Beautiful Eternity (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 3)

by Alicia Deters

  He placed me in his lap as he leaned against the side of a building. His hand came around the back of my neck for support, and I felt the other arm at my lips. The enticing scent was impossible to ignore, and my mouth opened to welcome it.

  “That’s my girl. Come on, Lucy. Drink up.”

  The taste of his blood was indescribable, even better than the smell. There was nothing better, and my fading heartbeat sparked and crackled to life with new vigor. The pain of my body knitting itself back together was a beautiful thing.

  In seconds, my thoughts switched from dying on a street corner to my fangs being latched onto the man I loved, while my lips wrapped themselves around his forearm like a leach. It took every effort to force my appetite down and pull back. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I looked up at him in embarrassment. That’s an awkward hurdle most relationships don’t usually have to overcome.

  He smiled a full blown smile that almost stopped heart again. His full lips spread wide across his face, nearly cracking it.

  “Well, that was… interesting.”

  He laughed, and it was a gut wrenching, almost hysterical laugh filled with relief. I reached up to touch that smile, spreading my palm across his cheek and stroking his soft lower lip with my thumb. He turned into it to kiss my palm, closing his eyes to soak up every blissful second of this moment. When his eyes opened, they pierced me with watery blue crystal.

  “I’m okay,” I said lamely.

  “I know,” he whispered. “It just scared the hell out of me. Lucy, I thought for a second that the sword was the real thing.”

  “Yeah, sorry. That’s my bad for not telling you what the cardinal said about it still having an effect to a much smaller degree than the real one, it being a holy relic and all, but I’m—”

  He stopped listening to crush those full lips to mine, none too gently. I loved it. Watching him lose his cool could be scary, but I would never be afraid of his chaos again, because it conveyed his level of passion. And seeing how passionate this man could get over me took my love for him to unreachable heights.

  In my weakened state, I gave him everything I could before my head fell back to his shoulder. “Thanks for getting me out of there, Gav.”

  He chuckled. “Gav?”

  “Um, sorry. Shortening names is kind of what I do. It was only a matter of time. Do you hate it?”

  “I always thought it sounded stupid when other people said it, but coming from your mouth, I like it. A lot.” Did I just imagine his voice getting husky at the end? He turned stern to add, “As long as no one else gets any ideas about using it.”

  I laughed but my head lolled to the side again and did some Olympic style backflips. “Ow.” I grabbed my forehead to stop it from splitting in two.

  Gavin stiffened and busted out his serious face. “Sorry, Lucy. I need to go grab supplies. I’ll be right back.”

  Supplies?

  “Wait, what?”

  His voice softened only a fraction. “I promise, love. I’ll only be a minute, but you need more blood to help you heal. Human blood.”

  He laid my head against an unsuitable substitute for his shoulder. I think he wadded up his jacket and placed it between my head and the brick wall behind me.

  My fuzzy brain processed what he just said, and anger spiked. “Human blood? Are you going sacrificial on me?”

  My questions were met with silence, and I realized he had already gone, but true to his word, he returned in under a minute. In his hand was an insulated lunch box with the name John M. scrawled on it.

  “Please tell me you don’t have John’s still beating heart in there.”

  He grimaced. “That’s morbid, but no.”

  “So you left to steal a guy’s lunch for funsies?”

  “Actually, I tossed his food to get you your lunch. For funsies,” he added dryly.

  I cracked a smile. He crouched so we were at eye level. “Drink up, gorgeous.”

  He handed me the cooler, and I unzipped it carefully, still expecting something alive to pop out at me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him roll his eyes skyward, probably praying for patience with me.

  I smothered my smile and opened the top flap. A mound of blood bags piled high poured out of the lunch box, and I caught one before it hit the ground.

  “Where did you get—”

  “Lucy, look around you.”

  He helped me stand, and when I twisted to peer around the building, I saw a giant carport with sliding glass doors and an ambulance parked just in front of the emergency drive through circle. A wide parking lot spread out in front of the building, or hospital, as it was.

  “Oh.” The remaining words died on my lips when the severity of what just happened came crashing down on me.

  “We have to get our friends out of here. Now. They’re not safe anywhere.”

  “I agree. We’ll call them and tell them to meet us at the train station.”

  “No. I don’t want them traveling through the city alone. I’m sure by now my father knows the sword is a fake, and I don’t want him taking his anger out on them.”

  “Lucy, the hotel is on the other side of town, and the train station is in the opposite direction from here.”

  “I don’t care. I’m going back for them.”

  He wanted to argue, but he saw my expression and knew it wouldn’t do any good. “Fine, but your stubborn ass is drinking all those before we go anywhere.”

  “I’ll drink half and save the other half for the hotel.” I glared at him, daring him to argue further.

  “Woman, you drive me so fucking crazy.”

  I bit my lip to hide the grin, but he saw it, and his nostrils flared. I found the entire display of dominance and masculine pride to be incredibly sexy, and I didn’t care if that made me a weirdo.

  He noticed the change and shifted balance from one foot to the other, clearing his throat. “Drink. Now,” he ordered in a gravelly voice that was now two octaves lower than before.

