One and Only

by Bianca D’Arc

  She threw the suitcase into the trunk of her car and headed out of town toward Atticus’s place in the valley, about an hour away. He’d given her the keys and codes for the alarm system and gate. She didn’t feel like a visitor or trespasser when she let herself into the big house. Instead, she felt very much as if she were coming home.

  Lissa made dinner for herself in the sparkling clean kitchen. Atticus had a few canned goods and packaged foods in his cupboards, though she knew he didn’t need to eat. Like many things about the giant house, it was stocked for the occasional mortal guest and designed to give Atticus every appearance of normalcy. His kind lived in secret and had for centuries. Atticus had explained earlier about the lengths he’d gone to give every appearance of being a normal man and there was no doubt he’d become very good at putting up a façade of mortality.

  The kitchen was a dream—big and airy with every modern convenience—as was the rest of the house. She loved the Mission style furniture and earth tones that dominated most of the décor. She gave herself a tour of the above-ground rooms, pleased to find an art studio, a small home gym and a very busy-looking office. He found her there, while she was perusing his calendar, which was lying open on the desk.

  She sensed him even before his muscular arm snaked around her waist from behind, drawing her back against his hard chest. Warm lips traced the skin under her ear with just a hint of pointed teeth scraping against her, making her hotter than she’d ever been for any other man.

  Chapter Seven

  “Good morrow, my love.” His deep voice sounded near her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

  “Atticus.” His name was a sigh of pleasure as he cupped one of her breasts, tugging and exciting her every nerve.

  “I love to hear you say my name just that way.” His warm chuckle skittered along her senses as he turned her in his arms. “Waking up to you in our home is a miracle, Lissa. One I never thought I would experience. I feel as if heaven is smiling on me for the first time in many long years.”

  The kiss they shared then was one of coming home, of undreamed of love, of safety and hope. Lissa didn’t know how much time had passed when Atticus finally released her lips, but her head was spinning and she had to hold on to him for balance. He’d made her dizzy with just his kiss.

  “How do you like the house?” He moved further back, once he seemed sure she was steady on her feet. “I sensed your pleasure as you toured earlier, but as we’re new to this joining, I thought we’d start slowly.”

  “How so?” She perched on the edge of his desk, since he seemed to want to talk.

  “I have a lot more experience traipsing through people’s minds than you, my dear.” He gave her a sly smile. “I thought it best to give each other a little room to interact as any normal mortal couple would…in the beginning at least…when we’re not making love. When I’m inside your body, I can’t help but want to be in your mind as well.”

  Lissa remembered the way they’d joined the night before and shivered. There was nothing that could compare with the way they’d shared minds and bodies in the ultimate pleasure.

  “I agree.” She tried to smile, but her mouth was dry from the heat of her memories. “And I’ll admit it’s hard to get used to the idea of sharing our minds. I’m a little psychic, but I’ve only ever gotten the odd premonition here and there. I’ve never been able to read someone’s thoughts, though it was rumored my grandmother could.”

  “Really?” Atticus seemed intrigued. “She must have been an amazing woman. Even without trying to enter your mind, I can feel the love and respect you have for her. Keeping the connection partially blocked will help us when we need to act normally in the company of mortals. Your friends, for example. At some point, I’ll need to meet them.”

  Lissa laughed, thinking how her buddies would drool over Atticus. It wouldn’t be too hard to convince them she’d fallen head over heels for the man in such a short amount of time.

  “Give it a week or two. I have a standing dinner with the group a week from Wednesday. We get together every month to share gossip. I’ll start getting them used to the idea that we’re an item then.”

  “I see you’ve been giving this some thought as well.” Atticus’s approval washed over her senses. She’d never been all that empathic before, but she could feel his emotions, even if she wasn’t directly reading his thoughts. “As for my friends,” he lifted the calendar from the desk, “you’ll meet one tonight. I’ve asked the Master to come meet you, since it’s such a rare occurrence that one of us finds his mate. Marc and I have been friends a long time. You’ll like him.”

