by Aubrey Ross
Jessie moved forward with slow, measured steps. “I wish I could say the same. I inadvertently set you up to be Faelon’s pawn.”
Kylie held her ground. If retreat were an option, she’d already be in her home dimension, nursing her wounded pride. “How was your role inadvertent? You invited me to Club Carousel.”
“Can we sit down and sort this out?” Dalton asked. “What did you do with my shirt?”
“It’s in the bathroom.”
Rafe and Jessie sat on the sofa in the sitting area of the suite. Too restless to sit, Kylie paced in front of the oversized armoire, which served as an entertainment center.
“We only have one kind of vampire in the Froswick dimension,” Kylie began. “They’re ruthless predators who often use blood bonds to enslave other races. In times of war we’ve reluctantly allied ourselves with these creatures because we’re both nocturnal, but we have no other use for them.”
Rafe had the audacity to laugh. “Good to know.” He turned to Jessie. “Mark the Froswick dimension off our list of possible vacation destinations.”
Jessie ignored Rafe’s sarcasm. “Kylie, you can’t judge all vampires by your experience with Faelon. To be honest, I don’t understand why Faelon is behaving this way. He can be a ruthless bastard, but this is off the scale even for him.”
Dressed now in his white shirt and black pants, Dalton emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later. “Let’s start at the beginning and work our way through this mess.” He sat on the loveseat facing Jessie and Rafe, leaving enough room for Kylie to join him if she settled down enough to sit. “When I arrived at Club Carousel that night you teased me about my mysterious visitor. Had you already talked to Kylie at that point or was it something more?”
Jessie looked at Rafe and then at Kylie. “I had a premonition that you would call me. That’s the only reason I agreed to speak with you.”
Dalton made a sound, part growl and part groan. “You’re a psychic matchmaker now? Wait until Marissa finds out you’re poaching. Doesn’t she have an exclusive contract with Club Carousel?”
Jessie ignored Dalton’s outburst, so Kylie did the same. “I wondered why you were so agreeable.” She studied Jessie’s face, searching for any sign of deception.
“I’m guilty of meddling.” She made sure Dalton was looking at her also before she added. “I am not guilty of setting you up for whatever the hell Faelon did to you.”
“Who is this woman Faelon is trying so hard to protect?” Rafe asked.
“He said she was his biological niece,” Kylie told him.
Rafe shook his head. “I don’t think that’s possible. If Faelon had a blood relative, I would know about her.”
“It will be far easier for me to continue my investigation if Faelon doesn’t realize he failed,” Kylie said.
“If I’m not mistaken, you’re not in any shape to continue anything.” Rafe’s tone took on a resolve it hadn’t possessed before. “Can you take what you need from me or do you need another of your species?”
“Ordinarily I’d be able to convert your energy, but breaking free of the compulsion greatly weakened me.” Why was she trusting a vampire with any information? Faelon was Rafe’s sire! Rafe would run back to his master and tell Faelon that he’d all but destroyed her with his twisted compulsion.
“Give me twenty-four hours to find out who this woman is and why she’s so important to Faelon while you see to your needs,” Rafe proposed.
She hesitated. What choice did she have? Rafe was right. There was no way she could accomplish anything until she’d replenished her energy. “And if you can’t find out in twenty-four hours?” Kylie knew from the shuttered look in his dark eyes that the conversation was already over.
“Then we’ll work on plan B.”
Chapter Five
“Can I give you what you need?” Dalton smiled as he heard his own question. Rafe and Jessie had departed just as suddenly as they’d arrived, leaving him alone with Kylie. “Or would my energy be as hard to convert as Rafe’s?”
“If I took enough of your energy to restore my levels, it would kill you.” She turned to face him, the window framing her delicate beauty, her long hair seeming to flow out into the night.
He rubbed his shoulder, remembering the sharp sting of her fangs and the explosive pleasure that had followed her unexpected bite. “Do you drink blood?” Her shudder spoke eloquently of her revulsion. “I remember you biting me.”
