Spider Web

by Danielle James

  Jules couldn’t think, all she could do was feel. Why was it she had waited so long to let Nick touch her? Her body was alive with sensations that she had never felt before. Everything felt so right with him. Just as she thought he would be her undoing, Nick slid down her body and replaced his fingers with his talented tongue. “Come for me, Baby,” he said against her skin, and she did.

  Nick lapped at her until he had devoured every single drop of her. “I need you,” he said as he stood.

  “I need you too,” she answered, leaning back on the bed. “Get inside me, now.”

  Nick chuckled and climbed over her body, settling his hips between her thighs. “I want to go slow. I want this to be perfect,” he told her.

  “Perfect later,” Jules insisted. “I need you now.”

  Nick didn’t need any more encouragement. He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed forward. He entered her one delicious inch at a time, filling her to the brink as he went. When he was fully inside her, he remained perfectly still so that she could adjust to the intrusion. Jules thought she might come again just from the fullness he presented her. “God Baby, I can’t wait anymore,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Then don’t,” she told him, wiggling her hips as incentive. Nick pulled almost completely out before diving back in. He filled her again and again and it wasn’t long before Jules felt the pressure building in her belly again. “Yes!” she cried as he loved her hard and fast.

  Nick had a small moment of clarity and realized that he was moving both of them up the bed, so he shifted to anchor one hand on the headboard. He used that as leverage as he threw himself into his mate. When she shattered for him, screaming his name, he dropped his head and sank his fangs into her soft neck.

  That sent her spiraling into another orgasm and she bit his shoulder. Nick knew his blood was flowing for her and her body was milking his for more. He shuddered as he climaxed hard, giving her everything that he was.

  There wasn’t any part of her that he didn’t kiss, any part that wasn’t caressed. Nick was certain that at least the other vampires in the house were getting an earful, but he just couldn’t manage to care. They made love until the sun was sufficiently set in the west and it was dark outside.

  Nick stood in awe of his new wife. There was an inner core of strength about her. Not only was she beautiful and strong, but kind and loving. He had spent so much time dedicated to protecting her, only to find out she would be protecting him. Not just him, but all those she cared about. And a temper to match! She was the most graceful, powerful predator he had ever met. He almost felt sorry for the demons that crashed their ceremony. They never had a chance.

  Almost.

  He watched her as she sat in front of her computer screen. He couldn’t help but admire the brand new mating mark that graced her lovely long neck. He had a matching one on his right shoulder as well, and he couldn’t help but feel overly satisfied with his life. Jules was reading an email from her daughter, still in Europe. She hadn’t been able to get away from her classes to come to the ceremony and now he was glad she didn’t. A demon ambush wasn’t really the best way to introduce Jules’s daughter into his life. He looked over Jules’s shoulder to see what the email said. Kelly sent pictures this time. Nick had seen Kelly before, when she came to visit her mother for Christmas. It was very brief, since Jules had only just come to the firm. Looking at the photographs on the computer screen now, he realized that even though their physical characteristics were very different, he could see the same strength and kindness he found so beautiful in his Mouse, copied in her daughter’s bright blue eyes.

  One of the pictures caught his attention for a different reason. Kelly was in France, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, her blond hair standing in spikes, wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. That was not so unusual; the man standing beside her was.

  To any normal person, he looked like any Frenchman. Dark hair, dark eyes, almost black. He was dressed much like Kelly in blue jeans and a black button down shirt. What caught Nick’s attention was the pale aura surrounding him. “Does Kelly know about us?” he asked.

  “She knows we got married. I told her it was a spur of the moment decision, which is true. She is very happy for us, but disappointed she missed it.”

  “No, I mean that we are vampires?”

  “No, I just told her you saved my life. Why?” Her face was drawn into a perplexed look, one eyebrow raised.

  “Who is that with her?”

  “Some guy she’s been dating. His name is Stephan. Isn’t he a dish?” Jules chuckled. “She can sure pick ‘em, huh?” she smiled.

