He tensed. If he leapt, I was toast.
“Stand back,” I yelled in warning, “or you’ll find your ass right back on that floor.” My voice never shook and I actually felt pretty confident.
His eyes bled back to their beautiful silvery-blue and he seemed to gather himself.
“You surprise me, Grace,” he said, his voice mild. His eyebrows drew together, betraying his anger. “I must admit, I was unsure the ring would work with only your touch. The legend said as much. I am pleased to see that we will not be disappointed.”
I could taste the lie. He was disturbed. I could feel his anger like heat on my skin. In fact from the second I put the ring on, I felt strange. My body was humming with energy, as if I had drunk a gallon of Red Bull with an espresso chaser! I wasn’t sure if it was the power coursing through me, or the fact that I just knocked Seth on his ass, but I was feeling pretty bullet-proof.
The look on his face told me I’d better not be too overconfident.
“Well,” I said in my most bitchy tone, my hands on my hips, “now that we’ve established that the ring truly belongs to me, what do you suggest we do? I am not sticking around.” I smirked, “If that’s what you think, you’re crazy, and easy conversation will be a little awkward, considering the circumstances that brought me here.” I took a small step backward. Regardless of how I was feeling, he was still a scary vampire with a pretty long reach.
He ignored me and held out his hand, presumably to help me down from the bed. I just looked at him. God, why did he have to be so damn gorgeous? I felt my face fill with heat again. Oooh! I thought, now exasperated with myself. This was absurd! I gave him my hand.
With this small contact, my mind was filled with a rush of thoughts. Seth was in my head. I knew I just royally screwed his plans and his mind was racing to find a way to overcome me. Oh, my God! Did I just read his mind? I wasn’t sure, it just flooded in! It was one thought in a sea of buzzing conversations. My mind was full, like an old radio tuned into too many stations at once. I shook my head, massaging my forehead with my fingertips as I stepped toward the edge of the bed. His hand was warm. Didn’t vampires have to borrow their warmth? It made me wonder who his dinner was, and if they had been willing. I turned my head, glancing at his beautiful profile. Yeah, it was pretty easy to guess that they were probably more than willing!
I was kind of dizzy and sort of stumbled when I stepped off the bed. I probably looked like a drunken hippo. Seth braced me with little effort. The bed seemed taller than it had been when I was leaping for my life and I had to practically hop to sit on it. I was trying to tune into his head again when something happened to my vision. It began to blur as the voices in my brain cleared.
A man and woman were arguing. I reached out with my mind and realized it was coming from inside the house. These were not thoughts. I focused. It felt like my mind was taking a walk without my body. It was an incredible sensation. I didn’t fight it, and the voices grew louder.
“Why did he have to take her?” the woman sounded pissed. “It’s not like he needs another piece of ass.” There was jealousy in her voice. “It’s an intrusion. Perhaps he just wants to play with her a little, then goodbye, off to a shallow, unmarked grave in the desert.”
“You sound like a bitch in heat,” the man was speaking low, his tone harsh. “Arian told us she was the one. Do you know what that means, Chloe? It means, Seth works her over a bit, she begs for her life, offers him anything to spare her. Then our boy gets her to use her powers for us. She’ll be our little puppet. As long as Seth holds the strings, we’ll be invincible!”
“I still don’t believe it. She was not that impressive, and how do we know she’s not a fraud? I don’t believe this human is worth even a second of his time.”
“You’re jealous and it makes you stupid. You’ve gotta see the bigger picture. If she is a Madea, we’ll have unlimited power. Think of it, you want a small country? Done! You want that asshole at the Quickie Mart to fry to a crisp? Done! And that’s thinking small. We could control the weather, tell the future, whatever! If those legends are true, all we got to do is think of it. Seth will scare her a bit, and it’s done.”
“I think you’ve gotten stupid, Edmond!” the woman hissed. “Would you listen to yourself? She is nothing! The legends are all bullshit. Seth doesn’t need her, none of us do. The quicker everyone realizes that, the better off we’ll all be.”