“I’m disgusted by the thought, but some legends say my species is a higher evolved version of the vampire. We’re not predatory. We do, however, have some similarities.”
“Like sucking energy from your partners during sex?”
“Did I not give my energy to you as well as taking yours?” He nodded. “That’s the difference. Vampires only take.”
It sounded like Jessie needed to set her straight on some of the finer points of bonding with a vampire, but all that could wait until Kylie was out of danger. “What do you need to restore your strength? Can you find it here or do you need to return to your dimension?” Ignoring the odd tightening in his chest, he focused entirely on her well-being.
“I’m not sure. I’m not a healer.”
Slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants, he approached her, caressing her with his gaze and nothing more. If she was in the middle of a health crisis, the last thing she needed was a horny cop coming on to her. Still it was hard not to think about all the pleasure they’d shared over the past few days, all the ways they’d taken each other. His cock bucked beneath his pants, ready to start the next round. If the compulsion had been lifted, why did he still burn for her?
“What can I do to help? Do you want something to eat?” He had a faint memory of their ordering room service during their three day sex-athon. “Can I rub your back?” Big mistake! If he got his hands on her it would never stop with a back rub.
She turned toward the bedroom with a wan smile. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Then I’ve got to contact my sister.”
He waited until she closed the door to let his composure slip. Gritting his teeth, he rearranged his cock, then gave up with a hopeless laugh. No amount of repositioning was going to make this erection comfortable. He’d been captivated by Kylie when she appeared at the top of the stairs and he still wanted her. As soon as she finished with the shower, he’d take one of his own. And he’d stay beneath the stinging spray until his stubborn cock decided to behave.
A sharp voice penetrated the door. He couldn’t hear the water any more. Was someone in there with her? He couldn’t remember how they’d gotten to the hotel room. Could her people teleport? This was all so frustrating. The person spoke again. He couldn’t make out their words, but they were definitely angry. He hustled across the room, trying to remember the position of the furniture. The bed was directly ahead and his gun was on the floor on the far side of the bed…
* * *
“Three days! You have been out of contact for three days.” Arabel’s voice cracked like a whip propelled by anger and worry. Her image shimmered around the edges, the only indication that she didn’t stand before Kylie in the flesh.
“I was -- indisposed.”
“You’re going to have to do a whole hell of a lot better than that. You have no idea what has developed since your departure. Worrying about your safety was the last thing I needed.” Arabel scowled. The gleaming armor hugging her curvaceous body made the expression all the more intimidating. “Your sister is thrilled to see that you’re unharmed. The Prime Nac O’te is furious at your insubordination.”
Understanding the distinction, Kylie inclined her head in a belated show of respect. “I was trapped by a vampire’s compulsion, unable to contact you. I only just broke free of his hold on my mind and body. There is no way I would have intentionally put you through this worry.”
“I was under the impression vampires in that dimension are not as barbaric as the ones to which we are accustomed.”
“Thi
s vampire is ancient and very powerful,” Kylie explained. “Unfortunately, every lead I have regarding the female runs through him in one way or another.”
“Then she is still alive.”
“It would seem so, yes.”
“I’ll let the council know.” Arabel crossed her arms over her chest, her expression thoughtful. “You’ve done well. I can sense the toll this vampire has taken from you. Olav should be free soon. I’ll send him to you.”
Before Kylie could reply, Arabel disappeared.
“That was your sister?”
Kylie stiffened at the all too familiar awe in Dalton’s tone. She hadn’t heard him enter the bedroom. “Arabel is the son my father always wanted.”
He managed not to laugh, but amusement sparkled in his sky blue eyes. “Does your determination to do well on this assignment have something to do with her?”
