"Not much, why?"
Lucas sighed and a cold shiver went down her spine, looking between Lucas and Jenkins.
"Just tell me what you know, Chere. This is important." Lucas’s quietly spoken words held an edge of steel and that shiver turned into a hurricane. Lucas's arm came out to steady her and she leaned into him, grateful for his support.
"I told you. I don't know much. I never met him. Jerry fell in with some weird people a few years ago. She dragged me along once to one of their 'gatherings'. I have never hightailed it out of anywhere so fast in my life."
Another shiver, of remembrance this time, went through Coralie, and she instinctively leaned into Lucas further. His hand cupped the back of her neck and he gently massaged the knots away, whilst urging her to carry on talking.
"Go on. Describe weird—weird how?"
"Well, they were into all sorts of really odd stuff. Witchcraft and such. I'd never seen such disturbing things in all my life. The strange clothes and body tattoos were bad enough, but then they performed some sort of ritual. I can still hear the chanting now. Jerry wanted me to join in, some sort of initiation ceremony. I stayed for a bit, but then they drew a circle and brought out a goat and…"
Bile rose in her throat remembering the desperate cries of the animal as they cut its throat, blood spilling over the circle on the stone floor of the abandoned warehouse. The pressure on her neck increased and shook her out of her memories.
"Did they sacrifice that goat, Coralie?"
"I…I don't know. I ran away thinking it was all complete nonsense, but it wasn't, was it?"
Lucas's grim nod confirmed her suspicions.
"Humans have a nasty habit in dallying with forces they do not understand. Everything has consequences—everything. Tell me, did Jerry flee too, or did she stay?"
"She… she stayed." Terror made her voice hoarse and Jenkins swore, pushing away from the table with a deep growl that made Coralie jump. He started pacing, the air shimmering around him and Coralie wouldn't have been surprised had she blinked and seen he'd shifted into his wolf. He didn't. Mercifully he stopped pacing, and settled for glaring at Jerry's closed door instead. Lucas paid no attention to the shifter and his voice held an urgent demand when he spoke again.
"How long after this happened did Jerry fall pregnant?"
"I… I don't know. I didn't see her for a while. She turned up on my door about three months later, looking like death warmed up. Mummy and I looked after her until she got back on her feet and she found out she was pregnant and… Oh my God." The words stuck in her throat, as she did the mental arithmetic.
"What, Chere? Tell me."
"Suzanne was born less than six months later. The doctors said she was premature, even though she was big. She had problems breathing and feeding and she was in intensive care for four weeks before Jerry could bring her home. I always thought it was odd, but we never questioned it. Jerry always clammed up when we asked her who the father was. Mummy and I assumed she must have been raped, by the way she reacted when we broached the subject, so we didn't probe, because Jerry's mind seemed so fragile back then."
Coralie’s words trailed off as horror gripped her, the image of Jerry laid out on the floor with Jacomo's dagger raised above her heart in her mind's eye. Looking to Lucas for reassurance didn't work, either. The steady, unblinking gaze of his emerald eyes glittered with fury and his expression was murderous.
"I would hazard a guess she was raped, or at the very least coerced."
"Coerced into what exactly? Lucas, that's my friend you're talking about. You're scaring me witless here. What are you trying to say? Who is Suzanne's father?"
"The baby was premature. Demon pregnancies last a year."
Chapter Sixteen
Lucas glanced at the quiet woman sat huddled in the front seat of his car. Protectiveness made his throat close up and he had to clear it noisily to make it work.
"Have you got somewhere light-tight at your house, Chere?"
She visibly startled at his husky words. He put one hand on her thigh and his insides twisted at the tortured expression on her face, as her eyes slowly focused on him. A wave of affection, so powerful his hands shook, floored him. She put her hand over his on her thigh and held on as though her life depended on it. Lucas knew she was terrified for her friend and little Suz. It had taken all of his persuasive skills and some force to get her to leave Jerry's flat. He didn't want her near Jerry, not after what he'd learned. It was too fucking dangerous, and he wasn't about to lose another woman he cared about to the fucking demon. A quick phone call to Carmen and Ion had ensured that Jerry's protection detail was tripled. Vamps at night, shifters during the day: she was covered, as best they could manage.
