“Kiss me again,” she asked and he complied.
This time, she did deliberately slide the tip of her tongue across his elongated canines. The razor-sharp edge nicked her again. The sweet spice of her blood was enough to break his concentration as once more he tasted what he craved. His hips reflexively thrust deep and Gillian arched backward into a titanic orgasm.
Feeling her body clenching and milking his, combined with the taste of her blood, sent him over his own precipice, his body gathering and pulsing its own fluid upward and out. He lifted his head to cry out his own release, his lower body driving into her then pressing tightly, welding their bodies together. He felt his own empty into hers in hot jets and Gillian’s pulling him in deeper.
He waited until the last shudders ran through him, the last of his seed being pulled into her with her own sucking caress. Both trembling with aftershocks, he eased down beside her, unwilling to separate their bodies, and looked into Gillian’s dancing eyes.
“Jesus. I can’t believe we waited two years.” Gillian smiled and traced the harsh lines of his mouth as they softened suddenly into a grin.
“I cannot believe we waited two moments.” Aleksei’s chuckle sent heat racing through her system again. He gathered her to him again, stroking her hair, enjoying the scent of their bodies and her own unique scent of snow-covered meadow and clover. When she moved against him restlessly, silvery eyes swept down to find hers watching him. “Yes, piccola?”
To his delight, she blushed. “Er . . . never mind. It’s too soon.”
An elegant eyebrow arched. “Really? You think so?” As he flexed his hips gently, she could feel him, still hard and thick and growing harder and thicker in time with his heartbeat.
“My Gawd.” Gillian gaped at him. “How does an old guy like you do that?” She giggled as his eyebrows both shot up.
“Old, cara?” He swatted her lightly on the bottom in mock punishment. “I was thirty-five when I was reborn, about your age now, I believe.”
“Nope. I’m thirty, genius. I’m well preserved from all the booze I drank in college.”
That brought a chuckle from him. “I believe our age difference is exactly right, Gillian.”
A wicked gleam came into her eye. “So you prefer generationally differential relationships?”
Aleksei’s smile was positively lethal as he drew her to him. “I always prefer to have the upper hand where you are concerned.”
Gill stopped him, still grinning madly. “You seem to be sexually focused, Count Rachlav.”
He looked puzzled and stopped his progress toward her mouth. “I beg your pardon?”
“It means you’re a horny Vampire.”
Aleksei’s rich laughter combined with hers and carried into the night. Just for tonight, Gillian would allow herself the luxury of loving him. For tonight they could belong to no one but each other. Tomorrow. Well, tomorrow was soon enough to take on the evils that plagued all of them now. Tomorrow night was soon enough to let everyone back in and focus on the need to defeat Dracula and drive his influence from the Realm of the Vampire for all time.
Tomorrow.
CHAPTER 14
This document shall serve to bind the alliances of: Humans and their respective Courts; the three known Vampire lineages; all Lycanthropes and their various Councils; The Realm of Fairy and The Fey, inclusive of the Elven Courts, Light, Dark and Twilight Courts and the Sluagh, who for the purposes of this document will be counted as a separate entity.
The three Vampire lineages include but are not limited to those who hold their loyalty to Lord Osiris, Lord Dionysus, and Lord Dracula. For those whose loyalty is commanded by the Dark Prince, but who wish to declare sympathy and recognition for this document, we will turn none away.
We, the aforementioned, declare that with good intent toward all and with harm to none, do put into the written word these truths:
That we recognize the sovereignty of each governing body to deal with their people by reward, endowment or retribution in accordance with the laws of each. Heretofore:
1. That we will not seek to hinder, withhold or obstruct the justice or compensation of an allied governing body if a member of such is found guilty of a crime against one of their own or of an allied group.
2. That we, the Paramortals listed herein, shall not by hand, word or deed commit harm or bring true death to a Human through pleasure, feeding or other dealings.
3. That we the Humans listed herein, shall not by hand, word or deed commit harm or bring true death to a Paramortal through pleasure, hunting or other dealings.
