Urban Vampire: The bookset 1-3

by Pace, Pepper

After freshening up I joined them. Sam smiled, “Good evening to you.”

  “Good evening.” I allowed my eyes to glance at my husband who lay sprawled out on the floor playing with BJ. Well at least she whooped happily upon seeing me and ran towards me, falling twice before I had mercy and scooped her up in my arms to deliver a series of kisses.

  Paul stood lazily and joined us. He placed a silent kiss on my neck—it was still a bit chilly but I felt better knowing that he didn’t despise me.

  “We need to make a plan immediately,” he said. “First things first; you need to call the Council to meet at the manor. I don’t want Malarias anywhere around.” I nodded in agreement and then looked at Sam who was busy putting away BJ’s toys.

  “How is Ran?”

  Sam smiled. “He spent the day trying to master the use of his body. He can walk and talk now. He ate nearly a dozen eggs…and he spent almost the entire day outside in the gardens … beneath the sun.”

  I nodded in understanding. I had missed the warmth of the sun after being dead only a few short months. It must have been an amazing feeling for Ran to go out into the sun after a century of death.

  “The ladies are there with him,” she continued.

  I had to ask the next question even though I didn’t want to. “And Alexis? Did he return?”

  She shook her head. “No.” She moved towards me. “Are you ready to feed now?” It was her turn in the feed-Kim rotation and I nodded. Paul took BJ who squirmed and kicked to be returned to me, but a moment later he tossed her dangerously high into the air and she gasped in intrigue before giggling loudly upon being caught in her Daddy’s clutches.

  “Do it again Daddy!” She squealed—or at least that is what I’m assuming she was saying, but he did it.

  Damn … I thought sadly. How could I ever leave them? Would I ever leave them?

  I sank fangs gently into Sam’s neck. No walls were needed. I now had more control of the succubus because she knew that I would let her loose to enjoy herself freely as long as she allowed me to eat in peace.

  After feeding I contacted Tony first. I sat stiffly on the chaise, watching the people I loved and wondering how long before someone would try to take us all out.

  “Tony?” I sensed his awareness of me although he didn’t answer. “We have to get The Council together; everyone except Malarias.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I paused. “We’re all in danger.”

  Tony, ever sensible didn’t ask for details. He just told me that he would contact everyone.

  “I’ll contact Monica,” I began

  “No need. She’s here.” Here? In his house? “She and I are together now.”

  My head swam in confusion and then … something else. Monica was with Tony now. Monica and Tony…

  “Yes, okay.” My thoughts were calm but there is no way that he did not feel that initial spike of … something else.

  When I ended our connection I saw that Paul watched me in curiosity. I wiped away my lost expression.

  “Tony is going to have everyone gather at the manor.” I focused on Paul knowing that my thoughts were chaotic upon finding out that Tony and Monica …

  I cleared my throat. “Tony and Monica … I guess they are…” My voice faded. Paul nodded in understanding, not requiring me to voice it, but I did anyway. “I don’t know why she didn’t tell me that she and Tony were together.”

  Sam listened but remained silent. BJ’s world remained unaffected as she held her bottle in one hand; ready to take a hit off of it when necessary, while her actual attention stayed on a dancing, mechanical stuffed animal that could do somersaults without ever losing its balance. Freaky.

  I stood quickly. “I better get dressed and ready.”

  I was in my walk-in closet staring at an array of clothing, though not really seeing them when Paul walked in.

  “Are you okay, Babe?”

  I looked at him. He didn’t seem angry at me at all anymore. “I’m truly sorry about yesterday,” I said softly.

  He looked down and I saw the muscle in his jaw clench before steel gray eyes met mine. “I understand why you did it.”

  “Do you?” I wasn’t sure since his expression had gone neutral.

  “I talked it out with Jason and Tyler and they pretty much slapped some sense into my head.” He sighed and gathered me into his arms. “I understand but I don’t appreciate the thought behind why you did it.” I opened my mouth but he continued in that same soft, unaccusing voice. “When you took away my control you told me that you didn’t have faith in me. You didn’t trust me.”