Still, Coralie had refused to leave until Jenkins had framed her face with his hands to make her listen. Lucas had been behind her, and caged between the two of them she'd had no choice but to listen to the shifter's heartfelt vow.
"I will protect Jerry and her daughter with my life. I swear to you, no harm will come to her. I will keep her chained to me if I have to."
Jenkins’s sincerity had shone through and Coralie had nodded and sagged against Lucas. Since then she'd said nothing, held in the grip of whatever she was imagining, barely holding it together.
If only he could take her memories away, this would be so much easier on her, but he couldn't. He hadn't felt this useless since he'd lost Melisande. Damn it, he hadn't thought about his long-dead wife in years, it was too fucking painful. He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together with an audible crunch and Coralie squeezed his hand harder.
He glanced at her and a tremulous smile flitted across her face.
"Don't do that, Lucas. I'm barely holding it together here, as it is. You're supposed to be the strong, rescuing knight to my damsel in distress act. I'm counting on it."
His lips quirked in an answering smile at her attempt to lighten the mood.
"Mon coeur, you're one damsel I would gladly rescue, if you let me. On that note, answer me. Do you have somewhere light-tight?"
"Light-tight?" Coralie drew her brows together in confusion. "I don't understand what you mean?"
"Somewhere daylight can't reach. I can normally cope with some exposure, but it wouldn't be a good idea at the moment. It will take me a few days to get back to full strength. And before you ask, we can't go back to my barge. They are still repairing it. The smoke damage alone is extensive."
"But you can go back to Carmen's. Just drop me off at home. I'll be fine. You said Ion's pack is watching my house too, and…" Her words trailed off and her eyes grew huge, as he stood on the brakes and pulled over. "What the hell? What are you doing, Lucas?"
He cupped her chin in his hand to ensure he had her full attention.
"I'm not going back to Carmen's or any of my other hidey-holes. I'm not leaving your side, until I've caught that bastard and you're safe. And I'm not entrusting anyone else with your safety, either. "
Lucas waited. His whole body ached as his muscles tensed, waiting for her reaction. He couldn't force her to agree. If she didn't want him with her, he would have to leave come sunrise. His insides twisted into painful knots, thinking of her on her own in that big old house. She was too damn important to him to risk losing. He couldn't save Melisande, but he could damn well protect Coralie, even if he had to move heaven and earth to ensure she was protected. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the vivid memories assaulting him again.
The feather-light touch on his lips surprised him and his fangs ran out fully. He tasted blood and Coralie gasped into his mouth. His eyes flew open as her scent soothed his frayed nerves, and he forced his fangs to retract. Her tentative smile reached deep into his old soul, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the gloom of a cave.
"I have a cellar. It's damp and cold but there are no windows. Will that do?" She smiled and warmth infused his whole being. "I'd hate for you to sleep down there, but it will keep you out of the light, and I
really don't want to be on my own."
"It will do just fine, Chere."
****
Coralie's hands shook so much she spilled coffee all over the kitchen counter. The distant sounds of Lucas rearranging the cellar below reached her through the stone floor. She couldn't believe he was actually going to sleep in that damp, dirty cellar. She had expected him to take her back to Carmen's, but instead he'd put her in his car and it had taken her a while to realize they were not traveling back to the terrifying compound. Relief had chased the chills dancing down her spine away for a second, until he ground his teeth together so hard, she'd heard the crunch over the noise of the engine.
He'd been so tense and closed off, and seemed so alone, she had to reach out to him. His insistence on staying with her had turned her silly heart into an excited rabbit, hopping around in her chest. Whatever pain Lucas carried around with him had shown on his face and in his tensely coiled muscles, and Coralie’s concern for him had taken away the terror she’d felt ever since he'd made that statement about demon pregnancies.