The term “other dealings” shall include all manner of magic or contract which the Fey or Humans may employ. The term “feeding” shall include all manner of blood-taking, blood play or sexual endeavors which the Vampires, Lycanthropes and several species of Elf or Fey may employ.
Drawing from the Human document “The Declaration of Independence,” all listed herein declare these truths to be self-evident, that Human and Paramortal are created equal in accordance with their own beliefs; each with their own purpose; that they have a right to share all domains and realms: Sun, Shadow, Twilight, Shade, Dark, Blessed or Cursed, freely; with mutual respect and trust, and the goal of a peaceful existence to all.
“Damn, that boy may be older than the gods themselves, but he does know how to write,” Gillian stated, her Nile green eyes taking in the Doctrine that Osiris had drafted to support their joint cause of peaceful coexistence. “I think the various factions might just go for it.”
“I hope they shall, piccola,” Aleksei said softly. Gillian nearly groaned. Even deep in intent thought, Aleksei’s voice was black velvet, caressing inside her skull and down her spine. He didn’t have to try to be seductive. He was sensuality itself. Standing next to him as he sat at his desk reviewing Osiris’s words, she noted the calming scent of cardamom and nutmeg that seemed to emanate from his large powerful frame. She absently smoothed her hand down his long wavy black hair to rest on his shoulder. It was an impromptu gesture but one not missed by the Vampire.
Gently, raising his hand, he engulfed hers in the large comforting warmth of his own, never taking his eyes from the paper. “Of course, some may use it as a means for subterfuge but that is unavoidable.”
Cronus on a cracker, his voice was devastating; reverberating through her, pooling heat in her pelvis. Gillian’s head lifted away from the scrumptious scene of Aleksei in the chair, one long leg extended, the other knee bent and pulled up closer to the seat; flat stomach, groin tight and heavy . . . “Stop it,” she ordered him through their mental link and was rewarded by him bringing her hand to the warmth of his mouth, his tongue playfully caressing her knuckles.
Gillian jerked her hand back, meeting his amused ice gray eyes with impunity. “Stop that! We are supposed to be focusing on distributing this document. In fact”—she snatched it out of his hand and retreated to a safe distance— “I need to fax this to Gerhardt at the IPPA, and to Daed and Kimber. I’ll just go do that now.”
Watching the sensual shift of her hips as she stalked away from him, Aleksei smiled without realizing it. They’d had two nights with each other since she had returned from France. Two glorious, steamy, passionate nights when they’d kept the world at bay, electing to get to know each other in every sense of the word. His body tingled at the memory of her luscious form making demands on his own.
Moments after Gillian disappeared, Tanis wandered in. Platinum eyes widened at his brother’s disheveled state. Tanis’s long straight hair was mussed; his burgundy shirt was tucked in but unbuttoned, exposing his broad chest. Tight black pants fit him like a second skin but only one foot was booted; Tanis held the other knee-high black leather boot in his hand. He waved a deferring hand at his brother, golden eyes flashing a warning.
“Do not say it, Aleksei.”
He said it anyway. “You are looking . . . fatigued, Tanis. Is everything well?”
Tanis flopped down in a most un-Vampire-like m
anner on the couch, the booted leg cocked up on the couch, the other still on the floor, an arm thrown across his eyes, head nestled between the back of the couch and the armrest.
“Truly, Aleksei, I am happier than I have ever been these past two days with Jenna, but by all that is holy, that woman is lethal.” He sat up and, with the ease that comes with centuries of practice, slid the boot into place before lying back on the couch, his arm again covering his eyes.
“She appeared to be very passionate. ” Aleksei chuckled.
One golden eye peered out at him. “She had some erroneous notion that men cannot last beyond four and one-half minutes. I demonstrated that was not the case, particularly with a Vampire lover.”
“Demonstrated?” Aleksei echoed, his eyebrows lifting.
“To coin your lovely Gillian’s turn of phrase, all freaking night.” Tanis stretched like a cat, and winced. “If I were Human, I would need an ice pack.”