  “I think we should tell her,” Nick replied, “And I think Jared should come up here.”

  “Why? What is it?” She demanded, the smile disappearing from her lips.

  Nick explained about the aura, and she examined the photo more closely. Jules began shouting. “Jared!”

  “What? What’s going on?” a breathless Jared huffed from the doorway after only thirty seconds.

  “Look at this picture, and tell us what you see.” He didn’t want to give any more than that.

  “Hmm,” he said, thoughtful, “pretty girl, yours?” he was asking Jules. She nodded, and he continued. “She is very pretty, you are lucky, I guess it must run in the family,” he mused to himself. “Don’t care much for the boyfriend though.”

  “What are you talking about, Jared?” Jules hissed.

  “What I’m talking about is the demon beside her.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  When they finally returned downstairs, everyone was eating. “Won’t you have some? Andrew cooked today,” Rachel beamed.

  “It was nothing. Just a little barbeque. Ribs and chicken. Jared made the potato salad,” Andrew explained.

  “Smells great,” Nick proclaimed. He tried to hold back a smile as he examined the faces around him. Andrew was working on a piece of chicken, a leg in one hand and a piece of bread in the other. Jared was tearing into a rib, BBQ sauce covering his chin and upper lip. Not to mention his hands.

  “Tastes good too’” Jared mumbled around his food. Jules giggled.

  “Here, eat,” Rachel said, offering Nick a plate full of food. “And Jules, we haven’t forgotten you, Victor is in the kitchen preparing your dinner also,” she smiled at Jules.

  “Thank you so much, Rachel. Is there anything I can get for you? I’m going to the kitchen to help Victor,” Jules asked. Rachel just shook her head.

  When Jules was out of the room, all eyes were on Nick. Michael and Jolice were sitting next to each other, stuffing their mouths just like everyone else. Nick sat between them and Phoenix.

  “So, um, did you guys get any rest?” Phoenix asked slyly. He raised one eyebrow, and Nick knew what he really wanted to know. Nick had no intention of cooperating.

  “Yeah, slept like babies.” He wasn’t giving anything else up.

  “Didn’t sound like sleeping to me,” Phoenix teased.

  “Did Jared tell you about Kelly’s boyfriend?” Nick asked, doing his best to change the subject.

  “Yeah, weird, ain’t it?”

  “I guess so, we will have to make plans to meet with her, explain things. She doesn’t know about her mother yet, and obviously, we can’t expect them to never see each other again. I don’t know if Kelly even knows what her boyfriend is.”

  “Talking about my family?” Jules came and squeezed herself between Phoenix and Nick.

  “Kelly’s boyfriend, actually,” he answered. “We were just discussing the possibility of a visit.”

  “Not until this is all over.” Jules said it with authority. After seeing what Jules was capable of, no one questioned her. “I think her plan is to stay in Paris after the summer exchange program is over. She had applied to a few schools there. Maybe that’s where we can meet her. When it is safe.”

  “What are we going to do anyway?” Nick asked to no one in specific.

  “We thought of a plan.”
Phoenix answered. “We should just go to New Mexico and take down the entire operation before the team is dispatched to the desert.”

  “Yeah, with Jules’s ability to copy most anyone’s power, and Michael’s ability to deal with demons, I’d say we’ve got a pretty good chance,” Jared mused out loud.

  “What about the vampires and shape shifters?” Jules asked. “I guess we have to kill them as well?”

  “Yes. And it will not be easy.” Victor replied. He was looking at the floor now, “Some of us may not survive. We have only ten days to prepare. Are we sure this is a chance we want to take?”

  “I refuse to let my daughter live in a world run by demons and other sadistic creatures. I would rather die trying to save her,” Jules stated very clearly.

  “I wasn’t given my wings back to cower down and hide,” Michael said.

