Feeling the weight of her decision, wondering how she’d gotten involved so deeply, so fast, she made the turn that would take her to the estate.
CHRISTIAN LEFT MARC with Cibor, and settled into one of the big, cushy chairs around the conference table, eyeing Jaclyn as she closed the door and sat on the other side of the table. The conference room was part of a suite of offices that Jaclyn had to herself, along with what appeared to be a sizeable staff. If anything, her offices were more palatial than Anthony’s, although it could be argued that the entire house was his, while only these few rooms were Jaclyn’s. It was worth noting, though, that Jaclyn had only one human on her staff, and that was her secretary. And he’d bet that all of her vampires owed allegiance to Raphael, just as Jaclyn did.
And that made him wonder again about the relationship between Anthony and Raphael. Cibor had said Anthony was bitter about Raphael’s decision to pull out of the South. But the resentment must have been building before that. Any way you looked at it, Anthony was beholden to Raphael, and he must hate it. He could never be truly his own man, and would always feel Raphael looking over his shoulder. And what about the other lords? They all had to know the true situation. Did they consider Anthony less than themselves? Not a full member of the Council? That would grate on Anthony’s every nerve, wouldn’t it?
“Christian Duvall,” Jaclyn said, scooting her chair back and crossing her legs. She was an attractive female. Dark-haired, sharp-featured. Intelligent, but with an edge that Christian admired in an opponent, but found off-putting in a woman. At least a woman who wasn’t an opponent.
“Jaclyn,” he responded, pronouncing her name in the French way. Zhak-LEEN. She wasn’t French, but her people were. Christian didn’t know her entire story, but he knew she’d been born in Quebec, and that the Québecois version of the French language was her native tongue.
Jaclyn smiled warmly. “Raphael asked me to convey his regards, and to tell you he spoke with Vincent, who is understandably interested in whatever you might know about Hubert and any others. You’ll probably hear from him directly in the next day or two.”
Christian tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I’ll be happy to share whatever I know,” he said, and waited for her to get to the point. She hadn’t called him here to tell him about Vincent.
Leaning forward, her arms on the table, and her body language shifting to that of a confidante, she said, “Raphael also heard about the ambush last night.”
And there it was. The real reason for this meeting. “Ambush,” Christian repeated. “And did Raphael hear who ambushed whom?”
Jaclyn barked out a surprised laugh. “Direct and to the point. I like it. Anthony is claiming you murdered Noriega in order to get a jump on the challenge, that you feared the competition.”
Christian managed to confine his scorn to a raised eyebrow. He feared Noriega? That was hilarious. “And what does Raphael think?” he asked, since she seemed to be waiting for the question.
“Raphael has met you,” she said simply. “And his lieutenant, Jared, has met both you and Noriega. Let’s just say that the facts are in question.”
Christian tipped his head again. “Please convey my appreciation to Raphael for the update,” he said, and meant it. The Western lord hadn’t needed to let him know what Anthony was doing, or even that he doubted Anthony’s version of events. That he had done so indicated yet another level of support that Christian hadn’t counted on.
“Be careful, Christian,” Jaclyn said solemnly. “Anthony might be lacking in power, but he’s very shrewd, and doesn’t care who pays for what he wants. He’s also remarkably egotistical, even for one of us.”
“I lived a quarter century in Mathilde’s court. I understand what motivates a sociopath.”
She nodded her head silently. “You may not believe this, but Raphael is a neutral observer in the challenge. He wants the strongest champion to prevail. The South needs a strong leader.”
“I do believe that,” he said, with a confident grin. “Which is why I will be the one who prevails.”
Jaclyn smiled back at him. “I tend to agree with you. Unofficially, of course.”
“Of course.”
“You’re new to Houston, aren’t you?”
“More or less. We visited a few times to look at real estate.”
“So what can I help you with? Information on the city? The best blood houses?”
“We’re well set on those fronts. Marc is an excellent scout. There is one thing, however. I need a good dojo, preferably one with a master who embraces the discipline of Krav Maga.”
“Now, that I don’t know anything about, but I know someone who does,” Jaclyn said, and reached for the phone. She hit a speed dial button, then listened for a moment, before Christian heard the faint sound of a woman answering.
“Natalie,” Jaclyn said, sharpening Christian’s attention. “Could you come to my office for a moment?”
Listening intently, Christian could distinguish Natalie’s lyrical accent and sexy purr, even when all she said was, “Of course. I’ll be right there.”
Jaclyn hung up and said, “Natalie is our forensic accountant. I’m a financial analyst, which is why Raphael chose me for this assignment in the first place, but Jabril’s underhanded accounting schemes are well beyond my accounting abilities.”
“She arrived with Anthony?” Christian asked, wanting to learn whatever he could of the curious relationship between the vampire lord and Natalie.
“A few months after. Apparently, he knows her family or something. I don’t think she’s thrilled to be working here, but she’s quite brilliant at her job, and I’m grateful to have her.”
“And the dojo?” he asked.