I slammed back into myself. I guess my mind had heard enough. The rest of me agreed. “It would seem your little minions don’t think I’m very special,” I stated mockingly. “Well, at least your bitter little girlfriend doesn’t.” I turned to face him, my arms folded. “Edmond, on the other hand, well, he seems to have some real big plans for me. In fact,” I narrowed my eyes, “it would seem you had some pretty big plans for me yourself.” I stared at him, my eyebrows high in accusation.
He looked equally amazed and uncomfortable. Clearly he didn’t expect this little turn of events. Well, the ring was just shocking the shit out of all of us today, wasn’t it? Thank God, it was on my side!
“So,” I continued, “the plan was what? Scare me to death? Make me so afraid that I’d do anything that you wanted me to?” I stood up, then turning, I shoved him as hard as I could into the bed, and he sort of fell back. He looked a little shell-shocked. “Let me give you a little tip, Oh Mighty Vampire,” I jabbed my finger into his chest. “The next time you try to scare a woman into submission, try not to turn her on first.”
I held my fists at my sides and leaned over, placing my face close to his. Not my smartest move, you see, the stupid little slip I wore was not made for me. The chest had a plunging V-neck that should have been reserved for women with much smaller breasts. I feared soon there would be more than my finger assaulting him. I straightened, my hands flying to cover my exposed flesh, my insults dying on my lips.
He stood quickly; a fluid motion that forced me backward. The look of hunger was back, only this time, I knew it wasn’t food he was interested in. He took a step toward me. My breath caught as I backed up. He closed the space between us, stalking me, until I was pressed firmly against the wall. My hands came up to press against his firm chest. I could smell his hair, his skin, he was so close. I looked up into his eyes; part of me expecting him to be terrifying, ready to strike. My breath left my body, he was beautiful. My arms went limp, I felt intoxicated.
He slowly lowered his head, a test of my will. I was torn. I wanted to run, I wanted to stay. His mouth was just a whisper away. I licked my lips. That small invitation was all that he needed and he was on me. He possessed my mouth, kissing me expertly. I was hot all over as he drew my tongue into his mouth with delicious suction. I explored the velvety warmth of his mouth, swirling my tongue over the needle tips of his frightening teeth. There were no traces of my coppery blood left on his lips. His hands were strong, firmly holding me to him, molding themselves around my ribs, sliding up to cup my breasts. He was commanding the kiss; his mind was inexplicably opened to me. All of his thoughts were carnal, his plans for dominating me turning quickly toward another form of domination.
I found myself back on the bed, his eyes burning into mine. I released his hair from its confinement. It spilled around us in a heavy curtain of silk. Soft and heavy, it covered us like a sheet. His short nails scratched along my skin as he drew the thin straps of my slip off my shoulders. Slowly, he traced a line down the center of my chest. He massaged my breasts. Lowering his head; he lightly nipped the skin of one white mound. I could feel the twin points of his sharp teeth graze my skin. I was on fire.
My body was cheering me on, while my brain was trying to remind me that I was not a slut. No matter what the guy looked like, I would never go this far so early. My body was a traitor, thrilling in his every movement.
He wasn’t human, that had to be the reason! He must be pumping me full of some lusty vampire pheromones, or clouding my mind with spooky vamp mojo.
His hands were everywhe
re now. The smell of his skin was an intoxicating blend of spice and man. It fogged my head, making me forget myself.
I was so tuned into him. His thoughts poured into my head like wine, until, sudden and unwelcome, one thought stopped me cold. Under his desire for sex was an equal desire for blood. He wanted that as much as the rest.
Okay, feeling’s gone.
“Wait,” I stammered. “No, I can’t be doing this, not with you.” I was panting, my voice barely a whisper. I had to stop this. No way was he getting another drop of my blood! I had to move.
He was on his hands and knees, my body fitting under his rather nicely. I wiggled, squirming out from under him. “Seth,” I breathed, “Seth!” I tried to push at him, “I can’t do this, and I won’t do this. Whatever you had in mind can’t happen.” I quickly rolled, fumbling to the edge of the bed. I hopped off and took a few steps away. I needed more space between us.