God, Suz—angelic little Suz. She couldn’t be half-demon, she just couldn't. It would kill Jerry if she ever found out.
Get a grip, girl. She already knows, or at least suspects.
Damn it, could she get the bloody coffee made already? Coralie tried to focus on the task at hand. Lucas's large hands, suddenly placed over hers, startled her.
"Let me do that, Chere."
Coralie swallowed a sob, but she hadn't counted on Lucas's heightened senses. He abandoned the coffee and pulled her closer into his muscular chest. Caged between him and the countertop, the steady, slow beat of his heart under her ear, Coralie breathed in his unique scent. Murmured French endearments reached her ears as, safely ensconced in his arms, she finally allowed the tears to fall. Lucas simply held her. When at last the desperate sobs stopped, he tilted her head up and dropped a kiss on her tear-stained cheek.
"Finally—I was wondering when you would break." He produced a monogrammed handkerchief out of his jeans pocket and Coralie had to smile through her tears at the old-fashioned, starched linen. Little things like this gave him away, like his ingrained courtesy and protective streak.
"I'm sorry. I got you all wet, Lucas." She looked up at him and the emotion in his eyes sent her heart into overdrive. She noticed his eyes dart to the rapidly beating pulse point in her neck, and was a little taken aback when his fangs ran out. The fact that he didn't hide his reaction sent warmth spreading through her body. They had come a long way over the last few days, and she realized with a start that she trusted him—completely, utterly—with her life and those of her friends. She put one hand up to run it over his fangs with the lightest of touches and his eyes darkened. His hands went into her hair and he pulled her closer with a groan that rumbled through her, awakening her every cell.
"You keep doing that, mon coeur, I'll have you pinned to that worktop, fucking you senseless before you draw another breath. And that's not what you need right now."
He tried to pull away, but Coralie wouldn't let him. She locked her hands behind his neck and stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. The movement rubbed her breasts against his chest and he groaned into her mouth, as his hands wandered to her backside and molded her body into his. Their breaths mingled and Coralie gasped when Lucas picked her up and sat her on the worktop. He spread her legs wide and pulled her forward until her groin made direct contact with his erection, straining against the fly of his jeans. He didn't seem to be able to stop his hips thrusting into her, even as his upper body pulled away, his biceps straining with the effort to hold her back from him.
"Coralie…"
She ignored his warning growl and pushed herself further into his groin. She moaned at the delicious friction between her legs. His hands on her hips stopped her movements and he groaned into her neck. His breath across her sensitive throat, coupled with the scrape of his fangs, pitched her arousal higher.
"Please, Lucas…" Her strained plea made him swear and his hands dug deep into her hips. She pulled away to see his expression and her stomach flip-flopped. His nostrils flared, his fangs fully extended, his eyes devoured her, and her body reacted with a surge of hot moisture between her legs. He looked every inch the ruthless vampire, hovering on the edge of his control, but it was the expression in his eyes that excited Coralie. Lust, wonder, protectiveness and so much emotion her heart skipped, before it stuttered back to life. The realization how much she loved this man brought new tears to her eyes.
"Please, Lucas. I don't want to think about anything else right now."
He tilted her head up and whatever he read in her face broke the last of his control. He crushed Coralie's mouth under his in a bruising kiss that left her gasping for breath. She shuddered when he kissed his way down her neck, whilst lifting her and removing her jeans and knickers in one lightning-fast movement. Coralie screeched in surprise as the cold countertop hit her exposed pussy and Lucas chuckled his amusement into the valley between her breasts. Heat suffused her at the lazy circles his tongue drew over her fevered flesh and when he took one straining nipple into his mouth and bit down, the sensations shooting to her clit made her squirm. He held her still with a muttered demand she had no choice but to obey.
