Tempered (Et Lapis Sanguis Book 1)

by Dawn Ibanez

  “It’s okay,” Augustina said with a wave of her hand.

  Edmund whispered something into her ear, causing her to lower her firearm. His second came into the cell and looked at the fallen assassin. “What happened?” he asked.

  Elijah shook his head as he stood with Augustina in his arms. He swept up her legs and held her close when she tucked her head under his chin. “The leader of this cult, or whatever it wants to call itself, is capable of light magic. She got in here, killed our sniper, and tried to kill me.”

  “And Gus figured that you needed blood and gave you hers,” Esmeralda said. When Elijah nodded, she narrowed her eyes. “Don’t make a habit of it.”

  “Mel,” Edmund said in a warning tone.

  She folded her arms and stepped back as various men in Glaive uniforms filled the halls. Elijah adjusted his hold on Augustina and made his way to the door.

  Augustina lifted her head up and looked at her sister as they approached her. “I’m fine, Mel, really. I just want to get some sleep.”

  Green eyes went from Augustina to him and back. “He didn’t hurt you?”

  “We’ll talk later, okay, Melly?”

  She nodded and let Elijah out of the cell.

  Elijah went to the elevators and frowned when he saw a car on one of the upper floors. There was only one person to ever go on that particular floor. He cursed as he called the elevator. As one of the other doors opened, he carried Augustina into it and stood her up. He pressed the button for the lobby and looked into her eyes. “How are you feeling? Tell me the truth.”

  Augustina shook her head as she leaned heavily on him. “I feel high. And I really, really want you right now,” she said with a frown. “That’s never happened before.”

  Elijah wouldn’t think about that. Not right now. “I need to get you home,” he said softly.

  “What did you do to me?”

  A vampire’s bite can carry residual emotions. It was one of the main reasons why so many people equated sex with a feeding. His desire for the woman at his side could have transformed his bite from something that was supposed to save his life into a full-blown aphrodisiac. He pressed a kiss into her hair swept her into his arms as they reached the lobby floor. “I’ll explain later. But for now, I need to warn you. We may have company.”

  She tucked her head under his chin again and sighed. “I won’t let Mel hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  If he were honest, Esmeralda did scare him. But not as much as the feeling of her going limp in his arms the way she did. He would have to be careful the next time he tasted her blood. Elijah’s eyes widened as he continued through the lobby.

  She was in his arms because she was too weak to walk, and he was making plans for the next time he got to taste her blood. Elijah mentally cursed himself as they left the building. There was only one way for the night to get worse.

  He stopped when he saw a hulking grey-skinned creature perched on the roof of his car. Black eyes examined him before focusing on the woman in his arms. The gargoyle’s lips curled up in a snarl as he flexed his wings and wrapped them around his body like a cloak again.

  Elijah swallowed. He knew the being in front of him would never harm those under his protection. But that didn’t mean the Vega women would do nothing to aggravate him. And the ruling gargoyle would only let things get but so far before putting his foot down. “Lord Dominic. It’s good to see you again.”

  Chapter 13

  His commanding gargoyle gestured to the woman in his arms. “What is that?” Dominic asked. As usual, his voice was gruff and heavily accented.

  Elijah lowered Augustina to her feet. He felt a sense of pride when she stood at his side with little problem. “This is Augustina Vega. She is a special investigator in the murders happening around the sector.”

  “The murders I was told about from your second in command? Yes, you will have to tell me all about that.” Dominic rolled his shoulders and jumped down from the car. He approached Elijah and held out his hand. “You should have been the one to call me,” he said in a low voice.

  Elijah clasped the outstretched hand. “I’ve had a lot on my mind,” he replied.

  Augustina tugged lightly on the back of his coat. “I’m going to sit in the car. I don’t think I can drive you.” Her eyes darted to Dominic before returning to his. “Lord Elijah.”

  When she didn’t move, he realized what she was doing, and he hissed out a breath. “Do what you feel is best,” he said with a nod.

  She covered her heart in the same salute members of his Glaive used. She then turned to Dominic. “My apologies for not greeting you the way you deserve, Master Dominic. At the moment I find myself rather ill and would prefer to not throw up at your feet.”

  Dominic opened his wings and used one to gesture to the car. “Go rest. Elijah will join you in a moment.”

  As she left them, Elijah hated the way Dominic watched her. He also hated the way she climbed into the back seat of the car and laid down. “I have everything under control, Dominic. You didn’t have to come here,” Elijah said.

  Dominic frowned as he continued to stare at the car. “Something tells me that her subservient show just now was an act.”

  Elijah snorted. “Augustina is many things, but one she is not subservient.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “She and her sister are under my protection. While this investigation is going on, they are living at the estate. I think you would like them. They’re both fighters.”

  An eyebrow arched over an eye that saw too damned much. “Are you sure you don’t like at least that one more than enough?”

