Immortality Stolen (The Mortal One Series Book 2)

by Shannon Bell

  ***

  I took the hop on bus back to the Checkpoint Charlie area. There were a few soldiers in Army uniforms in front of the tourist attraction posing for photos. I saw the sandwich board that read that photos could be taken for two Euros, so I reached into my pocket and got on line. I needed some kind of souvenir from the city.

  The soldiers weren’t actually soldiers, but they looked authentic enough. I handed my phone over to one of them with the camera app opened to snap a few photos for me. They posed with me, had me salute with them and the one handed me my phone back. They were friendly and spoke English, so it was a bonus.

  I walked back to the hotel and sent one of the photos by text to Nico. He wouldn’t get it for a few hours still, but maybe he would get a kick out of it.

  Once up on the floor where my hotel room was, I walked past Olivier’s room. The door hanger was still on the knob saying not to disturb. Good. That could have been awkward to explain to housekeeping.

  I walked into my own room and flopped down on the bed. It was still early in the afternoon. Our flights weren’t until around eight, so I had time. Before I could even think about napping, my eyelids started to feel heavy and sleep took over.

  As usual, I was awakened by incessant knocking.

  “Hi,” I said, throwing open the door. “Must you knock so loud?”

  Olivier shook his head. “Unbelievable. Do you ever think that I’m worried?”

  “Were you?” I asked. He followed me into the room and closed the door.

  “Of course. You were out in the city all by yourself today.”

  “Actually,” I said, “I wasn’t completely alone the whole time.”

  His mouth dropped slightly. “What do you mean?”

  “I bumped into Gregorio while I was out by the TV Tower. He actually saved me from a pickpocket that wanted to take me up to the tower.”

  “Oh. That was nice of him. What did he have to say?” Olivier seemed intrigued that I made nice with the necromancer.

  “We had lunch together in Alexanderplatz. He was friendly, talked to me a little about vampires and his run ins with them over the years. He likes you,” I said.

  “What do you mean he likes me?”

  I laughed. “Not sexually or anything. He said you’re not an asshole like most vampires he’s met.” I lifted my suitcase onto the bed and added the remaining clothes around the room inside and then popped into the bathroom to touch up my makeup before packing it all up.

  “I guess that’s a compliment,” he said.

  I shrugged. “I would assume it’s a compliment. He didn’t call you an asshole, so bonus for you,” I joked, tossing my makeup in the suitcase and zipping it up. The timer on my phone went off.

  Olivier nodded over to my phone. “What’s that?”

  “That,” I said, “Is the timer saying that we need to head over to the airport. It’s an international flight, so we are probably running late as it is.”

  “Berlin to Florence isn’t international.”

  “Sure it is. Germany to Italy.”

  “European Union, dear.”

  “Shit. That’s right. We still don’t have a lot of time, though,” I said, pulling the handle of my suitcase up. I was hoping he’d get the hint and walk to the door.

  He stood up, but didn’t open the door. “You don’t want to fly my way?” He asked, looking offended.

  “Not with suitcases,” I said.

  “Or not in my arms?”

  I blushed. “Can we go?”

  “Of course, let me get my bag.” He walked out of the room, but gave me a sideways glance over his shoulder, knowing that he knew I was avoiding the connection between us once again.

  Chapter 11

  “SO YOU WILL be with Nico the next time I see you,” Olivier commented as we walked into the airport.

  “Yep,” I said. I dragged my bag over to the Alitalia departure window.

  “You could come back with me,” he suggested. “I can share more with you about being a truth seeker and what I’ve learned. Nico can simply meet you in Paris.”

  “I need to get back to Nico and you know it.

  “He’s a lucky man,” Olivier said, sincerity thick in his voice.

  “Thanks,” I answered awkwardly.

  “You will be okay on the plane alone?”

  “Yes.” While I did feel better about having someone sitting next to me, I couldn’t handle the kind of comfort he wanted to provide me.

  “Okay. Let Costin and Nico know that I have arranged for Gregorio to meet us at the catacombs Thursday night.”

  “Will do,” I said. We stood facing each other for a long and silent moment. He needed to go one way for his flight and I needed to go the other way.

  “Come here,” he said. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on each cheek. “I will see you soon. Safe travels.”

  “You, too,” I said and gave a wave before I grabbed my bag and wheeled it behind me to get to the gate where my plane was waiting.

  I sat at the gate, wondering how the next few days would be. I was anxious to get back to Florence and Nico. While I hated that Nico forced me into a marriage that I wasn’t ready for, I did miss him and did love him. Olivier complicated my life because I didn’t know what to make of him. He wasn’t the bad guy. He had a lot to teach me and I was sure that we’d be spending more time together, but I needed to spend some time in Nico’s bed before that happened so that I could remind myself of who I was with.

  The gate announced that they were boarding and I headed to the gates where a short brunette took my ticket.

  At least I was in first class again. The flight attendant brought me a glass of sparkling wine and that was the last thing I remembered. It was enough to knock me on my butt and put me to sleep until the plane landed in Florence.

