by T. A. Grey
Vera shot a look at him to see his face completely shut down. The grin and bright eyes were gone, replaced instead by a cold mask that ate at her. She’d done that and she wanted to rip it off and put the stupid smile back on. Damn this man, why did he have to make everything difficult?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
She was cut off with sharp shake of his head. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Vera hated to admit it, but she missed hearing him talk.
# # #
The vampire’s mansion lived up to its name The Royal One. It had massive towering windows in the front adorned at the top by intricate arches pointing to the sky. Two black gargoyles coiled menacingly over the front door, taunting those who dared to enter.
For Vera, the house was a reminder, a reminder of the past she sorely didn’t want to dredge up.
As the massive front doors parted and out stepped a beautiful, hauntingly familiar face, Vera wished she’d given this trip a second thought. How had she thought this wouldn’t be hard? Seeing Dmetri Demidov was anything but easy.
A stodgy valet with a thick head of brown hair slicked back from his face waited for her to pull to a stop.
“Who is he?”
Vera set the car in park and sighed, telling herself that she was the one who’d wanted to come here and do this, to get away from her happy brothers.
“That’s Henry. I don’t know his last name. He’s been the valet here for years.”
“No. Who’s that?” Uh oh. Jacks had just noticed Dmetri—her ex lover.
“That is...Dmetri.”
He shot a cutting look to her that spoke more than words. The look said he wasn’t an idiot. “He an old friend or what?”
“Um—” Vera sighed in relief when the Valet opened her door with a sweeping bow. She hurried out of the car. Jacks cursed and got out after her.
“You’re not getting out of this,” he said when he reached her; his voice was a lethal growl.
The fact that she shivered at the sound of his voice didn’t escape his notice. Eyes darkened to a seductive light; he watched her response like a predator catching whiff of prey. Vera’s breath caught in her throat and she had to remind herself that she was the predator.
He’s only human.
“I shall park your car, my lady. Master Demidov will escort you to your room. I hope you have an enjoyable stay.”
She didn’t recall telling herself to say thank you to the valet but knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she did. Seeing Dmetri striding towards her sent her mind buzzing in a whirl.
Flashes of memory came back as if she’d been hiding them deep inside her the whole time. Their sweat-slicked bodies writhing against each other in the throes of passion, lips hanging together in a soft, teasing press. Their time together had been brief and so memorable that when she stared long enough at his mouth, she could practically remember their taste again.
His voice was just as she remembered, dark and accented with his Slavic decent. “Vera, it’s so good to see you.” Even the way he said the words hinted of past times, a time when he’d whispered her name into her ear as he shuddered over her. Yet strangely, seeing him, remembering their past brought not even a lick of warmth to her. Instead, it left her feeling cold. He was a reminder. A reminder of pain and heartache.
“Dmetri, it’s been a long time.” He kissed her on first one cheek then the other, lingering longer than customary. Jackson tensed and growled under his breath. It was soft but she was certain both she and Dmetri’s keen hearing picked up the sound.
“And who’s this...human,” he asked brushing a thick lock of his long blonde hair over his shoulder.
“I’m her guardian, Jackson Marsh.” He thrust out his hand and shook her ex lover’s hand hard enough that Dmetri’s hand was red when he pulled away.
Dmetri’s smirk showed that he hadn’t missed a thing. “Vane called and said he wouldn’t be able to make it this year. How unfortunate. He did say he was sending a guardian but I assumed it was Roman or Darien.” He lifted one thick eyebrow and smirked.
Vera had dated him long enough to know what that smirk meant—he thought this was a joke. She suddenly had the urge to slap him and tell him that Jacks was a strong fighter and capable of being her guardian.
“It’s getting late. Why don’t you just show us to our rooms?” Dmetri nodded, still with that smug look, and led them through the front doors of the Demidov House.
Vera glanced over at Jacks and nearly stumbled into Dmetri as she did so. Jacks wasn’t floored with the interior of the mansion as she had been when she first saw the luxurious home. Magnificent had been her first thought.
The interior of the mansion opened up into a great space as tall as it was wide. A sweeping, grand staircase went up then parted on either side to lead to the next floor. A rich, ancient rug in red and gold swirls tiled the deep staircase.
The staircase had made her gasp when she first saw it, made her want one of her own. But now, years later, she no longer drooled over the wood paneled walls with exquisite paintings of the Demidov family nor of the adjoining waist-tall vases that lined the bottom stair. The mansion reeked of arrogance and wealth, something she no longer wanted.
Yet, Jacks appeared completely oblivious to his surroundings as Dmetri led them up the staircase and down a series of hallways. His eyes didn’t stay arrested for even a moment on the expensive, pure gold chalices that sat upon a side-serving table or even on the grand chandelier that hung high above the mahogany staircase.
She realized with surprise that instead, his eyes strayed towards each set of windows and their locks as if categorizing them by priority. His eyes swept up the staircase and to the other side of the hallway where the door to the outside balcony was. It was as if he was assessing the house for exits and risks. And he probably was.
