Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6)

by Morgan Kelley

  “How about I teach you how to wake me? You’re a distraction.”

  She wiggled in his lap.

  He growled.

  It made her laugh.

  “You’re trouble, witch.”

  She continued to hold onto his hand.

  Alexzandre had to focus. “When you need to wake me, you need to place your mouth over mine and visualize yourself pushing energy into my body. Call for me, and I’ll hear you.”

  Kiera nodded, willing to follow his instructions.

  “Want to try?” he asked seriously.

  Kiera could do this.

  Gently, she placed her hands on his cheeks. When her mouth was over his, she visualized herself pushing energy into his body.

  She could feel the warmth moving from her to him.

  It was pleasant.

  “Little one,” he whispered against her mouth. “You need to stop. I’ll be out of control.”

  She slowly pulled away.

  “Did I do it right?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, you did. You’re a natural.”

  “It’s like casting a circle. You do the same thing with the energy, but instead you pull it from the ground.”

  He wiped his bloody wrist on his pant leg. It still hadn’t healed.

  “I have something to use on that. I never go anywhere without it,” she said, reaching into her sweat pants pocket. It was a balm she’d made for her lips. It would help him. Gently, she rubbed her finger over it and then over the cut on his wrist.

  It stopped oozing.

  “Thank you, my little witch. I like the way this smells.”

  “It’s a simple recipe. It’s mostly garlic. It’ll keep the vampyres away.”

  He stared at her, and then began laughing. “You’re trouble.”

  He wanted to say so much more to her.

  “It’ll wait,” she said, reading his thoughts.

  This woman was special. She was bonded, and learning his gifts quickly.

  When he heard Mordechai approach, Alexzandre pulled her close, making sure she’d be safe if it wasn’t him.

  “I think we’re good,” Mordechai said, sniffing the air.

  It smelled like both of their blood.

  Someone was never leaving, and it was going to be her. Alexzandre was marking her.

  Mordechai tossed sun block, sunglasses, and clothes to Alexandre. “We’ll be good to travel around one this afternoon. The weather is coming in. The clouds will be out.”

  He handed Kiera some clothing. “I hope these fit. It’s not easy to gauge a woman’s size. Do you need help into them?”

  Alexzandre hissed.

  “Down, son. I’m mated, and you looked exhausted. I was only trying to help her. She saved us.”

  He got that, but still. Kiera was off limits.

  The witch was his.

  “I’ll help her,” he said, pulling his own clothing off first to get out of the destroyed garments.

  Keira saw his marked up chest and pulled out her homemade concoction again. “Come here, Alex. Let me balm you.”

  He didn’t hesitate.

  If she wanted to put her hands on him, so be it.

  When she was done gently smearing the lavender scented balm on his healing scars, he dropped his pants, almost daring her to be wicked.

  Without hesitation, she looked down.

  He grinned at her when she blushed.

  “Need help?” he asked.

  “I think you’re the one who needs help.”

  Mordechai began laughing. He wasn’t a fan of humans or witches, but this one…he liked. She had guts and tenacity.

  Alexzandre pulled on the clothes. They fit him perfectly. When he was finished, he blocked her from the other vampyre.

  Truth be told, he never thought she’d get changed while he watched. He figured she’d wait until they were with death. It was obvious that she was taking this as a challenge.

  She unbuttoned her shirt. When she dropped it from her body, he checked her out.

  He was male.

  It was natural.

  “I’m going to death,” Mordechai said, giving them some privacy. He found a spot on the floor and slipped off into death’s embrace.

  Alexzandre moved closer.

  She was in nothing more than a bra and panties as she pulled on a pair of jeans. When she looked up, she didn’t even bat an eyelash. Instead of backing up, she crashed into him.

  It stole his breath.

  The kiss was heated and crazy. She took and didn’t back down. It was clear that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. When his fingers stroked against her flesh, he forced himself to set her free.

  “I can’t,” he said, taking a step back.

  She looked hurt. “I see.”

  Kiera pulled her shirt over her head and wouldn’t look him in the eyes. She’d made a mistake.

  He didn’t want her.

  “No, you don’t, Kiera. I do want you,” he whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. “You’re my mate and for the rest of our lives. I don’t want our first time being together to be this. I want it to be special. I want to show you what a mate means to me. You’re worth so much more than a quickie in a dirty building, Kiera. You’re worth everything.”

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said, taking her hand in his. Alexzandre left kisses across the palm and wrist.

  “They’re for all the right reasons.”

  She sat down, and patted her lap. When he rested besides her, placing his head on her legs, she ran her fingers through his black hair.

  Then she began singing to him.

  His eyes filled with tears.

  This was definitely love. Her Irish brogue was music to his very lonely ears. Immediately, every other woman he’d ever touched fell away from his memory.

  It was only her.

  It was finally his and within his reach.

  “Be safe, my little witch. Wake me if you need me.”

  With that, he slipped away, wishing he could stay longer with her. He’d found the woman meant to be his.

  Life would never be the same again.