“Oh, of course. Natalie is a fan of . . . judo, I think. ‘Fan’ isn’t the right word, I know. She has a belt of some sort. She’ll probably know what you’re looking for.”
“Excellent,” Christian said, and settled back to wait for Natalie’s appearance. He was feeling very smug about this night so far. Raphael’s tacit endorsement, Jaclyn’s more than tacit support, and now Natalie was being delivered right into his presence. He couldn’t have planned it better.
NATALIE WAS RELIEVED when Jaclyn called and asked her to come down to the office. She’d been sitting at her desk, staring at the same set of numbers for two hours, waiting for Christian to return her call. Why hadn’t he phoned her yet? Had Anthony gotten to him already? Had the Council moved against him, based on Anthony’s lies?
She shut down her files and snapped her laptop shut. Standing, she ran a nervous hand through her hair, smoothed her skirt, and pulled on her jacket, then slipped her glasses into her pocket and the computer under her arm. She knew she was developing a real paranoia about her work when she wasn’t even willing to leave the laptop while she walked to the other end of the house. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave it. And besides, she might need the information on it when she talked with Jaclyn.
She walked out to where MariAnn was searching beauty product sites on the Internet, and said, “I’ll be in Jaclyn’s office. I’m not sure how long. She has some questions.”
“Okay,” the receptionist said, without glancing up.
Jaclyn’s office was as far away from Anthony’s as you could get, while remaining in the same building. Anthony’s offices on the second floor overlooked the front of the property, and were to the left of the main doors.
Jaclyn’s offices were in the opposite corner, overlooking the back of the house, and separated from the main stairway by an intervening hallway. Her offices had been bedrooms originally, but no one slept aboveground anymore.
Natalie checked her phone as she walked, tempted to call Christian again. “Right, like he didn’t get the first message, or the two hang-ups after that,” she muttered to herself. One of Anthony’s guards w
alked past, and smiled. Maybe he was just being friendly, but she suspected he was amused by her muttering. That was okay. Let them think she was nothing but an absent-minded number-cruncher.
She swung down the back hallway, and pushed open the door to Jaclyn’s office. Her human assistant, Lisa, was typing away—no Internet surfing for her. And Cibor was lingering in an open doorway down the hall, talking to someone Nat couldn’t see. She waved her fingers hello, then gave a questioning look in the direction of the closed conference room door. Cibor did that chin lift thing that guys did, the one that could mean all sorts of things, but in this case meant, “Why, yes, Natalie, go on in.” Becoming a vampire didn’t change everything.
Natalie opened the conference room door and froze in her tracks, overwhelmed by dueling emotions. On the one hand, she was so relieved to find Christian sitting there, looking perfectly healthy in black jeans and a sweater, that she drew what felt like her first full breath of the night. On the other hand . . . why the fuck couldn’t he have called her if he was sitting in the same damn building?
Christian was on his feet and in front of her before she could say a word, his eyes searching her face, probably seeing the dark circles and the frazzled hair. If his expression was anything to go by, he wasn’t liking what he was seeing. He cupped her cheek in one big hand, his fingers spearing back into her hair, as he stepped even closer. “Are you in trouble, chére?”
Natalie shook her head, horrified to discover her eyes filling with tears of relief that he was alive. But Christian took them the wrong way.
“Merde!” Christian cursed. “I knew I should have called sooner.” Putting his arm around her, he guided her over to a chair, as if afraid she’d lose her way, or maybe fall over, if he left her on her own.
“I’m fine,” she said, completely embarrassed. She didn’t cry, she didn’t faint, and she sure as hell didn’t break down like a hormonal teenager because a handsome boy gave her a soulful look. “Really,” she insisted. “I just didn’t sleep well, and—”
“Why not?” he asked, turning to take a bottle of water from Jaclyn. He held the cold bottle against her neck briefly, then twisted the cap off and handed her the bottle, wrapping her fingers around it next to his, and urging her to take a drink.
“Stop.” She took a small sip, then put the water on the table. “Thank you, but stop treating me like an invalid. I’m fine,” she added firmly, speaking to Jaclyn, who was standing behind Christian with a worried look on her face.
“Tell me why you didn’t sleep,” Christian demanded, his handsome face going all macho badass, as if he could compel her to answer by force of personality.
“I called you,” Natalie said accusingly, avoiding the question by turning it back on him.
“You two know each other?” Jaclyn asked.
“We met yesterday,” Christian replied without looking, and gave Natalie a hard stare. “I should have called,” he conceded. “I was going to stop by your office on my way out of here.”
“I told you we needed to meet somewhere else. It’s not safe here.”
“Not safe?” Jaclyn repeated. “Natalie, what—”
“What did you see?” Christian asked, narrowing in on her concerns with remarkable clarity.
“What did she see? See when?” Jaclyn insisted, her voice betraying more than a little impatience at being kept out of the loop.
“I saw Noriega waiting for you,” Natalie blurted out. “And I saw—” She sucked in a breath, staring at Christian, wondering if she should admit everything, even to him.