  “You really call him Master?”

  “Sometimes. It is his title, since he rules the bloodletters in this region. I’m in the hierarchy as well. I’m his second, actually. We have a small circle of friends, all of whom rank highly in the supernatural hierarchy hereabouts, but Marc is our leader. Hence the title of Master. But he’s a good man. Not at all lord-of-the-manor. You’ll see. I think you’ll like him. He’s got a wickedly sharp sense of humor.”

  She felt the genuine affection Atticus had for the other man and was intrigued. There was a devilish sparkle in his eye when he spoke of this “Master” that boded well. If Atticus liked him, chances were, she would too. They were aligned like that. Perhaps because they were mates.

  Lissa felt cheated that they didn’t have time to make love before Marc arrived, but as Atticus told her, it was better to get the formalities out of the way before they got too distracted. They would spend the rest of the night caught up in each other, she knew. And Atticus was talking in terms of centuries together, which still overwhelmed her. They would have time.

  Marc LaTour was handsome as sin and sharp as a tack. He greeted Atticus with a backslapping hug and then turned his arresting, assessing gaze on Lissa. She wanted to squirm under his inspection until she saw the very real awe in his expression. He seemed genuinely happy for Atticus and at the same time a little afraid of her. That dichotomy made her want to put him at ease.

  Atticus poured wine for them all and Marc raised a toast to them. “I’m happy for you both,” Marc said, sitting at ease in the cozy living room. “Between us, Lissa, I was growing concerned for my friend Atticus. He took chances he shouldn’t have in recent years. Hopefully with you here, he’ll be more careful. I value his friendship.”

  “As I value yours, my friend.” Atticus tipped his wineglass in Marc’s direction. “But please don’t frighten my mate. All that matters now is that she is here and we are together. What came before matters not.”

  Lissa placed her hand over his, drawing his attention. “What came before made you what you are, Atticus, and I love every part of you. But you can rest assured,” she transferred her attention to Marc, “there will be no more taking chances with his life. That carelessness is over.”

  She could see hints of the things he’d allowed to happen, the desolation in his life that led him to that shuttle bus and to the brink of death. Even with their connection moderated by his incredible psychic control, she knew he’d been near the end of his rope, but now that they’d found each other, his entire outlook had taken a radical turn.

  “And glad I am to hear it.” Marc stood, helping himself to a second glass of wine from the sideboard, clearly at home in Atticus’s house. “But I have some news I must impart that makes it even more critical. I hesitate to say this in front of you, Lissa, for I don’t mean to worry you, but as new mates, I’ve heard there’s no way to really keep you from knowing what he knows, so…” Marc shrugged elegantly. Everything about the man was both devilish and suave.

  Atticus sat forward. “What is it?”

  “Ian looked over the accident site and the vehicle wreckage at my request. When he reported back at sunset, I went over there myself before coming here. Atticus, that was no accident, though the mortals will no doubt rule it as such. There was the faint scent of magic around the vehicle. I have no doubt it was tampered with.”

 
“What flavor of magic? Were? Mortal? Fey? Or something else?” The rigidity in Atticus’s spine and his narrow-eyed gaze alerted Lissa to the seriousness of the situation. She felt a hint of disbelief at their casual use of the term “magic”, but then, she hadn’t believed in vampires until a day ago either.

  “It was something very old, indeed.” Marc’s eyes took on a faraway cast as he seemed to search for an answer. “It felt fey, but not quite. And ancient. It’s something just tickling my memory, but I’m not altogether certain I’ve ever run across this particular kind of thing before. It’s damned odd, to say the least. Ian’s organizing surveillance in case the magic-user returns to the scene of the crime.”

  “Who were they targeting? Do you have any idea?”

  “That’s the hard part. The magic wasn’t attuned to our kind, but neither was it attuned to any particular mortal that either Ian or I could discern. Plus we were working with only traces. Whoever cast the spell was skilled. Very skilled indeed.”

