Marcus took her hand and led her out of the warehouse and to the truck where they had surveilled her from. He helped her step up into it then guided her into a chair. It wasn't until she was sitting that she realized her legs were trembling. She crossed them to hide the fact and smiled at Marcus who squatted down in front of her.
“Let me see,” he said.
He reached for her hands and turned them palms up. For the first time she noticed where the garrote wire had cut into her own flesh from the force she had used to throttle Draz. Her hands were bleeding and, for the first time, sore and painful. It was amazing what adrenaline could do when it came to feeling pain or recognizing injury. The wound to her belly was also painful now and she was aware her outfit had a distinct hole in it and a fair amount of blood soaking it.
Marcus took all this in with a grim silence. He took out a first aid kit and cleaned up her hands, wrapping them in gauze. Then he lifted her shirt and examined the stab wound to her belly. There was nothing he could do about it…and really it wasn't necessary to do anything. She would heal rapidly.
“How are your energy levels?” he asked her. “Did you have to use your pulse ability?”
For the first time she remembered she could have used her pulse ability to defend herself. She had certainly had enough energy, and enough reason to use it. Draz had not used his, his concentration no doubt disrupted too quickly for him to act. He was weakened and losing consciousness before he could even think of using it against her. Good thing too. She disliked the idea of being bathed in such tainted energy. It made her queasy and ill.
But she did wonder why the other phants had depended on their guns rather than their ability to attack with the violence of a pulse. They had used it on her soldiers when they had been fighting for their own lives, but they had not used it to save the life of their leader.
“No loyalty among thieves,” she murmured.
“What?” Marcus asked, grabbing hold of her fading attention.
“Oh, nothing. I was just remarking on the fact that these phants made very little effort to rescue their boss.”
“Avarice no doubt. I’m sure they were waiting in the wings for an opportunity to dethrone him and take his place. However they were too cowardly to do it themselves. Now answer my question. Energy level?”
“I’m fine…although I’ll have to send my friend my regrets for standing him up. In fact I should call him.”
“Tell him you were in a minor car accident,” he said, handing her a phone. He had cloned her phone before sending her out, anticipating the original’s destruction. All of her contacts and messages were exactly as she’d left them…except her companion for the evening had been blowing up her phone with texts and calls wondering where she was. “It will also explain why you can’t make up the date right away, giving you time to heal from these injuries.”
“I won’t need that much time. I’d rather restrict myself to a simpler lie. Besides, I still need to hunt. It’s been a while since I operated at max capacity.”
“If you insist. But you will still be heavily guarded,” he pressed. “Just because Draz is gone doesn’t mean—“
“Yes it does! I will accept my usual guard. Nothing more. If this proves anything, its that I am capable of taking care of myself.”
He frowned, thinking about it and clearly not happy at her reasonable logic. He was being overprotective. She didn’t blame him. But the immediate threat was neutralized and she was anxious to get back to her normal life.
“Very well,” he acceded. “But only because you are my queen and I must obey you.”
She laughed at the ridiculous notion of him ever giving way to her had he not wanted to. He grinned as well and leaned forward to kiss her. The very public display of affection surprised and warmed her. She broke off the kiss and, blushing uncharacteristically, she looked around at the others in the truck.
“Come on,” she said to him. “Let’s go home.”
He nodded to her. “You heard the lady,” he said to those standing about.
Shortly after, the truck started and lurched forward. Marcus sat down in one of the chairs and, using a hand to pull her, he drew her into his lap. It was another public display of affection and she went with it willingly. They both knew what it meant for him to announce his place in her life. It told her he was ready for the next step in their relationship.
By accepting his affection, she was telling him that she was too.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Marcus left the execution chamber with a weary sigh. It was also a sigh of satisfaction. It had been a month since Draz’s capture and finally all of the sycophants and vampires involved in his treachery had been killed, save Draz himself. He didn’t understand the logic. Draz wasn't going to talk. They had tried every manner of coaxing or pulling the information from him. Now all he was was a burden on their society. A dangerous burden. Just the logistics of keeping him fed were extraordinary. Draz had already killed one of his sources of food before he could be controlled and stopped. Now he was fed under close watch and control by only the toughest authoritarians. Marcus could tell how much they resented the fact they had to let that animal feed from them.
That would all end at midnight tonight. Draz would finally be executed and that will have truly weeded out the last of the bad apples. Well, the immediate ones at least. There was still Draz’s counterpart in the west to be dealt with, and with Draz gone she had swiftly gobbled up his fallow territories. Soon she would be the most powerful sycophant in the world. She too would have to be stopped. Organization on the criminal scale she represented was a dangerous thing.
Marcus made his way to the elevator and after his biometric scan, it took him to the penthouse floor. He entered the apartment without knocking, nodding to the two exterior guards and then, once inside the foyer, to the two interior ones. He walked through the door leading into the rest of the apartment, shutting it to provide them with privacy…or at least as much as they could get with their exposed lives.
