,” she said as she pulled her arm away. “Just be glad that I wasn’t as good of a surgeon as I am a dancer.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s in the past. Nothing to do about it now.”
“I’ll have to keep you happy,” Eamon said. He placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them.
Her shoulders tensed at his touch and she jerked away. Lauryl slapped his hands off when he tried to catch her. “You couldn’t work hard enough,” she said and bolted from the room.
Eamon was beginning to believe that.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
None of That Hollywood Crap About the Sun Reducing Us to Ashes is True
The ride home from Eamon and Lauryl feeding was silent. Each time he looked at her, she would turn her head away from him. And each time he tried to initiate any conversation, he received one word responses or nothing at all. Eamon pulled the car into the drive of the house and turned to Lauryl. She sat with her arms crossed over her chest, pouting. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel and sighed.
“Tell me, is there anything that might make you happy? I’ve offered to take you anywhere in the world and you refuse. You seem committed to being miserable.”
“I’m miserable because of you,” Lauryl snapped.
/> “Me?”
“Yeah, you. I don’t love you. Most days I don’t even like you. You’re boring.”
“I just took you out,” he said lightly.
“To EAT! All we do is stay in this house except for when we go out and…feed.”
“You’re the one who is being difficult. What is so terrible about your life?”
Lauryl’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you’re asking that. You took the one thing away from me that mattered. The thing I loved. But why should you care? Your life is all good. You’ve still got everything. You could at least let me run the dance company.”
He tapped the steering wheel for a moment. “No, not right now.”
Lauryl’s jaw dropped. “What? Why?”
“You’re not ready. I never know how you’re going to behave and you make no effort to show me anything different.”
Her hand balled into a fist. “Selfish,” she hissed. “You only think of yourself and what you want.” She raised her fist up to hit him but instead twisted off her wedding ring and chucked it at him. The ring bounced off his chest onto the floorboard of the car. She yanked on the locked door handle several times before he unlocked it. Lauryl jumped out of the car onto the pea gravel drive, her heels sinking in the tiny rocks. She stumbled forward a few steps but caught herself before she fell. She kicked off the shoes and hurled them down the drive. “These fucking shoes!” she yelled. She ran into the house and slammed the door behind her.
“Christ,” Eamon said as he put his head back on the steering wheel. From the corner of his eye, he saw the ring sparkling on the floor. He scooped it up and put it in his pocket.
Why was this so difficult? Why couldn’t she enjoy her life? Her statement about how she didn’t even like him most days continued to play in his mind. It was remarkable how much that bothered him. His feelings were hurt. Or he guessed they were. Ages had passed since he actually experienced something akin to that. His pride was wounded and the prickly, sullen mood that was settling over him confounded him. He got out of the car and walked down the drive to retrieve her shoes.
The situation perplexed him to say the least. Women found him attractive and always enjoyed keeping him company. He’d never found someone who didn’t want to be a vampire when offered the chance. Irina pursued him. Jennifer Conrad would more than likely jump at the chance to be a vampire and be with him. He suspected that she would jump at any wealthy man, vampire or not. He knew that she’d be on her back for him the moment he saw her. Eamon bent down and picked up the black Jimmy Choo shoes and stuck one in each of his jacket pockets.
Life in Moonlight: The Primigenio Tales: Book 1 Page 8