  ***

  As promised, Nico met me at the airport. He was leaning against the pillar when I walked off and he stood at attention the moment I saw him. His smile overtook his face and he rushed me. The speed in which he moved probably should have called attention to him but it was a crowded flight.

  “Mia mortale,” he whispered before crushing his lips to mine.

  “Mmmm.” It was all I could say. I missed him.

  He grabbed the small piece of luggage that I was dragging behind me and we walked out of the airport, arm in arm.

  Nico hailed a taxi and told the driver where we needed to go. We got in the backseat and were keenly aware that the driver kept looking in his rearview mirror at us. We were both thrumming with sexual energy and it was so hard not to mount him in the taxi.

  When we got to the apartment, Costin and Antonio were there. Nico didn’t even bother with being subtle.

  He stood his ground and stared at both of them. “Leave. Now.”

  Neither of the men argued or said anything. They simply got up and walked out the door.

  I giggled. “You’re so bossy.”

  “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he said.

  “Yes, I do. I’ve missed you about that much, too.” I kissed him, mouth open, and reached for the buckle on his belt.

  “Always the eager one,” he laughed.

  “I never hear you complaining,” I said, kissing him repeatedly and with an exploratory tongue. He broke the kiss in order to pull my shirt up over my head. I vaguely felt him undo the clasp of my bra and throw that in one direction or another as well.

  I was able to get the belt undone as well as the button and zipper of his pants. I tugged at his shirt. Part of me just wanted to rip it off. He wouldn’t have cared, but it would have been another thing for him to tease me about. I gave it another tug and said, “Off.”

  He chuckled and leaned back from my lips for a moment to pull his shirt off. In doing so, he exposed his ripped chest, showing off a glistening six pack that any man would be jealous of. Dear God, he was one of the hottest men that I have ever seen. And he was mine.

  His mouth nipped at my mine in a hungry fas
hion. His lips grabbed a hold of my bottom lip and sucked. Oh, how I loved that. My fingers dug into the edges of his pants and started to pull them down.

  “Can we make it into the bedroom?” He asked, breaking the kiss.

  I nodded. I didn’t care where we were going to do this and the living room was just as good as any.

  He scooped me up effortlessly by the ass and I wrapped my legs around him. He was already hard and it pressed on all of the things that made me squirm. Halfway to the bedroom, he stopped and leaned me against the wall. He kept his pelvis firmly planted onto the lower half of my body and his mouth dropped to the nape of my neck. He licked and kissed, alternating pressure and listening to me moan and beg for more.

  I pressed my shoulders into the wall some more so that I could arch and increase the pressure that was lower.

  “I could take you here,” he whispered.

  “Please,” I said in a hoarse voice. He knew I wanted him and he was going to torture me tonight. That was okay, though, because I liked the kind of torture he provided.

  He set me down and before I could complain, he knelt down in front of me, unbuttoned my jeans and yanked them off my hips in one pull. He then hooked his fingers into the waistband of my purple panties and slid them down my legs. As he slid, he kissed, causing this stage of the foreplay to last forever. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for remembering to shave my legs.

  I stood against the wall, naked and completely exposed to him. He didn’t stand up, though. Instead, he reached his hand between my legs, parting them. I let out a soft sigh as his fingers traced my sex, which was getting wetter by the second. His mouth parted my lips with his tongue and he devoured me. He stayed on his knees the entire time, working me with his mouth and fingers until I was at a breaking point.

  Just as I thought my world was going to explode, he stopped and grinned up at me. His lips and mouth were red and wet. My head was spinning and I wanted my release. And he knew it.

  He stood up slowly, planting kisses across my abdomen and then lingering on my nipples before he towered over me again. He slid his own pants down the rest of the way and brought his briefs down with them. His cock sprung to life, proving that he had indeed had some blood earlier and he didn’t need any manual help from me to get him ready for what was about to happen.

  I stared at him and licked my lips.

  “I fucking love when you do that,” he said.

  “Good.”

  He lifted me up with his hands on my buttocks again.

  “Wrap your legs around me again,” he instructed.

  I did as told and wrapped my arms around his neck, too.

  He pressed me against the wall and told me to put my hands above my head. I did and he held them up with one hand while keeping one hand firmly planted on my posterior. He pressed against me and my body opened up instinctively to let him in. He let out a soft moan as he entered and kissed the side of my neck. His fangs grazed my skin but there was no puncture. I was already entering a state of bliss where I wouldn’t have minded, let alone noticed.

  He wasn’t gentle with me. He owned me. With every thrust, he took more of me, more of my soul.

  I came, screaming his name and vibrating off the wall with so many orgasms that I lost count.

  Sometime later, I woke on the bed, naked, wondering what the hell happened.

  Nico was propped on his elbow, looking at me with a satisfied grin on his face.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Have a good nap?”

  “Oh my God,” was all I could say.

  “I love the way I can make your body respond.” He reached over and trailed a finger down between my breasts.

  I let out a soft moan. “Did I fall asleep right after sex?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I think I may have given you too many orgasms.”

  “Oh darn,” I laughed. “Please, anything but that.”

  “Are you okay?” He asked, looking me over.

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t shield you. Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?”