Shoving past him, Kylie walked back into the main room. Even in an alien dimension she was lost in her sister’s shadow. “Arabel is a warrior goddess. Every woman in our dimension wants to be her and every man wants to be with her. I accepted my mediocrity when I was ten.”
“Mediocrity?” He did laugh this time. “Sweetheart, you are so far beyond mediocre it’s --”
“Don’t mock me!”
He took her by the shoulders and pulled her toward him. She tried to twist away. He simply tightened his hold until she stilled. “I wasn’t mocking you. Your sister might look like a black-haired Valkyrie, but you are amazing.”
She didn’t understand his reference, but it didn’t matter. He’d said she was amazing with enough conviction to make her believe he meant it. His face lowered toward hers as she stared into his eyes.
“Who is Olav?”
The jealous catch in his tone shouldn’t please her quite so much. Nac O’te warriors were notoriously possessive and this wasn’t the first time her mind had connected Dalton with the fierce Nac O’te.
“He is… How do I put this in terms you’ll understand? If we were cops, we would be employed by the same precinct. No, it would go back further than that. We received our training together and have belonged to the same fighting unit ever since.”
“Fighting unit? You’re in the military?” He made a bland gesture toward the bedroom. “That explains the Valkyrie. Are all the women on your world warriors?”
“My sister is Prime Nac O’te.”
“Is that along the lines of a five-star general?” He took a step back, lowering his hands to her hips.
“You served in Earth’s military?”
He nodded. “I was a sharpshooter in the army.”
“I am a recon Mimic, serving in my world’s version of the army. My sister is head of a group of highly trained, extremely talented warriors called the Nac O’te. Many aspire to join their ranks, but only the best of the best are accepted by the Nac O’te.”
“She’s an Army Ranger,” he supplied.
“No, she is head of the Army Rangers.”
“Damn.” He turned his face away, trying to hide his smirk. “Couldn’t they find a man for the job?”
“When her bonded mate was killed, she won the right to remain in power through physical combat.” Kylie gave him a playful shove and the room wobbled around her. “I hate to tell you this, Dalton. She could kick your ass and not break a sweat.” She took another step and the room went spinning again.
Dalton swept her into his arms before she crumpled to the floor. He turned toward the bedroom and about collided with a lean, black-haired man. Dressed in a dark green tunic, with form fitting pants and cross gartered boots, the visitor looked like an escapee from a renaissance festival.
“How the fuck did you get in here?” It was hard to sound intimidating with a senseless woman in your arms.
“What is the exact nature of her malady?” His English was heavily accented, but Dalton understood every word. “Mistress Arabel only told me Kylie had fallen ill.”
“Olav?”
“Were you expecting someone else?”
“I wasn’t expecting you to just -- appear like that.”
Olav smiled, his emerald green eyes sparkling. “Do you have many visitors from the Froswick dimension?” Dalton just glared at him. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She needs energy.”
“I can see that.” He touched her lank hair and brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “Lie her down on the bed, so I can examine her properly.”
Dalton carried Kylie into the bedroom and placed her on the rumpled bed. He straightened and took a step back as Olav unfasten her belt and flipped open her robe. “Hey!”
“I’m a healer and I’ve seen Kylie naked before. Relax. She doesn’t think of me like that.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Dalton watched the other man carefully. His hands skimmed over her body, not lingering in any one place. She might not think of Olav in a sexual way, but Olav had sure as hell thought about her. It was obvious in the care with which he touched her and the tenderness in his gaze.
Fuck! This guy wasn’t just a complication. He was in love with her.
Olav’s hand pressed low on her belly and his gaze snapped to Dalton’s. “How many times did you take her? Her sexual energy is utterly depleted.”
“I didn’t abuse her. A vampire trapped us in a --”
“You’re human. I hadn’t realized.” Olav said the word with such condescension. Dalton shoved his hands into his pockets. He couldn’t beat the shit out of this prick until after he healed Kylie. “Did she bite you?”
“Yes.”
“Each time you fucked her?”