“You know what I have in mind, Grace,” he whispered. I watched his chest rise and fall with each breath, “You want me as much as I want you.” He tilted his chin down. Looking up at me through his hair, he said, “Why not take me?” His eyes swirled, becoming darker. “I can be anything you want me to be.” He slid slowly over to kneel on all fours, “I will do anything you want me to do. I have no inhibitions, I will never deny you.” He crawled toward me, his eyes piercing mine, demanding my obedience. His hair was so long, the ends pooled onto the bed, blending in perfectly. He rose to his knees. “Come back to my bed, sweet.” He held his hand out again, the other hand went to his shirt and began the slow torture of unfastening the buttons. My eyes were riveted as he slowly removed the garment, his beautiful hands sweeping slowly across his skin. “Would it be so terrible to give in to me?” he whispered. His eyes were intoxicating pools, promising passion and danger.
I was in so much trouble. The picture he made was impossible to resist. He was lust. His chest was pure male perfection. My eyes followed a small trail of black hair from his navel down into the dark waistband of his pants. His abs were strong and clearly defined, his skin pale.
I knew in that instant what I had to do…Run away!
I couldn’t stay another second in the same room with him. No way was I that strong. In one quick movement, I turned, grabbed for the doorknob, twisted it, and flew down the hall.
My bare feet sank into the lush carpet as I moved. I was running full out but the hall seemed to go on forever. Then, unexpectedly it spilled into a massive white room. I spun around, frantically looking for a door or a window. I couldn’t see a single one. It seemed the only way out was the way I came and that was not an option.
I ran to the center of the room. It held several solid, stark white couches. Huge paintings of abstract naked people hung on the walls. It was like standing inside an expensively decorated marshmallow. Running deeper into the room, my eyes surveyed the furniture. My gaze fell on a shape and I froze. I was not alone.
Lounging on an overstuffed sofa, like a contented kitty cat, was a petite woman. Her short blond hair made her look like a little pixie. However, judging from the look on her face, she was an angry little pixie. She shot off the couch and stalked towards me on high heels. They sank into the carpet with each step. She should have been stumbling, but she moved gracefully. She wore too much white in the form of a denim skirt that could fit a toddler, and a shirt of torn mesh with a white tank top underneath. Her clothing was a little too eighties for my taste, but who was I to judge?
“And where are you off to, human?” she sneered. Her top lip curled to reveal her tiny pointed teeth. This had to be Chloe, the little twit that was having such a hissy-fit about me earlier.
“Did Seth tire of you so soon?” she simpered.
My eyes followed her as she circled me like an immature shark. She looked fragile, but I knew better. The energy coming off this little brat was setting off lots of alarm bells. I knew better than to underestimate anyone.
“You smell of him,” she said, bringing her head in close to sniff me. “But he did not take you.” She stood back, regarding me. The look on her face was so insulting, as though examining me for signs of disease “Are you so unappetizing?”
Unappetizing? Me? How dare she! I left him, thank you very much. I folded my arms under my breasts and conjured my most haughty tone. “He let me go, not that it’s any of your damn business,” I said, as she began to circle me again. I was a little worried, though; he didn’t come running after me. Maybe because he knew there was no way out. Or, maybe he needed a minute to settle himself. Lord knows, my hormones were still high on lust. I tried to look superior, and glared at my newest nemesis.
“Perhaps I should have a taste, and judge for myself.” She stopped circling and started to reach for me.
Now I was getting royally pissed. If I refused to donate blood to Seth, I sure as hell wasn’t donating any to Tinker Bell. I shot my hand out and grabbed her by the neck. Her eyes went wide; her surprise was kind of cute. I knew I had about a second, so I concentrated on the ring. I wished she would leave, rather than feel forced to launch her at the walls. I knew she could probably bench press my Nova, but still, she was so petite. Bloodying her up might make me feel guilty.
I was astounded to see her eyes glaze over, no one was home. She stood there like a lifeless doll. It was freaky and I quickly dropped my hand, wiping it off on my slip as if the feeling were a solid thing. The moment I let her go, she turned and marched quickly to the other end of the large room. She stopped and lifted a delicate hand, then pushed on the wall. A sunken door slid out toward her. She pulled it open and quickly stepped through.