  Elijah shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I can smell her on you, Old Friend. You like this one.” He stretched out his wings and started to rise off the ground. “I will find out what is happening with your investigation from Edmund. I will meet with you at the estate later. It will give you a chance to take care of your woman.”

  Elijah liked thinking of Augustina as his a little too much. He nodded and went to the car. As he opened the driver’s door, he looked at Dominic. “Edmund is the escort of Augustina’s sister, Esmeralda. She may prove to be a little touchy about her sister.”

  Dominic nodded before taking flight. He would make his way up the tower to one of the balconies and then find Edmund from there. Elijah wouldn’t worry about that. He slid into the driver’s seat and glanced back at Augustina. She covered her face with her arms and she carefully tucked herself into a ball.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “My father would be foaming at the mouth if he knew what’s been going on,” she said softly.

  Elijah started the car and checked the traffic around them. “You mentioned he didn’t want either of you near any vampires.”

  “And I was a step away from dry humping a Chevalier not even ten minutes before meeting a gargoyle.”

  Elijah felt his face warm as he remembered the way her body felt against his. He shook his head and concentrated on the road in front of him. “Is it too much to ask about him? Why would he want you away from all vampires?”

  A soft sigh came from the back. Augustina sat up and leaned her head against the car door. “If what you and Dr. Levy found is right, he may have known that my mother was a Fae. She could have warned him about her kind and vampires mixing. And seeing what De Leon was getting away with, he went a touch overboard trying to protect us.”

  Elijah glanced at her. The faint smile on her face made him want to tease her. “Your sister was a hair away from shooting me,” he said.

  “She didn’t. You’re fine.”

  “I know, and I’m a little concerned about that.” He stopped the car and looked at her. “How good of a markswoman is she?”

  Augustina laughed. This one was full of amusement. He wanted to hear it more often. “Set up a shooting gallery in your training room. Find out for yourself.”

  Elijah frowned and turned to the road ag
ain. He would need to test Esmeralda, but she seemed less inclined to go along with his whims than Augustina had been. “I’ll have Edmund set it up.” He turned onto the highway that would lead him home. “But answer this for me: the sniper was a mile away from the hospital. Could Esmeralda shoot from that distance?”

  Augustina shrugged. “With the right equipment, she could hit something double that distance.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “Let me know when we get home,” she said softly.

  Again, something in his chest lightened when she called his estate home. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  They drove in silence. Elijah regularly glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that she was looking out of the window watching the skyline. “You do that a lot.”

  “Habit.” She focused on him. “When you’re used to feeling trapped, watching the skyline can give you the illusion of running away.”

  He stilled. “Do you feel trapped with me?”

  “No.” She nudged the back of his seat with her foot. “Right now it’s giving me something to think about besides how your bite affected me.”

  He pulled up to the gates of his estate and looked at the guards there. They all moved to his car and quickly had the gates opened. “How did my bite affect you?”

  “You need to talk to your human staff,” she said.

  Elijah frowned as he parked the car. “What? Where did that come from?”

  “They aren’t scared of you. They don’t want you to hurt when one of them passes away. They think that you don’t want to watch them grow old and leave you behind.”

  Elijah turned off the car and turned to her. “Augustina, who told you this?”

  “I got bits and pieces of it from Rebecca, one of your maids.”

  He climbed out of the car and went to the passenger side door. He opened the door and caught her as she nearly spilled into his arms. “I’ll have a talk with Maxwell and Sabrina tomorrow. Right now, let’s get you inside.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder. “You’re worried about my reaction to your bite. How are you feeling? I know my blood’s not poison, but do you feel funny?”

  He carried her to the house and frowned when a girl opened the door. Her large eyes scanned Augustina’s body. “What’s your name?” he demanded.

  “Be nice,” Augustina said in his ear. She then lifted her head and looked at the girl. “I’m okay, Rebecca. Don’t worry about me.”

  Rebecca nodded and saluted him before virtually disappearing into the shadows. Elijah scanned his memory for a Rebecca and only came up with one image. A young girl with red hair and pig tails. She used to run through his home and made it her mission to map out all of the secrets the estate held.

  “She’s grown,” he said softly.

  “That’s what happens when you play recluse. The world passes you by.”

  He carried Augustina through the hallways and paused at the stairs. He wanted her to be comfortable, but he wanted to be the one to take care of her. If he took her up to the room she claimed, her sister would demand access to her and want to take care of her. If he took her to his own room, he could look after her, and hopefully, Esmeralda would leave them be. For most of the day at least.

  “Stop thinking and take me to your room,” she said.

  Elijah looked at her. The serious look in her eyes made him pause. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “It probably isn’t, but it’s what we both want.”

  “You can barely move. You sister will find a way to kill me if she thinks I’ve taken advantage of you.”

  She shifted and made him put her down. Augustina leaned her hands on his chest and clenched at his shirt. “I trust you,” she said before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

  Elijah turned his face towards her and captured her lips in a tender kiss. This one was different than their previous kisses. This one wasn’t charged to barely leashed passion. This kiss was one of comfort and safety. He pulled away from her and kept his hand at the small of her back. He guided her through the house to a door on the ground floor. “There are shutters on each of the windows to keep the sun out, but this is where I sleep.” He opened the door to a stairway down to a lower chamber.