  I shook my head adamantly, alarmed by his words. “No Paul! I was afraid that…”

  He waited for me to finish but when I didn’t he finished for me. “… that I would do something stupid.” His arms were around my waist but he didn’t seem tense or angry and it confused the hell out of me. “Kim, I am pretty much an open book. When I don’t like something or someone it is going to show. I’m in protection mode over my family. And last night you emasculated me…in front of that family AND in front of my enemy.”

  I swallowed dryly. “It wasn’t my intentions. Paul I know the power that Alexis has. With just a thought or gesture he can annihilate someone—“

  “I’m not a Vampire.” He said calmly, his eyes steady on mine. I frowned and shook my head in confusion.

  “That is power that he has over your Vampire, your spirit, your demons—whatever. But I’m not a Vampire.”

  I remembered the way Alexis had flung his hand out to hurt Paul…but then nothing happened. I thought it was because he was in Ran’s body and Ran did not have the power that an Elder had. But then I also remembered that Alexis could withstand Tyler’s touch while in Ran’s body—something Ran could not do. He had chosen Ran’s body so that he could utilize his Vampire abilities … he just couldn’t do them against anything other than the Neratomay.

  “When you took away my powers you also put me in danger.”

  My body felt hot and cold at the information and at my misjudgment. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  His lip quirked upward nearly imperceptibly. “You didn’t want me to hurt him. And maybe-“ I tried to take a step back at those words but his hold on me was still gentle but now unbreakable. I looked at him in surprise. “… and maybe end whatever agreement you two have.”

  I looked at him in disbelief. “How … ?”

  “Do you really understand what control it takes for me to be with you?”

  I stared into his eyes in shock. They were so peaceful and calm but now I knew that they weren’t telling me the exact truth. We are having an argument; A calm, cool and collected argument.

  “Tell me,” I whispered.

  “I want to possess you.” My brow shot upward at that little tidbit. “I want to make you completely mine. I want to take that look of regret from your eyes when you sometimes look at Tony.” My face warmed knowing that his words were true. “I want to be the only one you want to ever love. I want you to know that I know this one fact; if I ever killed one of the men you love then it would destroy you and … if that happened it would destroy me.”

  I looked away feeling my eyes sting. My voice was deep with emotion when I finally spoke. “I trust you. Completely. I swear that I will never take away your powers again. I’ll never…take your control away.”

  He nodded once. “But this isn’t over,” he said coolly.

  “Um. It’s not?”

  His hands moved to my hips where he roughly spun me until I was facing away from him. I felt his fist in the loose hair at the back of my head and I reached up and felt his steel grip with surprise.

  “Pull down your pants.”

  What the--? Was he planning to spank me! But instead of outrage my body began to quake with desire and the succubus swam upwards in awareness.

  “Let the succubus out. Let her feed…or else there is going to be too much pain.”

  Oh damn…”What are you goi
ng to do?” My voice was little more than a whimper.

  “Pull down your pants,” he said calmly. “I’m going to release the Wolf.”

  “Uh…why do you have to bring out the wolf-?“ The wolf was probably really pissed off at me…

  “Because he is a part of me and he needs this just as much as I do.”

  At my hesitation I felt Paul rub his pelvis against my ass. He was rock hard. I imagined him inside of me, his rigid cock rapidly pumping in and out. I reached down to pull off my pants. His rough grip of my hair didn’t make it easy. He at least allowed me to crouch enough to pull them off without losing my balance.

  After I had done what he’d asked—or rather demanded, his grip eased and he stroked that hand lovingly down my neck and back.

  “This next. Take it off,” he growled low with desire, referring to my shirt. Again I did as he requested and then I felt his hands close firmly around my neck from behind. It reminded me of the Wolf’s love bite, and then it all made sense. His grip didn’t hurt but I knew that he could crush my neck with absolutely no effort. My desire flared as I submitted to him, returning to them both the control that I had unconsciously unbalanced.