For the first time since they started this trip, she realized that Jackson Marsh might be more dangerous than she thought. Rome did trust him or used to anyways. She cringed to think how badly Jacks had fucked up. He strayed from his duty when his friend needed him the most. Everyone messed up, it was impossible not to in life. That was one lesson she’d learned a long time ago, but to mess up on such a serious scale—the torture of his friend’s mate—was catastrophic especially to a lykaen.
“Here you are. You’ll be staying in the Diana Sascha Suite.” She was familiar with the suite so aptly named after his father’s nickname for Dmetri’s mother. It was also where they’d first made love. Christ, as if she really needed the reminder? He was just doing it on purpose. She’d been done with Dmetri for years. She had the urge to tell him that to his face but bit her tongue.
“If you need anything at all just ring for me or Henry. Our numbers are the same.” He caught Vera’s arm as she started into the room. “I’d like to have a word with you.” Vera stifled a sigh; she so didn’t want one with him. Seeing that past flung right back in her face wasn’t something she enjoyed.
Turning towards him, she plastered a cool smile on her face. “I’m tired, Dmetri. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”
His brow furrowed but he nodded—thank God for small favors. She oh so politely shut the door in his face. Hey, a woman had to do what she had to do.
When she turned back around Jacks was there invading her space with his big body. The man was lean, cut with muscle, and tall. He easily had to weigh three of her...or maybe ten? She mentally shrugged; she was never good with math. But did he have to tower over her like that? If he wrapped his arms around her, she’d probably lose herself inside him.
She nibbled on her lip and pondered what his chest would feel like under her palms. Hard with the crisp coils of dark hair over his pecks, or would his abs be ripped into hard rolls of muscle, or maybe he was completely smooth of hair leaving only tan skin to lick. Her cheeks heated and she looked away quickly.
“You gonna tell me what all that was about?” Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and shook her head at him.
>
When she tried to side step him, he only crowded her further. She had only two choices then. Let his body rub over her—and she didn’t think the a/c was on high enough for that—or scoot back against the door like a coward.
She scooted back against the door.
I’m not a coward. I’m not a coward.
When his hand reached to cup the nape of her neck, Vera struggled to breath, fought not to let her eyes flutter shut. The man’s touch was like pure warm electricity burning a through her blood. It warmed her, made her forget all about this room and Dmetri.
“Tell me what’s with you and Dmetri.” He sneered the name with a grimace as if just saying it disgusted him. “Something’s obviously there and I need to know about it.” The angles of his face were drawn into a savage frown.
“Nothing, nothing at all...and it’s not any of your business.”
There, good, she’d added on that last part. Her bravado was quickly slipping though, and when his blue eyes darkened to a color so dark they were almost black, she knew he was going kiss her. Or strangle her.
Surprisingly she was hoping for the first.
He didn’t kiss her.
And he didn’t strangle her.
She was still telling herself she wasn’t disappointed the next morning.
Chapter Three
Jacks slept like shit.
Vera barely looked at him and if she did she would plaster on this perfect, polite little smile that made him want to yank her against his body and kiss her until she went soft and warm.
He’d spent most of the night tossing and turning with his dick ranging from rock hard to hard as titanium. He gladly slept on a pallet of covers on the floor but that wasn’t far away enough for him. He could still smell her, could see her asleep up on the bed if he just lifted his head.
But damn if she didn’t act like nothing sparked between them yesterday. The thought of just pulling her close and taking what he wanted was getting better by the second.
His cock stirred to life at the idea, stating that it thought it was a brilliant plan. However, his mind argued that sitting in the middle of a war room surrounded by vampires and one ornery lykaen female was not the ideal place to boast a hard on. Jesus, with his behavior lately it would be no wonder if Vera thought he was some kind of manwhore.
The day he killed his friendship with Rome as surely as though he’d tortured Alison himself, Jacks died a little inside. He never made mistakes like that. He’d been kicking himself over it ever since, but it didn’t matter. No matter what he said or what he did, he couldn’t change the past. Nothing he could do could put him back on his post outside Prince Conlin’s house where he should have been.
He kept his eyes on the war room. There were two vampires and though none of them looked older than he was, he could feel the age in the strange beings. It sounded stupid to say, but it was true.
Fucking vampires, who knew? It was hard to find it too strange when his best friend, or ex best friend, was a lykaen. He’d seen Rome do amazing things. Shit no human could do. His strength, his speed, it was incomparable.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t kick his ass every now and then. He just had to be smarter, anticipate where Rome was going to move and beat him to it with a deflection or a jab.
Vera and the Elders sat at a round stone table together with a bunch of papers in front of them. They were going over land, taxes, and a handful of other boring shit. Vera’s teeth dug and worried her lip until it shone red and a little swollen. His cock pulsed again as he imagined licking that sweet mouth and tasting her. Somehow he just knew it’d be sweet.
She had the kind of mouth a man wanted to dive into and never let up for air. Her hair was short, curving around her chin and moving with each turn of her head, and her straight bangs swept over her forehead, which somehow highlighted brown of her eyes. The color of her hair reminded him of strong, dark coffee. It looked thick and soft. He’d bet it’d feel good around his fist.