"That's my girl." Lucas growled his words of approval. Coralie bit her lip and locked her elbows behind her to give him better access, when he scraped his fangs down her quivering tummy with agonizing slowness. He looked up at her with his wickedest smile yet and Coralie watched in helpless fascination as he used his thumbs to part her pussy lips. With another growled, "Don't move," his breath blew over her swollen clitoris, and pleasurable sensations assaulted her. Coralie's head fell back and she closed her eyes. Her hips bucked off the countertop with the first lick of Lucas's tongue. His grumbled denial, as his hands pushed her hips back down, vibrated through her. Every slow lick of his tongue and nip of his teeth pushed her closer to the edge. The air filled with her needy moans urging him to not stop, to go faster, yet he kept at his maddeningly slow pace, keeping her hovering at the edge of release. Coralie was going insane, every fiber of her being concentrated on the swollen nub between her legs, screaming for her release, as she hovered between pain and arousal.
She screamed his name when he pushed two fingers into her vagina, her muscles contracted around them, her breaths coming in short pants. "God, Lucas, I can't… please… I need… oh…"
Color burst from behind her closed eyelids as his fingers fucked her mercilessly, driving her arousal higher and higher.
"Look at me, Chere." The growled command made her eyes fly open and he smiled back at her, increasing his pace. "I want you looking at me when you come on my command. Are you close?"
"Yes..yes, oh God, yes. Lucas…please, I…"
"Then come."
Those whispered words, delivered in his to-die-for voice sent Coralie spiraling over the edge. Her fingernails dug into his back, her ankles hooked behind his ass and she screamed into his shoulder, when his cock replaced his fingers. His hands on her backside lifting her, he drove himself deeper into her with faster and faster thrusts that sent her over that sweet edge time and time again. She clung onto his shoulders, consumed and filled by the desperation behind the almost violent invasion. His mouth crushed hers and she returned his kiss, putting all her emotions into her response as he strained to reach his own release. He broke the kiss to look at her and she moaned at the sight of his fangs. He went still, his eyes searching her face, his hands on her ass trembling, every line of his big body coiled in a silent question. Coralie pulled the damp tendrils of hair off her neck and tilted it sideways in an equally silent offering. She held her breath as his fangs sank in and fire spread from her neck along her veins. Her body erupted in sensations too intense to name and when he thrust again, Coralie was lost. She combusted with every slide of his cool penis, buried so deep inside her. Coralie’s body flew up, higher, harder, out of reach, until Lucas groaned his own release into her nec
k.
Coralie came back to reality with the withdrawal of his fangs. Lucas licked the wound, his hands on her gentle, his breathing as heavy as hers. Coralie shivered in the cool kitchen air and Lucas smiled at her.
"Let's get you to bed, Chere."
Chapter Seventeen
Coralie moaned in her sleep and Lucas pulled her closer into his side. The marks his fangs left on her sensitive skin were clearly visible in the moonlight spilling into her bedroom and his cock stirred to life once more. His chest swelled with satisfaction at the mark of his possession. Her passionate response had blown him away and the trust she exhibited in his bite had made his heart swell with hope. He shifted slightly to give his aching balls a rest. She would be exhausted and not up for another session tonight.
Coralie followed that movement and her sleepy moan had him harden to the point of pain, as her eyes slowly fluttered open. The softness in her brown eyes seemed to him replaced with hunger when she noticed the way he tented the sheet covering his hips, and he groaned out loud when she licked her lips.
"That doesn't look very comfortable…"
His groan deepened when she pulled the sheet off and ran her hand lightly down his cock to cup his balls.
"Chere…"
"What, Lucas?" He watched, fascinated, as she smiled up at him and leaned over to kiss the taut skin on his lower abdomen. His cock surged upwards, the swollen tip leaking with pre-cum and he tightened his buttocks to stop himself from thrusting into her mouth, when her lips closed around the tip.
"Jesus, Coralie, don't."
She smiled and released his cock, only to lick the underside with one slow swipe of her talented tongue, in a move that had his fangs springing out with an audible click.
"Coralie, you don't have to…"
Lure of Forever Page 10