  Ever.

  ∞ Chapter Thirty-Eight ∞

  Early Afternoon

  It was a long day of sitting there standing guard. While she sat there, watching over them, Kiera had a lot of time to think. The man resting on her lap was pretty special. He was like nothing she’d ever encountered before.

  She could feel it to her soul.

  As she watched him lie there dead, it should have freaked her out, but it didn’t. She was intrigued. All her life, she had an aversion to the opposite sex.

  They were fine, and she dated a few men she genuinely liked, but there was never that connection.

  With Alexzandre, it was there.

  She could feel it.

  The thought of going back home when it was over scared her. She didn’t think she could do it. While he was with death, she was edgy, lonely, and worried.

  It was like a nonstop anxiety attack.

  One in the afternoon couldn’t come sooner.

  Running her fingers over his face, the scars were getting better. He was resting and healing. Just in case, she got out more balm and applied it to his cheeks.

  Then she kissed him on the lips.

  Kiera was getting more and more anxious by the minute. She stared at the broken out window. The sun was blocked by an overcasting of clouds.

  It felt like one in the afternoon.

  She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she knew.

  Leaning over Alexzandre, she hovered her lips over his. “Alex, I need you. Come back to me.”

  She pushed energy into him just like he’d shown her. Slowly, he stirred.

  When his eyes flickered open, she touched his lips with hers. “Good morning.”

  He smiled at her. “Good morning. I assume everything went well?”

  “Yes, it’s been quiet, but I’m having some anxiety whil
e you were dead.”

  He sat up.

  “It’s normal. When you’re bonded or mated, you feel it when the one half goes to death. I have half of your soul when I’m awake, and you don’t feel so alone.”

  She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

  “Are you cold?”

  “A little.”

  “Let me wake Mordechai, and I’ll warm you up.”

  She watched him put his hand on the other vampyre’s chest. His eyes popped open.

  “Time?” he asked.

  “Yes. We need to get moving. It’s going to be a hard trip without feeding and during the day.”

  “I can feed you both again.”

  Mordechai appreciated her offer. “You’ve fed us too much. Anything past here will make you unwell. I can grab a bite while I’m out getting us a vehicle.”

  She looked at the other vampyre. “Are you going to grab a bite too from someone else?”

  Both males heard it in her voice.

  He grinned. It was exactly what he wanted to hear. That jealousy was normal for true mates.

  “No, I’m not. I don’t want to feed from anyone but you.”

  She relaxed.

  It may have been silly, but she didn’t want his mouth on anyone else.

  ‘It’s not silly,’ he reassured into her mind. ‘It’s a mate thing.’

  She relaxed.

  “Give me a few minutes to find a ride,” Mordechai said, crossing the room.

  When he was gone, she moved closer to him. Immediately, he placed her against his body, beneath his shoulder.

  “It was hard on you?”

  “Yes, very.”

  “I’m sorry that I had to do this to you,” he offered. “We don’t bond people to us lightly. It’s a tough choice. My hands were tied. I couldn’t let you die.”

  “I understand. I’m glad you didn’t. That would have sucked.”

  Yes it would have.

  Together, they sat in silence. Finally, he was curious. “You saw my sister?”

  “Yes, I didn’t realize it until I saw your eyes. Jolie has the same beautiful lavender.”

  “Mordechai said she’s pregnant.”

  “She is. Jolie is around six or seven months. She’s having two little girls.”

  His eyes filled with tears.

  “Why are you sad?”

  He sat down and patted his lap. “This whole story surrounds my past—our childhood.”

  She wanted to know everything.

  “I want to hear about you, Alexzandre.”

  He knew he needed to share it all. So, he did. When he got to the mated part, where he was with another woman, she didn’t look happy.

  “So, you felt this with someone else?” she asked.

  He heard the hurt.

  “No. I took Arian as my mate to help build an empire. Back then, it was to protect myself and rebuild my family name. It was also out of protection. With my family dead, I was alone in the world. I had to find a way to ensure my survival. Mating with a primus was the only way.”

  “So you didn’t…?”

  How did she phrase it?

  “Love her? I did, but not as a mate. It hurt when she betrayed me and nearly got me killed. Jolie was supposed to end my life, but instead she sent me away.”

  She didn’t want to focus on this ‘Arian’. So, she changed the subject.

  “I like your sister. She’s a good person.”

  “She really is. Mordechai said you did a wedding. Who did she marry?”

  “I handfasted the three of them together. She married both mates.”

  He understood it.

  “I’m happy for her. I let her down so many years ago. Gradius, the man who took all of us—his brother hurt her. He raped and tortured my sister for a very long time.”

  She heard it in his voice.

  “It’s not your fault, and I can tell you that Jolie doesn’t blame you.”

  He hoped she was right.

  ‘I blame me. It’s a lot to carry.’

  There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he heard the honking of a horn. Apparently, their ride was waiting.

  She handed him the sunglasses. “You should put these on,” she offered. “I don’t want you to hurt your eyes.”

