Key to Conflict

by Talia Gryphon

  Spirits could transubstantiate, that was a given, she mused as she got into her car. They could project fear, terror, cold, heat, even calm and acceptance. Why not sex? Dante had been a notorious ladies’ man and flirt when he was alive. His sexuality was as much a part of him as his expertise with a sword. Perhaps they did take it with them when they died. She would do some searching on the Internet with her laptop later and see what else she could ascertain.

  Attaching to a person, place or object was clearly within their realm of possibility, as was influencing the atmosphere of an area. Ghosts tended to be either very shy or very bold. Dante was clearly not shy. The information in his file had been erroneous. He had been aloof from the Boganskaya family but not shy.

  Ghosts also tended to be either very hostile or very accepting of the living. Dante had been hostile as hell until she’d established her connection with him. She’d better get through the session with Aleksei early tonight and do some research before she stepped back into that hallway again. Ignorance of a subject in her line of work tended to be fatal, or at the very least, injury-inducing or permanently inconvenient.

  CHAPTER

  10

  A LEKSEI would be on time as always. Vampires generally were punctual. Their reborn lives were orderly. Hunt, stalk, seduce, feed—sometimes kill. The stronger, more intelligent ones fared better, having other intellectual and personal pursuits besides the thrill of the hunt. Contrary to prior public belief, the “good” Vampires rarely killed their prey. Generally, they took only enough blood to satisfy their immediate hunger, though they could feed lightly several times during an evening if a situation warranted it.

  Gillian wasn’t worried about Aleksei or Tanis forcing themselves on her. Now that she had an established professional relationship with Aleksei and a somewhat established personal one with Tanis and knew who their allies were, she knew neither man was capable of rape or a forced seduction. Still suffering some of the aftereffects of Dante’s sexual projection, she braced herself mentally for the seductive allure Aleksei would project, as she heard his soft footsteps on her porch when the sun had barely left the sky.

  He entered the cottage at her assent, tall, gorgeous as ever, graceful, sensual and dangerous. Gillian felt her body react to him as always, but at a deeper, gut-wrenching level, thanks to Dante. Clamping an iron will over it and thinking about hacked up bodies to distract her from the mouthwatering Vampire, she seated herself as he closed the door. Following her into the room, Aleksei took his usual position across from her, dropping into a chair with fluid ease.

  “Shall we begin?” Gillian’s voice broke the silence.

  Aleksei regarded her, his metallic gray eyes missing nothing. She was uptight about something. Her blood pressure was elevated, there was tension in her back and shoulders and she smelled of past arousal, but not of Tanis or any other male. Interesting. He wouldn’t pry…just yet.

  “I would like to talk about our upcoming trip to Egypt.” Deep and pure, his voice washed over her.

  Gillian’s head snapped up. “Egypt? Why Egypt?” Leaning slightly forward, she looked at him intently.

  “Osiris. We need him.”

  “Aleksei, I am only here for a month. I’d like to finish your therapy before you go gallivanting off to visit mummies.”

  “I intend to take you with me—as my guest, of course.”

  “What?” To say that she was surprised was an understatement. “I can’t go with you to Egypt. I have another patient here. Your own issues are getting resolved, but interrupting your therapy at this time would…”

  “Gillian,” Aleksei interjected. “I am well aware of how well my therapy is progressing. However, Osiris has offered aid. He is in Egypt, so to Egypt we will travel. You have the permission of your organization and I have an obligation to keep you safe at all times. I cannot be assured of your safety if you are not with me.”

  “Tanis will be here.”

  “Tanis will be in Egypt with me, as will you. I cannot be wholly assured of your safety if you are not with me. We will leave later tonight. I have arranged for suitable travel and accommodations for us all.”

  When she opened her mouth to argue with him, he cut her off. Shaking his head, he continued. “No, Gillian. Unless your other patient is an immediate danger to him or herself or others, you do not need to remain here. I do know something of your professional code of conduct.” Damn. Smart Vampire.