Stay focused, man.
Jesus Christ, if he kept this shit up then he’d be right back where he started—fucking up. Instead of watching her, he dragged his gaze away to study the vampires. A deep scowl drew over him as he took note of her ex.
She might not have been able to spill it last night, but he knew enough about women to know that this was an ex. And judging by the devouring way Dmetri, what the fuck kind of name was that anyway, stared at her he knew his guess was spot on. Vera either didn’t notice or pretended not to.
Next was the most imposing man at the table. Something about him radiated strength and power. The man looked like an old warrior, the kind of man who’d felt real chainmail and metal armor over his body as he rode on horseback with a heavy sword. His face carried scars and the wrinkles not of age but of one who lived a hard life. His hair fell shaggily below his ears and was a coppery brown that matched the color of his goatee.
He instantly liked the man; he looked like he could give a shit about his appearance unlike Dmetri whose hair looked practically silky. What the hell kind of a man did that? One without any hair on his balls, he was sure.
Then on the opposite side of the table from Vera was a gorgeous blond woman. Her lips were red, eyes a bright green, and she wore an elaborate dress that fell all the way to the floor. If this is what she wore to go over some papers, what the hell did she wear to go out? A freakin’ ballroom gown?
All three were vampires; he could feel the difference in them. Their presence felt different than being around Vera and the other Kategan’s, and certainly different from humans. He didn’t feel the need to be constantly on guard and carrying a weapon around humans. Well usually anyways.
Being around the vampires felt unnatural, like being face to face with a dangerous predator. Jacks was prepared though. Under his clothes were enough weapons to defend Vera and him if he had to.
Vane and Rome both went over the details of how to kill a vampire in case things got dishy. Vane summed it up in just a few words: aim for the heart. No bullets, just something sharp.
He also learned that vampires could go out into the daylight, and that they had only received the myth of being nocturnal because in the olden days they preferred to feed at night—less chance of being caught.
The only other vampire in the room was a bodyguard like him. He stood back behind the blond vampire everyone referred to as Ariss. Another silly name.
The man was slender and taller than his six foot three by at least three inches. He was a regular day Frankenstein monster minus the bulk. Yet Jacks knew this man was easily one of the most dangerous beings in the room. His eyes weren’t just cold—they were dead. This man had killed— a lot. A man who’d lost all humanity.
His chest suddenly tightened as a memory flashed over him. He’d seen that look before. From his fellow soldiers coming back from war. Not the first timers who were just experiencing the shock of it all, but the fighters who had accepted their plot, embraced it, became it, and then lost themselves in the process. It was a heart wrenching sight to see.
The meeting adjourned, and they all shook hands. First day, first meeting done.
He caught up with Vera as they headed out of the war room. “How long do these meetings usually last?” She looked up at him with haunted eyes, but a second later the look was gone and in place was a curvy smile.
“A few hours at most.”
“That’s not what I meant. How many days?” The teasing twinkle in her eye made him want to bend her over and spank her rounded ass. His cock applauded the idea. God dammit, no!
“Usually the negotiations go on for a week. No more than five days. Why are you getting bored already?”
“Not at all. Actually I—”
“Hey, wait up!”
Jacks and Vera turned to see Ariss hurrying towards them. Jacks stifled the urge to inform her that she could move quicker if she didn’t wear ridiculous dresses and heels. Shit, by time she reached them it would have been faster to go to her.
&n
bsp; He thought Ariss was gorgeous before, but she was absolutely stunning up close. Her face was a picture of perfection. Her nose was thin and straight, her eyebrows were thin and rounded, her face small and pert, which filled out to a slender body. Yet she didn’t even make his cock salute. It was a shame too because her eyes were eating him up like a starved woman wanting a snack.
“I’m sorry to keep you, but I’m afraid I didn’t get to meet you earlier. I always make a point to meet a man as good looking as you.”
Jacks frowned. Normally he loved his women fast and easy, but his cock didn’t agree this time. As he glanced down at Vera, he knew why. Vera outshined this fake golden goddess without all the glamorous clothes and makeup. Not only that, but something about Vera made him want to hold her down and give her a hard pounding to loosen her up.
“I’m Ariss, Ariss Luvina. It’s so good to meet you...”
“Jackson Marsh. Everyone just calls me Jacks though,” he said gruffly and shook her hand harder than necessary. Her eyes twinkled at him as she sent him another perfect smile.
“If you’re not busy later I would love to have dinner with you. You seem like such an interesting man.” Jacks refrained from snorting but Vera didn’t. She arched a shapely brow at Ariss like she was nuts. Well wasn’t that a little interesting. The urge to grin at her obvious dislike of Ariss was strong.
“Sorry but no thanks. We’ve got to go,” Jacks said.
“By all means, go out with her. I’m sure she’d love to have her hands on you,” Vera said and spun away on quick steps. Jacks growled in his throat and went to go after her but a soft, iron strong hand on his chest stopped him. He glared down at Ariss.