Aleksei was still chuckling over that when Gillian breezed back into the room. “I just realized I am going to need Trocar to release Dante and Grace. I don’t think I have the magical skills to bind him back to his own castle. And I may wind up packing Grace in a cooler and sending her back to England if her release doesn’t go well.” Her attention swerved to the tall Vampire draped over the couch. “What’s wrong with you?”
Tanis graced her with a golden glare. “Your friend is quite enthusiastic.”
She looked puzzled for a moment then a grin lit up her face. “Jenna and her sensual world of wonder?” Her giggle earned her another glare.
“I wonder if I shall survive.”
Aleksei gave an inelegant snort. Gillian didn’t bother to cover up her laugh. “Jenna is all woman, Tanis. Just don’t piss her off.”
“I do not believe I will have time to irritate her. Most of our time seems to be spent—”
“Never mind, Tanis. I’m just happy you’re happy.” Gill grinned at him then rounded on Aleksei again. “Can you get an international line for me? I need to get hold of Kimber or Daed and have them track down Trocar before he gets too far.”
“Certainly, piccola.” Aleksei reached for the phone to make the necessary connections while Gillian stood, absently looking toward the window across the room.
“Are you all right, sorella piccola?” Tanis asked quietly. He gave voice almost as good as Aleksei’s. He was still her friend, after all.
“Yeah, just trying to figure what our next move should be,” she responded.
“Dante . . . is that not the Ghost who molested you?”
“Shh!” Gill whispered, hushing him, glancing back at Aleksei, who was occupied with getting her an international connection and not paying attention to them. “Yes, but I still have to release him. There’s no Ghost Council to turn him into and I can’t keep him locked up forever, spelled in those rocks. Plus Grace hasn’t done anything, not really.” She tapped her front teeth with a fingernail, thinking.
“Gillian, she was planted as a betrayer. You cannot release her. She will lead Dracula here whether she intends it or not.” Tanis half sat up on the couch, his eyes warm on his former lover and friend. “I do not want you and Aleksei to suffer as I did.”
“Tanis, I—”
She was interrupted by Aleksei calling her to the phone. With an apologetic look at Tanis, she took the phone and found Kimber on the other end. “Hey, Kemo Sabe, what’s up?”
“I need Trocar. Can you guys track him down before he gets back to the Doorway?”
There was a pause and muffled conversation, then Kimber’s voice again. “You got it. Daed is sending out a chopper with one of the Brownie Mystics in it. They’ll find him.”
“Thanks, babe! I need him back here ASAP. That whole thing with Dante.”
“No worries. I’ll be in touch.” They said their good-byes and hung up. Gillian turned to find Aleksei’s simmering gaze on her. “Stop that.”
An elegant eyebrow rose. “Stop what, cara?”
“Looking at me as if I’m edible.”
Deep chuckle. “Well . . .”
“Never mind,” she snapped, but her eyes were shining and she couldn’t suppress a grin.
“I’m going to read over my e-mail and call Helmut. You boys play nice while I’m gone,” she tossed over her shoulder as she left.
Ice gray eyes followed her departure, and Tanis watched his brother with a critical eye, finally saying offhandedly, “She is still a spitfire, Aleksei. I am glad it is you and not I who has to deal with her.”
Those eyes flashed at him, molten silver. “I did not intend for this to happen, Tanis, truly.” Aleksei’s strikingly handsome face flickered with a moment of imagined pain. Tanis saw it and sat up, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
“Gillian is a force of nature like the tide, Aleksei. She will what she will, you cannot fight it. We were not right for each other, she and I.” Tanis’s golden gaze met his brother’s silvery one. “If I caused you pain due to my relationship with her, it is I who owe you an apology.”
Aleksei rose and paced the room to stand by a window, looking out into the night. “No apology is necessary, Tanis. The two of you needed the time and the chance. I wanted you both to be happy.” He turned back to look at his brother. “I waited for the time on her oath to expire, for you to make your relationship more permanent. When it became apparent that you two were over, only then did I truly consider a relationship with her for the first time.”