  His tone was forceful and commanding, but even delivered in that magical voice it pissed her off. Gillian sat back in her chair, irritated, frustrated and blindsided. She could tell him that Dante was suicidal—they knew nothing of her other case, but lying to Aleksei, or any other Vampire was not an option. They could smell a lie before the words left your lips and tended to react in a very negative manner. She hadn’t seen this development coming. She didn’t see a way out, either, but she’d deal with it. She needed to get word to Dante that she’d be gone for a few days.

  “Fine. I’m between a rock and a hard place, so I will have to accompany you.” Then smiling slightly, her sudden sheer loveliness causing Aleksei’s body to tighten, she added, “I’ve always wanted to see Egypt.”

  After a brief discussion about what she should take, Aleksei left to make final arrangements and to organize with Tanis. Gillian quickly packed a few things, then called Boganskaya Castle to tell them she’d been called out of town on an emergency and would return soon. She asked that they announce to Dante the reason for her absence so he wouldn’t be angry.

  Standing in the shower, letting the warm water relax her, Gillian thought about what was coming. So far, except for the Vampire attack in her car, there had been little evidence of Dracula, his troops, or the danger they were all in. She wondered about that. Vampires could exercise mind control of the highest order. It was possible Aleksei and Tanis were planting fear in her mind, enhancing a minor situation to seem out of control. No. she refused to believe it. For one thing, the IPPA had confirmed the severity of the situation during her subsequent phone calls to them.

  Their information was gathered from a multitude of diverse sources and there was no way an entire organization could fall under the lure of two Vampires, no matter how powerful they were. Gillian forced herself to relax, exiting the shower and wrapping herself in a towel to stretch out on the bed. She wanted to grab a quick nap before their travels. Aleksei had a private helicopter and jet—Of course he did!—and it would be a short flight to Egypt. There the Vampires would sleep for the day, and Gillian intended to explore.

  Floating clouds, a sunlit meadow. The air was alive with the scent of clover. Fragrant. Warm. Enticing. She was alone, but there was a distinct heat pooling between her legs. Gillian knew vaguely that she was dreaming, but the sensations were very real. Laying down in the fragrant grass of her dream, she discovered she was naked. Of their own volition, her legs parted, opening her like a flower to the rays of the sun. Her breasts ached for a warm male hand. Her arms rose above her head, lengthening her line, leaving no part of her covered.

  Somehow, in the dream, it made perfect sense that she could feel the sensation of strong, male hands covering her, teasing her breasts and body to greater arousal. Firm lips closed over hers and a velvet tongue plundered her mouth. Moaning, she wanted to reach for him, but there was nothing over her but a brilliant sky. The sensations continued. A large, masculine form seemed to blanket hers. She felt the hard arousal of erect male sex against her thigh. Again, her legs moved further apart and she gasped as she felt the phantom erection enter her in a smooth, deep stroke.

  Arching her hips toward the sky, she felt the penetration go deeper and begin to move. Gliding. She was wet and hot, her hips moving restlessly against the imagined pelvis pressing her down into the grass and clover. It was the most erotic dream she’d ever experienced.

  Warm and gentle, the sun’s rays made her tingle. The pleasure was growing, winding her body tighter and tighter as the movement within her continued. Slowly, ine
xorably, it was bringing her closer and closer toward orgasm. Her arms felt leaden. They were still high above her head, held there by gentle pressure. Needing release, Gillian writhed, pressing upward against the full, stretching feeling. At once, the pressure increased, seeming to swell harder and thicker within her. Suddenly, she was crying out, the ripple of her climax bringing her inner muscles tight around nothing. She felt the heavy wetness of a lover’s orgasm against her core. Wide open, she lay beneath the sky, drifting on aftershocks, feeling empty.

  Tanis sucked in his breath sharply from the doorway. He’d come into the cabin to help Gillian with any last minute preparations and had heard noises from the bedroom. Walking in, he was stunned to see Gillian, naked and asleep, spread open before him. She was in the deep grip of a dream, moaning, flexing her hips, opening her deep pink sex to his hungry gaze. Her hands were tangled in the wooden slats of the headboard. No one was touching her, but she reached a shattering orgasm before his eyes.