My jaw was hanging open. It was amazing. With just a thought, she did exactly what I wanted her to do! I had better find out what else I was capable of, and what I wasn’t! No good to be unpleasantly surprised when it really mattered.
I stood in shock for what felt like forever. My brain was set to stupid apparently, because I should have run for the door immediately. When I finally moved, I had to stop abruptly. Angry shouts were approaching fast. Damn it! It sounded as if several people were quickly heading my direction. Oh great! She must have woken from her little daze and assembled an ass-kicking party. I really didn’t want to find out. I had to disappear fast, but, sadly, my time ran out and the door was thrown open.
I was right, it was my new best friend and she was fuming! The two men with her were gorgeous. Naturally, who wanted to spend eternity with the homely? They were obviously twins, with auburn hair that hung in messy waves past their shoulders. They approached me at a frightening clip. I stood my ground; what else could I do? I closed my eyes and braced myself for the attack.
It never came.
I opened one eye, then the other, discovering they had passed me by. What the hell happened? I looked down and found my answer. My body was missing. Incredible! I had to disappear and just like that, I did! But, my luck was sure to run out soon, no good to tempting fate. It was time to take my transparent ass out the door as quickly as possible.
My body was shaking with nerves as I quietly ran out of the room. The marble floor was cold under my bare feet. I turned my head, listening for any signs of life. Satisfied that it was safe, I tiptoed to the large double doors and pulled one open. It was heavy and moved silently. I eased out shutting it quietly behind me.
The air was cold, damn, what I wouldn’t give for warmer clothes! Before I could finish the thought, I was instantly warmer. Snug, brown leather boots appeared on my frozen feet. Butter soft, brown leather leggings and a cream colored sweater wrapped me in warmth. I was reeling, this was crazy!
I wondered for a split second where the clothes came from, but decided to worry about that later. I had no idea where I was or how I was supposed to get home. I also knew that someone inside would eventually grow a brain and rush outside to look for me. No longer invisible, I had to act fast.
I made my way to the driveway, which was huge. The pale concrete meandered in an elegant pattern. It led beyond my si
ght past tall trees and enormous boulders. My shoes made little sound as I hurried along its length toward the cover of trees. I was almost sick with nerves. It was dark out, making the trek much more frightening.
I was halfway to the trees when a tingle started at the nape of my neck. I stopped. Slowly, I turned to see Seth exiting the house at a run. He still looked yummy, beyond yummy, but I was no longer twitterpated. I looked at him, smiled, and hollered as loud as I could, “Lucian’s house!” I caught the look of rage on his face only a second before I popped into Lucian’s bedroom.
NINE
“Holy shit!”
Lucian scrambled, white covers went flying in all directions as he jumped to stand on top of his bed. “Where the hell did you come from?” His chest was heaving rapid breaths. He was startled and deliciously disheveled.
I really scared him. I would have liked to feel bad about that, but I was too busy admiring his pajamas, or the lack thereof. Golden skin assaulted my eyes, and it struck me - the contrast between the two new men in my life. Lucian was as golden and good as Seth was dangerous and dark.
“Sorry, Lucian,” I stammered, heat rising to my cheeks as I tried to focus on his face. “But I just had a very disturbing run-in with our friendly neighborhood vampire.”
He jumped off the bed and grabbed me in his arms. “My God Grace, are you alright?” He squeezed me, his warm body heat soaking through my clothing. “How did you get away? Did he hurt you?” he asked. He was running his hands all over my face and neck. I was touched at his concern. But I still had to bat his hands away.
“Stop, stop! I’m fine. See?” I showed him my left hand, now resplendent with my new prize.
“The ring? You got the ring! How?” He grabbed my hand, as if he didn’t believe it was real. “This is incredible, better than I could have hoped for. You got it back!”
I pulled my hand from his grasp. I was glad to see he was so relieved; it made me feel better to see how much he cared. “It’s a long story,” I said, “one I don’t really want to get into now.” I smiled at him. He looked so happy.
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