“I realize that. Gillian and I were over by the time I was taken, Aleksei. We knew it even then. Whether I had been here or not, the two of you would have come together. I am not saddened nor angry. Truly, I am happy for you both.” Tanis’s voice was warm and full of caring for his older brother. Aleksei was the younger Vampire by only a few months but Tanis loved and respected him for the man he had always been.
The two embraced, glad to have cleared the air between them. Glad that the two of them, in very different ways, cared for a certain woman and that she would be their friend and in their lives for a very long time.
Meanwhile, Gillian was multitasking; she was on the phone with Dr. Gerhardt, reading her e-mail and trying to line up a few more local patients to have something to do while they waited for Dracula’s latest atrocity.
“Honestly, Helmut, it’s been bad around here while we were gone. Most of Eastern Europe has numerous disappearances, murders; one town in Hungary was completely spelled by some faction of the Fey. They haven’t figured out how to undo it, let alone who is behind it.”
“That is what concerns me, Gillian. This document you faxed to me, Osiris’s work, will be helpful in delineation of loyalty but so many of the Fey, and the Vampires for that matter, use deception as a way of life. How will this hold anyone, truly?”
He was right, dammit. “All I can tell you is that the intent is to draw a very large line in the sand. If any group signs that document and then violates it, it will be considered the same as a violation of a treaty. Every other hand who has declared that document valid will be turned against them.”
“That could lead to open war, Gillian. Very open war.”
“I’m a soldier, Helmut. I am aware of what it means.” She sounded distracted and very blunt.
“You are a healer. Do not forget that part of yourself.”
That got her attention. “Healing what? What exactly have I done? Helped a Werewolf with a mild neurosis? A Vampire or two with fangxiety? Oh, and let’s not forget the Ghosts. Let me see, the last two Ghosts wound up with one molesting me and one being a spy for the enemy. Yeah, I’m doing just great with that healing thing.”
Now she sounded bitter and her agitation was enough to get Aleksei’s attention from downstairs. “You are an angel, piccola. You have helped me more than you will ever know.”
“Quit eavesdropping,” she shot back, meaning it. He flooded her with warmth, then withdrew, understanding her need for privacy but not before receiving her brief thanks for his consideration.
&nb
sp; Gerhardt interceded on his end. “Gillian, you are one of the most gifted and brilliant psychologists I’ve ever known. You have a flawless track record and an outstanding relationship with your clients. Some of these issues we could not have foreseen nor prevented. Paramortal psychology is still very new—in its infancy. The Diagnostic Manual of Paramortal Disorders is only in its first edition. You cannot fault yourself for what many so-called experts still do not fully understand.”
Gillian flopped back against the pillows of the bed she partly shared with Aleksei, and sighed. “I know, I just feel sort of useless. I can’t fully be a soldier and I can’t fully be a psychologist. I feel torn between the two, Helmut, and I don’t want to get anyone killed, mostly me, by not being fully aware of which side of me should be at the forefront at any given moment.”
Her mentor sighed as well. There was no way to fully help her with this. She was doing the best she could in the field like so many others in their profession were, but would it be enough? He was consigned to the administrative level of the IPPA and could only give her the best advice and research that was changing on a daily basis as information flooded in from a myriad of sources.
There had always been a complete separation between the various Paramortal communities and a curious combination of disbelief and hope from Humankind. Everyone was learning about everyone else’s culture, good and bad attributes, belief systems and societies, and the learning curve had gotten very high. No one wanted to screw up. Gillian and her fellows couldn’t afford to.
“Gillian, listen to me. You may unofficially be the poster girl for paranormal psychology and the darling of the Paramortals for making them look good again in the eyes of Humans, but you are setting a very high level of expectation on yourself. You haven’t failed anyone. Not your patients, not your friends. Stop beating yourself up and get back to work. We need you.” He paused, holding his breath. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he wanted her to stop feeling as though her skills were in question, and kicking her a little in the proverbial butt was the only way he knew to get it.
Key to Conspiracy Page 17