  “Nobody knew I was on that bus. It was a last minute decision on my part to go up to the resort. There were only a few other passengers—all mortal. Love,” Atticus turned to Lissa, “you said you felt something as you boarded. Tell Marc what you felt. It might help solve this puzzle.”

  Lissa put her wineglass on the low table. “If you like.” She turned to Marc and tried to put into words the feelings of dread that had hit her when she set foot on that shuttle bus. “There was a strong urge not to board, but it was generalized. I couldn’t be sure, and the moment I saw Atticus, he intrigued me. Distracted me really.” She sent Atticus a soft, teasing smile. “From him, I felt a different kind of energy—like I had just met my fate.” Atticus squeezed her hand in encouragement. “The two instincts were in conflict, but my desire to follow Atticus was stronger than the feelings of dread.”

  “Thank heaven for that,” Marc said with feeling that surprised her. “If you hadn’t been on board and survived the crash, I doubt my good friend would still be among the living. No,” he held up a hand to stall Atticus’s response, “don’t object. I’ve sensed what was in your heart for months, brother. Without your One, you were nearly lost to us. Fate plays a bigger hand than we know. You were on that shuttle bus for a reason, Lissa, though you knew it was dangerous, you boarded anyway. That is significant.”

  “You think so?” The idea was startling to her, but it felt right.

  “I do. I also think, until we know more about who and what caused the crash, you both need to be careful. It’s unclear who the target was, but that wreck was no accident and quite a few innocents paid the price.”

  Lissa was struck with renewed sadness at the reminder of the loss of life. That she’d survived when everyone else died was nothing less than a miracle. A miracle named Atticus. And if Marc was to be believed, if she’d succumbed to her injuries, Atticus would have had no reason to save himself. They would both be dead.

  The idea that someone deliberately caused the wreck by magical means was nearly overwhelming, but she’d been exposed to a number of strange happenings in her life. The existence of vampires was only the latest—and admittedly most astounding—of many odd things she’d seen. The idea that magic was real was somewhat easier to accept, given her recent experiences.

  “You think whoever did that might have meant it for one of us?” Lissa’s eyes widened at the thought. “I don’t have any enemies that I’m aware of. Particularly not of the magical kind.”

  “I’m sorry, my dear, but you yourself said you were psychic. Certain beings would have been able to sense your power and some might even target you because of it. The supernatural world is a more brutal place than your mortal one sometimes. We try to preserve a delicate balance between those of us who would leave humanity to their own devices and those who would seek to dominate and even enslave them. And there are even a few groups of mortals who are aware of certain aspects of the supernatural world and seek to eradicate it. If someone knew of your abilities, you could very easily have been the target of the magical tampering.”

  Lissa held one palm over her racing heart. “I can’t believe it.”

  Atticus squeezed her other hand, turning toward her on the couch. “But you must, my love. You must believe that the threat could be to either of us and act accordingly. For starters, I want you to move in here. We’ll go over to your apartment together and retrieve your things.”

  “But not tonight.” Marc interrupted Atticus and stood to leave. “Ian is coordinating surveillance on Lissa’s apartment and a few other places. I want to know who the target of the wreck was and why. Tipping our hand too early might cause them to scurry away. If one of you is still being targeted, we’ll find out. The vineyard is well protected, but Lissa’s place is not. It makes sense for you to stay here then, milady, though it might seem odd to your mortal friends. You’ll have to inform them of a whirlwind romance and perhaps an impulsive wedding can be planned? You two can decide how to best handle that, but leave the dangerous part to me.”

  “I hardly know what to say.” Lissa was at a loss. Marc was indeed a powerful man with a dominant way that she’d never encountered. Atticus was the strongest man she’d ever met. Before meeting him, she’d never dreamed the kind of man she fantasized about even existed. Atticus was perfect for her, but Marc…he was every bit as handsome, commanding and powerful as her new mate, though without the soft side that tempered her lover. He was formidable.