  His heart skipped at her kindness. She thought about his needs first. This was a mate. It astounded him that he’d gotten this damn lucky.

  “Thank you.”

  “Let’s go. I want to get out of here. Paris has really sucked,” she said, grinning at him.

  He held out his hand.

  Immediately, she took it.

  There was no hesitation.

  Together, they headed out of the building and to the car. Once inside, Alex helped her into the back.

  “A Mercedes? Could you have stolen something a little more noticeable like a clown car?”

  Mordechai laughed. “Please. I like to ride in style. Besides, I left a little compulsion. The owner won’t miss it for a few hours. He leant it to his neighbor. We’ll be long gone before he figures that one out.”

  He slid in, and immediately, Kiera moved into his lap. At first, he thought it was to be close, but then he realized what she was doing.

  She was blocking the sun from his face, neck, and bare arm as she shared her energy.

  He was staggered by her protectiveness.

  “We’ll be there in a little over an hour.”

  Mordechai put it in gear and he floored it. They didn’t have time to waste.

  Bad things were coming, and he needed to find his mate, and warn his son.

  There was a battle.

  And they were in the middle of it.

  * * * H a r c o u r t e * * *

  Paris

  Gradius howled in anger as he stalked around the abandoned cell. When he’d come down, all he’d found were two piles of ash and an empty cage.

  It pissed him off.

  His Tueur were supposedly the best he had to offer, and yet they couldn’t contain a half-dead vampyre, a dead woman, and a shackled vampyre.

  The stupidity that surrounded him astounded him.

  “How the hell did they escape?” he yelled, glaring at Katya.

  She stood her ground, trying not to look afraid. This wasn’t her fault. Yes, she put them together, but she didn’t let them escape.

  “Master, I don’t know. As you know, I was…detained.”

  He glared at her.

  Oh, she was about to be more than detained.

  She was about to be dead.

  Gradius threw the chair that they’d had Alexzandre bound to at the wall, shattering it to splinters.

  “You incompetent idiots just let our only link to Jolie Harcourte walk out our door. It’s not only that. They now know where I am, and they’re going to find her and tell her!”

  No one moved for fear he would hurt them.

  “Master, this may work out to your advantage,” said Katya. When he pointed at her, she took a step back.

  “How can this be good?” He stormed toward her, lifting her by the neck until her toes were off the floor.

  Katya weighed her options and decided fight was not a good one—not with all the loyal vampyres in the room.

  She tried to speak through his tightening hand. “Most likely she will come here to kill you,” she said.

  He put her down.

  She fell to her knees as she gasped for air.

  “You may be right,” he said, smiling evilly. “When she finds out how I hurt her brother, stole her mate’s father, and kidnapped the stupid human, she’ll come for me.”

  This might be salvageable yet.

  He might save face.

  After all, the woman who he’d just met with in his office was going to help him again, and her opinion mattered.

  If she walked, so went his intel.

  If she left, he wouldn’t be able to replace Katya when he killed her.

  “Get up,” he hissed.

  Katya stood and fa
ced him. “Yes, Master?”

  “I want everyone to be ready. There are no options but killing her. Am I clear?” he asked.

  She hoarsely whispered grimacing at the pain. “Yes, we shall be ready,”

  He hoped so or heads would roll.

  Theirs.

  * * * H a r c o u r t e * * *

  Flynn was uneasy.

  All night, they tried to figure out a way to find Alexzandre. Jolie reached for him time after time, and each attempt was met with failure.

  She’d been so upset that she’d cried herself to death.

  He hated seeing her so upset.

  Flynn would have done anything to make her smile. Only it wasn’t in his power.

  She wasn’t the only one hurting.

  Jacques was worried about his father. The man was still missing, and his mother wasn’t answering her phone. He didn’t doubt that the Tueur had found them, and they were going to be pawns in this game.

  It made Jacques sick.

  Flynn had been forced to watch them suffer, and he hated it. What he wanted was to fix this, but he couldn’t. They weren’t going to rush out and look for Mordechai.

  That smelled like a trap.

  Neither mate doubted that Gradius wanted them to do just that. There was no way they were going to allow Jolie to fall into the hands of that sadistic bastard. If he was anything like his brother, it wasn’t happening.

  Not on their watch.

  As long as they stayed inside the mountain, Flynn knew they were safe. He’d have to figure out a way to get Jolie’s brother, and Jacques’s father back.

  He’d go alone.

  As he sat there, watching over his mates, Vanth popped in.

  “Father?”

  He glanced over at the demoness. “No, it’s Flynn.”

  “Oh, okay, Master Flynn.”

  “Vanth.”

  She grinned. “I know. I’m sorry. I just wanted to check on you.”

  He appreciated her worrying, but he was fine.

  His mates were his concern.

  “I did a patrol, and the homestead is secure. We’re safe for the time being.”

  “Can anything get inside here?”

  “With the right Voodoo spell, yes. First they’d need the spell to find it, and then the one to enter. That’s a tough combination, and a very old spell.”