  The small hairs along my body tingled as the wolf began to surface. I squeezed my eyes closed as talons traced the skin of my belly, leaving long thin scratches.

  Yeah, you deal with this I said to the succubus. This is your territory. And then like a chicken I retreated to the background.

  ~***~

  Paul and I stood in the doorway of my walk-in closet staring at the carnage that our passion had left behind. We were both nude, and smeared in blood; both his and mine. Most of my clothes still hung on hangers except for where the shelving units had been crushed or wrenched from the walls. I grimaced at the amount of blood smeared on my clothes, my wall and my once pristine white carpet.

  I reached out unconsciously to touch the love bite on my shoulder…one of the love bites. There had been many.

  Paul’s eyes were hooded as he weaved on his feet completely sated. When we turned to meet each other’s eyes I saw my blood on his lips. I licked my lips tasting his blood on mine.

  “Are you okay?” He asked.

  I nodded. “And you?” He nodded also.

  It was the first time. Despite our desire to do so, we had never ripped flesh during lovemaking. This was the first time that we had included pain with sex. It was the first time that we had both completely given in to our most secret desires to bite, and fuck and rip.

  I turned my attention back to the closet and grimaced. “Everything is going to need to be dry cleaned…” We had inadvertently tumbled against the hanging clothes, and I remembered my legs wrapping around the Wolf’s body as he lifted me, slamming us against the shoe rack, which now lay in splinters.

  “Damn … I’m sorry about your closet. I’ll have someone come out-“

  “Someone come out?” I looked at him in alarm. “I don’t want anyone seeing this!”

  He shook his head at the look of astonishment on my face. “Kim, why don’t you go get showered. I’ll take care of this.”

  I opened my mouth to protest and his expression told me that I was being ridiculous and to just let him handle it. I didn’t want anyone that I would ever have to see again to either suspect that we’d murdered someone in here or that my husband and I were pain freaks. Wait! was I now a pain freak?

  I headed for the bathroom and the walk-in shower feeling like Carrie after the prom. I hissed as the water spray hit the bites and scratches…and rug burns that criss crossed my body. They were already healing but it still smarted—especially the bite on my ass. I touched it tentatively remembering how the wolf had sank his teeth in me while I licked and teased him. I was surprised when my nipples hardened at the delicious memory.

  And then a few moments later Paul entered the shower naked. And even though we’d just gotten buck wild my body clenched at the sight of his nude perfection. As much as I might want to, I couldn’t blame this rise in me on the succubus being a big-ass nympho. She was completely satisfied and this was all me.

  I admired what was before me for about the millionth time since we’d been married. His gorgeous good looks still didn’t cease to amaze me. Blonde/brown hair fell in shaggy layers down to shoulders that appeared sculpted. And those shoulders then ran down to a back that tapered to a V, outlining abs that stood out in stark definition. His height and build was impressive and despite the old wounds of battle—as well as the more recent ones acquired this very evening, Paul’s body was beautiful. I pulled him into my arms trembling at how powerful our passion had been, and afraid because I’d enjoyed it. I’d really enjoyed it.

  Paul gently kissed and then licked each of my wounds. It eased the pain for some reason and I did the same to him.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured against my lips as the water of the shower sprayed over our bodies. “We don’t apologize for how good our Beasts makes us feel.” I nodded my silent agreement.

  ~***~

  Paul and I arrived at the meetinghouse a short time later. The rest of the Wolf Pack had stayed home with Sam and BJ. Paul and I both felt safer knowing that the baby was being well protected and although Tyler and Jason were anxious about not being with us they knew that it was the best thing for all.

  On the way to the house I contacted Tony and had him gather the Council. By the time we stepped into the house everyone was present in the front room where our minion were made to await their turn to have their grievances heard.

  Ran, Mara and Karen were safely in my office where they could monitor what was going on. Ran wasn’t happy about being shuttered away into a room with the ladies for his own safety but he understood the reason when I reminded him that none of the Council knew that he was my Right Hand and not just a snack.