  “Stay with your mate and be happy, milady. Let me handle the threat—if there is, indeed, any. We may come to find that another was the target and now that he or she is dead, the threat may vanish. Either way, it is far better to be safe than sorry.”

  Atticus rose and stretched his hand out for a brotherly shake. “I can’t thank you enough, Marc. Lissa’s safety is the most important thing in the world to me.”

  Marc nodded once. “Understandable. Even admirable. I envy you, my friend, and I aim to see that nothing threatens your future happiness. I’ll be in touch when I know more. For now, rest here and stay safe.”

  They saw Marc to the door and Lissa was impressed by the low-slung, shiny black sports car he drove. That car had to cost more than ten years of rent on her apartment in the city and it purred like a big cat. These men—these vampires—were wealthy sons of guns.

  Chapter Eight

  Atticus locked up the house, arming the security systems and making certain all was as safe as he could make it. They had hours until sunrise and he wanted to spend many of them making love to his new mate. But before they let passion carry them away, they had some planning to do.

  He led her toward the indoor pool housed on the back side of the house. It had a glass roof that he could open to the night sky in warm weather. The pool was surrounded by lush, tropical plants and had a small waterfall to make it look and feel like a naturally occurring grotto in some exotic destination.

  “This is gorgeous at night. I saw it earlier today, but it’s even more beautiful now.” Lissa moved toward one of the large bird of paradise plants and stroked its leaves as she gazed out over the water.

  “I’m glad you like it. I spend a lot of time out here, stargazing and contemplating the infinite.” He moved to the small bar and poured two glasses of deep red wine, brought them toward the plush lounge chairs nearby. She sat and accepted one of the glasses, before he took the space next to her on the wide chaise. “Now, of course, I can sit out here and ponder you.”

  She laughed and sipped at the wine, smiling at him over the rim of the crystal glass. He wanted to make love to her right then and there, but they had a few things left to discuss first. He could wait. But not too long.

  He put one arm around her as they leaned against the low back of the long chair, putting their feet up. He’d never been so comfortable in his entire existence.

  “Do you think your friends will accept that I swept you off your feet so quickly?” Atticus had seen the close relationship Lissa had with the small group of women she’d befrie
nded in college while sifting through her memories during their initial joining. He kept the mental block between their minds in place for now, because he knew it was more comfortable for her to learn him slowly—and they truly had eternity to do so. He’d savor this time of learning her as she got used to him and his abilities.

  “After they meet you, I think they’ll understand.” Her sexy tone teased him. Tantalized him. But they had to talk first, before he lost all caution and reason.

  “I’d prefer to elope, but I know you want to have your friends at the wedding. How about we plan a ceremony for here at the vineyard? The grounds are beautiful at night. We could dress it up a bit with candlelight and soft music.”

  “Sounds perfect. And when they see the setting, they’ll understand why we’re holding the ceremony at night. It’s so much more romantic.”

  “I hoped you would think so. I’ll start the preparations with my staff as soon as it’s feasible.”

  “You have a staff? Do any of them know what you are?”

  “No, my dear. We keep our secret as close as possible. My on-site employees in the production areas don’t come to the house. It’s fenced off for privacy and they know not to trespass on my eccentric wish to be left alone. I have a business office in the city. I go there sometimes—especially in the winter, when night falls earlier—for late meetings with the marketing staff. I also make appearances at charity dinners and such, keeping up the appearance of a wealthy businessman who works for fun and not necessarily every day. I have something of a playboy reputation which helps explain why I work from home and am seldom seen during the day. Once in a while, I’ll brave the daylight and hold a meeting here in the media room. It’s on the interior of the house and safe from the sun. I designed it so the interior core of the house is accessible without having to pass near rooms with windows. All exterior rooms open onto a hall that separates the interior sections and allows me to move about without difficulty during the day.”