  “We were all brought together for a purpose,” Jolice said. “We must stand together. We must stop this atrocity from happening. We must stop Harwin and Franchesco. I am not afraid to die for a cause sent to us by heaven.”

  They were all in agreement. They would have to go in nine days, trying to keep the element of surprise. Nick was not afraid for himself, but for those who couldn’t fight. Andrew, Jolice, and for some reason, Jules. He knew he could not live without her. He could not even wrap his mind around the possibility of losing her. He felt a pang in his chest as the possibility set in. He knew she could and would fight. She was more powerful than most vampires’ centuries old, and had the most curious gifts. Nick had no doubt she could defend herself. He thought maybe he feared she would be hurt trying to defend someone else, like him.

  He was so enveloped in his own thoughts, he didn’t notice when the conversation turned light again.

  “Really, what is it Andrew?” Jules was asking. Andrew had his arms folded across his chest, looking at Jules with one eyebrow raised.

  “I think you know,” he smirked at her.

  “No, really, I don’t!”

  “The chicken dance? Really? You couldn’t think of anything less embarrassing?”

  Andrew was feigning anger.

  “Oh, come on, I was just trying anything that wouldn’t hurt you, but something I knew you wouldn’t do on your own. I promise not to do it again,” Jules put on her best hurt expression, her eyes pleading and her bottom lip puckered. “Will you forgive me?”

  “Always do,” he smiled back at her.

  It was decided. They had ten days until the meeting between Harwin and Franchesco, and who knew how many others. They would go to New Mexico one day early, to try to scope out the meeting place. There was much to do in the little time left.

  They tried, with no avail, to convince Andrew to stay behind, to hide out somewhere safe, but he would have none of it. He insisted that he would go with them, unwilling to leave the ones he loved.

  Jared would have to teach him to fight, even though they all agreed to try and keep him as far from danger as possible. They began immediately, at the first light of the next day. The lessons were fun to watch, as Jared showed Andrew moves that were the most lethal, while trying not to get too overzealous.

  Jules agreed to be the guinea pig, as it was not likely Andrew could hurt her, and any damage he did could be reversed. Over and over he tried to remove her head from her neck, or stake her, and every time, he was unsuccessful. She thought maybe he just wasn’t as in to it as he could be.

  It was disturbing at first for Nick to watch. He fought the instinct to protect her from her assailant. He had to keep reminding himself that this was necessary for Andrew’s sake. Besides, Jules wanted to help her friend. He was family to her, and she would do anything for him.

  Jared was very patient. He lunged at Jules again and again, trying to show Andrew what moves would be expected, and what moves would be unblockable. He also tried to show Andrew how to maintain a level of calm. It was hard for someone as peaceful as Andrew to think of killing another creature, even if it was evil. They assured him that they expected nothing more than self-defense for him, and even that would be unlikely. They had no intention of letting any harm come to him.

  Phoenix wanted a try at Jules. He had more luck. He was able to pin her in a second flat. “It seems Andrew is not the only one who needs some instruction,” he commented. He then began to teach her how to make smart moves, instead of using raw, brute force.

  Nick watched as they circled each other on the second day of instruction. It was graceful, and yet also terrifying. When Phoenix would lunge for Jules, she would simply step out of the way, making full use of her superior speed. Try as she may, she could not copy the fire Phoenix produced. She had to rely on her vampire abilities. She sensed his every move by a twitch in his arm, or a shift of his weight. She pounced on his back in less than half a second, her arms surrounding his head. Phoenix took it all in stride. He didn’t even mind the bruises she left in the wake of her attack. Of course, he healed himself very quickly.

  Nick found that he just couldn’t get tired of watching Jules. Every line of her body flowed effortlessly from one movement to the next; making it seem almost like she was dancing. Her hair flowed fluidly down her back and her eyes never glimmered any shade of red during the classes. Nick was impressed. This graceful, beautiful creature that was his bride, was also a deadly predator.

