He smiled sexily as he caught her appraisal and held out his hand. His long, almost feminine fingers seemed to caress the air before she took his hand. Immediately upon contact with his skin she sensed the rush of power into her body.
She quickly jerked her hand away, fearing its spread. It had been dark power, nasty and filled with vileness. Not to mention that his hand had been cold and slightly oily. As she rubbed at her hand, a whiff of a cloying scent rose up. Cardamom? she thought. But then the scent disappeared, leaving her to wonder if she had only imagined it.
But she hadn’t imagined the darkness of the power that his beautiful face and form couldn’t disguise.
The smile on his face tightened with displeasure at her actions, but his features revealed nothing else as he said, “I just wanted to offer my compliments on such an extraordinary repast.”
“Thank you.” Normally she would have said that she hoped they would return again for another meal, but she couldn’t bring the lie to her lips. His one touch had her hoping she would never lay eyes on him again.
“Not much for words, are you? I’m Sun Tze Lee,” he said, and returned to his seat, where the two closest women immediately draped themselves on him while the tall black beauty blasted a hostile glare in her direction, as if affronted on Mr. Lee’s behalf.
“It was our pleasure to serve you, Mr. Lee. I hope you’ll come again,” Diego offered. At the slight press of his hand at her back, Meghan immediately chimed in with the most truthful statement she could muster:
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meal.”
Lee nodded and fixed his gaze on the neck of the woman closest to him before he turned his attention to her. “I suspect I’ll enjoy dessert even more.”
Disgusting, she thought as she whirled and walked away, but as she did so, she caught sight of Blake busing one of the nearby tables. The features of his face were tight with disapproval. For her or for Mr. Lee? she wondered, but then continued onward to the kitchen, determined to finish the night and go home.
Committed as she was to that goal, she made the meals for the staff quickly and hurried them along until, like the night before, only she and Blake remained. She was about to protest his presence, only he said, “I didn’t right much like the way he looked at you. Like you were going to be the end to the meal. Figured you could use an escort home.”
She didn’t argue. She didn’t much like Lee’s comment nor the residue his power had left behind. No matter how many times she had washed her hands, she still felt as if something of him remained, and every now and then, that whiff of cardamom would rise up, as if to remind her of their brief encounter.
Normally she would grab a subway uptown. If she was running very late, she would try to snag a cab. She felt like neither tonight, and Blake must have sensed it.
“Need to flex the demon, do you?”
She didn’t know why she needed to release the vampire, but she did. Maybe the demon inside of her realized that freeing her own power might obliterate the residue of Lee’s touch.
“Do you mind?” she asked.
He grinned, a sexy grin that lit up his blue eyes with pleasure and dragged out the dimple that caused a flip-flop within her chest. “Lead the way, luv.”
She morphed, releasing the vampire and its power. The heat of it spread through every part of her body, bringing the night to life. Only a sliver of a moon lit the night sky, but with her vamp eyesight, everything became brighter and more alive. A footstep behind her sounded like a gunshot and as she whirled, she realized that it was just Blake, coming to stand at her back, waiting for her to take off.
She did, accelerating to the speed that made them nearly impervious to human eyes. She could understand the myths about vampires seeming to fly as she and Blake leaped from building to building, blurs against the moonlight. The damp chill of the early spring night felt stronger as their speed rushed air against their bodies.
When they reached Fifty-ninth Street, she chose to shift downward to the ground and head through the park.
As they zipped past one hansom cab waiting for a last late fare, the horse whinnied with disapproval at their presence, but the driver remained unaware of them. They rushed into a stand of trees by the low stone wall surrounding the park.
Feeling the need to brush away Lee’s lingering presence and his scent, she slalomed through the pines and other trees in their path, letting their soft branches brush her as she passed. Blake joined in, slipping in front and beside her, turning it into a daring game of follow-the-leader.
By the time she reached the upper Sixties and the West Side, she was breathless from the sheer joy of the superpowered antics that had driven away the miasma of Lee’s touch. Stopping at the edge of the park, she paused to catch her breath. As Blake came up behind her and put his arms around her, she laughed, feeling a lightness of spirit that she hadn’t in a long time.
“That was fun,” he said.
“Yes, it was. Just what I needed to forget Mr. Ol’ Kiang-shi.”
Blake turned her to face him. “Kiang-shi? That was his name?”
She shook her head. “Lee’s his name. Kiang-shi is what he is—a Chinese vampire.”
“That explains the weirdness from the other night,” he said. She glanced down at his hands on her waist, and he released her, although clearly reluctantly.
She shivered. “What we felt at the Blood Bank is nothing like what I experienced tonight.”
“That bad, was it?” he asked.
She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. “Mad odd. Dark, like if you stayed close for too long it would swallow you up.”
With another shudder, she motioned to the apartment building across the way. “Time I went in. Thanks for walking me home.”
He made a move toward her, as if for a good-night kiss, and she took a step toward him as well, but then thought better of it and pulled back as he did also. Suddenly awkward, shoved his hands into his pockets, obviously uncertain of what to do.