“Why is this any of your business?”
“Do you know nothing of our kind?”
“You’re here to restore her energy, not lecture me.”
Olav sat on the edge of the bed and began to undress. “You’re going to have to do exactly what I tell you if you want to save her life.”
“What are you talking about?” He looked at her pale face and felt his heart skip a beat. Was she really that sick? “She just needs some energy.”
“She needs sexual energy and she needs it now or she will die.”
Chapter Six
A warm hand slid along Kylie’s ribs as another pushed into her hair. Long fingers splayed against her breast, a thumb firmly circling her nipple. She drifted in velvet oblivion, relaxed, at peace. There was no pressure, no pain, just this endless nothingness.
The sexual compulsion was gone, so why did she feel so empty, so lost?
“Hurry! There is no time for your human modesty.” It took her a moment to realize why Olav sounded so strange. He was speaking in Dalton’s language. Why did he sound so frightened?
“If fucking is what drained her energy, how is this going to help?” Dalton sounded down right surly. He didn’t like being ordered around.
“Fucking you is what drained all this energy from her.” Why was Olav being so rude? “If she hadn’t been worried about taking more than your feeble human body would tolerate, the compulsion would have backfired. We create energy during sex. It makes us stronger. All he would have accomplished is creating a more formidable enemy.”
Kylie moaned, drawing their attention and momentarily ending the argument. “I need you,” she whispered. “Now.”
Olav pulled her into his arms. His erection pressed against her hip and she gasped. Ever since the Awakening ceremony thoughts of Olav had teased her imagination. She’d found it hard to think of him as her mentor and best friend. She’d even used his image to fuel her fantasies on the night before she met Dalton at Club Carousel.
This was so confusing. “What’s wrong with me?”
“You’re starving.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and cupped her breast. “You have to let us feed you. Relax and soak in as much pleasure as you can.”
The bed dipped as Dalton joined them. Blinking back the darkness, she looked from Olav’s angular face to Dalton’s rugged handsomeness and back. Their features were
so different, yet their expressions so similar. Both men were worried about her.
She kissed Olav, tasting his tongue for the first time. When she turned to Dalton he pulled her into his arms, his kiss demanding, consuming, possessive. She heard Olav chuckle and felt his fingers stroke her back, her shoulders and her hip, while Dalton’s kiss went on and on.
“I don’t think you have the idea yet.” Olav finally pulled her away from Dalton. “This is about her pleasure. We must saturate her with sensation and inundate her with energy.” With quick efficient movements, he stacked pillows against the headboard and reclined against the pile. “Come here, Kylie. Rest back against me and let Dalton do penance for his crime.”
She was too weak to debate his strategy, but she felt obligated to point out, “Dalton didn’t realize he was harming me.” She settled against Olav, her back pressed against his warm chest, legs draped over his thighs. “I could have taken more from him if I hadn’t been so lost in the compulsion.”
Dalton’s passion-bright gaze swept down the length of her body before he looked into her eyes. Olav spread his legs, parting her thighs in the process. Kylie rested her head on Olav’s shoulder and licked her lips. This felt wicked and decadent. She raised her arms and threaded her fingers through Olav’s soft hair. Curving his fingers beneath her breasts, Olav helped Dalton focus.
“Start here. She has fabulous breasts. Very sensitive nipples.”
“How would you know?” Dalton knelt between their legs and glared at Olav. “How many times have you tested the sensitivity of her nipples?”
“Listen, human! There will be time for your jealousy when she is restored to health. Get busy or get out.”
Olav didn’t move his hands as Dalton began to suckle. Kylie arched, turning her head so she could kiss Olav. Why she enjoyed Dalton’s upset she couldn’t say. She only knew his jealousy pleased her, excited her. Olav shifted her against his chest, making it easier for him to reach her mouth. They had been forbidden to do more than press lips during the Awakening ceremony. They had been forbidden so many pleasures…