  Augustina went down the stairs with no prompting. She looked around as she took off the grey coat she had been given by that tech. He would need to find her and get them in contact again. The more friends she had, the more she would want to stay. Elijah cleared his throat. “Make yourself at home.”

  She smiled over her shoulder. “You have that huge house upstairs, and then you have the nerve to have a tiny apartment down here?” She went to the living room area and placed her coat over the sofa. “How big is this place?”

  “There are four apartments underground. Mine, Edmund, Dominic has his own for when he comes to the North, and a spare just in case one of the other Chevaliers wants to visit.”

  She reached down and untied her boots. “What if they all want to visit at the same time?”

  He smiled as she kicked off her shoes. “We try not to convene in the same spot. It would be too good of a target to resist.”

  “Surely no one is dumb enough to take on four Chevaliers and a Ruling Gargoyle.” She leaned against the sofa and frowned. “Can I get something to drink?”

  He went to the kitchenette and found a bottle of water. He also found a glass. He poured some of the water into the glass and carried it to her. She moved to the other side of the sofa and was sitting in it. “You would be surprised how stupid some could be when it comes to power.” He brushed her hair away from her face and sighed. “It wouldn’t surprise me while De Leon didn’t know about your heritage, he would have groomed you and Esmeralda. The two of you together could probably put a severe dent in my defenses.”

  She trembled as she drank her water. He cursed his timing and went back into the kitchenette. “Would you like something to eat? I don’t remember you eating before we left.”

  “Don’t mention that to Mel. Ever.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and held her glass close. Elijah made himself busy, silently praying she would continue. “De Leon did that a handful of times. Human settlements that wanted to keep vampires out. Well, he would send us during the day with some of his younger vampires and guard. There were at least two cities we destroyed. So, you’re right. Just don’t mention it to, Mel. Please.”

  “You two are going to have to talk about what he put you through.”

  Her fake smile was in place again. Elijah hadn’t realized how much he hated it until that moment. “I’m talking to you.”

  “You know what I mean, Augustina.” He grabbed a pint of ice cream from his freezer and carried it to her with a spoon. “He tortured you both. I don’t want either of you to feel like what you did was wrong.”

  “We did what we needed to survive. I know that. So does Mel. She just doesn’t like being reminded of it.” She traded the glass of water for the pint of ice cream. “I never took you for an ice cream person.”

  “Blame Gabriel.” Elijah sat the glass on the table in front of her. He sat next to her and stretched his arm across the back of the sofa.

  She chuckled as she tucked herself under his arm. “This is so nice,” she said. She shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and moaned. “Thank you.”

  Elijah played with a lock of her hair. It amazed him that she could eat ice cream and make him hard as a rock. “It’s my pleasure,” he said. He blinked when she held up a spoonful of ice cream up for him. When he parted his lips, she fed him the cold treat. The spoon was still warm from her mouth. Her eyes stayed locked on his as she pulled out the spoon.

  A soft blush crossed her face. “Is this too soon?” she asked. When he frowned at her, she shook her head. “Never mind. Mel is the one that watches all those romantic movies. They normally don’t feed each other after what? Two, three nights?”

  “We can make our own rules about how we condu
ct our relationship.” He flinched when she dropped the ice cream into his hands and started run her fingers through his hair.

  “Gods, you can’t talk like that, be all perfect, and have good hair,” she said as she messed his hair.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. The pint of ice cream fell to the floor forgotten as he covered her mouth with his. He tangled his hand in her hair and inhaled when she moaned against him. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. His lips tilted up in a smirk.

  “Does that mean you want the job of making me dirty?” he asked.

  She started shaking. He was about to open his arms when laughter erupted from her. Augustina continued to play with is hair. “See, it’s working already,” she giggled. “Lord Elijah.”

  He shifted her position and sat her firmly in his lap. “I think you’re forgetting I grew up in Whitechapel. I can get down and dirty with the best of them.”

  Her blush grew as she opened the tie at this throat. “I’m glad. I don’t think I could handle someone that was prim, proper and perfect all of the time.”

  He stilled her hands. Her questioning gaze made him want to kiss her again. “I’m not perfect, Augustina.” He made his fair share of mistakes and others paid the price for it. He did as best as he could for everyone involved.

  She nodded and pressed her forehead against his. “I think I want to go lay down. Which way is your room?”

  He tightened his arms around her and stood. He carried her down the small hall and opened his bedroom door. For the first time ever, he felt self-conscious about having someone in his personal space.

  She looked around his room and climbed from his arms. “We’re going to need to do something about your habit of just picking me up randomly.” Augustina finished pulling his tie from his shirt and placed it on the dresser. She walked around the room, taking in the décor. Her face revealed nothing as she sat on the side of the bed.