“Anytime,” he finally said when too much time passed. They both just stood there, uncertain of the next step in their dance. Inclining his head in the direction of her building, he finished with, “I’ll just stay here until I know that you’re safely inside.”
She nodded and walked to the sidewalk, her pace mortal and easygoing. As she neared the building, the doorman opened the door, but something made her stop and look back across the street.
Blake was still standing there as he had promised, and that made her feel…safe. An odd thing to be feeling about the man who had stolen her life.
Driving away that perplexing emotion, she waved goodbye.
Blake waved back and shot her an easy grin, although he was feeling anything but.
He didn’t like what Meghan had had to say about the Asian vamp, nor what she had felt.
The fact that he had never met a kiang-shi was the likely reason he didn’t feel quite right about the vampire. But he also had to admit to himself that he hadn’t liked the way Lee had been touching Foley last night. Not that he was a homophobe, but he knew fear when he saw it. He’d experienced it often enough himself as a young boy when Winchcombe had used him. He had seen the same kind of fear in Foley’s eyes, and Foley wasn’t easily intimidated.
Then there had been the way the Asian vampire had been looking at Meghan tonight—as if she was going to be the fortune cookie to finish his meal.
He had gotten that odd pulse of undead energy from Lee last night and again tonight, but his gut warned him that Lee had been masking his power. That the Asian vampire had strength he wasn’t revealing. Possibly even more strength than one of their elders, like Stacia.
Stacia. She had been at the restaurant tonight. With her nearly two thousand years of age, he was certain she would know something about the Asian immortal. He was also fairly sure that she would come to him if he asked nicely.
Unlike Meghan, who might not come even if he begged.
With one last glance at the apartment bu
ilding, he sped off, heading downtown and back to the East Side. As he raced along, he focused on the fragment of Stacia’s power nestled within him. You didn’t share time and blood with an elder and not have a piece of them left in you.
The focus on that power grew until she finally connected with him, an exasperated tone coloring her response.
What do you want, Blake?
Annoying an elder was never a good thing, but Blake pressed on, channeling a part of his vampire power into reaching back out to her.
I need a favor.
Husky laughter was her response, and it awakened desire in him so strong that it made him lose his concentration midleap. He almost didn’t make it to the next rooftop and had to grab the ledge of the building to keep from falling to the ground below. Just a few stories and a big ouch for a vampire, nothing life-threatening.
He closed his eyes and focused on Stacia. The desire returned, stronger than before, and he knew then what she would want in payment for the favor he was requesting.
Was he willing to pay the price to keep Meghan safe?
He knew the answer was a resounding yes. He would do whatever he could to protect Meghan. To make things right with her.
I’ll be waiting for you, the elder said. Blake released the bond and devoted his energy and attention to the race home.
He knew Stacia would be at his apartment when he arrived so that he could fulfill his part of the bargain.
Chapter 10
Blake landed on the rooftop of his building, which was directly across from Gramercy Park. In the early spring night, the sliver of moon illuminated the branches of the trees with their burgeoning growth of bright green buds. The sight brought a sense of joy to him. Chalk it up to rebirth, new life and all that other spring claptrap that brought the promise of untold possibilities.
Possibilities like those he had imagined growing between him and Meghan as they had awkwardly stood on the curb outside her building.
He glanced around the rooftop to the wrought-iron chairs and table, as well as the assorted pots for plants. They were empty now, but in another week or so he intended to plant some flowers and vegetables, much as his mother might have back in Wales. The feel of the soil in his hands grounded him, reminding him of what he had once been. Almost mocking him with the reminder that there was still a touch of humanity left within him despite his having embraced his vampire self. That humanity lately hungered for more than his vampire existence provided despite all his protestations to the contrary.
He headed to the French doors at the far end of the patio. He had picked up the doors from a nearby demolition site and installed them to give him access to the roof.
Once he was inside, he placed his hands on his hips and looked all around, sensing her presence. He searched for her amidst the collection of castoffs in his cozy rooftop room.
Thick oriental rugs covered the floor. They had been in better shape years earlier, but he kept them ruthlessly clean and their former quality still showed through in the intricate patterns and colors that time hadn’t faded all that much. Rich mahogany furniture was scattered about, from the small tables carefully placed here and there, which held an assortment of candles, to the crowning glory of the room—a large four-poster bed piled high with a sumptuous collection of linens.
In the midst of those linens, completely naked, was Stacia.
Her skin was creamy white against the maroon and gold of the bed linens, her nearly seal-black hair and dark eyes a sharp contrast to the paleness of her body.
As her gaze settled on him, he knew exactly what she wanted and with each step he took, he removed a piece of clothing.
By the time he climbed into bed beside her, he was naked and painfully erect.
He lay on his side and propped his head up on one arm, placed his hand in the middle of her flat belly and ran it down her skin. With his index finger, he traced a circle around her navel and then flicked the gold ring there, bending close to her to say, “Do you want this first or can I get my favor?”