  Whipping out my phone, I sent a quick group text to the others so they would be ready to leave when we got there.

  Shit just got real. Pack your bags. I’m coming to get you.

  I squatted down by the cooler and dug in, fangs first. Gavin sprinted off toward the parking lot, and by the time I finished half the contents in the cooler, he drove up to the curb in a white crossover SUV, only twenty feet from where I crouched.

  I closed the zipper and walked toward him. The passenger window was cracked. “Did you just steal a car, Mr. West?”

  “Borrowed. You’re in no shape to be running all over town. Get in.”

  “Say please.” I placed the strap of the cooler over my shoulder so I could cross my arms for his, well mostly my, benefit.

  “Lucy,” he warned.

  “I’m really not comfortable with grand theft auto.”

  I started pacing as I wrestled with the finer nuances of my conscience. Did I care about someone’s car in the grand scheme of things? No. It didn’t put them in any real danger, but I just witnessed Gavin steal someone’s lunch for me, now it was a car. What would it be next? Was I turning into a bad influence on him?

  “Move your ass, woman. Now.”

  I was pacing at the time, but those words stopped me dead in my tracks, my defiance waking up and stretching after a long nap.

  “Excuse me,” I said, folding my arms back over my chest. “What ever happened to those old fashioned manners, Mr. West? They can get you pretty far with women, you know?”

  He let out a sharp laugh before setting his gaze on me. He opened his door and got out of the car, doing that slow, predator stalking thing he loved to do. I didn’t budge or cower. In fact, certain parts of me perked up, which was a bit disturbing, but the man just oozed sensuality in every freaking movement. It was annoying, actually, what he could do to me just from that one look, like he was gearing up to devour me piece by erogenous piece.

  Hmmm, dirty.

  “You don’t respond to manners. A
t least, you don’t when you’re argumentative.”

  “Irrelevant. I deserve them,” I countered, keeping my tone clipped to avoid making that weird humming sound whenever he was near.

  Ignoring what I said, he continued. “And I think we both know you’re nothing like other women. You’re a force of nature. You see past the bullshit and view proper etiquette as fake. Simple platitudes and everyday politeness bore you. You prefer someone more direct. Someone who will challenge you instead of pandering to your every whim.”

  He stood so close now he had to bend his head to look down at me. Our noses brushed and his eyelids relaxed into his famous bedroom eyes. If swoon inducing was a sport, I was positive he had trophies stashed away somewhere.

  “You want someone who will take as much as he gives.” His voice lowered, sending a shock wave straight to my core.

  As if there was too much electricity in the air, that weird humming sound was dragged out of me in a low undercurrent. And it was topped off with heavy breathing. Perfect.

  “You want to be manhandled as much as you like to do the manhandling.”

  He backed me into the passenger door with his hands firmly guiding my hips, while his lips seductively grazed my neck as he drew them up to my ear. I knew the bastard was playing with me, but I was powerless to stop it. Since I wanted it.

  He did know how to handle me and how to use that information to get what he wanted. When his weight pressed against me and his lips came back to brush over mine in a teasing manner, nipping and retreating, he growled against them.

  “Now, Ms. Masters, get your ass in the car. Or I will put you there by force.”

  He whisked away and shut his door before I could respond. Damn him and his last word. I angrily huffed as I lifted myself gingerly into the passenger seat, hoisting my blood supply onto the back floorboard and slamming the door shut behind me for good measure, never once looking in his direction. I felt rather than saw the smug smile on his face.

  “Drive, before I cause severe bodily harm.”

  I knew he was fighting hard not to laugh, which only fueled my anger. But moments later, he spoke using his sweet, puppy dog voice to get him out of the kennel and into my warm embrace.

  “Hey, I’m sorry, gorgeous. Not about what I said or did but that I had to stop. I’m probably hurting much worse than you are right now, and I’d hit myself for you if I could. I promise to make it up to you later.”

  Seconds later, his voice went hoarse and me-likey before he added. “I promise to, as you put it, cause severe bodily pleasure.”

  I blanched and twisted to look at him. I was used to his crude remarks to get a rise out of me, but his tone was oddly sincere. When I noted the intensity in his expression, I knew that this most definitely was not a ploy to make me blush, which, of course, totally made me blush.

  When we got to the hotel, Gavin and I went to our room to gather our things, and I polished off the remaining blood supply. Glancing in the mirror, my green eyes brightened slightly but widened into saucers after seeing my current state.

  “Oh, hell no.”

  Gavin stepped up behind me and winced. “Yeah, you might want to shower so you don’t scare anyone.” He tried to make light of our situation but failed miserably when his features softened and he spoke gravely. “How are you feeling?”

  Gone was the hardness and playfulness from earlier. His hand came to my stomach, grazing the puckered skin where the gash had finally sealed shut. The feather light touch sent a shudder through me, but the pain had receded long ago. The blood was working to mend the rest of my insides, but I felt like I could sleep for days if my head landed on a pillow.

  “Just tired,” I answered Gavin.

  “Go shower, then you can rest on the train.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a small B&B where we can regroup in Northern Italy. It’ll be safe for a time, but who knows how many spies your father has under him.”