He had become consort to the queen only a few days ago, after a rigorous vetting by the remainder of the council. In the end, whatever they decided, it was Simone’s final say that mattered. She just let them go through the paces in order to give them a sense of comfort and control.
He had to watch her. She was too prone to controlling everything in her life. He refused to be yet another thing she managed. He was a man of independent thought and action. He was still her lead authoritarian. Granted, he was now assigned a guard as well…although he had restricted it to only when they left the building. It didn’t matter anyway. He went wherever she went most of the time; therefore her guards became his guards.
He found her in the bedroom, gazing out of the window, standing with her forehead against the cool glass. Her hand was also on the glass, as if she wanted to reach out and touch something.
“Is it done?” she asked.
“All but Draz, and he goes tonight.”
“Good riddance. It’s far beyond time for it. In the end he turned out to be no different than any other twisted sycophant. It sickens me, seeing how many vampires threw their lives away all to chase some high…an addiction. Draz’s network numbered in the thousands. The low thousands to be sure, but still…a thousand vampires ruined. When we have so much to lose and such limited numbers compared to the humans all around us. To lose so many…it’s appalling. I wish there were some way we could bring them back. Wish it wasn't so permanent a mistake. I know some must regret their choice…but all too late. At least, I hope there is some regret. I guess I am trying to comfort myself somehow with the thought. But even if it were true, the tragedy is that there is no going back. No room for regret. And any regret they feel will be lost in the next soiled feed and high they seek.”
“Don’t fret over what can’t be changed,” he said soothingly reaching out to stroke her soft hair. He hated to see her so troubled. He wished he could do something to make things easier for her. He realized he
could. He could be there for her. For always. Helping and supporting and comforting just as he was doing now. She would not always be queen…he didn’t even know if she would run again once her term was up…he didn’t think even she knew that…but she would always hold a position of importance. Of this he had no doubts. She would always need his support, and he would be happy to give it.
He also knew he could count on her to return the favor. It was possible that one day he might run for office. She would happily let him, he knew, and would be there for him just as he was there for her. Theirs was a perfectly reciprocal relationship. He didn’t doubt they felt for each other in equal measure…and what he felt was profound. It also grew deeper every day.
“I love you,” he felt compelled to say, lowering his head and touching his lips to the corner of hers as he turned her away from the cold glass and brought her deeper into his embrace. He kissed her in soft, nibbling kisses along the seam of her mouth. Then she parted her lips and invited him in more deeply. He absorbed the invitation eagerly, taking advantage and intensifying the kiss. Their mouths opened, their tongues touched. It was delicious and seductive. He wanted more of her. And more. And more.
After several moments of dark need overwhelming them, she pulled back and breathlessly said, “I love you too. And I love the passion you bring to me. I’ve never known such depth of emotion and…well…lust.”
He laughed. “Not to put too fine a point on it?”
“You know I am too direct a creature to put it any other way.”
“Well, I enjoy our lust as well,” he said with a wiggling brow.
“Stop!” she commanded as she dissolved into laughter. “I'm trying to seduce you!”
“And you’re doing a damn fine job of it. Just the word lust gets my engines revving.”
“Men. They are too typically easy to arouse.”
“It is true. It never takes much to gain our interest,” he said as he bent his head and burrowed his nose beneath her cloud soft hair, seeking out the sensitive skin along the side of her neck. He let his breath wash over her first, and then stroked his lips along it. Finally he opened his mouth and licked her fragrant flesh in soft little flicks, his teeth and the suction of his mouth devouring her gently.
She shivered as he stimulated her, her hands coming up to clutch at his shoulders. After several moments of basking in his seductive attentions, she sighed and cupped his face, drawing him away. He knew for a fact it was a contradictory response to the arousal he could smell and feel on her, so he arched a brow and met her eyes.
“Yes, my queen?”
“Oh a definite yes,” she promised him, “But first…I want you to say yes,” she said.
“I just did,” he said with a chuckle.
“No. I mean…yes you did but…” She flushed and he was instantly intrigued. It wasn't like her to stumble over her own words or to be so awkward. He always associated such grace and confidence with her. “Marcus…tradition dictates that when a bachelor monarch choses to marry…he or she must be the one to ask. So…I’m asking. Will you become my husband and permanent consort to the queen?”
Marcus was taken completely by surprise. They had never discussed marriage. He had not thought her ready to commit to such a lifeline prospect. It was a huge step between vampires, perhaps even more so than humans…considering how long they lived. It was why marriages had an escape clause among vampires. If a vampire committed, they must remain married, loyal and true to that marriage for at least ten years, at which point the marriage can be either walked away from, or vows can be renewed for another ten years.