“You saw me kill him.” Christian was whispering, but she could tell by Jaclyn’s sucked-in breath that she’d heard.
“But that’s good news,” Jaclyn said excitedly. “She can tell the Council—”
“She tells the Council nothing,” Christian snarled, standing and spinning to face Jaclyn, putting himself in front of Natalie.
“But her testimony—”
“Would paint a target on her back. I’ll take care of Anthony, and whatever idiot he sends next. Natalie stays out of it.”
Jaclyn gave him an appraising look, a smile playing around her lips. “It’s your decision. But, you understand that Raphael will be told the truth.”
Christian didn’t look happy about that, but he nodded once, sharply. “I understand.”
“Well, I don’t,” Natalie snapped, jumping up from her seat. “Anthony lied about what happened, and there’s—”
Christian spun to face her again, the clear warning on his face enough to cut her off. Either he was being an ass and refusing to discuss it, or he didn’t want to talk about it in front of Jaclyn. She decided to play along for now, but he was going to have to tone down the alpha male crap if they were going to get along. Which apparently we are, she thought resignedly.
He grinned as if he knew what she was thinking. “Jaclyn tells me you know a good dojo,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go get coffee. We can talk about it.”
Natalie blinked at the sudden change of subject. A second blink and they were out of the conference room and on their way down the back hallway with Christian on one side, and Marc on the other.
“Let me carry that for you,” Marc said, sliding the laptop from beneath her arm. She didn’t even remember picking it up. Or maybe she’d never set it down. Natalie went to grab it back from Marc, but Christian touched her arm with a grin.
“My lieutenant is perfectly trustworthy.”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, blushing hotly. “I’m becoming paranoid.”
“Paranoia is a survival instinct. You should listen to it.”
“But not in this case,” she noted dryly.
Christian chuckled. “No.”
They didn’t go for the main staircase, but hurried down the back stairs instead. Marc took the last several steps quickly, pausing to check the window in the door before opening it slowly and looking around. He nodded to Christian, and the three of them hustled out to a big, black BMW sedan as Marc beeped the locks open.
Christian slid into the back with Natalie, while Marc slid behind the wheel. He passed the laptop over the seat to Christian, then turned the key and accelerated smoothly out from behind the big house.
The guards barely glanced at them when they passed through the gate, far more concerned with who was coming in, rather than going out. And before long, they were speeding back toward the city.
“Where are we going?” Marc asked, meeting Christian’s gaze in the mirror.
“The house,” Christian said, raising an eyebrow in her direction, when she shot him a questioning look. “You wanted coffee. We have excellent coffee. And something you won’t find elsewhere. Complete privacy.”
Natalie swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Privacy? With Christian? She could imagine all sorts of ways that wasn’t a good idea. “You have a house?” she asked weakly.
“We have to stay somewhere, and as you saw for yourself, it’s not exactly safe for us on the estate.”
She nodded. “Okay. But just for coffee. My car is—”
“We’ll get you back to your car,” Christian said, settling back in his seat. “Now tell me why Jaclyn says you know a good dojo.”
“ARE YOU LISTENING at all?” Natalie asked irritably. They’d been on the road a little while, heading for the house he and Marc called home. Natalie had been telling him about the dojo she frequented, and her eyes were now flashing with an anger that made Christian smile. He much preferred her anger to the fear that had been clouding her face earlier, and the tears had nearly undone him, no matter that she tried to hide them.
He had a weakness for women, a need to protect them. Though he’d learned the hard lesson that not all women were worthy of protection. Especially not in the world of vampires.
It was his father’s fault, Chr
istian considered. His father had taught him to always look after his mother and sisters. Christian had understood the admonishment when it came to his mother; she was his mother, after all. But his sisters had been older than he was by several years, and had seemed to devote most of their energy to tormenting him. That fact had brought him to the reluctant conclusion that he was supposed to protect all women, regardless of their disposition.
But his feelings for Natalie went beyond that. When she’d walked into the room tonight, every cell in his body had been screaming at him to go to her, that she was his to protect. He’d acted without thought—the need to touch her had overwhelmed everything else in that moment.
He’d never had a reaction like that to any woman before, and wasn’t sure what it meant. Did he want Natalie in his bed? Hell, yes. Hearing her sexy voice cry his name as she shattered around his cock would be reason enough. But did she have the potential to be more to him? He frowned, not knowing the answer to that question. Or maybe not liking the answer that kept trying to push its way past his doubts.
“Are you really interested in this?”
His attention snapped to Natalie’s narrowed gaze. He was interested, but he hadn’t been listening. He wasn’t going to tell her that.
“Of course,” he lied smoothly. “What can you tell me about the dojo master?” Whoops. Her eyes narrowed even further. Had she already told him about that?
“Other than the fact that he’s my best friend?” she said pointedly.
“Of course. Friendship is all well and good, but where did he get his training?”
“Maybe you should meet him instead. Him having a penis and all, you’ll probably listen better.”
Marc’s bark of laughter told Christian everything he needed to know about what he’d missed.
Christian (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 10) Page 10