  Even though he hated to leave Jules’s side, Jolice needed him to go out with her and Michael for herbs and things for a protection spell she was working on. She needed special ingredients to cover all the creatures in their house. The escorts were needed for protection. Nick would protect her from any vampires or shifters that might attack, Michael for any demons.

  His ability to deal with demons swiftly and permanently would prove to be quite useful. He assured Jolice that he would never let a demon anywhere near her. It seemed that they were becoming very close, and Nick’s heart gave a little tug when he thought of how it would hurt her to see Michael return to heaven, where he belonged. Though neither of them said it out loud, it was obvious that there was more to that relationship than friends. Michael guarded Jolice like a pit bull and was quite protective of her. He was always looking at her like he could just eat her alive, and she did the same. Nick wondered if they were sleeping together yet, and quickly decided it was none of his business.

  They arrived at a store on the coast that sold books and other trinkets. Inside, it smelled of incense and candles. Nick wandered around, looking at all the unusual titles. This was a new age store, with books about self-help, healing, herbal remedies, etc. There was a glass enclosed shelf full of different crystals and charms, and he wondered if any of them actually worked.

  Jolice handed the short woman behind the counter a list, and she went to the back of the store through a black curtain. Nick turned his own attention to the television set in the corner. A petite woman was reporting from New York about some new strain of the flu. She called it the swine flu. He was glad it wasn’t something birds spread. Every time there was a report on the bird flu, Phoenix would become very difficult. He would rant about how birds were getting the blame for something Mother Nature was responsible for. He even went so far as to proclaim a conspiracy of humans in the medical research field looking for a scapegoat for their malfeasance.

  The shop keeper returned with the various items Jolice requested in her arms. Jolice paid the older lady and they slipped out of the store.

  The drive home was unusually quiet. Jolice and Michael sat in the back, talking quietly amongst themselves. Nick was starting to feel like a chauffeur. He wanted to give them as much privacy as the confines of his mustang would allow. He smiled gently to himself as he thought of what a nice couple these two would really make.

  A hard jolt sent them sharply forward, tires screeching. Someone had hit them! Nick looked in the rearview mirror to see a huge Hum-V racing toward us. He shoved the accelerator to the floor and took off. The Hummer sped up too, its engine racing. Nick’s heart pounded as he maneuvered through tr
affic, trying desperately to lose the tail.

  Wham! Another jolt to the bumper of the car; they were being pushed off the road.

  Nick made a quick turn at the very last second onto the off ramp, barely missing the steel guard rail. He slammed the gas again and shot forward on the empty street. He jerked the gear shift quickly through the gears, gaining speed. He threw the car around corners and ignored stop signs. When he finally looked back again, the truck was gone.

  “Is everybody ok?” he yelled into the backseat.

  “Yeah, but who the hell was that?” Jolice snapped back, sweat beading on her forehead.

  “I don’t know, but whoever it was, they meant business. We need to get home, now!”

  Nick raced all the way back to the mansion.

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  The attacks were getting old. And Nick was getting very upset with all the blatantly life threatening attempts on his family. He discovered when Jolice, Michael, and he returned home, that another vampire had attacked at the mansion. He had been targeting Victor. Nick was pleased to learn that it was Jared that intercepted the fight and ultimately tore the vampire to shreds.

  Nick was pleased, since Jared was not close to his father, yet he defended him with the same ferocity that he defended his mate days before. This made him a bit more confident about the upcoming trip. In a few short days, they would be going to New Mexico and they needed to function as a whole unit. They would have to learn to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to counter them. They worked on committing every detail of each other into their memories, including scent. This was especially important since two of the family members could change their appearance. Even though Jules’s ability seemed to be centered in the mind, it didn’t change the fact that she could make anyone see her as she pleased. She hadn’t learned to narrow it down to just one person at a time yet. Her talent was more like a blanket that pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes at the same time. Either way, it was a powerful gift and one that could tip the scales for the family.