A vampire marriage cannot be walked away from until then. There could, by law, be no infidelities. If there was, the spouse could choose the punishment…everything from the threat of torpor to being racked was open to selection. Of course, if it was a mutual agreement and it was kept absolutely discreet and under wraps the law could be circumvented. It was a way of ensuring loyalty, yet allowing freedom. Perhaps it was meddling in the lives of others to have such laws, but they had them so they could teach respect and have people truly consider their lives before choosing to act on them. There was no such thing as divorce…there was no need for it. After ten years they were free to walk away. That was the beauty of it.
So for Simone to ask, to want to join her life to his for at least ten years, it was a serious commitment.
One he knew he was more than willing to make. Ten years and more. He could see them being together for ages to come. They were so natural together…so at peace and so equal in their passions. They understood each other so clearly. True, people changed over time…that was the key reason for the escape clause…but he could see them changing together, not growing apart.
“Promise me one thing,” he said softly as he drew a pattern with his finger across her cheek. It was the absentminded drawing of a heart.
“Of course.”
“Promise me you won’t walk away after ten years. Promise me we will make this work until the day one of dies.”
She didn’t even hesitate. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” she breathed.
He quickly drew her in for a tight, unbreakable hug. He held her close to his heart, emotion gripping at his throat and stinging his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he had come to tears, but this was an occasion worthy of it.
“I love you,” he promised her. “More than life itself. I think I would stop breathing without you. We’ve come so far so fast, but nothing has ever felt more natural or good.”
“I love you too,” she said simply, all of her emotion behind the words.
“I suppose this means I will have to get used to others trying to protect me instead of me doing the protecting,” he said wryly as he pulled back and gave her two kisses, one on each eyelid. “But I must insist on protecting you. It’s my job. I remain in charge of your safety.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Except…perhaps…if Danton were to return.”
“That is wishful thinking, my love. I think he is permanently gone.”
“What makes you say that? Did he say something to you?”
“No. But I know all the signs of a man being burned out. He craves a slower pace. Craves being in a position of less attention. It’s stressful work being in charge of you 24/7. Between the responsibilities of keeping you safe and the act of juggling your independent nature with your protection detail, it’s a massive responsibility. If you make a mistake it’s there for all the world to see…and that kind of responsibility can burn a man out.”
“But…I will miss him so much. How much different can it be protecting a prince as opposed to a queen?”
“You know the answer to that. There’s a great difference. You have a much larger target on your back. Even other princes plot to bring you down in some cases. Your enemies are as plentiful as your friends.” He kissed her lips. “Now enough talk of danger and risk. I am much more interested in a more physical conversation,” he said with a broad wink.
“Oh you are, are you? Hmm. Well, what would you like to speak on?”
“I believe I can orate with the best of them. I’m certain we can find a topic.”
She laughed seductively as he swept her up and then laid her down onto the bed. She reclined immediately, her body curving with sensual invitation. She put one hand behind her head and began to unbutton her blouse with the other. He simply watched her, completely entranced, overwhelmed with his hunger for her.
“When I think I could have lost you to that vermin,” he whispered softly as his eyes devoured her.
“But you didn’t. It all worked out. It will be over by midnight. Lets fill these hours in between with good, enervated thoughts and actions. I want you. I need you. I love you. We don’t need to think about anything else.”
“You’re right,” he said as he reached down and cupped her raised knee. He knelt beside her on the bed as she finished unbuttoning her blouse. He lowered himself over her, reaching to ta
ke her mouth with his.
He loved her gently and thoroughly, his mouth covering every inch of her body, his tongue licking and tasting her until he was filled with the flavor of her. Then she rolled him onto his back and did the same to him. Their rapid breaths filled the air, their moans of pleasure mingling. When he finally thrust into her he was dying to have her…a state she had thoroughly planned on. When he came it was hard and fast, his release so easily on a razor’s edge. It swept him away, stole his breath and muscle control. When he collapsed on top of her, he was dragging hard for breath. She was no calmer, her body spun up and wrung out.
He rolled with her again, snuggling beneath the covers with her. Their breathing leveled out. He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. He wanted to lay with her like this forever. He wanted to make love with her forever. He wanted to be with her forever.
“I love you. I don’t take these feelings lightly. I don’t take my responsibilities as consort lightly.”
“Good…because there is much that comes with being a consort. Charity work. Political work. Keeping me content.” She laughed when he smiled at that.
“All things I happily embrace.”
“Good. And I embrace you in return,” she said, wrapping him up tight in her embrace and hugging him. She kissed his lips as their bare bodies pressed together. “I love you and do not take these feelings lightly. I do not take my responsibility to your happiness lightly. I will love you and care for you all the rest of your days if you will let me.”
“I will do so happily. You know, these sound a lot like marriage vows.”
“I know. Perhaps we are now wed in our hearts,” she suggested.
“We are. But I still want to make it legal,” he said while raining kisses onto her face and lips.
“Oh, most definitely. We will have a grand spectacle of a wedding. Princes will come from all over. I will invite all of my human friends.”
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