  Need slammed into him and Tanis moved to the bed, unable to stop himself, the tangy scent of her orgasm hardening him to a painful ache. Easing himself over her as he loosened his pants and fit his hips into the cradle of hers, he took her mouth in a deep kiss as he pressed inside her.

  Gillian came to slowly, smelling Tanis’s familiar scent and the taste of him in her mouth. Her arms wrapped around him and her thighs moved to encircle his hips as he pushed his rigid, aching flesh into her. Groaning with need, Tanis began to move. Gliding in and out of her tight canal, his large hand caught her bottom, pulling her against him as his strokes became deeper, harder, faster. Gill arched up into him, needing everything he could give her. The dream had been too erotic, too real, and she needed sex. Hard, rough, mind-blowing sex. Tanis was eager to comply.

  “Piccola…my God…you are so wet…so ready.” His whispered voice faltered, becoming an inarticulate growl as she tightened her muscles around him, her small hands moved over his muscular buttocks as he rocked into her.

  The silken ridges of her canal were like tight, wet bands around his thick erection. The feeling during each thrust and backstroke was so intense that Tanis thought he might pass out. It seemed all the blood in his body was filling his already tight organ. He had needed to be inside her so badly, he hadn’t even removed his clothing.

  “Shut up, Tanis,” Gillian panted. “Just shut up.” She took his mouth in a blistering kiss and held him tightly.

  Their tongues dueled, his hand moved downward, cupping a full breast and teasing her nipple into a hard peak. The other was lifting her bottom, lengthening her line so he could bury himself deeper inside her. Gillian was moaning against his mouth, matching him thrust for deep thrust. His mind inadvertently entering hers due to their closeness and sheer proximity, he read her needs. Gripping her hips to hold her, Tanis increased his pace and the delicious friction between them. Having her open and wet beneath him, triggered his dominancy. His fangs found her shoulder, nipping her, pinning her under him. Gillian opened her legs wider, knowing he wanted it, her neck arched back, offering her throat unconsciously.

  Tanis snarled at the temptation, his fangs scraping over the ramifying pulse of her artery, fighting to retain control, his body tight and heavy, an unrelenting ache that grew stronger with each thrust.

  “Do it!” Gillian ordered breathlessly, a strangled scream of need in her throat. She was past thinking. Her body was on the edge of a shattering release, held there by Tanis’s powerful mind. He needed blood. Her blood.

  Tanis nipped her shoulder again, the barest of cuts, but enough to make blood well to the surface. He would not violate her trust in a vulnerable moment. Blood he would have, but not from a sexual feeding. His mouth fastened on her, but his teeth didn’t penetrate. The flavor of her blood burned on his tongue. Spicy, sweet, tangy and light. He drove deep and Gillian came. She cried out, a sound so uniquely feminine and erotic that it brought him over the edge with her as her body clenched over his.

  Arching back, his body exploded, delivering his seed deep against her womb. Tanis’s deep voice echoed in the small bedroom as he emptied into her, pulling her tight against him, filling her completely. Gillian pressed up, needing every fraction of him inside her. Her arms and legs wrapped tightly around his body, her channel pulling him in as they rode out the aftershocks together.

  As their heartbeats returned to normal, Tanis held her. He was still nestled between her thighs, still buried to the hilt inside her. Neither wanted to move. Gillian stroked his hair and he leaned in to kiss her with such tenderness that she nearly cried.

  Seeing the sudden tears, Tanis was alarmed. “Did I hurt you, piccola?” He stroked her hair gently, his golden eyes full of concern, cradling her to his body protectively.

  She shook her head, unable to speak for the moment. When she could talk, her voice sounded vulnerable, even to her own ears.

  “No, you’re just so sweet to me, Tanis. It’s a little disconcerting, that’s all. I offered you my blood and you didn’t take it. Why?”

  He heard the softness enter her voice and smiled. A deep chuckle vibrated up from his chest, warming her to the core. “You deserve tenderness and caring, Gillian.” His voice was so magical, so warm, that she felt stirrings of desire again. “I could not take advantage of the situation, piccola. Perhaps another time you will offer again.”