  I didn’t sense Alexis, which meant that he hadn’t returned. Damnit. Under normal circumstances I would not have necessarily wanted Alexis left alone with my mortal family, but circumstances were far from normal. He had agreed to protect us and not just me and I had to trust in that.

  I tried to keep my emotions in check as I entered the room, but I couldn’t help my anxiety at the prospect of seeing Monica with Tony. Shit Kim, you have more important things to be concerned about, I reminded myself. And maybe having Tony in her corner would benefit her. I wanted her to be happy and if Tony could do that then I would have to squash my feelings about her not confiding in me and…other feelings that I’ve never resolved.

  Monica’s eyes were on me as soon as I stepped through the door.

  “Kim,” she greeted as she always did these days. There was defiance in the way she sat stiffly with her head tilted upward.

  “Good evening Monica.” I replied telepathically. I forced a feeling of love and warmth her way and her eyes seemed suddenly unsure as they searched mine—but searching for what, I did not know.

  Tony and Monica were not seated together and I cleared my throat maybe a bit too forcibly when I looked at him. “Thank you for contacting everyone, Tony.”

  “It seemed important.” Was his response, not that I really heard it as I found myself wondering if their relationship had been apparent to all but me. I’m sure I was giving my thoughts away as I glanced at Kaniji who stood impatiently by the fireplace. She seemed too calm to know about it. Tony was in a wingchair while Monica sat on the couch. Frank was on the other end of the same couch. Cyrene sat in the matching wingchair facing the cold fireplace and Kaniji.

  Paul had trailed into the room after me, his expression neutral. But the Vampires in the room suddenly perked, ignoring me as they watched my husband. I took a moment to look back at him in a black t-shirt, a leather jacket and jeans. Oh…

  His bloodied wounds hadn’t completely healed. And even though they weren’t visible beyond his clothes, the smell of his recent bloodletting was unmistakable. My nostrils caught the faint scent that I had become accustomed to; sex, blood and Werewolf. Shit, Vampires were notorious for knowing
when you’ve had sex and now they knew that we’d spilled each other’s blood. Yes I was not happy about announcing our freaky sex but more importantly Werewolf blood was a delicacy to Vampires.

  Tony’s eyes met mine again before quickly sweeping over my body and I resisted an urge to touch the bite mark on my neck. He seemed to see every scratch bruise and bite that I had painstakingly tried to conceal with jeans and a loose sweater and scarf.

  The exchange was less than a second and Tony’s expression revealed nothing. And then something occurred to me and suddenly the last thing on my mind was Monica, Tony, or even rogue Werewolves targeting Vampires.

  I spun and searched Paul’s face. He met my eyes coolly. He’d done this on purpose. He’d marked me and had me mark him.

  Shit. I couldn’t have Alexis come back to this! He’d know. He’d…

  I reached out with my mind and followed an elusive link to Alexis. It wasn’t familiar, clouded with Ran and other things but I knew that it was him.

  “Alexis?”

  “Mmm, I’m feeding my love.”

  “Okay. I just wanted you to know that I’m holding a meeting with the Council about what you’ve told me. So…it would be best if you don’t come back here yet.”

  “Oh? I thought part of explaining the danger to the Council was to also form a plan of attack?”

  “It is-“

  “Then it would be important for me to be there as the most powerful of the Neratomay. You do not agree?”

  “I…uh,” Fuck! “Let me just ease into this my way, Alexis.“

  There was no response.

  I was interrupted by a sigh of annoyance coming from none other than Kaniji. “Quite honestly I have more important things to do than to spend my evening in your company.” She crossed her arms in front of her. “Will you please get to the fucking point?”

  Snotty bitch.

  “Indeed,” Frank spoke, his thin legs crossed in what appeared to be black leggings and knee high jockey boots. Today he was more conservatively dressed in a nice waist coat and lace white blouse. His bored eyes met mine. “And what trouble did you get yourself into this time?”