In response, she turned to him. The deep, coral-colored tips of her breasts brushed against his chest. Her flat stomach caressed his erection a second before she reached down with her hand and encircled him.
“What do you think?” she asked, and laid her lips against his collarbone. A moment later came the brush of her fangs, tantalizing and deadly if he should disfavor her.
He shivered, her elder’s power creating a dizzying rush of passion through his body. Passion that wouldn’t wait to be abated.
But it was passion without love. Without the life he had experienced with Meghan.
Meghan was all he could think about as he paid Stacia her due, and he hoped that the price would be worth the information he received.
He lay beside Stacia and stroked her body, calming her with his hands. She was still wired from their passion and feeding, but he had no desire for a repeat performance, and she must have realized it. It worried him for a moment that she would be angry with him, until he sensed the serene aura surrounding her and that she was well pleased with him…for the moment.
“You wish to push me from your bed so soon?” She laid her hand on his chest and ran her thumb across his nipple, attempting to awaken desire once again.
“Not so soon,” he said, anxious not to annoy her before he got the information he needed to keep Meghan safe.
Stacia wasn’t fooled by his actions, but she had obviously decided to play along with him. “You had a favor to ask of me.”
He gazed into her eyes, almond-shaped and dark like Lee’s but glittering with life and desire.
“Know anything about the kiang-shi?”
Her body tensed, but nothing in her gaze gave away any concern. “The kiang-shi are corpses condemned to live forever because of the evil they did during their mortal existence.”
“Living corpses? How’s that possible?” he asked, but then immediately laughed at himself. “Stupid question coming from a vampire, huh?”
Stacia shrugged, laid a hand on his shoulder and stroked the muscle there. “Vampires never really die if you think about it. At that moment when we are at death’s door, the blood of our sire saves us, keeps us alive.”
“But not the kiang-shi?”
“The kiang-shi die. No breath, no pulse, no living flesh. Before they’re buried, they are reanimated by evil, either a spark that remains within them or the wrongful actions of someone else.”
“So what could someone else do that would make a kiang-shi?” he asked.
“Refuse to bury them. Dishonor their name or body in some other fashion. Asian concepts of honor and face are quite extreme, much like a kiang-shi. All that evil…”
She shuddered, surprising him. There was little that could scare an elder, especially one as old and powerful as Stacia.
“So all that evil lingers after death. But if they’re corpses—”
“Why don’t they rot? Some use oils, herbs and certain spices to keep their flesh intact. Others feed on vampires like us and become hybrids.” She settled her head on his chest and laid a hand on his waist in a relaxed way.
Feed on vampires like us.
Blake immediately thought of Foley and the dread on his face. He had no doubt Lee was feeding from the owner of the Blood Bank. Since Foley was normally a badass, it made him wonder just how much worse Lee could be to instill such terror in him.
He decided that he didn’t want to find out—although if Lee made any kind of overture toward Meghan, he might not have a choice. Which made him wonder out loud, “Do you think you could take a kiang-shi?”
Stacia shifted away from him enough to be able to read his face. “Take as in—”
“Kick his undead immortal ass.”
“If he’s old and has fed from one of us, I’m not sure that trying to kick his ass would be such a good idea for a vampire of your age.”
As she rose from the bed, he suspected she was right, but decided he wouldn’t back away if it became necessary
.
“There was a blond chef at Otro Mundo tonight. Do you know who she is?” Lee asked the other man, who was kneeling, head bowed low, nearly scraping the ground.
“If she was a vampire, her name is Meghan Thomas. She’s under the protection of Diego and Ryder,” Foley said, wiping his hands against his naked thighs, but never deviating from his subservient pose.
Lee could almost taste Foley’s fear. Fear had an intoxicating odor. He had always been able to smell it in his opponents during battle. He had smelled it in himself a second before the thrust of the sword that had snuffed out his life.
He hadn’t experienced any worry of his own in quite a long time. While some thought that good, living without fear meant there was nothing left to lose in life. That made for a long and boring existence.
Except for moments like this, when the terror of others brought a morsel of joy.
He undid the sash on the robe he wore, exposing his erection to the other vampire. Placing a hand beneath Foley’s chin, he exerted gentle pressure to urge him upward and forward.
Foley understood what he wanted. But for a moment Lee saw a flicker of defiance in the other man’s steel-gray eyes. A hint of spirit that he thought he had drummed out of Foley with over a century of punishment and enslavement.
“Do you challenge me?” Lee slowly roused his demon, made powerful by both the evil energy of the kiang-shi and the blood of the many vampires he had drained.
With an abrupt shake of his head, Foley closed his eyes and brought his mouth between Lee’s legs. Hesitantly at first, he took the erection into his mouth, but then Lee grasped the back of Foley’s skull and applied slightly stronger pressure. He forced the man’s mouth down onto him, guided Foley in what he demanded.
Foley pleasured him until the need built within Lee, requiring greater satisfaction than just the caress of a skillful tongue and mouth. Foley must have felt the change in Lee for he fell back on his heels, attempting to get away, but Lee was quickly upon him, forcing him onto his knees.
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