  Tanis pulled her tighter against his heavily muscled chest, enjoying the moment of being allowed to witness her momentary vulnerability.

  “I will take care of you if you let me, cara.”

  Gillian reflexively bristled, then relaxed. “Tanis, I really don’t need to be taken care of, but I appreciate your protection and I can always use a friend.”

  He’d felt her stiffen, then relax. Tanis felt warmth suffuse him. She was stubborn, strong, brave and beautiful. She didn’t need him, but she wanted him. At least as a friend. He would do his best to court her properly. She deserved that at the very least. Gillian was a remarkable woman. Just how remarkable, he was beginning to see very clearly. Kissing her, he withdrew, then rolled away to let her rise and dress as he straightened his clothing and gathered her bags for their journey.

  The helicopter and plane flights were uneventful. Gillian did little more than read up on ancient Egyptian beliefs and customs. Aleksei had told her that Osiris wasn’t a stickler for protocol, but being polite never hurt, particularly when they were going to the Egyptian Vampire with their hands out, asking for protection.

  They arrived very late in the night, the sky velvety black and spangled with stars in the clear air. Getting into the airport from the tarmac, they were met by Osiris’s envoy, Sekhmet. Gillian was floored by the woman’s beauty and poise. Also the power radiating from her was immense, the mark of a very ancient Master Vampire.

  Sekhmet was the goddess of vengeance in the Egyptian pantheon, and was one in Osiris’s inner circle of power. She wore a lion-head pendant and a light, cream-colored linen dress with matching heels. Although taller than Gillian by several inches, with a slighter build, Sekhmet was grace personified. Sleek and elegant, her muscles rippled under the linen, belying her delicate appearance.

  Her hair was so black it had a blue sheen to it and her eyes so dark they seemed to be cut from polished obsidian. Sekhmet wore no makeup except around her eyes in the Egyptian manner. Truth was, she didn’t need any. Gillian had never seen a more beautiful woman in her life.

  Extending her hand, she introduced herself. “Gillian Key.”

  Sekhmet responded with a blinding smile, taking Gill’s hand in a firm grip. “I am Sekhmet. Osiris will be pleased to meet you, as am I.”

  Nodding to Aleksei and Tanis in a mental exchange of greetings, the “goddess” guided them smoothly through the crowded airport. It was four in the morning and yet people were clamoring everywhere. It wasn’t until they were halfway through the airport that Gillian noticed that no one seemed to see them.

  Cloaking spell or glamour of some kind, she mused. Sekhmet turned to he
r, smiling, and motioned that she stay close to her. Gillian increased her stride to keep pace with the taller woman. She didn’t bother looking for Aleksei and Tanis; even if she hadn’t known they were behind her, she would have felt the power emanating from them.

  Sekhmet took them out to a waiting vehicle. Dawn was already threatening the sky, and the driver made haste through Cairo’s already busy streets to a small hotel across from the pyramids. They entered the building and the woman turned abruptly to open a door to what looked like a small maintenance closet. The back wall pushed inward, opening a space that she slipped through.

  Gill followed, wary and wishing she had her gun with her. As she angled around the edge of the wall, Sekhmet’s form was moving silently down a ramped hallway. The hallway slanted back, under the street. Gillian could hear the traffic noises faintly as they made their way through what was becoming a long, sloping tunnel.

  There were occasional doors and passageways off to each side, but they continued straight on. The walls were decorated with stenciled art deco lotus and papyrus blooms in gold paint, lit from incandescent lights near the ceiling. The floor appeared to be bare concrete, echoing the slight noise she was making as they proceeded. The Vampire made no sound whatsoever.

  Finally, after walking for what seemed like a mile, they turned off down a passage that was more richly decorated than the previous hall. The floor changed from concrete to marble, muffling the slight sounds of their footsteps. Reaching a set of doors decorated with hieroglyphs of the gods and goddesses, a majestic-looking seal held the handles of the doors together. The seal fell, the doors swung open at a wave of Sekhmet’s hand. She stood aside to let them enter before her.