  That reminded me of something bugging me since our run-in. “Speaking of my father, is it just me, or was it weird the assassins seemed to be working for him rather than along side him? I mean, in Canada, I know he must have tipped them off to my location, but that was his way of medaling, and they were already coming for me anyway at the First’s orders. But now, they were legit taking his orders, like the First and him are buddy-buddy now, and they’re sharing their assets.”

  “I noticed that too, but it doesn’t change anything.”

  “Except that he used to be a separate threat, and now it makes King Dick even more powerful and gives him more resources to accomplish his goal.”

  “Lucy, they’re all our enemies, but your mind is working overtime when you just need to think about healing and let me worry about our next step.”

  “You’re the best boyfriend in the world. I just hate that he always seems to have all the advantages.”

  “I know. I’m sorry, Lucy. We’ll figure this out. Let’s just focus on getting out of here without any more injuries.”

  He was right. I couldn’t do anything about it yet. It was always a waiting game when it came to my father.

  He met my eyes in the mirror, conveying his sympathy. He kissed my forehead before turning me toward the bathroom. Our locked fingers stretched both of our arms until I stepped out of reach and they were tugged apart.

  I mouthed an ‘I love you’ before shutting the door behind me. His faint voice carried over the sound of spray.

  “Likewise, gorgeous.”

  11

  Long train rides suck. Unless you’re lucky enough to sleep through the whole thing, which I was. The others were coming off a full night’s sleep and were not so fortunate. Insert the smiling purple devil emoji here.

  Climbing off the train, everyone stretched and took in our surroundings, which consisted of more snow, more mountains, and a lot less people than our brief tour of Rome. I felt a million times better, but needed about ten more hours of sleep to hit full strength.

  Gavin, being the thoughtful guy he was, had called ahead and arranged for drivers to pick up our small group. Where would I be without him?

  Pondering that, I realized all my answers were pretty depressing. They all ended with me being in jail, dead, or living in the mountains like a hermit in hiding. Actually, the only thing I could picture was a bunch of cats eating my remains. Because I’d be pathetically alone until I died without Gavin.

  When I met his eyes across my group of friends, he finished speaking with our drivers and gave me a questioning look like he knew which direction my thoughts took. He approached us and came to my side to grab our bags, slinging them over his shoulder.

  “I’m not that weak.”

  He smirked while the others looked like they might laugh, except Sophie of course. She was too sweet to laugh at her friend’s expense. She was my favorite.

  “Come on, tough girl. Let’s get you to a bed before you start hallucinating.”

  “As long as it has at least a thousand thread count, I’m there.”

  He shook his head. “You might be a tad bit spoiled. I’ve ruined you for all other beds.”

  Nick coughed, but Brody was less subtle with his cat calls. Max whistled and Allison rolled her eyes, while Sophie averted hers.

  I ignored them and raised an eyebrow. Gavin bit his lip and wagged his eyebrows once at me. Was it my exhaustion or was he getting bolder in his flirtations? In the past twelve hours, most of which I had slept through, he seemed to be less careful and more… reckless. The idea of him being ready for sex was too much for my tired brain to contemplate. Hadn’t we discussed waiting just over a day ago?

  We loaded into the waiting vehicles and set off on the next journey to a remote town skirting the Dolomites. The bed and breakfast turned out to be another one of Gavin’s properties. It consisted of a string of cabins nestled in the pines with a main lodge that offered breakfast, lunch and dinner to its secluded travelers.

  During our car ride, Gavin had told m
e, he found this place one time when he was passing through and bought it on a whim because it reminded him so much of home. I told him that was probably because his home was a car ride away and that he might just have the slightest spending problem.

  He laughed and told me I had to get used to it, because he now had me to spend all his money on instead. “You don’t know the meaning of the word spoiled yet, Ms. Masters,” he had said.

  I was beginning to understand it very well.

  We escaped to our separate cabins, but each one was still within hearing distance to Gavin’s and mine, which made me feel better knowing I could keep a close watch over the others. Entering the spacious, rustic room, I bee lined it toward the king sized bed and plopped, face first, onto the heavenly softness. I think I might have made one of those embarrassing moans again, but it was completely warranted.

  Gavin chuckled lightly but otherwise didn’t disturb me as he busied himself with our bags. I heard him shuffling around and then brushing his teeth before I felt the bed dip beside me. He didn’t say a word as he gathered me into his arms, pulling my back to his front, careful not to press into my sensitive stomach. Surrounded by his masculine scent, I drifted easily into a peaceful slumber.

  Or so I thought.

  †

  Dreams of creepy red eyes and dozens of cats haunted me. When the blinding light came, I shot straight up in bed. I reached for my bracelet, comforted by its heavy weight. It was a reminder of what I still needed to do before I faced those red eyes again.

  Gavin was nowhere to be found when I woke. Sunlight filtered in through the drapes, and I checked my phone to see if it was as dead as I had been the past…

  “Thirteen hours!” It was nearly four in the afternoon.

  I opened a text from Gavin.

  Took your friends out for a supply run. Sophie wanted to stay behind to translate. Be back before dark. BTW, You look way too tempting in your sleep.