  I shook my head. I always hated this part of our post-coital activities. He was a vampire and I was mortal. What we were doing wasn’t normal. It wasn’t done as far as anyone knew. He was so afraid of hurting me and Costin said we shouldn’t even be trying it, but neither one of us wanted to give it up. So, he felt the need to inspect me afterwards for bruises or anything else that could have been damaged from our coupling.

  “Do we have any plans tonight?” I asked, stretching and rolling over towards the edge of the bed.

  Nico shook his head. “Do you want to do something?”

  I nodded.

  “You’re not going to work.”

  “How did you know I was even going to mention it?”

  “Dylan, because I know you very well. Perhaps better than you know yourself,” he laughed.

  I got up from the bed and started to head to the bathroom. “I’m taking a shower and then we’re going out to Yankee Bar. We can at least stop in so I can have a glass of wine and tell Matt face to face that I need a few more days off.”

  Nico sighed and didn’t look happy, but he also didn’t argue.

  “Thank you,” I said and turned on the shower.

  “Do you want company?” He asked, his thumbs already hooked in his briefs.

  I smiled. “Sure, but it can’t end in sex. I can’t handle it and we don’t have time.”

  He put his hands up in surrender. “Promise. I just want to take a shower with you. It’s all in the name of water conservation.”

  That earned a snort and I kept the shower door open for him to follow me in.

  I wet my hair and then he shampooed it, running his fingers through my long reddish brown hair. His muscular hands massaged my scalp and I let out a soft moan. It felt so good to have someone else wash my hair. This is what he did with increasing frequency when we showered together and it was something a girl could get used to.

  “Turn around,” he said, grabbing my loofah. He placed some body wash on it and brought it up to a good lather. He then rubbed the loofah and his hands up and down every inch of my body. I was soaking wet and it had nothing to do with the water coming down from the shower head.

  “Nico,” I moaned, leaning against the shower wall for support. He let his fingers linger on all of the important body parts and I was putty in his hands. We both knew I couldn’t handle intercourse, but he was apparently convinced that I could handle a few more orgasms.

  He finally turned off the water and reached for a towel for me and then one for him. I smiled at him and reached on tip toe to kiss him. He held the back of my head for a moment, making the kiss longer and more passionate than I had originally intended.

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love to hear those three words from you,” he said, kissing my forehead.

  We were dressed and ready to go to the bar within a few minutes’ time. It was only a few blocks away, so we decided to walk.

  The bar was packed and within seconds of walking in the door, I regretted it. Nico cursed under his breath as he saw Matt making a B-line to me.

  “Dylan, where the fuck have you been?” Matt asked me, pushing past the line of people that were at the host stand, looking for a table.

  “I had to go out of town.”

  Matt looked at Nico, who said nothing.

  “Are you here to work?” He said, looking hopeful.

  I shook my head.

  “For an hour?” He pleaded.

  “Well,” I paused. Shit. I really wanted to do this. Being behind a bar was my way of relaxing. Nico? One hour tops.

  “One hour,” Nico said, more to Matt than to me.

  “Thanks, man. I’ll have her back to you soon,” Matt said, whisking me off towards the bar, leaving me looking back at Nico with an apologetic face.

  “There you are, sweetheart!” Giancarlo said as I approached the flip door at the bar. “You’re coming to bail me out?”


  I nodded. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on each cheek. “Apparently you can’t hack it on your own,” I joked.

  “I love when you give me shit. That side is yours,” he said, nodding to his left.

  “I’m on it.” I twisted my hair up into a bun, washed my hands, and went over to the mass of people crowding the bar. “What can I get you?” I said to no one in particular.

  Money was being shoved at me in every direction for everything from bottled beer to mojitos. A couple people asked for flaming drinks, but told them we couldn’t oblige tonight because of the crowd. It was fun to light the drinks on fire, but I didn’t have the time to do it and didn’t want to start a trend right now.

  The time flew by and the crowd finally started to thin out.

  Giancarlo came over and hip checked me. “Thank God you came out here when you did. No one saw it being this busy tonight.”

  “I second that,” Matt said, heading over to the bar. “I just closed the doors.”

  “It’s two already?”

  “Time flies when you’re having fun, huh?”

  I shook my head. Nico was gonna be pissed. “I was only going to stay an hour, Matt!”

  Matt smiled. “Your man said he’d be back at closing to come get you. He saw you were having fun behind the bar.”

  “Oh.” I was shocked. Nico made such a big deal of me not working that I didn’t think it would work. I’m glad he saw me in my element and let me do this. With all the chaos that’s been going on around me, this was the way for me to regain at least some of my sanity.

  I looked around and didn’t see Nico, so I took advantage of it to help Giancarlo clean up behind the bar. The place was trashed because it was so busy. Beer caps were on the floor and walking around, I could tell we spilled a lot of beer and other stuff because my shoes were sticking as I stepped. Gross.

  “Here’s your man,” Giancarlo said.

  I nodded. “I’ll help you stock up before I get out of here.” My list of beer and liquor to bring up to the front was almost complete.

  Nico stood by the bar. “You’re a good bartender.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I mean it. I can see why you like to work here.”